Alur (Karnataka), Jun 8 (Cricket News) Young Karan Sharma led from the front with a calm and composed 93 not out as Uttar Pradesh knocked out favourites Karnataka with a five-wicket win in their Ranji Trophy quarterfinals here on Wednesday.

This was UP's first ever win over Karnataka on 13 occasions and it could not have come at a better time. UP are now headed for a semifinal clash against heavyweights Mumbai at the same venue from June 14.

Previously, UP had lost four times and drawn nine times but never won against Karnataka.

Captaining the team in his very first season for UP, the 23-year-old Sharma, playing his fourth first-class match, showed solid temperament in their chase of 213 after Priyam Garg made an elegant 60-ball 52.

Sharma, who scored a second innings century in their win over Maharashtra that sealed their quarterfinals berth here, once again stood like a rock.

The Lucknow Super Giants batter, who faced 163 balls (119 of them dots), paced his innings brilliantly, especially at the fag end of the day.

That the slow pitch had little to offer for the pacers also played a part as Sharma happily took on Ronit More, pulling him in front of square, even on front foot.

He slammed 13 fours and one six in his knock as UP fashioned a memorable win with two days to spare.

The skipper found an able ally in Prince Yadav who played a patient innings of 33 not out from 73 balls (3x4, 1x6) in their unbroken match-winning partnership of 99 runs.

UP had a jittery start to their chase as they lost Aryan Juyal and Samarth Singh for 28 but thereafter Garg played a counter-attacking knock and reached to his fifty in 57 balls with a six off Vidhwath Kaverappa.

Just when it seemed that UP had the game on their hands, the home side titled the match in their favour after off-spinner Krishnappa Gowtham gave the breakthrough by dismissing Garg.

Bowling superbly to his field, Gowtham foxed Garg with a length ball as the Sunrisers Hyderabad batter gave a simple catch to leg slip.

Rinku Singh (4) and Dhruv Jurel (9) were also dismissed cheaply as UP lost three wickets for 27 runs with 114/5 on board in the second session when the young skipper came to take charge of the proceedings.

Sharma had a solid approach upfront without buckling under pressure and took time to settle down before coming on his own.

Earlier, it was their India 'A' left-arm spinner Saurabh Kumar who returned with a match-haul of seven wickets to turn it around for the Vijay Dahiya-coached UP after they suffered a first innings batting collapse to concede a 98-run first innings lead.

Saurabh returned with 3/36 in the second essay which included the prized-scalps of Mayank Agarwal as Karnataka failed to build on their healthy lead and were bundled out for 114 on the third day morning.

Yash Dayal grabbed the last two wickets to complete the formalities as Karnataka, who were overnight 100/8, were bowled out in five overs.

On a docile pitch, there was a sheer lack of application from the star-studded Karnataka batting lineup.

Their Big Three of Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair and captain Manish Pandey combined for just 36 runs in the second essay that highlighted their plight in the absence of Devdutt Padikkal who was sidelined for the match.

Brief Scores: Karnataka: 253 and 114 in 39 overs.

Uttar Pradesh: 155 and 213/5 in 65.2 overs (Karan Sharma 93 not out, Priyam Garg 52, Prince Yadav 33 not out; Vijaykumar Vyshak 3/47).

UP won by 5 wickets. 

Also Read : KL Rahul ruled out of entire series, Pant to captain team against Proteas

News Source : PTI

Bengaluru, Jun 5 (Cricket News) Their most decorated player, Wriddhiman Saha, may have left the team in the lurch owing to his personal grudge against the establishment, but the Abhimanyu Easwaran-led Bengal will still start as favourites against Jharkhand with their pace troika ready to let it rip in their Ranji Trophy quarter-final, starting from Monday.

The trio of Mukesh Kumar (15 wickets), Ishan Porel (14 wickets) and Akash Deep (10 wickets) has been the most prolific pace attack in the country and with a cumulative count of 39 wickets among the 58 that Bengal got this season, they will come all guns blazing at the Jharkhand line-up, which has shown firepower during the league stages.

However, the likes of Kumar Deobrat, Kumar Kushagra, Virat Singh will like to forget their overwhelming near 900-run innings score against Nagaland, which was their pre-quarter-final at the Eden Gardens.

It will be a very different fight against one of the best domestic bowling attacks in the country along with the gutsy spin-bowling all-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed (8 wickets) for company.

When a senior player puts self above team ---------------------------------------------- Out of the Indian Test team as the new management doesn't want a 37-year-old second keeper, an upset Wriddhiman had cited "personal reasons" for not playing in the league stages, where the team found a new star in 19-year-old Abhishek Porel.

However, after doing a star turn for Gujarat Titans in the IPL, the India discard demanded a public apology from state body office-bearer Debabrata Das for allegedly insulting him.

Subsequently, he decided to not play one of the most important matches of the season for the state team, which made him the cricketer that he is today.

In this backdrop, the Bengal side, without arguably its No. 1 player with 40-Test experience, is sure to feel let down but will be determined to prove a point that it has long back adapted to life without an India "star".

"We would have liked him as he is a big player but if someone is so unwilling to play, his wish should be respected. If someone isn't interested, then forcing that person to play is often detrimental to a side's interest," a member of the team management told PTI ahead of the match.

Bengal fretting about No. 3 and No. 8 positions --------------------------------------------------- With the Just Cricket Academy ground producing a proper "five-day" wicket, Bengal coach Saurasish Lahiri pointed out that a couple of slots are up for grabs.

For the No. 3 spot, it will be a toss-up between two stodgy left-handers with good defensive game -- the diminutive Abhishek Raman and the lanky Sudip Chatterjee.

"It's a tough call as both are quality players," Lahiri said.

The other position up for grab is the all-rounder's slot where Sayan Sekhar Mondal, with his hard-hitting batting and good seam-up stuff at close to 130 clicks, is considered a better bet than Writtick Chatterjee, who bowls off-spin and also have a double hundred in first-class cricket.

What will be a slight worry for Bengal is the fact that none of their batters have accumulated 250 runs in the three league games, with only one hundred (114 by Easwaran) in six completed innings.

The top-run getter in the league stages is veteran Anushtup Majumdar (242 runs), who is at the fag end of his career.

However, it is Porel, who has turned out to be an exciting prospect and in his debut, he scored a fine half-century in a 350-run fourth innings chase against Baroda after the team was bowled out for less than 100 in the first innings.

For Bengal, the key will be to counter the two left-arm spinners Shahbaz Nadeem and Anukul Roy, who are seasoned performers. The pace duo of Rahul Shukla and Varun Aaron might not be a big threat, especially with the latter not having played any red-ball games in recent times.

Karnataka find their match in UP ----------------------------------- A star-studded Karnataka batting line-up comprising Devdutt Padikkal, Karun Nair, Manish Pandey and till recently India's opener Mayank Agarwal gives the team a menacing look but they will be up against a quality seam attack from Uttar Pradesh that has stars Mohsin Khan and Yash Dayal in its ranks.

If Karnataka's batting has a scary look, the bowling is a bit thin on quality compared to the days when R Vinay Kumar, Srinath Aravind and Abhimanyu Mithun would run through opposition sides.

Often the reserve pacer in that line-up, Ronit More is now the leader of the attack and it will be interesting as to how he counters the likes of Rinku Singh, Akshdeep Nath and Priyam Garg.

The match will be played at Alur (1) ground.

Matches to start at 9:30 am.

Karnataka vs UP (Alur 1) Star Sports 1 Live Bengal vs Jharkhand (Just Cricket Ground) Live Streaming on Hotstar. 

Also Read : Mumbai favourites against Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh take on Punjab

News Source : PTI

Kolkata, May 24 (Cricket News) Virat Kohli's return to form and a rather dramatic entry into the IPL play-offs will make Royal Challengers Bangalore a more confident unit when they meet a top-heavy Lucknow Super Giants in the Eliminator here on Wednesday.

After a string of low scores, Kohli found his rhythm enroute to a scintillating 54-ball 73 in their last match against Gujarat Titans.

This was his only second fifty this season, a visual treat for the eyes which encapsulated all the Kohli-esque shots as RCB kept their hopes alive with a fine win.

But their fate was not in their own hands as they anxiously waited for a Mumbai Indians win in their game against Delhi Capitals to secure an entry into the play-offs.

Kohli's return to form will be a big plus to their top-order which often has struggled to get going in the power-play.

Add Dinesh Karthik's new-found finishing exploits, a quality pace trio in Josh Hazlewood, Wanindu Hasaranga and Harshal Patel who would look to embrace the seam-friendly Eden conditions, and Faf du Plessis's calm and astute captaincy, RCB will be upbeat in their quest of an elusive IPL title.

Having featured in three IPL finals, RCB are one star-studded outfit which has failed to live up to its fans' expectations time and again.

But this time under a three-time IPL winner in du Plessis, RCB look more balanced especially on the pace bowling front.

Even as India speedster Mohammed Siraj (eight wickets from 13 matches) has failed to impress, the trio of Hazlewood, Hasaranga and Harshal with 57 wickets in between, have been their backbone.

With fresh tracks on offer for the knockouts, the trio would look to relish the challenge Another big plus point for RCB this season has been India veteran wicketkeeper-batter Karthik's new-found form with the bat that has also ensured an India comeback ahead of the T20 World Cup.

Assigned the role of a finisher, the 36-year-old, who was bought by RCB for Rs 5.50 crore, Karthik has played a key role in their qualification to the playoffs.

With 287 runs from 14 innings, of which he had been unbeaten nine times, Karthik has a superb strike of 191.33.

RCB's experience in batting certainly will weigh heavily against the young LSG pace attack of Avesh Khan and Mohsin Khan.

Lucknow also have the experienced duo of Jason Holder and Dushmanta Chameera but they have been inconsistent this season, something that can be a cause of concern for the KL Rahul-led outfit.

A key battle for RCB would be against the Lucknow Super Giants opening duo of K L Rahul and Quinton de Kock -- by far the best opening pair of this IPL -- sitting pretty on second and third places in the top run getters' list.

That they have scored 1039 runs together -- including the highest opening partnership in IPL history of 210 against Kolkata Knight Riders -- sums up their dominance.

But this also will be the team's weakness as the Lucknow franchise lacks a quality middle and lower order, barring Deepak Hooda who has four half-centuries this season.

But barring the trio, no other batter has impressed to lend solidity in the middle and lower-order.

The likes of Marcus Stoinis, Krunal Pandya, Ayush Badoni and Holder have failed to impress and it's high time that they get into their acts in a virtual quarter-final.

Squads Royal Challengers Bangalore: Faf du Plessis (c), 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 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 and Jason Holder.

Match starts: 7.30pm. 

Also Read : I will definitely be around IPL next year: AB de Villiers

News Source : PTI

Navi Mumbai, May 17 (Cricket News) Kolkata Knight Riders need a big win in their final round-robin match to keep their slim IPL play-off hopes alive, while Lucknow Super Giants will look to seal their position in the top four when the two teams face off here on Wednesday.

With seven losses and six wins, KKR are placed at the sixth spot with 12 points and they will not only have to win but do it with a big margin and then hope that other results go their way to salvage any hope of sneaking into the knockout stage.

LSG already have one foot at the play-offs as they are placed at the third spot with 16 points but with a number of teams jostling it out for remaining three berths, they will look to add two more points to avoid any last-minute hiccup.

Two-time former champions, KKR, which had reached the final last year, have managed to keep their theoretical chances alive after coming good in the last two matches against Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Shreyas Iyer's men rode on Andre Russell's all-round brilliance and near perfect execution from the bowlers to notch up a comprehensive 54-run win over SRH in their last match.

While Russell and Sam Billings lifted KKR to 177/6 to set up the win, the top-order once again couldn't produce the goods after being reduced to 72 for 3.

Ajinkya Rahane's struggle at the top was evident as he found it difficult to rotate strikes, while Venkatesh Iyer too continued to disappoint in his second season.

Nitish Rana has blown hot and cold, while skipper Iyer's bat has been silent in the last three games. KKR also lost pace spearhead Pat Cummins, who was ruled out owing to a hip injury but it didn't matter much as the Kolkata outfit dished out a stellar bowling effort the other day.

Back in the team after recovering from a calf muscle injury, Umesh Yadav and Tim Southee kept things tight, while Russell snapped three crucial wickets.

Spin duo of Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy too were in their elements and KKR will hope for another clinical show from their bowling unit. LSG, on the other hand, are coming into the match after suffering two successive defeats and will have to put up an improved show to end things on a high.

The main concern for LSG is their poor batting show in the last two matches with the batters struggling in the powerplay against quality bowling.

LSG's batting is a lot dependent on skipper KL Rahul, who has done bulk of the scoring with two hundreds but he has been off-colour in the last three games.

Other opener Quinton de Kock, who has scored three half centuries, too has been dismissed for 11 and 7 in the last two games, which added to the team's woes.

However, Deepak Hooda has been rock solid and it was his fifty that kept LSG in the hunt in the last game.

Young Ayush Badoni too will be eager to prove he is not a one-game wonder, while Krunal Pandya also has to step up in the rear end of the tournament.

LSG will also look to use Marcus Stoinis better as he is one of the most prolific all-rounders in world cricket.

Bowling has proved to be the weak link for LSG though the likes of Avesh Khan and Jason Holder have delivered with 17 and 14 wickets so far but Mohsin Khan was taken to the cleaners in the last game.

Spinner Ravi Bishnoi picked up two wickets against Rajasthan Royals and LSG would expect him to keep things tight in the middle overs on Wednesday.

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.

Kolkata Knight Riders: Aaron Finch, Abhijeet Tomar, Ajinkya Rahane, Baba Indrajith, Nitish Rana, Pratham Singh, Rinku Singh, Shreyas Iyer (C), 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.

Match starts at 7:30 PM. 

Also Read : Mixing up deliveries paid off against Punjab, says Shardul

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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Pune, May 9 (Cricket News) On a slippery slope after back-to-back losses, Gujarat Titans will need their batters to fire when they take on high-flying Lucknow Super Giants as both teams look to seal IPL play-offs berth here on Tuesday.

The two new entrants are having a dream run in their maiden season.

While Gujarat led the points table for most part of the league, Lucknow moved ahead of them to take the top spot. The Hardik Pandya-led Gujarat side's winning streak came to an end with back-to-back losses against Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians last week.

Both teams have 16 points each from 11 outings and a win for either of them will confirm the passage to the next stage.

LSG, who have won their last four games, would be brimming with confidence as they head to the fixture with a morale-boosting 75-run win over Kolkata Knight Riders.

KL Rahul has led from the front and the opener is the second highest run scorer in the tournament, collecting 451 runs from 11 games with two hundreds and as many fifties.

The team has relied heavily on him to get the job done with the bat. But the likes of Quinton de Kock and Deepak Hooda have taken more responsibility in the recent games which will definitely take the pressure off Rahul.

Their bowling unit has been right on mark. While LSG were able to defend 153 against Punjab Kings, they polished off KKR for just 101, with pacers Avesh Khan and Jason Holder proving to be too hot to handle for the former champions.

Pacers Mohsin Khan (5.35) and Sri Lanka's Dushmantha Chameera (7.90) have bowled economically as has Krunal Pandya (6.64), while Ravi Bishnoi (8.23) and Avesh (8.14) have been a tad expensive. But the bowling unit has often found a way to get over the line.

Gujarat's stellar run in the IPL can be attributed to their ability to come back from tough situations. They had different players winning games for them but that was not the case against MI when they failed to get nine runs off the last over in what should have been an easy run chase.

The batting department needs to be more consistent. The top order batters have failed to take their innings deep.

Shubman Gill has endured a hot and cold season, while Wriddhiman Saha has shown good intent.

Skipper Pandya, David Miller and Rahul Tewatia have also looked off colour recently and need to get into the groove again in the business end of the tournament.

Gujarat have a lethal bowling attack, studded with world-class bowlers like Mohammed Shami, Lockie Ferguson and Rashid Khan.

But Shami hasn't been able to live up to expectations recently. The senior India pacer has given away 124 runs while taking only two wickets in the last three games.

However, he can can wreak havoc with the new ball while Ferguson's ability to generate extra pace is a cause of concern for any batting line-up.

Rashid continues to remain economical but the star Afghan spinner will be eager for more wickets.

The Teams (from): 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.

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.

Match starts at 7.30 PM. 

Also Read : Alyssa Healy, Keshav Maharaj win ICC 'Player of Month' award

News Source : PTI

Pune, Apr 29 (Cricket News) Punjab Kings won the toss and opted to bowl against Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League here on Friday.

Punjab did not make any changes from the previous game while Lucknow brought in Avesh Khan in place of Manish Pandey.

Teams: Lucknow Super Giants: Quinton de Kock (w), KL Rahul (c), Manish Pandey, Deepak Hooda, Marcus Stoinis, Ayush Badoni, Krunal Pandya, Jason Holder, Dushmantha Chameera, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan.

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

Also Read : Delhi Capitals win toss, opt to bowl against Kolkata Knight Riders

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

Pune, Apr 28 (Cricket News) Punjab Kings would be keen to put brakes on Lucknow Super Giants skipper KL Rahul's rollicking batting form and notch up a win when the two sides clash in an IPL game here on Friday.

Lucknow are currently in fourth spot, having five wins and three losses from eight games, while Punjab are at sixth, with four wins and as many losses.

Lucknow beat Mumbai Indians by 36 runs in their last game, while Punjab come into the game after defeating Chennai Super Kings by 11 runs.

Rahul has been in sublime form at the top of order and has already hit two hundreds -- both against Mumbai Indians -- and a fifty-plus score this season.

With 368 runs, he is the second highest run-getter so far this season, just behind Rajasthan Royals' Jos Buttler and has been the batting mainstay for his team.

Punjab’s balanced bowling attack, led by South African pacer Kasigo Rabada, would be keen to put the brakes on the stylish right-handed batter.

Rabada and the likes of Arshdeep Singh, who has been impressive in death overs, Sandeep Sharma, Rishi Dhawan and Rahul Chahar, would need to pose serious questions to Rahul at the MCA stadium, which has witnessed high-scoring thrillers. Leg-spinner Chahar is the leading wicket taker for Punjab with 10 scalps but he would need to step up even more to help his team's cause.

In the batting department, opener Shikhar Dhawan, who hit an unbeaten 88 in Punjab's previous matcg, is back among the runs and that is a big plus.

But the form of skipper Mayank Agarwal is a cause of concern. He has blown hot and cold with the willow, having a single fifty-plus score in the seven matches this season. He would be keen to find consistency and provide the thrust at the top with flamboyant Dhawan.

One-down Bhanuka Rajapaksa has played his part well against CSK the other night when he chipped in with 32-ball 42 and the Sri Lankan would be keen to put up another good show.

One of the top-order batters will need to come good again to set the stage for power-hitters like Liam Livingstone and Jonny Bairstow if Punjab have to post or chase a big total.

For Lucknow, captain Rahul needs support from other batters, including his opening partner Quinton De Kock, who failed in the game against Mumbai as he was dismissed for 10.

De Kock, who has scored 225 runs so far, has not done full justice to his potential and needs to fire on all cylinders and add weight to the LSG batting.

Lucknow have depth in their batting with the experienced Manish Pandey, the hard-hitting duo of Marcus Stoinis and Krunal Pandya, reliable Deepak Hooda, rookie Ayush Badoni and West Indian Jason Holder, who is known to hit sixes at will, in their ranks.

The bowling department has also fared well, with Sri Lankan pacer Dushmantha Chameera and Holder right on the money so far. The duo have shared 14 wickets among them and will need to continue with their good work to stop the attacking Punjab batting line-up.

The eight overs of spinners Krunal Pandya and Ravi Bishnoi can also become crucial and change the fate of a match.

The Teams (From): Punjab Kings: Mayank Agarwal (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Arshdeep Singh, Kagiso Rabada, Jonny Bairstow, Rahul Chahar, Harpreet Brar, Shahrukh Khan, Prabhsimran Singh, Jitesh Sharma, Ishan Porel, Liam Livingstone, Odean Smith, Sandeep Sharma, Raj Angad Bawa, Rishi Dhawan, Prerak Mankad, Vaibhav Arora, Writtick Chatterjee, Baltej Dhanda, Ansh Patel, Nathan Ellis, Atharva Taide, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Benny Howell.

Lucknow Super Giants: KL Rahul (c), Manan Vohra, Evin Lewis, Manish Pandey, Quinton De Kock, Ravi Bishnoi, Dushmantha Chameera, Shahbaz Nadeem, 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.

Match starts at 7.30 PM. 

Also Read : Take Umran Malik to England for one-off Test, limited-overs series: Gavaksar

News Source : PTI

Mumbai, Apr 24 (Cricket News) KL Rahul once again proved to be Mumbai Indians' nemesis as his magnificent second hundred set up a comfortable 36-run win for Lucknow Super Giants' and in turn knocked the five-time champions out of this edition of IPL.

Rahul continued his fairytale run against MI, slamming an unbeaten 103 off 62 balls with the help of 12 fours and four maximums as LSG posted 168 for 6 after being invited to bat at the Wankhade stadium.

In reply, Rohit Sharma looked good during his 31-ball 39 but MI suffered a collapse once again to slump to 67 for four.

Tilak Varma hit a gritty 27-ball 38 to give MI some hope before Lucknow restricted them to 132 for 8 for their fifth win in 8 matches to grab the fourth position in the overall points standing.

For MI, it was another collective failure as they slumped to their eighth successive loss on the trot, the only team in the history of the tournament to achieve the dubious record as they remain at the bottom.

For LSG, all the bowlers chipped in with Krunal Pandya taking 3 for 19 and Dushmantha Chameera conceded only 14 runs in 4 overs.

Rahul, who had scored a century against MI a few days back, looked in imperious form but he didn't get enough help from the other batters.

Manish Pandey had a 58-run stand with Rahul but he lacked intent during his run-a-ball 22, while Marcus Stoinis (0), Krunal Pandya (1) and Deepak Hooda (10) paraded back to the hut in quick succession.

Later, Rahul added another 47 off 25 balls with young Ayush Badoni (14) to take LSG to a competitive score.

For MI, Australian Daniel Sams had a forgettable evening as he conceded 40 runs in his four overs.

Kieron Pollard pulled things back a bit as he snapped two wickets in two overs, while Riley Meredith accounted for two but conceded 40, with Jasprit Bumrah once again displaying his brilliance as an all-format great.

Chasing 169, Ishan Kishan looked low in confidence but with Rohit in full flow, MI reached 43 for no loss in the first six overs.

The MI skipper smashed five boundaries and a six during the powerplay to raise hopes of a successful chase.

Ravi Bishnoi, however, put Kishan out of his misery in the 8th over, while Mohsin Khan, who replaced an injured Avesh Khan in the XI, got rid off Dewald Brevis (3) for his maiden IPL wicket.

Rohit then ended up playing across the line as Krunal foxed his former MI skipper, leaving Mumbai at 58 for 3.

Suryakumar Yadav (7) then walked back after playing an aweful shot to hand Ayush Badoni his first IPL wicket.

Tilak smashed two fours and as many sixes but once he was sent back by Jason Holder it was all over for MI.

Earlier, the MI bowlers were on the money at the start with Bumrah dealing the first blow, removing Quinton de Kock (10) with Rohit Sharma taking a low dipping catch.

MI used four bowlers in the powerplay with LSG managing only 32 for one in the first six overs.

Rahul and Pandey struggled to up the ante as pressure was maintained from both ends.

Rahul then sprung into action with a maximum over deep mid-wicket off Unadkat, while Pandey deposited Meredith into the sightscreen.

THe LSG skipper then pulled one across the deep mid-wicket, before cutting the next ball over point for successive boundaries as the Lucknow team racked up 17 runs to reach 72 for one at the half way stage.

Bumrah was brought back into the attack but Rahul send him across deep square leg and then picked up a single to complete another fifty.

Pandey's (22) struggle ended with a top-edge off a short ball from Pollard to Meredith.

Rahul clobbered Sams over long-on to leave the bowler shaken, who ended up bowling three successive wide balls.

The next legitimate delivery was sent over deep backward point by Rahul but the bowler somewhat redeemed himself in the fifth ball with Marcus Stoinis holing out to Tilak varma at deep mid-wicket.

After Pollard and Meredith removed Pandya and Hooda quickly, Ayush Badoni joined Rahul, who continued to get the boundaries for LSG.

Rahul slammed Bumrah for a couple of fours, before smashing Unadkat for three more in the next over.

He reached three figures with a six off Meredith. 

Also Read : Many sporting giants have gone through this phase...that happens: Rohit on MI's dismal run this IPL

News Source : PTI

Navi Mumbai, Apr 19 (Cricket News) Royal Challengers Bangalore rode on skipper Faf du Plessis' breezy 96 and Josh Hazlewood's brilliant bowling to inflict an 18-run defeat on Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL here on Tuesday.

The 37-year-old du Plessis roared back to form after a string of low scores with a 64-ball knock to help RCB post 181 for six after being sent into bat.

Pace spearhead Hazlewood (4/25) then picked two wickets upfront and two at the fag end as RCB restricted LSG to 163 for eight to register their fifth win of the season.

Both Hazlewood and du Plessis' brilliant individual performances, though, may be a bit overshadowed by the chatter around the two ball sequence leading to Marcus Stoinis' wicket in which a wide outside off wasn't called followed by him shuffling way too much in the next delivery and playing on.

Nevertheless, RCB are now second in the points table while LSG slumped to fourth.

Opening the innings, du Plessis, who failed to put up a big score since his sensational 88 in RCB's first game of the season, anchored the innings to perfection and got out only on the penultimate ball of the final over.

Hazlewood rocked LSG's chase early on as he bowled a fine opening spell. Using the bounce and movement on offer, he accounted for the dangerous Quinton de Kock (3) and Manish Pandey (6) in quick time.

The Australian quick, who was consistent with his line and length, bowled a frugal spell, giving away just 25 runs.

LSG skipper KL Rahul made his way back to the dug out soon after Pandey as a delivery down the leg-side kissed his bat and RCB opted to review it. UltraEdge showed a spike and RCB got their massive breakthrough, thanks to the brilliant review.

While Krunal Pandya (42) was scoring runs at a good rate, he looked uncomfortable against Glenn Maxwell, and eventually fell to the Australian.

LSG weren't able to string substantial partnerships together. Deepak Hooda (13), Stoinis (24) and Ayush Badoni (13) were guilty of wasting their starts.

Harshal Patel (2/47) picked up two wickets while Mohammed Siraj (1/31) and Maxwell (1/11) accounted for a batter each.

Earlier, du Plessis had 11 boundaries and two sixes, playing shots all around the DY Patil Stadium.

The Super Giants invited RCB to bat and the bowlers managed to strike at regular intervals but had no answers for the former South African captain.

Sri Lankan right-arm pacer Dushmantha Chameer (2/31 off 3) bowled a fruitful first over for LSG, snaring the wickets of opener Anuj Rawat (4) and Virat Kohli (0), whose struggles with the bat continued as he got out for a first-ball duck.

Maxwell (23) looked to continue his explosive run in the IPL. The Australian played a counter-attacking innings as he slammed Chameera for two fours and a six in the third over.

The all-rounder, however, went down after a quick cameo while playing his favourite shot -- the switch hit -- as LSG took control of the match again.

Maxwell went for the reverse sweep off a Krunal Pandya (1/29) delivery but failed to middle it, with a diving Jason Holder completing the catch as RCB slipped to 44/3.

Young Suyash Prabhudessai (10) followed a couple of overs later, even as du Plessis ensured RCB continued scoring at a healthy rate.

Alongside Shahbaz Ahmed (26), du Plessis added 70 runs for the fifth wicket, with the former playing the perfect second fiddle.

The veteran batter switched gears in the slog overs with Dinesh Karthik (13 not out), who himself is in imperious form, by his side. Together they took RCB beyond the 180-run mark. Du plessis came close to scoring his maiden IPL century but was dismissed by Holder with one ball left in the innings. 

Also Read : Virat Kohli is overcooked, needs a break: Ravi Shastri

News Source : PTI

Navi Mumbai, Apr 19 (Cricket News) Lucknow Super Giants skipper KL Rahul won the toss and elected to bowl against Royal Challengers Bangalore in their IPL match here on Tuesday.

Both teams are fielding the same playing XI from their respective previous games.

Teams: Royal Challengers Bangalore: Faf du Plessis (c), Anuj Rawat, Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Suyash Prabhudessai, Shahbaz Ahmed, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel, Josh Hazlewood, Mohammed Siraj.

Lucknow Super Giants: KL Rahul (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Manish Pandey, Marcus Stoinis, Deepak Hooda, Ayush Badoni, Krunal Pandya, Jason Holder, Dushmantha Chameera, Avesh Khan, Ravi Bishnoi. 

Also Read : Should Umran Malik be fast tracked into international cricket?

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) RCB and LSG are probably the two most in-form teams in this year’s IPL, both teams are on 8 points and will look to go top of the table. Both started with a loss, both registered a hat-trick of victories and then lost the subsequent game. For RCB this season Dinesh Karthik has been the star of the show, helping them win two matches single-handedly. As for SuperGiants, their openers KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock have clicked together at the top, easing the burden on the middle order

RCB are heading into the match in red hot form, having won 3 on the bounce. RCB's primary concern will be the top order, with skipper Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli having managed only one fifty-plus score in the 12 innings between them. Du Plessis started off with a wonderful 88 against Punjab Kings, while Kohli hasn’t even hit a fifty in this year's tournament as his highest score is 41 not out off 29 balls. Their strong middle order of Glenn Maxwell, Dinesh Karthik and Shabaz Ahmed have masked their problems. In the bowling department Mohammed Siraj has been very expensive and RCB is missing Harshal Patel, especially in the death overs as he may be ready for this crucial encounter, although Josh Hazelwood has brought in some much needed leadership in the bowling front. Wanindu Hasaranga will again be the key against the left-handers in this LSG side.

LSG on the other hand are banking on their top order to score majority of the runs as their middle order has been hot and cold this season. The No.3 spot in particular has been an area of concern for the SuperGiants, with Evin Lewis, Manish Pandey, and K Gowtham all getting look-ins but none have made a lasting impression in that crucial position. Another worry for them is that their overseas paceman Dushmantha Chameera has been leaking too many runs. He has gone for 12 or more in an over in two games, and LSG will want him to tighten up. If LSG are to stop Dinesh Karthik from causing havoc then they need to keep hold of Ravi Bishnoi as his strike rate dips to 75 against wrist spin, with the wicketkeeper-batter having managed only 12 off 16 balls against wrist spinners this tournament. Jason Holder holds the key as he has picked up nine wickets in five innings against them at an average of 14.33 and economy rate of 7.58 against RCB.

Pitch and weather report: The DY Patil pitch has been the most unpredictable venue this season but one thing is certain that pacers get a lot of swing early on in the inning. History suggests that chasing is a better option in this venue but the last two matches were won by sides batting first. The temperature is going to hover around 32 degrees with no chance of rain.

Interesting facts:

• KL Rahul, who has scored 501 runs against RCB, averages 83.50 against RCB
• Harshal Patel is yet to pick up a wicket in the death overs. He picked up 21 wickets at the death in the previous season.
• Karthik's first-ten-balls strike rate is 214 which is the best this season
• Avesh Khan has taken five wickets in the powerplay and death overs in IPL 2022.
• Super Giants (8.61) and Royal Challengers (7.86) have the worst and third-worst economy rates in the powerplay in IPL 2022.
• Glenn Maxwell has dismissed Rahul twice in four T20 innings 

Also read: Battle of power hitters as COVID-hit Delhi Capitals clash with Punjab Kings

Probable XI for RCB:

1 Faf du Plessis (capt), 2 Anuj Rawat, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Suyash Prabhudessai, 6 Shahbaz Ahmed, 7 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Harshal Patel, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Josh Hazlewood.

Probable XI for LSG:

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

Mumbai, Apr 16 (Cricket News) Skipper KL Rahul scored his maiden century of the season to guide Lucknow Super Giants to 199 for 4 against Mumbai Indians in the IPL here on Saturday.

Rahul smashed 103 off 60 balls, his unbeaten innings laced with nine fours and five sixes.

Manish Pandey (38) and Quinton de Kock (24) also played useful knocks.

For MI, medium pacer Jaydev Unadkat snared two wickets (2/32), while spinner Murugan Ashwin (1/33) and all-rounder Fabian Allen (1/46) took a wicket apiece.

Brief Scores: Lucknow Super Giants 199 for 4 in 20 overs (KL Rahul, 103 not out, Manish Pandey 38; Jaydev Unadkat 2/32) vs MI. 

Also Read : Mumbai Indians win toss, opt to bowl against Lucknow Super Giants

News Source : PTI

Mumbai, Apr 16 (Cricket News) Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to field in their Indian Premier League match against Lucknow Super Giants here on Saturday.

Seeking to end their five-match losing streak, MI made one change from their previous match playing XI with Fabian Allen replacing Basil Thampi.

Super Giants also made one change with Manish Pandey coming in for K Gowtham.

The Teams: Lucknow Super Giants: KL Rahul (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Manish Pandey, Deepak Hooda, Marcus Stoinis, Ayush Badoni, Jason Holder, Krunal Pandya, Dushmantha Chameera, Avesh Khan, Ravi Bishnoi.

Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan (wk), Dewald Brevis, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Kieron Pollard, Fabian Allen, Jaydev Unadkat, Murugan Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Tymal Mills. 

Also Read : Stokes is obvious choice to lead England Test team: Former captains

News Source : PTI

Mumbai, Apr 15 (Cricket News) An auction botched up by poor planning, Mumbai Indians will continue to grope in the dark in search of an ideal playing eleven with an aim to end their five-match losing streak against Lucknow Super Giants in an IPL match on Saturday.

This is not the first time that MI have had a losing streak of five matches but this is probably the first time that it seems that the team's think-tank do not have an idea of how to stem the rot that has set in.

It is certainly not skipper Rohit Sharma's fault that the five-time champions had bungled big time at the auction table with below-par domestic signings save NT Tilak Varma, which is coming to bite them.

Against Lucknow in the afternoon Mumbai heat, Rohit and his chosen ten would have to put their best foot forward in order to tame the likes of Quinton de Kock, KL Rahul, Krunal Pandya, Ayush Badoni to name a few.

Krunal and De Kock, in particular, would like to pose some serious challenges for the MI brigade and may be compel them to think whether not putting enough efforts to get them back in their roster was a prudent enough thing to do.

There had been some inexplicable team selections and dropping a million dollar plus buy like Tim David after two games is one of them.

Such has been MI's plight that they haven't been able to field their full quota of foreign players in order to have enough bowlers in their ranks.

However, David might be given a go in place of a Jaydev Unadkat, who has once again come short in the highest level of cricket and is an example of the yawning gap between standards in domestic cricket and IPL.

One among Unadkat and Basil Thampi need to make way for David as they don't have too many options at the table.

In case of Murugan Ashwin, the only plausible replacement at this time looks to be leg-spinner Mayank Markande, who not so many moons back had some decent performances for the five-time champion outfit.

Not having a quality spinner like Rahul Chahar or Krunal, who can at times stem the flow of runs is also hurting MI.

Head coach Mahela Jayawardene had already said and rightly so that Rohit's performance isn't a worrying factor.

One of the reasons being his touch which is not out of place but perhaps he needs to curtail down on a few shots and bat deep along with Suryakumar Yadav to put up a challenging score which the weak bowling line-up can defend.

For Lucknow, mentor and brains behind the strategy Gautam Gambhir needs to think whether both Marcus Stoinis and Jason Holder could be a part of same eleven or they would be better off dropping one of them and playing the hard-hitting Evin Lewis in the top-order alongside Rahul and De kock.

Teams Lucknow Super Giants: KL Rahul (captain), Manan Vohra, Evin Lewis, Manish Pandey, Quinton De Kock, Ravi Bishnoi, Dushmantha Chameera, Shahbaz Nadeem, 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.

Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (Captain), 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, Arshad Khan, Daniel Sams, Dewald Brevis, Fabian Allen, Kieron Pollard, Sanjay Yadav, Aryan Juyal and Ishan Kishan. 

Also Read : Hardik has kept amazing team environment, taken brave decisions as skipper: Rashid

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) Lucknow Super Giants defeated Delhi Capitals by 6 wickets to make it 3 wins in a row. LSG skipper KL Rahul had won the toss and elected to bowl first. DC made two changes as they brought in David Warner, Sarfaraz Khan and Anrich Nortje in place of Tim Seifert, Mandeep Singh and Khaleel Ahmed. LSG on the other hand replaced the out of form Manish Pandey with Krishnappa Gowtham. 

Prithvi Shaw gave Delhi a magnificent start as he scored 61 off just 34 balls. He hit 9 fours and two sixes as his partner David Warner barely got the strike. Batting started becoming difficult as Rishabh Pant and Sarfaraz Khan had to go for a conservative approach. Pant scored an uncharacteristic 39 off 36 balls while Sarfaraz got 36 off 28 as Delhi managed to get just 149 in 20 overs. Ravi Bishnoi was the pick of the bowlers as he picked up 2/22. Krishnappa Gowtham got the important wicket of Prithvi Shaw just at the right time. David Warner, having just come back after the Test series in Pakistan, struggled to attack which is not usually like him. It's only a matter of time before he starts firing again. 

Lucknow's chase was anchored by Quinton de Kock who scored 80 off 52 balls with vital support from KL Rahul. Krunal Pandya and Ayush Badoni provided the finishing touch as they chased down the total in the last over. The game was dragged a little as DC bowlers kept things tight in the 2nd half. Anrich Nortje, who is just back from injury, was extremely rusty. He conceded 35 runs in 2.2 overs before being forced to go off because of bowling two beamers. Kuldeep Yadav picked 2 wickets while Lalit Yadav also got a scalp. Shardul Thakur also picked up a wicket and was very economical as he took the game till the last over.

Also read: Rohit urges MI teammates to show desperation and hunger after 3 losses

Navi Mumbai, Apr 7 (Cricket News) Lucknow Super Giants won the toss and opted to bowl against Delhi Capitals in their Indian Premier League match here on Thursday.

Capitals made three changes, bringing in David Warner, Anrich Nortje and Sarfaraz Khan in place of Tim Seifert, Khaleel Ahmed and Mandeep Singh.

LSG replaced Manish Pandey with Krishnappa Gowtham.

The Teams: Delhi Capitals: Rishabh Pant (c/wk), Prithvi Shaw, David Warner, Rovman Powell, Sarfaraz Khan, Lalit Yadav, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Mustafizur Rahman, Anrich Nortje.

Lucknow Super Giants: KL Rahul (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Evin Lewis, Deepak Hooda, Ayush Badoni, Krunal Pandya, Jason Holder, Krishnappa Gowtham, Andrew Tye, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan. 

Also Read : Faf Du Plessis has earned respect in RCB change room: Glenn Maxwell

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) Lucknow Super Giants will look to continue their fine form and get a win against a Delhi Capitals side which are still missing some key players but the likes of David Warner and Anrich Nortje will most likely return to the playing XI, making it an exciting encounter to witness. All eyes will be on the two future captains of India as KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant will battle out with each other on the field. 

The Lucknow Supergiants will be further boosted by the arrival of Marcus Stoinis who might go directly into the playing XI and can give the top order much needed stability with him batting at no 3 or 4. Meanwhile, Avesh Khan got back to his best after conceding nine runs per over in his first two matches but his brilliant four-wicket haul against Sunrisers Hyderabad will give him a lot of confidence as he's going to be the one leading this pace attack again for the Super Giants who were further boosted in bowling department with the arrival of Jason Holder, who gave them the assurance of bowling in the death. On the other hand, some concerns for the Super Giants are that Andrew Tye has been a bit expensive in his last two outings and Manish Pandey hasn’t started the tournament well with the bat. The battle between Warner vs Ravi Bishnoi tells a compelling story as the leggie has bowled four balls conceded five runs and has got him out twice.

Delhi Capitals will be delighted that David Warner and Anrich Nortje will likely walk into the Capitals XI with the opener finally out of quarantine and the fast bowler having recovered well from a back injury. Warner will likely replace Tim Seifert while Nortje could come in place of Khaleel Ahmed, with the Capitals having played only three overseas players in their last games as the partnership of Nortje and Mustafizur will be an interesting watch, the main question would be that can they replicate the same partnership that Nortje had with Kagiso Rabada, only time will answer that question. The battle between Quinton De Kock and the DC spinners will be an interesting watch, his vulnerability against spin early on especially those that turn away from the batter, could make Kuldeep Yadav and Lalit Yadav be viable options for DC to use them in the powerplay. DC need to keep one eye on Ravi Bishnoi, as he has kept Rishabh Pant quiet, conceding only 24 runs off the 23 balls he has bowled to him, while also dismissing him once.

Pitch and weather report: The DY Patil pitch has been the most unpredictable pitch in this year’s tournament as we have witnessed runs galore as well as plenty of wickets fall. The temperature is going to hover around 32 degrees as there is no chance of rain but dew is going to play a major part in the second innings due to the humidity as the groundsmen have been using APSA-80, the chemical agent which is used to prevent moisture from forming

Interesting facts:

• The average first-innings score at DY Patil stadium in this IPL has been 174 as winning the toss doesn’t have a major effect with the results going 2-2
• Deepak Hooda is enjoying a fine start to the season as his strike rate is 86 (first ten balls), 165 (11-20 balls), 180 (21-30 balls), 186 (30+ balls).
• Since IPL 2016, David Warner averages 76.89 in the powerplay,
• Both Anrich Nortje and Avesh Khan, since IPL 2021, have taken 8 wickets in the powerplay, 7 in the middle overs and 16 in the death.
•  Rishabh Pant is set to become the joint second-most capped player for Delhi Capitals in the IPL, 
• Shardul Thakur needs 3 more wickets to reach 150 wickets in T20 cricket

Also read: Cummins equals record for fastest IPL fifty as KKR beat MI by 5 wickets

Probable XI for LSG:

1 KL Rahul (capt), 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Evin Lewis, 4 Marcus Stoinis, 5 Deepak Hooda, 6 Ayush Badoni, 7 Krunal Pandya, 8 Jason Holder, 9 Ankit Rajpoot, 10 Ravi Bishnoi, 11 Avesh Khan

Probable XI for DC:

1 David Warner, 2 Prithvi Shaw, 3 Sarfaraz Khan/Yash Dhull, 4 Rishabh Pant (capt & wk), 5 Lalit Yadav, 6 Rovman Powell, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Anrich Nortje, 11 Mustafizur Rahman

Mumbai, Apr 6 (Cricket News) KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant, the two enormously gifted cricketers, earmarked as future India captains will be showcasing their tactical acumen when newcomers Lucknow Super Giants square off with Delhi Capitals in an IPL match on Thursday.

Rahul and Pant, both match-winners in their own rights even with the bat, will like to seize the initiative in these early rounds.

IPL is a great platform where a good exhibition of meticulous homework, informed decision making with a dash of punt at critical junctures will hold any leader in good stead.

India will be playing a lot of cricket in next few years and with national captain Rohit Sharma's workload management is paramount, Rahul and Pant will both like to make a strong case for themselves going into the future.

And hence, the availability of the dashing David Warner and fit again Anrich Nortje for Capitals and the dependable Marcus Stoinis for LSG will certainly add to the depth of the playing XIs and bolster the competitive edge.

"David Warner is out of quarantine, so he's definitely available for selection for the next game, which is very exciting.

"Anrich Nortje has been going incredibly well over the last couple of weeks, since he's arrived here in India. And he has passed his fitness test to be available for selection," said Capitals assistant coach Shane Watson on the eve of the game.

It is expected that Tim Seifert will make way for Warner in the Capitals line-up and Nortje is set to enter the playing eleven at the expense of either Rovman Powerll or Mustafizur Rahman who starred with the ball in the previous game.

All-rounder Stoinis, who was picked by Lucknow from the draft, might replace one among Andrew Tye or Evin Lewis. As of now, replacing Tye looks more imminent.

Both teams have had issues with their bowling but Lucknow under Gautam Gambhir's mentorship, has managed pretty well.

The addition of Jason Holder has made them stronger and Delhi will be hoping that Warner gives them a rollicking start alongside mercurial Prithvi Shaw.

In case of LSG, skipper Rahul two good knocks against CSK and Sunrisers Hyderabad would like that Quinton de Kock also repeats his performance against CSK.

However it is LSG's bowling that needs to stop DC's batting firepower which will grow manifold in Waner's presence and skipper Pant and Shaw also waiting for their big knocks.

While Lalit Yadav is growing in confidence with each passing game, it is veteran batter Mandeep Singh, who is the weakest link in the batting line-up.

The way Mandeep backed towards leg-stump to deliveries from Lockie Ferguson and even Hardik Pandya, didn't make a pleasant sight.

However with LSG's attack not having an express quick in absence of Mark Wood, Pant and coach Riocky Ponting might be tempted to give the former Punjab captain one more chance.

In case, he doesn't get it then the three available options are Kona Bharat, Sarfaraz Khan and Yash Dhull. Sarfaraz was in great form during first-class season while Bharat did well for RCB last year in the few chances that he got.

In case Lucknow, Manish Pandey has looked horribly out of touch but Gambhir is known to back his players which could well save him from getting the axe.

Also there is no denying that LSG's bench strength when it comes to Indian batting back-up isn't great.

The two available players are Manan Vohra, who even after a decade in IPL, has failed to deliver and there is Uttar Pradesh white-ball captain Karan Sharma, who isn't exactly a finished product.

Teams (From) Lucknow Super Giants: KL Rahul (Captain), Manan Vohra, Evin Lewis, Manish Pandey, Quinton De Kock, Ravi Bishnoi, Dushmantha Chameera, Shahbaz Nadeem, 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.

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, KS Bharat and Tim Seifert. Match starts at 7.30 PM. 

Also Read : Ireland Women’s performance squad set for Spanish preparation camp

News Source : PTI

Mumbai, Apr 6 (Cricket News) KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant, the two enormously gifted cricketers, earmarked as future India captains will be showcasing their tactical acumen when newcomers Lucknow Super Giants square off with Delhi Capitals in an IPL match on Thursday.

Rahul and Pant, both match-winners in their own rights even with the bat, will like to seize the initiative in these early rounds.

IPL is a great platform where a good exhibition of meticulous homework, informed decision making with a dash of punt at critical junctures will hold any leader in good stead.

India will be playing a lot of cricket in next few years and with national captain Rohit Sharma's workload management is paramount, Rahul and Pant will both like to make a strong case for themselves going into the future.

And hence, the availability of the dashing David Warner for Capitals and the dependable Marcus Stoinis for LSG will certainly add to the depth of the playing XIs and bolster the competitive edge.

It is expected that Tim Seifert will make way for Warner in the Capitals line-up while all-rounder Stoinis, who was picked by Lucknow from the draft might replace one among Andrew Tye or Evin Lewis. As of now, replacing Tye looks more imminent.

Both teams have had issues with their bowling but Lucknow under Gautam Gambhir's mentorship, has managed pretty well.

The addition of Jason Holder has made them stronger and Delhi will be hoping that Warner gives them a rollicking start alongside mercurial Prithvi Shaw.

In case of LSG, skipper Rahul two good knocks against CSK and Sunrisers Hyderabad would like that Quinton de Kock also repeats his performance against CSK.

However it is LSG's bowling that needs to stop DC's batting firepower which will grow manifold in Waner's presence and skipper Pant and Shaw also waiting for their big knocks.

While Lalit Yadav is growing in confidence with each passing game, it is veteran batter Mandeep Singh, who is the weakest link in the batting line-up.

The way Mandeep backed towards leg-stump to deliveries from Lockie Ferguson and even Hardik Pandya, didn't make a pleasant sight.

However with LSG's attack not having an express quick in absence of Mark Wood, Pant and coach Riocky Ponting might be tempted to give the former Punjab captain one more chance.

In case, he doesn't get it then the three available options are Kona Bharat, Sarfaraz Khan and Yash Dhull. Sarfaraz was in great form during first-class season while Bharat did well for RCB last year in the few chances that he got.

In case Lucknow, Manish Pandey has looked horribly out of touch but Gambhir is known to back his players which could well save him from getting the axe.

Also there is no denying that LSG's bench strength when it comes to Indian batting back-up isn't great.

The two available players are Manan Vohra, who even after a decade in IPL, has failed to deliver and there is Uttar Pradesh white-ball captain Karan Sharma, who isn't exactly a finished product.

Teams (From) Lucknow Super Giants: KL Rahul (Captain), Manan Vohra, Evin Lewis, Manish Pandey, Quinton De Kock, Ravi Bishnoi, Dushmantha Chameera, Shahbaz Nadeem, 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.

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, KS Bharat and Tim Seifert. Match starts at 7.30 PM. 

 

Also Read : DK playing his best cricket, needs to put his name back in international cricket: du Plessis

 

News Source : PTI

Navi Mumbai, Apr 4 (Cricket News) Lucknow Super Giants paid 25 times more than his base price of Rs 20 lakh to get Avesh Khan's services in IPL-15. The move was worth it as his excellent bowling acted as the catalyst for his team's 12-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad here on Monday.

Heading into the lucrative T20 league as the most expensive uncapped Indian player, Avesh picked up four big wickets for only 24 runs and bowled a brilliant 18th over to turn the match decisively in LSG's favour.

Asked to bat first, skipper KL Rahul and Deepak Hooda struck useful half-centuries to lift Lucknow Super Giants to 169 for seven after a disastrous start.

Chasing 170, Kane Williamson's (16) innovation brought him two fours and a six but he paid the price for going overboard, his ramp shot off Avesh finding a sliding Andrew Tye at short fine leg in the fourth over with SRH score reading 25 for one.

Avesh brought about Abhishek Sharma's downfall with a change in pace as the batter failed to read it while trying to loft him.

As Sharma made his way back to the dugout, last-game's half centurion Aiden Markram walked out to join Rahul Tripathi in the middle, and the two began rebuilding the SRH innings.

Placed at 51 for two at the end of the seventh over, Tripathi used Tye's pace to hit the Australian bowler for three fours and then, using his wrists, smashed Krunal Pandya (2/27) for a six over fine leg. A quite 10th over was, however, followed by the dismissal of Markram, the bowler being Krunal.

Going strong at 44 off 30 balls, Tripathi tried to slog sweep Krunal and hit straight to deep mid-wicket, where Ravi Bishnoi was stationed. Nicholas Pooran smashed Krunal over long-on for six and then carted Jason Holder (3/34) for 15 runs to bring the equation down to 50 form the last 30 balls.

Andrew Tye kept it fairly tight in the 17th over, giving not more than eight runs, before Pooran hoicked Avesh Khan over deep square leg for a maximum.

However, Avesh had the last laugh as Pooran mistimed his knee-high full toss.

Earlier, after his team lost three wickets for just 27 runs in the powerplay, Rahul (68 off 50 balls) found an able ally in Hooda (51 off 33 balls) and added 87 runs for the fourth wicket to revive the innings.

Rahul hit six fours and a six, while Hooda found the fence three times and also cleared it thrice.

Coming back from a long break after playing their opener last Tuesday, SRH made a dream start and left the Super Giants in all sorts of trouble early on.

Making a strong comeback after the pounding in his team's heavy defeat against Rajasthan Royals, Washington Sundar (2/28) was handed the new ball and he delivered in his very first over, and SRH's second, dismissing the dangerous Quinton de Kock with his off-break bowling on a grassy pitch that prompted Kane Williamson to put two slips when Bhuvneshwar Kumar started the proceedings.

Backed to bowl in the powerplay despite going for plenty in the previous game, Washington got de Kock (1) to chip one to Williamson at cover.

Few moments later, Washington had Evin Lewis (1) trapped in front of the wicket after the swashbuckling West Indian batter failed to execute his slog sweep. It was another huge wicket for SRH given Lewis' blazing, match-winning knock against Chennai Super Kings last Thursday.

Manish Pandey struck Romario Shepherd for a four and a six but then, going for one too many, ended up lobbing a catch to mid-on in the same over to leave LSG in a spot of bother.

Spurred by the early success, Williamson effected bowling changes frequently but he may have delayed by at least an over in introducing the attacking T Natarajan while opting for Abdul Samad's innocuous, part-time seam up stuff at the DY Patil Stadium.

The pacy Umran Malik consistently hit 145 kmps but also leaked plenty of runs, allowing KL Rahul and Deepak Hooda to settle down and revive LSG's innings.

Having withstood the early reverses, the duo of Rahul and Hooda went about their task in a professional manner, finding the boundaries as well as running the singles and twos as the 100 came up in the 14th over with Malik going for 16 runs.

Shepherd broke the partnership when he had Hooda caught in the deep to signal the arrival of the in-form Ayush Badoni (19 off 12), who got into the groove with a boundary. 

Also Read : Skipper KL Rahul, Deepak Hooda lift LSG to 169/7 against SRH

News Source : PTI

Navi Mumbai, Apr 4 (Cricket News) Skipper KL Rahul and Deepak Hooda struck useful half-centuries and lifted Lucknow Super Giants to 169 for seven after a disastrous start against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL here on Monday.

After his team lost three wickets for just 27 runs in the powerplay, Rahul (68 off 50 balls) found an able ally in Deepak Hooda (51 off 33 balls) and added 87 runs for the fourth wicket to revive the innings.

Rahul hit six fours and a six, while Hooda found the fence three times and also cleared it thrice.

Coming back from a long break after playing their opener last Tuesday, SRH made a dream start and left the Super Giants in all sorts of trouble early on.

Making a strong comeback after the pounding in his team's heavy defeat against Rajasthan Royals, Washington Sundar (2/28) was handed the new ball and he delivered in his very first over, and SRH's second, dismissing the dangerous Quinton de Kock with his off-break bowling on a grassy pitch that prompted Kane Williamson to put two slips when Bhuvneshwar Kumar started the proceedings.

Backed to bowl in the powerplay despite going for plenty in the previous game, Washington got de Kock (1) to chip one to Williamson at cover.

Few moments later, Washington had Evin Lewis (1) trapped in front of the wicket after the swashbuckling West Indian batter failed to execute his slog sweep. It was another huge wicket for SRH given Lewis' blazing, match-winning against Chennai Super Kings last Thursday.

Manish Pandey struck Romario Shepherd for a four and a six but then, going for one too many, ended up lobbing a catch to mid-on in the same over to leave LSG in a spot of bother.

Spurred by the early success, Williamson effected bowling changes frequently but he may have delayed by at least an over in introducing the attacking T Natarajan while opting for Abdul Samad's innocuous, part-time seam up stuff at the DY Patil Stadium.

The pacy Umran Malik consistently hit 145 kmps but also leaked plenty of runs, allowing KL Rahul and Deepak Hooda to settle down and revive LSG's innings.

Having withstood the early reverses, the duo of Rahul and Hooda went about their task in a professional manner, finding the boundaries as well as running the singles and twos as the 100 came up in the 14th over with Malik going for 16 runs.

Shepherd broke the partnership when he had Hooda caught in the deep to signal the arrival of the in-form Ayush Badoni (19 off 12), who got into the groove with a boundary. 

Also Read : I'd scan my brain if I wake up as Ronaldo: Kohli

News Source : PTI

Mumbai, Apr 4 (Cricket News) Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper Kane Williamson won the toss and opted to bowl against Lucknow Supergiants in an IPL match here on Monday.

While SRH are playing an unchanged side Lucknow inducted Jason Holder in the playing eleven in place of Dushmantha Chameera.

Teams: Lucknow Super Giants: KL Rahul (c), Quinton de Kock, Manish Pandey, Evin Lewis, Deepak Hooda, Ayush Badoni, Krunal Pandya, Jason Holder, Andrew Tye, Ravi Bishnoi and Avesh Khan.

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Kane Williamson (c), Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi, Nicholas Pooran, Aiden Markram, Abdul Samad, Romario Shepherd, Washington Sundar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan and Umran Malik. 

Also Read : How chance encounter with Suresh Raina changed 12-year-old Tilak Varma's mindset

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) The Sunrisers Hyderabad will take on the Lucknow Supergiants in a bid to win their first match of the season. After their heavy defeat against the Rajasthan Royals, Sunrisers are looking a little like the odd team out once again. On the other hand, the LSG franchise got their first victory of the season against CSK and will look to continue the same momentum.

For SRH they will hope to forget the first match of the tournament quite quickly as nothing really worked in that match. The new-look top 4 combined to score only 11 runs as Aiden Markram was the only batsman that went down fighting in that game with a fifty and an innings which might earn him a promotion up the order but SRH do need their other new faces to step up big time. Their bowling attack that has always looked strong over the previous season,looks good on paper but most of the players are out of form and also the lack of a wicket-taking spinner in the playing XI who can make inroads in the middle overs is missing as in the first match the absence of Rashid Khan was really highlighted. Nicholas Pooran holds the key for SRH as he needs to replicate his the same form he showed in the India vs West Indies series 

For the LSG fans, the good news is that Jason Holder has completed his quarantine after arriving in India following the conclusion of West Indies' Test series against England and trained with his SuperGiants team-mates as he is likely to slot straight into the XI and face his old franchise. For the LSG franchise, Chameera holds the key as he has met Nicholas Pooran three times in T20 cricket and has dismissed him three times in just six balls. The new superstar Ayush Badoni will be hoping that he gets promoted up the order now that Holder is going to come into the lineup and naturally act as a finisher in the team. Bishnoi vs Samad will be another battle to watch out for as the leggie has got  the better of the SRH youngsters so far in their young careers.

Pitch and weather report: The different pitches at the DY Patil stadium have thrown up contrasting results. While the first game here was a high-scoring one, the second one saw the fall of 17 wickets and the latest saw Jos Buttler bring up the first hundred. Spinners will hold the key in this venue considering the boundaries are longer..The temperature is going to hover around 30 degrees with no chance of rain as dew will be a factor in the game.

Interesting facts:

• Bhuvneshwar has dismissed Manish Pandey four times while conceding just 20 runs in 19 balls.
• Evin Lewis (85) and Pooran (84) are currently the third- and fourth-most six-hitters in all T20 cricket since the start of 2021. 
• Holder has averaged 20.95 at an economy rate of 7.83.in T20 cricket from 2020. 
• Sunrisers Hyderabad have lost 10 of their last 11 games in the IPL
• Quinton de Kock has scored 57 runs via slog shots in the powerplay, the most by any batter, since 2020

Also read: Livingston displays all-round brilliance as PBKS hand CSK 3rd defeat

Probable XI for SRH:

1 Kane Williamson (capt), 2 Abhishek Sharma, 3 Rahul Tripathi, 4 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 5 Aiden Markram, 6 Abdul Samad, 7 Romario Shepherd, 8 Washington Sundar, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Umran Malik, 11 T Natarajan

Probable XI for LSG:

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

Mumbai, Mar 31 (Cricket News) Evin Lewis, who looks up to Chris Gayle for inspiration, batted, or rather, belted the ball like the legendary Jamaican to power Lucknow Super Giants to an incredible six-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings in the IPL on Thursday.

Lewis blazed away to an unbeaten 23-ball 55 as LSG, from a hopeless situation, overhauled an imposing target of 211 with three balls to spare.

Openers KL Rahul (40) and Quinton de Kock (61) laid the foundation with a rollicking stand but the increasing required run rate made the task extremely difficult for LSG.

However, Lewis had other ideas and along with the talented Ayush Badoni, who played his part with a nine-ball 19, made it look quite easy in the end.

The script changed completely in the blink of an eye as Lewis and Badoni smashed Shivam Dube for 25 runs in the penultimate over to bring the equation down to nine from the last six balls.

For sure, handing the ball to Dube to bowl the 19th over will be debated for a while.

In all, Lewis hit six fours and three sixes as first-timers LSG recorded their maiden win in the lucrative league. Badoni hit two maximums, which turned out to be crucial in the context of the final result.

Earlier, leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi (2/24) did a tremendous job with the wet ball in difficult conditions, even as Robin Uthappa turned back the clock with his beautiful yet brutal assault to propel CSK to a strong total.

Rahul and de Kock were off to a flyer, punishing the CSK bowlers into submission.

The duo was at its destructive best, dealing only in four and sixes and at one point it looked like they were going to finish the game in quick time.

But Dwaine Pretorius (2/31) was right on his mark as he got rid of Rahul before Dwayne Bravo (1/35) engineered Manish Pandey's dismissal to bring the defending champions back in the game.

Pretorius struck once again, accounting for compatriot de Kock as CSK continued to put pressure with good fielding.

Then, Lewis joined forces with Badoni to do the job for LSG.

With just nine required in the last over and Mukesh Choudhary bowling a couple of wides, Badoni smashed a six to level the score and then took his side over the line.

Earlier, Uthappa scored a fluent 50 off 27 balls to give CSK a solid start before Dube made 49 off 30 deliveries, while skipper Ravindra Jadeja (17 off 9) and MS Dhoni (16 off 6), who slammed two fours and a six, provided the final flourish.

Uthappa looked like a man on a mission as he slammed Avesh Khan (2/38) for back-to-back boundaries off the first two balls of the innings.

With the ball coming nicely onto the bat, he smashed it all over the park.

CSK were dealt a blow when a direct hit by Bishnoi from backward point marked the end of Ruturaj Gaikwad (1), who was well short of the crease in the third over.

But Uthappa, and new man Moeen Ali (35), continued the assault by dealing only in fours and sixes.

The Super Giants bowlers had no answer for the duo as CSK raced to 73 for one at the end of the Powerplay.

In all, Uthappa slammed eight fours and one maximum, while Moeen hit four boundaries and two sixes during his 22-ball stay.

It was Bishnoi again who gave the second breakthrough when he trapped Uthappa leg before with a quick delivery, soon after the batter reached his fifty.

Dube picked up from where Uthappa left, cracking three boundaries off Dushmantha Chameera (0/49), who struggled with his line, in the ninth over. It was a bad day for the Sri Lankan as he repeatedly fumbled with the ball in the field, giving away easy boundaries.

With the bowlers struggling after getting nothing from the wicket, sloppy fielding made matters worse for LSG.

Dube and Ambati Rayudu (27), then, shared a 60-run stand to keep CSK on course for a big total. 

Also Read : Robin Uthappa, Shivam Dube power CSK to 210/7 against Super Giants

News Source : PTI

Mumbai, Mar 31 (Cricket News) Lucknow Super Giants skipper KL Rahul won the toss and opted to bowl against Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League here on Thursday.

Andrew Tye replaced Mohsin Khan in the LSG playing XI.

For CSK, Moeen Ali, Dwaine Pretorius and Mukesh Choudhary come in for Adam Milne, Devon Conway and Mitchell Santner.

Teams: Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Robin Uthappa, Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja (c), MS Dhoni (wk), Shivam Dube, Dwayne Bravo, Dwaine Pretorius, Mukesh Choudhary, Tushar Deshpande.

Lucknow Super Giants: KL Rahul (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Evin Lewis, Manish Pandey, Deepak Hooda, Ayush Badoni, Krunal Pandya, Dushmantha Chameera, Andrew Tye, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan. 

Also Read : (CSK) Chennai Super Kings Academy summer camps from April 6

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) Both Lucknow Supergiants and Chennai Super Kings are looking for their first win. Lucknow suffered a disappointing loss against newcomers Gujarat Titans as CSK also went down to KKR in their first. Both the new captains will hope for their first victory out of the way and hopefully take momentum from the result into the season.

The Chennai Super Kings will have Moeen Ali back as he missed the first game because of visa issues but is now likely to come in for Mitchell Santner and straight away slot in the number 3 role that he played in last year. Along with his explosive batting at the 2021 T20 World Cup, Moeen was impressive with the ball in the powerplay. In 11 overs, he picked up five wickets at an economy rate of 5.7. Jadeja can certainly use him against De Kock who has taken 53 runs off 38 but also has dismissed him four times in eight T20 innings. Jadeja will particularly be happy with MSD’s form after he scored his first fifty since 2019 and played the perfect finishing role. With Deepak Chahar out, Tushar Deshpande will continue and will have big responsibility to make important breakthroughs for the team.

The Lucknow Supergiants have probably the best opening pair on paper but last match both the experienced players were disappointing and the so-called fragile middle order had to steady the ship for the team. Deepak Hooda and Ayush Badoni played crucial knocks and helped them recover from a precarious 29 for 4. Ayushi Badoni, a relatively unknown commodity, showed everyone the plethora of talent that exists in the Indian domestic circuit as he pretty much assured himself a place in the playing XI now.

In the last match, one thing Rahul might rue is his use of Dushmantha Chameera. Chameera was SuperGiants' most threatening bowler on the night but didn't even get to bowl his full quota. Krunal Pandya could be SuperGiants' trump card against CSK as he has an exceptional record against the CSK middle order. In T20s, Krunal has conceded 37 off 33 against Robin Uthappa with two dismissals, 28 off 25 against Ambati Rayudu (two dismissals), 15 off 15 against Ravindra Jadeja (two dismissals) and 17 off 24 against Dhoni.

Pitch and weather report: The Brabourne pitch is more of a two paced wicket as in the middle phase of the game where the teams will face a lot of challenges to score runs . The wicket will suit the spinners and it will not be easy to go against them. Taking the pace off the ball will help the pacers on this pitch. The temperature is going to hover around 32 degrees with no chance of rain as dew will again be a factor going into the game.

Interesting facts:

• Since 2018, Rahul has hit the most sixes (110).
• Dhoni has most sixes for an Indian in overs 16th to 20th. With 51 sixes
• Jadeja has never dismissed Rahul but he has conceded only 39 runs off 38 balls 
• In the IPL, Adam Milne has taken only seven wickets at an economy of 9.47. 
• Outside of the IPL, he has taken 144 wickets in 127 games at an economy of 7.52.

Probable XI for CSK:

Ruturaj Gaikwad, 2 Devon Conway, 3 Robin Uthappa, 4 Moeen Ali, 5 Ambati Rayudu, 6 Ravindra Jadeja (capt), 7 MS Dhoni (wk), 8 Shivam Dube, 9 Dwayne Bravo, 10 Adam Milne, 11 Tushar Deshpande

Probable XI for LSG:

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

Also read: Royal Challengers Bangalore RCB beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 3 wickets
 

Mumbai, Mar 30 (Cricket News) Chennai Super Kings will welcome the return of star all-rounder Moeen Ali as they eye a much improved batting performance in the IPL clash against Lucknow Super Giants here on Thursday.

Both the teams come into the game after a loss in their respective opening matches. A common factor in their defeats were the failure of the top-order and they would be looking to correct that at the Brabourne Stadium.

It is still very early days in the two-month long IPL but the toss is already playing a significant role in the game's outcome. With the second innings dew in mind, teams are preferring to put the opposition in.

The losses for CSK and LSG came after batting first at the Wankhede. Conditions are not expected to be very different at the nearby CCI ground with heavy dew likely to set in the second half of the game. Lucknow skipper KL Rahul and star opener Quinton De Kock had a forgettable outing on Monday and they would be keen to get some runs under their belt. Rahul needs to lead from the front with the IPL presenting a big test for his captaincy skills.

Seasoned campaigner Manish Pandey and Evin Lewis, who is a hard-hitting batter, on their day can take any attack to cleaners, had a forgettable outing and the team management would hope that they come to the party.

Lucknow would be pleased that their middle-order comprising Deepak Hooda, debutant Ayush Badoni and Krunal Pandya clicked when their top-order collapsed and the trio would again need to shoulder the responsibility.

But it was the Lucknow bowling, which would need to quickly forget the hammering they received at the hands of Gujarat. While pacer Dushmantha Chameera was right on the money, co-pacer Avesh Khan leaked 33 runs in 3.4 overs.

Also the role of spin trio of Ravi Bishnoi, Hooda and Krunal, could decide the match’s fate.

CSK would also look to put up a much better show with the bat after they managed only 131 in the first game. With Moeen Ali, a pinch-hitter available for selection alongside Dwaine Pretorius, they would indeed heave a sigh of relief.

In the first game, save a vintage Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the other batters faltered – be it Ruturaj Gaikwad, Robin Uthappa, Devon Conway or Ambati Rayadu.

New skipper Ravindra Jadeja would also be keen to get a big score individually and ditto for Shivam Dube, who is racing against time to prove his worth on the IPL stage.

But it remains to be seen who CSK leave out to include Moeen, who can come in at number three.

While all-rounder Dwayne Bravo claimed three wickets against KKR, others leaked runs and all of them would need to fire in unison. Teams (From): Chennai Super Kings: MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja (Captain), Moeen Ali, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Dwayne Bravo, Deepak Chahar, 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.

Lucknow Super Giants: KL Rahul (Captain), Manan Vohra, Evin Lewis, Manish Pandey, Quinton De Kock, Ravi Bishnoi, Dushmantha Chameera, Shahbaz Nadeem, 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.

Match starts at 7.30 PM. 

Also Read : Rajasthan Royals defeat Sunrisers Hyderabad by 61 runs (Indian Premier League)

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) The 4th match of the 2022 IPL was an iconic one. It was the first time that the 2 new teams Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants were playing a match and they were facing each other. Hardik Pandya, captaining his first ever white ball game won the toss and elected to bat first mainly because of the dew factor just like every other toss winning captain. 

The game started with a Mohammed Shami masterclass in new ball bowling. The fiery seamer took 3 wickets in his 3 over new ball spell as he dismissed KL Rahul, Quinton de Kock and Manish Pandey. Half centuries from Deepak Hooda and young debutant Ayush Badoni rescued Lucknow from a precarious position as they finished their innings on 158/6. Shami ended up with figures of 3/25 in his 4 overs while Varun Aaron got two scalps and Rashid Khan took a wicket. 

With 159 runs to defend, Dushmanta Chameera just like Shami gave his side a perfect start by dismissing Shubman Gill and Vijay Shankar in quick succession. Matthew Wade, Hardik Pandya and David Miller all scored 30s while Rahul Tewatia hit an unbeaten 40 off just 24 balls. The match however was won by Abhinav Manohar who hit 3 boundaries in the last over. It was a well paced run chase by the Gujarat Titans with 5 players contributing.

Four matches into this season, all four teams that have won the toss have elected to bowl first and all have won. The stat obviously won't last long but the toss will be crucial in all the games this season for sure. The dew factor is very big as it has always been in Mumbai. Only time will tell if teams find a way to successfully defend targets.

Also read: What went wrong for the Indian women's team at the World Cup?

Mumbai, Mar 28 (Cricket News) Gujarat Titans won the toss and opted to bowl against Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League here on Monday.

Teams: Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill, Matthew Wade, Vijay Shankar, Abhinav Manohar, Hardik Pandya (c), David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Lockie Ferguson, Varun Aaron, Mohammed Shami.

Lucknow Super Giants: KL Rahul (c), Quinton de Kock, Evin Lewis, Manish Pandey, Deepak Hooda, Krunal Pandya, Mohsin Khan, Ayush Badoni, Dushmantha Chameera, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan. 

Also Read : PBKS defeat RCB by chasing 205 with an over to spare

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) New teams Gujarat Lions and Lucknow Supergiants face each other in a clash of the new guns as both Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul will look to get a victory for their new franchise. Both sets of owners will be extremely nervous considering it is their first match, so the onus is on the player and experienced players to step up and remove all the tension from their camps.

The Lucknow Supergiants did brilliantly in their first ever auction and have relatively ticked all the missing gaps in their squad but going into their first the only issue for Supergiants is that they will not be able to field a full-strength team as of yet. England quick Mark Wood had been ruled out of the entire season with an elbow injury, as they went with Australian Andrew Tye as his replacement. The likes of Marcus Stoinis, Jason Holder and Kyle Mayers are also expected to be out for the first week of the IPL due to their international commitments but they have plenty of back-ups to replace them. They do have a number of talented household IPL names in  Deepak Hooda, Krunal Pandya, Ravi Bishnoi and Avesh Khan as they will this season rely heavily on their Indian core to perform big in the tournament. Their biggest strength, however, is their opening pair of KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock who can wreak havoc if both start to find form in the tournament.

As for Titans, Jason Roy's withdrawal has put their plans in a bit of disarray but they have roped in Rahmanullah Gurbaz as his replacement and will most likely open with Shubman Gill at the top as they have to wait to bring in Matthew Wade to open. The one thing that theTitans put emphasis was on their bowling attack as they have the likes of Rashid Khan (who has also been named the team's vice-captain for the season), Lockie Ferguson, Mohammed Shami and Rahul Tewatia, R Sai Kishore available to bowl when needed, they easily have one of the strongest bowling units going in the tournament. The area of concern for Hardik Pandya will be their fragile batting line up which lacks certain match winning experience and they may find it difficult to chase down big scores considering their fragile middle order.

Pitch and weather report: The pitch at the Wankhede in the season opener had evident assistance for pace, with lots of wickets falling in the first match. With a new pitch pacers will get massive assistance off the pitch and we can expect some fiery spells from both sets of fast bowlers. The temperature is going to hover around 31 degrees with no possibility of rain.

Interesting facts:

• In T20s since 2020, 14 out of 20 matches have been won by the chasing team at the Wankhede Stadium.
• Miller needs 26 more to tally 2000 runs in the IPL.
• Hardik is two hits away from tallying 100 sixes in the IPL.
• KL Rahul has the highest average of 47.43 at a strike rate of 136.37, for players who have scored more than 3000 runs in the IPL

Probable XI for GT:

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

Probable XI for LSG:

1 KL Rahul (capt), 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Manish Pandey, 4 Deepak Hooda, 5 Manan Vohra, 6 Krunal Pandya, 7 Ankit Rajpoot, 8 K Gowtham, 9 Ravi Bishnoi, 10 Dushmantha Chameera, 11 Avesh Khan

Also read: Top 5 all rounders to watch out in the upcoming Tata IPL 2022
 

(Cricket news) The 15th edition of the IPL is going to be bigger than ever with a brand new format and two new teams. One of the new teams is Lucknow Super Giants which will be coached by Andy Flower with Vijay Dahiya as his deputy and Gautam Gambhir as a mentor. In the 3 draft picks, LSG went for KL Rahul, Marcus Stoinis and Ravi Bishnoi.

It was pretty clear that KL Rahul will be the captain and that too for the long term. Rahul captained Punjab Kings for 2 seasons and is also the vice captain of India in all formats. He is always talked about highly in a leadership perspective but is yet to prove it. In both the seasons where Rahul was captain, Punjab finished 6th. Some of his team selection calls were often subject to criticism. It is safe to say that Rahul hasn't had much success as a captain but he will be keen to prove his capability with a fresh start as the captain of LSG.

Lucknow had an incredible auction as they signed some quality players. Avesh Khan was their most expensive buy at 10 crore. The LSG squad has a lot of depth especially in the overseas department. What combination and personnel to go for will be Rahul's biggest headache. There are a few young players like Mohsin Khan, Mayank Yadav, Karan Sharma and Ayush Badoni who need to be developed for the future. Big things will be expected from Lucknow with the kind of talent they possess.

On a personal level, Rahul will definitely open the batting. With Quinton de Kock in the side he might give up wicket keeping duties because de Kock is a regular keeper while Rahul rarely keeps wickets nowadays but being the captain he might want that position to get better at DRS calls. His own form has never been an issue it's just his captaincy that will be under the scanner

Lucknow Super Giants full squad:

KL Rahul, Marcus Stoinis, Ravi Bishnoi, Quinton de Kock, Deepak Hooda, Manish Pandey, Krunal Pandya, Jason Holder, Mark Wood, Avesh Khan, Ankit Rajput, K Gowtham, Dushmanta Chameera, Shahbaz Nadeem, Manan Vohra, Mohsin Khan,  Ayush Badoni, Karan Sharma, Evin Lewis, Mayank Yadav, Kyle Mayers.

Also read: Two reasons why India can play 5 bowlers in Tests unlike others

Bengaluru, Feb 12 (Cricket News) Ishan Kishan and Deepak Chahar clinched the most eye-popping deals as India's battle-hardened T20 exponents laughed their way to the bank on the opening day of IPL mega-auction where the franchises saved their highest bids for home-grown talent.

Kishan's Rs 15.25 crore winning bid from Mumbai Indians pipped the Rs 14 crore figure that CSK offered to retain Deepak Chahar on Saturday. Franchises showed prudence in overall spending but didn't hesitate to loosen the purse strings for proven performers, especially Indians.

In terms of US Dollars, there were 20 million-plus buys, the biggest by far at any IPL auction with most of the beneficiaries being Indian T20 specialists.

It was a satisfying 'Pay Day' for all current India internationals with Shreyas Iyer getting a staggering Rs 12.25 crore deal from Kolkata Knight Riders and the multi-skilled Shardul Thakur making Delhi Capitals break the bank with a Rs 10.75 crore.

These two, along with Kishan and Chahar, were the top four buys of the day.

"I'm really excited to be back at MI. I know everyone has treated me there like a family so I am really happy to be there and I hope to give my best to the team. Thank you so much," said the 23-year-old Kishan in a video posted on his twitter handle.

The big-hitting Kishan made his India debut last year and has been a Mumbai Indians player all along, performing consistently well for the side.

Young pacer Prasidh Krishna (Rs 10 crore) was paid big by Rajasthan Royals for his timely Man of the Series performance against the West Indies while Washington Sundar, another India regular, got richer by Rs 8.75 crore.

One of the expected big buys was pacer Avesh Khan, who was bought by Lucknow Super Giants for Rs 10 crore, the highest in the history of IPL for uncapped players.

Yuzvendra Chahal would be a bit cross as he came late in the day and could only get Rs 6.5 crore from Rajasthan Royals.

Even Nitish Rana, not an Indian regular but an IPL performer, was retained for Rs 8 crore by KKR while the uncapped Rahul Tripathi, who has been consistent in the league, very deservingly crossed the million dollar mark at Rs 8.50 crore.

Shahrukh Khan, another formidable domestic T20 finisher but one with a base price of a mere Rs 20 lakh, was taken for a 'mic-drop' deal of Rs 9 crore by Punjab Kings.

Rajasthan's former one-season wonder Rahul Tewatia was lapped up by Gujarat Titans for a mind-boggling Rs 9 crore.

It wasn't an auction to remember for the old guard and only two 35 plus players -- Shikhar Dhawan (Rs 8.25 crore, Punjab Kings) and Ravichandran Ashwin (Rs 5 crore, Rajasthan Royals) -- got good deals.

Among other seniors Mohammed Shami was taken by Gujarat Titans for Rs 6.25 crore. His new ball partner Bhuvneshwar Kumar got Rs 4.6 crore from Sunrisers.

While this was the last mega auction, what was impressive was the discretion that franchises used while buying players as the focus was on top Indian players available in the market and currently playing white-ball cricket.

For Chennai Super Kings, the aim was to follow Mahendra Sigh Dhoni's template and retain their core base of players as much as possible as they waited to buy back Deepak, another multi-skilled cricketer on ascendancy for India.

KKR retained eight out of their top first 11 players from last season but are still looking short in the fast bowling department.

KKR didn't do too badly as they picked up Australian Test captain Pat Cummins at Rs 7.25 crore, which is less than half of what he was paid at last auction.

"To get back Pat Cummins at that price, we are very, very delighted. We thought he would go higher," KKR CEO Venky Mysore said.

"We could not be happier getting Cummins and Shreyas in the first round itself. Heart beats a bit more properly now, we can now have some fun looking at what else is going on," he added.

While Cummins is a captaincy candidate, he will not be available during the first two weeks even though Mysore didn't want to commit on captaincy.

"As far as captaincy is concerned, that's a decision our coach and the think-tank will take. Certainly, between Cummins and Shreyas, we have solid options for us. I'm sure the think-tank will make the right decisions," he added.

Franchises do their homework =================== In case of overseas recruits, the franchises focussed on those who have shown themselves to be consistent performers in previous IPLs and with a reputation of doing well on Indian tracks.

Like other years, none of the franchises got swayed by performances in Big Bash League, the Caribbean Premier League and the Pakistan Super League and concentrated solely on those who can bring value during the IPL.

So Wanindu Hasaranga, who is from Sri Lanka and currently the world's No. 1 T20 International bowler, fetched Rs 10.75 crore while West Indian Nicholas Pooran, despite a disastrous IPL the last time, got a similar amount from Sunrisers Hyderabad.

The same reason got England's keeper-batter Jonny Bairstow a Rs 6.75 crore bid from Punjab Kings.

It was a case of supply and demand and at what time of the auction one is placed as teams, save for CSK (Dhoni) and Delhi Capitals (Rishabh Pant), didn't have wicketkeepers.

Pooran is an optimistic buy considering that he can be destructive on his day.

The discretion was evident when one saw a David Warner going for Rs 6.25 crore.

It was a very good bargain buy for Delhi Capitals and same could be said about newcomers Lucknow Supergiants, who got a fabulous player like Quinton de Kock for Rs 6.75 crore.

"Absolutely excited to buy David Warner. I cannot believe that we got such a legend at Rs 6.25 crore. With Warner and Prithvi Shaw opening the batting, it will be an explosive start to every single Delhi Capitals innings," DC co-owner Parth Jindal said.

The paucity of all-rounders meant that Jason Holder (Rs 8.75 crore) and Shardul would have attracted solid bids.

"We are really excited to have Shardul as he can bowl in Powerplays and bowl at the death," Jindal said.

Their only dodgy buy is Mitchell Marsh, whose IPL career has been plagued by injuries and paying him Rs 6.50 crore could be a bit of an oversight considering he can't be played at No. 3, where he worked wonders for Australia.

Among domestic players, Riyan Parag's Rs 3.80 crore retention by Royals, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy performer Abhinav Manohar's Rs 2.60 crore deal with Gujarat Titans were eye-catching.

South Africa's U-19 World Cup star Dewald Brevis, known as 'Baby AB' for his batting style's resemblance to AB de Villiers, was brought by Mumbai Indians for Rs 3 crore.

Abhishek Sharma, a left-arm spinner and left-handed batter, who many term as 'Poor Man's Krunal Pandya' for similar skill sets got a whopping Rs 6.5 crore from Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Foreign fast bowlers in demand ====================he Trent Boult came in the marquee set and still fetched a million dollars (Rs 8 crore) for his good show in previous years for Mumbai Indians as Rajasthan Royals aggressively bid for him.

But when his New Zealand teammate and slightly pacier Lockie Ferguson arrived in fast bowler's set, he got the paddles raised at frequent intervals and Gujarat Titans, who didn't have a great first day, suddenly got activated and bought him for Rs 10 crore.

For CSK, Josh Hazlewood's exit will be a big deal as the Australian pacer will now play for RCB with a deal of Rs 7.75 crore.

Another speed demon Mark Wood of England got Rs 7.5 crore from Lucknow Supergiants Good bargain buys by Lucknow Supergiants ========================== While RCB got their opening issues and captaincy sorted with a Rs 7 crore bid for Faf Du Plessis, Lucknow Supergiants claimed Quinton de Kock for Rs 6.75 crore.

Also, a currently out-of-sorts Manish Pandey, for Rs 4.6 crore, wasn't a bad bargain either.

Lucknow, however, bid big for Krunal and clinched him for a cool Rs 8.25 crore. His former Baroda bete noire Deepak Hooda was also taken by Lucknow for Rs 5.75 crore.

It is now up to Lucknow mentor Gautam Gambhir, who knows a thing or two about volatile temperaments, to see that team spirit is not hampered by the warring duo.

Pujara, Rahane, Ishant don't come under hammer, Saha unsold ======================================= Three prominent Test specialists Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ishant Sharma didn't come under the hammer on the day and it is understood that franchises didn't want to spend on players who don't bring value to the table with their T20 game.

They might come back on Sunday at the accelerated bidding process if someone expresses interests. Wriddhiman Saha, who has been told that he won't be picked for Test matches went unsold as teams are looking beyond the soon-to-be 38 year-old Bengal stumper.

Umesh Yadav, for his inconsistent white ball record, also went unsold and one of IPL's bonafide legends Suresh Raina found out that just playing IPL to IPL wouldn't work as Chennai Super Kings didn't bid for him. Ditto for Steve Smith who went unsold as there were no takers. 

Also Read : After SRH snub, Warner looks to start afresh at where it all began in IPL

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) Stylish India international Shreyas Iyer predictably became the highest paid player among the marquee set with Kolkata Knight Riders clinching him for a whopping Rs 12.25 crore after an intense bidding war at the Indian Premier League auction here on Saturday.

India seamer Harshal Patel, who was IPL's top wicket-taker last year, enjoyed a fantastic auction as Royal Challengers Bangalore retained him for Rs 10.75 crore.

Some of the veteran India players like Shikhar Dhawan, bought for Rs 8.25 crore by Punjab Kings, and Mohammed Shami, gone for Rs 6.25 crore to new entrants Gujarat Titans, also enjoyed a good pay day.

Even Ravichandran Ashwin had no reason to complain as he earned a Rs 5 crore deal from Rajasthan Royals.

The young turk who raked in the moolah during the opening session was young left-hander Devdutt Padikkal, who got a Rs 7.75 crore (over USD 1 million) deal with Rajasthan Royals.

Among the foreign players, T20 specialists like West Indies all-rounder Jason Holder (bought for Rs 8.75 crore by Lucknow Supergiants), South Africa speedster Kagiso Rabada (bought for Rs 9.25 crore by Pubjab Kings) and hard-hitting Shimron Hetmyer (bought for Rs 8.5 crore by Rajasthan Royals) all breached the million dollar mark among overseas cricketers.

Iyer's entry in the KKR fold ensures a captaincy candidate for them while the Shah Rukh Khan co-owned franchise also got back their Australian pace spearhead Pat Cummins for half the price at Rs 7.25 crore.

The KKR also managed to secure the services of another core player -- domestic giant and T20 specialist Nitish Rana -- for Rs 8 crore.

Cummins was bought for over Rs 15 crore last time and no wonder CEO Venky Mysore was very pleased with the outcome this time.

"To get back Pat Cummins at that price, we are very, very delighted. We thought he would go higher," Mysore said.

"We could not be happier getting Cummins and Shreyas in the first round itself. Heart beats a bit more properly now, we can now have some fun looking at what else is going on," the KKR CEO added.

While Cummins is a captaincy candidate, he will not be available during the first two weeks even though Mysore didn't want to commit on captaincy.

"As far as captaincy is concerned, that's a decision our coach and the think-tank will take. Certainly, between Cummins and Shreyas, we have solid options for us. I'm sure the think-tank will make the right decisions," he added.

There was lot of demand for Shikhar Dhawan, who has been a great IPL player of late for Delhi Capitals and even though his old franchise bid well, Punjab Kings got Mayank Agarwal's opening partner for the season.

"If you think Shikhar Dhawan is not a game-changer then you are making a big mistake. He is an outstanding player, we would also have been interested," Mohit Burman, co-owner PBKS, said.

"The way he plays at top of the order... if you see his stats and fitness I think he will keep going and going," he added.

CSK, MI hold their horses during first session ============================ While RCB got their opening issues and captaincy sorted with Faf Du Plessis' Rs 7 crore bid, Lucknow Supergiants had Quinton de Kock for Rs 6.75 crore.

Also, a currently out-of-sorts Manish Pandey for Rs 4.6 crore wasn't bad bargain either.

However, Chennai Super Kings, save for retaining MS Dhoni's trusted lieutenant Dwayne Bravo for Rs 4.40 crore and Robin Uthappa (for Rs 2 crore) didn't make any aggressive bids till Deepak Hooda came into the picture.

But Lucknow once again got the better of them them with a Rs 5.75 crore bid for one of the best performers of the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 trophy who is now an India player.

Mumbai Indians haven't yet made any big bids or bought anyone as they are probably waiting to retain Ishan Kishan.

Also read: Our middle-order batting in this series was good, says skipper Rohit

News source: PTI

Auckland, Feb 11 (Cricket News) New Zealand and Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Kane Williamson is hoping to be fit in time to play in this year's IPL as he spends time in rehabilitation after deciding against surgery for a long-standing elbow injury.

Although no time-frame has been set for his return to competitive cricket, the 31-year-old batter is optimistic of recovering at some point during the white-ball series against the Netherlands in March-April, which could precede the IPL slated to start end of March.

"Last (IPL) season was an example as well, where I wasn't involved initially and it was elbow-related as well. The franchise was great and supportive of it," Williamson was quoted as saying by 'ESPNcricinfo'.

"I'm optimistic that it will continue to improve. The (T20) format, in particular, is slightly more friendly to managing the load. So, we will wait and see, but it is taking steps forward, which is positive." He said he is hoping to return to action as soon as possible.

"All the conversations, certainly with New Zealand cricket and Sunrisers who are aware of this...I've had it (elbow injury) for a long time now, so this period of time is to try and get it right," Williamson said.

"It is progressing ... there's still quite a bit of time between now and then, or now and some of the Netherlands games perhaps. There's nothing definite, but I'm hopeful that I'll be back on the field as soon as possible." Williamson said he also spoke to the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Steven Smith and his former IPL team-mate Manish Pandey -- who have all dealt with elbow injuries.

"(I spoke to) a number of different people with different thoughts and ways to get rid of it," he said.

Williamson had come into IPL 2021 carrying an elbow injury. He returned to action for Sunrisers' fourth game last season, against Punjab Kings at Chepauk.

He then replaced David Warner as captain midway through the season after the side suffered five defeats in six games.

The elbow injury flared up in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup in the UAE.

He then sat out the second Test against India in Mumbai, with Tom Latham taking over as captain in his place.

Williamson subsequently missed the home Test series against Bangladesh, and will miss the forthcoming Test series against South Africa as well.

He expressed his frustration at the lengthy injury layoff but pointed out that undergoing surgery would be the "last resort".

"Cutting it off -- thought about it a few times. It has been a very frustrating time really -- one of the more frustrating periods in my career," he said.

"From what I can gather and certainly talking to the professionals is that it doesn't promise; it's sort of an absolute last resort and after, if there's a real requirement of rehab and specific loading because it sort of doesn't promise...

"This (rehab) is without a doubt the more preferred option at this point of time and hopefully the one that works and gets rid of it. It is tracking in the right direction." 

Also Read : Ruturaj Gaikwad is the toughest batter to bowl to- Divyang Hinganekar

News Source : PTI

Jaipur, Dec 21 (Cricket News) Tamil Nadu came up with a superb all-round performance to crush Karnataka by 151 runs to progress to the semifinals of the Vijay Hazare Trophy domestic 50-over tournament here on Tuesday.

Sent in to bat by Karnataka captain Manish Pandey, Tamil Nadu first amassed 354 for eight in 50 overs and then dismissed the opposition for 203 inside 40 overs for a massive victory with medium-pacer R Silambarasan picking up four wickets to hasten the slide.

Opening batter N Jagadeesan hammered 102 (101 balls, 9x4s, 1x6) and left-arm spinner R Sai Kishre, pushed up the order to go after the bowling, smacked 61 (71 balls, 4x4s, 3x6s) before the burly M Shahrukh Khan bludgeoned an unbeaten 39-ball 79 (7 fours, 6 sixes) to help Tamil Nadu pile up 350-plus score.

That the last four overs yielded 64 runs was an indication of the aggressive mood Shahrukh Khan was in as the Karnataka bowlers bore the brunt in the death overs.

Shahrukh Khan, who has often been underlining his hitting skills and starred in the TN's Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy triumph with a last ball six in the final against the same opponent, toyed with the opposition bowling and took 23 runs off the 48th over bowled by Prasidh Krishna.

The fact that R Silambarasan scored only one run in a ninth-wicket partnership of 64 with Shahrukh Khan indicated the kind of form the latter was in. The stand took the team to an imposing total which at one point of time did not look a possibility.

Jagadeesan and Sai Kishore gave the impetus to the Tamil Nadu innings with a superb 147-run partnership for the second wicket which left the Karnataka bowlers searching for answers.

Dinesh Karthik (44, 37 balls, 4x4s, 2x6s) and Baba Indrajith (31, 24 balls, 3x4s) too came up with crucial contributions before Shahrukh Khan took over the onus with his pyrotechnics.

However, skipper Vijay Shankar (3) and Washington Sundar (0) could not make an impact.

Leg-spinner Praveen Dubey finished with 3 for 67 and Prasidh Krishna took 2/57 though he proved expensive towards the end. None of the other Karnataka bowlers could contain the opposition batters.

Chasing a mammoth 355 for a spot in the semifinal, Karnataka began on the wrong foot with the talented Devdutt Padikkal falling for a duck to Sandeep Warrier.

Rohan Kadam and (24) and K V Siddharth (29) steadied the Karnataka innings after the opening blow but, with the the asking rate mounting, the former fell to a nice return catch by Silambarasan (4/36).

Siddharth fell attempting a big hit off the bowling of Sai Kishore (1/32), taken by Shahrukh in the deep to leave Karnataka at 69 for 3.

A lot depended on the experienced Manish Pandey if Karnataka had to put up a fight but he fell to M Siddharth for 9 as the team slipped to 74 for 4.

Though wicket-keeper S Sharath (43), Abhinav Manohar (34) and Praveen Dubey (26) battled well, Karnataka was always fighting a losing battle from there on.

Silambarasan and Washington Sundar (3/43 from 9 overs) made sure that the lower-order did not carry on the fight for too long and picked up wickets at regular intervals to end the Karnataka challenge at 203 in 39 overs.

Brief scores: Tamil Nadu 354 for 8 in 50 overs (N Jagadeesan 102, M Shahrukh Khan 79 not out, R Sai Kishore 61, Dinesh Karthik 44, Praveen Dubey 3/67) beat Karnataka 203 all out in 39 overs (S Sharath 43 K V Siddharth 29, R Silambarasan 4/36, Washington Sundar 3/43) by 151 runs. 

Also Read : India's ideal playing XI for the 1st Test against South Africa

News Source : PTI

Jaipur, Dec 20 (Cricket News) An in-form Uttar Pradesh will fancy their chances against Himachal Pradesh while Tamil Nadu face a stiff challenge against a resurgent Karnataka when two of the quarter-final matches of the Vijay Hazare Trophy are played here on Tuesday.

While Himachal had made a direct entry to the quarterfinals, Uttar Pradesh secured a hard-fought five wicket win over Madhya Pradesh on Sunday to make the last-eight stage.

Likewise, Tamil Nadu stormed into the quarterfinals directly, while Karnataka outclassed Rajasthan to make the last eight of the national ODI championship.

Uttar Pradesh will rely on their experienced campaigner Akshdeep Nath, who played a vital role in the team’s win over MP. But, he would need support from his top-order colleagues -- especially openers Madhav Kaushik and young wicket-keeper Aryan Juyal, skipper Karan Sharma and Sameer Rizvi.

If all of them fire in unison, the Himachal bowlers will have a tough time. Another important cog in UP’s wheel is aggressive left-handed batter Rinku Singh, who took the side home against MP. Their formidable bowling attack is led by ace India speedster Bhuvneshwar Kumar and includes Ankit Rajpoot, 24-year-old Yash Dayal and Shivam Mavi. Slow left-arm bowler Shivam Sharma will also be keen to play a part. UP are unlikely to tinker with their winning combination.

For Himachal, their biggest asset is skipper Rishi Dhawan, who is a bowling all-rounder and can contribute with both the bat and ball.

But Dhawan would need support from his top-order batters, which comprises wicket-keeper Shubham Arora, Prashant Chopra, Nikhil Gangta and left-handed Amit Thakur.

Left-arm orthodox spinner Mayank Dagar will play a key role for Himachal, along with skipper Dhawan.

While Uttar Pradesh will have the edge, they would not want to take Himachal lightly in what promises to be an interesting match.

Meanwhile, Karnataka would be confident after the eight-wicket thrashing of Rajasthan in the pre-quarters and would be keen to raise their game against arch-rivals TN, who too have been in good form in the tournament.

Karnataka have one of the best batting line-ups in the form of Ravikumar Samarth, Devdutt Padikkal, Krishnamurthy Siddharth, skipper Manish Pandey, Abhinav Manohar and Krishnappa Gowtham. This batting unit can take any attack apart and Tamil Nadu bowlers would be well aware of that.

Karnataka's bowling attack, led by Prasidh Krishna, will have its task cut out against a strong TN batting line-up.

Tamil Nadu had beaten Karnataka in the league phase in Thiruvananthapuram and would be keen to do so again, albeit at a different venue and in different conditions.

In N Jagadeesan, B Indrajith, Dinesh Karthik, captain Vijay Shankar, M S Washington Sundar and the power-hitter M Shahrukh Khan, the team has the batters who can go after the opposition bowling.

Young batter B Sai Sudharsan, in his maiden season, has been a good addition at the top, and can score at a quick rate too.

Washington Sundar, on a comeback trail after an injury during the tour of England, has 12 wickets but would be expected to make substantial scores too and his role in the crunch game will be crucial.

Fellow spinners R Sai Kishore, M Siddharth and R Sanjay Yadav would be vital for Tamil Nadu's chances.

Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have been involved in some thrilling contests in the past, including the recent Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy final in which Shahrukh Khan sealed the match for TN with a last ball six.

Tuesday's winner could very well go all the way in the championship.

The schedule: At KL Saini stadium: Tamil Nadu vs Karnataka (Starts 9am).

At Sawai Mansingh Stadium: Himachal vs Uttar Pradesh (Starts 9am). 

Also Read : Assam Cricket Association to focus on infrastructure development: Officials

News Source : PTI

Jaipur, Dec 19 (Cricket News) Karnataka rode on half-centuries from K V Siddharth (85 not out), skipper Manish Pandey (52 not out) and R Samarth (54) to sail into the quarterfinals of the Vijay Hazare Trophy with a comprehensive eight-wicket win over Rajasthan here on Sunday.

Chasing 200 for victory in the pre-quarterfinal, Karnataka eased home with more than six overs to spare.

Earlier, sent in to bat, Rajasthan's total of 199 was built on a brilliant counter-attacking knock of 109 (nine fours and five sixes) by captain Deepk Hooda after the team slipped to 19 for 5.

Karnataka, bolstered by the return of K Gowtham, Devdutt Padikkal and Prasidh Krishna, had Rajasthan in all sorts of bother at 19 for 5 in the eighth over.

Krishna struck the first blow, having the in-form Abhijeet Tomar, who has scored over 300 runs including a ton in the tournament, caught by Padikkal for 5.

Right-arm medium-pacer Vijaykumar Vyshak (4/22) scalped the next four wickets, including that of Mahipal Lomror (4), as Rajasthan was staring down the barrel, losing half the side in the eighth over.

Hooda, who had come in at the fall of the second wicket (Manender Singh), was joined by Samarpit Joshi and the duo began to rebuild. While the captain wasn't afraid to go for the big hits, Joshi (33 off 63 balls) gave him ample support.

The two added 118 runs for the sixth wicket to give some hope to Rajasthan against a strong Karnataka side. The team hundred came up in the 24th over as Hooda and Joshi began to play with confidence.

Despite losing Joshi, Hooda continued to score runs and reached a well-deserved ton in 99 balls. He fell in the 41st over, stumped by S Sharath off leg-spinner Pravin Dubey (1/39) before Gowtham finished the innings off by dismissing Khaleel Ahmed (0).

Karnataka lost the talented Padikkal (4) to Kamlesh Nagarkoti (1/27) even as fellow opener Samarth started brightly with a few boundaries.

Samarth and Siddharth added 75 runs in quick time to put Karnataka on the road to victory.

Pandey then came up with an enterprising half-century and in the company of Siddharth added 100 for the third wicket to take the team home.

Pandey finished the match with a huge six off leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi, who finished with none for 63 from 9.4 overs.

Karnataka will take on Southern rival Tamil Nadu in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.

Brief scores: Rajasthan 199 all out in 41.4 overs (Deepak Jagbir Hooda 109, Samarpit Joshi 33, Vijaykumar Vyshak 4 for 22) lost to Karnataka 204 for 2 in 43.3 overs (K V Siddharth 85 not out, R Samarth 54, Manish Pandey 52 not out) by eight wickets. 

Also Read : Vijay Hazare Trophy: Vidarbha defeat Tripura by 34 runs, to meet Saurashtra in QF

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Jaipur, Dec 18 (Cricket News) Karnataka, Vidarbha and Madhya Pradesh would have a slight edge over their respective opponents in the three pre-quarterfinals of the Vijay Hazare Trophy to be played here on Sunday.

While the Faiz Fazal-led Vidarbha should go as favourites against minnows Tripura, it will be a clash of equals when Karnataka take on an equally upbeat Rajasthan at the KL Saini stadium.

The third quarter-final between two neighboring states – Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh -- also promises to be an exciting affair in which the former would be banking on the performance of Venkatesh Iyer, who shone in his debut T20 series against New Zealand and that could eventually be the difference between the two sides.

Coming to Vidarbha, they would rely on the performance of skipper Fazal, who has always delivered on the big stage and come Sunday, he would be eyeing for another big knock.

He, however, would need support from the likes of Athara Taide, Ganesh Satish, Yash Rathod and Akshay Wadkar to tame Tripura’s attack.

On the bowling front, young pacer Yash Thakur is among the wickets and is the second highest wicket-taker from the league stage with 14 scalps.

The role of his co-pacer Darshan Nalkande and seasoned off-spinner Akshay Wakhare and left-arm spinner Aditya Sarwate would be key for their chances of making the last eight.

Tripura, who had won all their five matches in the Plate Group, would need to dish out a clinical show, to spring a surprise.

In the MP VS UP game, focus would be on the lanky southpaw Iyer, who has sizzled with the bat in the league stage. The left-handed opener, a revelation after last IPL season, can take any good attack to the cleaners and UP’s would not be an exception.

Iyer has so far amassed 349 runs from five matches. For MP, another important cog in the wheel is batsman Shubham Sharma, who has so far scored 335 runs in the league stage.

But the other batters would also need to play their parts to perfection against a quality UP attack, which boasts of seamers like Yash Dayal and Shivam Mavi.

For UP, who were the runners-up of the last season, they would be eager to go one step ahead. And for that to happen, opener Madhav Kaushik and wicket-keeper batter Aryan Juyal would need to come good and tame the MP attack led by Avesh Khan.

UP’s middle order also needs to come good.

The Rajasthan versus Karnataka clash could be touted as a battle of equals but Karnataka having had more experience of playing in the knockouts could have an advantage.

It will be a battle between Karnataka batters – Ravikumar Samarth, Rohan Kadam, Manish Pandey, Karun Nair, up against the likes of Khaleel Ahmed, Aniket Choudhary, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Ravi Bishnoi and Shubham Sharma.

But if Rajasthan have to make the last 8, their batters would have to deliver, else Karnataka can romp home easily.

Fixtures: At Sawai Mansingh Stadium: Vidarbha vs Tripura, 9.00 AM At K L Saini stadium: Karnataka vs Rajasthan, 9.00 AM At: Jaipuriya Vidhyalaya Ground: Uttar Pradesh vs Madhya Pradesh, 9.00 AM. 

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Thumba, Dec 9 (Cricket news) Vishnu Solanki's attractive 94 went in vain as Mumbai beat Baroda by 13 runs via VJD method in a rain-hit Group B game of the Vijay Hazare Trophy on Friday.

Batting first, Baroda scored 210 in 49.1 overs with Solanki hitting 11 fours and two sixes in his innings. However, it was Mumbai's slow bowlers -- off-break bowler Tanush Kotian (3/44) and leg-spinner Prashant Solanki (3/61), who shared the spoils among them.

Krunal Pandya (7) was a notable failure for Baroda.

In reply, Mumbai were 100 for 3 in 23 overs when rain stopped play and as per VJD rule, the par score at that time needed to be 88. Mumbai were 12 more and Jaiswal's patient knock of 41 ensured that the defending champions were above par.

A lot of credit must go to Suryakumar Yadav who was out for 14 but his three boundaries in nine-ball stay actually made the difference before he got out off the last delivery of the 20th over. By then, Mumbai had already achieved above par score.

In another rain-curtailed match at Mangalapuram, Puducherry beat Bengal by eight runs via VJD method wen rain stopped play.

Bengal scored 264 for 8 with Shahbaz Ahmed scoring 85 off 60 balls and then Puducherry were 132 for 2 after 30 overs with the par score being 124 and they were eight runs above it.

In the other game at Thiruvananthapuram, Tamil Nadu beat Karnataka by eight wickets. Karnataka were all out for 122 with Manish Pandey scoring 40 and two spinners R Sai Kishore and M Siddharth taking three and four wickets respectively.

In reply, Washington Sundar, who is on a comeback trail, scored 31 not out and assisted Baba Indrajith 51 not out to win it in 28 overs.

Brief Scores: Baroda 210 all out in 49.1 overs (Vishnu Solanki 94, Krunal Pandya 7, Tanush Kotian 3/44).

Mumbai (VJD target 88 in 23 overs) 100/3 (Yashashvi Jaiswal 41, Suryakumar Yadav 14). Mumbai won by 8 runs.

Bengal 264/8 in 50 overs (Shahbaz Ahmed 85, Suboth Bhati 3/70).

Puducherry (VJD target 125 in 30 overs) 132/2 (Pavan Deshpande 62, Paras Dogra 41). Puducherry won by 8 runs.

Karnataka 122 all out in 36.3 overs (Manish Pandey 40, R Sai Kishore 3/28, M Siddharth 4/23). Tamil Nadu 128/2 (B Indrajith 51 not out, Washington Sundar 31 not out). TN won by 8 wickets.

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Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 9 (Cricket news) Left-arm spinners M Siddharth and R Sai Kishore came up with impressive performances as Tamil Nadu outplayed arch-rivals Karnataka by eight wickets in an Elite Group 'B' match of the Vijay Hazare Trophy here on Thursday.

Skipper Manish Pandey's decision to bat first backfired as Siddharth (4/23) and Sai Kishore (3/28) spun a web around the Karnataka batters to bundle them out for 122 in 36.3 overs.

Save Pandey (40) and Rohan Kadam (37), none of the other Karnataka batters could make a significant contribution.

Tamil Nadu then rode on B Indrajith's unbeaten half-century to overhaul the target in 28 overs.

The slide began in the opening over when Sandeep Warrier had Ravikumar Samarth caught behind by Dinesh Karthik for a duck off in the second ball.

Only a 67-run partnership for the third wicket between Kadam (69 balls, 1 four) and Pandey (54 balls, 3 fours) helped them the blushes as none of the other batters reached double figures.

Kadam's innings was ended by M S Washington Sundar (1/27), who castled him.

Siddharth then struck a crucial blow for Tamil Nadu when he bowled Pandey in the 26th over.

It was a procession from thereon as Siddharth and Sai Kishore ran through the rest of the batting line-up.

In reply, TN openers B Sai Sudharsan (18) and captain N Jagadeesan (16) began by hitting a few boundaries before the latter was bowled by Vidhyadhar Patil (1/22).

Sai Sudharsan and Indrajith (51, 74 balls, 6 fours) added 32 runs for the second wicket before the former was dismissed by J Suchith (1/24).

Indrajith and Washington Sundar (31 not out, 33 balls, 3 fours) made sure that there was no further trouble as they closed out the chase in the 28th over.

It was the second occasion in recent times that Tamil Nadu had managed to put it across Karnataka after having nailed a thrilling final of the Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

In other matches of the group which were affected by rain, Mumbai got past Baroda, while Pondicherry pulled off a surprise win over the fancied Bengal -- both via the VJD method used in domestic matches.

Brief scores: Karnataka 122 all out in 36.3 overs (Manish Pandey 40, Rohan Kadam 37, M Siddharth 4/23, R Sai Kishore 3/28) lost to Tamil Nadu 123 for 2 in 28 overs (B Indrajith 51 not out, M S Washington Sundar 31 not out) by eight wickets. TN: 4 points, Karnataka: 0.

Baroda 210 all out in 49.1 overs (Vishnu Solanki 94 (100 balls, 11X4, 2X6), Atit Sheth 24, Tanush Kotian 3/44, P H Solanki 3/61) lost to Mumbai 100 for 3 in 23 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 41 not out). Mumbai won by 13 runs (VJD method) after rain stopped play. Mumbai: 4 points, Baroda: 0.

Bengal 264 for 8 in 50 overs (Shahbaz Ahmed 85 not out (60 balls, 8X4, 4X6), Shreevats Goswami 45, Ritwik Roy Chowdhury 32, Subodh Bhati 3/70) lost to Pondicherry 132 for 2 in 30 overs (Pavan Deshpande 62 not out, Paras Dogra 41 not out). Pondicherry won by 8 runs (VJD method) after rain stopped play. Pondicherry: 4 points, Bengal: 0.

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Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 8 (Cricket news) Big-hitting batter M Shahrukh Khan starred with a blistering 66 off 35 balls as Tamil Nadu started their campaign in the Vijay Hazare Trophy One-Day cricket tournament with a superb 54-run win over defending champions Mumbai in an Elite Group B match here on Wednesday.

Sent in to bat by Mumbai skipper Shams Mulani, Tamil Nadu got off to a quick start with newbie B Sai Sudharsan (24 off 24 balls, 4 fours) and captain N Jagadeesan (20) laying the groundwork for a big score.

The dismissal of the two openers in the space of four runs to experienced pacer Dhawal Kulkarni (3 for 45 from 10 overs) saw comeback-men M S Washington Sundar and B Indrajith come together for the third wicket.

The duo added 75 runs with Washington, who is playing after an injury setback, striking three boundaries during his 58-ball 34. He looked good before being dismissed caught and bowled by Tushar Deshpande (2/57).

Dinesh Karthik, back in the side after missing the Mushtaq Ali tournament, looked to get a move-on and made 32.

The entry of Shahrukh, who smashed a last ball six to star in Tamil Nadu's triumph in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 tournament, changed the complexion of the game.

He simply tore into the Mumbai attack and clobbered five big sixers in his innings (66, 35 balls, 6X4, 5X6) as the opposition attack wilted under the onslaught.

A partnership of 88 with J Kousik (32 off 38 balls) meant former champion Tamil Nadu were on the overdrive in the slog overs and also posted a big score.

Mumbai's response got off to poor start with openers Yashasvi Jaiswal (5) and Armaan Jaffer (9) falling early to Sandeep Warrier (1/49) and R Silambarasan (1/40).

The team's crisis man Siddhesh Lad hit two fours and a six in his knock of 16 but fell to the left-arm spin of R Sai Kishore (2/35 in 9 overs).

Mumbai slipped to 107 for 5 in the 29th over and only a fighting knock of 75 by Mulani (100 balls, 6X4, 1X6) saved the team from an annihilation.

Washington (3/60) and left-arm spinner M Siddharth (3/43 in 10 overs) ensured that the Mumbai innings was cleaned up in the 47th over to ensure a strong start for Tamil Nadu.

In another match, Karnataka crushed Pondicherry by 236 runs riding on R Samarth's knock of 95 and J Suchith's spell of 4 for 3 while Bengal defeated Baroda by 27 runs.

Brief scores: Tamil Nadu 290 for 8 in 50 overs (M Shahrukh Khan 66 (35 balls, 6X4, 5X6), B Indrajith 45, Washington Sundar 34, Dhawal Kulkarni 3/45, Mohit Avasthi 2/69) beat Mumbai 236 all out in 46.4 overs (Shams Mulani 75, Sairaj B Patel 42, Tanush Kotian 27, M Siddharth 3/43, Washington Sundar 3/60, R Sai Kishore 2/35) by 54 runs. TN: 4 points, Mumbai: 0.

Karnataka 289 for 6 in 50 overs (Ravikumar Samarth 95 (107 balls, 10X4), Manish Pandey 64 not out (2X4, 4X6), K Siddharth 61) beat Pondicherry 53 all out in 17.3 overs (J Suchith 4/3, V Koushik 3/19) by 236 runs. Karnataka: 4 points, Pondicherry: 0.

Bengal 230 all out in 49.4 overs (Kaif Ahmed 67, Abhishek Das 62, Ritwik Roy Chowdhury 48, Atit Sheth 4/62, Lukman Meriwala 3/33, Krunal Pandya 2/34) beat Baroda 203 all out in 48.2 overs (Krunal Pandya 39, P A Kumar 38, Kedar Devdhar 35, Akash Deep 3/39) by 27 runs. Bengal: 4 points, Baroda: 0.

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New Delhi, Nov 22 (Cricket news) M Shahrukh Khan smashed a dramatic last ball six to help Tamil Nadu defend the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 title with a thrilling four-wicket win over Karnataka in the summit clash here on Monday.

Needing 16 runs off the last over bowled by Prateek Jain, power-hitter Khan kept his cool under pressure to clobber the final delivery over deep-square leg to take Tamil Nadu to 153 for 6 and seal a famous win.

The burly 26-year-old right-hander remained not out on 33 (15 balls, 1 four, 3 sixes) while R Sai Kishore was 6 not out (3 balls, 1 four).

Tamil Nadu thus avenged their heart-breaking one-run loss to Karnataka in the 2019 final.

Earlier, Karnataka rode on some aggressive batting by Abhinav Manohar (46, 37 balls, 4X4, 2X6), Praveen Dubey (33, 25 balls, 3X4, 1X6) and J Suchith (18, 7 balls, 1X4, 1X6) to post 151 for 7.

Thanks to their aggressive batting, Karnataka recovered on time after their batters were stifled by some good work by left-arm spinner Sai Kishore (3/12) and other Tamil Nadu bowlers.

Karnataka slipped to 32 for 3 in the sixth over with Sai Kishore getting the big wickets of the consistent Rohan Kadam (0) and captain Manish Pandey (13, 15 balls, 2X4) while Sanjay Yadav nailed Karun Nair (18).

Tamil Nadu looked in control of proceedings and kept the opposition batters under check before some poor bowling by T Natarajan (1/44 from 4 overs), brought into the XI in place of P Saravana Kumar who took a fifer in the semi-finals, and Sandeep Warrier (1/34 in 4) gave away runs towards the end.

In their run chase, Tamil Nadu appeared to stutter after a bright start by opener C Hari Nishaanth (23, 12 balls, 1X4, 2X6) before he was run out. N Jagadeesan, the other opener, struggled to force the pace, making 41 from 46 balls as did skipper Vijay Shankar (18, 22 balls).

The two were dismissed by spinner K C Cariappa (2/23) to put TN in a spot of bother.

Tamil Nadu slipped to 95 for 4 when Khan walked in. He revived the chase with a quick 21-run fifth wicket stand with R Sanjay Yadav (5). Yadav too fell while going for a big shot.

Tamil Nadu needed 30 runs from the last two overs and Khan kept their hopes alive with a massive six off Vidyadhar Patil's final delivery of the 19th over.

In the final over, Sai Kishore hit a boundary off the first ball to ease the nerves. But the next four deliveries yielded seven runs, including two wides.

Jain, who was given the huge responsibility of bowling the last over of the final, could not prevent Khan from smashing a six from the last ball to take TN over the line.

Speaking at the presentation ceremony, TN captain Vijay Shankar praised Shahrukh Khan for his brilliant innings.

"Overall, we played amazing cricket. Everyone fought really hard. This innings was due from Shahrukh. He stepped up and did very well," he said.

"Karnataka bowled really well in the middle overs. Really happy to be on the winning side. It was a fantastic effort from all the bowlers (throughout)," he added.

On his part, Khan said, "There were a lot of things running in my mind. The ball was soft and the wicket was rough. I got the room and cleared my leg. We believe in each other. Special thanks to M Mohammed, who has been an unsung hero for Tamil Nadu for the last three years.

"This is the first six I have hit off the last ball." Karnataka skipper Manish Pandey said it was a bittersweet feeling to lose in the final.

"The boys did really well for us throughout the tournament. Tamil Nadu played really well. The top-order could have got a few more runs," he said.

Brief Scores: Karnataka 151 for 7 in 20 overs (Abhinav Manohar 46, Praveen Dubey 33; R Sai Kishore 3/12) lost to Tamil Nadu 153 for 6 in 20 overs (N Jagadeesan 41, Shahrukh Khan 33 not out; K C Cariappa 2/22) by 4 wickets.

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New Delhi, Nov 21 (Cricket news) An upbeat Karnataka stand on the way of Tamil Nadu's bid to defend their title in the final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 cricket tournament here on Monday in an exciting Southern derby.

The 2021 final will be a repeat of the 2019 Syed Mushtaq Ali summit clash, which saw Karnataka edge out Tamil Nadu by one run in a thriller.

In the final of the delayed 2020-21 edition earlier this year, Tamil Nadu had defeated Baroda to lay their hands on the coveted trophy.

Come Monday at the Arun Jaitley stadium, Tamil Nadu will be aiming to exact revenge for their 2019 final loss and defend their title while Karnataka would be hoping to win a third SMA title.

And for that to happen, their opener Rohan Kadam, would need to come up with another big knock, like the one he played in the semi-final against Vidarbha.

He and skipper Manish Pandey would be hoping to tame the strong and varied Tamil Nadu attack and give the side a flying start.

The team would also be hoping that their middle-order clicks, as inconsistency has been an issue. Karun Nair has not been among the runs and he would like to make his presence felt.

The likes of in-form Abhinav Manohar, Aniruddha Joshi and BR Sharath will need to support the top order.

However, Karnataka would worry more about their bowling attack, especially the pace unit comprising Vidyadhar Patil (4 wickets so far), V Vyshak (7 wkts) and M B Darshan (6 wkts).

It is a rather inexperienced trio but they have done well under the circumstances and carried the team into the finale. They will have their role cut out in the summit clash against a formidable TN batting unit.

Though Karnataka will miss the experience and guile of K Gowtham (7 wickets) owing to his selection for the India 'A' team, the spin duo of KC Cariappa (10 wickets) and J Suchith (6 wkts) will be crucial to the team's prospects and their eight overs could have a bearing on the outcome.

Tamil Nadu, on the other hand, have been in good form in the tournament. It has been a team performance thus far with different players contributing at various stages.

Yet, a lot would depend on the start provided by the dynamic duo of N Jagadeesan (163 runs, 1 fifty) and C Hari Nishaanth (177) and how newbie B Sai Sudharsan (173 runs) can build on it.

Skipper Vijay Shankar leads the run-scoring charts for TN with 181 (1 fifty, 14 boundaries and 8 sixes from five matches). He can turn a match around with his batting abilities alone and will look to unleash some big ones to help the team defend the title.

Also, the power-hitting of M Shahrukh Khan has come in handy for the team at times and he will be one to watch out if the top-order fails to fire.

The team will be sweating over the availability of left-arm pacer T Natarajan, who missed the last two matches owing to a niggle.

However, Sandeep Warrier and P Saravana Kumar, who grabbed a fifer in the semifinal win over Hyderabad, have done a good job while the spinners -- R Sai Kishore, M Ashwin and R Sanjay Yadav -- have been superb, containing the scoring and also picking up wickets.

Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have been involved in several interesting battles in the past and Monday's finale promises to be another one in that list.

Vijay Shankar and Co will be aware that the team's last win over their opponent in this tournament came in 2017 and they will be keen to set the record straight.

Match starts at Noon.

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New Delhi, Nov 20 (Cricket News) Karnataka defeated Vidarbha by four runs in a thrilling semifinal to enter the summit clash of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy national T20 tournament here on Saturday.

Asked to bat at the Arun Jaitley stadium, Karnataka rode on Rohan Kadam's blistering 87 off 56 balls to post a competitive 176 for seven and then restricted the opposition to 172 for six with right-arm pacer Vidyadhar Patil (1/29) holding his nerve in the final over.

Patil had to defend 14 runs and the speedster ensured that his side would face defending champions Tamil Nadu in the summit clash.

Karnataka openers Kadam and skipper Manish Pandey (54 off 42 balls) gave the side an aggressive start as they toyed with the Vidarbha attack.

The duo took on pacers Darshan Nalkande (4/28), Yash Thakur (1/35) and Lalit Yadav (2/36) to stitch 132 runs for the first wicket.

Kadam was the more aggressive one, while Pandey played the second fiddle as they brought up the team's fifty in just 5.1 overs.

Left-arm-orthodox spinner Akshay Karnewar, who has been economical, conceded five runs in his first over even as Karnataka raced to 53/0 after the power play.

While Kadam hammered seven fours and four maximums, Pandey struck two fours and three sixes as they took the Vidarbha attack to cleansers.

However, Lalit Yadav broke the stand after removing Kadam in the 16th over, but by then the damage had already been done.

Lalit struck again, this time removing Pandey, who was caught by Akshay Wakhare.

Karun Nair (5) also fell cheaply but a quick-fire 13-ball-27 by Abhinav Manohar propelled Karnataka past the 170-run mark.

Darshan Nalkande wreaked havoc in the middle-order by taking four wickets in fours balls in the final over, but it was too little and too late Chasing a formidable 177, Vidarbha openers Atharva Taide (32) and Ganesh Satish (31) added 43 for the first wicket.

But Karnataka pegged back the opposition by dismissing the top four batters to leave Vidarbha tottering at 103 for four.

Medium pacer Darshan MB then sent back Jitesh Sharma (12) as Vidarbha lost half its side for 122.

But some late hitting by Apoorv Wankhede (27 not out off 22 balls) and Karnewar (22 off 12 balls) meant Vidarbha needed 14 off the final over as they took the game deep.

But pacer Patil dashed Vidarbha's hopes, dismissing Karnewar in the first ball of the final over and then held his nerve to see his side home.

Brief Scores: Karnataka 176 for 7 in 20 overs (Rohan Kadam 87, Manish Pandey 54; Darshan Nalkande 4/28, Lalit Yadav 2/36) beat Vidarbha 172 for 6 in 20 overs (Atharva Taide 32, Ganesh Satish 31; KC Cariappa 2/27, Karun Nair 1/10) by four runs. 

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New Delhi, Nov 19 (Cricket news) Unbeaten so far, Vidarbha would face their toughest challenge when they take on a resurgent Karnataka in the semifinals of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy here on Saturday.

Vidarbha and Karnataka entered the last-four in contrasting fashions. While the Akshay Wakhare-led side decimated favourites Rajasthan by nine wickets, it was Manish Pandey's brilliance that helped Karnataka overcome Bengal via a Super Over in their quarter-final.

Vidarbha's in-form batters Atharva Taide, Ganesh Satish and skipper Wadkar would need to continue their good form to tame a formidable Karnataka attack at the Feroz Shah Kotla.

After the failure of Siddesh Wath, the Pritam Gandhe-coached Vidarbha opted to open with Ganesh Satish in the quarters and the move worked wonders.

But the top three would need equal support from Jitesh Sharma, Shubham Dubey and Apoorv Wankhede, if Vidarbha are to post or chase a big total.

Bowling has been key to Vidarbha's success so far in the national T20 championship, and again, the eight overs by left-arm orthodox spinner Akshay Karnewar and seasoned off-spinner Akshay Wakhare could decide the game's fate. Even Atharva Taide can roll his arm over for four overs.

Karnerwar has been a revelation and has bowled economical spells throughout the tournament.

Another important cog in the wheel is young right-arm pacer Yash Thakur, who has delivered so far. He would need support from pace colleagues Darshan Nalkande and Lalit Yadav.

For Karnataka, the biggest positive is Pandey regaining form.

Openers Rohan Kadam and BR Sharath and middle-order batters Karun Nair, Aniruddha Joshi and Abhinav Manohar would be more than keen to score big in the marque clash.

On their day, Karnataka can take any attack to cleansers and Vidarbha's won't be an exception.

Their bowlers, particularly spinners J Suchith and KC Carippa, and the pacers led by Vijaykumar Vyshak would also need to play a vital role if the team is to make it to the summit clash. Since it's a day game, dew would not be a factor at all.

Match starts at 1.30 PM.

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New Delhi, Nov 18 (Cricket news) Tilak Varma's quick-fire 75 and an impressive show by the bowlers helped Hyderabad beat Gujarat by 30 runs in their quarter-final match of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 tournament here on Thursday.

Put in to bat at the Air Force ground at Palam, Hyderabad rode on Varma's 75 off just 50 balls to post a competitive 158/5 and then restricted the opposition to 128/8 to enter the last-four stage of the national T20 championship.

Hyderabad lost opener Pragnay Reddy (1) early after he was trapped in front by pacer Chintan Gaja (2/32). In-form skipper Tanmay Agarwal (31) then steadied the innings, along with Varma, as the duo added 46 runs for the second wicket.

It was Varma, who not only toyed with the Gujarat attack but also anchored the innings and hammered five fours and two sixes in the process.

He was well supported by Himalay Agarwal (23) and Buddhi Rahul (25 not out), who played second fiddle. Thanks to Varma, Hyderabad could go near the 160-run mark.

Chasing 159, Gujarat were reeling at 3/33 after having lost their top-three batters cheaply.

Two-down Het Patel (25) and Piyush Chawla (25) tried to take the game deep, but Hyderabad kept on making inroads.

Ripal Patel, with his 24-ball 35, did raise Gujarat’s hopes but it was too little and too late. Once Ripal was dismissed by Chama Milind (2/28), it was all over for Gujarat.

Brief Scores: Hyderabad 158/5 in 20 overs (Tilak Varma 75, Tanmay Agarwal 31; Piyush Chawla 2/9, Chintan Gaja 2/32) beat Gujarat 128/8 in 20 overs (Ripal Patel 35; T Ravi Teja 3/27, CV Milind 2/28) by 30 runs.

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New Delhi, Nov 18 (Cricket news) Ten teams each from a Vidhan Sabha constituency of East Delhi will clash in the East Delhi Premier League cricket tournament, starting November 30, for a Rs 50 lakh prize money event.

The tournament promises to provide a platform to budding talent from East Delhi, especially those from underprivileged background.

It will also provide an opportunity to people of Delhi to watch day and night matches in the newly upgraded Yamuna sports complex.

The inaugural ceremony of the East Delhi Premier League was held here on Thursday with former India cricketer and MP Gautam Gambhir unveiling the grand trophy and draft teams to their owners. The team jerseys were also launched.

A tournament of this magnitude is being organised for the first time at Yamuna Sports Complex.

The ten teams will compete for a cash prize of Rs 30 lakh for the winner and Rs 20 lakh for runner up.

"This tournament is for each and every player of East Delhi who was not able to showcase his talent due to lack of facilities and resources. I had promised to bring modern sports infrastructure to East Delhi during my campaign and I am proud that we have been able to deliver," Gambhir said in a release.

"Trials are being held for every player who has registered for the tournament. Your background, your gear, your equipment, nothing matters except your talent. This is the league of the masses."

Also Read : Bengal snatch defeat as Manish Pandey takes Karnataka into Mushtaq Ali T20 semi-final

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New Delhi, Nov 18 (Cricket news) Manish Pandey first got a brilliant direct hit to take their match against Bengal into Super Over and then hit a massive six to steer Karnataka into the semi-finals of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy here on Thursday.

It was one of the best thrillers of National T20 meet in recent times with both teams locked at 160 each after 20 overs. Karnataka scored the required six runs with four Super Over deliveries to spare.

In a debatable decision, skipper Sudeep Chatterjee sent an off-colour Kaif Ahmed along with Ritwik Roy Chowdhury in the Super Over was baffling.

Ahmed had barely scratched to score 20 off 26 balls.

Surprisingly, Ritwik, who brought Bengal back in contention with 36 off 18 balls, did not take the strike in the Super Over.

The quarter-final match was a testimony as to why Bengal's cricketers are not at all sought after when it comes franchise interest.

A lot of it had to do with lack of sane cricketing sense and the manner in which some of the batters throw away their wickets.

Barring Writtick Chatterjee (51 off 40 balls), who tried to anchor the innings, others paid the price of indiscreet shot selection.

While Shreevats Goswami (22 off 10 balls) started with 20 off the first over of chase with three fours and a six off Vijay Kumar Vyshak (0/41 in 4 overs), his opening partner Abhishek Das with a career strike-rate of less than 90, tried to pull the very first delivery of the next over when all he needed to do was give his senior partner the strike.

Goswami, who looked in good touch, went for a non-existent second run and bowler KC Cariappa (0/21 in 4 overs) effected a fine run-out.

Skipper Sudeep Chatterjee couldn't clear the in-field off military medium bowler MB Darshan as the ball hit the toe-end of his bat.

Kaif Ahmed (20 off 26 balls) added 49 with Chatterjee before being bowled by left-arm spinner J Suchith (2/24 in 4 overs), who also accounted for Shahbaz Ahmed in the very next delivery.

However former India U-25 all-rounder Ritwik, showed some great temperament. He hit two huge sixes in the final over from Vidyadhar Patil and his partner Akash Deep hit a boundary to bring the equation of 19 from 6 balls to one run off final delivery.

Akash Deep, who was recruited by RCB, instead of trying an aerial route went for a non-existent single with fielders circling him and to his horror, it went to one of India's finest ever fielders Pandey, who picked and threw down the stumps at the non-striker's end in one action.

Pandey, who till then was having an ordinary day, then came in and hit Mukesh Kumar for a six to set up a semi-final date with Vidarbha.

Earlier, Karun Nair had scored 55 off 29 balls to take Karnataka to 160 for 5 which gave them a chance to fight.

Brief Scores: Karnataka 160/5 in 20 overs (Karun Nair 55 not out ).

Bengal 160/8 in 20 overs. (Writtick C 51, Ritwik RC 36, J Suchith 2/24).

Super Over: Bengal 6/2 in 0.4 overs. Karnataka 8/0 in 0.2 balls.

Also Read : TN beat Kerala by 5 wickets, storm into last four

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Guwahati, Nov 6 (Cricket news) Mumbai pacer Mohit Avasthi led his side's attack brilliantly with a 3/25 as Bengal choked in their small chase of 132 to suffer a 10-run defeat in their Elite Group B match of the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament at Barsapara Stadium here on Saturday.

Defending 19 runs in the final over, Avasthi took two off two balls by dismissing the hard-hitting Shahbaz Ahmed (12) and Writtick Chatterjee (0) to seal a second win for the Ajinkya Rahane-led side.

But it was their other pacer Tushar Deshpande who turned it around in the middle overs by dismissing a well set Ritwik Roy Chowdhury (31) in the 17th over that triggered the collapse.

Eyeing a third win on the trot, Bengal were going steady at 98 for 4 in 16 overs, needing just 34 runs in 24 balls.

Roy Chowdhury and Kaif Ahmed (31 off 31 balls) were looking in complete control in a 54-run partnership after India Test wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha got out cheaply for 15 off 17 balls.

But all hell broke loose as Roy Chowdhury edged a Deshpande delivery behind the stumps, while Ahmed got out to Shivam Dube (1/14 from two overs) in the next over as Bengal could not recover from the jolt.

"Ritwik and Kaif batted well and built a good partnership... When the duo were batting it looked like the game was in our pocket but after their dismissal we couldn't get many big shots which may have won the game for us," Bengal assistant coach Sourasish Lahiri said.

"Mumbai bowled well too, especially while defending a low total, they did well," he said, giving credit to the Mumbai bowlers.

The win enabled Mumbai to climb past Bengal to second spot by virtue of net run-rate, while Karnataka consolidated their position atop the standings with three wins in a row.

Debutant seamer duo of Vijaykumar Vyshak (3/25) and MB Darshan (2/30) shared five wickets in between them to restrict Services to 109 for eight in their stiff chase of 143 in the first match here.

Brief Scores: Mumbai 131/7 in 20 overs (Shivam Dube 24; Writtick Chatterjee 2/19) beat Bengal 121/8 in 20 overs (Kaif Ahmed 31, Ritwik Roy Chowdhury 30; Mohit Avashti 3/25, Tushar Deshpande 2/19, Siddhesh Lad 2/16) by 10 runs.

Karnataka 142/6 in 20 overs (Manish Pandey 51; Diwesh Pathania 2/31) beat Services 109/8 in 20 overs (Rahul Singh 34; Vijaykumar Vyshak 3/25, MB Darshan 2/30) by 33 runs.

Chhattisgarh 94 all out in 19 overs (Krunal Pandya 4/15, Lukman Meriwala 3/29) lost to Baroda 98 for 4 in 17.1 overs (Ninad Rathva 33 not out, Parth Kohli 22 not out; Ravi Kiran 2/14) by six wickets.

Also Read : Delhi beat UP by 9 wickets for second straight win

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Guwahati, Nov 4 (Cricket news) Karnataka stunned heavyweights Mumbai by nine runs despite Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane's 75 off 54 balls in a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy group B match on Thursday.

Leg-spinner KC Cariappa turned it around with two wickets in two balls to end with fine figures of 3/26, while off-spinner Krishnappa Gowtham also contributed immensely with his 2/26 as Karnataka restricted Mumbai to 157/6, defending 167.

Opting to bowl, Mumbai skipper Rahane led their challenging chase with a fine half-century but the mystery spinner Cariappa removed the star Indian batsman and cleaned up another international Shivam Dube (3) with his very next ball to put brakes on their chase.

Gowtham then triggered another collapse when he dismissed Siddhesh Lad (32) to break his 88-run partnership with Rahane.

Rahane steered the show after his dangerous opening partner Prithvi Shaw (4) fell cheaply, while talented Yashasvi Jaiswal (13) became Gowtham's first victim after the Powerplay.

Rahane's 54-ball knock was studded with six fours and three sixes as Mumbai were cruising with 125 for 2 in the 16th over before all hell broke loose.

Cariappa's magical bowling at the death meant Mumbai needed 24 runs off the final over with four wickets in hand as seamer Prasidh Krishna ensured that they fell short by nine runs.

Earlier Manish Pandey (84 from 64 balls; 7x4, 2x6) and Karun Nair (72 from 53 balls; 6x4, 2x6) put on a 149-run partnership to power Karnataka to a challenging 166/4.

Put on, Karnataka had a jittery start with debutant Mumbai seamer Mohit Avasthi taking two wickets in his first two overs en route to his 2/32.

India's back-up Test opener Mayank Agarwal was out for a golden duck, while the talented youngster Devdutt Padikkal (5) followed suit in the third over before Pandey and Nair took charge and stayed till the final over.

In the first match at the venue, a new look Bengal team began its campaign by thrashing Chhattisgarh by seven wickets.

Brief Scores Chhattisgarh 118/7; 20 overs (Akhil Herwadkar 73; Mukesh Kumar 2/26) lost to Bengal 119/3; 17 overs (Sudip Chatterjee 51 not out, Wriddhiman Saha 24; Ravi Kiran 2/24) by seven wickets.

Baroda 124/9; 20 overs (Bhanu Pania 55; Nitin Yadav 3/22) lost to Services 128/8; 20 overs (Diwesh Pathania 41 not out; Ninad Rathva 3/8, Krunal Pandya 2/12) by two wickets.

Karnataka 166/4; 20 oves (Manish Pandey 84, Karun Nair 72; Mohit Avasthi 2/32, Tushar Deshpande 2/38) b Mumbai 157/6; 20 overs (Ajinkya Rahane 75; KC Cariappa 3/26, Krishnappa Gowtham 2/26) by nine runs.

Also Read : Off-spinner Shivank Vashist takes five as Delhi make winning start against Uttarakhand

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Abu Dhabi, Oct 8 (Cricket news) Defending champions Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma said their "collective failure as a group" in the second leg of IPL led to their early exit from the tournament.

It is for the first time in three seasons that five-time champions MI have not entered the last four after lifting the trophy in the past two editions.

"We had a fabulous run as a franchise. We can be very proud of what we have created. We were just getting into the momentum of winning games in Delhi, and then there was a break in between. Once we came here, there was collective failure as a group," a disappointed Rohit said at the post-match presentation.

"When you play for a franchise like Mumbai, you are always expected to perform. I wouldn't call it pressure. More than anything, it is the expectation. What we have created as a group stands out in the last 5-6 years." Rohit admitted that MI encountered a stop-start season in this IPL. "But we had an on-and-off season. But very happy with the win today, we gave everything, and I am sure it was entertaining for the fans too. Little disappointed we couldn't go through." The MI skipper was full of praise for young wicket-keeper batter Ishan Kishan who hit a whirlwind 84 off 32 balls.

"Ishan Kishan is a very talented player, just the right position to bat is crucial. He just batted the way we want Ishan to," he said of the left-hander who was won the man-of-the-match award for his exploits with the bat up the order.

SRH's stand-in skipper Manish Pandey, who hit an unbeaten 69 off 41 balls in a losing cause, too said that the season was a tale of collective failure for the side.

"We had a lot of changes in the side, that didn't work for us. We were struggling in the first few games too, and had to pull ourselves up in the second leg but the whole team didn't put in complete performances, despite some really good individual performances,' he said.

He lauded Friday's wicket on offer and said for him it was the best pitch of the tournament so far. "It was really hot, and it was an intense 20 overs. My calves are a bit cramped. I think the surface was the best of the tournament.

Man-of-the-match Kishan said he went out with a positive mindset and it paid off.

"Getting in good touch before the World Cup. Good state of mind is very important. I knew we are in a do-or-die situation. It was just the intent and the positive mindset.

"I haven't scored as many boundaries in the cover region this season. You have to be prepared for every circumstance. It's important to be in that mindset.

Also Read : KKR mentor David Hussey says Andre Russell likely to be available for play-offs

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Abu Dhabi, Oct 7 (Cricket news) Five-time champions Mumbai Indians will need to outclass bottom-placed Sunrisers Hyderabad in the last league match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) here on Friday, knowing fully well the tricky situation they have found themselves in their bid for a play-offs spot.

Courtesy their eight-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals, the defending champions are currently at the fifth spot, with 12 points from 13 games, with a net run rate of -0.048.

But, Kolkata Knight Riders, with a net run rate of +0.294, are sitting on the fourth spot with 12 points from 13 games and will play Rajasthan Royals on Thursday evening in Sharjah.

A win for KKR against RR will take them to 14 points and also improve their net run rate further. In that scenario, MI may find it very difficult to qualify for the play-offs even if they beat SRH as the gap in their NRR with KKR is not small.

Asked if it is an advantage to play a team like SRH on the last day, MI captain Rohit Sharma had said, "All eight teams are capable of beating each other. But the good thing is that KKR plays before us, so we will know what to do.” In case KKR lose, then a win will be enough for MI to seal the fourth play-offs spot as they then will have 14 points.

In any case, Rohit (363 runs) will have to lead from the front again. He has got starts but has not been able to convert them, and the great white-ball exponent would be itching for a big score.

And so would be his opening partner Ishan Kishan (157 runs), whose confidence would have been boosted from his unbeaten fifty against RR.

MI's horribly out of form middle order, comprising the supremely talented Suryakumar Yadav (235 runs), all-rounders Hardik Pandya (117 runs), Kieron Pollard (232) and Saurabh Tiwary (115 runs), will have to come good.

On their day, they can take any opposition attack to the cleaners and SRH’s would be no exception. MI team management would, however, be pleased with the performance of their bowlers, who had restricted RR for a meagre 90 and are unlikely to tinker with the combination.

Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah (19 wickets) was exceptional and would be raring to bowl his yorkers again. He would need support from Trent Boult, Nathan Coulter-Nile, who grabbed four wickets in the last game, and spinner Jayant Yadav.

The Sunrisers, who are already out of reckoning for a play-offs berth, will look to finish the tournament on a high.

Skipper Kane Williamson was back among the runs and would be keen to start from where he left on Wednesday.

But the Kiwi will need support from others like Jason Roy and relatively inexperienced guys like Abhishek Sharma, Priyam Garg, Abdul Samad and aggressive Wriddhiman Saha.

With the addition of pace sensation Urman Malik, SRH have one of the best bowling attacks and the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan and Siddharth Kaul would have to be at their best to contain MI’s explosive batting line up.

Also, the contribution of West Indian all-rounder Jason Holder, both with the bat and ball, could be decisive.

The Teams (From): Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (captain), Quinton de Kock, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Aditya Tare, Anmolpreet Singh, Chris Lynn, Saurabh Tiwary, Anukul Roy, Simarjeet Singh, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, James Neesham, Jayant Yadav, Kieron Pollard, Marco Jansen, Yudhvir Singh, Adam Milne, Dhawal Kulkarni, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohsin Khan, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Piyush Chawla, Rahul Chahar, Trent Boult.

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Kane Williamson (captain), David Warner, Manish Pandey, Sherfane Rutherford, Wriddhiman Saha, Shreevats Goswami, Rashid Khan, Vijay Shankar, Mohammad Nabi, Abhishek Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddharth Kaul, Khaleel Ahmed, Urman Malik, Basil Thampi, Sandeep Sharma, Shahbaz Nadeem, Abdul Samad, J Suchith, Jason Holder, Virat Singh, Priyam Garg, Kedar Jadhav, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, Jason Roy.

Match starts at 7:30pm IST. 

Also Read : KKR eye handsome win over RR to remain ahead in play-off race

News Source : PTI

Dubai, Oct 2 (Cricket news) Out of the play-offs race, bottom-placed Sunrisers Hyderabad will look to dent Kolkata Knight Riders' chances of making it to the knockout stage when they face off in an IPL game here on Sunday.

With nine defeats from 11 matches, SRH are languishing at the bottom, while KKR still have hopes of qualifying for the knockout stage as they are at fourth place with 10 points from 12 matches.

SRH have won just one match out of the four that they have played since the resumption of the IPL in the UAE.

While SRH had returned to winning ways after five losses on the trot with a convincing victory over Rajasthan Royals, they lost their last game by six wickets at Sharjah, allowing Chennai Super Kings to qualify for the play-offs.

The Sunrisers had dropped their only IPL-winning (2016) skipper David Warner after axing him from captaincy but that didn't change the fate of the team as Kane Williamson has not been able to revive the fortunes of the Orange Army.

For SRH, batting remains their weakest link, especially in the absence of Jonny Bairstow.

While English opener Jason Roy sizzled on his debut with a quickfire 60 and Williamson too scored a 51 in their successful chase of 165 against RR, both came a cropper against CSK in their last game.

Wriddhiman Shah held the innings together with a 46-ball 44 but SRH could not accelerate in the death overs and only managed 37 runs in the last five overs against CSK.

Their India players such as Priyam Garg, Abhishek Sharma and Abdul Samsad will have to step up if SRH are to salvage some pride and end the season on a positive note.

In the bowling department, Jason Holder has time and again given them the breakthroughs, but senior India pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Siddarth Kaul have disappointed.

Leg-spinner Rashid Khan remains SRH's biggest weapon against any opposition, but he didn't have enough runs to play with most times.

For KKR, the UAE leg of the IPL has been a topsy-turvy affair as they have won three games, while losing two so far.

The two-time former champions have impressed with their performance in the second half, and even their two defeats were narrow, where they lost in the last over.

Venkatesh Iyer has been the star performer with the bat in the second leg for KKR, while Rahul Tripathi has scored the maximum runs for the team this season.

The decision to move Nitish Rana up the order has also paid dividends but Shubman Gill has not been able to capitalise on the starts.

In bowling, Varun Chakravarthy has been their go-to man as he picked up six wickets in the second leg, while Sunil Narine too has been among the wickets.

But they have concerns in the pace department with Andre Russell and Lockie Ferguson missing games following injuries, forcing skipper Eoin Morgan to make changes.

Even the KKR captain needs to get some runs under his belt.

Tim Southee and Shivam Mavi is the new pace bowling pair for KKR and they will need to step up.

Pacer Prasidh Krishna did well to snap four wickets in the matches that he had played, before being dropped for conceding 22 runs in the 19th over, against CSK.

Teams (from): Kolkata Knight Riders: Eoin Morgan (captain), Dinesh Karthik, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Karun Nair, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathy, Shubman Gill, Harbhajan Singh, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Kuldeep Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Pawan Negi, M Prasidh Krishna, Sandeep Warrier, Shivam Dube, Tim Southee, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravarthy, Andre Russel, Ben Cutting, Shakib Al Hasan, Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Sheldon Jackson, Tim Seifert Sunrisers Hyderabad: Kane Williamson (captain), David Warner, Manish Pandey, Sherfane Rutherford, Wriddhiman Saha, Shreevats Goswami, Rashid Khan, Vijay Shankar, Mohammad Nabi, Abhishek Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddharth Kaul, Khaleel Ahmed, Urman Malik, Basil Thampi, Sandeep Sharma, Shahbaz Nadeem, Abdul Samad, J Suchith, Jason Holder, Virat Singh, Priyam Garg, Kedar Jadhav, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, Jason Roy. Match starts at 7:30PM IST.

Also Read : Royal Challengers Bangalore eye playoffs berth against Punjab Kings

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) Sunrisers Hyderabad finally recorded a victory as they defeated Rajasthan Royals after a five match losing streak. Sunrisers are at the bottom of the table with four points in ten matches. They have only won one match so far in the second phase at UAE and two overall. 

 

Sunrisers have managed to record at least six victories ever since their debut at IPL in 2013. They have four matches and need to win all of them to at least have a chance to qualify for the playoffs. Even if they win all of the remaining matches, Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals, Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings would have to lose all but three matches as said statsman Deepu Narayanan.

 

Sunrisers haven’t been able to perform in the batting and bowling departments as Rashid Khan has been the player who has stood out. In the bowling part, Rashid Khan has taken 13 wickets in ten matches and has the best economy rate in the top 15 wicket takers but he is the only bowler to take more than 10 wickets in the team. Jason Holder has six wickets which is the second best for the team as former orange cap holder Bhuvaneshwar Kumar has five wickets in eight matches.

 

The batting department has seen two batsmen cross the 200 run mark, Manish Pandey is currently the only one as Jonny Bairstow has pulled out of the second phase. Manish, Kane Williamson and David Warner have scored two fifties each but have not been able to bail out the team this time. Warner was dropped in the match against Rajasthan Royals and had commented in instagram while replying to a fan saying he won’t be seen again raising doubts over his place in the remaining matches.

 

In the second phase so far, Rashid Khan has been the best performer in the side as he has given away only 74 runs in three matches while taking a wicket in each match. With the latest inclusion of Jason Roy who top scored in their last match with a 42 ball 60 will look to lead the batting line up along with Williamson and Manish. Jason Holder scored 47 not out from 29 balls with five sixes against Punjab Kings as the team fell short of five runs in a low scoring contest.

 

The Sunrisers will next play their match against table toppers Chennai Super Kings on 30th September as a defeat will make it almost impossible to make it to the playoffs. Umran Malik has been named as a short term replacement for Thangarasu Natarajan who had tested positive for Covid last week making things even more difficult. Sunrisers finished 6th in 2014, 2015 and will try to make sure they don’t create a new low this year.

 

Also read: Warner says won't be at stadium again amid speculation of SRH stint ending

(Cricket news) In a match where SRH have nothing to lose and Rajasthan have all to play for might turn out to be an intriguing watch. If RR manage to win they will leapfrog to 4th in the table and will be in the contention of making the playoffs whereas for SRH, they are out and will be playing for pride this year.

SRH may opt to bring in Jason Roy in place of David Warner who is continuing to struggle with scoring runs as Roy with his explosive batting style might provide an attacking start for SRH. The team management may also ponder bringing in Kedhar Jadhav to strengthen the middle order as the relative inexperience of Virat Singh and Priyam Garg has cost the team. SRH will again look to Rashid Khan and Jason Holder to get them crucial breakthroughs, the hot temperatures might get the slower bowlers in the game as SRH might use Abdul Samad and other part time slower bowlers to bowl if required. Sandeep Sharma has got Sanju Samson twice in a match up that needs to be kept an eye on.

RR will get a huge injury boost as Evin Lewis and Chris Morris both will be available for selection. One thing over the years Rajasthan batsmen have got right is playing against Rashid Khan. RR will depend on their fast bowlers to provide important wickets like we saw in the match against Punjab Kings. Kumar Sangakkara and co might have a selection headache as they will be tempted to play Shamsi as extra spin bowling options. Again dependency on Samson and Livingston will be there to score some crucial runs in a very important match for them.

Head to head: SRH 7- 7 RR,Last encounter they faced the Royals won by 55 runs. However, in the last 5 encounters Rajasthan have won thrice.

Pitch and Weather report: The pitch might be good for batting as the Dubai International Stadium has shown some assistance for the fast bowlers. The temperature will be soaring to 37 degrees with no chance of rain.

Interesting facts:

• In 2021, Rajasthan have picked up 42 wickets out of which only 5 wickets have been taken by spinners
• Sanju Samson averages 21.73 in Dubai
• David Warner is averaging 24.4 in IPL 2021 which is the second worst amongst top order batsman
• Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s bowling average this year is 57 is worst in all the IPLs
• Liam Livingstone needs 24 runs to score 4000 runs in T20

Also read: RR need to address batting frailties for returning to winning ways in IPL

Probable playing XI for SRH:
David Warner/Jason Roy, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Kane Williamson (c), Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav/Priyam Garg, Jason Holder, Abdul Samad, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sandeep Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed.

Probable playing XI for RR:
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Liam Livingstone, Sanju Samson (c & wk), David Miller/Evin Lewis, Mahipal Lomror, Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Tabraiz Shamsi/Chris Morris, Kartik Tyagi, Chetan Sakariya, Mustafizur Rahman
 

Dubai, Sep 26 (Cricket News) Skipper Sanju Samson needs support from his batsmen as Rajasthan Royals look to return to winning ways against laggards Sunrisers Hyderabad here on Monday and keep their play-offs hopes alive in the Indian Premier League.

RR are currently placed seventh in the standings with eight points from nine games, while SRH are already out of contention following just one victory and eight reverses.

In the second leg of the T20 league, RR defeated Punjab Kings by two runs before losing by 33 runs against table toppers Delhi Capitals on Saturday.

SRH, on the other hand, lost by eight wickets and five runs against DC and Punjab, respectively, post IPL's the resumption in the UAE.

Come Monday, RR would definitely fancy their chances against SRH in the battle of strugglers. In the first leg in India, RR defeated SRH by 55 runs.

In their game against DC in the second leg, the RR bowling unit continued its impressive show, restricting the opponents to 154 for six.

But it is the batting department that let RR down with Samson (unbeaten 70) playing the lone hand.

The likes of young Yashasvi Jaiswal and Mahipal Lomror, who starred with the bat against Punjab, and Liam Livingstone and David Miller all failed to stitch a partnership with Samson.

All-rounders Riyan Parag and Rahul Tewatia didn't help their cause either.

But RR would get confidence from the performance of its bowling unit in both the matches.

The pace trio of Mustafizur Rahman, young Kartik Tyagi and Chetan Saklariya have been impressive with the ball, while South African Tabrez Shamsi and Tewatia have delivered the goods in the spin department.

SRH, on the other hand, have had a disastrous campaign this season, suffering eight loses out of nine games they have played so far.

With nothing to lose after being knocked out of the tournament, bottom-placed SRH will look to play party-poopers from here on.

For SRH, it is all about enjoying the remaining few games and ending on a high.

With Johnny Bairstow, their season's leading run-getter, pulling out and Australian opener David Warner in poor form, SRH have found the going tough.

The likes of skipper Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey, Wriddhiman Saha, Kedar Jadhav and Abdul Samad also failed to provide the much-needed impetus to SRH's batting.

SRH's bowling is over reliant on spin sensation Rashid Khan as it has been a mediocre outing this season for the likes of Khaleel Ahmed, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jason Holder.

Teams (from): Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (captain), Liam Livingstone, Evin Lewis, David Miller, Chris Morris, Oshane Thomas, Mustafizur Rahaman, Tabraiz Shamsi, Glenn Phillips, Chetan Sakariya, Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Akash Singh, Anuj Rawat, KC Cariappa, Yashashvi Jaiswal, Shivam Dube, Shreyas Gopal, Kartik Tyagi, Mayank Markande, Jaydev Unadkat, Kuldip Yadav, Mahipal Lomror.

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Kane Williamson (captain), David Warner, Manish Pandey, Sherfane Rutherford, Wriddhiman Saha, Shreevats Goswami, Rashid Khan, Vijay Shankar, Mohammad Nabi, Abhishek Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddharth Kaul, Khaleel Ahmed, T Natarajan, Basil Thampi, Sandeep Sharma, Shahbaz Nadeem, Abdul Samad, J Suchith, Jason Holder, Virat Singh, Priyam Garg, Kedar Jadhav, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, Jason Roy.

Match starts at 7:30PM IST.

Also Read : Bowlers script Delhi Capitals' 33-run win over Rajasthan Royals

News Source : PTI

Sharjah, Sep 24 (Cricket News) Almost out of reckoning for a play-off berth, bottom-placed Sunrisers Hyderabad will look to play party-poopers when they take on an equally struggling Punjab Kings in the IPL's battle of laggards here on Saturday.

Sunrisers suffered their seventh defeat on Wednesday after being blown away by Delhi Capitals and their play-off chances look less than dim as they have managed just two points after eight games.

Punjab, on the other hand, quite inexplicably found a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory against Rajasthan Royals and will be desperate to find an answer to their problems after being placed seventh with six points from nine matches.

The Kings were well-placed to win their first IPL game of the UAE leg before committing harakari in the last over bowled by Kartik Tyagi. They lost two wickets and scored just one run while needing four to win against Rajasthan.

Despite being packed with excellent Indian and foreign talent, Punjab Kings have regularly messed up games and skipper KL Rahul will have to address their inconsistency.

Punjab Kings have also lacked any kind of stability over the last 14 seasons with captains and coaches being changed frequently.

Their playing XI too has gone through many changes, something which has drawn sharp criticism from former team mentor Virender Sehwag.

In batting, Rahul and Mayank Agarwal have been one of the most dominant opening duo of the IPL.

In the last game too, they put on 120 runs in 11.5 overs but none of them could stay back to finish the job.

While Chris Gayle can destroy any attack even at the age of 41, he was kept out in the last game.

In the middle-order, Nicholas Pooran, who had a horrendous outing in the first phase, looked good in the last game before he lost his bearings in the final over even as Aiden Markram was left stranded on the other side.

In bowling department, Mohammed Shami has been their prime bowler and he did well to pull things back against RR.

Young Arshdeep Singh also returned with five wickets as he and Shami bowled out RR to 185 in the last game.

However, Punjab's spinners, especially England's Adil Rashid, have disappointed and they will need to step up their game in the next few weeks.

For Sunrisers, it is all about enjoying the remaining few games and ending on a high.

With Johnny Bairstow, their season's leading run-getter, pulling out and Australian opener David Warner in poor form, SRH have found the going tough against Delhi.

The likes of Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey, Wriddhiman Saha, Kedar Jadhav, Abdul Samad also failed to capitalise on their starts as SRH could manage just 134 in their last game.

Their bowling has been too dependent on spin sensation Rashid Khan and it will be important for the likes of Khaleel Ahmed, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jason Holder to put up a strong show to give some respectability to the team's campaign.

Squads: Punjab Kings: KL Rahul (captain), Mayank Agarwal, Arshdeep Singh, Ishan Porel, Shahrukh Khan, Mohammed Shami, Nathan Ellis, Adil Rashid, Murugan Ashwin, Harpreet Brar, Moises Henriques, Chris Jordan, Aiden Markram, Mandeep Singh, Darsan Nalkande, Prabhsimran Singh, Ravi BIshnoi, Utkarsh Singh, Fabian Allen, Saurabh Kumar, Jalaj Saxena.

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Kane Williamson (Captain), David Warner, Manish Pandey, Sherfane Rutherford, Wriddhiman Saha, Shreevats Goswami, Rashid Khan, Vijay Shankar, Mohammad Nabi, Abhishek Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddharth Kaul, Khaleel Ahmed, T Natarajan, Basil Thampi, Sandeep Sharma, Shahbaz Nadeem, Abdul Samad, J Suchith, Jason Holder, Virat Singh, Priyam Garg, Kedar Jadhav, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, Jason Roy.

March Starts: 7:30 pm.

Also Read : In the last two games, superstars have been our bowlers: Morgan

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) The main question the Hyderabad setup needs to answer is, will they bring back David Warner back into the playing XI? He was stripped off his captaincy midway through the season and then axed from the playing XI against Rajasthan Royals which has meant that he has suffered his worst IPL season by some distance. For SRH, chances of qualification look really grim with Kane Willamson and co needing to win all their matches to even stand a chance for qualifying for the playoffs. On the other hand Delhi Capitals will look to reclaim top spot from CSK, the welcome return of Sheryas Iyer might act as a boost for the team.

SRH's biggest miss is going to be their best batsman this season's Jonny Bairstow as he opted to focus on the T20 World Cup and Ashes. They have brought in West Indies explosive batsman Sherfane Rutherford as his replacement. Another major concern for SRH is their middle order as they haven't really shown any impetus to score runs or even take the team home in run chases. With Bairstow not playing, SRH management can use either Mohammad Nabi or Jason Holder to fill that void in the team. In the first leg SRH were hampered with injuries especially to their bowlers, this unwanted break might act as a blessing in disguise as they have near full strength bowling line.

The Delhi Capitals side will be looking for their maiden IPL trophy as this team almost have all the bases covered. They lost Chris Woakes but have replaced him with Ben Dwarshuis for the rest of the season, while left arm seamer Kulwant Khejroliya replaces M Siddharth. The DC management opted to stick with Rishabh Pant as the captain even though Sheryas Iyer is back to full fitness. The return of Iyer will be a boost for the team, and the balance of the team improves as he can play no 3 which could mean that they could bring back the South African duo of Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada back together in playing XI. Warner vs Rabada will be a key battle to watch out for as Rabada has dismissed him 3 times in 39 balls but he has also conceded at a rate of 9.38.

Head to head: SRH 11 - 8 DC, the last time they played Delhi prevailed in a humdinger of a contest as the match went into a super over.

Pitch and Weather report: The Dubai International Stadium is a batting friendly surface like we saw in the last match and is expected to assist the batters again, pacers might get some assistance towards the latter half of the game and wrist spinners in both the sides might play a big role.The temperature will  hover around 39 degrees as the humidity will be 55% with no chance of rain as of now. The dew factor could play a major role in the second innings.

Also read: Captain Samson fined Rs 12 lakh for RR's slow over rate against Punjab

Interesting facts:

 

• Amit Mishra will become the first player to feature in 100 matches for Delhi in the IPL if he plays 
• Amit Mishra is only 4 wickets behind Lasith Malinga’s tally of 170 wickets to become the highest wicket taker in IPL history
• Rashid Khan has picked up 17 wickets in 12 matches in Dubai at an economy rate of 4.55
• DC have hit the fewest sixes (32) but have hit most fours also (132)
• Ashwin needs only one wicket to take 250 T20 wickets and in doing so he’ll become the only the third Indian bowler to do so.  

Probable XI for DC:

1 Prithvi Shaw, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Shreyas Iyer, 4 Rishabh Pant (capt & wk), 5 Marcus Stoinis, 6 Shimron Hetmyer, 7 Axar Patel, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Anrich Nortje, 11 Avesh Khan   

Probable XI for SRH:

1 David Warner, 2 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 3 Manish Pandey, 4 Kane Williamson (capt), 5 Kedar Jadhav, 6 Abdul Samad, 7 Jason Holder/ Mohammad Nabi, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 T Natarajan, 11 Sandeep Sharma   .       

Dubai, Sep 21 (Cricket News) Bolstered by Shreyas Iyer's return, Delhi Capitals will look to maintain the form they showed in the first half of the season as they resume their IPL campaign against a struggling Sunrisers Hyderabad here on Wednesday.

Delhi are currently sitting on the second spot, with 12 points from eight games. On the other hand, Sunrisers are placed at the last spot, with just a solitary win from seven games and six losses.

The Rishabh Pant-led side ended the first half of the IPL with a win and would be keen to start on a winning note.

And to do that, the Capitals have enough power-hitters in their line-up, who can take any good attack to cleansers and Sunrisers won’t be an exception.

Opener Shikhar Dhawan (380 runs), would be keen to prove the selectors wrong after being axed from India’s World T20 squad, while his partner young Prithvi Shaw (308 runs), would also like to get some runs under his belt.

DC boast of a strong middle-order comprising Shreyas Iyer, skipper Rishabh Pant (213 runs), Australians Steve Smith (104 runs) and Marcus Stoinis (71 runs) and Shimron Hetmyer (84 runs.

They will have to play their roles well if the Capitals need to keep winning and in case the opener’s fail, the middle-order will need to take responsibility.

Iyer, who is making a comeback after recovering from shoulder injury that he sustained in March, would also be keen to start the tournament well.

Delhi also have a settled bowling attack and they could go in with Avesh Khan (14 wickets) and Kasigo Rabada (8 wickets), who have been lethal at the start and at the death.

Delhi have array of spinners to choose from – be it wily old-fox Ravichandran Ashwin, experienced campaigner Amit Mishra, Axar Patel, Lalit Yadav or Pravin Dubey.

For Sunrisers, a win would boost their confidence and help them stay afloat in the tournament.

However, their season’s leading run-getter Johnny Bairstow, has decided to pull out and hence the marauding Australian opener David Warner (193 runs) will have to shoulder more responsibility.

The likes of Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey, Wriddhiman Saha, Kedar Jadhav, Abdul Samad and Vijay Shankar, will also need to chip in and contribute.

Their bowlers, led by spin sensation Rashid Khan, also will have to put up a disciplined show to contain the Delhi batters at the Dubai International Stadium.

Teams (From): Delhi Capitals: Rishabh Pant (Captain), Ajinkya Rahane, Prithvi Shaw, Ripal Patel, Shikhar Dhawan, Shimrom Hetmyar, Shreyas Iyer, Steve Smith, Amit Mishra, Anrich Nortje, Avesh Khan, Ben Dwarshuis, Ishant Sharma, Kagiso Rabada, Kulwant Khejroliya, Lukman Meriwala, Pravin Dubey, Tom Curran, Umesh Yadav, Axar Patel, Lalit Yadav, Marcus Stoinis, Ravichandran Ashwin, Sam Billings and Vishnu Vinod.

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Kane Williamson (Captain), David Warner, Manish Pandey, Sherfane Rutherford, Wriddhiman Saha, Shreevats Goswami, Rashid Khan, Vijay Shankar, Mohammad Nabi, Abhishek Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddharth Kaul, Khaleel Ahmed, T Natarajan, Basil Thampi, Sandeep Sharma, Shahbaz Nadeem, Abdul Samad, J Suchith, Jason Holder, Virat Singh, Priyam Garg, Kedar Jadhav, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, Jason Roy.

Match starts at 7.30 PM.

Also Read : How Kohli overcame persistent back issues

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) IPL has seen the highest run scorers every year breaking new barriers as the orange cap takes a lot of team effort too as more the matches, the more the chances they get to score. Players like Chris Gayle, Brendon McCullum, David Warner and Ab De Villers have redefined the art of attacking the bowlers. Indian players are also not far behind as Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Suresh Raina have terrorised the bowlers in their own style.

When we look at the numbers, only twice has the orange cap holder scored less than 600 runs in a season, Mathew Hayden scored 572 runs in 2009 and David Warner scored 562 runs in 2015 which is the lowest for an orange cap holder. Virat Kohli has scored the most runs in a single season when he scored 973 runs in the 2016 season, no one has been able to touch the 900 run mark and the closest was in the same season when David Warner finished second with 848 runs.

Shaun Marsh was the first player to score over 600 runs in a single season as he took the orange cap in 2008, Sachin Tendulkar became the first Indian to score 600 runs in a season as he scored 618 runs in the 2010 season. Chris Gayle became the first player to break the 700 run barrier as he scored 733 runs in the 2012 season, Virat Kohli became the first Indian to score more than 700 runs in a year in the 2016 season and was joined by David Warner. Warner and Kohli are the only batsmen to score more than 800 runs in a year.

Sunrisers Hyderabad has had a batsmen score more than 600 runs a year four consecutive times and Royal Challengers Bangalore being the other one who have done it four times but on separate occasions. Punjab Kings have done it thrice, Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals have done it twice, Mumbai Indians and Kolkota Knight Riders have done it once with Rajasthan yet to do it. David Warner has won the orange cap a record three times.

Virat Kohli is leading the run chart overall with 6076 runs, he is the only player to go past the 6000 run mark and is followed by Shikhar Dhawan who has 5577 runs to his name. David Warner has the highest runs for an overseas player as he has scored 5447 runs with De Villers coming in second with 5056 runs. Dhawan can cross the 5600 run mark while Warner can enter the 5500 mark in this season.

Warner has scored the most fifties as he has scored it fifty times in 148 innings and has a narrow lead over Dhawan who has 44 fifties to his name. Chris Gayle is on top in the century list as he has 6 hundreds to his name and is challenged by Virat Kohli who has five in which four came in the 2016 season which is itself a record. The first hundred was scored by Brendon McCullum in the very first match of the IPL in 2008, he was playing for Kolkata and scored it against Bangalore. Manish Pandey scored the first hundred by an Indian in the IPL, he was playing for Bangalore and scored it against Deccan Chargers in 2009. 

Chris Gayle has scored the fastest century as it took him only 30 balls to reach the three figure mark against Pune Warriors India in 2013 and the Indian record is held by Yusuf Pathan when he scored a century in 37 balls against Mumbai Indians in 2013. The IPL is known to bring in records every season and has seen batsmen smashing sixes all over the stadium and even out of the stadium. This season, the batsmen will have more challenges as the UAE pitches are not batsmen friendly so they won't have the same advantage that they had in India. However, this format is all about challenges and this time too it will be handled with brutal force and power.

 

Also read: The top five run scorers in the first phase of the Indian Premier League

(Cricket news) Sunrisers Hyderabad are at the bottom of the points table with 2 points as the next few matches are a must win for the 2016 champions. They lost in the second qualifier to Delhi Capitals last year and this year have had a poor start in the League with 6 losses in 7 matches. Their lone victory came against Punjab Kings in the fourth match, since then they are on a three match losing streak and also lost their first three matches.

They are led by Kane Williamson who took over David Warner after the first six matches and will be leading the team for the remainder of the IPL. The change in captaincy did lead to some speculations about the team as Warner had led the side in the previous occasions and also topped the lists with the bat but since the team has been struggling this year there was some sense to try as many options available. 

Their batting line up has been carried by David Warner for the past few years and Bhuvaneshwar Kumar has added strength to the bowling line up. Johnny Bairstow was the leading run getter in the first half for the team but has pulled out the second half as Sherfane Rutherford has been his replacement. Rutherford is coming back from a CPL title win with St Kitts and Nevis Patriots and has scored three half centuries from his last four outings.

Sunrisers Hyderabad have a strong bowling line up as Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, yorker specialist Thangarasu Natarajan and Rashid Khan who is also the current leading wicket taker in the team. Khaleel Ahmed and Siddarth Kaul also form a dangerous duo as they add more to the bowling line up. Mohammad Nabi was slowly finding his form and can be a life saver in the second phase meanwhile there are now reports over spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman as he is yet to join the team in Dubai over not getting an entry visa.

Their batting line has failed to live up the expectations as Williamson and Wriddhiman Saha have struggled in the first phase. Warner and Manish Pandey have struck two half centuries so far, the team’s highest score of 177 came in the first match against Kolkata Knight Riders as only Pandey and Warner were scoring runs. Williamson had a terrific year with the bat in 2018 when they lost in the final to Chennai Super Kings.

Jason Holder is a powerful batsman and also a useful bowler and will look to contribute at both ends as the team needs the batsmen to start scoring. They have been one of the most consistent teams since their debut in 2013 and always managed to reach the top four except in 2014 and 2015 so it’s too early to count them out of the league. They will need to begin a winning streak in UAE and the best way to begin would be to topple the table leaders Delhi Capitals on 22nd September.

Also read: What you do in second half of IPL matters, says Royals spinner Shamsi

Colombo, Jul 30 (Cricket news) Indian cricketers Krishnappa Gowtham and Yuzvendra Chahal have been forced to stay back in Sri Lanka after testing positive for COVID-19 in pre-departure tests, joining all-rounder Krunal Pandya who is already in isolation after being infected earlier.

A BCCI official had earlier in the day said that the squad has left from Colombo but it is still waiting at the airport after the fresh cases came to light and is expected to leave later in the day.

"Yuzi and Gowtham have tested positive as the team was supposed to return by a charter flight to Bengaluru sans Krunal Pandya. But now as per rules, Gowtham and Yuzi will also have to be in seven-day isolation in Sri Lanka," a BCCI source in Colombo told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

Every member before boarding a return flight was supposed to undergo an RT-PCR test and there Gowtham and Chahal, deemed as close contacts of Krunal, have been found positive.

Also read: Navdeep Saini to undergo scans for his left shoulder injury: BCCI

Six others -- Hardik Pandya, Manish Pandey, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Prithvi Shaw and Deepak Chahar -- are free to depart the country.

Shaw and Surya are supposed to be flown to the United Kingdom where they will join as replacement players after Avesh Khan and Washington Sundar got injured.

News source: PTI

Colombo, Jul 30 (Cricket news) The Indian cricket contingent on Friday left the Sri Lankan shores after completing a six-match white-ball series but visiting all-rounder Krunal Pandya remained in mandatory isolation here to recover from COVID-19.

However, it couldn't be confirmed whether the two UK-bound players -- Suryakumar Yadav and Prithvi Shaw -- are leaving from the Sri Lankan capital itself or will be coming back to India on a charter plane with the rest of the squad before flying off again.

India lost the T20 series 1-2 after several players of the squad had to be isolated owing to Krunal's infection.

"Yes, only Krunal will have to stay back in Sri Lanka for the time being due to the mandatory isolation period of one week," a senior BCCI official told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

"After one week, if he has two negative RT-PCR reports, he will be allowed to fly back. Currently he is in the fourth day of his isolation. All others are free to depart as they have all tested negative," he added.

The Indian team on Thursday finished the series, which initially was delayed due to multiple COVID-19 cases in the Sri Lankan camp after they returned from their tour of United Kingdom.

Also read: How do the numbers stack up for The Hundred after its first week

The ODI series was delayed by five days and then the second T20 International, slated on Tuesday, had to be deferred by a day after Krunal tested positive, having shown symptoms on that day.

Eight other players, who were deemed his close contact, were alos isolated and tested.

They were his younger brother Hardik, Shaw and Suryakumar, Manish Pandey, Deepak Chahar, Krishnappa Gowtham, Ishan Kishan and Yuzvendra Chahal.

However all the eight had tested negative.

News source: PTI 

Colombo, Jul 26 (Cricket news) The Indian team will want Sanju Samson to translate his phenomenal talent into consistent performances when they try to wrap up the T20 International series against Sri Lanka by winning the second match here on Tuesday.

Having beaten Sri Lanka hollow by 38 runs in the opening encounter, the Indians are unlikely to ring in changes to the winning combination unless the team management decides to rest Prithvi Shaw and Suryakumar Yadav, who are getting ready to link up with the red-ball team in the United Kingdom.

However, it is expected that both will at least play tomorrow and may be rested for the last game once India have sealed the series.

In case there is an alternate plan then Devdutt Padikkal and Ruturaj Gaikwad might get a look-in rather than an out-of-form Manish Pandey.

But on Tuesday, there will be focus on Samson, who has always been rated highly and as the "next big thing" but has flattered to deceive in an India jersey in all the chances that he has got.

An average of 13.75 across eight games with sufficient opportunity to bat at the top-order doesn't bode well for Samson at a time when Indian cricket's talent cupboard is overflowing with riches.

Rishabh Pant has left him far behind in terms of performance and Ishan Kishan, in the limited chances that he has got, has done no harm to his reputation.

With KL Rahul also wicketkeeping option in white-ball cricket, it is high time that the Kerala man justifies the show of faith by the Indian cricket system.

Samson and NCA director Rahul Dravid, who has been heavily invested in the former's abilities, would want that his ward to do more than some breathtaking cover drives or flicked six off fast bowlers.

This series will be Samson's last chance to impress for some time in case he fails to get a significant score in the next two games.

The other minor worry for the team would be Hardik Pandya's batting form which has tapered off a bit in recent games.

His bowling has been steady but he is nowhere near what he used to be as a skiddy pacer before his back surgery.

The Indian bowling put up a fantastic show during the first game and Yuzvendra Chahal would like to do an encore with Varun Chakravarthy also fighting for that wrist spinner's slot.

In fact, with more than 20 players supposed to be selected for the T20 World Cup in the UAE, both Chakravarthy and Chahal could be in the squad.

For Sri Lanka, the T20 series is a tougher test than the ODIs as they don't have enforcers, who can take the game away with consistent big hits.

Charith Asalanka did try to put pressure on India during his knock of 44 but the inexperience of Dasun Shanaka's team during the crucial phases of the game was exposed as they lost six wickets for 15 runs on Monday.

Also read: Renegades Recruit miniseries launches tonight

The silver lining certainly will be Wanindu Hasaranga's leg-breaks which have been causing a few problems for the Indians save Suryakumar, who has been in prime form.

Teams (from): India: Shikhar Dhawan (Captain), Prithvi Shaw, Devdutt Padikkal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Suryakumar Yadav, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Nitish Rana, Ishan Kishan (Wicket-keeper), Sanju Samson (Wicket-keeper), Yuzvendra Chahal, Rahul Chahar, K Gowtham, Krunal Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Bhuvneshwar Kumar (Vice-captain), Deepak Chahar, Navdeep Saini, Chetan Sakariya Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka: Dasun Shanaka (captain), Dhananjaya De Silva, Avishka Fernando, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Pathum Nissanka, Charith Asalanka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Ashen Bandara, Minod Bhanuka, Lahiru Udara, Ramesh Mendis, Chamika Karunaratne, Binura Fernando, Dushmantha Chameera, Lakshan Sandakan, Akila Dananjaya, Shiran Fernando, Dhananjaya Lakshan, Ishan Jayaratne, Praveen Jayawickrama, Asitha Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara, Isuru Udana.

Match Starts at 8 pm.

News source: PTI 

Colombo, Jul 24 (Cricket news) Mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy could well be in line for international debut as a formidable India, with a galaxy of powerhouse IPL performers, start as overwhelming favourites against Sri Lanka in the opening T20 International here on Sunday.

Having lost a game in the ODI series, Shikhar Dhawan's men would look to go one better against Sri Lanka with a team that is ahead in almost all departments.

Coach Rahul Dravid will, however, want to check out Chakravarthy, who can bowl off-breaks, carrom ball and also take the deliveries away from right-handers, having proved his prowess in the Indian Premier League.

Having missed out on an away series in Australia and home series versus England due to poor fitness and injury related issues, the 29-year-old Chakravarthy will like his fairytale story to continue even as the Indian team is looking at one spinner for the T20 World Cup in the UAE.

Chakravarthy, a qualified architect, was more of a tennis ball player, who took to serious cricket much later in his life and earned his stripes through some great showing in the competitive Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL), which got him his maiden IPL contract.

His is a beautiful story and if he could make it to the World T20 squad, it will be nothing short of spectacular, given the fact that he is not a product of a structured cricket system.

The other debut could be one among Devdutt Padikkal and Ruturaj Gaikwad, both of whom had been proven IPL performers. With Prithvi Shaw and Suryakumar Yadav set to leave for England, the team management might not risk playing both the players.

Padikkal's elegance is much anticipated in the international arena and he will get a good guide in skipper Dhawan, who has picked up his T20 game in the last two editions of IPL.

It is expected that both Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson will be included in the playing XI from which Manish Pandey, after an indifferent T20 series, is set to be dropped. The Pandya brothers -- Hardik and Krunal -- are automatic choices in this format.

Bhuvneshar Kumar and Deepak Chahar, after a much well-earned rest, will be back in the mix and Yuzvendra Chahal is likely to join Krunal and Chakravarthy in the slow-bowling department.

For Sri Lanka, the first win against India in an ODI on home soil after nine years could be just the turnaround that the country's cricketing ecosystem needs after being in shambles for years.

Dasun Shanaka is a young captain but is trying to be instinctive on the field but with some quality players like Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Chamika Karunaratne and Avishka Fernando in their ranks, they would try to pose quality challenge for the Indians.

Akila Dananjaya and Raveen Jayawickrama's bowling in the last match suggests that the worn-out Premadasa pitches will grip and also provide some turn although dew in the month of July won't be a factor.

Also read: Disappointed to not score big, focussed to build from here: Suryakumar Yadav

The Teams (From): India: Shikhar Dhawan (captain), Prithvi Shaw, Devdutt Padikkal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Suryakumar Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar (vice-captain), Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Nitish Rana, Ishan Kishan (Wicket-keeper), Sanju Samson (Wicket-keeper), Yuzvendra Chahal, Rahul Chahar, K Gowtham, Krunal Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Deepak Chahar, Navdeep Saini, Chetan Sakariya.

Sri Lanka: Dasun Shanaka (captain), Dhananjaya De Silva, Avishka Fernando, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Pathum Nissanka, Charith Asalanka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Ashen Bandara, Minod Bhanuka, Lahiru Udara, Ramesh Mendis, Chamika Karunaratne, Binura Fernando, Dushmantha Chameera, Lakshan Sandakan, Akila Dananjaya, Shiran Fernando, Dhananjaya Lakshan, Ishan Jayaratne, Praveen Jayawickrama, Asitha Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara, Isuru Udana.

Match Starts at 8 pm.

News source: PTI 

Colombo, Jul 23 (Cricket news) Youngsters Prithvi Shaw and Sanju Samson frittered away fantastic starts as India reached 147 for 3 in 23 overs against Sri Lanka in the third and final ODI when rain stopped play.

Shaw (49 off 49 balls) and Samson (46 off 46 balls) were breathtaking as usual but failed to once again get big scores in a game where head coach Rahul Dravid handed out as many as five maiden ODI caps.

At the time of break, Suryakumar Yadav (22) and Manish Pandey (10) were at the crease.

For Sri Lanka, off-spinner Praveen Jayawickrama, skipper Dasun Shanaka and pacer Dushmantha Chameera got a wicket each.

Brief Scores: India: 147/3 in 23 overs (Prithvi Shaw 49 not out, Sanju Samson 46 off 46 balls) vs Sri Lanka.

Also read: 3rd ODI: Second instance when India handed five debuts

News source : PTI

Colombo, Jul 23 (Cricket news) A new-look India with as many as five rookies making their ODI debuts will bat first against Sri Lanka in the final 50-over game of the series here on Friday.

As expected, head coach Rahul Dravid ensured game time for almost everyone in the squad as Nitish Rana, Rahul Chahar, Chetan Sakariya, Kishnappa Gowtham and Sanju Samson made their debuts.

Chahar and Samson have already played T20 Internationals for India. The sixth change in the side is pacer Navdeep Saini.

Praveen Jayawickrama, Akila Dananjaya and Ramesh Mendis are three changes in the Lankan side.

India have already sealed the three-game series 2-0.

Also read: 3rd ODI: India’s conundrum whether to experiment or not after series win

India: Shikhar Dhawan(c), Prithvi Shaw, Sanju Samson(w), Manish Pandey, Suryakumar Yadav, Nitish Rana, Hardik Pandya, Krishnappa Gowtham, Rahul Chahar, Navdeep Saini, Chetan Sakariya.

Sri Lanka: Dasun Shanaka(c), Avishka Fernando, Minod Bhanuka(w), Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Ramesh Mendis, Chamika Karunaratne, Akila Dananjaya, Dushmantha Chameera, Praveen Jayawickrama.

News source: PTI 

Colombo, Jul 22 (Cricket news) India coach Rahul Dravid will have to choose between experimenting and continuing the winning combination in his bid to ensure a clean sweep against Sri Lanka in the third and final one-dayer here on Friday.

While Shikhar Dhawan-led India won the first game by seven wickets, Deepak Chahar pulled a heist in the second one with his match-winning unbeaten 69 as the visitors won by three wickets.

Now, it remains to be seen whether India continue with Prithvi Shaw, who got scores of 43 and 13, to partner the skipper at the top, or go in for classy Devdutt Padikkal or an equally elegant Ruturaj Gaikwad -- both superb List A players.

If Shaw gets another opportunity, he would be more than keen to get a big score, as he failed to convert his start in the first game.

Another dilemma for the team management would be whether to persist with aggressive Ishan Kishan or give an opportunity to Sanju Samson, another hard-hitting batsman, to make his ODI debut.

The likes of Manish Pandey and ever-improving Suryakumar Yadav are certain to maintain their places as the duo are the middle-order backbone.

With vice-captain Bhuvneshwar Kumar making it clear that there are no fitness issues with Hardik Pandya, the flamboyant Baroda player and his brother all-rounder Krunal are expected to play.

There are times when every player does not want to rest and play each game, but the team management would need to consider the workload of the bowlers, as they are playing six matches in just 12 days in humid Sri Lankan conditions.

In the two previous games, the Indian bowlers managed to contain the inexperienced Sri Lankan batting-line up and pulled things back.

While Bhuvneshwar could continue to lead the attack, it remains to be seen whether the team management opts for young Navdeep Saini or uncapped impressive left-arm pacer Chetan Sakariya in place of last game’s hero Deepak Chahar, who has been exceptional with his knuckle-ball.

But Chahar, who has now shown that he can bat, is also a key player in the T20 set up, and hence he could be rested, with the three shortest format games lined up.

The spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav (2/48 and 0/55) and Yuzvendra Chahal (2/52 and 3/50) did pretty well in the first two games. But with the likes of off-spinner Krishnappa Gowtham and talented Rahul Chahar, waiting in the wings, it will be a difficult call on whom to play.

With the series already in the bag, the team may rest ‘Kulcha’ and play the young guns, with Krunal as the third spinner.

For Sri Lanka, a win in the final game would do wonders to their confidence after nearly pulling off a win in the second game.

Opener Avishka Fernando has been among runs, but needs support from the other batsmen.

A good outing for skipper Dasun Shanaka, Minod Bhanuka, Dhananjaya de Silva and others would not only help the team but also themselves in the career ahead.

Sri Lanka coach Mickey Arthur’s anger and disappointment was much visible in the last game, but he needs to bolster his players, especially his bowlers.

For Sri Lanka, the performance of leggie Wanindu Hasaranga, who picked three wickets in the last match, would also be crucial.

The Teams (From): India: Shikhar Dhawan (captain), Prithvi Shaw, Devdutt Padikkal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Suryakumar Yadav, Manish Pandey, Nitish Rana, Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Krishnappa Gowtham, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Rahul Chahar, Deepak Chahar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Chetan Sakariya, Navdeep Saini.

Sri Lanka: Dasun Shanaka (captain), Dhananjaya De Silva, Avishka Fernando, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Pathum Nissanka, Charith Asalanka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Ashen Bandara, Minod Bhanuka, Lahiru Udara, Ramesh Mendis, Chamika Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Lakshan Sandakan, Akila Dhananjaya, Shiran Fernando, Dhananjaya Lakshan, Ishan Jayaratne, Praveen Jayawickrema, Asitha Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara, Isuru Udana.

Match starts at 3 PM IST.

Also read: Cricketer Rishabh Pant recovers from COVID-19 infection, joins team bio-bubble

News source: PTI

Colombo, Jul 20 (Cricket news) Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka won the toss and elected to bat against India in the second ODI here on Tuesday.

India is fielding an unchanged side, while pacer Kasun Rajitha comes in for fast bowler Isuru Udana in the Sri Lankan playing XI.

India had defeated the hosts by seven wickets in the the opening game to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

Teams: India: Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan(C), Ishan Kishan(WK), Manish Pandey, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Deepak Chahar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav.

Sri Lanka: Avishka Fernando, Minod Bhanuka(WK), Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka(C), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Lakshan Sandakan, Kasun Rajitha.

Also Read: India will aim to stamp authority over Sri Lanka in second ODI

News source: PTI

Colombo, Jul 19 (Cricket news) India's young guns will get another opportunity to flaunt their exceptional talent and secure a series win against a hapless Sri Lankan outfit in the second ODI here on Tuesday.

Skipper Shikhar Dhawan was left in complete awe at the other end as the likes of Prithvi Shaw, Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav made batting look ridiculously easy in the first ODI on Sunday night.

In the long run, India want to play more aggressively in the shorter formats and the performance of the trio served as a perfect template in that context.

Their sensational batting also reinforced the might of India's bench strength with ODI debutants Kishan and Yadav bossing the opposition from ball one.

Sri Lanka bowlers also made it easier for the marauding Indian batters who romped home to the win in the 37th over.

India are unlikely to make changes as they would like to pocket the series before giving chances to other youngsters in the squad.

The only one feeling the heat would be Manish Pandey, who laboured to a 40-ball 26 in the series opener when others were at their fluent best.

Shaw, in his comeback game, played breathtaking strokes on the off-side but missed out on a big score. It is something he would like to correct on Tuesday.

It was good to see Kuldeep Chahal and Yuzvendra Chahal bowl in tandem after a long time and they proved once again that they perform better as a pair.

With spinners bowling the bulk of the overs, star all-rounder Hardik Pandya showed promise in the five overs he bowled.

Seniormost pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar did not have the best of days but trust him to be back in his elements in the next game.

It will take a special effort from the struggling Sri Lankan side to pull one back against the rampaging visitors.

The inexperienced team showed it has the talent to compete with the opposition if not win. Most of the batsmen got starts but could not convert. It is something they will have to fix to test India.

Thanks to Chamika Karunaratne's 35-ball 43, Sri Lanka were able to cross 250. He feels his team can regularly score 300-plus if the batsmen don't squander starts.

"We were trying to play longer innings - even when I was batting with Dasun Shanaka in the 42nd or 43rd over I asked him if I should go for some big shots, but he told me to wait until the 45th over.

"If more of our batsmen had been able to bat longer, we could have attacked earlier and gone for a bigger score. We do have the ability to get to 300 or 350, and hopefully that will happen in the next games," said Karunaratne.

The bowlers too need to raise their game significantly to put pressure on the high-quality Indian batsmen.

Both teams might be interested in chasing with the slow pitch playing better in the evening.

Also read: One or two bad games can't finish you but doubts do creep in when you are not playing: Cricketer Kuldeep

Squads: India: Shikhar Dhawan (captain), Prithvi Shaw, Devdutt Padikkal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Suryakumar Yadav, Manish Pandey, Nitish Rana, Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Krishnappa Gowtham, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Rahul Chahar, Deepak Chahar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Chetan Sakariya, Navdeep Saini.

Sri Lanka: Dasun Shanaka (captain), Dhananjaya De Silva, Avishka Fernando, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Pathum Nissanka, Charith Asalanka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Ashen Bandara, Minod Bhanuka, Lahiru Udara, Ramesh Mendis, Chamika Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Lakshan Sandakan, Akila Dhananjaya, Shiran Fernando, Dhananjaya Lakshan, Ishan Jayaratne, Praveen Jayawickrema, Asitha Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara, Isuru Udana.

Match starts 3 PM IST.

News source: PTI 

Colombo, Jul 18 (Cricket news) Kuldeep Yadav was steady and Yuzvendra Chahal decent before Chamika Karunaratane's late blitz powered Sri Lanka to 262 for nine in the first ODI against India here on Sunday.

Kuldeep (2/48 in 9 overs) and Chahal (2/52 in 10 overs), fondly referred to as 'Kul-Cha', didn't exactly run through the Sri Lankan batting line-up, but bowled enough wicket-taking deliveries to choke the run-flow.

And then Krunal Pandya's (1/26 in 10 overs) nagging accuracy made run-scoring an arduous task in the middle-overs before Karunaratne (43 no off 35 balls) played a cameo to take the home team past 250 with two huge sixes off Bhuvneshwar Kumar's (0/63 in 9 overs) bowling.

The Indian pacers also bowled a lot of slower deliveries at the back end as Deepak Chahar (2/37 in 7 overs) got a couple. It was heartening to see Hardik Pandya (1/33 in 5 overs) among the wickets and bowl a few overs across two spells. Hardik though never looked like bowling any effort deliveries and, instead, tried to hit the hard lengths.

The first game of the series, which could well be a make-or-break for Kuldeep, saw him pick two quick wickets in the 17th over to effect a break in momentum and the home team never really picked up the pace after that.

The best part was to witness the three spinners operating with their distinct styles of bowling.

Kuldeep used the flight and drift more, Chahal bowled fuller lengths but not as many vicious leg-breaks, while Krunal's wicket-to-wicket deliveries and the speed at which he bowled, was commendable.

Between the three, they bowled 98 dot balls which formed as many as 16.2 quiet overs. Add the pacers' cumulative dot balls, and the plight of the unheralded Sri Lankans was compounded on a slow turner, as more than 25 overs of the stipulated 50 went without scoring.

Most of them got a start but didn't have the wherewithal to convert the 20's and 30's into a big score.

In the case of Kuldeep, the bad habit of bowling flat and quick that had crept in his system in the last two years, wasn't there to be seen. In fact, he varied his pace well and the one that got left-handed opener Minod Bhanuka (27 off 44 balls) was flighted outside the off-stump, enticing the batsman to go for a drive.

The length was on the fuller side and it turned enough to take the edge, and Prithvi Shaw did the rest at first slip.

Also read: ICC welcomes Mongolia, Tajikistan and Switzerland as new members

He was a trifle lucky before that as Bhanuka Rajapaksa (24 off 22 balls), who was giving the charge, mistimed a pull shot when he sighted a sort ball before losing balance. The aerial ball was well judged by skipper Shikhar Dhawan, who ran backwards from his mid-on position to take a tumbling catch.

Chahal removed opener Avishka Fernando (32 off 35 balls), who looked the best Lankan batsman on view with a lovely flicked six off Chahar. The Haryana man bowled a proper leg break and Avishka went for an inside-out shot, which Manish Pandey at extra cover took to end a 49-run stand.

Chahal, once again, broke another 49-run stand when rival sipper Dasun Shanaka (39) was accounted for in the second last delivery of his spell.

News source: PTI

Colombo, Jul 18 (Cricket news) Ishan Kishan celebrated his 23rd birthday with a dazzling half-century on debut while Shikhar Dhawan, in his first match as captain, anchored India to a walk-in-the-park seven-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in the opening ODI here on Sunday.

On a track that offered slow turn, the inexperienced Sri Lankan batters splurged like millionaires, throwing away one wicket after another but still managed to get 262 for nine, which wasn't going to be enough against India's batting might.

And it certainly didn't, with the target being achieved in just 36.4 overs.

Prithvi Shaw, with his new found swagger in 50-over cricket, butchered the Sri Lankan pacers during his brief stay by hammering nine boundaries in a 24-ball 43.

That set the pace for Kishan to come in and hit a six off the very first delivery he faced an followed it up with a square driven boundary. The short Mumbai Indians man then decided to use his bat like a sledgehammer, scoring the second fastest ODI fifty on debut -- off 33 balls -- to kill the contest inside the first 20 overs.

He did live dangerously getting reprieve twice but his 59 off 42 balls with eight fours and two sixes certainly makes him a strong contender to make it to the final list of 20 for the ICC T20 World Cup.

Veteran Dhawan, who very wisely dropped anchor and let the young guns express themselves, then took over to finish off the match in a professional manner with an unbeaten 86 off 95 balls.

All those years of experience did come in handy as he played second fiddle to Shaw in an opening stand of 58 in 5.3 overs and during a second-wicket partnership of 85 with Kishan in only 12.2 overs.

But once Kishan was out and with Manish Pandey, (26 off 35 balls) playing to save his international career, scratching around, Dhawan started playing his shots to not let the momentum slip away at any stage, hitting six boundaries and a six.

Pandey's selfish approach, trying to score his own runs at the team's expense, didn't yield him any great results as another debutant, Suryakumar Yadav, showed his flamboyance, smashing a quickfire 31 off 20 balls.

Apart from Pandey, the other performance that stuck out like a sore thumb was Bhuvneshwar Kumar (0/63 in 9 overs), who didn't look penetrative enough.

Also read: Both teams will start evenly, reckons new Sri Lankan cricket captain Shanaka

India's bowlers were disciplined for the better part, without being exceptional, as Kuldeep Yadav (2/48 in 9 overs) and Yuzvendra Chahal (2/52 in 10 overs) got their share of wickets due to Lankan profligacy.

And then Krunal Pandya's (1/26 in 10 overs) nagging accuracy made run-scoring an arduous task in the middle-overs before Karunaratne (43 no off 35 balls) played a cameo to take the home team past 250 with two huge sixes off Bhuvneshwar Kumar's (0/63 in 9 overs) bowling.

The Indian pacers also bowled a lot of slower deliveries at the back end as Deepak Chahar (2/37 in 7 overs) got a couple. It was heartening to see Hardik Pandya (1/33 in 5 overs) among the wickets and bowl a few overs across two spells. Hardik though never looked like bowling any effort deliveries and, instead, tried to hit the hard lengths.

The first game of the series, which could well be a make-or-break for Kuldeep, saw him pick two quick wickets in the 17th over to effect a break in momentum and the home team never really picked up the pace after that.

The best part was to witness the three spinners operating with their distinct styles of bowling.

Kuldeep used the flight and drift more, Chahal bowled fuller lengths but not as many vicious leg-breaks, while Krunal's wicket-to-wicket deliveries and the speed at which he bowled, was commendable.

Between the three, they bowled 98 dot balls which formed as many as 16.2 quiet overs. Add the pacers' cumulative dot balls, and the plight of the unheralded Sri Lankans was compounded on a slow turner, as more than 25 overs of the stipulated 50 went without scoring.

Most of them got a start but didn't have the wherewithal to convert the 20's and 30's into a big score.

News source: PTI

Colombo, Jul 17 (Cricket news) A bunch of fresh faces will be desperate for a fair T20 World Cup audition when India's different-looking yet formidable white-ball squad face an under-fire Sri Lanka in the six-match limited overs contest, beginning with the first ODI here on Sunday.

Winning any international series will be paramount but one can expect a few combinations being tried out during a series which got delayed by five days due to COVID-19 scare in the Sri Lankan camp. The series comprises three ODIs and as many T20s.

Dasun Shanaka is their 10th captain in four years and barring a classy batsman like Dhananjaya de Silva and a steady pacer in Dishmantha Chameera, this team lacks quality to challenge the might of Indian team led by Shikhar Dhawan.

The suspension of Kusal Mendis and Niroshan Dickwella due to bio-bubble breach in UK along with injury to former skipper Kusal Perera puts Sri Lanka in a tight spot. If they can manage to win one game, that will be an achievement in itself after a disastrous tour of England.

Expect Prithvi Shaw, Vijay Hazare Trophy's top scorer to open alongside Dhawan, while seniors Hardik Pandya and Bhuvneshwar Kumar are expected to find automatic slots in the playing XI.

However there are multiple contender for other slots.

Will it be Devdutt Padikkal or Ruturaj Gaikwad for No 3 slot? Will Suryakumar Yadav's 360 degree hitting ability be used or Manish Pandey get a final chance to show some consistency? Will Krishnappa Gowtham's off-spin and big hits be preferred over Krunal Pandya's left-arm darts along with cheeky batting skills? How is Rahul Chahar placed against Yuzvendra Chahal, who hasn't been in best of forms of late? And who will don the big gloves? Is it Rahul Dravid's protege Sanju Samson or the mercurial Mumbai Indians man Ishan Kishan, who can really pack a punch? These are questions that needs to be answered by the team management during the next 11 days in Colombo.

India's bench strength has been a matter of envy for all top cricketing nations and has allowed two national teams to compete in different parts of the globe in COVID times.

While Virat Kohli's men are keen to set their dismal Test record in England straight, the team led by Dhawan and coached by Dravid -- the man responsible for creating the pool, will never accept that this is a "second string" outfit taking on islanders, who are going through their lowest ebb.

A team that has Dhawan and Shaw at the top along with likes of Pandey, Suryakumar, Pandya brothers -- Hardik and Krunal, seasoned Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Deepak Chahar along with spin twins Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav can be anything but pushovers.

Some of these players are T20 regulars and while the 50 over format is of lesser importance going into the global event in next three months, both Dravid and Dhawan know the importance of game time.

While there are six uncapped players in this Indian line-up, Dravid had recently made it clear that it will be difficult to provide game time to all the available payers.

It is expected that both Dravid and Dhawan would be consulting with Ravi Shastri and Kohli on what they would be looking for from the assortment of players available with them.

One thing is crystal clear. There aren't many slots available in the Indian team for the T20 World Cup and it would need some out of the world show from the rookies in order to find a slot in the UAE bound team.

Among the newcomers, Varun Chakravarthy, who probably will be exclusively used in the shortest format, has a good chance of making the World T20 cut and Chetan Sakariya's left-arm seam bowling is an option they would like to look at.

Also read: India, Pakistan placed in same group in T20 World Cup

Chahal and Kuldeep, the pair who could do no wrong till 2019 World Cup, are both on borrowed time right now and it couldn't have been a better time to face a struggling Sri Lanka.

However, Dhawan himself is still not assured of a ticket to UAE extravaganza with Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul being contenders to open the innings.

Dhawan is someone, who can only bat at the top and the skipper himself would like to reassert his supremacy in both formats.

Ditto for Buvneshwar, who would like to see himself in that T20 attack along with Jasprit Bumrah.

Squads India: Shikhar Dhawan (captain), Prithvi Shaw, Devdutt Padikkal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Suryakumar Yadav, Manish Pandey, Nitish Rana, Ishan Kishan (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Krishnappa Gowtham, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Rahul Chahar, Deepak Chahar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Chetan Sakariya, Navdeep Saini.

Sri Lanka: Dasun Shanaka (Captain), Dhananjaya De Silva (Vice Captain), Avishka Fernando, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Pathum Nissanka, Charith Asalanka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Ashen Bandara, Minod Bhanuka, Lahiru Udara, Ramesh Mendis, Chamika Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Lakshan Sandakan, Akila Dhananjaya, Shiran Fernando, Dhananjaya Lakshan, Ishan Jayaratne, Praveen Jayawickrema, Asitha Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara, Isuru Udana.

Match starts 3 PM IST.

News source: PTI

Colombo, Jul 5 (Crickey news) Senior batsman Manish Pandey scored a half-century for Shikhar Dhawan XI while flamboyant Suryakumar Yadav smashed a quick-fire 50 odd for Bhuvneshwar Kumar XI in an intra-squad T20 simulation game at the SSC ground on Monday.

Bowling coach Paras Mhambrey told bcci.tv that the coaching staff was pleased with the "intensity" and the players ticked all the right boxes in humid conditions.

Batting first, Dhawan XI put up 154 for four in 20 overs with Pandey scoring 63 off 45 balls. Ruturaj Gaikwad contributed 30-odd, opening the innings.

Opposition skipper Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the best bowler with figures of 2/23 in 4 overs.

In reply, Prithvi Shaw and Devdutt Padikkal added 60 runs in quick time to set up the chase and Surya's 50-odd helped them achieve the target within 17 overs.

Also read: Cricketer Dhawan too needs to secure his T20 WC spot even though He is skipper for SL series: Laxman

Mhambrey said since the target was easily achieved by the side batting second, "we decided we will revise the target and gave them a situation where they had to score 40 odd runs in four overs to win the match. We wanted to push them and get the best out of situation."

News source: PTI

Colombo, Jul 2 (Cricket news) The Indian cricket team on Friday underwent its first training session ahead of the limited series against hosts Sri Lanka from July 13.

India, who have picked a second-string squad for the series with the Test team currently in the UK, had arrived in Sri Lanka on Monday following which they the players quarantined in their room for three days.

The side is being led by senior batsman Shikhar Dhawan and coached by NCA head Rahul Dravid.

The series is India's last before the T20 World Cup in October-November. The squad has as many as six uncapped players including Chetan Sakariya, K Gowtham, Nitish Rana, Devdutt Padikkal, Varun Chakaravarth and Ruturaj Gaekwad.

Also read: Ranatunga criticises Sri Lanka Cricket, for hosting 'second string Indian team'

It is also an important assignment for the likes of Prithvi Shaw, Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson and Suryakumar Yadav who are looking to secure their place in the World Cup squad.

India play three ODIs and as many T20Is.

Squad: Shikhar Dhawan (Captain), Prithvi Shaw, Devdutt Padikkal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Suryakumar Yadav, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Nitish Rana, Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Sanju Samson (wicket-keeper), Yuzvendra Chahal, Rahul Chahar, K Gowtham, Krunal Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Bhuvneshwar Kumar (Vice-captain), Deepak Chahar, Navdeep Saini, Chetan Sakariya.

Net Bowlers: Ishan Porel, Sandeep Warrier, Arshdeep Singh, Sai Kishore, Simarjeet Singh.

News source: PTI

New Delhi, Jun 11 Krishnappa Gowtham was nicknamed "Bhajji" by his teammates during his early years and he has adored Ravichandran Ashwin's cricketing philosophy but the all-rounder's skill-sets, including the "carrom ball", is his own customised version.

Gowtham is among the six uncapped players picked for India's white-ball tour of Sri Lanka, comprising three ODIs and three T-20 matches between July 13 and July 25.

"You live a dream for years and now it has come true and you can't be more happier," was Gowtham's first reaction when PTI caught up with him.

A consistent performer for a formidable Karnataka side, Gowtham hit the headlines when Chennai Super Kings broke the bank to win his services after an intense bidding war and now at 32, the lanky all-rounder has got his maiden India call-up.

"Starting off in my career I used to mimic Bhajji Paa (Harbhajan Singh) and my teammates would call me Bhajji," Gowtham recollected during the interaction.

So like Bhajji, does he also bowl the doosra? "No I don't bowl doosra but I bowl the carrom ball," Gowtham, who has 166 first-class, 70 List A and 42 T20 wickets, replied.

Has he developed the carrom ball watching its finest exponent Ravichandran Ashwin? "I developed it on my own. If you have to play at the highest level, you need to develop skills on your own. In my junior days, I have been coached by Erapalli Prasanna sir also.

"Obviously, you do look up to a legend like Ashwin. I love Ashwin's mindset and approach towards the game," the reticent cricketer answered.

Like his teammates from Karnataka, who have gone on to play for India, Gowtham also speaks with a lot of clarity even though his answers are short and precise.

With Moeen Ali starting off during CSK's IPL campaign, Gowtham didn't get a look-in but never did the pressure of Rs 9.25 crore bid price made it unnerving for him.

"I had no pressure going into the IPL. Absolutely not. In a tournament like IPL, you have to back yourself and not worry about the game. You play the game not the price tag," he was crisp in his reply.

From 'Captain Cool' Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the most precious advice that he got was to "enjoy his game", something that the former India skipper tells all his juniors.

"Mahi bhai had one key advice. You have to be in the present and enjoy the game. He told me to stick to my natural game and do it in the manner I know best." Gowtham also feels enriched after being part of the senior Indian team set-up during the home series against England earlier this year. He was one of the net bowlers during the four-Test series.

"It's always good to bowl to the best in the country and you get to learn a lot. Obviously it was a great experience being in the Indian set-up and bowling to quality players." With 12 five-wicket hauls in first-class cricket apart from impressive batting strike-rates of 141 plus (50 over) and nearly 160 (T20) in the white ball format, Gowtham's rise can also be attributed to the fact that he plays for one of the finest domestic teams, Karnataka.

"It really has helped that I have been a part of a very strong Karnataka unit. It's not just about strength but also the fact that it's a very happy unit.

"We all enjoy each other's company which I have always looked forward to and it's a privilege," Gowtham said about the team that in recent years has had Manish Pandey, KL Rahul, Karun Nair, and Prasidh Krishna making the national team.

National Cricket Academy director Rahul Dravid is set to travel with the India white ball team as its head coach and having played for India A under "The Wall", Gowtham said his job would certainly be made easier by his presence.

"If you have played India A, you are aware about how Rahul sir is as a coach and what he would expect from you as a player. So that gives you a better chance of preparing well for the tour when you have earlier played under him. It will be a great learning experience," he signed off. New source PTI

Jonty Rhodes once said, “I got more bruises, grass burns and cuts in practice than in match play." Widely regarded as one of the best fielders to ever play the game, the former South African cricketer epitomized why fielding is such a valuable and underappreciated aspect of cricket. The qualities of what makes a good fielder is developed meticulously, and coaches play a big part in honing the skill. One such coach, Mr. Biju George has proven himself time and again at the highest level. A NIS and BCCI (level 3) certified coach, Biju George has coached the India Under 19 team, Kuwait national team, Kolkata Knight Riders, Sunrisers Hyderabad and India Women’s fielding coach.

In an exclusive interview with SPOGO, we chat with Biju George who has worked with the Sports Authority of India as a cricket coach and is attached to LNCPE Thiruvananthapuram about all things cricket, fielding, grassroot development and more!

Q 1) We have always heard catches win matches, but the quality of fielding we see in IPL is far from what is desired, barring a few. Do you think team owners should keep this aspect in mind before picking a player in the auction?

Ans: When a player is picked for an auction, every aspect of the cricketer is taken into consideration. Before the Indian Premier League season starts, there will be a minimum of 15-20 days of camps where fielding is stressed upon and given much importance. With the recent lockdowns, there has been a significant drop in fielding standards and my belief is that when you are cooped up in the house and the maximum distance that you cover is the length of your room, unless you have access to a terrace or an open ground, your range of movement will be limited. When you go back to the ground and try to catch a ball which is moving at you from 75 yards, it’s a little difficult. The process takes time but it can easily be addressed.

Q 2) In a time and age when the focus is on quick runs, hard hitting shots and roles are quite defined, do you think fielding training takes a backseat? Do you find it challenging to train star batsmen and bowlers?

Ans: It is absolutely not challenging to train star batsmen and bowlers. Last season I was working with the Sunrisers Hyderabad as a fielding coach and there was so much stress on fielding. In a daily session, while the batsmen are in the nets, the others would be undergoing a fielding routine and there were days dedicated exclusively for fielding. 

Q 3) How can aspiring cricketers in India be conditioned from an early age at the grassroot level to develop into world class fielders?

Ans: There are a couple of factors that influence the development of fielders. It depends on the quality of grounds that you practice on. If you’re practicing on grounds that are very abrasive and rough, you cannot practice sliding techniques or diving techniques due to fear of injury. If a player is practicing on lush grounds with proper techniques, anybody can become a very good fielder.



Q 4) According to you, who are the fittest fielders in the Sunrisers Hyderabad team? Can you share your most memorable catch or fielding effort?

Ans: Manish Pandey and Kane Williamson are one of the fittest and best fielders in the Sunrisers Hyderabad team. During the training sessions, everybody goes out and does their best so you can't pick a single catch from a particular session. If you talk about a match, Manish Pandey had taken a stunner after dropping a catch against Mumbai Indians at Sharjah Stadium. He had to run in from long off and dive flat towards his left. It was a low catch and the ball was travelling away so it was a stunner.

Q 5) India has appointed Mr. Ramesh Powar as the new coach replacing Mr. WV Raman. How different are the coaching styles of the two?

Ans: I have worked with Tushar Arothe sir, Ramesh Pawar sir and WV Raman sir and each of them have their own coaching style and their coaching philosophy are completely different and everybody is very good in their own rights. Ramesh Pawar can be more into planning and getting the small details right. WV Raman was someone who used to motivate the players, instilling in them a belief that they can compete with the best in the world.  Each of them are different and each of them can bring their own brilliance to the table.

Q 6) Indian Women are set to play against England on June 16th, how optimistic are you of the side’s chances?

Ans: I'm very optimistic, especially in a day's match. We have got girls like Poonam Raut who can bat the whole day long, Mithali Raj, Jemimah Rodriguez, Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur along with others. We have a super side and our bowling is also spot on so I'm very confident of their chances.

Q 7) What’s your goals and aspirations for the future? What would you like to say to the young and aspiring crickets?

Ans: I strongly believe that nothing is impossible. Keep yourself fit, keep developing yourself as a player. As a coach it’s important to increase your knowledge, as a player it’s important to increase your versatility. Everyday or every season, try to analyze yourself and try to find out your strengths and weaknesses. Make your strength into super strength and make sure you try to eradicate your weakness and today or tomorrow you'll definitely achieve your dreams.

Change of captain could not change the fortunes for Sunrisers Hyderabad as Rajasthan Royals rattled the orange army by 55 runs, riding on Jos Buttler's match winning ton at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday.

Chasing a giant target of 221, SRH were off to solid start as their openers kept their feet glued to the crease in the power play with both Jonny Bairstow (30 off 21) and Manish Pandey (31 off 20) sharing a 57 run partnership among them. However, Pandey perished to Mustafizur Rahman at the start of 7th over, scoring 31 off 20 balls.

The Sunrisers now pinned their hopes on the newly-appointed skipper Kane Wiliamson. The Kiwi made a cautious start in an attempt to keep things under control but ended up giving into the pressure of keeping up with the run-rate. Williamson scored 20 off 21 before Kartik Tyagi sent him packing. The Sunrisers kept losing wickets at regular intervals and endured a middle order batting collapse as none of their batters could even stage a fight back in the massive run chase. For the Royals, Chris Morris and Mustafizur Rahman displayed impressive shows with the ball, clinching three wickets each with good economy. 



Earlier, having asked to bat first, the Royals endured an early setback in the form of Yashasvi Jaiswal in the third over as Rashid Khan dismissed him. Captain Sanju Samson then joined forces with Jos Buttler and the duo took RR's score to 42/1 by the conclusion of the sixth over.

Buttler and Samson continued their onslaught on the SRH bowlers and the Royals opener Buttler notched up his fifty in the 13th over. The duo continued to frustrate the formidable Hyderabad bowling attack as they had no answers to their terrific batting.

The 150-run second wicket partnership finally came to an end when Vijay Shankar dismissed Samson (48) in the 17th over. In the same over, Buttler brought up his match defining century off just 56 balls. 

In the last three overs, the trio of Riyan Parag (15*), Buttler (124), and David Miller (7*)  contributed additional 48 runs that helped the Royals Rajasthan register a mammoth total of 220/3. Sandeep Sharma put an end to Buttler's first ever IPL centurion knock in the 19th over.

New Delhi, May 3 Back in the groove after two consecutive wins, defending champions Mumbai Indians will be firm favourites to put it past the turbulence-hit and bottom-placed SunRisers Hyderabad in an IPL game here on Tuesday.

Mumbai will enter the game after their four-wicket win over in-form Chennai Super Kings courtesy Kieron Pollard's blitzkrieg.

SunRisers, in contrast, suffered a humiliating 55-run loss to Rajasthan Royals, their sixth in seven games this season. They are also battling a transitional phase in which Kane Williamson has taken over captaincy from an out of form David Warner, leaving him disappointed.

Mumbai openers Rohit Sharma (250 runs) and Quinton De Kock (155 runs) would be itching to give the five-time champions another strong platform and also convert their starts into big scores.

Mumbai's hard-hitting middle-order has clicked in the last two games, which would be quite pleasing for the team management. Pollard (168 runs), who blazed his way to a match-winning 87 off 34 balls in the last game, would be keen to continue from where he left.

The likes of Krunal Pandya (100 runs), Hardik Pandya (52 runs) and the flamboyant Suryakumar Yadav (173 runs) can be destructive on their day and the trio wouldbe aiming to fire in unison.

Also, it remains to be seen if Mumbai plays Ishan Kishan or Jayant Yadav in place of all-rounder James Neesham, who neither scored big nor was able to pick up wickets.

However, the Mumbai bowlers would need to forget the hammering received at the hands of the CSK batsmen and start afresh.

The pace duo of Jasprit Bumrah (6 wickets) and Trent Boult (8 wickets) have been exceptional at the death and would pose a big threat to the SRH batting unit, which has been inconsistent at best.

Leg-spinner Rahul Chahar (11 wickets) has been the MI's main wicket-taker, but he would need support from Krunal, who has just three scalps.

The duo would need to keep things tight to contain the SRH batters.

Pollard, also picked up two important wickets in the last game and can fill in the role of fifth or sixth bowler.

However, there are problems aplenty for SRH.

They are over-reliant on their top-order, especially Jonny Bairstow (248 runs), but their middle-order has faltered most often.

Against RR, they dropped Warner and opened with Manish Pandey and Jonny Bairstow, with Williamson coming in at three. If they persist with the same line-up, the three need to fire on all cylinders.

Also, the likes of Vijay Shankar (58 runs), Kedar Jadhav (40 runs), Abdul Samad (36 runs) and Mohammed Nabi (31 runs), if he plays, will have to get some runs for the side to have any chance of building a momentum.

On the bowling front, star leg-spinner Rashid Khan has been the pick of the bowlers with 10 wickets but pacers Bhuvneshwar Kumar (3 wickets) and Khaleel Ahmed (4 wickets) would need to find their form too.

It remains to be seen if Sandeep Sharma plays again or makes way for Siddharth Kaul.

Teams (From): Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (C), Adam Milne, Aditya Tare, Anmolpreet Singh, Anukul Roy, Arjun Tendulkar, Chris Lynn, Dhawal Kulkarni, Hardik Pandya, Ishan Kishan, James Neesham, Jasprit Bumrah, Jayant Yadav, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Marco Jansen, Mohsin Khan, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Piyush Chawla, Quinton De Kock (wk), Rahul Chahar, Saurabh Tiwary, Suryakumar Yadav, Trent Boult, Yudhvir Singh.

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Kane Williamson (C), David Warner, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Manish Pandey, Sreevats Goswami, Wriddhiman Saha, Priyam Garg, Vijay Shankar, Abhishek Sharma, Abdul Samad, Virat Singh, Jason Holder, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Shahbaz Nadeem, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sandeep Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed, Siddarth Kaul, Basil Thampi, Jagadeesha Suchith, Kedar Jadhav, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman.

Match starts at 7.30 PM. News Source : PTI 

New Delhi, Apr 29 Sunrisers Hyderabad head coach Trevor Bayliss feels it is important that his team doesn't lost "confidence or patience" following its fifth loss in six games in the ongoing IPL.

Bayliss said there is no reason his team could not bounce back.

"I mean if you look at our first five matches. The first four matches have been lost by only 10 runs. Just got down to one or two small drop catches here and there, a misfield there, few poor or bad overs. Obviously, tonight, we got beaten fairly well.

"Important thing is that we don’t lose our confidence or patience, stick together and keep working hard. T20 is a type of a game, gets on a roll one way or the other. There are no reason why we can’t do like what we did in last year,” Bayliss said after SRH went down to CSK by 7 wickets here on Wednesday.

SRH lie last on the points table with one win from six matches.

He said the team had to often make one or two changes and that they would do their best to keep a settled side.

"We would like to sit and have a chat. One of the things is not to make too many changes. When we were in Chennai, on that wicket, 1 or 2 injuries, one or two guys were not performing.

"We often had to make 1 or 2 changes; we’ll do our best to keep a settled side when we can," he added.

He sought to defend skipper David Warner, who was not at his fluent best during his half-century, and said the other guys batted well but unfortunately 170 wasn't good enough.

"I think David (Warner) would be the first one to admit that. We struggled to hit the gaps today and we were horrible to the field today. Obviously, with David that doesn’t happen a lot but tonight it did so personally little bit behind the ball but the other guys battled really well in a team effort," he said.

"Unfortunately, 170 wasn’t quite enough but they bowled pretty well and obviously batted well,” Bayliss added.

On the performance of key bowler Rashid Khan, the SRH head coach said, "He usually bowls the seventh over. One over later is not a big deal. We appreciate that he took 3 wickets. One over before or one over later wouldn’t have made a big difference." About batsman Manish Pandey failing to make it to the playing XI in last match, Bayliss said "absolutely, selector’s choice on that wicket, he didn’t really suit with the ball stopping and spinning.

"Then he would come back into calculations on a wicket like this in Delhi. He showed tonight what a good player he is. Hopefully, from here on the wickets are going to be. We certainly know how damaging player he can be," he added. News Source : PTI 

Chennai Super Kings defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by 7 wickets owing to Ruturaj Gaikwad and Faf du Plesis' brilliant half centuries at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Wednesday.

Chasing a target of 172, du Plessis and Gaikwad gave the yellow brigade a perfect start as the duo put up a brilliant 129 run opening partnership. The partnership looked well tuned with Faf batting aggressively from one end and Ruturaj playing a steady knock from the other during the powerplay overs. Nevertheless, Gaikwad shifted gears after the power play and kept the run rate in control with his exhilarating shots. 

Gaikwad played a match winning knock of 75 from 44 deliveries lacing it with 12 fours before falling prey to Rashid Khan. Moeen Ali who walked in at number three also launched Rashid for a couple of boundaries before heading back to the pavilion scoring 15 runs off 8 balls. Faf carried on his great form and scored 56 runs off 38 balls with 6 boundaries and a six before getting dismissed by Rashid.

In the end, CSK stalwarts Ravindra Jadeja (7 off 6) and Suresh Raina (17 off 15) sealed the game with their cautious approach, taking the Dhoni led side to the finish line with 7 wickets in hand. 



Earlier, Sunrisers Hyderabad had won the toss and chose to bat first. The Orange army didn't get an ideal start as they lost their opener Jonny Bairstow (7 off 5) to Sam Curran in the fourth over. David Warner initially appeared to struggle with regards to timing the ball with perfection in the power play. However, he held one end of the crease to score a slow fifty taking 55 balls to score 57 runs. The skipper shared a fine partnership with Manish Pandey as the duo amassed 106 runs for the 2nd wicket. 

Pandey hit an impressive 61 runs off 46 balls, slamming 4 fours and a six. In the final overs, Kane Williamson and Kedar Jadhav played some fine shots to take their side to a competitive total of 171/3 in 20 overs. Williamson scored an unbeaten 26 off 10 while Jadhav hit 12 off 4. 

With this result CSK moved on top of the table with 5 wins in their 6 games amassing 10 points while SRH now languish at the bottom of the table with just 1 win in their 5 outings and only 2 points against their name.

New Delhi, Apr 28 David Warner-led Sunrisers Hyderabad opted to bat against Chennai Super Kings in an IPL match here on Wednesday.

SRH made two changes, bringing back Manish Pandey in place of Virat Singh and seamer Sandeep Sharma replacing Abhishek Sharma.

For CSK, Lungi Ngidi is back in the XI in place of Dwayne Bravo while all-rounder Moeen Ali comes in at the expense of Imran Tahir.

Teams: Sunrisers Hyderabad: David Warner (C), Jonny Bairstow, Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Vijay Shankar, Rashid Khan, Jagadeesha Suchith, Sandeep Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed and Siddarth Kaul.

CSK: MS Dhoni (C), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Moeen Ali, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Shardul Thakur, Lungi Ngidi and Deepak Chahar. News Source : PTI 

New Delhi, Apr 27 Operating like a well-oiled unit, Chennai Super Kings will start as overwhelming favourites when they clash with struggling Sunrisers Hyderabad in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match, here on Wednesday.

The MS Dhoni-led CSK have bounced back in style after losing the opening match. They are on a roll with four straight wins and will hope that the new venue -- Feroze Shah Kotla ground -- also favours them.

The three-time champions had an underwhelming 2020 season but the team, packed with seasoned players, is now displaying the efficiency it is known for.

All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has been the driving force behind CSK's impressive run so far.

His blistering assault on Harshal Patel in the final over shut out RCB on Sunday. He has been among the wickets with his accurate left-arm spin apart from effecting stunning run-outs.

Openers -- Faf du Plessis and Ruturaj Gaikwad -- have found form while Suresh Raina and Ambati Rayudu are due for big knocks.

The CSK batters are aware of the Rashid Khan threat but the rest of the SRH attack doesn't inspire much confidence.

Hyderabad rely heavily on their foreign recruits, led by skipper David Warner, opener Jonny Bairstow, Kiwi great Kane Williamson and Rashid, which is a cause for concern.

Their biggest weakness is a fragile batting order and over-reliance on the top order.

The inability of the team's Indian middle-order to step up has cost SRH more often than not and the think-tank needs to get the combination right if they have to move out of the last spot on the points table which they currently occupy.

Warner needs to shrug off his poor run and for that he needs to negotiate CSK pacer Deepak Chahar, who has impressive ability to strike upfront, well.

Apart from Chahar, spin all-rounder Jadeja and veteran Imran Tahir along with Sam Curran form a strong CSK bowling unit.

SRH will need one of Warner, Bairstow and Williamson to go big and hope that the middle-order can make a meaningful contribution to thwart CSK.

The Hyderabad bowling has been patchy with the experienced Bhuvneshwar Kumar lacking consistency while the absence of yorker specialist T Natarajan due to injury is a huge blow.

It's an onerous task for SRH to revive their fortunes with the limited resources they have at their disposal.

Teams (from): Chennai Super Kings: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (c & wk), Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, KM Asif, Deepak Chahar, Dwayne Bravo, Faf du Plessis, Imran Tahir, N Jagadeesan, Karn Sharma, Lungi Ngidi, Mitchell Santner, Ravindra Jadeja, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shardul Thakur, Sam Curran, R Sai Kishore, Moeen Ali, K Gowtham, Cheteshwar Pujra, Harishankar Reddy, Bhagath Varma, C Hari Nishaanth.

Sunrisers Hyderabad: David Warner (c), Kane Williamson, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Manish Pandey, Sreevats Goswami (wk), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Priyam Garg, Vijay Shankar, Abhishek Sharma, Abdul Samad, Virat Singh, Jason Holder, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Shahbaz Nadeem, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sandeep Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed, Siddarth Kaul, Basil Thampi, Jagadeesha Suchith, Kedar Jadhav, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman. Match starts at 7.30pm. News source: PTI 

Chennai, Apr 25 Dropping veteran batsman Manish Pandey was a "harsh" decision taken by selectors, Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper David Warner said after his team's agonising Super Over defeat against Delhi Capitals, here on Sunday. IPL veteran Pandey, who hasn't been scoring at a quick clip, was dropped for a much younger Jharkhand left-hander Virat Singh, who scored only 4 off 14 balls. "It depends on the selectors, it was a harsh call as per my opinion," Warner said, training his guns at coach Trevor Bayliss and mentor VVS Laxman, without naming them. Bayliss and Laxman have a big say on team's playing XI. "But at the end of the day it is a decision that they took and you cannot discredit Virat. He's a very good player and the surface was difficult. They bowled well in the middle and made it challenging for us," Warner came to the young man's defence. Prithvi Shaw, who was adjudged 'Player of the Match' said that the wicket slowed down a bit after Powerplay. "It was a good wicket in the first six overs and then slowed down a little bit. I felt the wicket was slow and the spinners were bowling well. It was not easy to score against Rashid. "I thought 160 was good to defend, but a close game. I'm just doing the stuff that I have worked with. I didn't think about the Super Over, and I think Axar bowled really well in that Super Over. I wasn't there [for the Super Over meeting]. I knew Rashid will bowl for sure and Shikhar and Pant will open for sure," said Shaw. News Source : PTI

Chennai, Apr 24 Rishabh Pant's brute power will be put to test against Rashid Khan's bagful of tricks in an IPL encounter where Delhi Capitals will start as favourites against SunRisers Hyderabad due to their better bowling resources. The much-criticised Chepauk track will host its 10th and final IPL game of the season in which both Pant and his opposite number David Warner would pray for a decent surface for their flamboyant batters. With only a couple of first innings total in excess of 170 across nine games here, the slow and gripping surface at the MA Chidambaram Stadium tests the skills of the batsmen in a different manner. Possibly, it's the ability to muscle the ball that will come in handy on this track and hence the DC skipper's role as a batsman will become all the more important. While Shikhar Dhawan is in good form and Prithvi Shaw in not so great touch after the first game, the willow-wielders, who depend on sheer timing compared to power may struggle. In fact, Hyderabad, after playing all its four games in Chennai, has only now started to crack the code of a slow track, evident during the team's comfortable victory over Punjab Kings after a hat-trick of defeats. With Kane Williamson back in the mix, SunRisers seemed to have got a better balance in a set-up which is acutely short of quality India internationals. With T Natarajan's death bowling unavailable for this season and Manish Pandey only able to manage a strike-rate of 112 odd, bulk of the responsibility is on overseas recruits Warner, Jonny Bairstow, Williamson and Rashid. The wily Afghan has again been very consistent and his duel with Pant could be one of the most eagerly-awaited match-ups that can send the TRPs soaring. SRH's weak link is certainly its bowling attack with none among Sandeep Sharma, Siddharth Kaul or all-rounder Vijay Shankar inspiring any sort of confidence whatsoever. So DC will have 12 overs out of 20 on which they can feast upon if one takes away the eight bowled by Rashid and the seasoned Bhuvneshwar Kumar. However, a bit of tweak in their XI also won't be bad even though they had comfortably beaten Mumbai Indians in a low-scoring game here only a few days back. One area of slight concern will be Ashwin's form as he has been going at 8 runs per over in the past four games and only a single wicket to show for his efforts. The Chepauk track could just give him some breathing space after mostly flat decks in Mumbai. Similarly, Pant would also like to check out if Chris Woakes is a better option with his pace and also some all-round skills in place of Kagiso Rabada, who has been off colour till now. Veterans Ajinkya Rahane and Ishant Sharma, however cruel it may seem, are expected to warm the benches unless both Lalit Yadav and Avesh Khan sustain a last-minute niggle. For SunRisers, how Trevor Bayliss and VVS Laxman set up the batting order will be important. Kedar Jadhav is well past his prime but still could be way more effective than any of the youngsters, who haven't delivered this season. Teams (from): Delhi Capitals: Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Ajinkya Rahane, Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Shimron Hetmyer, Marcus Stoinis, Chris Woakes, R Ashwin, Axar Patel, Amit Mishra, Lalit Yadav, Pravin Dubey, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Ishant Sharma, Avesh Khan, Steve Smith, Umesh Yadav, Ripal Patel, Vishnu Vinod, Lukman Meriwala, M Siddarth, Tom Curran, Sam Billings. Sunrisers Hyderabad: David Warner (c), Kane Williamson, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Manish Pandey, Sreevats Goswami (wk), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Priyam Garg, Vijay Shankar, Abhishek Sharma, Abdul Samad, Virat Singh, Jason Holder, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Shahbaz Nadeem, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sandeep Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed, Siddarth Kaul, Basil Thampi, Jagadeesha Suchith, Kedar Jadhav, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman. Match Starts at 7:30 pm. News source: PTI

Chennai, Apr 21 Punjab Kings skipper KL Rahul won the toss and elected to bat against Sunrisers Hyderabad in their Indian Premier League match here on Wednesday. Punjab Kings have replaced Riley Meredith, Jhye Richardson and Jalaj Saxena with Fabian Allen, Moises Henriques and Murugan Ashwin. Sunrisers have also made three changes with Kane Williamson, Kedar Jadhav, Siddarth Kaul coming in for Manish Pandey, Mujeeb-ur-Rehman and Abdul Samad. Teams: Punjab Kings: KL Rahul (c), Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Moises Henriques, Nicholas Pooran, Deepak Hooda, Shahrukh Khan, Fabian Allen, Murugan Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh. Sunrisers Hyderabad: David Warner (c), Jonny Bairstow, Kane Williamson, Virat Singh, Vijay Shankar, Abhishek Sharma, Kedar Jadhav, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, Siddarth Kaul. News Source : PTI

Chennai, Apr 20 Bruised and battered after suffering a hat-trick of defeats, a desperate Sunrisers Hyderabad would seek inspiration from skipper David Warner to arrest any further slide when they take on Punjab Kings in an IPL match here on Wednesday. SRH couldn't have asked for a worse start to the season as they slumped to three straight defeats, and in all occasions while chasing. Punjab are a tad better than SRH, having registered one win out of three games to be placed at seventh in the standings, a rung above their Wednesday's opponents. Chasing has been Sunrisers' achilles' heel so far in the league. They failed to get past a low score against Mumbai Indians in their last match. SRH have been hit hard by the lack of depth in their playing XI and below-par Indian bench strength. In these circumstances, the onus rests on Warner to do some magic and inspire his side to bounce back in the tournament. A big innings is due from the SRH captain as he has scored just 93 runs from the three matches he has played so far with the 54 against Royals Challengers Bangalore being the highest. He also needs some serious introspection before deciding his playing XI on Wednesday. Warner and Rashid Khan are certainties in the foreign players' slots, but the absence of Kane Williamson has been badly felt as he can provide solidity to the middle-order, especially after they faltered in three consecutive chases. Going by Wridhhiman Saha's poor form, Jonny Bairstow is the frontrunner for the wicket-keeper's position. But what would be troubling Warner most is the lack of depth in the team's local batting resources. It's high time the likes of Manish Pandey, Vijay Shankar, Abhishek Sharma and Abdul Samad pulled up their socks as the likes of seasoned Kedar Jadhav and Priyam Garg are waiting in the wings for their opportunities. SRH have also been hit hard by the poor show of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and T Natarajan. Natarajan was replaced by Khaleel Ahmed in their last match and the latter did a good job to restrict Mumbai. But Bhuvneshwar continues to be on the expensive side. Rashid has been economical but didn't look menacing so far. Punjab too are on a losing streak after the win in their tournament opener over Rajasthan Royals. They lost to Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals. After a batting collapse against CSK, Punjab made a significant improvement and rode on skipper KL Rahul (61) and Mayank Agarwal (69) fifties to post a challenging 195 for four against DC. But a below-par effort from their bowlers spoiled the hardwork of the openers. Mohammed Shami has not been in his best form so far and leaked runs but what would be a concern for KL Rahul is the performance of Australian pace duo of Jhye Richardson and Riley Meredith. Both Richardson and Meredith were expensive in all the matches they played without much success and it is time for Rahul to think of other alternatives like Chris Jordan. Young Arshdeep Singh has been impressive for Punjab. The Teams (from): SRH: David Warner (C), Kane Williamson, Virat Singh, Manish Pandey, Priyam Garg, Wriddhiman Saha, Jonny Bairstow, Jason Roy, Sreevats Goswami, Vijay Shankar, Mohammad Nabi, Kedar Jadhav, J Suchit, Jason Holder, Abhishek Sharma, Abdul Samad, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan, T Natarajan, Sandeep Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed, Siddharth Kaul, Basil Thampi, Shahbaz Nadeem and Mujeeb ur Rahman. Punjab Kings: KL Rahul (c & wk), Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Mandeep Singh, Prabsimran Singh, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Sarfaraz Khan, Deepak Hooda, Murugan Ashwin, Ravi Bishnoi, Harpreet Brar, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ishan Porel, Darshan Nalkande, Chris Jordan, Dawid Malan, Jhye Richardson, Shahrukh Khan, Riley Meredith, Moises Henriques, Jalaj Saxena, Utkarsh Singh, Fabian Allen, Saurabh Kumar. Match starts at 3:30 PM. News source: PTI

Mumbai Indians once again defended a small total to show the world why they are the 5 time IPL Champions to steal victory from the clutches of Sunrises Hyderabad by 13 runs at MA Chidambaram stadium on Saturday.

In another game that saw Sunrisers Hyderabad's batting collapse from a dominating position, the David Warner led side fell from 67/0 in seven overs to 137 all out in 19.4 overs, chasing a manageable target of 151.

Bairstow and David Warner had given the proceedings a solid start. SRH ended the power play at the score of 57/0. However, Bairstow's explosive innings of 43 off 22 came to an upsetting end when he got hit wicket. Hyderabad were still in a strong position but Manish Pandey's dismissal off Chahar in the following over saw the Sunrisers batting implode.

All the hopes were pinned on Warner's shoulders as he further built his innings, however a direct hit from the covers by Hardik sent him back to the pavilion. Vijay Shankar did put up a small fight but Sunrisers middle-order suderrended once again.

Rahul Chahar and Trent Boult took 3 wickets each while Jasprit Bumrah bowled a miserly spell of 14 runs with a wicket in his four overs. Rohit Sharma led MI, riding on back of an unbelievable win against KKR, scripted yet another comeback in this game.



Earlier, MI too got a great start with openers Rohit Sharam and Quinton de Kock taking the power play score to 53/0 leaving the fans yearning for a big total. However despite having power hitters in their side, the MI struggled after the ball began to grip on the surface. Rohit gave his innings an aggressive start hitting Mujeeb Ur Rahman’s deliveries over the fence. The MI skipper got dismissed to Vijay after adding 32 off 25.

Suryakumar Yadav hit an exhilarating four over extra cover against Shankar but handed the next ball straight back to the bowler. As MI struggled, the responsibility of setting a good target relied on de Kock as the left hander was well set and looked in great touch with some cheeky boundaries. But the protea, after posting 40 off 39 was sent packing by Mujeeb, who ended his day with the figures of 2/29.

Rashid Khan yet again helped SRH slow down the opposition's proceedings. Nevertheless, MI stalwart Kieron Pollard's unbeaten 22-ball 35 guided his side to a respectable total. MI, from 53 for no loss after power play, creeped their way  to 133/5 after 19 overs. However, Pollard's successive sixes in the final over made the difference for MI. 

Chennai, Apr 16 Getting the combination right would be topmost on Sunrisers Hyderabad's to-do list when they take on a qualitatively superior Mumbai Indians in an IPL encounter here on Saturday, trying to arrest an early slide after back-to-back defeats. To make matters worse, the nature of the Chennai track is not great news for the David Warner-led 'Orange Army' that failed to chase down a total which was less than 150. Chasing has been Sunrisers' achilles' heel during the first two matches, once again bringing under scanner, their lack of depth in the playing XI and below-par Indian bench strength. In these circumstances, facing a formidable team like Mumbai Indians, fresh from their 'Houdini Act' against Kolkata Knight Riders, would be a difficult proposition. For skipper Warner, there are some serious questions about the choice of the playing XI, which many believe hasn't been well thought out and the results also back that assessment. Using two wicketkeepers -- Jonny Bairstow and Wriddhiman Saha -- in the same XI hasn't served any tangible purpose with the veteran Indian looking completely out of sorts as an opener. Saha has been playing IPL from the first edition (2008) and a closer look at his record indicates that he has not been consistently successful in scoring runs. With a seasoned man like Kedar Jadhav in the dug-out, along with two talented youngsters Priyam Garg and Abhishek Sharma, Saha is on borrowed time as far as his place in the side is concerned. In case of Kedar and Abhishek, they also provide the option of slow bowling -- off-breaks for the veteran and slow left-arm orthodox for the youngster. With only Warner and Rashid Khan being certainties among the overseas players, a fit Kane Williamson is a must for SRH, factoring in his prowess against spin bowling. The manner in which the likes of Manish Pandey and Abdul Samad played cross-batted shots against RCB left-arm spinner Shahbaz Ahmed left Warner far from amused. And Krunal Pandya, who bowls a much flatter trajectory and also a few clicks quicker than Shahbaz, can make matters even worse for the Pandeys and Samads if they don't come up with a better gameplan. For Pandey, being dropped from India's central contracts on Thursday, has been a blow but his inability to finish games regularly is one of the reasons that he might not wear the India blues anytime soon. However, this tournament gives him a platform to do course correction. He is one of the five with slowest strike-rates to reach 3000 IPL runs. On a track like Chepauk, at times it becomes imperative to play as late as possible and use the depth of the crease well, which Williamson is adept at. The other issue has been team's bowling with T Natarajan not in the kind of form he was last season and Bhuvneshwar Kumar also on the expensive side. Options like Sandeep Sharma and Siddarth Kaul don't inspire too much confidence when one looks at Mumbai Indians top-order comprising Rohit Sharma, Quinton de Kock, Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan. It is unlikely that MI will tinker with their playing XI and more so after winning a thriller against KKR. However, they would like to put up a better account of their batting as theirs is a line-up that can just throw the pitch factor out of equation on a given day. Teams (from): Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (c), Suryakumar Yadav, Anmolpreet Singh, Chris Lynn, Saurabh Tiwary, Dhawal Kulkarni, Jasprit Bumrah, Rahul Chahar, Trent Boult, Mohsin Khan, Hardik Pandya, Jayant Yadav, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Anukul Roy, Ishan Kishan, Quinton de Kock, Aditya Tare, Adam Milne, Nathan Coulter Nile, Piyush Chawla, James Neesham, Yudhvir Charak, Marco Jansen, Arjun Tendulkar. SRH: David Warner (C), Kane Williamson, Virat Singh, Manish Pandey, Priyam Garg, Wriddhiman Saha, Jonny Bairstow, Jason Roy, Sreevats Goswami, Vijay Shankar, Mohammad Nabi, Kedar Jadhav, J Suchit, Jason Holder, Abhishek Sharma, Abdul Samad, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan, T Natarajan, Sandeep Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed, Siddharth Kaul, Basil Thampi, Shahbaz Nadeem and Mujeeb ur Rahman. Match starts: 7.30pm. News source: PTI

Royal Challengers Bangalore defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by 6 runs in a low-scoring contest at MA Chidambaram stadium on Wednesday.

SRH endured a middle order collapse as they got down from 96 for 1 to 142 for 9. SRH skipper David Warner led from the front with a 37-ball 54 but things went out of control for the SRH after his dismissal. Manish Pandey (38 off 39), Jonny Bairstow (12 off 13) and Abdul Samad (0 off 2 ) made their way back to the pavilion in a stunning 17th over bowled by Shahbaz Ahmed. SRH kept losing wickets in quick succession and Rashid Khan’s cameo of 18 off 9 balls did not suffice to seal the game for SRH. This was SRH’s second consecutive loss while chasing.



Earlier Warner won the toss and invited Virat and his Challengers to bat first. Glenn Maxwell finally put up a 'Big Show' scoring his first half century since IPL 2016 that powered RCB post a respectable total of 149/8 on a spin-friendly track. SRH took quick wickets before the death overs that helped keep RCB's final total in check.

For SRH, Jason Holder took three crucial wickets including Virat Kohli, Kyle Jamieson and Maxwell on the last ball of the innings. The Aussie power-hitter smashed 59 runs from 41 balls packed with 5 fours and 3 sixes.

Rashid Khan yet again produced an economical spell conceding just 18 runs from his 4 overs along with dismissing RCB's danger man AB de Villiers cheaply. Shahbaz Nadeem proved to be the most expensive bowler for SRH as he conceded 22 runs in his final over. Captain Kohli was the second-highest run maker for RCB scoring 33 runs from 29 deliveries featuring four boundaries. Kyle Jamieson accelerated RCB’s total at the end with a 9-ball cameo of 12 with two boundaries. This was RCB's second successive win as they paved their way on top of the points table.
 

Chennai, Apr 15 (PTI) Royal Challengers Bangalore pacer Mohammad Siraj feels that spin bowling all-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed has justified his selection in the playing eleven, following a match-winning performance against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL here. Ahmed picked up three wickets in an over to stage a remarkable turnaround for RCB on Wednesday night as the team defended 149 for eight for its second win in as many games. Ahmed even came out to bat at number three ahead of Glenn Maxwell and AB de Villiers, a reflection Virat Kohli's faith in the ability of the left-hander. "Both Shahbaz Ahmed and Rajat Patidar (who played the last game as Devdutt Padikkal was unavailable) have been brilliant in the practice games," Siraj said in the post-match press conference. "Shahbaz, as an all-rounder, gives us that extra option with his left-arm spin. The wicket was slow and turning also. Shahbaz Ahmed fitted into it for this game and did the job for us," he added. Ahmed removed the right-handers in Jonny Bairstow, Manish Pandey and Abdul Samad in the 17th over to change the course of the game. "We had overs left of Washington Sundar too. But Virat bhai thought with two right-handers at the crease, a left-arm spinner could be brought. "He created a chance with Manish Pandey in his first over, and that's why he bowled another, and that changed the game for us," said Siraj. The pacer himself was also impressive, conceding just 25 runs in his four overs and took two wickets. "I just try to swing the ball with the new ball. I got swing the first ball and I thought to do more of that and get a couple of wickets. "The dew factor is also there and we have to overcome that. I always aim to hit back of length and let the batsmen make mistake," he added.

Chennai, Apr 14 (PTI) Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper David Warner won the toss and elected to bowl against Royal Challengers Bangalore in their Indian Premier League match here on Wednesday. SRH made two changes with Jason Holder and Shahbaz Nadeem replacing Sandeep Sharma and Mohammad Nabi. For RCB, opener Devdutt Padikkal, who had tested positive for COVID-19 before the tournament, came in for Rajat Patidar. Teams: Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli(c), Devdutt Padikkal, Shahbaz Ahmed, Glenn Maxwell, AB de Villiers(wk), Washington Sundar, Daniel Christian, Kyle Jamieson, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal. Sunrisers Hyderabad: Wriddhiman Saha(wk), David Warner(c), Manish Pandey, Jonny Bairstow, Vijay Shankar, Jason Holder, Abdul Samad, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan, Shahbaz Nadeem.

Chennai, Apr 13 (PTI) Seeking to consolidate their position after a winning start, Virat Kohli's Royal Challengers Bangalore will have their task cut out as they take on a determined Surnrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League here on Wednesday. While RCB began their campaign with a morale-boosting win over five-time defending champions Mumbai Indians at the same venue, the David Warner-led SRH lost to Kolkata Knight Riders in their tournament opener. Having put up a decent performance in the first game, RCB will be strengthened further when the immensely-talented Devdutt Padikkal makes the team after his recovery from COVID-19. Padikkal has said he is now completely ready to play his part in the IPL and confident of replicating his stupendous domestic form in the ongoing league. He contracted the deadly virus on March 22 and was in isolation, but has since completely recovered and resumed practice with his RCB teammates. In the event Padikkal is unable to return for Wednesday's game, RCB will stick to the opening pair of Kohli and Washington Sundar. RCB might try out the likes of Mohammed Azharuddeen and Australian leg-spinner Adam Zampa in the coming matches. Kohli and the incomparable AB de Villiers will be the key men again for RCB in batting, with Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell hoping to make invaluable contributions with the willow. He looked good in the first game in RCB jersey, and has the backing of the team management, including skipper Kohli. Barring the trio of Kohli, de Villiers and Maxwell, RCB look thin on batting and that's why Padikkal's presence at the top is important for them. The 20-year-old Karnataka left-hander was RCB's highest run-getter in IPL 2020 with 473 runs from 15 matches, including five half-centuries in what was his debut season. Padikkal continued rich form in the last Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (218 runs at an average of 43.60 in six matches) and Vijay Hazare Trophy (737 runs in seven matches). After their failure in the opener, Rajat Patidat and Washington would look to make amends against SRH. Almost all of RCB's bowlers were economical against MI's formidable batting with medium pacer Harshal Patel returning excellent figures of 5/27. They will certainly look for an encore. As far as SRH are concerned, both their openers Wriddhiman Saha and Warner failed to get going against KKR in the first game and will look to make up for that against RCB. The swashbuckling Warner has close to 600 runs against RCB and he will aim to add to that impressive tally. In opening, SRH have the option of reuniting Warner with Jonny Bairstow, who made a fifty while batting in the middle-order against KKR alongside Manish Pandey, who made a 44-ball 61. Kane Williamson is unlikely to return on Wednesday as coach Trevor Bayliss had said the Kiwi would require some more time to regain full match fitness. Bhuvneshwar Kumar went for runs against KKR but the experienced seamer is expected to get his rhythm back sooner than later. The likes of Rashid Khan and Mohammed Nabi can also ask probing questions with their crafty bowling. Teams (from): Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli (c), Devdutt Padikkal, Finn Allen (wk), AB de Villiers (wk), Pavan Deshpande, Washington Sundar, Daniel Sams, Yuzvendra Chahal, Adam Zampa, Shahbaz Ahmed, Mohammed Siraj, Navdeep Saini, Kane Richardson, Harshal Patel, Glenn Maxwell, Sachin Baby, Rajat Patidar, Mohammed Azharuddeen, Kyle Jamieson, Daniel Christian, Suyash Prabhudessai, K.S. Bharat Sunrisers Hyderabad: David Warner (c), Kane Williamson, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Manish Pandey, Sreevats Goswami (wk), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Priyam Garg, Vijay Shankar, Abhishek Sharma, Abdul Samad, Virat Singh, Mitchell Marsh, Jason Holder, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Shahbaz Nadeem, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T. Natarajan, Sandeep Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed, Siddarth Kaul, Basil Thampi, Jagadeesha Suchith, Kedar Jadhav, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman.

The Kolkata Knight Riders beat the SunRisers Hyderabad by 10 runs in the third game of IPL 2021 on Sunday at MA Chidambaram Stadium. The KKR side led by Eoin Morgan displayed an all round show to win their opening game of the season. With this victory, Kolkata clinched a hat trick of wins against Hyderabad owing to SRH's  two defeats in the last season of the IPL.

Having asked to bat first by the SRH Captain David Warner, KKR were off to a flying start thanks to the opening pair of Shubman Gill and Nitish Rana. The openers made a 53 run stand for the first wicket.

Further on both Rana and Rahul Tripathi smashed half centuries as former's brilliant 80 off 56 balls studded with 9 fours and 4 sixes and the latter's 53 off 29 coupled with Dinesh Karthik's cameo of quick fire 22 off 9 at the end powered Kolkata to a formidable total of 187/6 by the end of their 20 overs.

For SRH, Rashid Khan again proved to be their key bowler, taking 2 crucial wickets of Gill (15 off 13) and the explosive Andre Russell (5 off 5). Mohammad Nabi took two important scalps as well in the form Rana and KKR Skipper Eoin Morgan (2 of 3).

In reply, Sunrisers Hyderabad put up a disappointing start as both their openers David Warner and Wriddhiman Saha were dismissed in the first three overs itself as SRH struggled on 10/2 .However, Jonny Bairstow and Manish Pandey displayed great resilience as the duo kept SRH's hopes alive with a half-century each. Jonny Bairstow scored 55 runs off 40 balls, while Manish Pandey smashed a brilliant 61 runs off 44 balls. However, the efforts were not enough for the Sunrisers Hyderabad as they fell short of 10 runs requiring 22 runs in the final over ending their turn on 177/5.



Prasidh Krishna claimed 2 crucial wickets of SRH captain David Warner (3 off 4) and Nabi (14 off 11) finishing his spell at 2/35. Pacer Pat Cummins (1/30) took the wicket of Jonny Bairstow. Andre Russel finished with the figures of 1/32 in his 3 overs featuring the wicket of V. Shankar (11 off 7).
 

Chennai, Apr 10 (PTI) Former champions Kolkata Knight Riders will look to strike a perfect balance under the astute leadership of Eoin Morgan when they open their IPL campaign against a consistent Sunrisers Hyderabad here on Sunday.One of the best in business in the white-ball format, Morgan took charge of an ordinary-looking KKR under Dinesh Karthik midway into the last season held in the UAE.Running against time, Morgan-led side finished on same points with SRH and RCB but the two teams advanced on better run-rate as KKR missed the playoffs for the second time in succession.In his first stint as full time captain, all eyes would be on the ODI World Cup-winning English skipper who will look to transform the misfiring army of cricketers and bring back the glorious days of two-time IPL champions. In Shubman Gill, they have a fantastic young top-order batsman who can easily shift gears, while the likes of Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana and veteran Karthik, who's free from the captaincy burden, can form the core of their Indian batting.Then there is the skipper Morgan who will look to bat through the overs while hoping that 2019 MVP Andre Russell gets back his explosive touch after a quiet season.Russell had the worst season by his standards averaging 13 in nine innings without a single match-winning performance as the over-dependency on the Jamaican cost KKR dear last season.Another West Indian who flopped big time in the UAE was Sunil Narine.Whether it was his suspect bowling action or his failing against the short ball, Narine, who was instrumental in their twin triumphs in 2012 and 2014, looked a pale shadow of his past.It's time that they think beyond the Trinidadian and try out Shakib Al Hasan, their buy in this year's auction.On the slow Chepauk strip, all eyes would be on the new 'Knight' and 40-year-old Harbhajan Singh, who will aim to make maximum impact in what could be his last IPL.They also have a mystery spinner in Varun Chakravarthy who struck it rich in absence of Narine last year but his fitness remains a concern.One of the more consistent sides of IPL, Sunrisers Hyderabad lost before the final hurdle, going down to runners-up Delhi Capitals in the Qualifier 2 last year.SRH will be bolstered by the return of senior India pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar who played just four games in last year's IPL in the UAE due to a hip injury.Fresh from his fine form during the white-ball leg of the England series at home, Bhuvneshwar will spearhead their attack with yorker specialist T Natrajan by his side.Add Afghan star spinner Rashid Khan to the bowling lineup and the 'Orange Army' looks pretty balanced in their attack.But the real strength of SRH will be their destructive top-order with the duo of David Warner and in-form Jonny Bairstow. They also have Kane Williamson and Manish Pandey, forming a solid top four.Wriddhiman Saha also opened for SRH last year as the wicketkeeper-batsman and will look to prove a point after being sidelined because of Rishabh Pant's heroics in the national team.Buit remains to be seen who will play the role of the finisher for the SRH as they seem to lack muscle power teams badly need in the last five overs.KKR have a slight edge head-to-head as the Purple Brigade lead 12-7 against the Orange Army and last year they won both their matches against them.Squads KKR: Eoin Morgan (c), Dinesh Karthik, Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Tim Seifert, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Kuldeep Yadav, Shivam Mavi, Lockie Ferguson, Pat Cummins, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Sandeep Warrier, Prasidh Krishna, Rahul Tripathi, Varun Chakravarthy, Shakib Al Hasan, Sheldon Jackson, Vaibhav Arora, Harbhajan Singh, Karun Nair, Ben Cutting, Venkatesh Iyer and Pawan Negi.SRH: David Warner (C), Kane Williamson, Virat Singh, Manish Pandey, Priyam Garg, Wriddhiman Saha, Jonny Bairstow, Jason Roy, Sreevats Goswami, Vijay Shankar, Mohammad Nabi, Kedar Jadhav, J Suchit, Jason Holder, Abhishek Sharma, Abdul Samad, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan, T Natarajan, Sandeep Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed, Siddharth Kaul, Basil Thampi, Shahbaz Nadeem and Mujeeb ur Rahman.Match starts: 7.30pm IST.

New Delhi, Apr 4 (PTI) One of the most consistent teams in the Indian Premier League over the last five years, Sunrisers Hyderabad would look to improve upon their middle-order batting during this edition of the tournament. Since winning their only IPL title in 2016 under Warner's leadership, SRH have always made it to the play-offs but failed to finish on top. In 2017, SRH lost to Kolkata Knight Riders in the eliminator, while the Hyderabad outfit finished runners-up the next year, losing to Chennai Super Kings in the final. In 2019 and 2020 edition of the tournament which was held in the UAE earlier this year due to COVID-19 pandemic, SRH lost to Delhi Capitals in the eliminator and Qualifier 2 respectively. Having retained their core group for the 2021 season, SRH wasn't that active in the IPL Players' Auction earlier this year, only adding a few back-up options to their already settled line-up. However one area of concern was a lean on experience middle-order last time where they depended on the likes of Priyam Garg, Abhishek Sharma and Abdul Samad. STRENGTHS: The main strength of SRH is the balance they possesses, especially a fantastic top order. With the likes of David Warner, Jonny Bairstow, Jason Roy, Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey and Wriddhiman Saha up their ranks, SRH have one of the most destructive batting line-ups. Warner and Bairstow forms one of the most feared opening pairs in the IPL. The duo has no qualms in taking the opposition attack from ball one and if they get going, no target is unachievable and is a treat to watch for spectators. However with an in-form Jason Roy also in the equation, the choice of four foreigners won't be that easy with only David Warner and Rashid Khan picking themselves. The remaining two slots will depend on conditions and it could be Jason Holder with his all-round skills and Kane Williamson with his experience completing the four-pronged overseas quota. SRH's bowling too looks impressive with fit-again Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Rashid leading the pack. The presence of Afghan star Mujeeb-ur Rahman and yorker king T Natarajan adds the much-needed impetus to their attack. WEAKNESSES: The major weakness of SRH is the absence of a finisher in their line-up. The middle-order too looked shaky in the last IPL in the UAE and that is where SRH would be banking on Williamson's vast experience. Although Shankar is regarded highly as an all-rounder, the Tamil Nadu cricketer is yet to prove his mettle for SRH and that is something which would be a cause of concern for the team management. Even though SRH has roped in Kedar Jadhav this year, it remains to be seen whether the Maharshtra all-rounder can prove his worth considering the fact that he is very much short of practice. OPPORTUNITY: Wriddhiman Saha if given a promotion in the batting order would look at it as an opportunity to show his range of strokes while Kedar Jadhav, whose international career as good as over could add that muscle which the SRH desperately require in the middle -order. This IPL will be a make-or-break one for Manish Pandey, who has already fallen in the pecking order as far as national team is concerned. Pandey would like to make a statement to national selectors and be in the mix. THREATS: SRH is heavily reliant on its top-order to provide a good start and God forbids if the likes of Warner, Bairstow, Pandey and Williamson fails for long, the pressure would shift to the team's middle and lower order, which includes the likes of Shankar, Holder and others. On the bowling front too, SRH is over-dependent of Rashid to deliver the goods when the team needs. Squad: David Warner (C), Kane Williamson, Virat Singh, Manish Pandey, Priyam Garg, Wriddhiman Saha, Jonny Bairstow, Jason Roy, Sreevats Goswami, Vijay Shankar, Mohammad Nabi, Kedar Jadhav, J Suchit, Jason Holder, Abhishek Sharma, Abdul Samad, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan, T Natarajan, Sandeep Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed, Siddharth Kaul, Basil Thampi, Shahbaz Nadeem, Mujeeb ur Rahman.

New Delhi, Mar 10 (PTI) It will be a battle of the big-hitters when prodigiously talented openers Prithvi Shaw and Devdutt Padikkal square off against each other in a semifinal clash between domestic giants Mumbai and heavyweights Karnataka in the Vijay Hazare Trophy one-day championship here on Thursday. While Padikkal, who smashed four consecutive List A hundreds to become the first Indian to achieve the feat, is the leading run-scorer of the tournament with 673 runs, Shaw is not far behind with 589 runs in his kitty. Shaw, who will be leading Mumbai, has been on a record-breaking spree. The diminutive right-hand batsman became the highest individual scorer in the history of the tournament when he smashed an unbeaten 227 against Puducherry in the group stage match. On Tuesday, he added another record to his name by notching up the highest score by an Indian in a chase in a List A game when he smashed an unbeaten 185 against Saurashtra in the quarterfinal, surpassing the likes of Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virat Kohli. Both youngsters would be keen to score big and push their teams into the final come Thursday. Padikkal would like to impress the national selectors once again and push his case for a berth in the ODI squad for the upcoming three-match series against England. Karnataka have an array of experienced players like Manish Pandey, pacers Ronit More, M Prasidh Krishna, all-rounder Shreyas Gopal and spinner K Gowtham and could have a slight edge over Mumbai, who boasts of several youngsters and will be without the services of regular skipper Shreyas Iyer, prolific Suryakumar Yadav and pacer Shardul Thakur. For Karnataka, another advantage is the form of skipper Ravikumar Samarth, who is second highest on the leading run-scorer list for this year, having amassed 605 runs. He hit a whirlwind 192 in the quarterfinal against Kerala and would be more than keen to put up a show once again. For Mumbai, who last won the tournament in 2018-19, a lot will also depend on how their bowlers led by medium pacer Dhawal Kulkarni (13 wickets) perform. The role of spinners Shams Mulani, Prashant Solanki and Tanush Kotian and all-rounder Shivam Dube will also be equally important. The second semifinal between Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, to be played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, can be touted as the battle of equals. Both teams will rely on the performance of their skippers -- Priyank Panchal (Gujarat) and Karan Sharma (UP). Line-up: Gujarat vs Uttar Pradesh match starts at 9am at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Mumbai vs Karnataka match starts at 9 AM at Air Force Ground, Palam.

New Delhi, Feb 20 (PTI) Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav and Rahul Tewatia on Saturday earned their maiden India call-up for next month's five-match T20 series against England as the selectors rewarded them for their stupendous performances in the IPL. Wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant, all-rounder Axar Patel and pacer Bhuvneswar Kumar also returned to a fresh-looking squad. The selectors named a 19-man squad for the series starting March 12 in Ahmedabad with an aim to try out new faces such as Kishan, Yadav and Tewatia in a World Cup year. All three had a stellar IPL though Yadav has formed the backbone of Mumbai Indians' batting over the years. Questions were raised when Suryakumar Yadav did not make the team for the series in Australia but his long wait has finally ended. Kishan too had a good IPL and has been in red hot form in white ball cricket. He got the call-up on a day when he smashed 173 off 93 balls for Jharkhand in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Tewatia, who plays for Rajasthan Royals and Haryana, had smashed West Indian Sheldon Cottrell for five sixes in an over in the IPL last year to pull off a stunning win for his team. Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson and Manish Pandey have been dropped from the side while pacer Jasprit Bumrah has been rested. Mohammad Shami and Ravindra Jadeja were not included as they they are still recovering from injuries they suffered on the Australia tour. Pant comes back into the team following a stellar run in Tests in Australia and his good form has continued in the home series against England. Bhuvneshwar returns to the side having recovered from a hamstring injury he suffered in the IPL. He recently played for UP in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Patel, who last played a T20 in February 2018, is also back having performed consistently in the IPL. His selection comes after he took a five-wicket haul in his maiden Test and is a like-for-like replacement for Jadeja. Mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy, who missed the Australia series due to an injury, has also been named in the team. Left-arm pacer T Natarajan has expectedly retained his place following an impressive debut series in Australia. Both Kishan and Pant have been named as wicketkeepers, so it remains to be seen if K L Rahul will continue to keep the wickets. All five games will be played in Ahmedabad. India's T20I squad: Virat Kohli (Captain), Rohit Sharma (vice-captain), KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Yuzvendra Chahal, Varun Chakravarthy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Rahul Tewatia, T Natarajan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Navdeep Saini and Shardul Thakur