New Delhi, May 30 (Cricket News) Where talent meets opportunity: the IPL lived up to its motto yet again with the 2022 season unearthing a battery of pacers -- some raw and some already polished -- and a potential India captain in Hardik Pandya.

In his first full season for Hyderabad, Umran Malik attracted the world's attention with his ability to clock 150kmph plus with ease, also forcing the Indian selectors to take notice while young left-arm pacer Mohsin Khan impressed with a lethal combination of pace and accuracy for the new Lucknow franchise.

The competition reinforced India's rise as a fast-bowling powerhouse with the likes of Mukesh Choudhary, Simarjeet Singh (both Chennai Super Kings), Yash Dayal (Gujarat Titans) and Kuldeep Sen (Rajasthan Royals) also making their presence felt in the world's biggest T20 league.

There were young batters too who instantly showed they belonged to the higher level. They included Mumbai Indians' Tilak Varma who was praised by none other than his captain Rohit Sharma, who called the southpaw an India material.

Then there was Jitesh Sharma who drew praise from India great Virender Sehwag with his exploits as a wicketkeeper batter for Punjab Kings. His team failed to make the play-offs again but he made the most of the opportunity.

The other uncapped batters who may not be new to the IPL but had a memorable season included Hyderabad's Rahul Tripathi, who was unfortunate to miss out on an India call-up and Abhishek Sharma, who excelled as an opener.

Hardik makes his case for future India captaincy ---------------------------------------------------- Before the start of the IPL, there were serious questions marks over the star all-rounder's fitness but by the end of it, he not only ticked most of the boxes with bat and ball, but also emerged as an astute leader who could captain India in the future.

Having not played since India's early exit at the T20 World Cup last year, Hardik silenced all his critics after facing a lot of flak for his fitness and for not being able to bowl regularly.

He relished batting at number four, and when there was need for him to roll his arm over, he came up with vital contributions, including a match winning spell in the IPL final.

The oldies still got it ---------------------- It was also a season to remember for the experienced Umesh Yadav, Wriddhiman Saha and Dinesh Karthik, who made yet another India comeback after excelling in the finisher's role for Royal Challengers Bangalore.

His team Kolkata Knight Riders may have made a premature exit, but Umesh made the ball talk in the early part of the tournament, providing regular breakthroughs for his team in the powerplay.

He was never rated highly for the T20 game but this season he showed he can very much thrive in the shortest format.

Playing for the victorious Gujarat team, Saha rediscovered himself with bat as he opened alongside Shubman Gill.

Left out of the Indian Test team, Saha had a point to prove and with his ability to play strokes all around the ground, he helped Gujarat get off to a flier on a number of occasions. COVID struck IPL again but BCCI ensured smooth conduct --------------------------------------------------------------- After the pandemic, it was the first IPL that was held in India in its entirety with the BCCI pulling off a challenging task to stage 74 games in over two months, 14 more than the last edition following the addition of two new teams.

It did face a few hiccups with Delhi Capitals reporting multiple cases in their camp, forcing the board to reschedule a few games.

However, with the COVID situation in control in the country, there was never any threat to the tournament even after an outbreak in the Delhi franchise. 

Also Read : Hope to have more Bengal players in KKR: CAB president

News Source : PTI

Ahmedabad, May 28 (Cricket News) Two leaders, who are minefields of talent in their own right, one team that has made a mockery of all betting odds and the other trying to complete a cycle that started 15 summers back, IPL final between Gujarat Titans and Rajasthan Royals is about this and much more.

When IPL started over two months back, nobody would have believed that two captains walking out for toss in the title clash will be Hardik Pandya and Sanju Samson.

'Remember the Titans', a 2000 Hollywood film headlined by Denzel Washington is considered one of the best sports films on the proverbial underdog story, which always has a capital.

It is not known if Titans skipper Hardik has watched it but for him and head coach Ashish Nehra, this journey of two months has been nothing short of spectacular. They have made a lot of people eat a humble pie because many, including experts, termed them a team of no-hopers post auction. A team that looked like a rag-tag outfit with only a few good players like David Miller, considered past their sell by date, or one-match wonders like Rahul Tewatia, it didn't really look good on paper.

But then you wouldn't call cricket a "game of glorious uncertainties" if everything would be decided on paper.

A fit-again Hardik took to leadership like fish takes to water and showed the way with his performances and the reason why he will always be an asset for Indian cricket.

Miller, who played his best cricket at least five years back, showed his 2.0 version that stunned one and all. Tewatia showed that those five sixes in Sharjah wasn't a mere flash in the pan.

Rashid Khan knew that he would be read well, so he became all the more parsimonious. Wriddhiman Saha after Rahul Dravid's hard-talk had reached a dead-end in his career but got a new lease of life and at least one more season to look forward to.

Gujarat as a state has not been known for its sporting exploits.

It produced players like Parthiv Patel or one of India's greatest ever pacers in Jasprit Bumrah but just like Tamil Nadu never had an emotional connect with a team before CSK appeared in the horizon, same is the case with Gujarat.

Come Sunday, expect a partisan and vociferous crowd to chant "Aava De" and that's the impact that Titans have had on their fans.

History will always throw examples that sporting teams bind a community and perhaps Titans can strike that chord with the Gujaratis.

For Titans, if this is about carving a niche in-front of home crowd, Rajasthan would like to do it for someone, who would be watching up from the stars.

Shane Warne -- Rajasthan's forever first Royal had used the IPL stage in its inception year to show Australian cricket establishment what Ian Chappell had always maintained : "Shane Warne was the best captain Australia never had".

With the Ravindra Jadejas, Dinesh Salunkhes, Swapnil Asnodkars and Niraj Patels, Warne had guided tournament's then cheapest team to victory.

Thirteen summers have gone but there is no Warne in flesh and blood to watch his beloved team complete a cycle of life and sport.

Sanju is perhaps one of those rare Indian cricketers, who has a massive fan following despite not having played even 20 international matches for the country.

In terms of talent quotient, there is little to choose between Sanju and Hardik.

Sanju's batting like a pendulum swinging between heroism and insanity.

One ball, he can audaciously flick Kagiso Rabada or a Josh hazlewood for a six and the next delivery could be an atrocious shot that would make his biggest supporter tear his hair in frustration.

But captaincy has made him explore a different aspect -- the skills of a manager.

It is not easy to lead a pack that has bonafide stars like Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jos Buttler, Trent Boult along with young guns Yashasvi Jaiswal or Prasidh Krishna but Sanju has handled it well.

It will be one hell of a battle where Buttler with 800-plus runs will not only fight a Lockie Ferguson or a Yash Dayal but also withstand crowd pressure: about 1,11,000 fans would be cheering for the hosts.

Similarly, Shubman Gill would like to own the big stage and show what he can do when the canvas is as large as the IPL final.

Prasidh Krishna is a handful when his team bowls first but how will he react against a rampaging Miller if he has to defend in a tense situation? What will be Hardik's tactic against a wily Chahal and an experimental Ashwin during the middle overs? Or will Buttler take risks against a Rashid Khan? We will get all those answers in the next 24 hours.

There will be heroes, there will be heartbreaks but above everything, perhaps a contest that everyone will remember for ages.

Squads: Gujarat Titans: Hardik Pandya (c), Abhinav Manohar, David Miller, Gurkeerat Singh, B Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill, Rahul Tewatia, Vijay Shankar, Matthew Wade, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Wriddhiman Saha, Alzarri Joseph, Darshan Nalkande, Lockie Ferguson, Mohammed Shami, Noor Ahmad, Pradeep Sangwan, Rashid Khan, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Varun Aaron, Yash Dayal.

Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (c), Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent NSE 1.86 % Boult, Shimron Hetmyer, Devdutt Padikkal, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal, Riyan Parag, KC Cariappa, Navdeep Saini, Obed McCoy, Anunay Singh, Kuldeep Sen, Karun Nair, Dhruv Jurel, Tejas Baroka, Kuldip Yadav, Shubham Garhwal, James Neesham, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Rassie van der Dussen, Daryl Mitchell, Corbin Bosch.

Match starts at 8:00 pm. 

Also Read : I am trying to hold one end up and let bowler from other end attack: Rashid Khan

News Source : PTI

Ahmedabad, May 26 (Cricket News) Rajasthan Royals will need to shake off an ordinary bowling performance in their last outing when they clash with Royal Challengers Bangalore, a team which seems to be peaking at the right time, in the high-stakes IPL Qualifier-2 here on Friday.

Having sneaked into the play-offs, RCB seem are on a roll and a tight win over Lucknow in the Eliminator has fuelled expectations for a long-awaited trophy.

They take on Rajasthan, a team which has all bases covered but still came up short against Gujarat in Qualifier 1.

The IPL caravan moves to Ahmedabad after a couple of high-scoring games in Kolkata.

It has been a quick turnaround for RCB but they won't mind that as they look to ride the momentum.

"The best thing is that we have one day and we play again. Cannot wait to be in Ahmedabad and take the field again. We are so excited and happy with how things have gone. Hopefully, two more games and we all can celebrate," star RCB batter Virat Kohli told the IPL website after the win over LSG. Rajat Patidar, who played the innings of his life on Wednesday, will be a man with supreme confidence in another high-pressure knockout fixture.

For someone who went unsold in the IPL auction and came into the RCB squad as a replacement player, it has been a career-changing season for him.

Both the high-profile openers, Kohli and Faf du Plessis, are big match players and will be itching to make an impact after low returns in the previous game. Dinesh Karthik has managed to maintain consistency in a tough role and the team management would be also hoping for more runs in the back end of the innings from Glenn Maxwell.

The team is likely to stick to the winning combination. While Wanindu Hasaranga has shown the courage even when he has been taken to the cleaners, Harshal Patel has been the go-to pacer in slog overs.

Mohammad Siraj returned for the LSG game and bowled well with the new ball. Josh Hazlewood enhanced his reputation as a death bowler with a match-deciding penultimate over and with the addition of a yorker in his armoury, has only become tougher to score of.

RCB bowlers will have to be on the top of their game against a formidable Rajasthan batting line up which rely heavily on Jos Buttler and skipper Sanju Samson. Both scored against Gujarat but it did not prove to be enough.

Samson will be eager to convert his 30s and 40s into a substantial knock and lead from the front.

It remains to be seen how the bowlers comeback after a forgettable outing. R Ashwin had a rare off day against Gujarat while Prasidh Krishna paid the price for bowling length balls to David Miller in the final over.

Squads: Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (captain), Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Shimron Hetmyer, Devdutt Padikkal, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal, Riyan Parag, KC Cariappa, Navdeep Saini, Obed McCoy, Anunay Singh, Kuldeep Sen, Karun Nair, Dhruv Jurel, Tejas Baroka, Kuldip Yadav, Shubham Garhwal, James Neesham, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Rassie van der Dussen, Daryl Mitchell, Corbin Bosch.

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Faf du Plessis (captain), Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Mohammed Siraj, Harshal Patel, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dinesh Karthik, Josh Hazlewood, Shahbaz Ahmed, Anuj Rawat, Akash Deep, Mahipal Lomror, Finn Allen, Sherfane Rutherford, Jason Behrendorff, Suyash Prabhudesai, Chama Milind, Aneeshwar Gautam, Karn Sharma, David Willey, Rajat Patidar and Siddharth Kaul Match starts at 7:30 pm. 

Also Read : I don't shy away from bowling in slog overs: Harshal Patel

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) The IPL playoffs are about to begin with Qualifier 1 between Gujarat Titans and Rajasthan Royals. The winner of the match will go straight into the finals while the loser will get another opportunity as they will face the winner of the Eliminator for a place in the final. Both GT and RR have had incredible seasons and will be looking to reach the final without the hassle of the 2nd qualifier. The match being at Eden Gardens will bring a different challenge to both the teams.

GT led by new captain Hardik Pandya have surprised everyone with their performances. Initially there were a lot of doubts regarding their squad on paper. The team has fared very well in the tournament so far winning 10 out of 14 games. The only worrying point is that they have lost 3 of their last 5 matches meaning that they are not coming into the playoffs with the best of momentum. Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya, Rashid Khan and Mohammed Shami have been incredible this tournament and they will have to be at their best for the playoffs.

After so many disappointing seasons, Rajasthan Royals are back in the playoffs after 3 seasons. Sanju Samson and Kumar Sangakkara have created a completely balanced side that has had an incredible season. Orange cap holder Jos Buttler and Purple Cap holder Yuzvendra Chahal have been absolutely crucial. Ravichandran Ashwin along with his bowling has also been incredible with the bat. The pace battery of Kuldeep Sen, Trent Boult and Prasidh Krishna have wreaked havoc. 

Buttler had an incredible first half of the season but has since dropped off. Tonight will be the perfect time for him to start firing again but he will have the challenge of Mohammed Shami, Lockie Ferguson and Rashid Khan in front of him. The attack of Kuldeep Sen, Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravichandran Ashwin will be very tricky for Gujarat batters to handle. Hardik Pandya will be very crucial, what number he bats at will be interesting to see. Whether Matthew Wade is dropped or given another opportunity will be interesting to see.

The weather is likely to play a huge role as there are heavy rains predicted. According to reports, Qualifier 1, Eliminator and Qualifier 2 results will be determined on a Super Over if there's rain interruption. If no Super Over is also possible then League Stage Table standing will be considered. 

Interesting facts:

- Titans have won all their six chases in the final over - the most by a team in a season in IPL.

- RR used the fewest overs of spin in IPL 2021, and this year, sit on top of the spin charts.

- Chahal is the leading wicket-taker in death overs this season while Rashid is among the most economical bowlers in this phase.

-Miller has had his most productive season since 2013 as ue averages 83.5 against spin, this season.

-Buttler has been dismissed four times by Rashid Khan in seven innings, while managing a strike rate of 60 in the five overs he has played off him. Overall, he has struck at 131.16 in the powerplay.

-Titans have successfully chased down targets six times out of seven. The only instance where they missed out was when Daniel Sams defended nine off the final over for Mumbai Indians.

-Titans' run rate of 11.6 between overs 16-20 in a chase is the highest this season. Essentially, it means they've backed themselves to score big in the final few overs. Royals run rate of 8.3 is the lowest.

-Saha missed the first five games, but since his entry into the season, only Buttler (357 runs) and Ruturaj Gaikwad (333) have scored more than his 312 runs.
Royals are the only team to have three batters (Buttler, Samson, Hetmyer) to have hit 20 plus sixes this season.

-Samson's eight wins after losing tosses is the most for a captain in a season.

Probable XI for GT:

1 Shubman Gill, 2 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 3 Matthew Wade, 4 Hardik Pandya (capt), 5 David Miller, 6 Rahul Tewatia, 7 Rashid Khan, 8 R Sai Kishore, 9 Lockie Ferguson, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Yash Dayal

Probable XI for RR:

1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Jos Buttler, 3 Sanju Samson (capt & wk), 4 Devdutt Padikkal, 5 Riyan Parag, 6 Daryl Mitchell, 7 R Ashwin, 8 Trent Boult, 9 Prasidh Krishna, 10 Yuzvendra Chahal, 11 Kuldeep Sen

Also read: Takeaways from India's squad for T20I series against South Africa

Kolkata, May 23 (Cricket News) Equipped with a lethal bowling attack and boasting a number of quality finishers, debutants Gujarat Titans will start as favourites against spin-heavy former champions Rajasthan Royals when the two teams face-off in the first IPL Qualifier, here on Tuesday.

Captaining a team in the IPL for the first time ever, a fit-again Hardik Pandya has been a revelation this season as he led from the front with both bat and ball to ensure a top finish for his team in the league stage.

Apart from firing at number 4, Pandya has used his resources well, be it the death bowling of wily Rashid Khan or making his batting exploits count to go alongside the fiery duo of David Miller and Rahul Tewatia. Every little thing has fallen in place.

Their weak link was their top-order batting with highly-rated Shubman Gill failing to convert his starts but the addition of veteran Wriddhiman Saha has done wonders for the team.

The discarded India wicketkeeper-batter is batting with a new-found passion at the top of the order and has scored three half-centuries in nine matches to make up for Gill's lacklustre run.

While the Afghan leg-spinner has been outstanding in the middle and death overs, India senior pacer Mohammed Shami has given them perfect starts, by being the highest wicket-taker (11 wickets) in the powerplay this season.

Saha, who has been making headlines since he was axed for Team India, will look to make a point as he along with Bengal teammate Shami play in front of their home crowd again.

The fact that the playoffs will be played on fresh tracks would put the seamers in focus and Pandya may look to bring in Alzarri Joseph to go alongside Lockie Ferguson and Shami.

The Titans had defeated the same opponents by 37 runs in the league stage but the inaugural edition champions have a spin-heavy attack to go with rich experience and they might prove to a tricky customer.

The Titans also have looked vulnerable as they suffered three defeats in last five matches, including an eight-wicket thrashing by Royal Challengers Bangalore in their previous outing, which would mean that the Pandya-led side has to step up.

Three of Titan's four defeats, and four of Royals' five losses have come while setting up a target as the toss would also be a key area of concern.

The Sanju Samson-led outfit boast of both the Orange and Purple Cap holders this season -- Jos Buttler and Yuzvendra Chahal.

They also have the experience of Ravichandran Ashwin whose versatility has come to the fore especially in the second-half of the season. Ashwin's batting has also made a huge difference.

Batting at number 5 ahead of their regular batters Shimron Hetmyer and Riyan Parag against Chennai Super Kings the other day, Ashwin smashed an unbeaten 23-ball 40 to script a five-wicket win that also sealed their top-two finish.

But for them to repeat their 2008-IPL winning show, the Royals would not just need an Ashwin but the top-order to fire. Their leading run-getter Buttler has slowed down in the business end of the season with single digit scores -- 2, 2, 7 -- in his last-three outings.

The Englishman, who has slammed three centuries and three fifties this season, is yet to score a half-century in five innings and the Royals would desperately need him to be back among runs.

Their batting too has slumped with Samson and Hetmyer's loss of form and they would look to get into the act ahead of the big match.

The fact that the loser of the Qualifier One will get a second shot at making the final will give both the teams some breathing space.

Squads: Gujarat Titans: Hardik Pandya (c), Abhinav Manohar, David Miller, Gurkeerat Singh, B Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill, Rahul Tewatia, Vijay Shankar, Matthew Wade, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Wriddhiman Saha, Alzarri Joseph, Darshan Nalkande, Lockie Ferguson, Mohammed Shami, Noor Ahmad, Pradeep Sangwan, Rashid Khan, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Varun Aaron, Yash Dayal.

Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (c), Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Shimron Hetmyer, Devdutt Padikkal, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal, Riyan Parag, KC Cariappa, Navdeep Saini, Obed McCoy, Anunay Singh, Kuldeep Sen, Karun Nair, Dhruv Jurel, Tejas Baroka, Kuldip Yadav, Shubham Garhwal, James Neesham, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Rassie van der Dussen, Daryl Mitchell, Corbin Bosch.

Match Starts at 7:30 pm. 

Also Read : Arshdeep delighted to represent India, says bowling to Punjab King batters helped perfect yorkers

News Source : PTI

Mumbai, May 19 (Cricket News) Having gone off the boil in the last few games, Jos Buttler would be eagerly waiting to pounce on an inexperienced Chennai Super Kings attack in order to clinch a play-off berth for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL here on Friday.

A win will take Sanju Samson's men to 18 points and help them steer clear of any permutations or combinations for a top-four finish.

In fact a win will ensure a top-two finish for Royals as they will then enjoy a superior Net Run Rate (NRR) of +0.304 compared to Lucknow Super Giants' +0.251.

In this backdrop, Royals would like to turn the heat on a lacklustre CSK, who can turn out to be 'party poopers' in their final game.

To prevent that, Buttler, who is currently leading the batters' chart with 627 runs, will need to do better than register scores of 22, 30, 7, 2 -- his contribution in the last four games.

The Royals' success in the tournament has got a lot to do with brilliant starts from Buttler, who has three hundreds and as many fifties -- most of his runs were scored during the first half of the tournament -- and Yuzvendra Chahal's 24 wickets.

While Chahal has maintained his consistency, in the case of Buttler there has been a slight dip in form but the last league game is an ideal time to up the ante before the play-offs.

Rookies Mukesh Choudhary, Simarjeet Singh and 'Baby Malinga' Matheesha Pathirana will like to show their wares one last time but the CSK unit's confidence has taken a big dent because of its poor batting efforts for the better part of the tournament.

While Buttler is at the top of the batting chart for Royals, Ruturaj Gaikwad came to the party late with 366 runs, but none of the others have crossed the 300-run mark. Devon Conway, who played more matches in the second half, has 236 runs to his credit.

Most of CSK's senior players like MS Dhoni (206), Ambati Rayudu (271) and Robin Uthappa (230) haven't had a great IPL and that has been the biggest failure of the 'Yellow Brigade'.

The bowling suffered a lot because of the absence of an injured Deepak Chahar and the inability to retain Josh Hazlewood. It was wafer-thin in terms of experience and they paid the price.

Pathirana, with a slinging action that is pretty similar to Malinga, has caught Dhoni's imagination but he is a work in progress. Similarly, the likes of Mukesh (16 wickets), Simar (3 wickets) and spinner Mahesh Theekshana (12) are good but not assured match-winners yet.

The Royals' bowling attack, perhaps, is one of the best in the tournament with the spin duo of Chahal (24 wickets and ER of 7.76) and Ravichandran Ashwin (10 wickets at 7.15) creating plenty of trouble for the batters.

Prasidh Krishna (15 wickets) has been sharp on most days and when Trent Boult (12 wickets) gets the ball to slant into the right-handers first up, it will be difficult for any top-order.

The Royals' qualification is in their own hands and they would like to keep it that way with a win against Chennai Super Kings.

Teams: Chennai Super Kings: MS Dhoni (captain), Moeen Ali, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Dwayne Bravo, Ambati Rayadu, Robin Uthappa, Mitchell Santner, Chris Jordan, Adam Milne, Devon Conway, Shivam Dube, Dwaine Pretorius, Maheesh Theekshana, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Tushar Deshpande, KM Asif, C Hari Nishaanth, N Jagadeesan, Subranshu Senapati, K Bhagath Verma, Prashant Solanki, Simarjeet Singh, Mukesh Choudhary, Matheesha Pathirana.

Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (C), Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Shimron Hetmyer, Devdutt Padikkal, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal, Riyan Parag, KC Cariappa, Navdeep Saini, Obed McCoy, Anunay Singh, Kuldeep Sen, Karun Nair, Dhruv Jurel, Tejas Baroka, Kuldip Yadav, Shubham Garhwal, James Neesham, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Rassie van der Dussen, Daryl Mitchell, Corbin Bosch.

Match Starts at 7:30 pm. 

Also Read : RCB hope to qualify as they take on top seed GT in match no 67

News Source : PTI

Mumbai, May 14 (Cricket News) In impressive form throughout the season, Lucknow Super Giants would look to bounce back from their previous match defeat and register a win to confirm their IPL play-offs berth when they face another aspirants, Rajasthan Royals, here on Sunday.

LSG were on top of IPL points table with four wins on the trot before relinquishing that position after losing to Gujarat Titans in their previous match.

The KL Rahul-led side, which is now at second spot with 16 points, would not want to lose another game just before the start of the knockout round.

The Royals would also look to make amends for their all-round failure in their comprehensive eight-wicket defeat at the hands of Delhi Capitals in their last match.

With 16 points from 12 matches, a win for LSG on Sunday will confirm their play-offs berth. For the Royals too, a victory will take them on the verge of securing a last-four stage spot.

Captain Rahul and his opening partner Quinton de Kock will have to score the bulk of runs once again for LSG. Both fell cheaply against the Titans and they would look to bounce back against the Royals.

Rahul, the tournament's second most prolific batter with 459 runs from 12 matches, has been in impressive form with two centuries and as many half centuries.

De Kock has scored three half centuries to accumulate 355 runs from 12 outings.

Deepak Hooda is another batter who is in form with 347 runs and three half centuries, and he has the ability to make a difference.

The Royals will rely heavily on England wicketkeeper-batter Jos Buttler, who has scored 625 runs from 12 matches with the help of three centuries and as many half centuries. His team-mates though have not been in the best of form.

Captain Sanju Samson has, again, failed to realise his full potential though he has not done bad either. He has scored 327 runs from 12 matches with two half centuries.

The good news for the Royals is that Devdutt Padikkal (295 runs from 12 matches) has shown some consistency with 31 and 48 in the last two matches though he is yet to make a big one.

The same is the case with Shimron Hetmyer (291 from 11 matches), who has shown a lot of promise but is yet to fire, though his 31 not out off 16 balls was instrumental in the Royals' six-wicket win over Punjab Kings.

Ravichandran Ashwin was the top-scorer for the Royals in their previous match against Delhi Capitals and his utility as a batter can be exploited by the Royals.

The Royals will once again depend on spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, who is at joint top among wicket-takers with 23 scalps from 12 matches, to deal with the likes of Rahul and de Kock, even as R Ashwin, Trent Boult and Prasidh Krishna look to chip in.

For LSG, bowling is the weaker department and the likes of Avesh Khan and Jason Holder will have to step up to restrict Buttler and other RR batters.

Both were among wickets against the Titans while Mohsin Khan was economical with figures of 1/18 in four overs. The teams (from): Lucknow Super Giants: KL Rahul (c), Manan Vohra, Evin Lewis, Manish Pandey, Quinton De Kock, Ravi Bishnoi, Dushmantha Chameera, Mohsin Khan, Mayank Yadav, Ankit Rajpoot, Avesh Khan, Andrew Tye, Marcus Stoinis, Kyle Mayers, Karan Sharma, Krishnappa Gowtham, Ayush Badoni, Deepak Hooda, Krunal Pandya. Jason Holder.

Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (c), Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Shimron Hetmyer, Devdutt Padikkal, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal, Riyan Parag, KC Cariappa, Navdeep Saini, Obed McCoy, Anunay Singh, Kuldeep Sen, Karun Nair, Dhruv Jurel, Tejas Baroka, Kuldip Yadav, Shubham Garhwal, James Neesham, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Rassie van der Dussen, Daryl Mitchell.

Match Starts at 7:30pm. 

Also Read : Do or die game for KKR and SRH in match number 61

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Navi Mumbai, May 11 (Cricket News) Riding on Mitchell Marsh's all-round heroics, Delhi Capitals got their act together in the nick of time to upstage Rajasthan Royals by eight wickets and keep their IPL playoffs hopes alive here on Wednesday.

After their bowlers restricted RR to 160 for six, Marsh's 62-ball 89 and David Warner's unbeaten 52 off 41 balls helped the Capitals complete the task with 11 balls to spare for their sixth win of the season that saw the team suffer setbacks both on and off the field, including multiple COVID-19 cases in its camp.

With the ball, Marsh had picked up the two important wickets of Yashasvi Jaiswal (19) and Ravichandran Ashwin (50). Then, he smashed seven sixes and five fours to emerge as the night's hero.

DC lost Srikar Bharat in only the second ball of their innings to Trent Boult, who conceded just one run in the first over. That was followed by a maiden over by Prasidh Krishna and then the Kiwi speedster bowled another economical over as DC struggled to force the pace early on, reaching five for one in three overs.

The introduction of Ashwin saw Marsh launching the off-spinner over long-off for a six. Marsh did the same to Prasidh, hitting him for a maximum over fine-leg to give the much-needed impetus to the DC innings.

There was more to come from the willow of Marsh as he smashed Kuldeep Sen for two sixes and a similar treatment was given to Ashwin as the ball, despite Jos Buttler's effort in the deep, sailed over long-on for a maximum, bringing up the Australian all-rounder's fifty.

By the time the 143-run stand was broken by Yuzvendra Chahal with the wicket of Marsh, the match was almost in DC's bag.

Earlier, striking at better than most of the top batters, premier off-spinner Ashwin recorded his first half-century in T20 cricket. Ashwin made a 38-ball 50, while Devdutt Padikkal struck 48 in 30 deliveries after RR were asked to bat first.

The Capitals were off to fine start as left-arm pacer Chetan Sakariya (2/23), playing the must-win game in place of Khaleel Ahmed, dismissed RR's top batter Jos Buttler (7) cheaply in the third over.

Looking to play it over the infield, Buttler hit a fairly full-length delivery straight to Shardul Thakur.

With Buttler gone early, DC were on top and looked to assert their dominance at the DY Patel Sports Complex. They gave very little away and kept RR to 43 for one in the six power play overs.

This was after DC skipper Rishabh Pant decided against a review despite a strong appeal by Sakariya for a caught behind in the first over. Replays confirmed that Pant was right in not opting for a review.

Coming off his blazing half-century in the previous game, Yashasvi Jaiswal produced a lovely on-drive off Anrich Nortje (2/39) and then smashed the South African pacer for a six over third man.

Jaiswal (19) impressed again, but not for long as Mitchell Marsh (2/25) cramped him up for room with a bouncer, paving the way for the left-handed Devdutt Padikkal to join Ashwin in the middle.

Looking confident after having hitting a few boundaries, including two maximums and a ramp shot over keeper Pant, Ashwin went along nicely and brought up his half-century in 38 balls.

However, the premier off-spinner got out soon after reaching the landmark with Marsh coming back into the attack to give DC the breakthrough.

Meanwhile, Padikkal smashed Axar Patel for two sixes -- one over deep backyard point and another over long-on -- as RR looked to force the pace.

Padikkal then scored two successive fours off Marsh, even as Nortje had RR skipper Sanju Samson (6) caught by Shardul Thakur at mid-wicket. As the DC players rejoiced, Kuldeep Yadav was seen walking off the ground holding his left shoulder, having hurt himself while going for a catch in the previous over.

Riyan Parag hit Nortje for a massive six before Sakariya cut short his brief stay in the middle, and Padikkal too followed suit, thanks to brilliant catch running by substitute fielder Kamlesh Nagarkoti. 

Also Read : Nothing wrong in losing but everything wrong in giving up: Gambhir tells LSG players after 82 all-out

News Source : PTI

Navi Mumbai, May 11 (Cricket News) Delhi Capitals skipper Rishabh Pant won the toss and opted to bowl against Rajasthan Royals in their Indian Premier League match here on Wednesday.

Lalit Yadav came in for Ripal Patel and Chetan Sakariya replaced Khaleel Ahmed in the DC playing XI.

In a forced change, RR brought Rassie Van Der Duusen in place of Shimron Hetmyer, who had left for the Caribbean for the birth of his child.

Teams: Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson (w/c), Devdutt Padikkal, Rassie van der Dussen, Riyan Parag, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Sen.

Delhi Capitals: David Warner, Srikar Bharat, Mitchell Marsh, Rishabh Pant(w/c), Lalit Yadav, Rovman Powell, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Chetan Sakariya, Kuldeep Yadav, Anrich Nortje. 

Also Read : Rohit and Virat told me not to get stressed about price-tag: Ishan Kishan

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) The Delhi Capitals have played 11 games so far in the tournament, and such has been their inconsistency that they are yet to win back-to-back games. On the other hand Rajasthan lost two matches to the two bottom side but bounced back to winning ways against PBKS, RR will be without their star player Shimron Hetmyer for this crucial encounter.

For the RR management there might be a selection headache as Rassie van der Dussen or Jimmy Neesham could be given a go in his absence with RR having played only three overseas players in 4 of the 11 matches so far this season. In the batting department the inclusion of young Yashasvi Jaiswal paid off as he went on to score a 68 which ultimately turned out to be the turning point in the match, if his form persists then RR might just have a deadly opening partnership alongside Jos Butler. In the bowling department all three pacers, Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna and Kuldeep Sen will play a crucial role in restricting them to a low score. RR could bring in Ashwin to bowl in the powerplay to counter the Warner threat with him having dismissed him 5 times. Purple cap leader Yuzvendra Chahal’s battle with fellow leggie Kuldeep Yadav will be one to watch out for as both of the spinners eye a comeback into the T20 side.

DC have been one of the most underperforming teams this season considering the plethora of talent they have in their team. For DC to qualify they can potentially stay in control of their own fate should they win their last three games and in that scenario, their better net run rate could give them an edge when it comes to crunch situations. DC's pacers have been very underwhelming as they have only managed to take 10 wickets in the powerplay, and 13 wickets in the death. Shardul Thakur has been underwhelming with the ball which has hurt the team but they've found respite in Khaleel, who has carried the weight of the bowling attack on his shoulders. He has returned 16 wickets in 32 overs, conceding at 7.75 rpo. In the batting department the majority of the weight is being carried by David Warner as he has scored 375 runs in 9 innings but along with him Rovam Powell is finally showing the world why he is so highly rated as he is playing the finisher role in the squad brilliantly.

Pitch and weather report: In the last two matches at the DY Patil teams defending targets have won as toss won’t be a factor in today's match. The batting becomes difficult as the ball gets old and the trend will likely continue. The temperature is going to hover around 31 degrees with 10% chance of rain as dew shouldn’t play a factor in the second innings.

Interesting facts:

• Prasidh Krishna has dismissed David Warner two times in three innings while conceding 28 runs off 21 balls.
• Jos Buttler has taken Kuldeep Yadav for 54 off 33 balls at a strike rate of 163.63 while being dismissed just once in the IPL.
• Royals have struck 102 sixes, the most by a team this IPL
• In 8 innings against  RR, Pant has scored 344 runs, averaging 57.33, striking at 166.69.
• No spin attack has more wickets than Royals' 32 this season
• Axar Patel is one strike away from 100 IPL wickets.

Also read: Rashid, Gill star as GT beat LSG by 62 runs to seal play-off berth

Probable XI for RR:

1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Jos Buttler, 3 Sanju Samson (capt & wk), 4 Devdutt Padikkal, 5 Riyan Parag, 6 Jimmy Neesham/Rassie van der Dussen/Daryl Mitchell, 7 R Ashwin, 8 Trent Boult, 9 Prasidh Krishna, 10 Yuzvendra Chahal, 11 Kuldeep Sen

Probable XI for DC:

1 David Warner, 2 KS Bharat/Prithvi Shaw, 3 Mitchell Marsh, 4 Rishabh Pant (capt & wk), 5 Rovman Powell, 6 Ripal Patel/Lalit Yadav, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Anrich Nortje, 11 Khaleel Ahmed

Navi Mumbai, May 10 (Cricket News) Delhi Capitals will aim to quickly recover from their loss in the previous match to stay in the IPL play-offs race while Rajasthan Royals will be eager to hold on to their winning momentum when the two teams clash here on Wednesday.

The Capitals have lost six of their 11 games and although they are fifth on the points table, they are bunched alongside Sunrisers Hyderabad and Punjab Kings, who also have 10 points from as many games.

Delhi has the advantage of a positive Net Run Rate (+0.150) but the Capitals need to win all their remaining three matches for a shot at the playoffs.

Rajasthan, on the other hand, are sitting on the third spot with 14 points and need just two wins to be certain of qualification. They have a healthy 0.326 NRR, which could come in handy even if they lose their remaining games.

DC have been one of the most inconsistent teams in the league this season as they have struggled to keep the winning momentum going.

After a moral-boosting win against Sunrisers, they were handed a 91-run thrashing by CSK.

Their bowlers looked clueless against Devon Conway, who was hitting boundaries and sixes at will as CSK set a 200 plus target.

Delhi's bowling department hasn't inspired confidence. While Kuldeep Yadav is having a good season, the left-arm spinner has gone for runs aplenty in the previous two games.

The return of pace spearhead Anrich Nortje has also not made much of a difference as the South African hasn't been able to replicate his fiery performance from the previous seasons.

Khaleel Ahmed has been economical while Axar Patel has bowled well.

In the batting department, David Warner has enjoyed a good run but the Australian has got little assistance from his opening partners, who have ranged from Prithvi Shaw to Mandeep Singh to Srikar Bharat.

This biggest downer for Delhi has been Rishabh Pant's form. He has shown glimpses of his destructive power but the team would want more from its skipper who can single-handedly turn around any game.

The Capitals will have to fire on all cylinders against a formidable Rajasthan side.

The Royals have arguably the best bowling side in the competition.

With 22 wickets at 14.50, Yuzvendra Chahal leads the bowling charts this season and alongside R Ashwin, Trent Boult and Prasidh Krishna, the Rajasthan attack has the ability to defend any total.

One of the positives for the Royals is that have been able to break the overdependence on Orange Cap holder Jos Buttler, who has had a quite couple of outings.

Given a chance to play after over a month, young Yashasvi Jaiswal shone with a fine half-century against Punjab Kings, providing the otherwise faltering batting department a boost.

But going ahead skipper Sanju Samson and Devdutt Padikkal need to shoulder more responsibility.

The Royals will miss the services of the big-hitting Shimron Hetmyer who flew back to Guyana for the birth of his child.

The last time the two sides met drama ensued in the final over due to the no-ball controversy. RR ended up winning the clash and Delhi would hope they can be on the right side of the result this time round.

Teams: Delhi Capitals: Rishabh Pant (C), Ashwin Hebbar, David Warner, Mandeep Singh, Prithvi Shaw,Rovman Powell, Anrich Nortje, Chetan Sakariya, Khaleel Ahmed, Kuldeep Yadav, Lungi Ngidi, Mustafizur Rahman, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Kamlesh Nagarkoti,Lalit Yadav, Mitchell Marsh, Pravin Dubey, Ripal Patel, Sarfaraz Khan, Vicky Ostwal, Yash Dhull, KS Bharat and Tim Seifert.

Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (C), Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Shimron Hetmyer, Devdutt Padikkal, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal, Riyan Parag, KC Cariappa, Navdeep Saini, Obed McCoy, Anunay Singh, Kuldeep Sen, Karun Nair, Dhruv Jurel, Tejas Baroka, Kuldip Yadav, Shubham Garhwal, James Neesham, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Rassie van der Dussen, Daryl Mitchell.

Match starts 7.30 IST. 

Also Read : LSG and GT fight it out in a bid to secure top spot in match no 57

News Source : PTI

Mumbai, May 7 (Cricket News) Punjab Kings captain Mayank Agarwal won the toss and elected to bat against Rajasthan Royals in their Indian Premier League (IPL)match here on Saturday.

Punjab Kings are fielding the same playing XI from their previous game.

For the Royals, Yashasvi Jaiswal comes in place of Karun Nair.

Teams: Punjab Kings: Jonny Bairstow, Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Agarwal(c), Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma(wk), Rishi Dhawan, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh, Sandeep Sharma.

Rajasthan Royals: Jos Buttler, Devdutt Padikkal, Sanju Samson(wk/c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Sen. 

Also Read : Dr Powell appointed Performance Manager for England Disability Cricket

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) The IPL is reaching its final stage and no team has yet secured a spot in the playoffs. The two new teams Gujarat and Lucknow are top of the table. Mumbai Indians have already been eliminated while Chennai Super Kings chances of qualification are very rare. Saturday there will be a double header as 7th place Punjab Kings will take on 3rd place Rajasthan Royals and 2nd place Lucknow Super Giants will take on 8th place Kolkata Knight Riders. 

LSG are having a very good first season in the IPL while KKR have been struggling. The match is definitely a must win for Kolkata who after 5 consecutive losses won their last one against Rajasthan. KKR could still manage to qualify for the playoffs but they need consistency. Shreyas Iyer and Brendon McCullum have been making loads of changes to the side as retained players Venkatesh Iyer and Varun Chakravarthy have also been dropped. KKR's biggest challenge will be to get the better of Lucknow's breakthrough player Mohsin Khan who has been in incredible form. Avesh Khan, who missed the last game should return to the side as well. LSG don't have a fixed batting order as they keep chopping and changing. Tim Southee and Umesh Yadav are the only two Kolkata players who have been consistent and they will hold the key for their side's success. Shreyas Iyer who came into the IPL as the most in-form player hasn't been good enough and he needs to start firing now. 

Punjab Kings match against Rajasthan Royals is very crucial for both the teams. A win could take PBKS into the top 4 while a win for RR could take them to 2nd place. The big battle will be the in-form Liam Livingston against RR's spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal. Kuldeep Sen is another Rajasthan bowler who has been in incredible form. His raw pace has been causing opponents a lot of trouble. Orange Cap holder Jos Buttler will be facing Kagiso Rabada in what promises to be a fiery contest. Jonny Bairstow was promoted to open the batting in the last game with Mayank Agarwal deciding to bat at number 4. It will be interesting to see if PBKS stick with the strategy.

Also read: Does the English media watch football with blinkers?

Mumbai, May 2 (Cricket News) Kolkata Knight Riders won the toss and elected to field against Rajasthan Royals in an Indian Premier League match here on Monday.

Anukul Roy replaced Venkatesh Iyer while Shivam Mavi also came in for KKR.

RR, on the other hand, brought in Karun Nair in place of Daryll Mitchell.

Teams: Kolkata Knight Riders: Aaron Finch, Sunil Narine, Shreyas Iyer (c), Baba Indrajith (wk), Nitish Rana, Anukul Roy, Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Umesh Yadav, Tim Southee, Shivam Mavi.

Rajasthan Royals: Jos Buttler, Devdutt Padikkal, Sanju Samson (c/wk), Karun Nair, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Sen. 

Also Read : Training sessions with Mohd Shami during lockdown helped 'Gentle Giant' Mohsin Khan

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) For Kolkata Knight Riders, one more loss would mean an early exit from the tournament and one more defeat and they'll equal their 2019 record of six successive losses. On the other hand, Rajasthan Royals are also coming off a disappointing loss to MI. With KKR there have been too many changes in the playing XI and that has hampered the consistency of the squad.

For KKR they need to find a solution quickly if they are to make the playoffs after five consecutive defeats. Amidst all the chaos, Andre Russell has become undroppable despite blowing hot and cold. For them, three of their four retained picks have underperformed as captain Shreyas Iyer and the experienced Umesh Yadav have been their side's driving forces, with Knight Riders missing an outstanding contributor this season. In the bowling department Sunil Narine has been very economical but he hasn’t been able to pick up the majority of the wickets this season. Varun Chakravarthy has been very disappointing for the KKR franchise picking up just 4 wickets and being very expensive in the process. The matchup against Chahal  with Andre Russell will be one to watch out as the batter has a strike rate of 216.22, averages 80 against Chahal and has made 80 runs in the 37 balls he's faced from Chahal. 

For RR they will look to consolidate their position in the top four with a victory as they will be seeking some consistency from the likes of Shimron Hetmyer, Sanju Samson and some solid contributions at the top of the order from Devdutt Padikkal. Their batting has been carried all by Jos Buttler, who leads the scoring charts, while Yuzvendra Chahal sits atop the wicket-takers' list. For RR, they have had plenty of silent performers who have slowly gone in the tournament doing their business quietly as the likes of Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Sen and Ashwin have been key contributors to the amazing season they have been having. The onus will be on Boult, Krishna and Sen to ensure they bag early wickets and keep the KKR batting unit under pressure like the other teams have done in the previous matches.

Pitch and weather report: The Wankhede pitch is proving to be a strange dilemma for the captains. The pitches have sometimes proved to be amazing for batting and the next game we see the ball swing around early on. The last two matches there have been won by teams chasing at this venue. The temperature is going to hover around 30 as there is 10% of rain tonight.

Interesting facts:

• After nine matches, Butler has 566 runs. During the same stage, in his sensational 2016 season, Virat Kohli had made 561. 
• Knight Riders' average opening stand this season has been 14.2 runs, the second-lowest behind Chennai Super Kings' 12.6
• Sunil Narine has dismissed Sanju Samson thrice in IPL history
• Andre Russell needs 73 runs to complete 2000 runs in IPL
• Sunil Narine needs 19 more to complete 1000 runs in the league.
• Jos Butler has already broken RR’s record for the most runs in a single season as the previous best was Rahane's 560 in 2012

Also read: Running out of time, Punjab face a team to beat Gujarat Titans, who have Play-offs spot in mind

Probable XI for KKR:

1 Aaron Finch, 2 Venkatesh Iyer, 3 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 4 Nitish Rana, 5 Sunil Narine, 6 B Indrajith (wk), 7 Rinku Singh, 8 Andre Russell, 9 Umesh Yadav, 10 Tim Southee, 11 Harshit Rana

Probable XI for RR:

1 Jos Buttler, 2 Devdutt Padikkal, 3 Sanju Samson (capt, wk), 4 Shimron Hetmyer, 5 Daryl Mitchell, 6 Riyan Parag, 7 R Ashwin, 8 Trent Boult, 9 Prasidh Krishna, 10 Yuzvendra Chahal, 11 Kuldeep Sen
 

Mumbai, May 1 (Cricket News) Guilty of making too many changes at the top, Kolkata Knight Riders would like to find a winning combination against Rajasthan Royals and snap their five-match losing streak in the IPL here on Monday.

The form of Venkatesh Iyer, who is experiencing second season blues, has a lot to do with the changes KKR have been forced to make regularly at the top of the order.

Venkatesh's performances have been underwhelming to say the least after a season that helped him get into the Indian team. After his struggles at the top, the team tried him in the middle-order but that too did not work.

The southpaw was back opening alongside Aaron Finch in the last game but runs deserted him again.

Making the play-offs from here looks improbable for KKR who desperately need to find their best XI and stick with it for the remainder of the competition.

"A lot of chopping and changing is happening, it's been difficult to set up the right combination, with all injuries not helping as well. We need to stick together, play some fearless cricket, not be conservative with the bat.

"Five more matches remaining, we need to play well, show belief and give something back to the team and the management, forget about the past, start fresh and back your instinct," said skipper Shreyas Iyer after the last game.

Shreyas has had a decent run as a batter with 290 runs at 36.25 but he has not got enough support from his teammates. In his first season as KKR captain, Shreyas has shown promise but needs to inspire his troops to script a turnaround.

Alongside Venkatesh, the dismal run of another retained player Varun Chakaravarthy has hurt the team. However, the move to drop him in the previous game did not yield the desired results as KKR lost their fifth game in a row.

The trio of Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav and Sunil Narine has been impressive and will be aiming to keep the in-form Jos Buttler quiet.

Rajasthan rely a lot on Buttler and his 566 runs at 70.75 are a big reason why they find themselves in the top-four. As the Englishman can't be expected to fire in every game, skipper Sanju Samson needs to step up and be more consistent.

They are arguably the best bowling side in the competition but could not defend 159 in their previous game against Mumbai Indians due to heavy dew.

With 19 wickets at 13.68, Yuzvendra Chahal leads the bowling charts this season and alongside R Ashwin, Trent Boult and Prasidh Krishna, the Rajasthan attack has the ability to defend even below-par totals.

However, Royals will be looking for a much-improved batting effort to minimise the dew factor.

Teams (from): Kolkata Knight Riders: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Aaron Finch, Abhijeet Tomar, Ajinkya Rahane, Baba Indrajith, Nitish Rana, Pratham Singh, Rinku Singh, Ashok Sharma, Pat Cummins, Rasikh Dar, Shivam Mavi, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Aman Khan, Andre Russell, Anukul Roy, Chamika Karunaratne, Mohammed Nabi, Ramesh Kumar, Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Sam Billings, Sheldon Jackson.

Rajasthan Royals squad for 2022 IPL: Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Shimron Hetmyer, Devdutt Padikkal, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal, Riyan Parag, KC Cariappa, Navdeep Saini, Obed McCoy, Anunay Singh, Kuldeep Sen, Karun Nair, Dhruv Jurel, Tejas Baroka, Kuldip Yadav, Shubham Garhwal, James Neesham, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Rassie van der Dussen, Daryl Mitchell.

Match starts 7.30 IST. 

Also Read : If dew hadn't played a part, 158 would've been enough: Ashwin

News Source : PTI

Mumbai, Apr 30 (Cricket News) Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to field against Rajasthan Royals in an IPL match here on Saturday.

MI made a couple of changes with Tim David and Kumar Kartikeya coming in place of Dewald Brevis and Jaydev Unadkat, while RR fielded the same playing XI.

MI are yet to open their account, having lost eight matches so far, while second-placed RR are entering the game with three wins on the trot.

Teams: Rajasthan Royals: Jos Buttler, Devdutt Padikkal, Sanju Samson (w/c), Daryl Mitchell, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Sen Mumbai Indians: Ishan Kishan (w), Rohit Sharma (c), Tim David, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Kieron Pollard, Hrithik Shokeen, Daniel Sams, Jasprit Bumrah, Kumar Kartikeya, Riley Meredith. 

Also Read : GT's winning run continues, beat RCB by 6 wickets to inch closer to play-offs

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) In-form Lucknow SuperGiants will look to solidify their position in the top four with a victory over the inconsistent Punjab Kings. The protagonists of IPL's most successful partnership in the last season in the IPL, KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal will face off for the first time this season with both their sides seeking consistency as the race to play-offs intensifies. 

Lucknow Supergiants are coming off the back of a fine victory over MI as KL Rahul slammed his second century of the tournament, Rahul has been the most successful run-getter for Punjab to date in IPL with an aggregate of 2548 and four successive 500+ seasons leading up to his switch to LSG and it will be an emotional return for the adopted son of Punjab.  With the likes of Jason Holder, Marcus Stoinis, Krunal Pandya and Deepak Hooda in the XI, they have depth in batting as well as bowling. The only area of concern going into the match may be the number 3 position as Manish Pandey hasn’t scored too many runs, Gautam Gambhir and co would want some stability in that position. In terms of bowling,  LSG have only rarely used Marcus Stoinis the bowler in this IPL, but his stellar record against Mayank - two dismissals in three games might tempt Rahul into giving him some few overs in the powerplay. KL Rahul would see Ravi Bishnoi come into form as he has only picked up just two wickets in last four games at 9+ RPO.

PBKS batting has mostly been led by Liam Livingstone but over the few matches the Englishman had failed to replicate his previous form. Shikhar Dhawan’s 88 in the last match would be a confidence boost not only for him but for his franchise as well as the returning Bhanuka Rajapaksa added more firepower to Punjab's batting half. The form of Mayank Agarwal might be a bit concerning but if he manages to play the anchor role with Shikhar then he will soon get back amongst the runs. In the bowling department Kagiso Rabada will be the key as Manish Pandey averages only 7 against him and has been twice dismissed by the South African in all T20s. Mayank Agarwal can use Rahul Chahar in the powerplay considering his record Rahul is good, he has scored only 36 runs off 35 balls against Rahul Chahar with one dismissal.

Pitch and weather report: The MCA pitch last match saw a lot of pace and bounce as RR were able to defend the lowest total in this year's IPL. We saw Kuldeep Sen trouble the RCB batsman with his raw pace as the same looks to continue in today's match as well. The temperature is going to hover around 35 degrees with no chance of rain as the dew won't be a factor in the second innings.

Interesting facts:

• Mayank Agarwal has won only one out of eight tosses in IPL 2022
• Among regular captains this season, KL Rahul has scored the most runs (368) and has the highest average (61.33)
• Marcus Stoinis (986) and Deepak Hooda (978) are both 1000 IPL runs
• Arshdeep Singh has got Quinton De Kock out twice in 14 balls while giving away only 14 runs.
•  Arshdeep has the best economy (5.66) in the death overs
• KL Rahul has a strike rate of 145 against both spin and pace, which is subsequently the best 

Also read: Titans look to continue 'Golden Touch', RCB seek Kohli's return to form

Probable XI for LSG:

1 KL Rahul (capt), 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Manish Pandey, 4 Marcus Stoinis, 5 Deepak Hooda, 6 Krunal Pandya, 7 Ayush Badoni, 8 Jason Holder, 9 Dushmantha Chameera, 10 Ravi Bishnoi, 11 Avesh Khan/Mohsin Khan

Probable XI for PBKS:

1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 Mayank Agarwal (capt), 3 Bhanuka Rajapaksa, 4 Liam Livingstone, 5 Jonny Bairstow, 6 Jitesh Sharma (wk), 7 Rishi Dhawan, 8 Kagiso Rabada, 9 Rahul Chahar, 10 Arshdeep Singh, 11 Sandeep Sharma

Navi Mumbai, Apr 29 (Cricket News) On a three-match winning streak, Rajasthan Royals have the momentum as well as source of inspiration when they face bottom-placed and out-of-reckoning Mumbai Indians in an Indian Premier League match here on Saturday.

The Royals will be celebrating the extraordinary life of their lone IPL title-winning captain Shane Warne, who died last month in Thailand, during this game. A win would give a perfect tribute to the legendary Australian spinner under whose inspirational leadership, the Royals had won the 2008 title.

While Rajasthan, placed second in the standings, have lost only two games and won six, Mumbai are already out of contention for a play-off berth, having lost all their eight matches so far.

After mustering just 144 runs in their last game against Royal Challengers Bangalore, the Royals would be hoping for an improvement from their batters.

Their openers Jos Buttler and Devdutt Padikkal have been among the runs. Buttler has already slammed three hundreds and the challenge for the MI bowlers would be to find ways to stop the marauding Englishman. He and Paddikal would look to continue to provide an aggressive start.

Skipper Sanju Samson and Shimron Hetymer possess the shots to hammer the Mumbai attack and there is also the firepower of Riyan Parag, who hit an unbeaten 56 in the last game, and Daryl Mitchell, as the Royals middle-order looks settled.

A consistent Samson will look to add to his runs tally of 232 from 10 matches and build the innings in case of any failure in the top-order, as had happened last time when Buttler and Padikkal were out cheaply.

The Royals' bowlers have been in top form as the pacers as well as the spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal, the tournament's leading wicket-taker with 18 scalps, doing well so far.

Pacer Trent Boult is wreaking havoc and is ably supported by Prasidh Krishna, who has been effective in the death overs. With his delivery that comes in, Boult can trouble Mumbai's top batters.

Mumbai, on the other hand, need a “collective effort”. The out-of-form opening duo of Rohit and Ishan Kishan need to find ways to get going and the same holds good for the middle-order batters.

Kishan, with 199 runs from eight outings, has not justified his Rs 15.25 crore price tag.

Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma and Dewald Brewis have had their moments of individual brilliance, but they need to fire in unison. One of the top-order batters will need to score big if Mumbai have to get a big score or chase down a stiff target.

Another concern for Mumbai is the poor run of form of all-rounder Kieron Pollard who is no longer the ‘finisher’ that he once used to be and the burly West Indian will need to display his six-hitting abilities.

Mumbai’s bowling has been even a bigger concern. Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has been at his best but has lacked support from the likes of Jaydev Unadkat, Daniel Sams and Riley Meredith.

If Mumbai again opt for a pace-heavy attack, the pacers will need to hit the right lengths to stop Buttler and company and will also need support from rookie off-spinner Hrithik Shokeen.

The Teams (From): Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (c), Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Shubham Garwal, Dhruv Jurel, Kuldip Yadav, Kuldeep Sen, Tejas Baroka, Anunay Singh, KC Kariappa, Rassie Van der Dussen, Nathan Coulter Nile, Jimmy Neesham, Daryl Mitchell, Karun Nair, Obed McCoy, Navdeep Saini, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Shimron Hetmyer, Devdutt Padikkal, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal.

Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (c), Anmolpreet Singh, Rahul Buddhi, Ramandeep Singh, SuryakumarYadav, Tilak Verma, Tim David, Arjun Tendulkar, Basil Thampi, Hrithik Shokeen, Jasprit Bumrah, Jaydev Unadkat, Jofra Archer, Mayank Markande, Murugan Ashwin, Riley Meredith, Tymal Mills, Kartikeya Singh, Daniel Sams, Dewald Brevis, Fabian Allen, Kieron Pollard, Sanjay Yadav, Aryan Juyal and Ishan Kishan.

Match starts at 7.30 PM. 

Also Read : Titans look to continue 'Golden Touch', RCB seek Kohli's return to form

News Source : PTI

Pune, Apr 25 (Cricket News) Royal Challengers Bangalore will be aiming to halt the Jos Buttler juggernaut when they take on Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League here on Tuesday.

Attention will be on Virat Kohli as well following his second consecutive first ball duck in the competition.

RCB would be hoping their star batter to be back among the runs besides a much improved performance by the batting unit after a shocker in the previous game.

While the Challengers come into the match on the back of a demoralising nine-wicket loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rajasthan have had two successive wins and are one of the in-form teams this season.

While the focus would be on Kohli, RCB have also power-hitters in captain Faf Du Plessis, Glenn Maxwell, Dinesh Karthik and Shahbaaz Ahmed, who can be destructive on their day and if they fire in unison, the RR attack would have a tough time.

Du Plessis, the highest run-scorer for his team, has blown hot and cold with the willow but remains a vital cog for the team.

Karthik too with his hitting abilities is playing the finisher’s role to near perfection.

They are up against Rajasthan’s varied attack, led by Trent Boult, who has troubled Kohli in the past with the delivery that comes in.

Prasidh Krishna and the spin duo of wily Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal can also pose problems for the RCB batters. Chahal, with 18 wickets so far, can turn the game on its head.

And ditto for Ashwin, who can be the opposition's nemesis on his day. Add to it the four overs by Obed McCoy; Rajasthan have a decent attack.

For Rajasthan, opener Jos Buttler has been in sublime form, having already hammered three hundreds this season.

Opener Devdutt Padikkal and skipper Sanju Samson have also been toying with opposition attacks and are among the runs. And so is Shimon Hetymar, who can compound the bowling team’s woes with his brutal onslaught.

RR would be hoping that the top order delivers once again at the MCA Stadium, which has witnessed high-scoring games.

The weak links in Rajasthan’s batting are Karun Nair and Riyan Parag and the duo would need to step up and deliver.

For RCB, they have the best death bowler in Harshal Patel, but he would need support from Mohammed Siraj and Josh Hazlewood.

The four overs by Sri Lankan spinner Wanindu Hasaranga, who has eleven wickets, could also change the match’s fate.

Teams (From): Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Mohammed Siraj, Faf du Plessis, Harshal Patel, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dinesh Karthik, Josh Hazlewood, Shahbaz Ahmed, Anuj Rawat, Akash Deep, Mahipal Lomror, Finn Allen, Sherfane Rutherford, Jason Behrendorff, Suyash Prabhudesai, Chama Milind, Aneeshwar Gautam, Karn Sharma, David Willey, Rajat Patidar, Siddharth Kaul.

Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Shubham Garwal, Dhruv Jurel, Kuldip Yadav, Kuldeep Sen, Tejas Baroka, Anunay Singh, KC Kariappa, Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler, Rassie Van der Dussen, Nathan Coulter Nile, Jimmy Neesham, Daryl Mitchell, Karun Nair, Obed McCoy, Navdeep Saini, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Shimron Hetmyer, Devdutt Padikkal, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal.

Match starts at 7.30 PM. 

Also Read : We haven't batted well enough in tournament, more responsibility needs to be taken: Rohit Sharma

News Source : PTI

Mumbai, Apr 21 (Cricket News) Yuzvendra Chahal's bagful of tricks will meet its perfect match in Kuldeep Yadav's guile as the two wrist spinners are expected to dictate the narrative when Rajasthan Royals clash with Delhi Capitals in an IPL match, on Friday.

With current 'Orange Cap' holder in Jos Buttler (375 runs) and 'Purple Cap' holder Chahal (17 wickets) in their ranks, Royals are a team that is looking pretty formidable at the moment even with a dysfunctional middle-order, save Shimron Hetmyer.

On the other hand, resurgent Capitals are battling the agony that comes with a mini COVID-19 outbreak in the camp but are still trying to put their best foot forward to stay afloat.

In this backdrop, the two wrist-spinners, who are currently dominating the bowling charts will be itching to show their wares with Kuldeep (13 wickets at No. 2) expected to pose some questions for in-form Buttler in case there is a match-up.

For Delhi, Kuldeep along with Axar Patel and Lalit Yadav would like to stem the run-flow but stopping Buttler will be on top of their agenda on a Wankhede track that is expected to be good for batting.

For Chahal, how he varies the pace against a rampaging David Warner or the ever-attacking Prithvi Shaw and skipper Rishabh Pant will be a delight for the fans.

In the past five years, life has come to a full circle for 'Kul-Cha' who were the 'taste' of the nation between 2017 and 2019 when wrist spinners were in vogue during the Ravi Shastri-Virat Kohli era.

While Chahal got a body blow after being dropped from the last T20 World Cup squad and was sporadically picked in white ball formats, Kuldeep also lost his way.

He got very little support from either erstwhile national team management or his previous IPL team (KKR) and also endured a career-threatening knee injury.

But now the smile is back and so is the guile. The left-arm wrist spinner's googly -- the one that turns away from right-hander -- is back and so is the conventional left-arm leg-break which comes into the right-hander.

However in these kind of games, the support cast becomes more important as they can create those little game-changing moments that impact the final outcome of the game.

Mustafizur Rahaman's cutters and Khaleel Ahmed's clever change of pace could also trouble the likes of Sanju Samson and Riyan Parag.

Similarly, if Trent Boult gets one to tail in first-up, Shaw's response and technique will be tested in earnest.

But Royals have now got a calm death bowler in West Indies' Obed McCoy, who was brilliant while bowling the final over against KKR.

McCoy, who made his IPL debut in the last game, is tall and looked like using his height to a good advantage to create awkward angles and length for the Delhi batters.

If middle-order non-performance is an issue for Royals, the DC doesn't seem to have found the second Indian batter in that middle-order slot apart from skipper Pant, who can take the bowling apart.

Mandeep Singh was a massive failure against genuine quick bowling but Sarfaraz Khan is trying to play himself in.

Rovman Powell till now has failed to show his destructive self and these are the players, who need to push the envelope when it comes to maintaining the momentum.

Teams (From): Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Shubham Garwal, Dhruv Jurel, Kuldip Yadav, Kuldeep Sen, Tejas Baroka, Anunay Singh, KC Kariappa, Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler, Rassie Van der Dussen, Nathan Coulter Nile, Jimmy Neesham, Daryl Mitchell, Karun Nair, Obed McCoy, Navdeep Saini, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Shimron Hetmyer, Devdutt Padikkal, Prasidh Krishna and Yuzvendra Chahal.

Delhi Capitals: Rishabh Pant (Captain), Ashwin Hebbar, David Warner, Mandeep Singh, Prithvi Shaw, Rovman Powell, Anrich Nortje, Chetan Sakariya, Khaleel Ahmed, Kuldeep Yadav, Lungi Ngidi, Mustafizur Rahman, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Lalit Yadav, Mitchell Marsh, Pravin Dubey, Ripal Patel, Sarfaraz Khan, Vicky Ostwal, Yash Dhull and KS Bharat.

Match Starts at 7:30pm. 

Also Read : Struggling MI take on defending Champions CSK in match no 33

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) Rajasthan Royals defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by 7 runs in what was one of the best T20 matches of all time with so many great individual performances. Shreyas Iyer elected to bowl first after winning the toss before announcing 1 change as Shivam Mavi replaced Aman Khan. RR on the other hand made 4 changes as they roped in Trent Boult, Obed McCoy and Karun Nair for Rassie van der Dussen, Jimmy Neesham and Kuldeep Sen.

RR posted a mammoth total of 217/5 which was the highest total of the season. Jos Buttler continued his incredible form with his second century of the season as he scored 103 off 61 balls. The Englishman hit 9 fours and 5 sixes in his blockbuster innings. Sanju Samson played a good knock of 38 as hit 3 boundaries and 2 maximums in his 19 balls. Shimron Hetmyer once again finished the match well with a 13 ball 26 including 2 fours and 2 sixes. Andre Russell, Pat Cummins and Shivam Mavi picked up a wicket each. In a high scoring game Sunil Narine worked his magic as he ended the innings with the figures of 2/21. Varun Chakravarthy's struggles continued as he got smashed for 30 runs off his 2 overs and didn't get a chance to bowl again. 

KKR opened with Aaron Finch and Sunil Narine as Venkatesh Iyer was slotted into the middle order. The plan didn't get tested as Narine was run out without facing a single ball. Finch on the other hand scored 58 off 28 balls hitting 9 boundaries and 2 sixes. The Australian has finally shown signs of his excellence in the IPL and KKR will be hoping that it continues that way. Shreyas Iyer played a captain's knock as he hit 7 fours and 4 sixes in his 51 ball 85. Umesh Yadav hit 21 off just 9 balls to take the game deep but in the end KKR fell 7 runs short. 

Despite being expensive in his first 3 overs, Yuzvendra Chahal ended with the figures of 5/40. His 4th over which was the 18th over of the match was nothing short of legendary as he picked up a total of 4 wickets including a hat-trick. The leggie has made sure that the Indian selectors can no longer have the guts to drop him from even one series. Ravichandran Ashwin bowled a magic ball to dismiss the dangerous Andre Russell for a golden duck while Prasidh Krishna took the important wicket of Aaron Finch. Obed McCoy on his IPL debut was given the responsibility of bowling the last over which he did incredibly well by picking up the last 2 wickets.

Also read: Karthik can play finisher's role for India in T20 World Cup: Gavaskar

(Cricket news) After their blistering start to the campaign for KKR, their season has somewhat derailed with two successive heavy defeats as a victory against the high flying Rajasthan Royals is a must. On the other hand, RR have similar woes but will start as favourites for this clash, their talisman bowler Trent Boult might be back for this all important clash.

KKR started off the season with a bang but in the last two matches their weaknesses were exploited very badly by Delhi Capitals and Sunrisers Hyderabad. KKR’s top order this season have scored the least amount of runs at a very poor strike rate. For KKR, they need Venkatesh Iyer to perform as he has only passed the 20 run mark once this season. The team management needs to make a call whether to continue with Aaron Finch at the top or promote someone like Billings who missed the last match due to illness. Against Chakravarthy, Buttler has only scored 12 runs in 8 balls, and has been dismissed twice. Samson, meanwhile, has fallen thrice to Umesh and Narine, striking at 79.67 and averaging 15.67 against the West Indian off spinner. KKR may also look to push Shreyas Iyer down the order to tackle the Chahal threat in the middle overs.

Rajasthan Royals have been heavily reliant on the top order to get the majority of the runs. Shimron Hetmyer has been RR’s trump card this season, he has strike rate of 262.00 which is the best strike rate of any batter who has faced at least 20 balls in this phase this season. In the bowling department all eyes will be on the two spinners Chahal and Aswhin, as both have the edge over Aaron Finch and Nitish Rana. Ashwin may be given a few overs in the powerplay, while they could  hold Chahal back for when Rana comes to the middle, with the leg spinner getting the middle-order batter 4 times. Rana averages just 14 against Chahal, striking at 109.80. For them the absences of Trent Boult played a major role in the last defeat as the New Zealand pacer will be the key in the death overs to negate the threat of Andre Russell.

Pitch and weather condition: The Brabourne Stadium has been the highest scoring venue this season and even big targets are not safe considering the boundaries are very small. Dew plays a major role at this venue considering the high humidity that is there. The temperature is going to hover around 30 degrees with no chance of rain.

Interesting facts:

• Sunil Narine will play his 150th match for KKR
• Samson is 49 runs away from the 5000 mark in T20 cricket.
• Trent Boult has returned 78 wickets in 58 games, averaging 21.71 with an economy rate of 7.69.
• After scores of 55 & 30 to start the season, Samson has scored 32 runs in the next 3 innings.
• Andre Russell has the highest strike rate for anyone with any one having 1500 IPL runs. His strike rate is at 178.61 with 1879 runs.

Also read: Miller magic seals three-wicket win for Gujarat Titans against CSK

Probable XI for KKR:

1 Venkatesh Iyer, 2 Aaron Finch/Sam Billings, 3 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 4 Nitish Rana, 5 Sheldon Jackson (wk), 6 Andre Russell, 7 Sunil Narine, 8 Pat Cummins, 9 Aman Khan, 10 Umesh Yadav, 11 Varun Chakravarthy.

Probable XI for RR:

1 Jos Buttler, 2 Devdutt Padikkal, 3 Sanju Samson (capt & wk), 4 Rassie van der Dussen, 5 Shimron Hetmyer, 6 Riyan Parag, 7 James Neesham/Trent Boult, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Prasidh Krishna, 10 Yuzvendra Chahal, 11 Kuldeep Sen.
 

(Cricket news) Rajasthan Royals and Gujarat Titans will be looking to make 4 wins out of 5 as little separates both the teams after four games in this year’s IPL are tied on 6 points with three wins and a loss. Both the captains have won just the one toss as RR are yet to chase in the tournament. In the last match, GT were outplayed by Kane Williamson’s side and will be looking to bounce back in style by going top of the table.

Gujarat Titans had all their bases covered till the last match where Lockie Ferguson proved to be expensive but the GT team management have found a perfect balance in the bowling area with Mohammed Shami getting the new ball to move around, Rashid Khan has four bankable overs and Hardik Pandya is completing his quota. The only area of concern in the bowling department is the fifth bowler as Darshan Nalkande is relatively inexperienced and Rahul Tewatia hasn’t bowled much over the last year or so. In the batting department the two overseas left handers have been disappointing as Matthew Wade is not being able to give his side those blistering starts that he used to give Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash and David Miller although hasn’t come out to bat much, he needs to prove his mantle by finishing the innings. Wriddhiman Saha, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Alzarri Joseph and Dominic Drakes are among the players who can replace them.

Rajasthan Royals are enjoying one of the best starts to the season after a long time as the team is finally performing as a collective unit. RR's pacers have picked up 8 wickets, averaging 14.25, Prasidh Krishna and Trent Boult have formed a good partnership with the ball as both of the bowlers are picking up wickets at regular intervals. Young quick Kuldeep Sen showed on his debut why he is rated highly by the RR management and cricketing experts, after he successfully defended 14 runs in the final over bowling to Marcus Stoinis. RR’s batting has been on fire courtesy of Josh Butler and Shimron Hetmyer, both have scored 218 and 168 respectively and both of them are averaging above 70. Both the spinners Chahal and Ashwin will fancy their chance to break into the middle order early as Miller has got out thrice by both the spinners.

Pitch and weather report: The DY Patil stadium experienced a run fest in the last match, with the wicket being so dry that the dust on it was palpable. The spinners played a massive part as they took wickets at regular intervals, we can expect the same thing this match. The temperature is going to  hover around 32 degrees, with no chance of rain.

Interesting facts:

• Only Bumrah has taken more wickets than the duo of Rashid Khan and Yuzvendra Chahal in the middle overs, the two spinners sit on top of the wicket charts.
• Hetmyer has the second-highest strike-rate in death overs. He strikes at 195.95 with a boundary percentage of 27.3.
• Rashid is one strike away from becoming the fourth overseas player to 100 IPL wickets
• Buttler (15) and Hetmyer (14) are the top six-hitters of the competition
• Royals for the first time in franchise history, have both the Orange Cap holder [Buttler] and Purple Cap holder [Chahal].

Also read: PBKS hand MI 5th consecutive defeat courtesy of Dhawan and Agarwal

Probable XI for GT:

1 Shubman Gill, 2 Matthew Wade/Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 3 Sai Sudharsan, 4 Hardik Pandya (capt), 5 David Miller, 6 Abhinav Manohar, 7 Rahul Tewatia, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Lockie Ferguson, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Darshan Nalkande

Probable XI for RR:

 1 Jos Buttler, 2 Devdutt Padikkal, 3 Sanju Samson (capt, wk), 4 Rassie van der Dussen, 5 Shimron Hetmyer, 6 Riyan Parag, 7 R Ashwin, 8 Trent Boult, 9 Yuzvendra Chahal, 10 Prasidh Krishna, 11 Kuldeep Sen

Navi Mumbai, Apr 13 (Cricket News) A battle royale is on the cards when Hardik Pandya’s Gujarat Titans take on the Sanju Samson-led Rajasthan Royals, two line-ups armed with potent bowling units in a top-of-the-table IPL showdown here on Thursday.

The Royals put together one of the best if not the best bowling attacks for this season and all their spinners and pacers have been right on the mark.

The seasoned Trent Boult has continued to reign fire with the new ball and has been equally impressive in the slog overs. In the previous game against Lucknow Super Giants, he bowled a fiery opening spell to get rid of skipper KL Rahul and Krishnappa Gowtham in the very first over.

Prasidh Krishna has given a glimpse of why he is touted to be the next fast-bowling sensation in Indian cricket. Alongside Boult, the duo has bowled with pace and aggression.

Rookie Kuldeep Sen too proved he has the stomach to play with the bigwigs. He performed tremendously under pressure on his debut, defending 15 runs off the last over against LSG.

The spin duties, on the other hand, are being ably carried out by senior India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and the wily Yuzvendra Chahal. The latter is the leading wicket taker in the league at the moment, spinning the opposition batters in to submission. The leg spinner has 11 scalps at and economy of 6.50.

Ashwin though has not had many breakthroughs, the off-spinner has operated at an economy of 6.87 and has managed to choke the opposition for runs.

It will be a tall task for the Titans’ batters, who are thin on experience, to navigate through the Royals bowling.

The new-entrants have relied heavily on young opener Shubman Gill, who has been in scintillating form, and Pandya. But the skipper, who is known for his pyrotechnics, has been more restrictive in his approach and his looked to take his innings deep.

Matthew Wade has struggled to get runs while David Miller is also yet to fire, leaving rookies Abhinav Manohar and B Sai Surdharshan with more responsibility.

However, Rahul Tewatia seems to be loving his role as the finisher tonking sixes at will.

The Titans boast of formidable bowling unit themselves.

The pace bowling department includes the likes of Lockie Ferguson, one of the fastest bowlers in world cricket, senior India quick Mohammed Shami, and Pandya, all attacking wicket-taking bowlers, who can put the opposition under pressure.

Rashid Khan, expectedly, is their most economical bowler. The opposition batters have preferred to play his four overs out rather than go for the big shots.

The Titans bowlers, however, lacked sharpness in the loss against Sunrisers Hyderabad, the team’s first defeat this season. It will be interesting to see how they regroup against the Royals batting line up that includes the likes of the flamboyant Jos Buttler, the big-hitting Shimron Hetmyer and Samons besides the prodigiously talented Devdutt Padikkal.

Both teams have won three games and lost one with the Royals perched on top of the points table owing to a superior net run rate, while the Titans are placed fourth.

Teams (from): Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (captain/wicketkeeper), Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shimron Hetmyer, Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Prasidh Krishna, Riyan Parag, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Devdutt Padikkal, Navdeep Saini, Karun Nair, Rassie van der Dussen, James Neesham, Anunay Singh, Daryl Mitchell, Dhruv Jurel, Shubham Garhwal, Kuldip Yadav, Kuldeep Sen, Obed McCoy, Tejas Baroka, KC Cariappa.

Gujarat Titans: Abhinav Manohar, David Miller, Gurkeerat Singh, B Sai Sudarshan, Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya (Captain), Rahul Tewatia, Vijay Shankar, Matthew Wade, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Wriddhiman Saha, Alzarri Joseph, Darshan Nalkande, Dominic Drakes, Jayant Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Mohammed Shami, Noor Ahmad, Pradeep Sangwan, Rashid Khan, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Varun Aaron, Yash Dayal.

Match starts at 7.30 PM. 

Also Read : Able to do things which I was trying for a while: Shivam Dube

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) Rajasthan Royals defeated Lucknow Super Giants by 3 runs in a last over thriller. KL Rahul won the toss and elected to bowl first as both teams made two changes. For Rajasthan, Rassie van der Dussen and Kuldeep Sen replace Yashasvi Jaiswal and Navdeep Saini respectively. As for Lucknow, Marcus Stoinis and Dushmantha Chameera replace Evin Lewis and Andrew Tye.

Devdutt Padikkal gave Rajasthan Royals a decent start but LSG responded with quick wickets as RR were 67 for 4. Krishnappa Gowtham picked up two wickets while Avesh Khan and Jason Holder got a scalp each. Shimron Hetmyer and Ravichandran Ashwin who was sent ahead of Riyan Parag steadied the ship. Hetmyer continued his great form as he scored 59 off 36 balls hitting a boundary and 6 maximums. Ashwin provided good support with his 23 ball 28 before getting retired out with 10 balls to go. Skipper Sanju Samson and coach Kumar Sangakkara confirmed that it was a team decision made in order to send the big hitter Riyan Parag in for the last 10 balls. RR finished their innings at 165 for 6.

Defending 166, RR were given a terrific start by Trent Boult who picked up 2 wickets in two balls of the innings dismissing KL Rahul and Krishnappa Gowtham. Jason Holder was dismissed shortly after by Prasidh Krishna but Quinton de Kock and Deepak Hooda built an important partnership. Yuzvendra Chahal then bowled an incredible spell where he picked up 4 wickets. Marcus Stoinis produced some late fireworks but a good last over from Kuldeep Sen ensured that LSG fell 3 runs short. Lucknow came very close and if one of the Stoinis' swings had connected the result would have been different. Chahal is proving his worth once again showing how terrible the decision to leave him out of India's squad for last year's T20 World Cup was. 

Also read: Kuldeep carnage stuns KKR as DC get their 2nd win of the season

Mumbai, Apr 11 (Cricket News) Rajasthan Royals Director of Cricket, Kumar Sangakkara, feels Ravichandran Aswhin handled the match situation really well by 'retiring out' at the right time but the Sri Lankan great conceded that he erred in not sending Riyan Parag ahead of Rassie van der Dussen.

The Royals became the first team in IPL history to employ the 'retired out' tactic as Ashwin went back to the dug out despite being 28 not out during their game against LSG on Sunday.

"It was the right time to do that," Sangakkara said at the post-match press conference.

"Ashwin himself was asking from the field as well and we had discussed just before that as to what we would do." South African van der Dussen, who was playing his first match of the season, was sent at number four ahead of Shmiron Hetmyer, Ravichandran Ashwin and the out-of form Parag.

However, he was dismissed cheaply for four, while Parag hit a crucial six in the last over to help RR get closer to the 170-run mark.

"As the coach I got one call wrong not sending Riyan Parag ahead of Rassie van der Dussen and holding Rassie back so we couldn't get the full benefit of Riyan." "But how Ashwin handled that situation, walking in under pressure, he batted, supported the team and then finally sacrificed himself in terms of retiring himself out and then backed it up with a magnificent bowling effort." With LSG requiring 15 runs off the last over, pacer Kuldeep Sen performed tremendously under pressure and the Sri Lankan legend was all praise for the rookie.

"I had no conversation with Kuldeep before the last over. It was Sanju, Jos and the other players around him that supported him. We had pretty simple plans in terms of bowling at the death.

"I just want to say how impressed everyone, especially I am with how Kuldeep Sen handled his first game; how he bowled, how he thinks... He bowled the hardest over under pressure and did an excellent job for us." We believe Stoinis can win us games: Rahul ============================ Lucknow Super Giants were able to stay in the match until the last over despite their top order fizzling out with Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis, who came number eight, smashing 28 off 12 in his first outing for the team.

"Through out the 20 overs, we kept believing we could win this game," said skipper KL Rahul said.

"We have depth in our batting, today Stoinis batted at No.8, when you have someone like that with so much power and who is such a destructive batsman... that's one of the reasons he's our second retained player (draft pick)." Rahul is confident that Stoinis, a proven match-winner for his previous franchise Delhi Capitals, can do the same for LSG.

"We believe Stoinis can win us games from any position, we had that belief through and through."

Also Read : Abhishek Sharma guides SRH to easy victory over CSK with maiden fifty

News Source : PTI

Mumbai, Apr 10 (Cricket News) Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson said the decision to withdraw Ravichandran Ashwin 'retired out' in the slog overs was a call made by the team management, taking into consideration the match situation.

RR became the first team in IPL history to employ the 'retired out' tactic as Ashwin went back to the dug out despite being 28 not out during their match against Lucknow Super Giants here on Sunday.

Ashwin (28 off 23 balls) played a crucial role in rebuilding the RR innings along with Shimron Hetmyer (59 not out off 36 balls) as the duo shared a 68-run stand for the fifth wicket before the off-spinner retiring out with just two overs to go for the innings.

"It's about being Rajasthan Royals (Ashwin's retired-out). We keep trying different things. Have been talking about it before the season," Samson said during the post-match presentation after RR beat LSG by three runs in an IPL thriller.

"We thought that if some situation occurs, we can use it. It was a team decision." Ashwin retired out in 18.2 overs, allowing Riyan Parag to come to the crease.

"I had no idea about it (Ashwin retiring out). He was also a bit tired. It was a good decision as the kid (Parag) hit a six for us," Hetmyer told official broadcaster, Star Sports after the match.

Young Kuldeep Sen impressed on his IPL debut as he took one for 31 and defended 15 runs in the last over to help RR notch up a win.

Samson said he had faith in Sen's ability as he had seen him practise the wide yorkers.

"Depends on how he has bowled his first three overs. Got the feel that he has done well and he is confident (talking about Kuldeep Sen) to go and execute his wide yorker which he has been working in the off season.

"Saw him in Syed Mushtaq and he was nailing his wide yorkers," he said.

Defending 166, Trent Boult (2/30) struck twice in a sensational opening over, while Yuzvendra Chahal (4/41) picked up four wickets to achieve the feat of claiming 150 IPL victims.

Lavishing praise on the duo, Samson said: "Boult came to me before first ball, told me 'Sanju change of plan, I'm going to go around the wicket, and going straight in his legs and hit that bowled'.

"Funny to be around and his skills are commendable." On Chahal, he said: "Chahal is someone who can be given the ball anytime from overs 1-20. He's the greatest leg-spinner, if I can say, that India's seen in the present. Thought why not use him more at the end when the pressure is more." Chahal, who was adjudged the Player of the match for his four for 41, has been in tremendous form since being snubbed from India's T20 World Cup 2021 squad.

"I've been bowling well always, in the middle I had a bad patch, but my main strength is my mind and I didn't want to divert from that." Losing captain KL Rahul, who was done in by a late inswinging yorker of Boult, said he just didnt see the ball.

"I didn't see it (the ball that got him from Boult), if I did I could have done something about it. Have to give it to him. Was a good ball."

Also Read : Enjoying DC team environment, Rishabh is helping from behind stumps, lot of backing: Kuldeep

Mumbai, Apr 10 (Cricket News) Shimron Hetmyer lived up to his Rs 8.5 crore price tag with a six-hitting exhibition before Yuzvendra Chahal and Trent Bout displayed their wizardry with the ball as Rajasthan Royals outwitted Lucknow Super Kings by three runs in an IPL game here on Sunday.

Invited to bat, star West Indies batter Hetmyer smashed an unbeaten 36-ball 59 to lift RR from 67 for four to 165 for six in 20 overs.

Trent Boult (2/30) then struck twice in a sensational opening over, while Chahal (4/41) picked up four wickets to achieve the feat of claiming 150 IPL victims but Marcus Stoinis blasted two fours and four maximums in his unbeaten 38 off 17 balls to conjure up hopes of a turnaround.

But Kuldeep Sen, making his IPL debut, showed great nerves as he defended 15 runs in the last over as RR limited LSG to 162 for eight.

With this win, RR bounced back from their four wicket loss to RCB in the last match to take the top position in the IPL standings, while LSG slipped to fifth spot.

Defending the total, Boult produced a ripping late inswinging yorker to dismiss KL Rahul for a first-ball duck, before trapping Krishnappa Gowtham plumb in front in the opening over as LSG slipped to 1 for 2.

Prasidh Krishna then got rid of Jason Holder with a back of a length delivery which took a top-edge and balloned to Ravichandran Ashwin at mid-on.

Madhya Pradesh pacer Sen made an impressive IPL debut as he disturbed the woods of Deepak Hooda to leave LSG at 52 for four.

The wily Chahal then got into the act as he first foxed young Ayush Badoni (5), and then had Quinton de Kock (39) holed out to Riyan Parag and knocked back the leg stump of Krunal Pandya (22) as RR put one foot in the door.

Needing 34 runs off 12 balls, Stoinis accumulated 19 of Krishna in the puenltimate over but Sen held his nerves and gave away just one run in the first four balls to shine on his debut.

Earlier, Jos Buttler (13) and Devdutt Padikkal (29) added 42 runs in five overs but they lost three wickets in a 15-ball burst to be reduced to 67 for four at one stage.

If Buttler was castled by Avesk Khan in his first ball, Gowtham produced a two-wicket burst, removing Devdutt Padikkal and Rasie Van der Dussen (4) in a space of five balls on a track where the ball was holding.

Paddikal, who replaced Yashsavi Jaiswal at the top, lived dangerously before paying the price for a reverse sweep as his top-edge landed in the safe hands of Holder, handing Gowtham also a first-ball wicket.

The left-handed batter survived an LBW appeal in the first over off Dushmantha Chameera before being dropped by Ravi Bishnoi (0/29).

Sanju Samson (13) played two nice shots before being stuck on the pads by a full toss from Jason Holder (2/50).

RR could have been in more danger but Krunal Pandya dropped a dolly at long-on in the 14th over to hand a reprieve to Hetmyer.

It allowed the West Indian join hands with Ashwin to rebuild the innings with a 68-run stand before the latter was strategically retired out by the RR camp in the slog overs.

The West Indian paced his innings well before going for the shots at the back end as RR amassed 50 runs in the last three overs.

Hetmyer launched into compatriot Holder in the 18th over, clobbering him over deep mid-wicket to bring up the 50-run stand, before sending one fine down the leg-side and then plundering him down the ground. The over yieled 18 runs.

He next hit two sixes of Avesh, before launching Holder for another maximum in the last over.

Rayan Parag, who came in after Ashwin was retired out, also deposited one over deep square leg as the last two overs yielded 16 runs each. 

Also Read : Shimron Hetmyer's unbeaten fifty takes RR to 165 for 6 against Rajasthan Royals

News Source : PTI

Mumbai, Apr 10 (Cricket News) Lucknow Super Giants won the toss and elected to bowl against Rajasthan Royals in an Indian Premier League match here on Sunday.

Both the teams made two changes each with LSG bringing in Marcus Stoinis and Dushmantha Chameera in place of Evin Lewis and Andrew Tye, while RR replacing Yashsavi Jaiswal and Navdeep Saini with Rassie van der Dussen and Kuldip Sen.

Teams: Rajasthan Royals: Jos Buttler, Rassie van der Dussen, Devdutt Padikkal, Sanju Samson(C, WK), Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Kuldeep Sen, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal.

Lucknow Super Giants: KL Rahul(C), Quinton de Kock(WK), Marcus Stoinis, Deepak Hooda, Ayush Badoni, Krunal Pandya, Jason Holder, Krishnappa Gowtham, Dushmantha Chameera, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan.

Also Read : David Warner, Prithvi Shaw shine in Delhi's 215 for 5 vs KKR

News Source : PTI

Mumbai, Apr 4 (Cricket News) Rajasthan Royals would aim to build on their promising start to the season when they take on Royal Challengers Bangalore, a side that is yet to unlock its potential, in the Indian Premier League here on Tuesday.

Rajasthan come into the game following their 23-run win over Mumbai Indians. Bangalore, led by Faf Du Plessis, head into the match after a narrow three-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders and would be looking to be more convincing.

The Wankhede track has been aiding the pacers initially and both the teams can take advantage of it.

For Rajasthan, opener Buttler is in sublime form and can pummel any attack to submission, like he did on Saturday en route to a memorable hundred.

He would however, need support from fellow opening batter Yashasvi Jaiswal and one-down Devdutt Padikkal, who would be itching to get among the runs.

After his half-century in the first game, RR skipper Sanju Samson was unable to convert the start against Mumbai Indians. Knowing his ability to hit sixes at will, Samson would be more than keen to find consistency and lead from the front.

Another important cog in their wheel is West Indies batter Shimron Hetmyer, who has played useful cameos in the first two games. The top five, if they get going, can make things hard for the RCB bowlers.

On the bowling front, RR are unlikely to tinker with their combination. Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna and Navdeep Saini held their nerve against Kieron Pollard and were right on the money.

Eight overs of Ashwin and Chahal can turn the game on its head and their contribution could prove decisive.

For Bangalore, their bowlers led by Sri Lankan leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga performed their task with perfection against KKR.

While Hasaranga will be key in stopping Samson and Co, pacers David Willey, Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj, who combined to take four wickets against KKR, would need to come good again.

Also death overs specialist Harshal Patel will have to be at his best if RCB aim to contain a powerful RR batting unit.

More than the bowling, batting has been a concern for RCB.

While opener Anuj Rawat needs to show consistency, Du Plessis also will have to lead from the front and get a big score.

It is still not clear whether Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell will be available for the team's third game of the season. Teams (from): Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Mohammed Siraj, Faf du Plessis, Harshal Patel, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dinesh Karthik, Josh Hazlewood, Shahbaz Ahmed, Anuj Rawat, Akash Deep, Mahipal Lomror, Finn Allen, Sherfane Rutherford, Jason Behrendorff, Suyash Prabhudesai, Chama Milind, Aneeshwar Gautam, Karn Sharma, David Willey, Rajat Patidar, Siddharth Kaul.

Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Shubham Garwal, Dhruv Jurel, Kuldip Yadav, Kuldeep Sen, Tejas Baroka, Anunay Singh, KC Kariappa, Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler, Rassie Van der Dussen, Nathan Coulter Nile, Jimmy Neesham, Daryl Mitchell, Karun Nair, Obed McCoy, Navdeep Saini, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Shimron Hetmyer, Devdutt Padikkal, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal.

Match starts at 7.30 PM. 

Also Read : Under pressure after three losses, Jadeja lucky to have Dhoni by his side

News Source : PTI

Pune, Mar 28 (Cricket News) Packed with multiple match-winners in their ranks, heavyweights Rajasthan Royals face Sunrisers Hyderabad in a clash of former champions as both sides aim for a winning start in the IPL here on Tuesday.

Royals' batting fortunes will hinge largely on the form of their talented skipper Sanju Samson, who has been around the scene for a while now but has not delivered up to the expectations.

Inconsistency has been his bane and he would like to change that and lead from the front this season in search of their first title since the inaugural edition in 2008.

Each year, Samson plays one or two match-defining knocks but this time he would have to go the extra mile if the Royals want to win that elusive second title.

Good performances in the IPL could also help Samson cement a place in the Indian team with the T20 World Cup scheduled for later this year.

The Jaipur-based side are most likely to open with Jos Buttler and Devdutt Padikkal. A rampaging Buttler can tear into any bowling attack and if he and the stylish Padikkal can get off to flying starts, the Royals would be well served with the likes of Samson and the others to follow.

Royals have an array of players like power-hitter Shimron Hetmyer, Rassie Van der Dussen, Jimmy Neesham and Riyan Parag to pick for the middle-order and their contribution could well determine the team's fortunes.

They have a stronger bowling unit this time around with the inclusion of ace off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal, and the duo are certainties in the playing XI.

Their eight overs would be crucial in the overall context of a particular game and nothing would please skipper Samson if the duo can spin a web around the SRH batters.

Kiwi Trent Boult, earlier the spearhead of Mumbai Indians, would be leading the pace attack which includes the likes of Prasidh Krishna and Navdeep Saini.

For SRH, the experience of captain Kane Williamson, probably the best batter in the squad, would be vital. His contributions with the willow and as a leader could go a long way in determining the team's fortunes.

Williamson's compatriot Glenn Phillips can open the batting while hard-hitting West Indian Nicholas Pooran, Priyam Garg and Rahul Tripathi would be expected to shoulder responsibility in the middle order. Tripathi has also played significant knocks in the IPL but it is time he shows consistency.

If Williamson chooses to bat at No.3, then Ravikumar Samarth can open the batting while Abdul Samad, who has impressed many, can play the role of a finisher for the franchise.

The bowling attack will be led by pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar, one of the finest death bowlers. But he would need to dish out consistent spells as would new pace sensation Umran Malik.

Left-arm pacer T Natarajan, on a comeback trail, will be hoping to get his yorkers right as he aims to work his way back into national team contention.

Washington Sundar, another T20 specialist, can play a key role for the Sunrisers and one among Shreyas Gopal or J Suchith may be tried out.

The Teams (From): Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Shubham Garwal, Dhruv Jurel, Kuldip Yadav, Kuldeep Sen, Tejas Baroka, Anunay Singh, KC Kariappa, Jos Buttler, Rassie Van der Dussen, Nathan Coulter Nile, Jimmy Neesham, Daryl Mitchell, Karun Nair, Obed McCoy, Navdeep Saini, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Shimron Hetmyer, Devdutt Padikkal, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal.

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Kane Williamson (c), Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Abdul Samad, Priyam Garg, Vishnu Vinod, Glenn Phillips, R Samarth, Shashank Singh, Washington Sundar, Romario Shepherd, Marco Jansen, J Suchith, Shreyas Gopal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sean Abbott, Kartik Tyagi, Saurabh Tiwary, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Umran Malik, T Natarajan.

Match starts at 7.30 PM. 

Also Read : Punjab Kings stun Royal Challengers Bangalore by five wickets

News Source : PTI

Mumbai, Mar 22 (Cricket News) Newly-appointed fast bowling coach Lasith Malinga feels Rajasthan Royals have a fantastic pace attack with a good mix of experienced international players, genuine Indian quicks and youngsters.

Malinga, who took 546 wickets in 340 international matches across three formats for Sri Lanka and also led the country to the 2014 ICC T20 World Cup triumph, has been roped in by the Royals as their new fast bowling coach ahead of IPL-15.

"I think we have a fantastic pace attack. You've got experienced overseas players like Boult and Coulter-Nile, with whom I've worked before," Malinga was quoted as saying in a media release.

"Then we've got genuine Indian fast bowlers in Prasidh (Krishna) and (Navdeep) Saini, who have proven themselves at the highest level, and some new faces in Anunay Singh, Kuldeep Sen and Kuldip Yadav.

"In T20 cricket, I think little margins really matter, and I'm here to guide them to deliver their best in all situations," he added.

Talking about joining the new franchise, the 38-year-old, who is also IPL's highest wicket-taker, said he's enjoying his new role.

"It is certainly a new thing for me to get into coaching and pass on my experience to the younger players. I have played this role before with Mumbai, and now I'm delighted to be working with Rajasthan Royals. It is a new place for me, but I'm enjoying my role so far working with such a talented group of bowlers." Having been associated with Mumbai Indians for 13 seasons, he also recalled how the move to Royals came about.

"It was actually last year that Kumar (Sangakkara) asked me if I was interested. But with COVID and all the bubble restrictions, I didn't want to stay away from my family.

"But this year, having also worked with the Sri Lankan team, I felt I could use my experience and give back to the game that I love, by working with this group of players." Sharing his thoughts on what's the most important thing for a fast bowler, Malinga said, "I think most of the times teams focus on analyzing the opposition and looking at their weaknesses.

"But in my experience, I think what works best is when you work on your strengths and bowl according to them. In T20, you only have to bowl 24 balls, which works in our favour but it's also important to trust your instincts as to which variations can work in which situations." "On the field, you only have a right hander and a left hander to prepare against, so when a bowler trains, it's important to just train according to that – to think there are just two batters – it doesn't matter what the name of the batsman is," he added.

Having won the IPL four times with Mumbai, the veteran also commented on what he thinks is the most important thing to do when going after a title.

"I think every team is equally strong and everyone in the team is equally valued. But the most crucial thing is how we understand the game, and the situations within a game.

"So, what I want to get out of our bowlers is to improve their thinking pattern, and help them understand the situations better," he expressed. 

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News Source : PTI