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2022-05-21 18:45

Sunrisers Hyderabad, Punjab Kings look to end season on a high

Mumbai, May 21 (Cricket News) Their play-off hopes dashed, both Sunrisers Hyderabad and Punjab Kings will be keen to end their IPL season on a winning note when the two teams clash in a dead rubber here on Sunday.

Both teams were knocked out of the play-off race when RCB defeated table-toppers Gujarat Titans on Thursday.

The Sunrisers will be without the services of their skipper Kane Williamson, who has returned to New Zealand for the birth of his second child.

In his absence, either Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who has led the side previously, or Nicholas Pooran are are likely to captain the Sunrisers in their last game this season.

While Sunrisers managed to snap their five-match losing streak by eking out a narrow three-run win over Mumbai Indians, Punjab succumbed to a 17-run loss to Delhi Capitals.

The fact that Mayank Agarwal and Co. could not win two games in a row sums up their inconsistent run all season.

High on spirits after thrashing RCB by 54 runs, PBKS suffered an inexplicable batting collapse in their must-win against Delhi.

The Punjab bating unit has been plagued by inconsistencies and will need to fire in unison to build or defend a huge total.

If not for the star batters -- Jonny Baitsow and Liam Livingstone, Shikhar Dhawan -- Punjab Kings have reliable Jitesh Sharma, one of the finds of this IPL, to finish the match or take them to a good total.

On the bowling front, lead pacer Kagiso Rabada (22) continues to be the highest wicket taker among fast bowlers this season. The South African has bowled at an average of 16.72 with an economy of 8.36.

Arshdeep Singh (10) has impressed many with his ability to land yorkers at will and has done especially well in the death overs.

The Sunrisers, on the other hand, won five back-to-back matches and looked on course for a top 2 finish but injuries to their frontline bowlers Washington Sundar and T Natarjan deflated their campaign as they slumped to a five-match losing streak. Skipper Williamson's wretched form didn't help their cause either.

On the bowling front, pace sensation Umran Malik, who enjoyed a good outing in the previous game, is likely to keep the speed gun radar busy.

Sunrisers also found star Afghan bowler in the form of medium pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi, who did the tremendous job in the previous game.

Both Bhuvneshwar and Farooqi will be eyeing another good outing, while Natarajan will have to forget the hammering by Tim David and find a way to nail his yorkers again.

Sunrisers batting unit has been spearheaded by Rahul Tripathi this season.

SRH made some tactical changes in the last game and they paid off. Priyam Garg was brought into the side and the youngster impressed. Abhishek Sharma has been good in patches while Aiden Markram has gone under the radar after a few good knocks.

Teams (From) SRH, Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Abdul Samad, Priyam Garg, Shashank Singh, Romario Shepherd, Marco Jansen, J Suchith, Shreyas Gopal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sean Abbott, Kartik Tyagi, Saurabh Tiwary, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Umran Malik, T Natarajan.

PBKS: Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Agarwal (C), 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, Vaibhav Arora, Nathan Ellis, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Benny Howell.

Match starts at 7.30PM IST.

Also Read : On selection radar for South Africa series: Malik, Mohsin, DK

News Source : PTI

2022-05-18 06:31

SRH keep slim playoff hopes alive with three-run win over MI

Mumbai, May 17 (Cricket News) Rahul Tripathi batted like a man on a mission before Umran Malik sizzled with his pace as Sunrisers Hyderabad kept their slim IPL playoff hopes alive with a three-run win over Mumbai Indians here on Tuesday.

Tripathi scored 76 from 44 balls to guide Sunrisers Hyderabad to a challenging 193 for six. He was ably complemented by Priyam Garg (42) and Nicholas Pooran (38).

Malik (3/23 in three overs) then produced a sensational performance, while the seasoned Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1/26 off 4) bowled a wicket maiden in the crucial 19th over to stop MI at 190 for seven despite the best efforts by Rohit Sharma (48), Ishan Kishan (43) and Tim David (46).

The victory keeps SRH in the playoffs race on paper as they move up to 12 points. They need to win their last game and hope for other results to go their way.

Chasing 194, Rohit was at his effortless best and looked set for a big score. He gave a solid start to Mumbai's chase alongside Kishan, with whom he shared a 95-run opening stand.

The two plundered 17 runs in the ninth over bowled by Malik, with the pacer guilty of bowling two no balls and a wide.

But two overs later, Kane Williamson's decision to bowl Washington Sundar (1/36) paid dividends as Rohit holed out to Jagadeesha Suchith in the deep.

Kishan, who looked uncomfortable against Malik's short balls, followed his skipper in the next over as the Jammu pacer, who had a horrible first over, redeemed himself. He speared the ball at the stumps from round the wicket for Priyam Garg to complete a fine catch at mid on.

The duo provided another breakthrough as Malik bowled another bouncer forcing Daniel Sams to pull. Garg jumped high above his head with his arms fully stretched to complete a brilliant catch at midwicket.

With 44 needed off 18, the big-hitting David blazed away to 46 off just 18 balls to keep alive Mumbai's hope for a fourth win this season.

David hit four sixes off the 18th over bowled by T Natarajan, including a monstrous 114m hit, to bring the equation down to 19 from 12. However, Natarajan (0/60) managed to redeem himself off the last ball as David was run out.

The seasoned Bhuvneshwar bowled a wicket maiden 19th over to tilt the game back in SRH's favour.

Earlier, Tripathi, who struck his third half century of the season with the help of nine fours and three sixes, set himself up brilliantly for a memorable knock.

Invited to bat, the Sunrisers' gamble to play Garg at the top of the order paid off. The 21-year-old played a fine knock while sharing a 78-run partnership with Tripathi after the in-form Abhishek Sharma (9) was sent back in the third over.

Garg, who was dropped on 10, made good use of his reprieve as he smashed the ball four times to the fence and twice over it in his 26-ball innings.

At the other end, Tripathi looked in his element. He smacked Jasprit Bumrah (1/32) for a six and back-to-back fours in the fifth over.

Tripathi and Garg collected 57 in a productive powerplay and maintained a healthy run rate which was close to 10 runs per over while batting responsibly.

Once Garg was caught and bowled by medium pacer Ramandeep Singh (3/20), Pooran, who was promoted to No. 3, joined the party.

The flamboyant left-hander smoked two consecutive sixes over long on and deep backward square off Riley Merdith (1/44) in the 13th over before whacking Mayank Markande (0/31) for a boundary and a maximum in the next over.

The MI bowlers, led by Ramndeep, were able to stage a mini comeback as they got rid of Pooran, Tripathi and Aiden Markram (2) in the space of eight balls.

Batting down the order, skipper Kane Williamson's (8 not out) struggles continued as he was unable to get the big shots going.

The Sunrisers, who were looking set for a 200 plus score, could manage only one boundary in the last two overs, which yielded 19 runs.

Also Read : Rahul Tripathi's 76 takes Sunrisers to 193 for 6 against Mumbai

News Source : PTI

2022-05-17 13:39

Desperate SRH take on MI in search of crucial points in match no 65

(Cricket news) SRH’s campaign hasn’t any type of form this season as they went on a 5 match winning streak after losing the first three matches in the tournament but are now on the back of 5 defeats in a row and their playoff hopes hanging by a thread. For MI they have nothing to lose knowing that if they win, they will dent SRH’s playoff hopes.

For SRH, they are still in contention for the playoffs even after five straight losses following five straight wins as it is purely down to their batting from Nos. 3 to 6. Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram and Nicholas Pooran have been the key players at those positions and Sunrisers average 35.5 per dismissal for those spots combined, the best among the teams in IPL 2022. Kane Williamson's form has been abysmal this season; his batting average of 18.9 this season and his strike rate of 92.9 is the fifth-worst by any player to have batted in ten innings in an IPL season. The SRH management need to make changes to their batting order as they need some fresh impetus in the batting department. In the bowling department, all the bowlers who were in form started conceding a lot of runs as they have conceded more than 175 in the previous matches. Washington Sundar and Shreyas Gopal will be key, both of whom have combined to dismiss Rohit Sharma four times in 37 balls.

MI would take confidence from their last match and hopefully rebuild next season but now they would want to end the tournament on a high. Very little of Tristan Stubbs could be seen against CSK as the management will likely continue to back him in the middle order, while young Tilak Verma continues to impress for MI this season. Rohit Sharma needs to get amongst the runs for MI this season as it will not only be good news for MI fans but also for the Indian cricket fans. In the bowling department, Jasprit Bumrah will be the key as he has had the better of Nicholas Pooran, dismissing the dangerous southpaw twice in nine balls, conceding only seven runs. Daniel Sams also proved his worth with a match winning spell in the last match.

Pitch and weather report: The Wankhede Stadium pitch has been the best batting pitch this season but has also seen pace and bounce up front with the new ball. Chasing sides have won six of the last eight matches at this venue. The temperature is going to hover around 30 degrees with no chance of rain as dew may play a part in the second innings.

Interesting facts:

Rohit is yet to score 30+ in two consecutive innings in this calendar year in T20s and hasn't registered a 50+ score either in IPL
SRH have used the fewest overs of spin this season
MI and SRH are two of only three teams to use the same opening pair throughout the season.
Abhishek Sharma averages above 30 or strikes at over 130 this season no one in the team does other than him.
Mumbai have conceded 94 sixes, while Sunrisers have conceded 92 this season
Jasprit Bumrah needs one wicket to become the first Indian fast bowler to take 250 wickets in T20 cricket

Also read: AB de Villiers, Gayle inducted into the RCB Hall of Fame

Probable XI for SRH:

1 Abhishek Sharma, 2 Kane Williamson (capt), 3 Rahul Tripathi, 4 Aiden Markram, 5 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 6 Washington Sundar, 7 Shashank Singh/Glenn Phillips, 8 Marco Jansen/Kartik Tyagi, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Umran Malik, 11 T Natarajan

Probable XI for MI:

1 Ishan Kishan (wk), 2 Rohit Sharma (capt), 3 Tilak Varma, 4 Tristan Stubbs, 5 Tim David, 6 Daniel Sams, 7 Hrithik Shokeen, 8 Ramandeep Singh, 9 Jasprit Bumrah, 10 Riley Meredith, 11 Kumar Kartikeya Singh

2022-05-16 12:52

On rollercoaster ride, SRH meet MI in must-win game

Mumbai, May 16 (Cricket News) Their play-off chances hanging by a thread, Sunrisers Hyderabad will need to snap their five-match losing streak when they take on an already eliminated Mumbai Indians in the IPL here on Tuesday.

It has been a rollercoaster ride for SRH who won five games in a row before losing the next five.

SRH, if they win their two remaining games including the one against MI, will jump to 14 points and then be left hoping that the other results go their way to have an outside chance of making the play-offs.

But a loss against Mumbai at the Wankhede stadium will surely eliminate them, as there are already seven teams now with 12 or more points.

Hyderabad will need to put up a much improved show with the bat. Skipper Williamson is enduring a wretched run in this season and the Kiwi has collected just 208 runs from 12 games at an average of 18.92. He needs to find his mojo.

Head coach Tom Moody defended the move to open with an out-of-form Williamson and the New Zealander will need to prove his coach right.

His opening partner Abhishek Sharma, who chipped in with a 43 in the last game, needs to convert the starts to big scores. But the duo would have their task cut out against a formidable Mumbai attack on a track that helps pacers.

SRH have the necessary fire-power in the middle-order with the likes of Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram and swashbuckling Nicholos Pooran, but consistency has been an issue.

Their middle-order crumbled in their last game against Kolkata Knight Riders, which they lost by 54 runs, and hence the three would need to fire in unison.

Equally crucial is the role of Washington Sundar and Shashank Singh as finishers.

The formidable Sunrisers pace attack includes Umran Malik, who has been a revelation, while the others like Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Marco Jansen, who can trouble Rohit with the delivery that comes in, and yorker specialist T Natarajan have fared well.

The MI batters will need to be wary of Malik, who is improving after every game and already has 18 wickets.

MI will take confidence from their five-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings, whom they bundled out for 97 and probably look to dent SRH's chances.

But for Mumbai, the form of skipper Rohit Sharma and IPL’s costliest buy Ishan Kishan are huge concerns. The duo needs to provide an aggressive start, especially in the absence of Suryakumar Yadav.

Tilak Varma, who has been one of the finds of the season, once again needs to shoulder responsibility in the middle-order, which lacks experience. And it wouldn’t be easy for the likes of Daniel Sams, Tim David, Tristan Stubbs and Ramandeep Singh to counter the varied SRH attack.

As far as the MI bowling is concerned, pacer Sams is right on the money and can wreak havoc at the start. The ever-reliable Jasprit Bumrah and Riley Meredith have also played their parts while rookie spinner Kumar Kartikeya Singh has been providing necessary breakthroughs in the middle overs.

Teams (from): Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Anmolpreet Singh, Rahul Buddhi, Ramandeep Singh, 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.

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Kane Williamson, Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram, Nicholos Pooran, Abdul Samad, Priyam Garg, Vishnu Vinod, Glenn Phillips, R Samarth, Shashank Singh, Washington Sundar, Romario Shepherd, Marco Jansen, J Suchith, Shreyas Gopal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sean Abbott, Kartik Tyagi, Saurabh Tiwary, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Umran Malik, T Natarajan. Match at 7.30 PM

Also Read : All-round RR humble LSG by 24 runs, inch closer to play-offs

News Source : PTI

2022-05-15 12:08

Why change something that's working: Moody happy to continue with Williamson as opener

Mumbai, May 15 (Cricket News) Defending the decision to persist with the out-of-form Kane Williamson at the top, Sunrisers Hyderabad coach Tom Moody said "why change something that's working for something that's not working," adding that the other batters in the side are excelling in their roles.

Skipper Williamson is enduring a wretched run in this season of the IPL. The Kiwi has collected just 208 runs from 12 games at an average of 18.92.

"Rahul Tripathi has batted exceptionally well at No. 3 and (Aiden) Markram has been one of the leading batters in the tournament at No. 4," Moody defended the move to retain Markram and Tripathi at No. 3 and 4 respectively, at the post-match press conference.

"So, we felt why change something that's working for something that's not working." Williamson has struggled to get going in this edition. In the 54-run loss to Kolkata Knight Riders on Saturday, the skipper hit 9 off 17 balls.

"We have trusted Kane with his quality, there's no question of his world-class quality. So, that's why we haven't made that move because as we have seen throughout the tournament where the batting has been functioning really well.

"That is Abhishek Sharma at the top of the order, Tripathi at 3, Markram 4 and (Nicholas) Pooran 5." The Sunrisers were on course to seal off a playoff berth after they were on a five-match winning streak, but things have gone awry for them since then as they have now lost five games on the trot, severely denting their hopes of qualifying for the next stage.

"We did get on a nice winning roll, started to play some good cricket and had everyone available for selection and then we missed a game that we should've won to make it six in a row," Moody said.

Moody said the team lost "a little bit of confidence" when the two of its frontline bowlers -- Washington Sundar and T Natarajan -- suffered injuries.

"Then we had injuries to Washington and Natarajan. Every team has their injuries, but they play pretty key roles for us in the side and that's where I think we lost a little bit of confidence and also as a bowling unit a bit of rhythm to our game and method to our defence of 120 balls." Russell can do special things: Southee ========================= Kolkata Knight Riders pacer Tim Southee heaped praise on allrounder Andre Russell, whose all-round brilliance kept the team's slim hopes of a play-off.

"He has been tremendous throughout the whole tournament, not only with the bat but also with the ball. There are few guys around the world, who can do special things and Russell is one of those guys," Southee said.

"He thrives on those moments and most times than not, he turns in with a performance that the team needs." Russell first smashed an unbeaten 49 off 28 balls to take KKR to 177 for six after they were down and out at 94 for 5 and then returned to snap three wickets for 22 runs to limit SRH to 123 for 8.

"The partnership was crucial. We lost a few wickets in the middle and we needed to have two overseas players coming together and grab the game and take us to a competitive total. We played here a couple of days back so we knew it was going to be tougher in the second innings." KKR now have 12 points from 13 games with a net run-rate of +0.160. With Rajasthan Royals (14 from 12) and RCB (14 from 13 games) having chance to move up, even a victory in their final match is unlikely to be enough for the franchise to make it to the play-offs.

"Every game is a must win game for us and with one game left, it helps. Last two games we had convincing wins and it just showed the nature of the tournament. It tends to happen majority of the years where you get into that stage where there are number of teams that still are able to make the final play off spots. It is not over till it is over."

Also Read : We had nothing to lose, mindset was outstanding: Shreyas Iyer

News Source : PTI

2022-05-14 13:25

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

(Cricket news) For both the teams it will be a do or die fixture as they seem to have a very slim chance of qualifying for the playoffs, given their low tally of 10 points and their negative Net Run Rates. Delhi Capitals, with an NRR of +0.210 on the other hand, appear much better placed. But for both KKR and SRH, a victory isn't going to hurt whatever's left of their campaign.

For KKR their coach Brendon McCullum became the new England test match coach in the middle of KKR's campaign, meaning there's already a sense of flux in the camp and how the team responds to the news will be fascinating to watch. KKR will be without Pat Cummins for the entire campaign as he is flying back home after suffering a hip injury. In the batting department, KKR reverted back to their original opening partnership of Venkatesh Iyer and Ajinkiya Rahane. Venkatesh's 24-ball 43 was essential to Knight Riders posting their first fifty opening stand with a score, 64 for 1 in the powerplay, against Mumbai Indians last match. KKR’s lower middle order of Rinku Singh and Andre Russell have been consistent this season but they need the top order to produce runs. In the bowling department, their highest wicket taker this Umesh Yadav needs to fit as they are missing that experience in the pace bowling department.

After 4 wins on the trot for SRH, their campaign has somewhat gone downhill due to the injuries in the squad. Sunrisers have tried out different bowling options, but Fazalhaq Farooqi, Kartik Tyagi, J Suchith and Shreyas Gopal haven't quite provided the control and wicket taking ability that Natarajan and Washington brought. The good news for Sunrisers fans is that both Natarajan and Washington are likely to be fit for this match. In the batting department, Captain Kane Williamson's powerplay strike rate of 79.52 is the lowest among batters who have faced more than 50 balls this season. His opening partner Abhishek Sharma's form has also cooled off after a hot start but their middle order of Aidan Markarm and Nicholas Pooran have been consistent with their performances. In the bowling department, Shreyas Iyer struggles against Bhuvneshwar Kumar, having scored 44 runs in 49 balls and dismissing him 3 times at an average of 14.67 with a strike-rate: 89.79. Since his five wicket haul, Umran Malik has figures of 4-0-48-0, 4-0-52-0 and 2-0-25-0, which needs to improve if they are to make the playoffs.

Pitch and weather report: The toss in Pune matters a lot as nine of the 12 games in Pune have been won by teams batting first but teams are still reluctant to defend totals. Last match we saw the pitch being on the slower side as the spinners played a massive part in the game. The temperature is going to hover around 26 degrees with no chance of rain as dew will not be a factor in the second innings.

Interesting facts:

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has the edge over Rahane in the IPL, having got him six times in 15 innings while keeping him to 89 runs off 96 balls
Andre Russell has smashed Bhuvneshwar for 51 off 21 balls at a strike rate of nearly 243 while getting just once in the IPL.
This is going to be Shreyas Iyer's 100th IPL game.
Sunrisers Hyderabad have won only one out of their five IPL matches in Pune.
Kolkata Knight Riders have won seven out of eight IPL matches in Pune.

Also read: Punjab Kings demolish RCB by 54 runs riding on half-centuries from Bairstow, Livingstone

Probable XI for KKR:

1 Ajinkya Rahane, 2 Venkatesh Iyer, 3 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 4 Nitish Rana, 5 Rinku Singh, 6 Sam Billings (wk), 7 Andre Russell, 8 Umesh Yadav/Shivam Mavi, 9 Sunil Narine, 10 Tim Southee, 11 Varun Chakravarthy

Probable XI for SRH:

1 Kane Williamson (capt), 2 Abhishek Sharma, 3 Rahul Tripathi, 4 Aiden Markram, 5 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 6 Shashank Singh, 7 Washington Sundar/J Suchith, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Marco Jansen/Fazalhaq Farooqi/Romario Shepherd, 10 Umran Malik, 11 T Natarajan/Kartik Tyagi

2022-05-13 13:43

IPL 2022: SRH face KKR in battle of survival

Pune, May 13 (Cricket News) Struggling after four straight losses, Sunrisers Hyderabad will need to sort their bowling woes when they take on an inconsistent Kolkata Knight Riders as both the teams look to stay afloat in the IPL play-off race here on Saturday.

A series of losses after a five-match winning streak has dropped SRH to the sixth spot with 10 points and they would need to win all the remaining three games to salvage any hopes of making it to the play-offs.

With 10 points, KKR, however, are on the brink of elimination. Shreyas Iyer's men have just two more matches to go and wins in both will only take them to 14 points, which might not be enough with Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore already sitting pretty in the top four with 14 points from 12 games.

One of the main reasons behind SRH's awful run in the last few games is injuries to frontline bowlers -- Washington Sundar and T Natarajan -- and the sudden loss of form of speedster Umran Malik.

It culminated in SRH conceding more than 190 plus runs in each of the last four games.

While Sundar had injured his bowling hand again, death over specialist Natarajan had picked up a niggle. But coach Tom Moody was hopeful of the duo's return against KKR.

Malik, who looked fast and furious in the earlier games clocking 150kmph consistently, has gone wicketless and conceded too many runs in the last few games and his form will be key for SRH.

Fazalhaq Farooqi and Karthik Tyagi were taken to cleaners by RCB in their last game, further adding to SRH's problems.

In batting, SRH have the quality but skipper Kane Williamson will have to take more responsibility as he has just one fifty to show this season. Although Abhishek Sharma has given them solid starts, the youngster has not been able to anchor the innings.

Rahul Tripathi, Nicholas Pooran and Aiden Markram too have been among runs but SRH batters will need assistance from their bowlers, who will have to ensure that they limit their opposition to reasonable totals.

KKR, on the other hand, are paying the price for making constant changes to their playing XI and are now staring at elimination after losing seven of their 12 games.

KKR, however, are coming into the match after beating Mumbai Indians in their last game and they would look to end things on a high.

The 2021 finalist have struggled in the powerplay this season but with Venkatesh Iyer, who was dropped due to his lean run, back in the mix, KKR produced a good effort against MI.

The seasoned Tim Southee and Pat Cummins too were back in the XI and produced a solid effort, sharing four wickets against MI.

But according to reports, Cummins will miss KKR's remaining matches as he is heading home early to recover from a minor hip injury.

KKR's highest wicket-taker Umesh Yadav had missed the last game after pulling his calf muscle and the team would be hoping he recovers for the match.

Teams (from): 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.

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

Match starts at 7.30PM IST.

Also Read : Absence of DRS was unlucky, set off chain of events that went against us: Fleming

News Source : PTI

2022-05-09 14:40

Moody backs pace sensation Umran Malik to come back stronger

Mumbai, May 8 (Cricket News) Sunrisers Hyderabad head coach Tom Moody is not worried about pace sensation Umran Malik's sudden lean patch and said his side were doing their best to ensure the youngster learn from experience.

Though he has grabbed 15 wickets from eight matches, Malik has returned wicketless in the last three matches with the batters opting for a counter-attacking approach against him.

In the match against RCB here on Sunday, Malik leaked 20 runs in his first over as Faf du Plessis and Rajat Patidar went into attacking mode against him.

"It's a real learning experience for him. Looking at the volume of cricket that he has had is very, very minimal really," Moody said after SRH lost by 67 runs.

"So this run of games in a row for him is something that he's not used to. He's not used to playing this regular cricket, the high intensity of the cricket that IPL brings.

"He's on a very steep learning curve. Over the last couple of outings, there's no question that he has not got it right. We are doing our best to support and guide him to learn from these experiences," Moody said.

Faf du Plessis and Rajat Patidar gave RCB a strong start after they lost Virat Kohli in the very first ball and then Dinesh Karthik made full use of his drop catch to play a superb cameo of 30 not out from eight balls to prop up the total to 192/3.

"It's the small margins that we didn't capitalise on. We should not have been chasing the total that we ended up chasing.

"We dropped two key catches, which cost us. When you miss those small margins, it does make it very difficult for your batting group to go out there and chase a total which is 20-25 runs more than it should have been.

"Then we had a run-out in the very first over and it put us on the backfoot. it did make that run chase even more daunting," he said.

Natarajan, Sundar set for comeback =================== Left-arm seamer T Natarajan, who is Sunrisers' leading wicket-taker, was once again sorely missed as their spinner Washington Sundar also was ruled out.

With their next match slated after five days, Moody hoped the duo will be available for selection against Kolkata Knight Riders (on May 14).

"Washy, we are hoping, should be available for selection come our next game. Nattu, we are also hoping that he'll be available for that match as well.

"We have a few days in between and both of them will be engaged in training. Hopefully they will feel confident and we'll feel confident to select them," Moody signed off.

Also Read : If we make play-offs great but if we don't it's not end of world: Dhoni

News Source : PTI

2022-05-05 13:45

Playoff hopefuls DC take on 5th place SRH in match no 50

(Cricket news) Both Delhi Capitals and Sunrisers Hyderabad have found it tough to maintain consistency in this year's IPL 2022. The two teams are separated by just two points but as many spots. The battle to get into the top four is bound to be more intense with each team having four games left after this.

DC are yet to find that winning combination as David Warner, the former title-winning captain, will go up against SRH for the first time since his unceremonious exit from the franchise last season. DC’s batting this season has been topsy turvy as the middle order has been hot and cold the entire season with the likes of Mitchell Marsh, Rovman Powell and Axar Patel unable to perform at a consistent level. In the bowling department it has been the Kuldeep Yadav show as he has picked up 17 wickets this season and subsequently won the man of the match trophy everytime DC have won this year. The left arm trio of Axar, Mustafizur and Chetan Sakariya will be the key in restricting their opposition to a low score as Mustafizur Rahman has kept Tripathi in check to a strike rate of 40, Chetan Sakariya limits him to 83 and finally Shardul Thakur has restricted him to a strike rate of 117.

The SRH camp on the other hand will be hoping that their bowling finds its mojo back after conceding a lot of runs in the last two matches. The likes of Umran Malik, Marco Jansen and T Natarajan have been phenomenal this season but over the last two matches they have been taken to raptors, going more than 10 rpo. Bhuvneshwar Kumar will hold the key for SRH as he has dismissed Prithvi Shaw twice and he scores just a run-a-ball against Bhuvneshwar. This could set the tone early for SRH and might put them in the driving seat. In the batting department, SRH will be desperate that their skipper Kane Williamson, who has only one fifty this season, finds his touch again. One positive is the form of the young opener Abhishek Sharma who has scored more than 320 runs in this year’s tournament and is lighting up the season with his stroke play.

Pitch and weather report: The Brabourne pitch has seen lots of runs scored as well as opposition getting out for less than 100 runs. It has been a relatively spin-friendly ground as the small boundaries might come into play. The temperature is going to hover around 31 degrees as dew may play a part in the second innings.

Interesting facts:

Kane Williamson has won eight out of nine tosses this season
Rishabh Pant has a strike-rate in excess of 145 in five of the six innings he has faced more than ten balls.
Warner is the highest run-getter for Sunrisers in IPL history, with 4014 runs at an average of 49.6.
Pant has 466 runs, has hit 22 sixes and smashed 128* against Sunrisers
Kane Williamson needs to take two more catches to reach 100 catches in T20 cricket.
Axar Patel (99) needs just one scalp to complete 100 wickets in the IPL
Mustafizur Rahman (46) requires four wickets to reach 50 wickets in the IPL.

Also read: Concerned that different types of bowlers are getting Kohli out: Ian Bishop

Probable XI for DC:
1 Prithvi Shaw, 2 David Warner, 3 Mitchell Marsh, 4 Rishabh Pant (capt& wk), 5 Lalit Yadav, 6 Rovman Powell, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Mustafizur Rahman, 11 Chetan Sakariya

Probable XI for SRH:
1 Kane Williamson (capt), 2 Abhishek Sharma, 3 Rahul Tripathi, 4 Aiden Markram, 5 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 6 Shashank Singh, 7 Washington Sundar/J Suchith, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Marco Jansen, 10 Umran Malik, 11 T Natarajan/Kartik Tyagi

2022-05-04 12:09

Time for Lalit Yadav to deliver as DC fight SRH to stay alive in IPL

Mumbai, May 4 (Cricket News) All-rounder Lalit Yadav is running against time to repay the unshakeable faith that head coach Ricky Ponting has reposed in him as Delhi Capitals face a must-win situation to keep their shoddy IPL campaign alive against Sunrisers Hyderabad here on Thursday.

This is the third IPL season for the lanky DC all-rounder, who is one of Ponting's favourite cricketers, and the Aussie legend has invested a lot in the man from Najafgarh.

However, modest returns of 137 runs from nine games with a strike-rate of less than 110 while batting in the middle-overs and an economy rate of nearly 8.5 with only four wickets, don't do justice to his enormous potential.

While numbers always don't tell the whole story but Lalit hasn't exactly been the best finisher for Delhi and despite his reputation at the domestic level, he has managed only six maximums in seven innings so far.

At least DC's eight points from nine games, with five defeats, show that all is not well in terms of combination as well as performances.

Anrich Nortje's retention has backfired badly as the South African quick has hardly been of use and save Kuldeep yadav (17 wickets) and partly Khaleel Ahmed (11), none of the other bowlers have looked menacing. Mustafizur Rahaman has been good in patches but far from being the skiddy customer that he was between 2015-18.

Skipper Rishabh Pant (234 from nine games) showed glimpses of his destructive power but the team would want more from its skipper who is more than capable of hammering any attack into submission.

Pant's battle against India's fastest bowler Umran Malik will be a contest everyone will be looking forward to considering that the Jammu speedster only comes after powerplay, which could also be the time of the DC skipper's arrival to the crease.

Prithvi Shaw, who had started the tourney on a bright note hasn't been in his element in last few games and David Warner would ideally like to convert one of his fifties into a hundred.

It will be easier said than done against an attack that has Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umran, T Natarajan and Marco Jansen who would be coming relentlessly at the DC batting unit to increase their points tally from 10 to 12.

The only good news for Capitals is Washington Sundar's absence after a recurrence of a hand injury, and probably, Jagadeesha Suchith will be bowling his slow left-arm orthodox.

DC will however have to concentrate on young opener Abhishek Sharma (324 in nine games at 135 strike-rate approximately), who has been consistently giving good starts.

Skipper Kane Williamson hasn't really set the stage on fire and SRH's batting in their five wins mainly relied on Abhishek, Aiden Markram (263 in nine games) and Rahul Tripathi (228 in nine games).

The first game in which SRH's bowling and batting came under the pump was against CSK when they conceded 200 plus runs in 20 overs, and then left too much at the end, with Nicholas Pooran scoring consolation runs.

How well SRH fare while batting first under lights remains to be seen as they have mostly chased.

Shardul Thakur's quickish medium fast bowling could test the SRH line-up. Thakur's bowling in the tournament has been a huge let-down for DC as he has got only seven wickets from nine games and at an embarrassingly high economy rate of 9.75 for a specialist front-line pacer.

The man, who is affectionately called 'Beefy' (Ian Botham's nickname) for his all-round prowess in England last year, has been a shadow of his old self with only 89 runs in seven innings.

Teams: 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.

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

Match starts at 7.30 pm.

Also Read : The wicket helped us, says Sandeep Sharma

News Source : PTI

2022-05-02 09:54

Ruturaj Gaikwad, Conway set up CSK's 13-run win over SRH

Pune, May 1 (Cricket News) Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway's effortless six-hitting exhibition was well complemented by a four-wicket haul from Mukesh Choudhary as Chennai Super Kings notched up a 13-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in an IPL match here on Sunday.

Gaikwad (99 off 57 balls) and Conway (85 not out off 55) put SRH's attack to the sword, notching up a scintillating 182-run partnership, the highest opening stand of the season, as CSK posted an imposing 202 for two after being invited to bat.

In reply, SRH fell short, reaching 189 for 6 in 20 overs despite late heroics from Nicholas Pooran (64 not out) and a 47-run innings by skipper Kane Williamson at the top.

Choudhary emerged with the best figures for CSK, scalping four for 46, while Mitchell Santner (1/36) and Dwaine Pretorius (1/40) took one wicket each.

The win, which coincided with MS Dhoni's return to captaincy, kept CSK afloat for an improbable play-off berth as they now have six points with five matches remaining, while SRH remained in the fourth position with 10 points in the overall standing.

Abhishek Sharma (39) and Williamson gave SRH a flying start to their chase but Choudhary struck twice in two balls to reduce the Hyderabad outfit to 58 for 2 in six overs.

While Sharma was caught by Dwaine Pretorius at long-on, Rahul Tripathi was out for a duck after giving catching practice at short third man.

Aiden Markram hit two sixes before falling prey to Mitchell Santner.

Pooran hit Ravindra Jadeja for a six before unleashing a monstrous reverse sweep for another maximum, while Williamson too notched up a one-handed six to keep the scoreboard ticking.

The SRH skipper, however, was trapped in front by Pretorius as it became 126 for 4 in 15th over.

Pooran then kept fighting in vain while scoreboard pressure took a toll on the other batters.

Earlier, Gaikwad, who has been blowing hot and cold this season, was at his destructive best as he smashed six sixes and as many fours before tragically falling short of a ton by just one run.

The 25-year-old was in his zone as he stood on his backfoot, and played some exceptional shots to dominate the formidable SRH bowling unit.

Anything short was pulled with immaculate ease, while pitched up deliveries were treated with equal disdain as Gaikwad didn't miss a trick to send SRH on a leather hunt during his classy innings.

Conway too showed great temperament as he was the perfect foil for Gaikwad. He bide his time initially before going for the big shots in the slog overs.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar (0/22) was the best bowler on display for SRH, while pace sensation Umran Malik had a really bad day in office, having conceded 48 in his four overs. T Natarajan (2/42) picked up two wickets but also went for runs.

With Washington Sundar suffering an injury while fielding, SRH was forced to use Markram and Shashank Singh as the fifth bowler, who conceded 46 from their combined four overs.

After a watchful start, Gaikwad broke free as he pulled Marco Jansen for two maximums, while Natarajan was sent across the mid-wicket boundary as CSK reached 40 for 0 after the powerplay.

Gaikwad was particular harsh on Malik, smashing him over cover first before lifting him over long-on for another maximum in his first over.

Malik cranked up the pace, bowling the fastest delivery of the tournament, clocking 154kmph in the 10th over, but ended up conceding two more boundaries off Gaikwad's blade as the opener completed his half-century off 33 balls.

Markram too faced the fury of the duo with Conway sending him across the fine leg before going down the wicket for a flat six.

Gaikwad too clobbered him for successive sixes as the 100 was up in the 11th over.

Malik was again in the line of fire as Gaikwad slogged him over long-on for a boundary before lifting him over long-off for another maximum.

A top-edge six off Marco Jansen, meanwhile, helped Conway bring up his fifty in 39 balls and he ended the 15th over with another four and a six.

Natarajan was brought back but he too conceded 13 runs with Gaikwad producing another pull. Conway too sent one over the bowler's head in the 18th over.

Gaikwad, however, missed out of a deserving hundred when he gave an easy catch at point.

Back at the helm of affairs, M S Dhoni promoted himself but couldn't make an impact as he was holed out by Malik off Natarajan.

Also Read : Gaikwad, Conway power CSK to 202/2 against SRH

News Source : PTI

2022-05-02 09:39

Gaikwad, Conway power CSK to 202/2 against SRH

Pune, May 1 (Cricket News) Chennai Super Kings openers Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway hammered the Sunrisers Hyderabad bowling attack into submission, notching up a scintillating 182-run partnership, the highest opening stand of the season, to post an imposing 202 for two in an IPL match here on Sunday.

Gaikwad (99 off 57 balls) was at his destructive best as he smashed six sixes and as many fours before falling short of a deserving hundred by just one run.

His opening partner Conway, playing only his second game of the season, made an unbeaten 85 off 55 balls studded with eight hits to the fence and four maximums.

Gaikwad was in his zone as he stood on his backfoot, waiting for the ball to come to him and played some exceptional shots to dominate the formidable SRH bowling unit.

Anything short was pulled with immaculate ease, while pitched up deliveries were treated with equal disdain as Gaikwad didn't miss a trick to send SRH on a leather hunt during his classy innings.

Conway too showed great temperament as he was the perfect foil for Gaikwad. He bide his time initially before going for the big shots in the slog overs.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar (0/22) was the best bowler on display, while pace sensation Umran Malik had a really bad day in office, having conceded 48 in his four overs. T Natarajan (2/42) picked up two wickets but went for runs.

After a watchful start, Gaikwad produced two superb pull shots to deposit Jansen over fine leg area for two maximums, while Natarajan was sent across the mid-wicket area.

After the powerplay, CSK were 40 for no loss, their best opening partnership this season.

Gaikwad continued to find the boundaries as SRH's sensational pacer Malik was sent on a leather hunt with the opener smashing him over cover before lifting him over long-on for another maximum.

Conway then got into the act, sending Aiden Markram for a boundary at fine leg before going down the wicket for a flat six over the bowler's head.

Malik cranked up the pace, bowling the fastest delivery of the tournament, but ended up conceding two boundaries off Gaikwad's blade as the opener completed his half-century off 33 balls.

Gaikwad then launched into Markram, clobbering him for successive sixes as the 100 was up in the 11th over.

Malik was again in his line of fire as he slogged him over long-on for a boundary before lifting him over long-off for another maximum.

Conway also used his sweep shots to good use and was rewarded for his placements as he completed his fifty in 39 balls with a top-edge six off Marco Jansen in the 15th over. He ended the over with another four and a six as 20 runs came of it.

Natarajan was brought back but he too conceded 13 runs with Gaikwad producing another pull. Conway too sent one over the bowler's head in the 18th over.

Gaikwad, however, missed out of a deserving hundred when he gave an easy catch at point just one run short of the three figure mark.

Back at the helm of affairs, M S Dhoni promoted himself but couldn't make an impact as he was holed out by Malik off Natarajan.

Also Read : Captaincy pressure was affecting Jadeja's game: Mahendra Singh Dhoni

News Source : PTI

2022-04-30 18:00

Pace sensation Umran Malik in focus as SRH play struggling CSK

Pune, Apr 30 (Cricket News) Pace sensation Umran Malik's performance will be followed again keenly when Sunrisers Hyderabad take on struggling Chennai Super Kings in an Indian Premier League match here on Sunday.

Malik has been the find of the season as he outsmarted the top batters of the world with his brutal pace.

His 5/25 run spell against Gujarat Titans, albeit in a losing cause, can be regarded as one of the best bowling displays in the IPL history, because of his sheer pace and tenacity.

The right-arm tearaway pacer has been the talk of the ongoing IPL as he clocked over 150 kmph to register all the top five fastest deliveries this season. He has so far picked up 15 wickets from eight matches at a strike rate of 12.00.

But despite his heroics with the ball, SRH eventually fell short by five runs against Gujarat Titans in their last game.

And come Sunday, Malik would look for more support from his pacer colleagues Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Marco Jansen and T Natarajan. Jansen, in particular, was the culprit as he failed to defend 22 runs off the last over against Gujarat with Rashid Khan going hammer and tongs. The SRH team management relied heavily on experienced Bhuvneshwar too lead the bowling pack but he had failed to live up to the side's expectations and would be desperate to prove his critics wrong. The form of skipper Kane Williamson has been a cause of concern for SRH but the likes of Abhishek Sharma and Aiden Markram have raised their hands and would look to continue their good show.

SRH would also be looking at Rahul Tripathi and Nicholas Pooran to take up more responsibility with the bat.

SRH occupy the fourth spot in the 10-team table with 10 points from eight games.

In contrast, CSK, enduring one of their worst IPL campaigns, need to start ticking all boxes correctly and dish out cohesive efforts to keep themselves afloat in the tournament.

CSK are hanging by a thread in the competition in the second last position with just four points from eight games and in Malik a bigger threat awaits their already- floundering batting unit.

CSK's problems compounded further when they lost against Punjab Kings by 11 runs in their last game. And any further lapse from here on could spell doom for the defending champions. CSK have been undone by their failure to click in all departments of the game and they would be looking for an inspirational show from new skipper Ravindra Jadeja to turn around their fate. Jadeja himself would be itching to get his mojo back with both bat and ball to at least give his side an outside chance of making the play-offs, which at present looks bleak.

CSK's batting department has been hit hard by the flop show of opener Ruturaj Gaikwad and the youngster, regarded as an India prospect, would look to correct that in the remaining games.

Veteran Robin Uthappa and all-rounder Shivam Dube too needs to pull up their socks, while talismanic MS Dhoni has showed his brilliance in patches, the notable one being the finishing knock against Mumbai Indians.

Ambati Rayudu played a brilliant 39-ball 78-run knock against Punjab the other day, albeit in a losing cause and he would be looking for more support from his top-order batters.

On the bowling front too, there hasn't been any exceptional performance from CSK with rookie pacer Mukesh Choudhary struggling under pressure all season and Dwaine Pretorius too looking ordinary, leaking runs aplenty.

Old war horse Dwayne Bravo has been a reliable servant for the team, picking up wickets and Sri Lankan Maheesh Theekshana has been a valuable addition to the depleted squad in the absence of injured Deepak Chahar and Adam Milne.

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

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

Match Starts 7:30pm IST.

Also Read : Kohli gets his first IPL 50 in 14 games, RCB make 170/6

News Source : PTI

2022-04-28 18:07

Making of Umran Malik: First coach Manhas remembers 17-year-old terrorising Ranji batters at nets

New Delhi, Apr 28 (Cricket News) It was business as usual for coach Randhir Singh Manhas during a winter day in 2017 when a 17-year-old boy walked up to him during a net session at the Maulana Azad Stadium in Jammu's Nawabad Area.

"Sir, kya aap mujhe ball daalne dengey? (Could you allow me to bowl)," Manhas remembered the short and stout boy's request while senior state team batter Jatin Wadhawan was having a knock at the nets.

"What's your name?" "Umran Malik," replied the boy, who had dropped in at the net session without bowling spikes.

Manhas obliged but till date, he has failed to figure out whether it was his gut feel or just wanting to be indulgent with a young boy, that made him agree to the request. He had a bowler short at the nets, though.

Whatever it was, Manhas' role in giving a precocious talent wings to fly is beyond doubt.

The seeds of the express pace deliveries that Umran is hurling at the best of batters under intense pressure on a platform like the IPL, were sown that very day at the MA Stadium.

It was the birth of Umran Malik, the fastest bowler in the history of Indian cricket, who has made heads turn with 15 wickets in just eight games in this edition of the T20 league.

"On that day, he was very quick for a 17-year-old as Jatin, who was a first-class player was hurried by him.

"In my mind, I knew that the kid was special and my views were seconded by our senior team pacer Ram Dayal, who had then just reached the ground and saw him bowl. Ram told me that this boy had bright future," Manhas, the coach of the Jammu District Cricket Council said.

Umran is not a product of the system but despite the system, and his rise can be attributed to that.

He didn't receive any structured coaching till the age of 17, never played with a leather ball, and all he did was to play in the 'Mohalla' tennis ball tourneys, from which any teenager could earn anything between Rs 500 to Rs 3000 per match depending on the reputation.

Hailing from a middle-class family in Jammu's Gujjar Nagar, his father, who runs his own fruit shop in the local market, initially wanted him to focus on studies, but later, along with his wife, encouraged him to take up professional cricket.

Having impressed the coach, Umran was asked to enrol in the academy but Manhas recollected that in the initial days in 2017-18, he was never a regular.

"He would come one day and then remain absent for the next few days. We had to tell him that he needs to be disciplined about training as he cannot let the opportunities go abegging.

"I told him, 'listen Umran, the day you play at the national level, you won't have to look back. So be serious'. I sent him for -19 trials, where he borrowed bowling spikes and bowled. He was picked for Cooch Behar Trophy but got only one match, and that too, a rain-truncated one against Odisha.

"But those who watched him told me that the keeper was standing a good 35 yards behind the stumps, something that doesn't happen a lot at U-19 level," said the coach, who is a storehouse of anecdotes.

One of his favourite stories is the one where the Assam Ranji team, coached by former keeper Ajay Ratra, had come to Jammu for an away game.

"Umran was at the stadium that day and Assam team needed net bowlers for practice. Ajay asked Umran that if he would like to bowl at the nets. Umran agreed immediately but after 15 minutes, the Assam coach asked Umran to stop. Reason? His men had a match to play and didn't want them to get hurt," Manhas laughed.

In fact, Ratra was surprised that Umran wasn't playing Ranji Trophy back then.

The sandy banks of River Tawi and strongly built lower body ------------------------------------------------------------------ One of the greatest pacers of all time, the legendary Andy Roberts, in various interviews have laid out one basic ground rule about a fast bowler's physique.

"You bowl fast not just because you have strong upper body but because you have strong legs that help in building the rhythm," Roberts had once said.

In the case of Umran, one would be surprised to know that before he entered the Sunrisers Hyderabad fold, he had never been a part of any systematic gym sessions but still had a rock like lower body.

"His house is near river Tawi and the adjoining area of the river bank is primarily sandy. Umran grew up running on sandy fields and playing cricket all his formative years. That has led to a very strong lower body. You won't find many guys who at 17 had such fabulous body structure and in-built strength without any gym training," Manhas said.

As far as his yorkers are concerned, credit goes to tennis ball cricket where a fast one aimed at the base of the stumps, is often the go-to delivery for a pacer.

Jasprit Bumrah mastered it from tennis ball cricket, and so has Umran.

Samad: A friend in need is a friend indeed ---------------------------------------------- The Jammu and Kashmir teams over the years have bene dominated by cricketers from the valley but in the case of Umran, it wasn't the cricketing establishment but a friend and a fellow competitor, who showed him the first staircase towards stardom.

It was his friend Abdul Samad, who is also a part of SRH.

"It was Samad, who would record his bowling videos and mail them to VVS Laxman sir and Tom Moody in June 2020, when only a few people were training post the first lockdown. Sunrisers liked his videos and the rest, as they say, is history." Umran went to the UAE in 2020 as a net bowler and was performing the same duties in 2021, before T Natarajan's injury opened the doors for him, and his consistent 150 click bowling forced the selectors to make him a net bowler for the last T20 World Cup.

Now, things are happening too fast for Umran but Manhas is confident that he will adapt to the changes in life and the focus will remain on cricket and donning the India colours.

"He is learning a lot from the likes of Dale Steyn and I believe as he plays at the highest level, he will just keep on improving." If life is a beautiful dream, Umran Malik is living it.

Also Read : Mumbai Indians rope in Kumar Kartikeya Singh for injured Arshad Khan

News Source : PTI

2022-04-27 13:15

League leaders GT take on SRH in a top of the table match

(Cricket news) League leaders Gujarat Titans take on Sunriser Hyderabad in match number 40 as both teams look to go to the top of the table. The only loss that GT have suffered was at the hands of SRH and they will look to avenge it. This clash will be one for the bowlers, while Titans have the experience of Rashid Khan, Mohammed Shami, Lockie Ferguson and Hardik Pandya, Hyderabad have the plethora of talent in Umran Malik, Marko Jansen, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and T Natarajan.

Gujarat Titans haven’t put a foot wrong in this year’s tournament as they have worked well as an unit. Titans' batting has largely revolved around their captain Hardik Pandya and Shubman Gill. While Abhinav Manohar and Rahul Tewatia have applied finishing touches at different points, the overall balance of the line-up still appears shaky, but then again David Miller has been in terrific form, helping them win matches single handedly. Their bowling has been supreme, in the last match we saw them defend 150 quite comfortably as the likes of Lockie Ferguson, Mohammed Shami and now Yash Dayal have been complimenting each other really well together. The Titans have the second best bowling average at 25.79 and also the second best economy rate in the tournament with 8.22 rpo.

After losing their first three matches, Sunrisers Hyderabad looked like they were heading for an early exit from the tournament but after 5 consecutive wins, it looks like they are now one of the favourites for the title this year. In terms of batting, things have drastically changed this year with the arrival of Rahul Tripathi, Nicholas Pooran and Aiden Markram who are slowly but steadily finding their groove this season. This year, SRH batters have averaged 51 between overs 7 and 15 and strike their runs at close to 150. Rahul Tripathi will be the key for SRH against Rashid Khan as he has scored 135 runs against him and only been dismissed once by him. For SRH, Washington Sundar is back from injury and may replace J Suchith in the playing XI.

Pitch and weather report: The Wankhede pitch has been good for batting as the trend of flat decks might just continue. Over the last five matches at this venue, teams batting first have won as dew hasn’t been much of a factor. The temperature is going to hover around 33 degrees with no chances of rain.

Interesting facts:

The average first innings score at Wankhede was 149 in the first four matches. It's now risen to 186 in the last five matches.
Gill has struggled against Bhuvneshwar in the IPL, managing only 32 runs off 37 balls at a strike rate of 86.48 while being dismissed twice.
Sunrisers (40) and Titans (37) have hit the least sixes among the ten teams this season.
Shami has dismissed Kane Williamson 4 times while conceding only 66 runs off 47 balls.
SRH have won just one match at the Wankhede Stadium.

Also read: Great players go through phases like this: Du Plessis on Kohli

Probable XI for SRH:

Kane Williamson (capt), 2 Abhishek Sharma, 3 Rahul Tripathi, 4 Aiden Markram, 5 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 6 Shashank Singh, 7 J Suchith/Washington Sundar, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Marco Jansen, 10 Umran Malik, 11 T Natarajan

Probable XI for GT:

1 Shubman Gill, 2 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 3 Hardik Pandya (capt), 4 David Miller, 5 Rahul Tewatia, 6 Abhinav Manohar, 7 Rashid Khan, 8 Alzarri Joseph, 9 Lockie Ferguson, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Yash Dayal

2022-04-26 15:39

Battle of pace aces: It's Ferguson vs Umran as Titans face stern Sunrisers test

Mumbai, Apr 26 (Cricket News) The speed gun radar will be functioning overtime when Lockie Ferguson's 150 click thunderbolts meet their match in rising pace sensation Umran Malik's toe-crushers as table toppers Gujarat Titans clash with close-on-heels Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL here on Wednesday.

The IPL newcomers are currently in the midst of a dream inception year with six wins from seven games at the halfway stage and are placed on top of the table.

Interestingly, the only loss that Titans suffered in their campaign so far was against Sunrisers in an earlier meeting and Hardik Pandya wouldn't mind a sweet revenge for that defeat.

However, the 'Orange Army's' bowling attack especially their four-prong fast bowling unit has been exceptional as one saw when they demolished RCB for 68 in their previous encounter.

The disconcerting bounce and movement created by Marco Jansen (6 wickets from 5 games) is ably complemented by Umran's (10 wickets from 7 games) fiery pace, T Natarajan's (15 from 7 games) deceptions off the track and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (9 from 7 games) balancing it all with his experience.

So much so that a lightweight spin department manned by left-arm spinner Jagadeesha Suchith in absence of an injured Washington Sundar, till now hasn't been a cause of worry for Kane Williamson and his band of men.

In fact, the rub of the green has gone SRH's way in this particular season as they now have five consecutive wins from five games where they have chased targets after the bowlers intimidated the rival batting unit.

For Pandya though, his bowling unit is no inferior to SRH as Mohammed Shami's artistry (10 from 7 games) and Ferguson's (9 wickets from 7 games) aggression has brought them a lot of success, not to forget Rashid Khan's (8 wickets from 7 games) ability to be more than decent even in a quiet year by his standards.

However, one area where Titans need to lift their game is Powerplay batting as Shubman Gill (207 from 7 games) has gone off the boil after the his 96 and Wriddhiman Saha, replacing Matthew Wade, has been downright mediocre.

In fact, Saha's propensity to waste balls upfront (dismal SR of 83 in 2 games) in both the matches that he played so far has forced skipper Pandya (295 from 6 games) and David Miller (220 from 7 games) to up the ante even before they can take some time to play themselves in.

For skipper Pandya, it will be important that he isn't plagued by a dodgy hamstring which led to his absence from one game and also created some degree of discomfort against KKR the other day.

The chink in Titans armoury is not having a quality keeper-batter for the format as Wade hasn't really had a great time in the first five games that he got and Saha has always been a player who takes time to settle down before he could play some shots.

There is Afghanistan's Rahmanullah Gurbaz in the set-up but in order to play him, Titans would have to sacrifice a potent pace bowling option like West Indies pacer Alzarri Joseph, which won't be the most wise thing to do.

Abhinav Manohar and Rahul Tewatia would also like to be more consistent in the finishers' role rather than being like a flash in the pan for a match or two.

However, Titans' bowling attack has the ability to catch the SRH batting unit off-guard considering that it hasn't been tested a lot with young Abhishek Sharma (220 in 7 games) and No.3 batter Rahul Tripathi (212 from 7 games) doing bulk of the scoring in easy chases.

If Titans could breach through the Sunrisers top-order, most of the middle-order batters including the dangerous Nicholas Pooran haven't yet got a decent hit in the middle and the rustiness under pressure could keep Titans interested.

If they manage to upset SRH's rhythm, it will take them closer to play-offs in their maiden year in the championship, no mean achievement in a competition of this class.

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

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

Match starts: 7.30 pm. IST.

Also Read : In form RR take on struggling RCB in match no 39

News Source : PTI

2022-04-23 22:40

Kohli gets back-to-back first-ball duck as Sunrisers skittle out RCB for 68

Mumbai, Apr 23 (Cricket News) Virat Kohli's wretched form continued as he was again dismissed outside the off-stump off the very first delivery he faced with Royal Challengers Bangalore huffing and puffing their way to a meagre 68 all out in their IPL match against Sunrisers Hyderabad here on Saturday.

This was the sixth lowest total in the history of IPL.

The Sunrisers pace attack led by Marco Jansen (3/25 in 4 overs) and ably supported by Umran Malik (1/19 in 4 overs) and T Natarajan (3/10 in 3 overs) left the star-studded RCB line-up rattled with pace, swing and seam.

In case of Jansen, it was seam movement off the pitch with a few that were angled across, some that held its line while Natarajan got some movement in the air and Malik was unleashing his thunderbolts at upward of 150 clicks.

In between, left-arm spinner Jagadeesha Suchith (2/12) was also unrelenting as RCB never got elbow room to get some momentum going their way.

There couldn't have been a quicker end to a contest as Jansen removed Faf du Plessis (5), Kohli (0) and Anuj Rawat (0) off second, third and final delivery of the second over to make it 8 for 3.

It soon became 20 for 4 when Natarajan got Glenn Maxwell (12) caught brilliantly by skipper Kane Williamson at mid-off. The other player to reach double figure was Suyash Prabhudesai (15).

But, it is Kohli's dismissal that would certainly deflate his legion of fans as his problems outside the off-stump seems to have resurfaced.

Jansen did pose problems for Kohli during the South Africa Test series few months back and again bowled the ideal Test match length, full and getting the ball to either shape in or hold its line.

In the last match against Lucknow, it was the backward point that was in operation and Kohli's propensity to jab at deliveries on off-stump channel with hard hands caused his undoing with Aiden Markram snapping it in second slip.

There was not much resistance from the other batters and once Dinesh Karthik (7) was caught down leg-side off Suchith trying to sweep, it was all over for RCB.

Once it was 47 for 6 after nine overs, the lower order looked mortally scared facing the fast and furious Umran as it seemed as if the ball was hitting the bat rather than the other way round.

Natarajan also kept up the pressure, snuffing out the wickets as veteran Bhuvneshwar Kumar wrapping up the innings.

Also Read : KKR restrict GT to 156 for 9 despite Captain Hardik Pandya's 67

News Source : PTI

2022-04-22 13:51

Umran, Karthik in focus as upbeat Sunrisers square up against RCB

Mumbai, Apr 22 (Cricket News) Umran Malik's raw pace and Bhuvneshwar Kumar's consistency will be put to test against Dinesh Karthik's explosive batting and the finesse of Faf du Plessis when Sunrisers Hyderabad clash with Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL, here on Saturday.

Malik has caught everyone's attention with his fiery deliveries this season. His tearway pace has even troubled established batters such as Shreyas Iyer.

Alongside senior teammate Bhuvneshwar, the 22-year-old formed a match-winning partnership to defeat Punjab Kings by seven-wickets in their previous outing.

Sunrisers, who are targeting a top-4 position, also have yorker-specialist T Natarajan and South African Marco Jansen in their ranks. Jansen has also been able to tease batters with his angles and variations.

But the seasoned Du Plessis and Karthik have pummelled the best in the business.

The new RCB skipper roared back to form with a fine 96 as he anchored his team's innings after the top order once again collapsed against Lucknow Super Giants.

However, the veteran South African batter missed out on a much deserved maiden IPL hundred in the 18-run win on Tuesday.

On the other hand, Karthik is enjoying one of his best seasons in the league. The wicketkeeper batter has taken the centre stage with his heroics for RCB.

With scores of 32 not out, 14 not out, 44 not out, 7 not out, 34, 66 not out and 13 not out in seven innings, Karthik has seemingly been the best finisher this season.

But apart from the duo, the RCB batters will have their task cut out against Sunrisers, who have momentum on their side after winning four games on the trot.

All eyes will once again be on Virat Kohli, who would be eager to get out of the rut of low scores.

Opener Anuj Rawat, who apart from a 66 against Mumbai Indians, has failed to capitalise on the opportunity provided to him, S Prabhudessai and Glenn Maxwell too will be hoping to provide substantial contributions with the bat.

Their bowling unit, however, is their strong suite, which was not the case in the previous seasons.

Josh Hazlewood has quickly become an irreplaceable piece in the RCB set up. The Australian quick has managed to dominate opposition batters with his consistent line and lengths.

In Hazlewood, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj and Wanindu Hasarnaga, RCB have four match-winners, while Maxwell and Shahbaz Ahmed have also played their part well. They will be up against a SRH batting unit where every batter has taken the responsibility to take their side over the line.

Promoting Abhishek Sharma to the opener's spot has done wonders for the youngster, who has been fabulous at the top, providing SRH aggressive starts.

Skipper Kane Williamson is also back among runs while Rahul Tripathi has shown he too can win matches with the bat when he struck a 37-ball 71 against KKR.

And if the top order fails, the duo of South African Aiden Markaram and swashbuckling Nicholas Pooran are there to finish off matches or set huge targets.

A win for Sunrisers will elevate them to the top-4 while a victory for RCB will help them grab the top spot.

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

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

Match starts at 7:30pm.

Also Read : Like old times, Dhoni scripts thrilling last ball win for Chennai Super Kings

News Source : PTI

2022-04-19 17:10

Should Umran Malik be fast tracked into international cricket?

(Cricket news) The festival of cricket i.e the IPL is going in full flow. A lot of players are in the form of their lives while a lot of new names are becoming household names and one such name is Umran Malik. Just last year the speedster from Jammu was selected as a net bowler for Sunrisers Hyderabad on recommendation from his teammate Abdul Samad. After T Natarajan tested positive for Covid-19, Malik was selected as a replacement and his life completely changed. Even though Sunrisers Hyderabad didn't make it to the playoffs the fast bowler caught the eyes of cricketing fans. The same year he was selected as a net bowler for the 2021 T20 World Cup by team India.

Umran Malik was then retained by Sunrisers Hyderabad ahead of the likes of T Natarajan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar for 4 Cr. He later went onto play for India A in 4 day games against South Africa A. This year he has picked 9 wickets in 6 games and has bowled some amazing spells. His performances have attracted a lot of attention with experts and fans calling for him to be selected in the Indian team immediately. No Indian bowler comes close to him when it comes to raw pace which is why he can add something unique to the Indian attack. The only problem is that if he is fast tracked and thrown into international cricket it could easily backfire.

The speedster is just playing his first full IPL season and is only 21 years old. Malik definitely needs more experience playing domestic cricket. An international call up is a big thing for any cricketer but an immediate set back could be devastating as well. BCCI selectors may want to wait for another year or so before giving an international debut to Umran Malik. A few first class tours with India A will definitely do him a world of good just like it did for Mohammed Siraj who is a regular member of the Test side now. If the selectors do go with the flow and call up Umran Malik straight away for the South Africa series then it will be a big Test for the seamer who will have to develop accuracy and a few variations as well. Everything else will come later but right now he needs to continue doing the same things that he has been doing for the rest of the tournament.

Also read: Rajasthan Royals edge Kolkata Knight Riders in all time IPL classic

2022-04-18 18:57

With 7 T20Is in June, Umran Malik will be in selection committee's radar

New Delhi, Apr 18 (Cricket News) Pace bowling sensation Umran Malik could be fast-tracked into the Indian team as early as June when it will play seven T20 Internationals against South Africa and Ireland respectively.

India will play South Africa in a five-match T20 International series at home (June 9, 12, 14, 17, 20) and two matches in Ireland's Malahide (June 26, 28) where a second-string team comprising white-ball specialists will be plying their trade as the big guns prepare for the series-deciding fifth Test against England, starting early July.

Umran was a net bowler during India's last World T20 campaign in the UAE.

The BCCI is keen on having a bigger pool of fast bowlers going into the upcoming World T20 in Australia and Umran, with his scorching pace, has a high probability of making it to the squad if all goes well and he remains fit over the next two months.

The pool of premier bowlers whose workload management will be paramount are Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Avesh Khan, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Deepak Chahar (if fit), Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav.

The three bowlers from the fringe pack, who might get a go in some of the 20 plus T20I matches in the run-up to the World Cup are Umran and left-armers T Natarajan and Arshdeep Singh, all of whom have been impressive in the IPL.

Sunrisers Hyderabad bowling coach and fast bowling legend Dale Steyn has termed the Jammu man a "genius".

"My job with Umran is to ensure he runs fast and make players play differently. My job is to try and make him forward-thinking as to what the batters are planning on doing.

"It's exciting for us to sit back and watch what a genius he is. I don't want to turn him into what I was, all I want is his geniuses to come out," Steyn said on 'Star Sports' 'Cricket Live' programme.

It is understood that chairman of selectors Chetan Sharma and his committee will be keeping a close eye on Umran, who is now India's fastest bowler by a distance, regularly clocking 152 plus (approx 95 miles/hr).

He has nine wickets from six games for SRH this season and the manner in which he intimidated an established international batter like KKR's Shreyas Iyer was an exhilarating sight.

Sunil Gavaskar, commentating for the IPL broadcasters, said that Malik will become more lethal once he is able to stop spraying deliveries on leg-stump and wide off it.

"A lot of guys who bowl at that speed tend to spray the ball around but Umran bowls very few wide deliveries. If he can control the wides down the leg side, he will be a tremendous bowler because that will mean he'll be attacking the stumps all the time, and with his pace, it's not easy to hit straight.

"If he bowls wicket-to-wicket, he's going to be pretty much an unplayable bowler. He's going to play for India," Gavaskar said.

Former opener WV Raman, one of the most respected voices in Indian cricket, feels that time is ripe for Umran to be drafted into the Team India set-up straightaway.

"He is a special talent. He has pace and now he is slowly picking up the ropes of fast bowling. When a young bowler has pace, don't wait for three seasons before you blood him.

"If he is young and as quick as Umran is, you should seriously look at him," Raman, who has been a former NCA batting coach, apart from working with KKR and the Indian women's team, told PTI.

"When Umran is bowling, you could hear that the ball is hitting the bat. But also when you have a bowler like that bowling at 150 consistently, then you also need good slip catchers as the ball will travel at quite a speed," Raman added.

Raman also analysed that when it comes to express pace bowlers, they have a better chance of making their international debut much earlier compared to batters, who are doing well in IPL.

"If you look at our batting unit, we have a lot of experience and if you are an uncapped player making a mark as a specialist batter within No. 4, it is a bit difficult to get a look-in. After that you have multi-dimensional cricketers coming in.

"Also you will produce more quality batters than bowlers. Therefore when a special bowler comes in the horizon, he is bound to create a certain degree of interest," Raman explained.

Former selector Devang Gandhi, however, feels that raw pace can be counter-productive as batters at international level can score quick runs.

"I believe that India will bank on experience going into the World Cup considering that Australian pitches for the ICC tourney will be great for batting.

"But having said that, in the run-up to the World T20 you can check out on various options and there is no harm if they decide to try out Umran and see what he can bring to the table," Gandhi, a member of the last selection committee, said.

Also Read : Killer Miller leads GT to incredible run chase against CSK

News Source ; PTI

2022-04-16 11:32

Tripathi, Markram star in SRH's third straight win

Mumbai, Apr 15 (Cricket News) Rahul Tripathi and Aiden Markram’s effortless batting display along with the pacers magnificent show formed the cornerstone of Sunrisers Hyderbad's comfortable seven-wicket victory over Kolkata Knight Riders in their IPL match here on Friday.

The SRH pace unit comprising the likes of T Natarajan (3/37), Umran Malik (2/27), Marco Jansen (1/26) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1/37) restricted KKR for 175 for 8.

Tripathi, who smashed 71 off 37, and Aiden Markram (68 not out of 36) then produced hostile knocks to take SRH to their third successive win with 13 balls to spare For KKR, Nitish Rana scored 54 while Andre Russell was unbeaten on 49.

SRH now have three wins from five games while it was KKR's third loss in six games.

With the green track not aiding the spinners, Sunrisers' Tripathi took the KKR's spin-heavy bowling unit to the cleaners.

Playing against his previous franchise, Tripathi smashed Varun Chakravarthy for a four followed by two back-to-back sixes in the eighth over, that yielded 18 runs. He brought his maiden fifty this season off just 21 balls.

Tripathy found an able ally in Markram, who smashed six fours and four sixes and when the former was out he took the onus upon himself to take his side over the line.

Earlier opting to field, South African Jansen used the bounce and swing on offer really well to draw first blood as he sent Aaron Finch (7), who is playing his first match of the season, back to the hut in the second over. Natarajan then bowled a sensational fifth over, snaring two wickets.

Natarajan first bowled a brilliant length ball, pitching just outside off to account for Venkatesh Iyer (6), who looked unsettled during his stay, with the flamboyant Sunil Narine (6) following his teammate a couple balls later as KKR slumped to 31 for 3.

Kane Williamson introduced spin but left-armer Jagadeesha Suchith (1/32) looked rusty and struggled with his line.

Young Malik then struck twin blows, snapping the wickets of Shreyas Iyer (28) in the 10th over and Sheldon Jackson (7).

Noticing Iyer, who looked uncomfortable facing Malik’s raw pace, shuffling across the pitch, the 22-year-old fired a scorching 148.8kmph yorker in the blockhole to cut short the Knight Riders captain's innings.

However, Rana kept the score board ticking, hitting singles and boundaries alike in his 36-ball knock.

Rana smashed six fours and two maximums. He was involved in 39-run stands with skipper Iyer and Russell each.

However, his stay in the middle was cut short by Natarajan in the 18th over as SRH broke the potentially dangerous partnership.

Russell, whose 25-ball innings was laced with four boundaries and as many six, including two in the final over. The West Indian helped KKR add 55 runs in the last five overs.

Also Read : Senior India batter Cheteshwar Pujara falls cheaply on Sussex debut

News Source : PTI

2022-04-15 13:50

Resurgent SRH take on the mighty KKR in match no 25

(Cricket news) SRH are riding high after two consecutive victories but take on the mighty KKR who will look to bounce back after their disappointing loss against the Delhi Capitals. For SRH they will be without their only spinner Washington Sundar as he suffered an injury last match. On the other hand KKR will welcome the Australian captain Aaron Finch to the squad and maybe can even go start into the playing XI.

For the Sunrisers the main positive over the last two matches has been the opening pair of Kane Willamson and Abhishek Sharma who hit 75 and 42, Kane Williamson scored 32 and 57. It looks like Rahul Tripathi and Nicholas Pooran have also hit form at the right time. Their bowling has been quietly effective lately, with T Natarajan leading the way with eight wickets, and Sundar and Bhuvneshwar Kumar being economical alongside their occasional strikes. Heading into the clash the main concern for Tom Moody and co will be the injury to Washington and who will ultimately replace him in the playing XI. For the SRH, Bhuvi will be the key man upfront as he has a good record against the KKR top order which has been topsy turvy this season, One thing they need to be aware of is KKR's lower middle order which can win matches single handedly.

KKR have mostly banked on individual brilliance for their three victories but as a collective unit they are yet to hit full flow. The most runs scored by KKR in five matches is Andre Russell with 130, 70 of which came in a single innings while Venkatesh Iyer has only one score above 20, Shreyas Iyer has crossed 30 only once, Sam Billings has got starts but has failed to fire on all cylinders, Ajinkya Rahane has scored only 80 runs at a strike rate of exactly 100 despite opening each time, and same applies to Nitish Rana. The KKR management might replace Rahane at the top with Aaron Finch or a relatively unknown quality in Abhijeet Tomar. Umesh Yadav has ten wickets in five matches and has an economy rate of 7, Sunil Narine boasts the best economy rate of 4.85.

Pitch and weather report: The Brabourne Stadium pitch has usually been a high scoring venue as the average first innings score is 180. Dew over the last few matches at this venue is not affecting the outcome as much as it should, the spinners will play a crucial role in restricting the opposition in a small ground. The temperature is going to hover around 30 degrees with no possibility of rain.

Interesting facts:

Since 2020, Sunrisers Hyderabad haven't beaten Kolkata Knight Riders
Rahul Tripathi has career strike rate of 221.42 and 160.61 against Umesh Yadav and Sunil Narine
Bhuvneshwar Kumar has picked 28 wickets against KKR - the most he has picked against any franchise
If Aaron Finch gets picked in the playing XI that will be his 9th franchise, which will be the most
With a strike rate of 99, Rahane and Venkatesh have been the slowest opening pair this IPL

Also read: Skipper Hardik Pandya shines as Titans beat Royals by 37 runs

Probable XI for SRH:

1 Abhishek Sharma, 2 Kane Williamson (capt), 3 Rahul Tripathi, 4 Aiden Markram, 5 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 6 Shashank Singh, 7 Shreyas Gopal, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Marco Jansen, 10 Umran Malik, 11 T Natarajan

Probable XI for KKR:

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

2022-04-12 10:38

Williamson half century helps Sunrisers snap Gujarat Titans' unbeaten run

Navi Mumbai, Apr 11 (Cricket News) Sunrisers Hyderabad snapped Gujarat Titans' three-match winning streak with a eight-wicket win in the Indian Premier League, with captain Kane Williamson leading from the front with a solid 57 while Nicholas Pooran gave the finishing touches with a late flourish here on Monday.

Hardik Pandya’s unbeaten 50 had taken Gujarat Titans to 162 for 7 after being sent in to bat, but that was never going to be enough, as Williamson, who struck his first fifty of the season, anchored the Sunrisers' chase, as they crossed the line in 19.1 overs.

Sunrisers thus recorded their second consecutive win after defeating Chennai Super Kings on Saturday last, while it was the Titan's first defeat after a hat-trick of wins.

Williamson, whose 46-ball knock was studded with two fours and four sixes, first added 64-runs with opener Abhishek Sharma (42 off 32 balls) to lay the foundation of the win.

Williamson then forged a 40-run stand with Rahul Tripathi, who retired hurt on 17, to inch closer to the win.

Pooran (34 not out off 18 balls) sealed the deal with his brutal hitting after Willaimson was out in the 17th over. His innings was studded with two fours and an equal number of sixes. He hit a six to finish the match, taking his side to 168 for 2 in 19.1 overs.

There were two game changing moments. First, in the 13th over, Williamson launched into Hardik Pandya by hitting him for two sixes. Then, in the 16th over bowled by Lockie Ferguson, the Sunrisers captain clobbered a six and a boundary, as SRH were cruising towards the target.

Earlier, captain Pandya’s responsible 50 not out off 42 balls helped Gujarat Titans post a competitive 162 for 7 after a top-order failure.

Invited to bat, Hardik first forged a 40-run stand for the fourth wicket with David Miller (12) to rally the innings after the top three batters failed to convert their starts as Gujarat were in a spot of bother at 64/3 after eight overs.

Hardik then added 50 runs with Abhinav Mahonar, who justified his Rs 2.60 crore price tag with his quick fire 35 off 21 balls, to ensure that the Titans crossed the 150-run mark.

Manohar, who got three lives, hit five boundaries and one six in his short stay and particularly launched into T Natarajan (2/34) in the 18th over, where Gujarat amassed 13 runs.

However, it was an unusual Hardik knock, as he mixed caution with aggression to anchor the innings.

The ‘all-rounder’ announced his arrival with a straight-drive off Natarajan to fetch his first boundary and then was brutal on Umran Malik (1/39), whom he hammered two successive boundaries in the eight over, which fetched nine runs.

In the next over, he clobbered Aiden Markaram for his only maximum over cow-corner but Hardik was devoid of partners, as SRH kept striking at regular intervals.

The SRH attack largely kept Hardik at bay, as they did not allow him to free his arms in the last five overs and as a result it was Hardik' slowest fifty in the IPL.

Earlier, opener Matthew Wade earned his first boundary, courtesy a thick outside edge in the first over, where Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2/37) conceded 17 runs, 12 of them extras.

But Gujarat lost Wade (19), Shubman Gill (7) and one-down batter Sai Sudarshan (11) cheaply.

Gill was undone by a stunning one-handed diving catch by Rahul Tripathi at cover, off Bhuvneshwar, in the third over.

Sudarshan, who was looking rusty, became Natarajan’s first victim, after ballooning to Kane Williamson at mid-off.

Wade, who hammered three boundaries, was trapped in front of the wicket, after he missed a flick, off a fuller delivery by Malik in the eight over.

Then it was Hardik and Manohar show as Gujarat added 82 runs in the final 10 overs.

Also Read : Gujarat Titans post 162/7 against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)

News Source : PTI

2022-04-11 13:39

Unbeaten Gujarat Titans take on the Sunriser Hyderabad in match no 21

(Cricket news) The new side GT are riding high on confidence after three victories in IPL 2022. On the other hand, SRH got their first victory over the weekend against CSK to get their season back on track. In the last match, Rahul Tewatia and Shubam Gill led GT to an unbelievable victory and as for SRH Abhishek Sharma’s blistering fifty made sure they got those crucial two points.

Titans have surprised the league with their unbelievable start as many experts doubted them even though the bowling attack looked strong with the likes of Mohammed Shami, Lockie Ferguson and Rashid Khan. With Shubman Gill firing up top, that concern doesn’t look like a very worrying sign for this franchise. The one area of concern for them is the opening combination with Matthew Wade who's struggling for runs at the top of the order, the management might want n to bring in Rahmanullah Gurbaz but it's unlikely they would make any changes and persist with this winning combination. Mohammed Shami will hold the key, as he has dismissed Kane Williamson four times already in this format of the game.

Sunrisers Hyderabad will have to try and pick up as many wins as they can and make winning a habit, if they are to qualify for the playoffs, they will need to start winning games regularly. Rahul Tripathi can be dangerous once he gets going, although he has been dismissed by Shami twice in seven games, he averages just 10 and strikes above 100. His main match up will be against Rashid Khan as he has struck at a strike rate of 141 against him. While Umran Malik has been hitting impressive speeds, his bowling line and length hasn’t been impressive, so the SRH management need to make a decision if they stick with or give Kartik Tyagi or Shreyas Gopal a game. Abhishek got the majority of the runs against CSK, but it will be interesting to see how he fares against quality pacers in the form of Shami and Ferguson.

Pitch and weather report: At the DY Patil stadium, they have largely produced moderate scores only. Taking the pace off the ball has been productive but with this contest being played under the lights completely and the trend of winning the toss and bowling will continue as the dew factor will come into play in the second innings. The temperature is going to hover around 32 degrees with no chance of rain.

Interesting facts:

Sunrisers have scored runs at 5.1 in the powerplay, the lowest for a team this season
Hardik Pandya is one six away from getting 100 sixes in the IPL
Rashid needs to strike two more wickets for a total of 100 wickets in the IPL.
Tewatia has a strike rate of 143.7 against pacers but that strike rate drastically drops down to 101.34 against spinners
Shami is the only bowler to have dismissed Williamson three times in the IPL and only average 9.73 against him

Also read: Shimron Hetmyer, Chahal guide Rajasthan Royals to three-run win over LSG

Probable XI for GT:

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

Probable XI for SRH:

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

2022-04-09 19:42

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

Navi Mumbai, Apr 9 (Cricket News) Indian Premier League's sentimental favourites Chennai Super Kings slumped to their fourth successive defeat with young Abhishek Sharma's 50-ball-75 guiding Sunrisers Hyderabad to their maiden eight-wicket win in this edition of the tournament.

The 21-year-old Sharma took the attack to the opposition with a blistering first IPL half-century which was studded with five fours and three sixes, to help Sunrisers easily chased down the target of 155 with 14 balls to spare.

CSK now has to win at least eight out of their remaining 10 games in order to reach the magic figure of 16 points which during past few years is the cut-off for play-off qualifications.

The left-hander from Punjab, who was bought for Rs 6.5 crore by the Sunrisers in the auction, led India to victory in the U-19 Asia Cup in 2016, before being replaced as captain by Prithvi Shaw months before the 2018 U-19 World Cup.

It was Sunrisers first win of this IPL, having lost to Rajasthan Royals and Lucknow Super Giants in their earlier matches.

CSK have already lost to Kolkata Knight Riders, Lucknow Super Giants and Punjab Kings in earlier games.

On a sluggish pitch, Sharma took the pressure off his captain Kane Williamson (32 off 40 balls) who played second fiddle to the youngster who was in top form after failing to score big in the previous two matches.

Williamson was out in the 13th over off the bowling of left-arm seamer Mukesh Choudhary (1/30) after sharing 89-run opening stand with Sharma, who also fell in the 18th to Dwayne Bravo (1/29) with Sunrisers needing just 10 runs.

Rahul Tripathi (39 not out off 15 balls) then ensured that there was no hiccups in the run chase. He glanced Bravo for a boundary to finish the chase in style.

Sharma was dropped when on 62 by Ravindra Jadeja off the bowling of Bravo but by then CSK have already lost the plot. The Sunrisers needed 47 runs from six overs with nine wickets in hand.

Sharma struck Mukesh Choudhary for a six in the next over and Tripathi then joined the party with a maximum and a four off Chris Jordan in the 17th over to make it a no contest.

All the six CSK bowlers went for runs with Jordan leaking the most, 34 from his three overs and also went wicketless..

Earlier, Moeen Ali top-scored with a 35-ball 48 to guide CSK to 154 for seven after being asked to bat first.

Skipper Ravindra Jadeja (23 off 15 balls) played a little cameo towards the end to prop up CSK after they lost a few wickets in a heap.

Robin Uthappa (15) was dismissed by Washington Sundar (2/21) in the off-spinner's very first ball, when the batter ended up skying a catch while going for a slog-sweep.

Having conceded 25 runs in the first three overs, SRH were back in the game and it got better for them with the introduction of T Natarajan (2/30) into the attack as the left-arm pacer bowled Ruturaj Gaikwad (16).

At 36 for two in 5.1 overs, CSK were in a spot of bother and they needed a partnership, and the duo of Moeen Ali and Ambati Rayudu (27) answered the call with a third-wicket stand of 62 runs.

Nearing 100 and with some more batting to come on a pitch where the ball seemed to stop, CSK were well-placed when Rayudu departed after playing a part in rebuilding the innings.

However, Williamson's gamble to bring in Markram worked as CSK lost their fourth wicket at 108 in the 15th over.

In a soft dismissal, Natarajan accounted for Shivam Dube as the defending champions lost three wickets in quick succession.

Two overs later, even the great Mahendra Singh Dhoni (3) was walking back to the dugout, with CSK struggling at 122 for six with 15 balls left to add to their total.

Also Read : Royal Challengers Bangalore win toss, opt to bowl against Mumbai Indians

News Source : PTi

2022-04-09 18:15

Moeen Ali hits 48 in CSK's 154/7 against SRH (Sunrisers Hyderabad)

Navi Mumbai, Apr 9 (Cricket News) Moeen Ali top-scored with a 35-ball 48 to guide Chennai Super Kings to 154 for seven after Sunrisers Hyderabad bowlers sought to make use of a tricky pitch in their IPL match here on Saturday.

Skipper Ravindra Jadeja (23 off 15 balls) played a little cameo towards the end to prop up CSK after they lost a few wickets in a heap.

Both teams entered the game looking to open their account in the 15th edition of the tournament.

Sent into bat, CSK were off to a shaky start with Bhuvneshwar Kumar inducing edges from Robin Uthappa's (15) bat in the first over, with one going for a boundary.

Uthappa's unconvincing stay in the middle was brought to an end by Washington Sundar (2/21), in the off-spinner's very first ball, when the batter ended up skying a catch while going for a slog-sweep.

Having conceded 25 runs in the first three overs, SRH were back in the game and it got better for them with the introduction of T Natarajan (2/30) into the attack as the left-arm pacer bowled Ruturaj Gaikwad (16).

Making a dream start to his spell, Natarajan went through the gap between Gaikwad's bat and pad as he shaped to work it on the leg side. Gaikwad had began well, fetching a boundary each through the cover and point-third man region.

At 36 for two in 5.1 overs, CSK were in a spot of bother and they needed a partnership, and the duo of Moeen Ali (48) and Ambati Rayudu (27) answered the call with a third-wicket stand of 62 runs.

While Rayudu found the fence four times during his run-a-ball knock, Moeen struck two sixes and three fours before being dismissed by part-timer Aiden Markram.

Nearing 100 and with some more batting to come on a pitch where the ball seemed to stop, CSK were well-placed when Rayudu departed after playing a part in rebuilding the innings.

However, Williamson's gamble to bring in Markram worked as CSK lost their fourth wicket at 108 in the 15th over.

In a soft dismissal, Natarajan accounted for Shivam Dube as the defending champions lost three wickets in quick succession.

Two overs later, even the great Mahendra Singh Dhoni (3) was walking back to the dugout, with CSK struggling at 122 for six with 15 balls left to add to their total.

Also Read : MI look for their first victory against a resurgent RCB in match no 18

News Source : PTI

2022-04-09 12:51

CSK and SRH look for their first victory in match no 17

(Cricket news) Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad have had terrible starts to the season but will look to rejuvenate their season with an important victory. The panic button has not yet been pressed, but for both CSK and SRH, that point may not be far away. Both the captains are a bit under pressure to perform as this year the margin of error is very less especially with 10 teams.

For CSK, nothing has gone their way this year, the defending champions are missing Deepak Chahar who is likely to make his comeback somewhere near 25th April. Super Kings have had a 0-3 start to IPL 2022, with key players from the IPL 2021 not yet firing, missing the dominant top-order runs Ruturaj Gaikwad has not had the ideal start to the season but he did started off IPL 2021 in similar fashion and ended up with the Orange Cap. Robin Uthappa v Washington Sundar in the PowerPlay has all the makings of an intriguing tussle as the swashbuckling opener will look to roll back the years and reproduce the kind of start he got in the tournament when he played for KKR. For the CSK fans one thing to cheer is the form of MS Dhoni and Shivam Dube who have found some form with the bat.

For SRH, nothing has clicked this season, as they might just have bigger problems than their opponents. Openers Abhishek Sharma and Kane Williamson have the poorest combined strike rate (76) among all teams in the powerplay yet and both haven’t survived the full powerplay as well. Rahul Tripathi in recent years has been most successful in the IPL as an opener and Aiden Markram has an T20 average of 57 from No. 3. Williamson on the other hand is batting as the opener but his best IPL numbers are from No. 4. The SRH management will look to shuffle the batting order in order to achieve the best result. Their economy rates for the last seven overs from overs 15 (9.6) and 16 to 20 (11.7) are among the poorest of all the teams, with Umran Malik, Washington Sundar and Romario Shepherd all proving expensive.

Pitch and weather report: The last afternoon game at the DY Patil stadium saw Jos Buttler score a big hundred as winning the toss won’t be very important, since dew won’t play part in the afternoon game. The one thing that can affect the players is the heat and humidity as the temperature is going to hover around 34 degrees with no possibility of rain.

Interesting facts:

It is going to be Jadeja's 150th T20 match for the Super Kings. Only Suresh Raina (200) and Dhoni (217*) have played more matches
Dhoni has a strike rate of 195 (his best among all teams) against them and has hammered Bhuvneshwar for 97 runs in 49 balls with zero dismissals
Williamson has struggled against Super Kings, averaging 26.50 in five innings
But Kane Williamson has scored 338 runs in 10 innings against CSK at a strike rate of 142.62
Ambati Rayudu has been a menace against SRH, scoring 513 runs in 16 innings at 132.22, including an unbeaten century

Also read: Gill, Tewatia star in Gujarat Titans' dramatic 6-wicket win over Punjab Kings

Probable XI for CSK:

1 Ruturaj Gaikwad, 2 Robin Uthappa, 3 Moeen Ali, 4 Ambati Rayudu, 5 Ravindra Jadeja (capt), 6 Shivam Dube, 7 MS Dhoni (wk), 8 Dwayne Bravo, 9 Dwaine Pretorius, 10 Chris Jordan, 11 Tushar Deshpande

Probable XI for SRH:

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

2022-04-08 14:38

Focus on Ruturaj Gaikwad as CSK face SRH in battle of strugglers

Navi Mumbai, Apr 8 (Cricket News) Battling poor form, opener Ruturaj Gaikwad will be under the scanner when strugglers Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad face off in the IPL here on Saturday, looking to register their first win.

Three successive losses have put new skipper Ravindra Jadeja under immense pressure and he would hope his teammates can script a turnaround against the Sunrisers, who too are smarting from two reverses.

One of the most decorated teams in the history of the IPL, CSK have endured a tough season so far, with the team struggling on multiple fronts, especially batting.

Gaikwad, last edition's leading scorer, has struggled with his footwork and his scores of 0, 1,1 has put CSK under pressure at the top.

The Maharashtra batter, who had scored 635 runs across 16 matches in 2021, will look to find his rhythm against Sunrisers. The good thing for Gaikwad is that he has the backing of his captain.

"We need to give him (Gaikwad) confidence as we all know he's a very good player. I'm sure he will come good," Jadeja had said after their last match.

There is a lot of experience in CSK's batting but it didn't help them against Punjab Kings as they could muster just 126 while chasing 180.

While Robin Uthappa had scored a fifty in one of the games, the likes of Moeen Ali and Ambati Rayudu have failed to capitalise on their starts.

Skipper Jadeja, too, will need to give a better account of himself, even as 'de facto' captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni looks to keep guiding the team.

In CSK's last outing, Shivam Dube's entertaining fifty was the only bright spot for the 'yellow brigade', and the team will expect him to deliver again.

In bowling, all-rounder Dwayne Bravo, IPL's leading wicket-taker, has been the most successful bowler for CSK as he returned with three wickets against PBKS.

Along with death-overs specialist Chris Jordan (2 for 23), Bravo had squeezed the run flow and pulled things back in the back 10 against PBKS, but they need support from others.

The absence of injured pacers Deepak Chahar and Adam Milne have affected CSK's plans, while rookie Mukesh Choudhary has struggled with the new ball.

The Sunrisers have failed to chase down targets on two occasions, resulting in a 61-run loss against Rajasthan Royals and a 12-run defeat at the hands of new entrants Lucknow Super Giants.

Among the bowlers -- pacers Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan, Umran Malik, foreign recruit Romario Shepherd and spinner Washington Sundar -- all have been among the wickets.

But their batters have not complemented the bowlers with skipper Kane Williamson failing to play an inspiring innings so far. The likes of Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi and Nicholas Pooran too have not been able to convert the starts.

Aiden Markram and Washinton Sundar played a good innings against RR but couldn't stay longer against LSG.

Williamson will hope his team wins the smaller battles in the game of small margins to turn things around at the DY Patil Sports Academy.

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.

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Kane Williamson (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Abdul Samad, Priyam Garg, Vishnu Vinod, Glenn Phillips, R Samarth, Shashank Singh, Washington Sundar, Romario Shepherd, Marco Jansen, J Suchith, Shreyas Gopal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sean Abbott, Kartik Tyagi, Saurabh Tiwary, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Umran Malik, T Natarajan. Match starts at 3.30 PM.

Also Read : Lucknow leave it late to get 6 wicket win over Delhi Capitals

News Source : PTI

2022-04-05 09:22

Avesh bowls brilliant 18th over as Lucknow Super Giants beat SRH by 12 runs

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

2022-04-04 23:08

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

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

2022-04-04 13:02

SRH look for their first win against LSG in match no 12

(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

2022-03-29 12:48

New look Rajasthan Royals take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in match no 5

(Cricket news) Both the sides will desperately want to perform this season after not performing to their fullest potential in the last IPL. RR had a tremendous auction this IPL and hopefully fully capitalise on the plethora of talent they have, on the other hand SRH’s Kane Williamson, who was retained ahead of the mega auction, has the charge of the Orange Army as the franchise is trusting him to get the IPL trophy back to Hyderabad.

Sunrisers will be without Rashid Khan and David Warner for the first time since 2017 but have tried to get able replacements for those two talisman in the squad. If SRH have a fit squad then their bowling lineup looks quite potent as Washington Sundar could do a holding role with the new ball or after the powerplay as the seam trio of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan and Umran Malik can offer 12 very different kinds of overs to the oppositions. Bhuvneshwar with his swing at the top, Natarajan with his signature yorkers at the death and Malik with his raw pace can trouble the batters. Marco Jansen, the tall, left-arm seamer, could also be an option if SRH want their lineup to be pace heavy. SRH will heavily rely on the young Indian core to perform as the likes of Rahul Tripathi and Abhishek Sharma will be open, setting a platform for Williamson and Nicholas Pooran to build upon.

Royals have perhaps the best death-bowling options in the IPL this year as Trent Boult can do a job with the older ball along with being lethal at the top with him swinging the new ball one into the right-hander. Prasidh Krishna, who over the past year has been putting brilliant performances for the Indian Cricket team will likely partner Boult in the powerplay, and hopefully build a successful partnership. Going into the tournament, RR possibly have the best two spinners in R Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal and they could capitalise on it to strangle the opposition in the middle overs. They retained the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler and Sanju Samson and now have Devdutt Padikkal who is most likely to bat at No. 3. Rassie van der Dussen, who has enjoyed a purple patch for South Africa recently along with Shimron Hetmyer are probably vying for one spot in the middle order.

Pitch and weather report: The MCA Pune pitches are known for supporting batters and spinners as the game progresses but again, the trend of winning the toss and bowling first will continue as chasing teams have had an advantage here. No chance of rain is expected at the venue as the temperature would hover around 33 Degrees.

Interesting facts:

In the IPL Sanju Samson has averaged 54.50 with a strike rate of 145.33 and Jos Buttler has averaged 43.00 with an unbelievable strike rate of 159.25) .
Royals have the most successful IPL seamer and also spinner in the powerplays. No seamer has taken more power play wickets than Boult (21) and no spinner has taken more wickets in the phase than Ashwin (8).
With Sunrisers retaining a similar fast-bowling unit to 2021,Padikkal has scored at a strike-rate of only 94.21 against SRH
Boult and Krishna both last season went above 10 runs a over in the death overs
Romario Shepherd picked up 18 wickets in 9 matches in the CPL.

Probable XI for SRH:

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

Probable XI for RR:

1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Jos Buttler, 3 Devdutt Padikkal, 4 Sanju Samson (capt, wk), 5 Shimron Hetmyer, 6 Riyan Parag, 7 James Neesham/Nathan Coulter-Nile, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Yuzvendra Chahal, 10 Trent Boult, 11 Prasidh Krishna

Also read: Sensational Shami leads Gujarat Titans to 1st ever IPL win

2022-03-28 12:50

Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad aim for winning start in match against each other

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Match starts at 7.30 PM.

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

News Source : PTI

2022-02-15 15:36

My parents have finally agreed to stop working: Tennis-ball sensation Ramesh Kumar after landing IPL deal with KKR

New Delhi, Feb 15 (Cricket News) A Rs 20 lakh contract may not sound like much when deals worth crores were sealed at the IPL auction but for tennis-ball sensation Ramesh Kumar, it has ensured that his father doesn't have to make a living as a cobbler and his mother no longer needs to criss-cross villages in Punjab's Fazilka district to sell bangles.

Ramesh, who is better known as 'Narine Jalalabad' in tennis-ball circles, was already a youtube star due to his exploits with both bat and ball. Post the auction and the signing with Kolkata Knight Riders last weekend, his remarkable story has reached a wider audience.

Even as a tennis ball 'nomad', he requested his ageing parents to stop working but they would "never listen" to him. An IPL deal, however, has finally convinced them that their son can have a future in the game and they need not slog.

"They have finally agreed to not work anymore. I never wanted them to do this work in the first place but it had to be done out of necessity," Ramesh, who once blasted a 10-ball 50 in a local tournament, told PTI.

He also plans to use the IPL money for the education of his younger brothers.

The phone has been buzzing non stop since KKR made a winning bid for him at the auction but Ramesh remains grounded and focussed.

"Life has not changed yet paaji, life will change when I perform in the IPL. The way I see it, I have finally got the platform I needed," he said.

The 23-year-old from Jalalabad plied his trade in tennis-ball tournaments across India for seven years but it was only last year he got a taste of 'leather' ball. Ramesh impressed in Punjab Cricket Association's district level tournament following which he was called for the Ranji Trophy camp.

He owes his career to senior Punjab batter and IPL regular Gurkeerat Mann who helped him reach the KKR trials in Mumbai.

KKR assistant coach and former India all-rounder Abhishek Nayar was also convinced about his rare talent at the trials which eventually led to Ramesh's signing at his base price.

Having not played proper cricket at any level, it remains to be seen if Ramesh will be ready for his big break at the IPL but if T Natarajan can play for India after making his name in tennis-ball cricket, 'Narine Jalalabadi' too fancies his chances.

Ramesh fondly recalls the time he travelled the country for making Rs 500-1000 a day in tennis ball events, a career that also made him board his first ever flight.

"You must have seen my videos (on youtube) paaji. I am basically a tennis ball player. Since I could turn the ball away and turn back in, people advised me to play to with leather ball. They would say 'you might make it big'.

"But I didnt' have the support that I need to pursue the game professionally. I used to play an odd leather ball game but mainly it was all tennis ball cricket.

"It started with me playing all across Punjab, when I performed I got calls from other states too. Sometimes I made 500 in a day, sometimes it was 1000. It was just about enough to run the house and manage my travel expenses," he said.

Having got the stage he was desperately looking for, Ramesh now feels playing for India is also a possibility though he knows he has a long way to go.

He needs to improve his skills and fitness drastically.

"Paaji I used to bowl with cosco ball which is very light. The leather is ball much heavier and it is harder to make it turn but I am slowly getting better. I am sure the IPL stint with help my game in a big way," he added.

Also Read : My game is simple, to attack and take singles: Richa

News Source : PTI

2022-02-14 16:40

Prasidh Krishna: India's next fast bowling prodigy with the red ball

(Cricket news) The last 4 years or so have been very interesting for India's Test team with two series wins in Australia and almost one in England. Right now India is better in SENA countries than it ever was before. It is due to an accumulation of a lot of things but the big one is the pace battery. India with the experienced seamers Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami along with the then new comer now turned into the leader of the attack Jasprit Bumrah won India a lot of Test matches.

Then came the new lot with Mohammed Siraj and Shardul Thakur who have also burst onto the scene in 2021. The two new ones have settled straight into the side and already become match winners for India. Now India do not have any shortage of seam bowlers as Navdeep Saini and T Natarajan are eagerly waiting to get back into the side but the uncapped bowler everyone has their eyes on is a certain Prasidh Krishna.

The seamer has become a regular in the ODI format and recently won the Player of the Series award against West Indies. Experts and fans were quick to notice Prasidh's potential with the red ball and what he can deliver. The 25-year-old did travel to England with the side earlier this year as a net bowler. It looks like only a matter of time before he is given his Test cap, perhaps in the upcoming series against Sri Lanka. There is a long home season coming for India where all format seamers Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed will be rested for a few series which opens the doors for new blood.

BCCI are yet to announce the new red ball captain with Rohit Sharma the likely candidate. There are several reports that veterans Wriddhiman Saha and Ishant Sharma have been informed that they will not be a part of the next squad as the team wants to nurture new talent. If Ishant Sharma moves on then Prasidh will be the likely replacement along with maybe a Navdeep Saini who already has 2 Test caps to his name.

Prasidh Krishna regularly touches the 140 kmph barrier and gets that awkward bounce which makes it very difficult for batters. His skill sets suggest that he might have the ability to create something with his intensity even on a flat pitch which still has to be put to Test with the red ball. A lot will depend on the upcoming Ranji trophy season. If Prasidh Krishna does well for Karnataka in the tournament then nothing can stop him from making his debut for India in this year itself.

Also read: Smriti Mandhana and Meghna Singh set to return as India look to level series

2022-01-19 13:40

On this day a year ago, India conquered fortress Gabba against all the odds

(Cricket news) It's been exactly a year since India defeated Australia at the Gabba to clinch the Border-Gavaskar trophy for the 2nd consecutive time against all the odds. To some Indian fans the match seems like it was yesterday and to some it seems like an eternity ago.

After securing a fighting draw at Sydney to keep the series alive at 1-1, India went to the Gabba with barely 11 players fit. India's lead bowlers Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravichandran Ashwin were both out of the game. Net bowlers Shardul Thakur, T Natarajan and Washington Sundar were added to the Playing XI. India started the game with absolutely nothing to lose as their main strike bowler with the most experience was Mohammed Siraj who himself had played only two Test matches.

Australia won the toss and elected to bat first. Marnus Labuschagne's century guided Australia to 369 runs in the 1st innings. Matthew Wade, Tim Paine and Cameron Green also contributed with their small cameos. Shardul Thakur, T Natarajan and Washington Sundar picked up their maiden Test wickets and ended the innings with 3 wickets each. Despite their inexperience, Indian bowlers didn't let the Aussies run away with the game. Ajinkya Rahane's captaincy was spot on with good bowling changes and appropriate field setting.

In the 2nd innings India found themselves in deep trouble as they lost 6 wickets for just 180 runs. Sundar and Thakur came out to bat and put together 123 runs for the 7th wicket. India were all out for 336 but it could've been much worse if it hadn't been for the partnership between the two newcomers. Australia came out to bat with a lead of 33 runs. Mohammed Siraj picked up 5 wickets while Shardul Thakur picked up 4 as Australia were all out for 294 runs.

Chasing 328 runs, India were given a good start by Shubman Gill who scored 91 runs off 146 balls. Cheteshwar Pujara occupied the crease 211 balls scoring 56 runs and fought very hard despite being hit by multiple body blows. Rishabh Pant played a match winning knock of 89* supported by Sundar's cameo. India ended up chasing the total with 3 wickets in hand and 18 balls to spare.

India's victory, although fresh in people's memories, has already acquired a legendary status. It has been taken to mythical proportions and deservedly so. Everyone loves a good underdog story and this was the ultimate underdog story where the Indians tackled injuries, bio-bubble, racism and sledging to create history.

Also read: Docu series 'Down Underdogs' will leave Indian cricket fans in nostalgic tears

2022-01-18 18:20

Docu series 'Down Underdogs' will leave Indian cricket fans in nostalgic tears

(Cricket news) It's been almost a year since the Indian cricket team against all the odds defeated Australia in an away Test series. Now Sony Sports has released a 4 part docu series on India's triumph where they won 2-1 away against the mighty Australia despite numeral setbacks. The series is available to watch on SonyLiv

In the docu series, viewers will see players Hanuma Vihari, Mohammed Siraj and Marnus Labuschagne talking about their experiences. Former cricketers turned commentators Sunil Gavaskar, Sanjay Manjrekar, Nick Knight, Isa Guha, Vivek Razdan, Lisa Sthalekar, Micheal Clarke, Jason talked about the series and also their own experiences in similar situations. Journalists Harsha Bhogle, Ayaz Memon, Joy Bhattacharjya, Gaurav Kapoor and Rajdeep Sardesai highlighted several points about the series and the historical context of it.

The topic of the documentary was such that fans of Indian cricket would enjoy it regardless of the quality of the end product because it is still fresh in people's mind and the memories of it would trigger the nostalgic factor in people's brain who have experienced the series even if it is through their T.V screens. Each episode focused on the 4 Test matches titled Adelaide Aberration, Melbourne Magic, Sydney Siege and Brisbane Breached.

Throughout the series there were stories and anecdotes about players like Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj, T Natarajan and Washington Sundar. The series brilliantly portrayed important parts of the series like Virat Kohli leaving after the first Test, Ravichandran Ashwin's battle with Steve Smith, Ajinkya Rahane's hundred, India's multiple injury woes, racist abuse, the unexpected debuts of inexperienced Indian players and Tim Paine's sledging.

The main thing missing was that Marnus Labuschagne, Hanuma Vihari and Mohammed Siraj were unable to enlighten the viewers about their mindset during and before the games. What the atmosphere was inside the changing room was not really talked about. The main takeaway from the series was that it depicted the beauty of Test cricket and why it is the best format of the game and must be preserved. Overall the series is definitely a must watch for all the cricket fans. The high drama along with the ebbs and flow of the Test series is highlighted and enhanced in the docu series.

Also read: India begin preparations for the 2023 World Cup with 1st ODI Vs South Africa

2021-11-29 16:27

SKY or Kishan, Moeen or Faf, Siraj or Harshal: Teams face conundrum ahead of IPL retention deadline

New Delhi, Nov 29 (Cricket News) Some will unveil their core, while others might just go with a clean slate when the deadline to retain players ends on Tuesday for the eight existing IPL franchises.

Most of the teams have been making last ditch efforts to keep players of their choice in the lead up to the mega auction next year.

After the eight teams finalise their retention plans, new franchises -- Lucknow and Ahmedabad -- will pick a maximum of three players between December 1 and 25 before the mega auction in January.

The existing teams can retain a maximum of four players, not more than three Indians and not more than two overseas recruits.

PTI explores likely retentions ahead of the deadline.

Delhi Capitals: ========= The franchise is all set to retain skipper Rishabh Pant, Prithvi Shaw, Axar Patel and South African pacer Anrich Nortje. They had to make the tough call of releasing other consistent performers like R Ashwin and Kagiso Rabada, who they might look to buy back in the auction.

Another star player, Shreyas Iyer, is leaving Delhi after he didn't get his captaincy back following his return from a shoulder injury.

Mumbai Indians: ========== The five-time champions will build the side around their two pillars -- skipper Rohit Sharma and lead pacer Jasprit Bumrah.

Suryakumar Yadav and veteran Kieron Pollard are next in their pecking order. It might well be a toss up between Suryakumar and Ishan Kishan, both of whom went on to play for India after their exploits for Mumbai Indians.

Hardik Pandya is not the all-rounder he used to be due to his inability to bowl regularly and he might be one of the players the franchise tries to buy back on the auction table.

Chennai Super Kings: ============= The four-time champions have more or less figured out their four players. Leader M S Dhoni picks himself and so does Ravindra Jadeja and the prolific Ruturaj Gaekwad, who was instrumental in the team's triumph this season following an early exit in 2020.

The tough call they need to make is in the overseas retention with the battle between the all-round Moeen Ali and team's longtime recruit Faf du Plessis.

Punjab Kings: ======== With skipper K L Rahul set to go back into the auction, the franchise may look for another fresh start. Over the past two seasons, they lost crucial games they should have won and it cost them a play-off spot.

The team is keen on retaining its uncapped players Arshdeep Singh and Ravi Bishnoi, whom the side has groomed from their younger days.

Among the capped players, the team needs to decide its retentions among Mayank Agarwal, Mohammad Shami and Nicholas Pooran.

Kolkata Knight Riders: ============= They are likely to retain Varun Chakaravarthy, Andre Russell, Venkatesh Iyer and Sunil Narine. But that would mean letting go of World Cup winning skipper Eoin Morgan and Shubman Gill, who too can be their leader going forward.

Under Morgan, KKR made a remarkable comeback in the UAE leg of the 2021 edition by working their way into the final. Considering his proven leadership skills, it will be hard for the team to release him.

Rajasthan Royals: =========== Making Sanju Samson the captain did not change their fortunes but Royals are likely to retain him alongside star England wicketkeeper batter Jos Buttler.

The team is in two minds about retaining Ben Stokes, who missed a majority of the 2021 season due to injury and mental health concerns, and Jofra Archer, who has had fitness issues in the past.

Uncapped opener Yashasvi Jaiswal is also in the fray.

"I am very tempted for Yashasvi Jaiswal because he's a young guy, who’s shown a lot of potential, and he could be the guy you could invest in," former cricketer Irfan Pathan told Star Sports about his take on the likely retentions.

Royal Challengers Bangalore: ================== Virat Kohli, who has stepped down from captaincy, will be retained alongside Yuzvendra Chahal. Glenn Maxwell too did enough this season to win the team's trust.

Harshal Patel, who made a successful India debut following a memorable IPL, and Mohammad Siraj are fighting for one retention spot. Opener Devdutt Padikal too would be hard to let go of for the perennial underachievers.

Sunrisers Hyderabad: ============= For a team that remained in the news for the wrong reason this year after a fallout with former captain David Warner, only two players -- Kane Williamson and Rashid Khan -- look set to be retained.

They also need to decided if they want to build the pace bowling line up around Bhuvneshwar Kumar and T Natarajan or start afresh.

Also Read : Ashwin goes past Harbhajan as Williamson keeps New Zealand in fight

News Source : PTI

2021-11-22 17:55

Shahrukh Khan delivers Mushtaq Ali Trophy for TN in style

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.

Also Read : Ashwin is always an attacking option for a captain: Rohit

News Source : PTI

2021-11-21 10:57

Defending champion TN faces Karnataka in Southern derby for Syed Mushtaq Ali title

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.

Also Read : Hopefully my last T20 will be in Chennai, says Dhoni

News Source : PTI

2021-11-19 12:45

Confident TN up against unbeaten Hyderabad in last-four clash

New Delhi, Nov 19 (Cricket news) Defending champions Tamil Nadu will have their task cut out as they lock horns with an unbeaten Hyderabad side in the semifinals of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 tournament here on Saturday.

TN are eyeing a third straight appearance in the final of the premier domestic T20 tournament.

Tamil Nadu, who won the 2020-21 edition of the event earlier this year, after having stumbled in the final against Karnataka in 2019, will head into the last-four clash with confidence after a convincing performance against Kerala.

Jagadeesan, C Hari Nishaanth, newcomer B Sai Sudharsan have been among the runs while skipper Vijay Shankar underlined his ability with a crucial knock in the quarterfinals.

The big-hitting M Shahrukh Khan can tear apart any bowling attack on his day while accelerating the pace of scoring.

Interestingly, the TN batters have scored only three half-centuries in the tournament so far, but the team has still achieved success, mainly due to contributions from almost everyone.

They are hoping for substantial scores from some of their batters in crunch situations.

Spin bowling all-rounder R Sanjay Yadav proved his utility in the win over Kerala, with two key wickets and a brisk 30-plus score.

His role, along with that of fellow spinners R Sai Kishore and Murugan Ashwin (leg-spinner, would go a long way in brightening Tamil Nadu's prospects.

Also, Tamil Nadu will be hoping that left-arm pacer T Natarajan, who missed the quarterfinal owing to a niggle, is back for the last-four clash The team missed his accuracy and yorkers at the death against Kerala.

Hyderabad are aware of the challenge an all-round Tamil Nadu side poses.

Skipper Tanmay Agarwal has led from the front (333 runs from 6 matches), scoring consistently while one-drop batter Tilak Varma (207 runs) has also regained form, which will help the team's cause.

However, the other Hyderabad batters will have to step up if they are to put it across the holders.

Left-arm seamer Chama Milind has been among the wickets (18 from six matches -- the highest so far) and needs to strike early for Hyderabad to restrict Tamil Nadu.

Match starts at 8.30AM IST.

Also Read : Vidarbha face tough ask against resurgent Karnataka in semifinals

News Source : PTI

2021-11-05 18:07

Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy: Ruturaj Gaikwad's 80 gives Maharashtra 1st win in Group A

Lucknow, Nov 5 (Cricket news) Stylish batter Ruturaj Gaikwad continued his impressive run in the shortest format with a strokeful 80 to power Maharashtra to a seven-wicket win against Punjab in an Elite Group 'A' match in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 cricket tournament here on Friday.

Chasing 138 for victory, Gaikwad, who was in red-hot form for Chennai Super Kings in the recent concluded IPL, smacked eight fours and three sixes in the 54-ball knock to help Maharashtra post its first victory.

He had also hit a half-century on Thursday against Tamil Nadu, which the team lost by 12 runs.

The early dismissal of fellow opener Yash Nahar for a duck in the second over did not deter Gaikwad as he batted aggressively to neutralise the Punjab attack which included Arshdeep Singh, Siddarth Kaul, Harpreet Brar and Abhishek Sharma.

Gaikwad, who reached his 50 from 36 balls, hit leggie Mayank Markande for a big six and then hoisted Brar for another maximum.

He also played some elegant shots on either side of the wicket during his impressive innings as Maharashtra shut out Punjab.

Earlier, Shubman Gill stroked his way to 44 off 39 balls (3 fours, 1 six) but the other Punjab batters failed to get going. The innings appeared to be struggling for momentum before Gurkeerat Singh Mann (41 off 32 balls) helped them recover and post a total of 137 in the 20 overs.

For Maharashtra, left-arm medium pacer Divyang Himganekar was the best bowler with 2 for 17 in four overs while A Palkar took 2 for 30.

In another match in the group, Tamil Nadu edged out Odisha by one run. There was some controversy in the last over bowled by T Natarajan as a boundary was not given though it appeared that the ball had touched the ropes which cost Odisha dear.

Earlier, Tamil Nadu had posted 165 for 5 in 20 overs thanks to B Aparajith's unbeaten 44 and a cameo towards the end by M Mohammed (27 not out) Leg-spinner Abhishek Raut, who picked up three Tamil Nadu wickets, then returned to smash 38 off 21 balls (4 fours, 1 six) but ended up on the losing side.

Brief Scores: Punjab 137 for 6 in 20 overs (Shubman Gill 44, Gurkeerat Singh Mann 41, Divyang Himganekar 2/17) lost to Maharashtra 138 for 3 in 17.3 overs (Ruturaj Gaikwad 80, Azim Kazi 28 not out) by seven wickets.

Goa 161 for 3 in 20 overs (Aditya Kaushik 69 not out, Shubham Ranjane 29 not out) beat Pondicherry 152 for 7 in 20 overs (Paras Dogra 84 not out, Pavan Deshpande 29, Amit Yadav 3/16, Shrikant Wagh 3/38) by 9 runs.

Tamil Nadu 165 for 5 in 20 overs (B Aparajith 44 not out, N Jagadeesan 37) beat Odisha 164 for 6 in 20 overs (Subhransu Senapati 67, Abhishek Raut 38 not out, T Natarajan 2/38) by 1 run.

Also Read : Rahane slams fifty as Mumbai notch 1st win, Bengal, Karnataka win 2nd games

News Source : PTI

2021-11-05 15:19

Mushtaq Ali Trophy: TN beat Maharashtra by 12 runs to open title defence in style

Lucknow, Nov 4 (Cricket news) Tamil Nadu began their title defence in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 tournament with a 12-run win over Maharashtra in a Elite Group 'A' match here on Thursday.

Maharashtra fell short despite a blistering knock by skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad, who hammered 51 off 30 balls with eight fours and a six to finish at 155 for six in 20 overs in reply to Tamil Nadu's 167 for four.

The stylish right-hander, who was in prime form for Chennai Super Kings in their recent IPL triumph, continued in the same vein before his departure pegged the team back.

Gaikwad made the Tamil Nadu attack look pedestrian and smacked the usually economical R Sai Kishore for three straight boundaries in his first over. Along with Yash Nahar, he powered Maharashtra to 55 at the end of the sixth over.

Leggie M Ashwin (2/18) broke the partnership by dismissing Nahar, caught behind by N Jagadeesan for 17.

Veteran Kedar Jadhav helped Gaikwad add 24 runs for the second wicket and Maharashtra looked set to challenge the stiff target.

But Ashwin trapped Gaikwad leg-before to peg the opposition back before Sai Kishore sent back Jadhav for 13 and dented Maharashtra's progress.

Maharashtra remained in the hunt, thanks to some gutsy efforts by N S Shaik (22), R R Nikam (20, 17 balls, 1X6) but could not get across the line as TN bowlers held firm with Sandeep Warrier conceding only seven runs in the final over.

Medium-pacer T Natarajan, returning to action after an injury, finished with one for 38 from his four overs.

Earlier sent into bat, Tamil Nadu got off to a good start with the openers C Hari Nishaanth (27, 3X4s, 1X6) and N Jagadeesan (30, 2X4s, 1X6) putting on 50 for the first wicket.

However, it was young B Sai Sudarshan (35, 19 balls, 5X4s), who provided the much-needed thrust with an aggressive knock before skipper Vijay Shankar ensured a strong finish with a powerful 21-ball 42 (5X4s, 1X6).

Tamil Nadu coach M Venkataramana said it was a good win and the batsmen managed well after being sent in to bat.

"In the second half, Ruturaj was taking match away from us. Good comeback in the field by our bowlers. M Ashwin bowled well to get two wickets and got us the breakthrough," he told PTI reflecting the team's performance.

Brief Scores: Tamil Nadu 167 for 4 in 20 overs (Vijay Shankar 42, B Sai Sudarshan 35, N Jagadeesan 30, SS Bachhav 2/35) beat Maharasthra 155 for 6 in 20 overs (Ruturaj Gaikwad 51, N S Shaikh 33, M Ashwin 2/18) by 12 runs. TN: 4 points, Maharashtra: 0.

Pondicherry 106 all out in 19.5 overs (Sagar Trivedi 44, Marimuthu 25, Siddarth Kaul 3/6, Abhishek Sharma 3/7) lost to Punjab 107 for 2 in 12.5 overs (Abhishek Sharma 54 not out, Gurkeerat Singh Mann 24 not out) by eight wickets. Punjab: 4 points, Puducherry: 0.

Goa 104 for 8 in 20 overs (Shubam Ranjane 32, Jayanta Behera 3/14, Bikash Rout 3/27) lost to Odisha 107 for 6 in 19.5 overs (Anshy Rath 29, Govinda Poddar 24, Lakshay Garg 2/11) by four wickets. Odisha: 4 points, Goa: 0.

Also Read : Gujarat thrash Kerala, MP beat Assam in Group D

News Source : PTI

2021-09-30 13:45

IPL: Chennai Super Kings take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in match no 44

(Cricket news) If Hyderabad lose to Chennai then they will officially be out of the playoff reckoning and on the other hand CSK is one win away from confirming their place in the playoffs. It has been a very disappointing season for SRH as their franchise isn’t really used to mediocrity, they have made the playoffs every time since 2016. CSK have greater ambitions this season and would want to finish on top of the table, on paper its a David vs Goliath battle and SRH will be hoping to crash CSK’s party.

SRH players were elated with joy when they won their last match but more than joy it was a sense of relief for the SRH camp to finally win. The management would be hoping for a repeat of Jason Roy’s performance as the middle order is too fragile and very inexperienced. Captain Kane Williamson also needs to lead by example as he averages 46.2 against CSK. SRH will still be without Natarajan as he continues to be sidelined with COVID-19, a lot of onus will be on Bhuvneshwar Kumar to get back his full fitness before the World T20 also. Rashid can be the key for SRH as the Sharjah pitches have offered a lot of turn which in turn help pick up wickets.

CSK will be hoping that Deepak Chahar will break his duck of going wicketless in five out of the six games, he too will get assistance from the pitch as he bowls a lot of slower bowls and cross seam deliveries. Ruturaj and Faf du Plessis will again be the key to give them a good start, the powerplay at this venue needs to be utilised properly as batting tends to be difficult with the old ball. Only concern going into the match is MS Dhoni does have a strike rate of less than 100 against Rashid Khan so the skipper needs to rotate the strike constantly if they face off.

Head to head: SRH 4 - 11 CSK, the last time they faced each other CSK won comfortably by 7 wickets as Ruturaj Gaikwad made 75(44).

Pitch and Weather report: The Sharjah Cricket Stadium has completely surprised the teams this season as the new pitches are slow and difficult to score runs, not much is going to change in terms of the pitch as spinners will be key in this contest. The temperature is gonna be around 30 degrees and with no chances of rain.

Interesting facts:

SRH have only picked up 7 wickets in the powerplay which is the fewest this season
CSK have lost only 10 wickets inside the powerplay which is the joint fewest in this years IPL
Rashid averages 27.6 runs against CSK which his worst out of all IPL teams
Last season the average 1st innings total at Sharjah was 176 but this season it has been only 136
Jadeja has won the most Man of the match trophies since joining CSK in 2012

Also read: As No 3, my job is to provide good base for finishers like AB and Maxwell: Bharat

Probable XI for SRH:

1 Jason Roy, 2 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Priyam Garg, 5 Abhishek Sharma, 6 Jason Holder, 7 Abdul Samad, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Siddharth Kaul, 11 Sandeep Sharma

Probable XI for CSK:

1 Faf du Plessis, 2 Ruturaj Gaikwad, 3 Moeen Ali, 4 Ambati Rayudu, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Sam Curran/Dwayne Bravo, 9 Shardul Thakur, 10 Deepak Chahar, 11 Josh Hazlewood/Imran Tahir

2021-09-26 13:01

RR need to address batting frailties for returning to winning ways in IPL

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

2021-09-24 18:55

Sunrisers Hyderabad face Punjab Kings in battle of laggards

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

2021-09-23 12:40

Natarajan's positive COVID-19 test did not impact game: Bayliss

Dubai, Sep 23 (Cricket News) Sunrisers Hyderabad head coach Trevor Bayliss has asserted that their pacer T Natarajan's positive COVID-19 result did not impact their performance against Delhi Capitals on Wednesday since all the players are used to last-minute setbacks. The game went ahead after other members of SRH squad tested negative but Delhi Capitals cruised to an eight-wicket win with 13 balls to spare.

"I don't think that would have affected the result of the match. They played way too well for us tonight. It was a little bit of an upset," Bayliss said at the post-match press conference.

"Natarajan was going to play, but these guys are professional players. Every now and then, there's an injury just before play and you have got to make a late replacement. So, I am sure all of the players are, in a way, used to that. But we hope Nattu (Natarajan) gets over it pretty quickly and we can move on," added Bayliss.

The Sunrisers Hyderabad coach said Delhi Capitals' world-class tall pacers used the wicket pretty well and deserve the credit for scripting their team's victory.

South African pace duo of Kagiso Rabada (3/37) and Anrich Nortje (2/12) wreaked havoc to help DC restrict SRH to 134 for 9 on Wednesday night in an IPL match. The Rishabh Pant-led side then cruised to the target in just 17.5 overs. "Give Delhi the credit. They bowled particularly well. They have got some world-class bowlers and upfront some world-class very fast bowlers, so they had a good day. We didn't have such a good day and that's the game of cricket," Bayliss said. "Their bowlers upfront bowled exceedingly well. A lot of pace and used the wicket well with cutters, with the ball just holding in the wicket little bit and jumping up a little-bit, those tall fast bowlers took full advantage of it." With Natarajan missing from the playing XI, SRH went in with left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed and speedster Sandeep Sharma had to play a different role.

Sandeep was introduced late in the attack as Khaleel opened the bowling with seasoned Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

"Khaleel (Ahmed) in our practice matches has probably been one of our best bowlers. He was getting the ball to move around in those practice games. He is a little bit taller.

"We thought the balls for the taller guys were sticking in the wicket. He basically bowled quite well. It was one of those things, trying to fit three new ball bowlers into two.

"Today, we went with Khaleel, which meant Sandy (Sandeep Sharma) had to play a little bit of a different role," Bayliss said.

Also Read : I respect team's decision to let Pant stay as captain: Iyer

News Source : PTI

2021-09-23 11:38

I respect team's decision to let Pant stay as captain: Iyer

Dubai, Sep 23 (Cricket News) Shreyas Iyer says he relished captaining the Delhi Capitals in the IPL but completely respects the team management's decision to let Rishabh Pant stay as leader of the pack till the end of the 2021 season.

Iyer had led the Capitals to the summit clash of the 2020 season but he missed the first phase of this year's season due to a shoulder injury and the management asked Pant to captain the side.

The 26-year-old returned to the side before IPL's resumption after the COVID-19 forced break but the Capitals chose not to change the leader again, keeping Pant in the captain's chair.

The young Mumbai batsman, who hit a blistering 47 in team's win on Wednesday night, said he understands team's policy and has no complaints.

"When I was given the captaincy, I was in a different frame of mind and my decision-making and temperament level was very good and I benefited from it in the last two years," Iyer said at the post-match press conference.

"This is part of the decision-making from the franchise or whatever decision they took, I respect the fact and Rishabh is leading the side well from the start of the season and they thought that he should be continued till the season end and I completely respect the decision," he added.

The 26-year-old said he continues to enjoy the pressure situation as he thrives in such circumstances.

"And no drastic change has come that my focus has increased in batting. when I was captain, I like to soak in the pressure, when there is pressure, there are more challenges and, in such situations, I perform, that is my mind-set.

"Even today (Wednesday) when I went in, there was pressure to win the game. The wicket was playing uneven, so the mind-set is the same that being a main part of the team, you have to finish the match and whenever I play, my mindset is that I play till the last ball and see to it that I make the team win." The aggressive batsman it is a "really good feeling" to contribute in team's win in his first match post comeback.

"I wouldn't say that I'm satisfied because the hunger has just gone up and the appetite keeps on increasing every match you play, so yeah, not satisfied or not contained," he said after DC demolished Sunrisers Hyderabad by eight wickets.

Iyer said the injury period was difficult for him but he had the right people around him.

"I have a very close-knit family and friends and they never made me feel that I was going through an injury.

"When I got injured, it was really difficult for me to adapt (to) the fact that I was injured because I keep doing so many activities here and there and I never think about that situation and that occurred, so it was really tough for me to adapt.

"They kept me busy and in a positive frame of mind and never made me feel that I am going through an injury.

"When the rehab started and I started gaining strength, that feeling was really amazing and that put me in a really good frame of mind that I will come back positive and strong," shared the top-order batsman.

Delhi Capitals is at the top of the table and Iyer said the key now is to maintain the momentum.

"When we came in here, we were still on the top of the table and we have to maintain the same rhythm that we created in the first half of the leg and the mindset has been really positive in the dugout," he said.

Also Read : SRH's India player T Natarajan tests positive, match against DC to go ahead as scheduled

News Source : PTI

2021-09-22 13:15

IPL: Delhi Capitals take on struggling Sunrisers Hyderabad in match 33

(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 .

2021-09-21 18:00

Delhi Capitals resume IPL campaign against laggards SRH

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

2021-09-09 13:34

Need of the hour was to look at other players and give Dhawan some rest: Chetan Sharma

Mumbai, Sep 9 (Cricket news): Shikhar Dhawan remains a "very" important part of India's limited overs set up but the need of the hour was to look at other players and give him some rest, said chief selector Chetan Sharma after the southpaw did not find a place in the T20 World Cup squad.

The stylish opener had captained India in the limited overs series in Sri Lanka in July.

"Shikhar Dhawan is a very important player for us, he was the captain in Sri Lanka. What discussion happened I cannot disclose. He is important and he is there in the loop.

"But the need of the hour was that we look at other players and give Shikhar Dhawan some rest, otherwise he is an important player and he will be back very soon,” Chetan said in his first virtual press-meet on late Wednesday night.

Rohit Sharma, K L Rahul and Ishan Kishan are the three openers in the squad. However, there is a possibility that skipper Virat Kohli might open alongside Rohit.

“We have three openers -- Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan, who can bat as opener and can also fit into the middle order. So Kishan is giving us a lot of options, if needed he can open like he has done in ODIs (in Sri Lanka) when he got a fifty and he can also play in middle order because he is a good player of spin.

“It is upto the team management if they want Kohli to open the batting, but as of now we have picked three openers. Virat is an asset for the team. When he bats in the middle order, the team plays around him.

"He has a brilliant record in T20s batting in the middle order. But as I said, it all depends on what the situation is at that point of time," said the former India pacer.

Rishabh Pant is the number one wicket-keeper batsman in the squad ahead of Kishan and Rahul.

“You are talking about three wicket-keepers but number one is Rishabh Pant, number two is Ishan Kishan and KL Rahul will only be used to keep wickets in case of an emergency otherwise he is a specialist opener in the team,” said Chetan.

According to Chetan, the shortest format is all about all-rounders and hence the panel led by him has packed the team with such players.

"We have Ravindra Jadeja, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, so that was the main point, if the wickets are turning, then you have Axar and Jadeja with you.

"Hardik Pandya is one of the leading all-rounders India have, so the main aim was to just pack the team with all-rounders,” the 55-year-old explained.

Chetan also made clear that all-rounder Hardik Pandya will bowl full quota of his overs.

He also listed the reasons why wrist spinner Yuzvendra Chahal wasn’t picked and young Rahul Chahar was preferred over him.

"We had a discussion over Yuzvendera Chahal and the selectors thought was we need a bowler, who can bowl fast, and as we have recently seen Rahul Chahar bowling, the speed that he bowls with, the selectors thought that we need such a player, who can on those wickets, can hold and more speed, and so, there was a lot of discussion about Chahal, but we zeroed on Rahul Chahar,” he said.

Asked whether the selectors thought of picking a left-arm seamer, Chetan quipped, “It is always in the mind of selectors that you need variation. But at the end of the day, we discussed, there is a concern of the wickets, so the selectors decided on three fast bowlers, with Hardik Pandya as the fourth bowler.

"Even though we thought, we might not have fixed a left-arm pacer. We talked about T Natarajan, but he hasn’t played cricket for long due to injury, so that is the reason, we stuck to the main guys, who are strike bowlers.” Premier off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin made a comeback to the national T20 side after four years and Chetan said performing in the IPL went in his favour.

“See, Ravichandran Ashwin has been regularly playing the IPL. We have seen how well he has performed and definitely when we go to the World Cup, we need an off-spinner, everyone has idea that in Dubai and UAE, the later half of IPL will be played, so wickets might be low and slow, which will aid the spinners...

"...so it is necessary to have an off-spinner in the team, and because Washington Sundar is injured and Ashwin is an asset to the team and the way he has performed in the IPL, he has got place in the team." Mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy also made it to the 15.

"Varun has bowled really well at an economy rate of five in Sri Lanka. He is a mystery spinner and people find it difficult to read him. I would say he is the surprise package. This was the main reason to pick Varun as he is a mystery bowler.” “Ashwin is the only off-spinner. Varun is basically leg-spinner, mystery bowler, we haven’t understood, what will the batsmen understand,” he said.

Shreyas Iyer has been kept as a stand-by player and Chetan said the main reason for it was that Mumbaikar, who has recovered from shoulder injury, has not played cricket recently.

Finally, the chief selector said that the standby players would come into picture only if any injury happens to any squad member.

Also read: Shami fit to play in Manchester; medical team monitoring Rohit, Pujara

News source: PTI

2021-09-06 19:44

T20 WC team selection: Toss-up between spinners Varun and Rahul, keepers Sanju and Ishan

New Delhi, Sep 6 (Cricket news) Mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy and Rahul Chahar, with his fast leg-breaks, will fight it out for the additional tweaker's slot when the selectors pick the Indian squad for next month's ICC T20 World Cup in the coming couple of days.

It is expected that the Chetan Sharma-led selection committee will meet at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai and link up with skipper Virat Kohli in Manchester and coach Ravi Shastri in London either on Tuesday or more likely on Wednesday.

BCCI President Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah (convenor of selection committee) are also expected to be a part of the most important selection by the committee.

While most of the teams are announcing 15-member squads, the BCCI is expected to announce either an 18 or 20 member squad as the ICC will allow a squad strength of 30, instead of 23 in earlier editions, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The number is inclusive of the support staff.

Any team can have more than 30-member squads but the extra cost is supposed to be borne by the country's cricket board.

The Indian white ball team will have at least 13 to 15 members, who are automatic selections but there are a few spots for which there would be some discussions.

Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravindra Jadeja are two spinners who are all but sure of their slots and it could well be a toss up between Chakravarthy, who has had good IPL runs and Rahul, who impressed in the recent tour of Sri Lanka.

With Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul both capable of donning the big gloves, Ishan Kishan, with some good performances for India in the recent tour of Sri Lanka, is expected to pip the highly-rated-but-under-performing Sanju Samson.

With Hardik Pandya not bowling his full quota of four overs, Shardul Thakur might be required after his new-found batting prowess.

Suryakumar Yadav can be called a certainty while Shreyas Iyer will get his rightful place back in the squad.

For the extra opener's slot after Rohit Sharma and Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, with good back-to-back IPLs, and an in-form Prithvi Shaw will be locking horns. But in case of a 20 member squad, both might get a look-in.

In the fast bowling department, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami (if fully fit) are automatic selections but Deepak Chahar and the red-hot Mohammed Siraj are also in contention.

Washington Sundar's injury, which has ruled him out of IPL, also means that if he is picked, it will be without any match practice.

Also read: Has Shardul Thakur's performance with the willow made Hardik Pandya comeback in Tests very complicated?

Among left-arm pacers, Chetan Sakariya and T Natarajan are there but the latter has hardly played anything while the former may accompany the the team as a net bowler.

The Likely Squad: Certainties (14): Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma (vc), KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Buvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Deepak Chahar, Mohammed Shami, Shardul Thakur Extra Opener: Shikhar Dhawan/Prithvi Shaw Reserve keeper: Ishan Kishan/Sanju Samson Extra Spinner: Varun Chakravarthy/Rahul Chahar Left-arm pacer: Chetan Sakariya/T Natarajan Subject to Fitness: Washington Sundar.

Cover for Jadeja: Axar Patel/Krunal Pandya.

News source: PTI

2021-08-10 16:45

The progression of Indian cricket from having no fast bowlers to having the best seam attack in the world

There was a time in Indian cricket when the job of opening bowlers was to make the ball old for spinners to come into the game. The then captain Tiger Pataudi used to roll the ball from fine leg to make it spin more. The situation was such that Sunil Gavaskar used to open the bowling with his medium pace in the mid 1980s.

Then came the legendary Kapil Dev who changed the way Indian fast bowlers were looked at. After making his test debut in 1978, Kapil Dev went on to become one of the best fast bowling all-rounders in the world. Kapil Dev till this day has the highest test wickets by an Indian fast bowler. In the late 1990s is when India started producing multiple fast bowling options.

The first fast bowling duo in India was Javagal Srinath and Venkatesh Prasad. Under the captaincy of Mohammed Azharuddin, Prasad and Srinath formed a deadly fast bowling partnership. The partnership with the pace of Srinath and accuracy of Prasad won many matches for India.

Then under Sourav Ganguly's captaincy, there were a plethora of fast bowling options, Zaheer Khan being the most prominent one. Ajit Agarkar, Ashish Nehra, Irfan Pathan and Laxmipati Balaji had short periods of success in the Indian team. The next generation of R.P Singh, Sreeshant and Munaf Patel were crucial in India winning Test series in England and New Zealand.

Also read: What to expect from the 2nd Test between India and England at Lords

Since then, India has never had trouble in producing good quality seam bowlers. In the current Indian set up India has all kinds of seam bowling options. Mohammed Shami who hits the deck hard with seam swing, Ishant Sharma who can swing the ball away from the right hander while bowling long spells, Bhuvneshwar Kumar who is a pure swing bowler who can move the ball both ways, Jasprit Bumrah who rapidly moves the ball both ways in an unorthodox fashion and Umesh Yadav with his raw pace and out-swingers make a good core of senior Indian seamers.

The younger generation has a lot of promise as well. Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj, T Natarajan, Navdeep Saini, Deepak Chahar, Prasidh Krishna have already made their way into the international set up. While talented uncapped bowlers like Karthik Tyagi, Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Shivam Mavi have impressive list A and domestic records.

When and how did this change happen from not having any quick bowlers to now having at least ten options. The first credit has to go to the BCCI for incorporating more grass on pitches to assist fast bowlers in India. Many of these fast bowlers have been developed at the MRF Pace foundation.

India's first choice pace trio for the last couple of years Bumrah, Ishant and Shami have played a collective 170 matches and bagged 566 wickets at an average of 29.29 and strike rate of 55.79. Numbers which are outstanding for any pace trio in any part of the world. The slow growth of pacers in India has made India a complete test side where they can play four to five seamers of the highest quality and who knows one day they might not even need to accommodate a spinner like the legendary West Indies side.

2021-06-10 14:11

Kiwi pace attack, conditions will challenge India in WTC final, says former Indian fast bowler Ajit Agarkar

New Delhi, Jun 10 Former India pacer Ajit Agarkar reckons India will have their task cut out in the upcoming World Test Championship final against New Zealand, who boast of a potent pace attack ever ready to thrive in familiar English conditions.

The much-awaited match is scheduled to be held in Southampton from June 18-22.

Speaking on Star Sports show GAME PLAN, Agarkar highlighted the challenges India could face against the Kiwis.

"It (New Zealand pace attack) has certainly got a lot of variety. I mean it is because you look at someone like (Kyle) Jamieson who is a tall guy and will pose a different challenge," Agarkar said.

He then spoke highly of New Zealand's seasoned pace duo of Trent Boult and Tim Southee besides Neil Wagner, who has the ability to surprise with his speed.

"Boult and Southee both will bowl, one delivery coming into you, one delivery going away from you, as a right-hander. And then (Neil) Wagner, when nothing is happening, and you know, everything seems flat, he comes and does something and has been doing it on a regular basis. So the challenges are a bit different." Agarkar is aware that the conditions in Ageas Bowl are going to be more familiar for the New Zealanders.

"Also what works in their favour is the condition, because you are playing in England, it is almost like what you get in New Zealand. So that makes it a little bit easier with that Duke ball which does swing around. So the challenges are a lot.

"More so because India has not had any Test cricket in recent time, not a Test cricket away from home since the Australia tour. Australian conditions are completely different. So that's the biggest challenge. And that's why I feel the preparations (have) got to be the key," he said.

India registered incredible come-from-behind Test series triumphs in both Australia and against England at home, stamping their authority as one of the world's top sides at the moment.

Taking into account their performance in recent years, Agarkar said India's strength lies in their ability to win with different players.

"I think a couple of things, resilience or just belief in your ability or in your own team. Look at the England series at home, we expected India to win.

"Yes, the conditions suit their (India) wicket or their spin bowling, but they lost the first Test comprehensively. They came back and beat England really well in the next three Tests," Agarkar said.

"Look at Australia (series), they (India) lost that first Test, bowled out for what 36 -- losing the host of your first team players, whether it's your best batsman in the team, Virat Kohli, your best bowler in the team, Mohammad Shami, those sort of losses.

"By the end of the series, you had a Shardul Thakur, T Natarajan, Mohammad Siraj bowling for you, against a full-strength Australian team and you still managed to find a way to win in those situations. So, the depth in that team -- even though there was not a lot of experience -- the guys that came in had enough belief that they could turn up. That's been India's strength." New source PTI

2021-04-27 10:39

In-form CSK starts favourite against inconsistent SRH

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

2021-04-24 16:08

Ravi's ability to infuse confidence in youngsters is unbelievable: Sunil Gavaskar

New Delhi, Apr 24 (PTI) Effusive in his praise for national cricket coach Ravi Shastri, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar on Saturday called him an "incredible" mentor with an "unbelievable" ability to motivate youngsters even in their lowest phases. Gavaskar's view was seconded by the national team's bowling coach Bharath Arun. "Just 10-15 minutes with Ravi Shastri after a practice session. You know Ravi has got the ability to give so much confidence to youngsters, it's unbelievable," Gavaskar said during a webinar to mark the book launch of '1971: The Beginning of India's Cricketing Greatness' published by Harper Collins. "If he (Shastri) believes in their ability and talent, there is no better man than Ravi Shastri to give encouragement to that youngster. He will scold you, tell you off but at the same time, he will tell you what you can do to get better, he will actually demonstrate to you," said Gavaskar. The batting icon was also all praise for Arun, who has groomed a world-class crop of fast bowlers playing in the same era, a rarity in Indian cricket. "Then you have Bharat, when you talk to some of the seam bowlers who did splendidly during the second half of the Australia tour, they are all full of praise for Bharat as to how he guided them. "That's what these youngsters need to do. Spend as much time possible with Ravi Shastri and Bharat Arun. There are no better persons than these two when you are having self doubts," Gavaskar said. "You need people around you who believe in you, and tell you 'yes you can do it'," the iconic batsman said. On to the batsmen and Gavaskar said a top international willow-wielder is always a judicious blend of talent and temperament. "I have always believed that it's temperament which separates the men from boys. If talent and temperament are married, it will always turn out to be a good marriage. "There are times when you feel they are not very confident of themselves and and they are having self doubts, I think those self doubts are natural in a young man's life... "So sit with people who are confident, believe in your abilities and honestly this Indian team is so blessed to have the support staff they have." Will be unfit if one overdoes either skill or physical fitness.. Fast bowlers are like race horses that have to be nurtured with utmost care to ensure that their physical and skills training are in proportion, said bowling coach Bharat Arun. Arun spoke in the context of workload management of Indian pacers and also how yorker sensation T Natarajan has aggravated his knee injury which now requires a surgery, sidelining him for at least six months. "Physical fitness and skill, they both go hand in hand. It should be done in 50-50 ratio. If you overdo the skill you are likely to be injured and if you overdo fitness, then also you are wrong," Arun tried putting things in perspective. "We also have to understand that each bowler's needs are different. For example a Jasprit Bumrah would put more strain on his body than a Mohammed Shami," he said. Arun said that during the past one year, 10 (international) debuts were handed out and all of them did exceedingly well because of the self-belief that Gavaskar was talking about. Arun, who has been a close friend of the head coach for 40 years, loves how Shastri makes youngsters feel special and at ease. "Ravi gives tremendous confidence if he believes that someone can deliver. He makes them feel on top of the world which is very important as what you think is what you are." News Source : PTI

2021-04-24 12:01

A 'Final Slugfest': DC rely on 'Pant Power' against wily Rashid on slow Chepauk

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

2021-04-20 12:48

Desperate SRH look for inspiration from Warner for turnaround in fortune

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

2021-04-16 14:07

IPL: Sunrisers fret over right combination against formidable Mumbai

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

2021-04-10 12:33

Morgan-led KKR open IPL campaign against consistent SRH

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.

2021-04-04 13:52

Big question: Will Kedar Jadhav be 'x factor' in SRH middle-order

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.

2021-03-31 16:40

Youngsters showed in Australia that transition will be smooth when we retire: Shami

New Delhi, Mar 31 (PTI) Senior India pacer Mohammad Shami says the performance of the team's "net" bowlers in the historic triumph in Australia has shown that the transition will be smooth when the current attack walks into the sunset. The pace quartet of Shami, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah and Umesh Yadav, arguably India's best ever, has been instrumental in the team's success overseas. However, none of them were available when India breached fortress Gabba to win their second consecutive Test series Down Under. Someone like a Mohammad Siraj became the leader of the attack in his debut series and injuries meant that net bowlers like Shardul Thakur, T Natarajan and Washington Sundar got unexpected opportunities which they grabbed with both hands. "The youngsters will be ready to take over from us when our time (to retire comes). The more they play, the better they will get. I think the transition will be very smooth whenever we are done with the game," Shami, who was ruled out of the series after the Adelaide Test due to a wrist injury, told PTI. "The team won't suffer even if one big name retires. The bench is ready. Experience is always required and the youngsters will have that in due time. "The trend of carrying net bowlers in the bubble environment has helped them massively and given them valuable exposure," he added. Barring Kartik Tyagi, all the bowlers who were part of India's jumbo squad in Australia got to play in extraordinary circumstances with Shami, Bumrah, and Umesh getting injured during the series and Ishant not being around. Asked what impressed him the most about the likes of Siraj and Thakur, Shami said: Whoever comes in has an open mind, talks frankly and is supremely confident. They are ready to bowl with the new ball or old ball. The way they performed in Australia shows their character. "Beating Australia in Australia once is a very big achievement, we were able to do it twice, that too with no senior bowlers around. It has shown we can rely on the youngsters." Shami said the success of the current group boils down to the joy they share in each other's success. Giving his own example, Shami said he was helped massively by Ishant when he made his debut and that taught him to share his wisdom with the youngsters coming into the side. The highly skilled Shami also shed light on his relationship with Ishant, who played his 100th Test during the home series against England. "What do I say about him. He is the best guy around. Doesn't give you the feeling that he has played double of what you have played. When I had come in, he had already played about 50 games. "Since day one he never behaved like a senior. He likes mingling and laughing around. His behaviour has taught me to how to treat a youngster. "When a youngster joins, it is imperative that an established player talks to him about everything under the sun, it lifts his confidence. If you have someone like Ishant around, I don't you think can feel down for a long time." Talking more about the bond they share, Shami added: "It is a game of confidence and how you can execute plans. We have different skills, Ishant, Jassi and I and we keep reminding each other of our respective skills and persist with them. "We are pushed by each other when we are tired. This fast bowling group is just wonderful. The last four five years with them have been really special. We have enjoyed each other's success and this is something you should learn from the Indian team. There are no talks behind the back." While Shami broke his wrists while batting in Australia, he has not had any major fitness issues ever since he changed his regimen post 2014. With the IPL and a busy international season lined up, Shami is focussing on getting fitter as a cricketer. "Skill stays with you so I just try to better my fitness. The training schedule changed massively post 2014 and the way I have changed my eating habits (no more biryani) are also a big achievement," Shami added.

2021-03-27 13:26

3rd ODI: Strategic shift could be on cards for India in series decider

Pune, Mar 27 (PTI) Indian cricket team may like to revisit its 50-over template while picking up pieces from the Friday carnage with an aim to complete a hat-trick of series wins against England in the third and final ODI here on Sunday. On batting belters that's been on offer at the Gahunje Stadium, England hit an astounding 20 sixes in a 337-run chase which became a cakewalk, thanks to inpet bowling from spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Krunal Pandya. Never before has captain Virat Kohli missed Ravindra Jadeja as much as he would have on Friday when Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes took the mickey out of India's left-arm wrist and orthodox spinners. In the bowling department, Kuldeep scripted an unwanted record when he conceded 8 sixes, most by an Indian bowler. He leaked 84 runs in the second game after giving 64 runs in the first. And, so did Krunal Pandya, who gave 72 runs in six overs with an embarrassing average of 12 per over. So, in all probability, the duo could be replaced by leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal and Washington Sundar, who can also chip in with the bat, if needed. From team's perspective, it would be impossible to ignore Yuzvendra Chahal's inclusion in the playing XI even though the Haryana leg-spinners hasn't been in the best of forms. Pandya senior would still make it to the team because of his batting skills but the apology of left-arm spin has certainly ensured that he won't be considered as a long term option. In terms of batting, a total of 337 is certainly not bad by any standards but perhaps India can now look to have strategic shift in terms innings building process. The Men In Blue are the only team that always believes in accelerating in the last 15 overs, a template that was set by their illustrious former captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. It has worked on most occasions but of late, England with a world title has shown the world that attacking up front on batting tracks is the way forward. It might just help Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya with their brand of power-hitting change the course of the innings in the back-10. Skipper Virat Kohli, who hit two successive 50 plus scores, would be keen to carry his form and convert the start into a really big total and end the century drought. The skipper has however made it clear that he is not looking at milestones. "I never played for 100s in my life, that's probably why I ended up getting so many in such little time." "It's all about contributing to the team cause. If the team doesn't win when you get three figures it doesn't mean anything. You're not going to sit back at the end of your career and look at numbers, it's more about how you played the game." For the record, his last century came in August 2019 in this format. Hardik would continue to play his role of a finisher but question mark remains on what kind of workload management is happening considering that he has rarely bowled save a few overs in the recently concluded T20 International. On the pace front, while India would go-ahead with spearhead Bhuvneshwar Kumar, they could try going in with left-arm pacer and yorker specialist T Natarajan, in case they want to rest Shardul Thakur for the game. Also, there could be a choice between Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna although Prasidh's pace is an advantage for the hosts. Meanwhile, England would be bolstered by their Friday’s performance and the biggest positive would be the return of form of Ben Stokes, who otherwise struggled on many occasions on the entire tour. Come Sunday, it remains to be seen, if India win the game, it couldn't be better gift on eve of festival of colours Holi. Teams (From): India: Virat Kohli (Captain), Rohit Sharma (vice-captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), KL Rahul (wicket-keeper), Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Krunal Pandya, Washington Sundar, T Natarajan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Md. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Shardul Thakur. England: Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler (captain), Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Liam Livingstone, Matt Parkinson, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, Mark Wood, David Malan. Covers: Jake Ball, Chris Jordan. Match starts at 1.30 PM.

2021-03-25 12:02

2nd ODI: With series win in sight, India gear up for 'Surya Namaskar'

Pune, Mar 25 (PTI) The immensely talented Suryakumar Yadav is likely to get a chance to showcase his '360 degree' hitting skills when a rampaging Indian team takes on a rather clueless England, aiming to seal off another series victory in the second ODI here on Friday. Shreyas Iyer's dislocated shoulder has once again brought Yadav in focus and his ODI debut, after a blockbuster T20 first outing, looks imminent after an all-round show by the hosts ensured an easy victory in the first game. Iyer has been one of India's most prolific 50-over batsman before the COVID-19 enforced lockdown but such is the team's strength that a debutant looks more formidable for a world champion opposition, who are no less menacing but seem utterly confused at this point. Being spoilt for choices is always a good headache to have for the think-tank and skipper Virat Kohli will be more pleased than anyone else. Kohli has not had Ravindra Jadeja's services for close to three months but neither Axar Patel in Tests, and now Krunal Pandya in the ODIs, have let the team miss their maverick from Rajkot. Prasidh Krishna, already a household name due to IPL, looked completely at home on his ODI debut, hurrying batsmen for pace in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami. And come to think of it, once Jadeja and Bumrah are back, a Krunal or Krishna will either cool their heels in the dug-out or even worse, not find a place in the squad, which is a testimony to India's unimaginable depth of talent pool. The biggest positive during the opening game was Shikhar Dhawan's return to form with a match-winning 98. He was under pressure after being benched for a large part of the T20 series. The elegant southpaw would be raring to go one more time. Rohit Sharma had sustained a blow to his elbow during the first match but is expected to be fit in time for the second game. In case India want to give Rohit a short break, then Shubman Gill can open alongside Dhawan with KL Rahul coming in at his usual middle order slot. However, as per sources, Rohut is keen to get cracking as it's not very serious. It is expected that Pant would play purely as a batsman and Rahul would continue to keep wickets. Chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav leaked 68 runs in nine overs and could be replaced by leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal. The pace trio of experienced Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Prasidh Krishana and the ever-improving Shardul Thakur took nine of the 10 wickets and would be keen to rock the England batting line-up again. The best part was how they came back after first 15 overs of mayhem by Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow. Shardul has been continuously playing and it won't be a bad option to try out T Natarajan or Mohammed Siraj for a bit of variation. "One of our sweetest victories in recent past. We haven’t won many good games in ODIs. I am, really a proud man right now," skipper Kohli had said after the first match as he sounded pleased with the team’s effort. Meanwhile, England will look to level the series and stay alive in the contest. England have a lot to ponder on and injuries to skipper Eoin Morgan and batsman Sam Billings, while fielding, in the lung-opener have only added to their woes. Both appear doubtful for the second game. Bairstow was among the runs as he blazed to 94 off 64 balls as was his partner Roy (46). The two would be looking to put up another fine show and carry forward the aggressive brand of cricket, which was the cornerstone of the 2019 World Cup triumph. However, their middle order hasn't performed up to its potential and the likes of all-rounder Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler and Moeen Ali faltered with the bat. If England have to put a big total or chase a score, the trio needs to fire in unison. Their key spinners Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali haven't been able to trouble the Indian batters and both went wicket-less in the opening game. They will have to step up and deliver and along with Tom Curran, who will need to compliment his brother Sam and pace spearhead Mark Wood, who troubled the batters with his speed. Come Friday, it remains to be seen whether India are able to add "another sweetest victory" or if the visitors spoil their party. Teams (From) India: Virat Kohli (Captain), Rohit Sharma (vice-captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), KL Rahul (wicket-keeper), Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Krunal Pandya, Washington Sundar, T Natarajan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Md. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Shardul Thakur. England: Eoin Morgan (Captain), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Liam Livingstone, Matt Parkinson, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, Mark Wood. Covers: Jake Ball, Chris Jordan, Dawid Malan. Match starts at 1.30 PM.

2021-03-22 11:45

Focus on Dhawan, as India eyes winning start in ODI series against England

Pune, Mar 22 (PTI) Struggling opener Shikhar Dhawan will be the focus in a spoilt-for-choice Indian team when it takes on world champion England in a three-match ODI series starting here on Tuesday with the visitors eyeing a positive end to their tour after Test and T20 debacles. The series is particularly important for the 35-year-old Dhawan, who failed to make an impact in the first T20 in Ahmedabad before warming the benches the remaining two games which India won. With the management having plenty of options in (Shubman Gill) and outside (Prithvi Shaw and Devdutt Padikkal) the squad for the opening slot, it will be a litmus test for 'Gabbar' to prove himself in the lung-opener. He is expected to open the innings along with seasoned campaigner Rohit Sharma, who was in blistering form in the T20 series and would be keen to carry on in the same vein. The ODI format gives Dhawan the time he needs to build his innings. With loads of experience under his belt, the Delhi batsman could well return to form come Tuesday. For the Indian team, the series would be an extension of its preparations for the T20 World Cup later this year. The 50-over-format, in general, remains low priority in 2021 with no major tournaments around the corner. Skipper Virat Kohli was back among the runs in the T20 series against England and he would look to carry the momentum into the ODIs. It has been a while since Kohli scored a hundred in the format, his last and 43rd one coming against the West Indies (114 not out) at Port of Spain in August 2019. He will be itching to make his good form count and end the century drought.It is also expected that both KL Rahul, who is not likely to feature at the top of the order, and Rishabh Pant, after turning things around spectacularly since the brilliant showing Down Under, would be part of playing XI. They would have a big role in the middle-order along with the redoubtable Hardik Pandya. There could be a toss-up between Mumbaikars Shreyas Iyer and Suryakumar Yadav, for one spot in the playing XI. Yadav proved himself to be quite a power-hitter in the T20 series, notching up a blistering half century in his maiden international appearance. The bowling attack is expected to be spearheaded by Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who picked four wickets in the T20 series, and the new ball will be shared by Shardul Thakur. Thakur claimed eight wickets in the T20 series. Rookie pacer Prasidh Krishna, who has already caught the eye of Kohli, is also in the squad. Krishna enjoyed a good Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign for Karnataka, claiming 14 wickets in seven matches at an average of 24.5. Spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Washington Sundar are expected to be preferred over Krunal Pandya and Kuldeep Yadav. Also, a fit-again Pandya would be the fifth bowler, but it remains to be seen how many overs he can bowl. On the other hand, England would also be keen to end the tour on a high after suffering defeats in the Tests (1-3) and the T20 series (2-3). And for it to happen, skipper Eoin Morgan's role with the bat will be vital. The likes of Jos Buttler and the swashbuckling Jason Roy will have to fire in unison and all-rounder Ben Stokes will have to step up with both the bat and ball. England pacer Mark Wood troubled the Indian batters with his pace and in the absence of an injured Jofra Archer, he would have to shoulder greater responsibility along with Chris Jordan and the young Sam Curran. The spin duo of Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid will have been unable to trouble the Indian batsmen and it remains to be seen whether they have any new tricks to change the dynamics. Additionally, Ali can perform the role of a pinch-hitter, if needed. All the games at MCA Stadium, Gahunje will be played in front of empty stands as India battles a fresh surge in COVID-19 infections. Teams (From): India: Virat Kohli (Captain), Rohit Sharma (vice-captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), KL Rahul (wicket-keeper), Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Krunal Pandya, Washington Sundar, T Natarajan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Shardul Thakur. England: Eoin Morgan (Captain), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Liam Livingstone, Matt Parkinson, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, Mark Wood. Covers: Jake Ball, Chris Jordan, Dawid Malan. Match starts at 1.30pm.

2021-02-21 17:17

uryakumar, Kishan, Tewatia earn maiden India call-up for T20s against England Pant, Bhuvi back

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

2021-02-16 16:18

Bumrah may be rested for white ball matches against England

New Delhi, Feb 16 (PTI) India's senior speedster Jasprit Bumrah is likely to be rested for the eight white ball matches against England as part of the team's extensive workload management programme. The matches are scheduled in March. Bumrah was rested for the second Test at Chepauk, which India won by 317 runs to level the four-match series 1-1. However, Bumrah will be back in action for the upcoming two high-stakes Test matches in Ahmedabad, which will decide New Zealand's opposition in the inaugural World Test Championship final. It is almost certain that the Indian think-tank (head coach Ravi Shastri, skipper Virat Kohli and bowling coach Bharath Arun) along with the trainers and physios would take a final call on resting the pace spearhead, keeping a gruelling season in mind. "Jassi has already bowled close to 180 overs, including nearly 150 overs (149.4 overs) in four Test matches (till first Test versus England) since the start of Australian tour. "Add to that, the number of hours spent on the field. It is only logical that after these two Tests in Motera, where he will have a big role to play, he should be given rest for white ball leg," a senior BCCI official, privy to the developments, told PTI on condition of anonymity. The logic behind resting Bumrah for the white ball leg is simple. The five T20 Internationals and three ODIs against England will be the last chance for Indian team management to have a look at all potential players going into this year's World Cup. "Bhuvneshwar Kumar might make a comeback and Mohammed Shami after a break will play a few white ball games. Nattu (T Natarajan) and Saini will also come back in the white ball teams. As far as Jassi is concerned, he can well get ready playing 14 to 16 high intensity IPL games for Mumbai Indians," the source said. Will Ashwin get a white ball look-in: Ravichandran Ashwin had a good IPL 2020 for Delhi Capitals and it will be interesting to see if the senior off-spinner has a Rahul Dravid-like comeback (2011 England series) in the white ball games against England. By 2011, Dravid had not played white ball cricket for close to three years but his stupendous Test-match performance led to a surprise recall in the ODI teams. The batting great, though, decided to retire just after that series as he didn't want any uncertainty about his place in the shorter formats. In the case of Ashwin, when he was dropped, Kudeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal became India's go-to bowlers in the shorter formats. Ashwin's current form and the England team, especially Ben Stokes' inability to read him, could excite the team management as well as the selection committee. His case will be strengthened if Ravindra Jadeja doesn't get fit in time. "Chahal is a certainty among slow bowlers across two formats but in case Jadeja is not fit in time for the white ball games, it wont be a bad idea to test Ashwin," the source said. Suryakumar could finally get a look-in Talented Mumbai batsman Suryakumar Yadav, after successive disappointments of not making the cut for white ball tours of New Zealand and Australia last year, may finally get a look-in as the selectors prepare a core team of 20 players with an eye on the T20 World Cup. Sanju Samson may have been a favourite of many for his sporadic IPL performances, but the profligate Kerala keeper-batsman has not utilised even one out of the seven chances that he got, returning with only 83 runs. "With KL Rahul being one of the foremost choices with gloves and Rishabh Pant back in form, Suryakumar is likely to get a chance ahead of Sanju Samson," the source said.

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