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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Squads Royal Challengers Bangalore: Faf du Plessis (c), Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Mohammed Siraj, Harshal Patel, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dinesh Karthik, Josh Hazlewood, Shahbaz Ahmed, Anuj Rawat, Akash Deep, Mahipal Lomror, Finn Allen, Sherfane Rutherford, Jason Behrendorff, Suyash Prabhudesai, Chama Milind, Aneeshwar Gautam, Karn Sharma, David Willey, Rajat Patidar and Siddharth Kaul Lucknow Super Giants: KL Rahul (c), Manan Vohra, Evin Lewis, Manish Pandey, Quinton De Kock, Ravi Bishnoi, Dushmantha Chameera, Mohsin Khan, Mayank Yadav, Ankit Rajpoot, Avesh Khan, Andrew Tye, Marcus Stoinis, Kyle Mayers, Karan Sharma, Krishnappa Gowtham, Ayush Badoni, Deepak Hooda, Krunal Pandya and Jason Holder.

Match starts: 7.30pm. 

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

News Source : PTI

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Teams (from): Lucknow Super Giants: KL Rahul (c), Manan Vohra, Evin Lewis, Manish Pandey, Quinton De Kock, Ravi Bishnoi, Dushmantha Chameera, Mohsin Khan, Mayank Yadav, Ankit Rajpoot, Avesh Khan, Andrew Tye, Marcus Stoinis, Kyle Mayers, Karan Sharma, Krishnappa Gowtham, Ayush Badoni, Deepak Hooda, Krunal Pandya. Jason Holder.

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

Match starts at 7:30 PM. 

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

News Source : PTI

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Match Starts at 7:30pm. 

 

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

 

 

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lucknow Super Giants: KL Rahul (c), Manan Vohra, Evin Lewis, Manish Pandey, Quinton De Kock, Ravi Bishnoi, Dushmantha Chameera, Mohsin Khan, Mayank Yadav, Ankit Rajpoot, Avesh Khan, Andrew Tye, Marcus Stoinis, Kyle Mayers, Karan Sharma, Krishnappa Gowtham, Ayush Badoni, Deepak Hooda, Krunal Pandya. Jason Holder.

Match starts at 7.30 PM. 

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

News Source : PTI

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lucknow Super Giants: KL Rahul (c), Manan Vohra, Evin Lewis, Manish Pandey, Quinton De Kock, Ravi Bishnoi, Dushmantha Chameera, Shahbaz Nadeem, Mohsin Khan, Mayank Yadav, Ankit Rajpoot, Avesh Khan, Andrew Tye, Marcus Stoinis, Kyle Mayers, Karan Sharma, Krishnappa Gowtham, Ayush Badoni, Deepak Hooda, Krunal Pandya. Jason Holder.

Match starts at 7.30 PM. 

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

News Source : PTI

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Teams Lucknow Super Giants: KL Rahul (captain), Manan Vohra, Evin Lewis, Manish Pandey, Quinton De Kock, Ravi Bishnoi, Dushmantha Chameera, Shahbaz Nadeem, Mohsin Khan, Mayank Yadav, Ankit Rajpoot, Avesh Khan, Andrew Tye, Marcus Stoinis, Kyle Mayers, Karan Sharma, Krishnappa Gowtham, Ayush Badoni, Deepak Hooda, Krunal Pandya, Jason Holder.

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

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

News Source : PTI

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

News Source : PTI

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

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

LSG replaced Manish Pandey with Krishnappa Gowtham.

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

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

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

News Source : PTI

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

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

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

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

Interesting facts:

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

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

Probable XI for LSG:

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

Probable XI for DC:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Teams (From) Lucknow Super Giants: KL Rahul (Captain), Manan Vohra, Evin Lewis, Manish Pandey, Quinton De Kock, Ravi Bishnoi, Dushmantha Chameera, Shahbaz Nadeem, Mohsin Khan, Mayank Yadav, Ankit Rajpoot, Avesh Khan, Andrew Tye, Marcus Stoinis, Kyle Mayers, Karan Sharma, Krishnappa Gowtham, Ayush Badoni, Deepak Hooda, Krunal Pandya. Jason Holder.

Delhi Capitals: Rishabh Pant (Captain), Ashwin Hebbar, David Warner, Mandeep Singh, Prithvi Shaw, Rovman Powell, Anrich Nortje, Chetan Sakariya, Khaleel Ahmed, Kuldeep Yadav, Lungi Ngidi, Mustafizur Rahman, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Lalit Yadav, Mitchell Marsh, Pravin Dubey, Ripal Patel, Sarfaraz Khan, Vicky Ostwal, Yash Dhull, KS Bharat and Tim Seifert. Match starts at 7.30 PM. 

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

News Source : PTI

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Teams (From) Lucknow Super Giants: KL Rahul (Captain), Manan Vohra, Evin Lewis, Manish Pandey, Quinton De Kock, Ravi Bishnoi, Dushmantha Chameera, Shahbaz Nadeem, Mohsin Khan, Mayank Yadav, Ankit Rajpoot, Avesh Khan, Andrew Tye, Marcus Stoinis, Kyle Mayers, Karan Sharma, Krishnappa Gowtham, Ayush Badoni, Deepak Hooda, Krunal Pandya. Jason Holder.

Delhi Capitals: Rishabh Pant (Captain), Ashwin Hebbar, David Warner, Mandeep Singh, Prithvi Shaw, Rovman Powell, Anrich Nortje, Chetan Sakariya, Khaleel Ahmed, Kuldeep Yadav, Lungi Ngidi, Mustafizur Rahman, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Lalit Yadav, Mitchell Marsh, Pravin Dubey, Ripal Patel, Sarfaraz Khan, Vicky Ostwal, Yash Dhull, KS Bharat and Tim Seifert. Match starts at 7.30 PM. 

 

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

 

News Source : PTI

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

News Source : PTI

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

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

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

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

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

News Source : PTI

Mumbai, Mar 31 (Cricket News) Robin Uthappa turned back the clock with his beautiful yet brutal assault before his colleagues joined the party to propel Chennai Super Kings to 210 for seven against Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League here on Thursday.

Uthappa scored a fluent 50 off 27 balls to give CSK a solid start before Shivam Dube made 49 off 30 deliveries, while skipper Ravindra Jadeja (17 off 9) and MS Dhoni (16 off 6), who slammed two fours and a six, provided the final flourish to ensure that the four-time champions have plenty of runs on the board.

Young leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi (2/24) did a tremendous job with the wet ball in an otherwise insipid performance by the Super Giants' bowling unit. Andrew Tye (2/41) managed to pick two wickets in his final over.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Also Read : Lucknow Super Giants opt to bowl against Chennai Super Kings

News Source : PTI

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

Andrew Tye replaced Mohsin Khan in the LSG playing XI.

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

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

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

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

News Source : PTI

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

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

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

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

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

Interesting facts:

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

Probable XI for CSK:

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

Probable XI for LSG:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

While all-rounder Dwayne Bravo claimed three wickets against KKR, others leaked runs and all of them would need to fire in unison. Teams (From): Chennai Super Kings: MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja (Captain), Moeen Ali, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Dwayne Bravo, Deepak Chahar, Ambati Rayadu, Robin Uthappa, Mitchell Santner, Chris Jordan, Adam Milne, Devon Conway, Shivam Dube, Dwaine Pretorius, Maheesh Theekshana, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Tushar Deshpande, KM Asif, C Hari Nishaanth, N Jagadeesan, Subranshu Senapati, K Bhagath Verma, Prashant Solanki, Simarjeet Singh, Mukesh Choudhary.

Lucknow Super Giants: KL Rahul (Captain), Manan Vohra, Evin Lewis, Manish Pandey, Quinton De Kock, Ravi Bishnoi, Dushmantha Chameera, Shahbaz Nadeem, Mohsin Khan, Mayank Yadav, Ankit Rajpoot, Avesh Khan, Andrew Tye, Marcus Stoinis, Kyle Mayers, Karan Sharma, Krishnappa Gowtham, Ayush Badoni, Deepak Hooda, Krunal Pandya. Jason Holder.

Match starts at 7.30 PM. 

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

News Source : PTI

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

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

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

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

Interesting facts:

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

Probable XI for GT:

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

Probable XI for LSG:

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

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

(Cricket news) The Bangladesh national cricket team won the ODI series 2-1 against South Africa on Wednesday. Temba Bavuma won the toss and decided to bat first, they were on course to put up a decent score when the scorecard read 66/1 even proved his decision right, but what followed from the Bangladesh team was absolute carnage. Their bowlers picked up one after another South African wickets and eventually bundled out the Proteas for a paltry 154.

Even the lady luck was on Bangladesh's side as some poor balls also ended up getting some loose wickets for them. Taskin Ahmed was the star with the ball with figures of 5/35. In the chase too, both the openers, Liton Das and Tamim Iqbal initially had luck on their side at the beginning of the chase but later on found some rhythm and cashed in on the opportunity by beautifully guiding them to a historic series win in South Africa. Liton fell on 48 runs, but a ruthless Tamim carried his bat with an unbeaten knock of 87 runs that came off 82 balls with 14 fours in the innings

Bangladesh had won the first ODI pretty convincingly in Centurion but South Africa had struck back in the second game at Johannesburg. The Tigers won the third ODI in Centurion and clinched the historic series for the first time in their cricketing history. Suddenly, South Africa's path to the 2023 World Cup looks dangerously difficult as only the top eight sides in the Super League standings will qualify for the tournament and Bavuma's side are currently ninth. Their remaining fixtures are three games each against the top sides- India, England and Australia, and two matches against the Netherlands. On the evidence of the Bangladesh series, the only  points on offer against the Dutch matches can be considered safe.

Over the past year or so Bangladesh have beaten the likes of Australia, Pakistan and now South Africa as they are slowly turning themselves into a cricket force to reckon with. Bangladesh has never won against South Africa in their 28 previous matches in South Africa across all the formats; they had won only one match at the 2007 T20 WC game against West Indies at the Wanderers. On top of that they never really had been competitive in their nine bilateral series in the country before this series . In a total of 71 bilateral series outside of Bangladesh they had won only 10 and  four of those were against the West Indies and they had beaten heavyweight opponents. Not only did Bangladesh beat more or less the same personnel who routed India 3-0 in an ODI series in January, but they beat them all ends up twice in six days to claim the rubber.

Also read: Andrew Tye joins Lucknow SuperGiants as replacement for injured Mark Wood
 

New Delhi, Mar 23 (Cricket News) Former India coach Ravi Shastri feels the team needs a first-choice all-rounder at number six, ruling out Hardik Pandya's inclusion as a pure batter in the T20 World Cup in Australia.

Hardik has not been able to go full throttle with the ball since returning from surgery to treat an injured back.

With the upcoming T20 World Cup providing India an opportunity to make amends for their league-stage exit in the last edition of the showpiece in the UAE, the team management will be keenly looking at the IPL for players who can fit into the number six slot as an all-rounder and lend more balance to the XI.

"I think the all-rounder's position at No. 6 for sure," Shastri told ESPNcricinfo on Wednesday.

"Ideally someone in the top-five who can bowl two or three overs. That takes the pressure off the captain. It gives him then six and a half bowlers from whom he can choose.

"That will be one area I'll be looking at very closely. And of course the fast bowling and fielding. I'm not really worried about the batting. Batting is there." Hardik Pandya was doing fine until he suffered a stress fracture of the back, and he hasn't been the same player ever since.

Nevertheless, he has been made captain of an IPL team for the first time by Gujarat Titans.

However, Shastri still thinks Hardik will now struggle to break into the Indian T20 side as a pure batter because it is already full of power-hitters.

"In the top five, there's a lot of muscle there. If anyone's occupying the position Nos. 5, 6 onwards, he'll have to bring that extra department to the game.

"That is why from Hardik's point of view, from India's point of view, from the Gujarat team's point of view, it's extremely important that he strings those two or three overs together because if he does and bowls with even limited success, he becomes an automatic choice in the Indian team." 

Also Read : Andrew Tye joins Lucknow Super Giants as replacement for injured Mark Wood

News Source : PTI

Mumbai, Mar 23 (Cricket News) Lucknow Super Giants have signed Andrew Tye as a replacement for the injured England pacer Mark Wood for the upcoming Indian Premier League, it was announced on Wednesday The announcement was made via an IPL media advisory.

Wood suffered an elbow injury during England's first Test against West Indies earlier this month.

Tye has represented Australia in 32 T20Is and picked 47 wickets. The right-arm pacer, who has so far played 27 IPL matches and has picked 40 wickets, will join LSG for the price of Rs 1 crore.

LSG – who will be making their IPL debut this season – will begin their IPL 2022 campaign on March 28 when they take on Gujarat Titans at the Wankhede Stadium here.

The IPL-15 begins with a match between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders on March 26.

Tye, who was with Rajasthan Royals earlier, had left the IPL midway last season due to personal reasons. 

Also Read : ICC Test Rankings: Jadeja regains top spot among all-rounders

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva and Tabraiz Shamsi have picked up a total of 72 wickets in T20 internationals this year. Both have 36 wickets apiece as Shamsi has played 22 matches while Hasaranga has played two matches less, their teams as of now don’t have any more T20 matches left this year.

 

Hasaranga made his T20 debut for Sri Lanka two years later and has played 32 matches since then while taking 52 wickets. The 24 year old was the lone shining star in the Sri Lankan team as he is still leading the bowling charts with 16 wickets in 8 matches and broke the existing record of Ajantha Mendis who took 15 wickets in the 2012 T20 World Cup. The spinner has been one of the leading bowlers for Sri Lanka in the shortest format. Hasaranga is the highest wicket taker for Sri Lanka among active players and is fourth overall in the list, he needs to take 14 more wickets to overtake fast bowler Nuwan Kulasekara who had retired from the shortest format four years ago.

 

Hasaranga has many stars to look upto in the game as he is leading the current generation of youngsters in the game. Although Sri Lanka made an early exit at the ICC T20 World Cup, the players who have had little experience shone in the event as Hasaranga continued to break records for the team. 

 

Shamsi made a late entry into the South African team as a 27 year old in the T20 format. He has played over 47 matches while picking up 57 wickets, he picked up 8 wickets in 5 matches and has been the top bowler for South Africa which hasn’t produced a lot of spinners but in recent years has seen many spin bowlers coming in the front. Shamsi broke Andrew Tye’s record of 31 wickets in 2018 in T20 matches. Shamsi is only 7 wickets from being the highest wicket taker for South Africa in the shortest format as former pacer Dale Steyn is leading with 64 wickets in 47 matches.

 

Even though Shamsi is 31 years old, the spinner can ignite a spark in the team just like Imran Tahir who has been one of the best spinners the country has ever produced since Hugh Tayfield who was one of the leading bowlers in the 50’s. The pacers have been leading the South African team in all the formats but players like Tahir, Shamsi and Keshav Maharaj have brought the transitional change which has been much needed for the team.

 

Also read: T20WC: X-factor loaded England face ever consistent New Zealand in first semifinal

(Cricket news) Punjab Kings take on Rajasthan Royals in the Dubai International Stadium in a must win match for both teams, with Mumbai dropping points Rajasthan can go level on points and can also occupy the 4th position if they win. On the other hand KL Rahul’s side can’t afford any more slip ups as they have to potentially win all their matches to stand a chance of qualifying for the playoffs. Both the sides will have plenty of new faces due to the non availability of players, and some of those could work in favour looking at their form and calibre of these players.

Rajasthan Royals are basically going to have a new set of foreign players as the likes of Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, Andrew Tye and Jos Buttler all opted out as they wanted to focus on the T20 World Cup and Ashes. Although the Royals have got in form players in Evin Lewis, Oshane Thomas, Shamsi and Glenn Phillips in. The positives for Royals is that Liam Livingston and Evin Lewis are in sublime form as both were the highest run getters in the Hundred and CPL respectively. A lot of responsibility falls on Chris Morris to lead the relatively inexperienced  bowling attack as players like Archer and Tye opted out, Morris’ match up with Gayle will be an interesting watch as the South African has dismissed him three times scoring 58 runs in 61 balls only.

Punjab Kings on the other hand will be without Jhye Richardson, Riley Meredith and Dawid Malan, the kings decided to bring in Nathan Ellis, Adil Rashid and Aiden Markarm as their replacements. The kings during the first phase had a lot of dependency on the top order as 50% of the runs this season have been scored by KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal, the middle order has only averaged 17.10% of the runs in this year's IPL, which is the lowest amongst the teams. A solution to this problem could be Markarm as he recently played in the slow turning pitches in Sri Lanka recently at number 3. The Kings can straightway hand Adil Rashid his debut as the Royal players tend to struggle to spin.    

Also read: Kolkata Knight Riders outclass dull Royal Challengers Bangalore to win by 9 wickets

Head to head: RR 12 - 10 PBKS, their last game was a thriller as kings won by four runs in the last over.

Pitch and Weather report: The pitch was green top in the first match which assisted the fast bowlers. It is expected to turn slower like it did earlier as a total of 160 could be a challenging target especially with the long boundaries. The temperature is going to hover around 42 degrees with no chances of rain as of now.

Interesting facts:

• Mustafizur (43) and Shamsi (41) are the second and third highest wicket-takers in T20s in 2021
• KL Rahul has a strike rate of over 157 in the middle overs
• Kings (57) and Royals (52) are amongst the top three six hitting teams this season
• Mustafizur has an economy rate of 8.81 in the death overs which is the best this season

Probable XI for PBKS:

1 KL Rahul (capt, wk), 2 Mayank Agarwal, 3 Chris Gayle, 4 Deepak Hooda, 5 Nicholas Pooran, 6 Shahrukh Khan, 7 Fabian Allen/Adil Rashid, 8 Ravi Bishnoi, 9 Arshdeep Singh, 10 Nathan Ellis, 11 Mohammed Shami 

Probable XI  for RR:

1 Evin Lewis, 2 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 3 Sanju Samson (capt, wk), 4 Liam Livingstone, 5 Riyan Parag, 6 Shivam Dube, 7 Chris Morris, 8 Rahul Tewatia, 9 Kartik Tyagi, 10 Mustafizur Rahman, 11 Chetan Sakariya/Jaydev Unadkat

New Delhi, Aug 28 (Cricket news) Set to play for the Rajasthan Royals in the second leg of the IPL, South African spinner Tabraiz Shamsi said he is looking to gather some "inside information" about the UAE pitches before he returns to the country for the upcoming T20 World Cup.

Shamsi, the world no. 1 ranked T20I bowler in ICC rankings, will be joining the Royals squad as a replacement for Australian pacer Andrew Tye for the remainder of IPL scheduled to be held in the UAE from September 19.

"I'm not going to sit here and pretend that I'm not excited about (the IPL). I am very excited. Especially because I've never played in Dubai and Abu Dhabi," Shamsi was quoted as saying by 'ESPNcricinfo'.

"The IPL is a different thing. I have played in the past but I was a lot younger and I didn't get a lot of game time regularly. When you get regular game time, you can showcase what you can do. You can improve." Shamsi had earlier played four IPL matches in which he picked up three wickets for the Royal Challengers Bangalore, who had recruited him as a replacement player during the 2016 season.

Also read: Pujara came with an intent to score runs and showed his character: Rohit

"...I'm really happy I got picked up in the IPL because I've never been there and played there," said Shamsi, who has since picked up 45 wickets in 39 T20Is, along with 32 wickets in 27 ODIs for South Africa.

"It will be nice if I can play on those pitches and get some inside information and gain some experience; just to be able to pick up some knowledge and information that might help us in the World Cup." The 31-year-old left-arm spinner feels South Africa will do well at the T20 World Cup, considering their strong bowling attack.

"...I believe we have one of the best bowling attacks in the world. All we need is a bit of game time. I'm not saying that because we've won a couple of series back-to-back. The talent in the squad is there," he said.

"We might be inexperienced at the international level but it doesn't mean that we don't have the skill. We showcased that against a very strong West Indies team, and against Ireland.

"Nobody here wants to lose and I know the people back home don't want to see us losing. So we're pushing it. We just need a bit more time together. The more we play together the better we're going to get."

News source: PTI

Kolkata, Aug 26 (Cricket news) New Zealand pacer Tim Southee has been roped in by Kolkata Knight Riders for the remainder of the IPL scheduled to be held in the UAE from September 19.

The veteran New Zealand pacer will be a replacement for Australia's Pat Cummins, who pulled out of the league due to "personal reasons".

"Cummins made himself unavailable for the season for personal reasons. Southee comes in with a vast experience of 305 International games for the Kiwis with 603 wickets," the two-time former champions KKR announced on Thursday.

Cummins, who was signed for Rs 15.5 crores for IPL 2020 season, has been a key member of their side and this season he played all their seven games, taking nine wickets and scoring 93 runs, including a career-best 66 not out against Chennai Super Kings.

Third-highest wicket-taker in T20I cricket, with 99 wickets in 83 matches, Southee has been part of Rajasthan Royals, CSK, Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore in the past.

He will now reunite with his former captain Brendon McCullum, the head coach of KKR.

"We are delighted to have Southee in our ranks. He is a proven match-winner and a welcome addition to the already strong pace attack of KKR. With Cummins being unavailable we wanted to add experience and leadership to our bowling group and Southee is the ideal man for the job," McCullum told KKR website.

IPL franchises Royal Challengers Bangalore, Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings have also announced the replacements in their respective squads for the remainder of the league's 14th season.

Also read: Rajasthan Royals announce signing of world no 1 T20 bowler Tabraiz Shamsi

RCB have brought in Sri Lanka's Wanindu Hasaranga as replacement for Australia's Adam Zampa. In the recent three-match T20I series against India in Sri Lanka, Hasaranga bagged a total of seven wickets, including a four-wicket haul in the final T20I.

Other replacements for RCB are Dushmantha Chameera for Daniel Sams, left-arm quick George Garton for Kane Richardson and Tim David for New Zealand's Finn Allen.

Meanwhile, RR have brought in New Zealand wicketkeeper-batsman Glenn Phillips as a replacement for England's Jofra Archer.

Phillips has so far played 25 T20Is and has 506 runs against his name. He has scored a hundred and two half centuries and has a strike-rate of 149.70.

South Africa's Tabraiz Shamsi will replace Andrew Tye in the Rajasthan Royals squad.

PBKS have signed Australian fast bowler Nathan Ellis for Riley Meredith.

Ellis recently was in the limelight following his hat-trick on international debut against Bangladesh earlier this month. The right-arm pacer is also one of the reserve players in Australia's 2021 T20I World Cup squad. PBKS have also picked England leg-spinner Adil Rashid to replace Jhye Richardson. 

News source: PTI

New Delhi, Aug 25 (Cricket news) Rajasthan Royals on Wednesday roped in South Africa's left-arm wrist spinner Tabraiz Shamsi for the remainder of IPL scheduled to be held in the UAE from September 19.

Shamsi, the world no. 1 ranked T20I bowler in ICC rankings, will be joining the Royals squad as their second replacement player.

The 31-year-old from Johannesburg represented 'The Titans' in South Africa's domestic cricket, and made his international debut for South Africa during a bilateral T20I series against England in 2017.

The left-arm leg spinner has since picked up 45 wickets in 39 T20Is, along with 32 wickets in 27 ODIs for South Africa.

In the IPL, Shamsi has played 4 matches in which he picked up 3 wickets for Royals Challengers Bangalore, who had recruited him as a replacement player during the 2016 season.

Also read: Kohli is a lovely, welcoming guy who is passionate about winning: Jamieson

Meanwhile, Australian pacer Andrew Tye, who had left for home amid the COVID-19 pandemic during the first phase of the IPL, said he won't be available for the remainder of the season.

"It is with great regret that I have to pull out of the remainder of the IPL 2021 with the Rajasthan Royals," Tye said in a release issued by the franchise.

"It has been a long year for me which has kept me away from home for a lengthy period, and the disappointment of not making it to the World Cup squad has added to the dismay.

"Therefore, keeping my best interests in mind, I had to make this tough decision of staying at home and preparing myself mentally and physically for next year's T20 World Cup." Tye said he is gutted to not been able to play the remainder of IPL.

"I am gutted that I won't be able to rejoin the Royals family this year, but like all the fans out there, I will be cheering the team on." Liam Livingstone was the other RR player who had flown back to England citing bio-bubble fatigue in April.

Rajasthan Royals are currently placed fifth in the points table with three wins and four losses out of the seven games.

News source: PTI

Melbourne, Aug 15 (Cricket news) Cricket Australia has cleared the way for the country's leading players to return to the rescheduled Indian Premier League in the UAE starting next month ahead of the T20 World Cup.

CA has issued No Objection Certificates for the players to return to the IPL next month, while a planned T20 tri-series with Afghanistan and West Indies may be re-purposed as (T20) World Cup warm-ups, according to a report in cricket.au.com.

This year's IPL was halted in May after an outbreak of COVID-19 in India, and about 40 Australian players, coaches, broadcasters and support staff had to spend time in Maldives while international borders were shut, before eventually returning home via a charter flight provided by the BCCI.

The IPL has since been rescheduled to complete the remaining 36 games in 27 days between September 19 and October 15 in the UAE, finishing just two days before the T20 World Cup begins, which has also been relocated to the region from India.

CA's clearance came after the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) confirmed the postponement of a three-match ODI series between the two nations originally planned to be held in India in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup, the report said.

A mooted T20 tri-series also involving the West Indies was due to form an important part of the World Cup preparations for all three squads, and Afghanistan authorities are continuing efforts to secure a venue to host it.

With the initial group stages of the T20 World Cup expected to be played primarily in Oman, the UAE venues could be free to host the matches between the end of the IPL and the start of the World Cup's Super 12 stage, expected to begin on October 23.

Seven players who participated in the initial stage of this year's IPL -- David Warner, Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith, Marcus Stoinis, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson and Daniel Sams -- are now expected to return to the lucrative T20 league.

Also read: Anything over 220 won't be easy won't be easy to chase says Moeen    

Pat Cummins has said he will miss the IPL reboot due the impending birth of his first child but has committed to Australia's T20 World Cup tilt.

Josh Hazlewood, Riley Meredith, Dan Christian, Moises Henriques, Mitch Marsh, Jason Behrendorff, Adam Zampa, Andrew Tye, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Lynn, Ben Cutting and Josh Philippe are the other players that hold IPL deals.

Hazlewood, Marsh and Philippe had opted out of the first stage of the IPL tournament that was held in India, but are eligible to return to the reschedule closing stages.

It will also be the second successive season in which top players will miss the opening rounds of Australia's domestic competitions to participate in the IPL.

Australia's men's domestic summer is due to begin with a Marsh One-Day Cup game on September 11, meaning any players heading to the IPL and subsequent T20 World Cup will not feature at home before the Test summer begins against Afghanistan from November 27. News source: PTI

Melbourne, Aug 14 (Cricket news) Batting legend Ricky Ponting has backed Australian players to feature in the rescheduled Indian Premier League in the UAE, saying it would be an ideal preparation ahead of T20 World Cup in October.

The IPL will squeeze its remaining 76 games between September 19 and October 15 while the T20 World Cup will be held just after that from October 17 to November 14. Both tournaments will be held in the UAE.

"Those guys that haven't played for three or four months now, they need to get back into the groove of playing high-quality cricket against the best players in the world," Ponting was quoted by cricket.com.au as telling Australia Test captain Tim Paine in a conversation on SEN radio.

"No doubt it's their best preparation to be in those exact conditions, playing in probably the strongest domestic T20 tournament in the world," said Ponting, who will head to Dubai as head coach of IPL side Delhi Capitals.

Fast bowler Pat Cummins, who skipped the West Indies and Bangladesh tours to spend the time with his pregnant fiance, is not expected to return to the IPL with his first child due in the middle of the rescheduled tournament.

"For second half of this season it's going to be really tough to get over there," Cummins said in a vlog on his YouTube channel.

"We'll see how it plays out but at this stage it might be a bit too hard, but with the World Cup straight after that, I'm hoping to be good to go for that." Australia captain Aaron Finch this week had surgery on his right knee to repair cartilage damage he suffered in the West Indies. While the surgery was a success, he faces a 10-week recovery period, which will leave him sidelined right up until Australia's opening match of the Super 12 stage of the World Cup.

Finch has previously said he believed a return to the IPL would be "hard to justify" for players who had skipped the winter tours citing the fatigue and toll of hotel quarantines and bio-secure bubbles.

Riley Meredith, Dan Christian, Moises Henriques, Mitchell Marsh, Adam Zampa, Andrew Tye and Josh Philippe were all part of the side that toured the Caribbean and Bangladesh, and all hold IPL deals.

Marsh and Philippe had opted out of the first stage of the IPL tournament that was held in India.

Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Lynn and Ben Cutting - none of whom are in Australia's plans or hold state contracts - are the other Australians with IPL contracts.

Australia's T20 side, which did not have a host of first-choice players, suffered 1-4 series defeats against West Indies and Bangladesh recently, and Ponting said the results underlined the current lack of depth in Australian cricket.

Also read: KL Rahul backs Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane to find form soon; says they know how to turn things around

The Australian side crashed to their lowest-ever T20I total of 62 against Bangladesh in Dhaka a few days ago.

"... whether it was a lack of confidence or a lack of skill or a lack of game awareness in the conditions. Just the lack of know-how and skill in those conditions brought us undone again.

"It's been the Achilles heel for Australian cricket for as long as I can remember. It just goes to show the depth around Australian cricket right now is not where it needs to be.

"The T20 World Cup is not far away (but) with everyone fit and healthy in the UAE, I still think the Australian team can push really hard to win that title that's eluded us," Ponting said.

News source: PTI

Melbourne, Jun 16 Seven top Australian cricketers who recently played in the IPL have pulled out of the country's white-ball tour of West Indies and Bangladesh.

The two tours are part of team's preparations for the T20 World Cup later this year.

David Warner, Pat Cummins, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Marcus Stoinis and Daniel Sams have requested not to be considered for the tours for various reasons while Steve Smith has been rested to fully recover from an elbow complaint which flared during the IPL, Cricket Australia said in a statement.

The move will leave coach Justin Langer without seven of his best players four months out from the T20 World Cup to be held in October and November.

Cricket Australia on Wednesday named a 18-man squad for the twin tours. Australia play five T20 Internationals and three ODIs between July 9 and 24. The five-match T20 tour of Bangladesh is yet to be confirmed.

"The tours are subject to agreement on bio-security arrangements and relevant government approvals," the CA said in the statement.

Cummins, Maxwell, Warner, Stoinis and Richardson were released from hotel quarantine late last month following the suspension of IPL and Australia's subsequent border closure for all arrivals from India, which led to the Australian contingent spending more than a week in the Maldives before they could return home.

Richardson left hotel quarantine around three weeks earlier than the rest of the IPL contingent after he, Adam Zampa and AJ Tye flew out of India before the federal government's travel ban had come into effect. Richardson, who has a young son, has declined to tour, while Zampa and Tye will go.

Jason Behrendorff, Moises Henriques and Riley Meredith have all agreed to go for the tour despite also being part of the IPL contingent that recently left hotel quarantine having returned home via the Maldives.

National selector Trevor Hohns said they "are naturally disappointed not to have all players available for the Australian team at this time however the NSP respects the decisions of those who have opted out of this tour.

“Steve Smith was unavailable for selection due to an elbow injury and will now be able to use this time to fully recover ahead of the World Cup and home Ashes Series." Hohns, however, said the missing out of some of the top players will present opportunities to others to push for selection in the Australian T20 World Cup squad.

“International tours in the time of Covid-19 undoubtedly present many additional challenges for athletes. This is a great chance for these players to make a case for the World Cup and all are considered very real prospects of making that tournament by performing well across these tours.” The squad is due to depart for the West Indies on June 28 for five T20 Internationals at Darren Sammy Stadium in St Lucia followed by three One-Day Internationals at Kensington Stadium in Barbados.

If confirmed, the team will then play five T20 Internationals against Bangladesh.

Australia squad: Aaron Finch (c), Ashton Agar, Wes Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey, Dan Christian, Josh Hazlewood, Moises Henriques, Mitchell Marsh, Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Josh Philippe, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, Matthew Wade, Adam Zampa.

Travelling reserves: Nathan Ellils, Tanveer Sangha. News source PTI

Melbourne, Jun 8 Concerned that top players might opt out of the limited overs tours of the West Indies and Bangladesh due to "bubble fatigue", Cricket Australia has added six more cricketers to its preliminary squad for the upcoming assignments, beginning July 10.

Australia's white-ball squad for the upcoming series swelled to 29 after the selection committee called up Ben McDermott, Dan Christian, Cameron Green, Ashton Turner, Wes Agar and Nathan Ellis.

Australia will play five T20Is and three ODIs against the West Indies and is expected to travel to Bangladesh next for five more T20Is in early August.

The squad will be trimmed before it flies to the West Indies in a chartered flight on June 28.

"The six additions to the Qantas Australian men's squad follow discussions with players selected in the initial preliminary list for the tours of the West Indies and Bangladesh," national selection panel chairman Trevor Hohns said in a statement.

Pace bowling all-rounder Daniel Sams has already pulled out on mental health grounds, while according to reports, star cricketers David Warner and Pat Cummins may also miss the tours.

The trio, along with many other top Australian players, had returned home a few weeks back following the suspension of the IPL due to multiple COVID-19 cases inside its bio-bubble in India.

"During the course of those discussions, it has become clear that recent experiences abroad, including but not limited to extended periods in bio-secure hubs and hard quarantine, have had an impact on the health and wellbeing of some players and their families," Hohns said.

"CA has maintained that the wellbeing of players, staff and officials is a top priority, and never more so than during the Covid-19 pandemic given the extraordinary challenges it has placed upon international athletes and sporting teams." Christian, 38, has often being ignored and his selection will provides him a chance to earn a place in the T20 squad ahead of the World Cup, which is set to be shifted to the UAE and Oman from COVID-19 ravaged India.

"Dan is in arguably career-best form and was a crucial member of the Sydney Sixers' BBL-winning squad this summer. His selection is testament to the hard work he has put in over many years," Hohns said. Among others, it is a maiden national call-up for Agar and Ellis, while Green made his ODI debut against India late last year and Turner had toured New Zealand earlier this year as part of Australia's T20I squad.

Australia squad for tours of West Indies and Bangladesh: Aaron Finch (c), Ashton Agar, Wes Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey, Dan Christian, Pat Cummins, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Moises Henriques, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Josh Philippe, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Tanveer Sangha, D'Arcy Short, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa (to be trimmed before departure). New source PTI 

Johannesburg, May 7 South Africa and Rajasthan Royals all-rounder Chris Morris is "relieved" to be safely back home after witnessing "chaos" unfold once COVID-19 cases in the IPL bio-bubble came to light.

Morris, along with his 10 other South African players have reached home, after the IPL was suspended following six cases of COVID-19 -- four players and two coaches from three different teams.

"Look, obviously I'm relieved," Morris, who is currently undergoing a 10-day mandatory quarantine at home, told iol.co.za.

Morris said they came to know about the COVID cases in Kolkata Knight Riders -- Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier -- on Sunday night.

"The moment we heard that, when players are testing positive, inside the bubble, then everyone starts asking questions. The alarm bells definitely started going off for all of us," he said.

"By Monday when they postponed that game (between Kolkata and Royal Challengers Bangalore), we knew the tournament was under pressure to continue." The T20 league was suspended after Sunrisers Hyderabad's wicketkeeper-batsman Wridhimman Saha and Delhi Capitals' Amit Mishra tested positive on Tuesday.

Later, Chennai Super Kings' bowling coach L Balaji and batting coach Michael Hussey also contracted the virus.

"I was chatting to our team doctor, whose room was across the hallway from my mine in the hotel, and Kumar (Sangakarra, the Royals' head coach) came around the corner, and drew his finger across his throat, and then we knew it was over," said Morris.

"And then it was chaos! The England guys especially were panicking because they needed to isolate in hotels in England first, and apparently there weren't any rooms." Gerald Coetzee, who was named the replacement for Australian Andrew Tye, had arrived in India only last week and Morris said he tried to comfort the young pacer as he was panicking a bit.

"I know poor Gerald was panicking a bit, I mean he's only 20 and all this is going on," said Morris, who was the costliest IPL buy ever with a whopping Rs 16.25 crore contract.

"I tried to keep him under my wing a bit and made sure he was ready when the 12.30am pick up came at the hotel. It was eerie, it was just a handful of us in that whole hotel at the time." There was criticism of the league happening at a time when a devastating health crisis was unfolding outside the bubble with more than 3000 people dying everyday in India. "For me, this was always a two-fold thing; on the one hand we're playing a tournament, all happy and smiling in a bubble, while outside so many people are suffering," Morris said.

"On the flip side of it, there was the fact that by playing, we were ensuring people actually stayed at home, watched us and at least had something to smile about or something else to think about - even if it was being unhappy with how we played in a game - for three hours each night." News source: PTI 

Melbourne, May 3 Cricket Australia currently has no plans to arrange a charter flight to bring its players back home from COVID-19-ravaged India once the IPL gets over, its chief Nick Hockley said on Monday.

Hockley insisted that Australian players are feeling safe and secure in the IPL bio-bubble but his comments came before it emerged that two KKR players have tested positive for the dreaded virus, leading to the postponement of the franchise's game against RCB on Monday.

Australian pacer Pat Cummins' Kolkata Knight Riders teammates -- Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier -- have returned positive tests.

Mumbai Indians batsman Chris Lynn had recently requested Cricket Australia to arrange for a charter flight for Australia players after the tournament concludes on May 30.

"There's no suggestion at the moment of any charter flight," Hockley told Melbourne radio station SEN.

"We're working closely and talking closely with the Australian Cricketers' Association, with the players and with the BCCI to make sure everyone's okay and the people have got full information.

"We've been in touch with the players there and they are generally in good spirits. The work the BCCI has done around the (bio-secure) bubble means they are feeling safe and secure, and those we've talked to are generally planning to complete their playing commitments." The Cricket Australia boss said they are monitoring the situation and a decision will be made but not immediately.

"The BCCI have come out and said they understand and want to support the players in making sure they get home safely at the end.

"The tournament doesn't finish until the 30th of May, so for the moment it's monitor the situation and as we get closer to the end of the tournament we'll need to see where the situation is at," he said.

The Australian government recently banned its citizens from travelling back from India, which is battling a severe second wave of the pandemic that causing thousands of daily deaths.

Australia's Adam Zampa, Andrew Tye and Kane Richardson were also part of the IPL but they flew out of India before the ban was announced.

Australia still have lot of current and former players in the League, performing different roles.

The likes of David Warner, Glenn Maxwell and Steve Smith are competing as players while former captain Ricky Ponting is among the coaches on duty.

Maxwell had recently said that Australian players would not mind travelling to UK along with the Indian and New Zealand players, who are set to compete in the World Test Championship final in Southampton from June 18. News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Apr 30 ISL club Bengalaru FC's star Australian recruit Erik Paartalu on Friday slammed his government's move to ban all flights from the coronavirus-ravaged India and hoped the authorities are not able to implement the decision.

The Australian government this week banned all flights from the pandemic-ravaged India until May 15, leaving many of its citizens, including sportspersons such as Paartalu and former cricketer Paul Reiffel, stranded.

"As an Aussie that has lived and worked in India for 4 years now I have never felt so far away from feeling Australian. I don't know how you can deny citizens to return home especially when there are hotel quarantines in place," Paartalu tweeted.

"I have worked inside a bubble for 7 months here in India and this is a huge blow to mine and thousands of others trying to get back to Australia. I hope the government aren't able to implement what they are trying to do." Paartalu, 34, is part of BFC's squad for their ongoing AFC Cup campaign.

"I understand everyone's concern with the level of infection over here and the possibility of a new variant. But isn't that the purpose of hotel quarantine for 14 days? Love to all those affected and hope this situation has a good outcome for all the Aussies here in India," he wrote on his Twitter page.

On Thursday, Reiffel's attempts at leaving for Australia hit a dead end because of his country's suspension of air travel with India.

Reiffel is in India to officiate in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL).

The Australian government's imposition of the travel ban on flights to and from India in the wake of the rising COVID-19 cases here led to Reiffel being unable to leave the bio-bubble after initial information suggested that he has made the move.

On Monday, IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore's Australian bowlers Adam Zampa and Kane Richardson and Andrew Tye of Rajasthan Royals withdrew from the remainder of the IPL as they feared getting "locked out" of their own country.

The Australian government recently made it clear that no exception will be made as far the return of its cricketers from the IPL are concerned, but the BCCI assured the players that it will be taken care of.

Earlier in the day, 9News Australia reported that its citizens returning from India right now will be threatened with five years imprisonment.

"For the first time in our history, it will be a criminal offence for some Australians to come home from overseas," an anchor of 9News Australia said.

"Within the next 48 hours returning citizens will be threatened with five years jail if they've been in India in the past two weeks," he added.

Paartalu is an Australian professional footballer of Estonian descent who plays as a midfielder in Bengaluru FC.

Prior to coming to India, he had had successful stints in South Korea, Qatar, Scotland, China, Thailand besides Australia. News Source : PTI 

Margao, Apr 29 Indian Super League side FC Goa on Thursday allowed its foreign staffers, including Spanish head coach Juan Ferrando and some footballers, to leave the country ahead of its last AFC Champions League match in view of the restrictions being imposed on flights from India globally.

As India grapples with the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, several countries, including Australia, Italy and Germany, have imposed travel bans on India.

The club said that it was a "pre-emptive measure in view of recent policies being taken by European and other countries in regards to travellers from India" "FC Goa would like to inform that the club's foreign contingent including the Head Coach and foreign staff have been advised to travel back home immediately," a club statement read.

"This comes as a pre-emptive measure in view of recent policies being taken by European and other countries in regards to travellers from India as the nation battles the second wave of COVID-19 which has engulfed the country," it added.

FC Goa, the first side from the country to feature in the continental club competition, are scheduled to play their last group match against Abu Dhabi-based club Al Wahda later on Thursday.

"While the AFC Champions League remains an important competition for FC Goa, the club management felt that the well being of the players to be its first and foremost responsibility. We will continue to ensure the same in the days to come." Apart from Spaniard Ferrando, the FC Goa set up includes the Spanish trio of Ivan Gonzalez, Edu Bedia and Jorge Ortiz and James Donachie of Australia.

FC Goa have so far drawn three games and have lost their two matches against Iranian giants Persepolis.

With three points from five matches, the ISL side is not in contention of a Round of 16 berth from the group.

The spike in cases has affected the the ongoing Indian Premier League as well with a few players, including off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and Australians Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa and Kane Richardson, pulling out of the tournament midway. News Source : PTI

London, Apr 29 Australian batsman Marnus Labuschagne has admitted that being overlooked at the IPL auction turned out to be a "blessing in disguise" in the light of the rising COVID-19 cases in India.

The 26-year-old, who found no buyers at the IPL auctions in February, expressed concern for his compatriots featuring in the ongoing lucrative league in India.

"It certainly looks like it (missing out on the IPL) was a blessing in disguise ," Labuschagne was quoted as saying by 'PA Media.' "I would love to have played in the IPL, it's a great tournament. But there's always two sides to the coin. If I was in the IPL, I would have been away and to win a Shield is something that doesn't come around often.

"Secondly, you look at the conditions in India now and it's not looking great," Labuschagne, who has linked up with county cricket club Glamorgan, added.

India is reeling under the second wave of the pandemic with cases rising by over 3 lakh everyday, a crisis compounded by shortage of some crucial medicines and oxygen supplies.

The Australian government has suspended all direct passenger flights from India until May 15 due to the spike in COVID-19 cases in India.

The IPL league matches will end on May 23, followed by the qualifiers (May 25, 28) and eliminator (May 26) and the final (May 30) -- all scheduled to be held in Ahmedabad.

Labuschagne also revealed that a majority of Australian players aren't feeling unsafe in the IPL bio-bubble but are concerned about returning back Down Under.

"You obviously feel for them. But I haven't spoken to too many guys that are feeling unsafe.

"It's more about getting back into Australia and what does that look like. I just hope that they stay safe and get back to Australia safely whenever they do," he added.

The fear of being locked out of their own nation drove the likes of bowlers Andrew Tye, Kane Richardson and Adam Zampa to take an early flight back to Australia.

However, Australian umpire Paul Reiffel's attempts at leaving hit a dead end owing to his country's suspension of air travel with India. News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Apr 29 India's top umpire Nitin Menon has pulled out of the ongoing IPL after his family was struck by a couple of COVID-19 cases, while his Australian counterpart Paul Reiffel's attempts at leaving hit a dead end because of his country's suspension of air travel with India.

It is learnt that Menon, a resident of Indore, has left the IPL bio-bubble after his wife and mother tested positive for COVID-19. Menon is the only Indian in the ICC elite panel of umpires and was recently praised for his work during India's home series against England.

"Yes, Nitin has left as his immediate family members have COVID-19 and he is currently not in a mental state to conduct games," a BCCI official told PTI.

In Reiffel's case, the Australian government's imposition of a travel ban on flights to and from India in the wake of the rising COVID-19 cases here led to him being unable to leave the bubble after initial information suggested that he has made the move.

"I tried to, but the flight through Doha, I wasn't able to go through as an Australian," Reiffel told the 'Herald' and 'The Age' on Thursday from his hotel in Ahmedabad.

"They shut the avenue off. I know a couple of the guys got back that way through there, but the avenue was closed so I had to stay. Yesterday, I was booked to go, but it got cancelled," he said.

Reiffel will, therefore, now go back only after the end of the tournament on May 30.

"I was 10 minutes away from leaving the bubble, so I'm very lucky," Reiffel said.

Menon is the second Indian to pull out of the tournament after off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who also went home after all his family members tested positive.

Three Australians Andrew Tye, Kane Richardson and Adam Zampa left home due to the unprecedented health crisis in India.

However, the BCCI is going ahead with the tournament and interim CEO Hemang Amin has assured all players and support staff that they remain safe in the bio-bubble.

BCCI is likely to replace Menon with an umpire from its own pool of umpires. News Source : PTI 

New Delhi, Apr 28 Defending champions Mumbai Indians will look to sort out their middle-order woes and bring their campaign back on track when they take on an inconsistent Rajasthan Royals in an IPL game here on Thursday.

MI are coming into the match after suffering back-to-back losses, the last one being a nine-wicket defeat against Punjab Kings in Chennai and need to start the Delhi leg afresh.

The Sanju Samson-led Rajasthan have lost thrice in the tournament so far and will seek to build on the six-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders in the previous match.

Mumbai skipper Rohit Sharma (201 runs) has got starts but hasn't played a big knock and the Mumbaikar would be itching to get one as would be his opening partner Quinton De Kock (47 runs).

But Mumbai's middle-order, which boasts of hard-hitting batsmen like Suryakumar Yadav (154 runs), Ishan Kishan (73 runs), Hardik Pandya (36 runs), Krunal Pandya (29 runs) and Kieron Pollard (65 runs), hasn't fired in unison so far.

The middle-order can pummel any good attack into submission on any given day and Sharma would hope for their batting to click on Thursday when the action shifts to the Feroz Shah Kotla ground here.

In the bowling department, pace duo of Trent Boult (6 wickets) and Jasprit Bumrah (4 wickets) have been exceptional, particularly at the death.

Leg-spinner Rahul Chahar (9 wickets) and Krunal (3 wickets) have also been impressive and will again need to play their parts to perfection.

Pollard is used as the fifth or the sixth bowler even as Hardik plays solely as a batsman.

Mumbai, however, might play Adam Milne in place of Jayant Yadav.

Rajasthan, on the other hand, have a lot of issues to ponder over, particularly in the absence of key foreign players – Jofra Archer, Ben Stokes, Liam Livingstone and Andrew Tye.

RR are yet to have a settled opening combination. They tried Manan Vohra (42 runs) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (22 runs) at the top but both failed to convert their starts.

Englishman Jos Buttler would need to score big to compliment his skipper Sanju Samson, who is the team's leading run-scorer (187) despite being inconsistent.

And the likes Shivam Dube, David Miller and Riyan Parag, would have to support the top-order by chipping in with much-needed contributions.

All-rounder Chris Morris (9 wickets and 48 runs) has blown hot and cold and will again be under pressure to deliver his high price tag.

Left-arm pacer Chetan Sakariya (7 wickets) has been a revelation, while the experienced duo of Jaydev Unadkat (4 wickets) and Mustafizur Rahman (4 wickets) have been decent. The three left-arm pacers along with Morris, however, need to be consistent.

Leg-spinner Rahul Tewatia has got just one wicket from five games, while Shreyas Gopal, another leggie, has gone wicket-less in the two games he has played.

Tewatia's role would be crucial if the Royals aim to contain the MI batting line-up, keeping in mind Amit Mishra's performance for Delhi.

The dew won't be a factor on Thursday as it is an afternoon game.

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

Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (c & wk), Jos Buttler (wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Manan Vohra, Anuj Rawat, Riyan Parag, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Mahipal Lomror, Shreyas Gopal, Mayank Markande, Jaydev Unadkat, Kartik Tyagi, Shivam Dube, Chris Morris, Mustafizur Rahman, Chetan Sakariya, KC Cariappa, Kuldip Yadav, Akash Singh.

Match starts at 3.30 PM. News Source : PTI

Amidst all the controversies surrounding the 14th edition of IPL so far, player exodus remains at the top spot. The worst hit being the champions of the inaugural season of the IPL - the Rajasthan Royals. With injuries to key players such as Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer coupled with the decision of Liam Livingstone and Andrew Tye to fly back home owing to the surge in the COVID 19 cases in the country, have added to their miseries and it is showing in their performances too.

With the IPL loan window for the ongoing edition opening on Monday, Rajasthan Royals will seek to sign players on loan from other franchises to fill the void left by players who have pulled out of the tournament owing to injuries or COVID situations.

Here we look at 5 players the Rajasthan Royals can opt for in the loan window :

1. Jason Roy - Currently with the Sunrisers Hyderabad squad, Roy seems unlikely to get a chance given the star studded reserve of overseas players the Orange army boasts of. With the Rajasthan Royals, Roy could be an opening alternative if Jos Buttler's poor form continues. In that case RR captain Sanju Samson can demote him to the middle order like last season.

2. Piyush Chawla - Presently seen in the Mumbai Indians dugout, the experienced Indian leg spinner has brilliant numbers to his name in the IPL. The right arm spinner enjoys third position in the list of all time leading wicket takers of the IPL with 156 wickets in 164 games. However, chances are slim that he may get a game for MI as both Rahul Chahar & Jayant Yadav are doing well for the boys in blue whereas RR's spinners have been quite disappointing. The Royals can opt for Chawla who can add sharpness to their bowling attack with his experience.

3. Aditya Tare - Another player from MI, Tare is a talented wicket keeper batsman who is MI's third alternative after de Kock & Ishan Kishan. While in RR, he can make a great opener as Manan Vohra has been failing to give the Royals a solid start on the top.
 
4. Ishan Porel - Currently signed up with Punjab Kings, the 22 year old pacer who plays for Bengal in domestic cricket has been brilliant in his short career so far. Porel has claimed 29 wickets at an impressive average of 15.82 in 29 T20s. The talented youngster who has been good with his seam and swing in domestic circuit can definitely be a great addition for RR.

5. Kuldeep Yadav - The 26 year old talented Indian off spinner is currently a part of the Kolkata Knight Riders and could be another good catch for the Royals. Yadav hasn't played a single game in this edition yet and he might not even get a game in the rest of the tournament as both Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine have been impressive so far.

New Delhi, Apr 27 The BCCI on Tuesday said it would do everything to ensure that foreign players competing in the IPL reach their respective countries seamlessely once the tournament ends, a day after three Australians quit the event amid an upsurge of COVID-19 cases in India.

Andrew Tye (Rajasthan Royals) and the duo of Kane Richardson and Adam Zampa (both Royal Challengers Bangalore) withdrew as apprehension set in after a couple of weeks went by smoothly for the league held in front of empty stands across six venues.

"We understand that many of you are apprehensive about how you will get back home once the tournament concludes... We want to apprise you that you have nothing to worry about," BCCI COO Hemang Amin said in a letter addressed to the players.

"The BCCI will do everything to ensure that you reach your respective destinations seamlessely. The BCCI is monitoring the situation very closely and is working with the government authorities to make arrangements to get you home once the tournament concludes.

"Be rest assured that the tournament is not over for BCCI till each one of you has reached your home, safe and sound," he added.

India is recording over 3 lakh daily cases for the past few days and the health infrastructure is struggling to handle the rise with shortage of oxygen and some crucial medicines adding to the crisis.

Australia on Tuesday suspended all direct passenger flights from India with immediate effect until May 15 due to the "very significant" spike in COVID-19 cases.

Kolkata Knight Riders mentor David Hussey acknowledged that Australians in the IPL are a "bit nervous" about getting back home in the wake of the situation here.

Amin lauded the players for carrying on.

"As some of you have said, 'if we can help distract people from all the troubles of recent times, even if it is for a short while, we have done a great job'. When you all walk out onto the field, you are bringing hope to millions of people who have tuned in.

"If, even for a minute, you can bring a smile on someone's face, then you have done well. While you are professionals and will play to win, this time you are also playing for something much more important," he concluded.

The letter also stated that the teams will no longer be allowed to order food from outside.

"...earlier in the tournament, we had permitted food deliveries from outside your designated hotels, but these privileges have also been withdrawn. Apart from this, we have also increased our level of caution to strengthen our bio-bubbles," it said.

"I am sure you will understand and co-operate with us on these steps taken to strengthen the bubble." Several England and New Zealand players are also competing in the event but haven't yet spoken about their concerns. The IPL final is scheduled to be held on May 30 in Ahmedabad.

As many as 14 Australian players remain in the event, including stars such as Steve Smith (DC), David Warner (SunRisers Hyderabad) and Pat Cummins (Kolkata Knight Riders), as well as coaches Ricky Ponting (DC) and Simon Katich (RCB).

Commentators Matthew Hayden, Brett Lee, Michael Slater and Lisa Sthalekar are also among the Australians involved with the league right now. News Source : PTI 

New Delhi, Apr 27 Mumbai Indians batsman Chris Lynn has requested Cricket Australia to arrange a chartered flight to take its players home from COVID-ravaged India after the IPL is over and revealed that his franchise will get all members of the team vaccinated next week.

Three Australian players -- Andrew Tye, Kane Richardson and Adam Zampa -- have withdrawn from the league amid the escalating health crisis due to the pandemic's second wave in the country.

On Monday, Cricket Australia had enquired about the health and travel plans of the IPL players.

"I texted back that as Cricket Australia make 10 per cent of every IPL contract was there a chance we could spend that money this year on a charter flight once the tournament is over?" Lynn told News Corp media.

The league matches will end on May 23, followed by the qualifiers (May 25, 28) and eliminator (May 26) and the final (May 30) -- all scheduled to be held in Ahmedabad.

"I know there are people worse off than us. But we are going from a really tight bubble and are getting vaccinated next week so hopefully the government will let us get home on a private charter.

"We are not asking for shortcuts and we signed up knowing the risks. But it would be great to get home as soon as the event is over." As many as 14 Australian players still remain in the event, including Steve Smith (Delhi Capitals), David Warner (SunRisers Hyderabad) and Pat Cummins (Kolkata Knight Riders) as well as coach Ricky Ponting (DC) and Simon Katich (RCB).

India is witnessing an unprecedented second wave of the pandemic with more than 3 lakh daily new cases being reported in the past few days, which has crippled the country's health care system.

"Obviously India is in chaos at the moment. But we are at least giving people something to smile about by playing the tournament," Lynn said.

Mumbai Indians will take on Rajasthan Royals on Thursday at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground here.

While some Australian players have returned home, their New Zealand counterparts have no such plans.

"There's no doubt they're certainly anxious about what's happening in India and what they're witnessing," New Zealand Cricket Players Association chief executive Heath Mills said.

"But they feel well looked-after by their IPL franchises and safe in their bubbles." News source: PTI 

New Delhi, Apr 26 Rajasthan Royals have approached fellow IPL teams to loan players after the departure of their four foreign players due to various reasons that include injuries, bubble fatigue and COVID-19 fear.Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer are out of the IPL due to injuries while Liam Livingstone had gone back home citing bubble fatigue. On Sunday, Andrew Tye left for Australia, citing fear due to surge of COVID-19 cases in India, making Royals the worst affected team from player pull-outs. "The team is looking to loan players and has written to other franchisees but nothing is decided at this point," a source close the team management told PTI. The IPL loan window started on Monday and will end with the conclusion of the league stage Tye, who had not played a game this season, flew back home on Sunday fearing being locked out of his own country with India reporting record COVID-19 infections for the past few days. IPL rules state that a player who have played less than two matches in the season can be loaned and cannot play against his home franchise. Royals have two wins from five games and play their next game in Delhi on Thursday. News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Apr 26 Kolkata Knight Riders' Australian pacer Pat Cummins on Monday announced a USD 50,000 donation towards PM CARES Fund for oxygen supplies in India's COVID-19 ravaged hospitals and backed the IPL to continue, saying he has been "advised" that the Indian government views it "as few hours of joy" in a difficult time. In a statement on his official Twitter handle, he made the announcement and urged other top players to do the same as the country battles a deadly second wave of the pandemic recording more than 2,000 daily deaths for the past few days. "As players, we are privileged to have the platform that allows us to reach millions of people that we can use for good. With that in mind, I have made a contribution to the PM CARES Fund, specifically to purchase oxygen supplies for India's hospitals," he stated. He also said that he is aware of the ongoing discussion on whether the IPL should continue amid the destruction caused by the virus but has been told that the event offers some respite from the gloom. "There has been a lot of discussion over here as to whether it is appropriate for the IPL to continue while COVID-19 infection rates remain high," he said. "I am advised that Indian government is of the view that playing the IPL while the population is in lockdown provides few hours of joy and respite each day at an otherwise difficult time for the country," Cummins said in his statement. India recorded over 3.53 lakh cases on Monday, the highest across the world since the pandemic began last year. "To know so many are suffering so much at this time saddens me greatly," he said. The world's premier fast bowler, who was bought for a whopping Rs 15 crore by KKR at the IPL auction, hoped his donation would make a difference in its own little way in India's fight against the unprecedented health crisis. "At times like these, it is easy to feel helpless. I've certainly felt that of late. But I hope by making this public appeal we can all channel our emotion into action that will bring light into people's lives. "I know my donation isn't much in the grand scheme of things, but I hope it will make a difference to someone," he added. "I encourage my fellow IPL players -- and anyone else around the world who has been touched by India's passion and generosity -- to contribute. I will kick it off with USD 50,000," Cummins said. He described India as a country "I have come to love dearly over the years and the people here are some of the warmest and kindest I've ever met." Earlier, Rajasthan Royals Australian pacer Andrew Tye decided to leave midway from the IPL as he feared getting "locked out" of his own country. Australian bowlers Adam Zampa and Kane Richardson also withdrew from the remainder of the ongoing league citing personal reasons, their franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore said on Monday. News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Apr 26 Australian pacer Nathan Coulter-Nile understands why some of his compatriots decided to leave home midway from the IPL but he feels safer being part of the Mumbai Indians' bio-bubble as India battles a deadly second wave of COVID-19 infections. Rajasthan Royals pacer Andrew Tye has left for Perth fearing that he may be "locked out" of his own country in the wake of a COVID-19 surge. Soon after, Royal Challengers Bangalore's Kane Richardson and Adam Zampa also pulled out citing personal reasons. However, Coulter-Nile was surprised when he got to know about the three of them leaving. He has a Rs 5 crore contract with MI. "Everyone's got their own opinions on it and different situations for them," Coulter-Nile told cricket.com.au where more than 20,000 cases have been reported daily for the past one week. "I was surprised to see AJ go home, and then Zamps and Richo, but when you speak to them, you definitely understand where they're coming from. "I spoke to Zamps a little while ago and he made a very compelling argument for going home. But for me, I feel like it's safer for me to stay in the bubble than try and get home at the moment." Top Australian stars like David Warner, Glenn Maxwell, Pat Cummins and Steve Smith are part of the IPL. Getting out of India is becoming tougher by the day with some countries, including UK and New Zealand, imposing travel bans from the country and Australia contemplating on the same. "...I feel like something's got to give for getting home. I'm just going to wait and see how that plays out. "Worst comes to worst, we'll have to quarantine in Dubai for a couple of weeks before we can fly home. But I'm sure it will get sorted," said Coulter-Nile. The Australian, who is being tested three times in a day, said he has faith in the bio-bubble created for the IPL. "We have a rapid response test in the morning ahead of another test later in the day, and then one at night as well. And that's for everyone – players, staff, the people who do laundry, cleaners, everyone. "In terms of testing, they are pretty onto it. I'm as confident (in the bubble) as you can be. All the protocols and measures are in place, I can't think of anything more we could be doing. "As long as everyone follows them – that's the hardest bit, there's a lot of moving parts – but if everyone does the right thing, we should be fine," he added. India has been reporting more than three lakhs case for the past few days. News Source :PTI

New Delhi, Apr 26 Anxiety pierced through IPL's bio-secure bubble on Monday with leading Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and some Australian players withdrawing from the league amid the escalating COVID-19 crisis in India even as the BCCI insisted that the glitzy league will go on. The 34-year-old Ashwin, competing for Delhi Capitals, decided to take a break saying that his family is currently "putting up a fight against COVID-19" and he wants to support them. He hopes to return to the side "if things go in the right direction". However, Andrew Tye (Rajastan Royals) and the duo of Kane Richardson and Adam Zampa (both Royal Challengers Bangalore) withdrew as apprehension set in after a couple of weeks went by smoothly for the league being held in front of empty stands across nine venues. While Zampa and Richardson have not yet spoken about their "personal reasons" for leaving, Tye said he feared getting locked out of his own country owing to mounting quarantine cases from India in his hometown Perth. "I just thought to try and get on the front foot and get home before I got locked out of the country...think I've had 11 days at home out of the bubble since August, so for me I just wanted to get home," Tye told 'SEN Radio' from Doha, the transit point before his flight to Perth. The BCCI, on its part, insisted that the event will continue and it wouldn't come in the way of those wanting to leave. "As of now, IPL is going ahead. Obviously, if anyone wants to leave, that's perfectly fine," a senior Board official said on conditions of anonymity. While leg-spinner Zampa was bought for Rs 1.5 crore, RCB spent Rs 4 crore to buy pacer Richardson at the players' auction. Richardson featured in one match for RCB, returning figures of 1 for 29 in three overs against Rajasthan Royals in Mumbai, but Zampa couldn't make it to the playing XI this season. The 34-year-old Tye had also not got a game with the Royals so far and his contract with the franchise was worth Rs one crore. India is recording over 3 lakh daily cases for the past few days and the health infrastructure is struggling to handle the rise with shortage of oxygen and some crucial medicines adding to the crisis. Kolkata Knight Riders mentor David Hussey acknowledged that Australians in the IPL are a "bit nervous" about getting back home in the wake of the situation here. "Everyone is sort of a bit nervous about whether they can get back into Australia. I dare say there will be a few other Australians a bit nervous about getting back into Australia," Hussey, a former Australia international, told the 'Sydney Morning Herald'. Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers' Association also issued a joint statement on Monday, saying that they are monitoring the situation. "Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers' Association remain in regular contact with Australian players, coaches and commentators taking part in the Indian Premier League, which is being conducted under strict bio-security protocols," the two bodies said. "We will continue to listen to feedback from those on the ground in India and the advice of the Australian Government. Our thoughts are with the people of India at this difficult time." Several England and New Zealand players are also competing in the event but haven't yet spoken about their concerns. "We continue to monitor and work with the players on an individual basis. Our thoughts are with the people of India during these difficult times," a spokesperson of the England and Wales Cricket Board told PTI. The players from New Zealand, including stars such Kane Williamson and Trent Boult, are expected to leave early in any case as they have a Test series against England starting June 2. They will have to head back in last week of May to be available for it because of quarantine rules. The IPL final is scheduled to be held on May 30 in Ahmedabad. Australia, it is learnt, might arrange a chartered flight for its IPL cricketers once their engagement is over. As many as 14 Australian players now remain in the event, including stars such as Steve Smith (DC), David Warner (SunRisers Hyderabad) and Pat Cummins (Kolkata Knight Riders), as well as coaches Ricky Ponting (DC) and Simon Katich (RCB). Commentators Matthew Hayden, Brett Lee, Michael Slater and Lisa Sthalekar are also among the Australians involved with the league right now. News Source : PTI

Ahmedabad, Apr 26 Australian bowlers Adam Zampa and Kane Richardson have decided to withdraw from the remainder of the ongoing IPL citing personal reasons, their franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore said on Monday. A few hours before this, another Australian, Rajasthan Royals pacer Andrew Tye, left midway from the league as he feared getting "locked out" of his own country in the wake of a COVID-19 surge in India. "Adam Zampa & Kane Richardson are returning to Australia for personal reasons and will be unavailable for the remainder of IPL season. Royal Challengers Bangalore offers complete support to them in all the possible way we can," the franchise said in a statement. While leg-spinner Zampa was bought for Rs 1.5 crore, RCB spent Rs 4 crore to buy pacer Richardson at the players' auction. Richardson featured in one match for RCB, returning figures of 1 for 29 in three overs against Rajasthan Royals in Mumbai, but Zampa couldn't make it to the playing XI this season despite the spin-friendly conditions at Chepauk. The leg-spinner missed the first game of RCB's season because of his marriage. Glenn Maxwell, Dan Christian and Daniel Sams -- the three other Australian players in the RCB -- will remain at the franchise along with their coach Simon Katich. The event is being conducted in a bio-bubble in front of empty stands. Sams had tested positive for the virus before the tournament began but has since recovered. RCB are currently placed third in the points table with four wins from five matches. As many as 14 Australian players now remain in the IPL, including stars such as Steve Smith, David Warner and Pat Cummins, as well as coaches Ricky Ponting and Katich. Commentators Matthew Hayden, Brett Lee, Michael Slater and Lisa Sthalekar are also among the Australians involved with the league right now. News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Apr 26 Kolkata Knight Riders mentor David Hussey has said that some of the fellow Australians in the IPL are a "bit nervous" about getting back home in the wake of a COVID-19 surge in India. While Rajasthan Royals pacer Andrew Tye decided to leave midway from the IPL as he feared getting "locked out" of his own country, bowlers Adam Zampa and Kane Richardson withdrew from the remainder of the ongoing league citing personal reasons, their franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore said on Monday. "Everyone is sort of a bit nervous about whether they can get back into Australia. I dare say there will be a few other Australians a bit nervous about getting back into Australia," Hussey, a former Australia international, told the Sydney Morning Herald. Lead Australia pacer Pat Cummins is also part of the KKR squad. Hussey praised the strict bio-bubble in place for the IPL but said it is natural for the players to be nervous about the current situation in India. "We're stuck in bubbles. It's probably not too dissimilar to what all Victorians experienced last year in lockdown really. You get tested every second day. So it's quite full-on but I think every precaution has been taken for everyone's safety. "It is on the radar. It's on the news every minute of the day. You see people in hospital beds. It puts a lot of things in perspective. We actually discussed after the game last night, how lucky we are to play the game and try to entertain people around the world," said Hussey. However, he said the players are pragmatic and want the tournament to go on. "Everyone's pretty nervous about what's going on over here, but they're also pragmatic. A couple of players, their fathers have passed away. One person in particular, he's one of the staff members with us and his father passed away last year from COVID, and he was really pragmatic by saying it was his time to go. "From a Kolkata point of view, we're desperate for the tournament to keep going, purely because everyone's in lockdown, there's not much else to do," added Hussey. News Source : PTI

Mumbai, Apr 23 Bolstered by Pat Cummins' late blitz against Chennai Super Kings, a pumped-up Kolkata Knight Riders will finally look to bring their campaign back on track after a hattrick of defeats when they face a beleaguered Rajasthan Royals in their IPL clash here on Saturday. Big on paper, KKR, led by England's World Cup winning skipper Eoin Morgan, have so far failed to come together as a unit and slipped to sixth in the table after starting the tournament on a high against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Facing bottom-placed Rajasthan Royals, who have been the most inconsistent team so far in the season, KKR will be desperate for a turnaround.The rise of Pat Cummins as a batsman in their 18-run defeat to CSK will provide a big boost but it can't paper over the failure of their star batsmen, who have floundered even while chasing even modest target. The seamers too have leaked runs in the death overs.Having struggled on Chepauk's slow surface, KKR had hoped to return to winning ways at the Wankhede but Faf du Plessis and Ruturaj Gaikwad took their attack to the cleaners and amassed a massive 220 for 3 in their previous match.If that was not all, their famed top-five, including Shubman Gill and Morgan, surrendered inside the Powerplay.Andre Russell and Dinesh Karthik then revived the chase before Cummins produced some sensational powerhitting, slamming a 34-ball 66 not out before running out of partners as KKR finished on 202 after being 31/5 in 5.2 overs. "Everyone's pumped. I am sure if we get a win or two and we will be on our way and flying. I think there's a feeling that we can win from basically anywhere," Cummins had said. The other positive has been Russell's return to form. It was his 54 off 22 balls that had set the tone and it would not be a bad ploy for Morgan to promote the Jamaican up in the order, while Cummins provides late blitz. The skipper will himself look to get back among runs, while he will be equally concerned about Gill, who once again failed to convert his starts and he returned with a golden duck against CSK.Rajasthan Royals, on the other hand, are coming into the match after a humiliating 10-wicket loss against RCB. Sanju Samson's men have failed to inspire after posting their only win of the tournament, against Delhi Capitals in their second match. Samson has fizzled out after a blazing 119 against Punjab Kings and the top and middle-order look brittle with Jos Buttler, Manan Vohra and David Miller enduring poor form. Bowling is also a big concern for the inaugural edition champions as their big buy Chris Morris and Mustafizur Rahman have struggled to check runs. They also have limited overseas options with Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes ruled out because of injuries, while Liam Livingstone have left citing bio-bubble fatigue. Squads: Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (c & wk), Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Manan Vohra, Anuj Rawat, Riyan Parag, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Mahipal Lomror, Shreyas Gopal, Mayank Markande, Andrew Tye, Jaydev Unadkat, Kartik Tyagi, Shivam Dube, Chris Morris, Mustafizur Rahman, Chetan Sakariya, KC Cariappa, Kuldip Yadav and Akash Singh. Kolkata Knight Riders: 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. Match starts: 7.30pm IST. News Article : PTI

Mumbai, Apr 21 Off to the best possible start with three wins on the trot, a confident Royal Challengers Bangalore will hope to keep the juggernaut rolling when they take on Rajasthan Royals in an IPL match here on Thursday. Both sides have endured contrasting campaigns so far. RCB head in to the game after three morale-boosting victories. The Virat Kohli-led side edged past defending champions Mumbai Indians in the tournament opener before getting the better of Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders to jump to the top of the points table. On the other hand, the Royals have managed to win only one of their three fixtures. They lost to Chennai Super Kings in their previous match to slip down to the sixth spot. Sanju Samson and his men will be eyeing a second win. The Royals have struggled to perform as a cohesive batting unit. While Samson led the team to within touching distance of victory with his sensational century against Punjab Kings, it was the South African duo of David Miller and Chris Morris that pulled off a win against the Delhi Capitals. Against CSK, opener Jos Buttler looked dangerous but the other batsmen failed to provide any valuable contributions. For the former champions to do well, the side must click as a batting unit with Samson and the Englishman playing key roles. The Royals bowling unit has been underwhelming to say the least, apart from the game against Delhi Capitals, the bowlers have leaked runs. Pacer Jaydev Unadkat shone against the Rishabh Pant led-side, registering the impressive figures of 3/15, while young Chetan Sakariya has shown promise. In the absence of Jofra Archer, more will be expected out of the likes of Chris Morris and Bangladesh speedster Mustafizur Rahman. For RCB, Ab de Villiers and new-recruit Glenn Maxwell have been the standout players with the willow. While the South African continues to deliver season after season, the Australian all-rounder is proving to be a valuable addition to the middle order. Kohli has got decent starts in a couple of games but the talismanic skipper will be itching to play a big innings. Young Devdutt Padikkal, who impressed everyone last season, has also looked rusty and is yet to perform to his full potential. After two failures Rajat Patidar will, too, look to make amends. The RCB bowling department has been impressive with pacers Harshal Patel and Mohammed Siraj boasting economy rate of of 5.75 and 5.81 respectively. The former pulled the rabbit out of the hat with a five-wicket haul against MI while left-arm spinner Shahbaz Ahmed (3/7) changed the complexion of the match in just one over against the Sunrisers. In an interesting move RCB played only three foreigners instead of four in the game against KKR. It will be interesting to see if they go for a similar playing XI or get in the likes of leg-spinner Adam Zampa, pacer Kane Richardson or experienced all-rounder Daniel Christian, who hasn’t impressed with the bat or ball, back into the team. Teams (from): Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli (c), AB de Villiers, Devdutt Padikkal, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Siraj, Kane Richardson, Washington Sundar, Pavan Deshpande, Joshua Philippe, Shahbaz Ahamad, Navdeep Saini, Adam Zampa, Kyle Jamieson, Glenn Maxwell, Rajat Patidar, Sachin Baby, Mohammed Azharuddeen, Dan Christian, KS Bharat, Suyash Prabhudessai, Daniel Sams and Harshal Patel. Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (c & wk), Jos Buttler (wk), Ben Stokes, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Manan Vohra, Anuj Rawat, Riyan Parag, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Mahipal Lomror, Shreyas Gopal, Mayank Markande, Andrew Tye, Jaydev Unadkat, Kartik Tyagi, Shivam Dube, Chris Morris, Mustafizur Rahman, Chetan Sakariya, KC Cariappa, Liam Livingstone, Kuldip Yadav, Akash Singh. Match starts at 7.30 PM. News Source : PTI

Mumbai, Apr 14 (PTI) Coming off a heart-breaking loss, a beleaguered Rajasthan Royals would hope for another inspirational knock from new skipper Sanju Samson in absence of an injured Ben Stokes when it faces a confident Delhi Capitals in an IPL match here on Wednesday. While DC made a superb start under their new captain Rishabh Pant with a seven-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings in their opening contest, RR suffered a heart-wrenching four-run defeat against Punjab Kings in a high-scoring match on Monday night. Chasing a mammoth 222 for win, Samson (119 off 63 balls) played a blinder of an innings in his debut as captain but couldn't get his side over the line as he was dismissed in the final ball of the innings while going for a maximum with RR needing five runs off the last delivery. The loss completely shattered Samson, who single-handedly kept RR in the contest, playing some delightful strokes during his blistering knock, which included 12 boundaries and seven sixes. As if the loss was not enough, RR were dealt a severe blow on Tuesday when its star all-rounder Stokes was ruled out of the remainder of the tournament with a broken finger. And in the absence of Stokes, the pressure would be on the likes of Jos Buttler, Shivam Dube and Riyan Parag to deliver the goods and provide ample support to their young skipper, who has been sensational in the first match. The likes of Manan Vohra (12), Buttler (25) Dube (23), Parag (25) all got starts but failed to lend the much-needed support to Samson. The major worry for RR team management would be the performance of its bowling unit. RR bowling unit looked rusty and completely out of sorts in their opener. Barring young Chetan Sakariya (3/31), who had a fantastic debut, all other RR bowlers went for runs and looked completely clueless against opposition batsmen. Mustafizur Rahman, Chris Morris, Stokes, Shreyas Gopal, Rahul Tewatia -- all went for big runs and need to pull up their socks quickly. Last edition's runner-up side DC, on the other hand, had a perfect start to their campaign as they defeated three-time champions CSK with consummate ease. Opting to field, DC had allowed CSK to pile up a competitive 188 for 7 but Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw made a short walk of the target with a 138-run opening partnership, that laid the foundation for the win. Both Dhawan (85 off 54) and Shaw (72 off 38) played their strokes from the word go and looked in complete control during their knocks. Pant (15 not out) and Marcus Stonis (14) did the rest as DC comfortably reached home with eight balls to spare. On the bowling front, Chris Woakes (2/18) and Avesh Khan (2/23) had a good outing in the first game and would look to carry on their form but the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin, Tom Curran, Amit Mishra and Stoinis had a forgettable outing and would be desperate to make amends on Thursday. The contest will also witness test of wits of two new captains in Pant and Samson. Teams (From): Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (c & wk), Jos Buttler (wk), Ben Stokes, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Manan Vohra, Anuj Rawat, Riyan Parag, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Mahipal Lomror, Shreyas Gopal, Mayank Markande, Andrew Tye, Jaydev Unadkat, Kartik Tyagi, Shivam Dube, Chris Morris, Mustafizur Rahman, Chetan Sakariya, KC Cariappa, Liam Livingstone, Kuldip Yadav, Akash Singh. Delhi Capitals: Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Ajinkya Rahane, Shimron Hetmyer, Marcus Stoinis, Chris Woakes, R Ashwin, 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. Match starts at 7:30 PM.

New Delhi, Apr 7 (PTI) A restructured Rajasthan Royals will aim to build a new legacy but a weak Indian contingent and overdependence on foreign recruits could hurt the inaugural edition winners' chance for glory in the upcoming IPL. Last season's wooden spooners, RR have made some changes in management as well as the squad ahead of the new season. Sanju Samson replaced Australian Steve Smith, who was released, as skipper while coach Andrew McDonald has also gone with Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakarra stepping in as director of cricket. To strengthen their pace attack which was heavily dependent on Jofra Archer, RR bought South African all-rounder Chris Morris for a whopping Rs 16.25 crore, making him the most expensive buy in the IPL auction history. However, an injury to Archer, who was adjudged the league's Most Valuable Player last season, ruling him out of at least the first few games, is a massive blow. Here's is a SWOT analysis of the side that will take on Punjab Kings in Mumbai on April 12. STRENGTH: RR boast of a number of destructive batsmen. Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes are two match-winning players who can trample any opposition while Samson is a minefield of talent. South Africans David Miller and Morris are two other powerful strikers and England's T20 specialist Liam Livingstone can turn the match on its head. Last season's revelation, all-rounder Rahul Tewatia, has also showcased his ability to whack the ball outside the park. With Sangakkara on their side, the Royals have got one of the most astute brains. The Sri Lankan veteran has tons of cricketing experience to offer. WEAKNESS: For Royals, the problem is their weak Indian core which hasn't been consistent. Samson has rarely performed in five straight games in any of the editions in the past few years. Pacer Jaydev Unadkat, bought for Rs 11.5 crore in 2018, has been unable to deliver while Manan Vohra has been brilliant only on rare occasions. This leaves the team with youngsters, including Riyan Parag and pacer Kartik Tyagi, who has shown flashes of brilliance, Yashasvi Jaiswal and pacer Kartik Tyagi, who was also impressive. The Royals have an affinity to spend huge bucks on players and apart from Stokes, most of them have not paid dividends. OPPORTUNITY: Samson's form and consistency have always been a question mark. He has failed to capitalised on the handful of chances provided to him in T20Is. With Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan doing brilliantly on their T20 debuts, the Kerala wicketkeeper batsman's chances to make the Indian team for the World Cup have taken a hit. This is the perfect opportunity for him to prove his leadership skills and a good, consistent performance with the bat will significantly strengthen his case for selection for the two upcoming T20 World Cups. THREAT: With Samson at the helm, his lack of experience in the role and the impact that it might have on his batting are factors that must be taken into account. The flamboyant right-hander may not be able to play with the same freedom now that he has the tag of captain next to his name. His inexperience might also cost the Royals dearly in crunch situations. The team won matches on the back of some brilliant individual performances but struggled to work as a cohesive unit last season. Consistency will be the key. The team is heavily dependent on Archer. While they have Morris to rely on, the pace attack seems weak in the 26-year-old England pacer's absence. The franchise would desperately hope Archer joins the side at the earliest. With a weak Indian contingent, comprising several rookies and overreliance on their foreign recruits, there is real threat the Royals would once again not qualify for the playoffs. Squad: Sanju Samson (c & wk), Jos Buttler (wk), Ben Stokes, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Manan Vohra, Anuj Rawat, Riyan Parag, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Mahipal Lomror, Shreyas Gopal, Mayank Markande, Jofra Archer, Andrew Tye, Jaydev Unadkat, Kartik Tyagi, Shivam Dube, Chris Morris, Mustafizur Rahman, Chetan Sakariya, KC Cariappa, Liam Livingstone, Kuldip Yadav, Akash Singh.