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2022-05-16 17:26

Felt that season didn't really start for us till the first win: David

Mumbai, May 16 (Cricket News) Explosive Mumbai Indians batter Tim David on Monday said that he felt that their season only started once they won their first game in the IPL after eight straight defeats.

MI are still last among 10 teams but David has contributed in all three wins so far with his lusty hitting at the back-end.

"Kind of felt like the season didn't really start for us till we got that first win. Since then, we have played some really good cricket," David said on the eve of the team's penultimate league game against Sunrisers Hyderabad to be played at the Wankhede stadium on Tuesday.

"We have won three of our last four games and there has been a good feeling in the team," David added.

On personal front, picking his skipper Rohit Sharma's brains was helpful.

"Obviously, Rohit's played a lot of cricket, so it is about trying to gain some of his experiences, staying calm, things that work in Indian conditions, and how we want to play as a team together.

"It's been a good experience to share the dressing room with him and hopefully, it can continue," maintained David, who has 106 runs from six IPL games.

Six hitting at the death is a specific skill and the Singapore man of Australian origin spends hours honing his big-hitting skills.

"I spend a lot of my time in the nets trying to hit sixes. I think it's about putting pressure on the bowler and recognizing the right situations when you can try that in a game.

"There might be different pitches, or grounds that suit power-hitting off particular bowlers. You have got to pick those moments, and also you have got to be aware that it's not going to come off all the time, and batting in the middle-order can be risky," reckoned the 26-year-old.

According to David, it was all about going into the games with a clear mind.

"And then once, it is all mental. I think it is the same for all batters. You have got to go in with a clear mind. If you don't, if you are carrying things into the game, you can get a patchy performance.

"So it is about trying to get into that state where you can try and be as consistent as possible mentally.

"And then if you trust your process, and stick to it, then that will most often bring the best results," he signed off.

Also Read : India White win Divyang Wheelchair Premier League 2022

News Source : PTI

2022-05-16 15:46

Mandhana, Harmanpreet, Deepti to captain in Women's T20 Challenge

New Delhi, May 16 (Cricket News) Star Indian players Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur and Deepti Sharma were on Monday named captains of the three teams for the Women's T20 Challenge to be played in Pune from May 23.

The BCCI announced 16-member squads for each of three teams -- Harmanpreet-led Supernovas, Mandhana-led Trailblazers and Deepti-led Velocity.

Trailblazers had won the previous edition held in 2020.

Veteran India cricketers Mithali Raj, Jhulan Goswami and Shikha Pandey, who played in the previous edition, are the notable absentees in the squads.

A total of 12 overseas players were also announced for the exhibition event including star South African opener Laura Wolvaardt and world number one bowler Sophie Ecclestone. Thai player Natthakan Chantam will make her second appearance in the competition.

The only Australian featuring in the line-ups is leg spinner Alana King while the English cricketers include Ecclestone, Sophia Dunkley and Kate Cross.

Bangladesh cricketers Salma Khatun and Sharmin Akhter have also been picked. The West Indians include Deandra Dottin and Hayley Matthews.

South African captain Sune Luus and Wolvaardt will represent Supernovas and Velocity respectively.

The performers in the recently held Senior Women's T20 Trophy have also been rewarded. The tournament's leading run getter K P Navgire and leading wickettaker Aarti Kedar will play for Velocity.

The upcoming edition is expected to be the last one with BCCI planning a full fledged Women's IPL from next year.

Squads: Supernovas: Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Taniya Bhatia, *Alana King, Ayush Soni, Chandu V, *Deandra Dottin, Harleen Deol, Meghna Singh, Monica Patel, Muskan Malik, Pooja Vastrakar, Priya Punia, Rashi Kanojia, *Sophie Ecclestone, *Sune Luus, Mansi Joshi.

Trailblazers: Smriti Mandhana (captain), Poonam Yadav, Arundhati Reddy, *Hayley Matthews, Jemimah Rodrigues, Priyanka Priyadarshini, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Renuka Singh, Richa Ghosh, S. Meghana, Saiqa Ishaque, *Salma Khatun, *Sharmin Akter, *Sophia Brown, Sujata Mallik, S.B.Pokharkar.

Velocity: Deepti Sharma (captain), Sneh Rana, Shafali Verma, *Ayabonga Khaka, K.P. Navgire, *Kathryn Cross, Keerthi James, *Laura Wolvaardt, Maya Sonawane, *Natthakan Chantham, Radha Yadav, Aarti Kedar, Shivali Shinde, Simran Bahadur, Yastika Bhatia, Pranavi Chandra.

Also Read : Playoff hopefuls PBKS take on DC in a crucial encounter in match no 64

News Source : PTI

2022-05-16 14:58

Playoff hopefuls PBKS take on DC in a crucial encounter in match no 64

(Cricket news) The similarities between PBKS and DC’s campaign is pretty much identical with 12 points in as many games. Neither of them have won two games on the bounce in IPL 2022, pointing to familiar inconsistency that both these franchises have faced this year. On the contrary both the teams will be on the back of resounding victories as PBKS dented Bangalore and their playoffs hopes, while Delhi stalled Rajasthan Royals march into top-two with an eight-wicket statement win

PBKS batting department has come off good in the last two matches as Jonny Bairstow has struck form after being moved to the top of the order, hitting fifties in the last two games. His blazing knock against Royal Challengers allowed Liam Livingstone to play himself in before going on an all-out attack, Livingstone has the second-best strike rate of 180.75 in IPL 2022 and has hit the third-highest number of sixes (29), only behind Jos Buttler (37) and Andre Russell (32). Mayank Agarwal changed his batting position to number 4, but he hasn’t been able to score many runs for his franchise. In the bowling department, Rishi Dhawan has shown he can shoulder the responsibility of the fifth bowler, while the inclusion of Harpreet Brar has given them another spin option along with Rahul Chahar. Punjab's pace duo of Arshdeep Singh and Kagiso Rabada have the best economy of 9.9 in death overs this IPL even though the South African has done the bulk of wicket-taking in that phase.

DC last match rode on the brilliance of Mitchell Marsh and David Warner to win the match as Marsh hit 89 off 62 balls, apart from picking up 2 for 25 from his three overs against RR. With 1005 runs in 22 innings and with 12 half-century knocks, Warner is the leading run-scorer against Punjab in the IPL. For DC there is some positive news as Prithvi Shaw will be back in the playing XI. In the bowling department, Kuldeep Yadav's dwindling returns with just 5 wickets in the second half at an average of 37.2 as compared to the 13 in the first at 14.31, and his economy jumping to nearly 10 from 7.86 is a bit of worry for the DC management. Khaleel Ahmed missed the last match but he too has been in form and might replace Shardul Thakur who has had a very underwhelming season according to his high standards. Since the start of 2021, Liam Livingstones has the lowest average (17.66) against left-arm wrist spin, while the lowest strike rate (133.11) is against left-arm orthodox spin.

Pitch and weather report: The DY Patil stadium has thrown in some mixed results as both bowlers and batters have got some joy on this pitch. Chasing has been a trend at this venue with the toss-winning captain opting to bat first just twice so far this IPL. 10 out of 18 games have been won by chasing sides. The temperature is going to hover around 31 degrees as no rain is expected today.

Interesting facts:

PBKS have five 60+ Powerplay totals while DC has three such totals in IPL 2022
With 1133 runs in 29 innings at an average of 47.2, Mitch Marsh is the top run-getter at one down position in T20 cricket since 2021.
Rabada is on 97 wickets from just 61 IPL games, and could potentially overtake Lasith Malinga as the fastest to 100 tournament wickets who did it in 70 matches
Kagiso Rabada has got Warner out five times in 83 balls. But Warner has taken 124 off him, at a strike rate of 149.39.
Kuldeep has the edge over Shikhar Dhawan as he has been dismissed twice in 37 balls while giving away only 34 runs.
Mayank Agarwal has scored only 36 runs off 43 balls against Axar but has never been dismissed by him.

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

Probable XI for PBKS:

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

Probable XI for DC:

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

2022-05-16 14:14

Our top-order should set up games for us: K L Rahul

Mumbai, May 16 (Cricket News) Lucknow Super Giants skipper K L Rahul wants his top-order batters to up their game following their second consecutive loss in the Indian Premier League.

The 24-run loss to Rajasthan Royals on Sunday was LSG's first back-to-back defeat in the competition, denting their chances of finishing in the top-two.

They need to win their remaining game against Kolkata Knight Riders on Wednesday to finish in the top-two and get two shots at reaching the final.

"I won't lie, yes, there is a bit of pressure. We all know in this competition nothing comes easy and no point comes easy, and we've had to learn that the hard way.

"We could have so easily been sitting today and could have qualified and gone into the last game with a free mindset and try to enjoy our cricket," Rahul said at the post match press conference.

Chasing 179, LSG were reduced to 29 for three which put extra pressure on the middle order. He also explained why Marcus Stoinis is batting lower down the order.

"What we're trying to do is utilise players who will best suit the situation. And for us Marcus is one of those players. He has that brute force and we know that he can be really dangerous at the back end. So we just tried to hold him back a little bit.

"We've given everybody different roles and it depends on which over someone gets out and who walks in. So we've kept it slightly flexible with the batting roles. This is the role we picked him to do, which is to be a finisher for us.

"But you need someone to support him at the other end. He needs and the team needs the top order to set up the game for someone like Stoinis and Jason (Holder) to come in and finish games. Which hasn't happened, unfortunately." Rajasthan entered the top-two following the win over LSG. No batters scored a fifty, yet the Royals put up a decent total.

"That's what our team is all about. If you look at the win today, each and everyone who went in to bat showed intent and contributed around 10-20 runs which was very crucial in this game," skipper Sanju Samson said.

"If you look at our team we have a lot of match-winners, match-winners in the sense that they go and play their role in that particular moment. Be it only three-four overs remaining or in the PowerPlay, it's only about doing your role and sticking to it," he added.

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

News Source : PTI

2022-05-16 12:52

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

News Source : PTI

2022-05-16 10:58

Batting group has not performed collectively in a few games: Rahul

Mumbai, May 15 (Cricket News) Lucknow Super Giants skipper KL Rahul on Sunday rued his batters' collective failure in a few matches in this IPL and said his team will need to find a way to not lose wickets early when there is movement of the ball.

Rajasthan Royals inched closer to securing a play-offs berth with a convincing 24-run win over LSG here.

Both RR and LSG are now tied on 16 points from 13 matches and need another win to confirm their place in the next stage of the tournament. Thanks to their margin of victory, RR also toppled LSG from the second place.

"Losing two wickets was bad, we've lost games because of that before. So we need to find ways to get a good start when there is movement with the ball. Executing what we want to is the aim," Rahul said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

"Holding our nerve and give ourselves a chance to play out the new ball or play out a good spell. There's often enough time to make up and go big from there." Batting first, Yashasvi Jaiswal top-scored with 41 while Devdutt Padikkal blazed away to an 18-ball 39, as Rajasthan Royals posted 178 for six. Skipper Sanju Samson made 32 off 24 balls.

Ravi Bishnoi was the most successful bowler for LSG, picking 2/31 in four overs.

In reply, LSG were stopped at 154 for eight.

The Super Giants got off to a terrible start as Trent Boult (2/18) sent back two of their top batters -- Quinton de Kock (7) and Ayush Badoni (0) -- in successive deliveries in the beginning of the third over.

"It was a gettable target, a good pitch. New ball was assisting the bowlers. We were good with the ball, the batting group has not performed collectively in a few games. We have to go back and get better," Rahul said.

"The pitch at Pune was harder. This was a better pitch. There was seam movement earlier and they bowled well." RR captain Sanju Samson, who opted to bat after winning the toss, said it "suits their approach".

"This win was satisfying. The atmosphere is chilled and nice, it's not easy to maintain it when there are losses and we have done it well. Batting first suits our approach well, we want to bat positively and the bowling unit is good as well," Samson said.

Asked about returning to the usual batting order after experimenting with Ravichandran Ashwin at the top-order, he said, "Decisions are judged by results, Ashwin did well last game as well." He also praised Jimmy Neesham for the energy he brought on to the field.

As far as using Ashwin in different phases was concerned, Smason said, "The bonus of having quality spinners is you can use them anywhere."

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

News Source : PTI

2022-05-16 10:39

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

Mumbai, May 15 (Cricket News) A clinical Rajasthan Royals inched closer to securing a play-offs berth with a convincing 24-run win over Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League here on Sunday.

Both RR and LSG are now tied on 16 points from 13 matches and need another win to confirm their place in the next stage of the tournament. Thanks to their margin of victory, RR also toppled LSG from the second place.

Batting first, Yashasvi Jaiswal top-scored with 41 while Devdutt Padikkal blazed away to an 18-ball 39, as Rajasthan Royals posted 178 for six. Skipper Sanju Samson made 32 off 24 balls.

Ravi Bishnoi was the most successful bowler for LSG, picking 2/31 in four overs.

When their turn to bat came, LSG were stopped at 154 for eight.

The Super Giants got off to a terrible start as Trent Boult (2/18) sent back two of their top batters -- Quinton de Kock (7) and Ayush Badoni (0) -- in successive deliveries in the beginning of the third over.

De Kock was caught at point by an agile Jimmy Neesham, while Badoni was trapped in front of the wicket, after which the batter opted for a review to clear his doubts.

Deepak Hooda (59 off 39 balls) denied Boult a hat-trick -- the ball headed towards the slip but after one bounce.

In the next delivery though, Hooda got off the mark with a beautiful drive through covers.

Following the New Zealand pacer's double blow, Prasidh Krishna (2/32) and Boult conceded only two runs in the next two overs, as RR kept things tight.

However, KL Rahul (10) struck Prasidh for a six to begin the final power play over but the bowler had the last laugh as he had the LSK skipper caught with his smart bowling.

LSG were in deep trouble at 29 for three in the sixth over when Krunal Pandya joined Hooda in the middle.

The two quickly added 65 runs for the fourth wicket to keep their team in the game, before Ravichandran Ashwin removed Pandya at a crucial juncture, thanks to some excellent work by Jos Buttler and Riyan Parag in the deep.

Meanwhile, Hooda brought up his fifty but Yuzvendra Chahal had the charging batter stumped after Sanju Samson nearly made a hash of it.

Obed McCoy (2/35) then picked up the wickets of Jason Holder and Dushmantha Chameera to take RR closer to victory.

Earlier, Jaiswal started the proceedings for Royals on a confident note, hitting successive fours off Mohsin Khan in the first over.

But the RR soon suffered a body blow when Avesh Khan knocked over the in-form Jos Buttler's (2) off-stump in the beginning of the third over as the batter tried to scoop it over fine leg.

Buttler's early dismissal brought skipper Sanju Samson into the middle and, looking to regain his touch, he straightaway got into the act, flicking Avesh past midwicket for a boundary at the Brabourne Stadium.

Samson then played a late cut against Mohsin and the ball flew over the slip cordon for a boundary. Then came a lovely cover drive from the blade of the RR captain as the team reached 25 for one in four overs.

Meanwhile, after getting an awkward boundary, Jaiswal got a life when Mohsin dropped him off the bowling of Avesh, failing to hold on to the ball despite getting both hands to it.

LSG paid heavily for the profligacy on Mohsin's part as Jaiswal made full use of the reprieve, accumulating 21 runs off Chameera to lift RR to 51 for one in the six power play overs.

He began the over with a four, found the fence two more times, and then finished it in style, carting the Sri Lankan pacer's short ball for a massive six over the midwicket region.

Even as Jaiswal went after the bowling, the usually flamboyant Samson seemed content playing second fiddle.

Samson, however, looked to cut loose against Ravi Bishnoi as he hit him for two fours before Jason Holder brought about the former's downfall in the next over with a slower ball outside off for Deepak Hooda to take a catch in the deep.

Devdutt Padikkal came and raced to 14 off 5 balls, with the help of two fours and a six against Marcus Stoinis.

Padikkal then scored two boundaries off Chameera as RR crossed 100 in the 11th over.

However, at the other end, Jaiswal was out caught and bowled by Ayush Badoni. But, unperturbed by the loss of the set Jaiswal, Padikkal continued to play his shots and got a six off Krunal Pandya.

Going for one too many though, Padikkal hold out in the deep.

Also Read : Yashasvi Jaiswal, Padikkal take RR to 178/6 against LSG

News Source : PTI

2022-05-16 10:06

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Padikkal take RR to 178/6 against LSG

Mumbai, May 15 (Cricket News) Yashasvi Jaiswal top-scored with 41 while Devdutt Padikkal blazed away to an 18-ball 39 as Rajasthan Royals posted 178 for six against Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL here on Sunday.

Skipper Sanju Samson made 32 off 24 balls after he opted to abt.

Ravi Bishnoi was the most successful bowler for LSG, picking 2/31 in four overs.

Jaiswal started the proceedings for Royals on a confident note, hitting successive fours off Mohsin Khan in the first over.

But the RR soon suffered a body blow when Avesh Khan knocked over the in-form Jos Buttler's (2) off-stump in the beginning of the third over as the batter tried to scoop it over fine leg.

Buttler's early dismissal brought skipper Sanju Samson into the middle and, looking to regain his touch, he straightaway got into the act, flicking Avesh past midwicket for a boundary at the Brabourne Stadium.

Samson then played a late cut against Mohsin and the ball flew over the slip cordon for a boundary. Then came a lovely cover drive from the blade of the RR captain as the team reached 25 for one in four overs.

Meanwhile, after getting an awkward boundary, Jaiswal got a life when Mohsin dropped him off the bowling of Avesh, failing to hold on to the ball despite getting both hands to it.

LSG paid heavily for the profligacy on Mohsin's part as Jaiswal made full use of the reprieve, accumulating 21 runs off Dushmantha Chameera to lift RR to 51 for one in the six power play overs.

He began the over with a four, found the fence two more times, and then finished it in style, carting the Sri Lankan pacer's short ball for a massive six over the midwicket region.

Even as Jaiswal went after the bowling, the usually flamboyant Samson seemed content playing second fiddle.

Samson, however, looked to cut loose against Ravi Bishnoi as he hit him for two fours before Jason Holder brought about the former's downfall in the next over with a slower ball outside off for Deepak Hooda to take a catch in the deep.

Devdutt Padikkal came and raced to 14 off 5 balls, with the help of two fours and a six against Marcus Stoinis.

Padikkal then scored two boundaries off Chameera as RR crossed 100 in the 11th over.

However, at the other end, Jaiswal was out caught and bowled by Ayush Badoni. But, unperturbed by the loss of the set Jaiswal, Padikkal continued to play his shots and got a six off Krunal Pandya.

Going for one too many though, Padikkal hold out in the deep.

Also Read : Saha great player of short ball: Gujarat Titans mentor Gary Kirsten

News Source : PTI

2022-05-15 14:01

Play-offs at stake as DC and PBKS clash in must-win game

Navi Mumbai, May 15 (Cricket News) Two teams struggling for consistency, Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings, will aim to outdo each other in a bid to keep their play-offs hopes alive in the Indian Premier League here on Monday.

Both teams are yet to string back-to-back wins this season but neither side can afford another defeat in their remaining league games.

Punjab are seventh on the points table with 12 points and a Net Run Rate of +0.023. The Capitals also have a dozen points and are fifth thanks to a healthy NRR of +0.210, which will benefit them if two or more teams end on the same number of points.

The Capitals head to the fixture high on confidence after an eight wicket-win over Rajasthan Royals while Punjab pummelled RCB in their previous game.

In Delhi skipper Rishbah Pant's words "it was close to a perfect game".

While opener David Warner continues to enjoy his purple patch, the second opening slot remains a cause of concern with Mandeep Singh and Srikar Bharat failing miserably in Prithvi Shaw's absence, who has also not fared well this season.

Although Shaw, who was down with typhoid, has been discharged from the hospital, it is to be seen if the youngster is fit enough to play the crucial game on Monday.

To DC's relief Mitchell Marsh finally joined the party. The big-hitting all-rounder shook off the rust to star with the bat and ball against RR. His and Warner's role will be crucial.

A lot will also rest on how Pant performs. The skipper looked in his element during his unconquered short 4-ball stay against RR as he whacked two sixes but hasn't played the match-winning innings he is capable of yet.

Rovman Powell has proven that hitting four and sixes comes easy to him and he can win matches with some assistance form the top order.

They will have to navigate through a bowling attack ably led by Kagiso Rabada, who is the highest wicket taker among pacers this season.

The ever-improving Arshdeep Singh has been brilliant for Punjab, especially in the death overs, landing yorkers at will while Rahul Chahar has been expensive.

The DC bowling department, on the other hand, was right on the mark against RR.

Young Chetan Sakaria bowled brilliantly in the absence of the Khaleel Ahmed, who injured his hamstring, while pace spearhead Anrich Nortje is also finding his rhythm.

However, the weakest link continues to be Shardul Thakur, who has been leaking runs and has few wickets to show for it.

Against the flamboyant Jonny Bairstow, Liam Livingstone, Shikhar Dhawan and Bhanuka Rajapaksa, the Delhi bowlers will have their task cut out.

The English duo of Bairstow and Livingstone can tear apart any attack as it show against RCB.

Dhawan has been Punjab's leading-run getter with 400 plus and he will be expected rise to the occasion in a do-or-die game. Bairstow has found his groove after being promoted to the top alongside Dhawan and that is a big positive for the team.

Bhanuka Rajapaksa, who has impressed with his hitting ability, will need to do more than playing a flash in the pan sort of innings.

Skipper Mayank Agarwal, who has moved himself down the order, has been far from his best with the bat this season. With the team seeking survival, there will no better time for him to play a captain's knock on Monday.

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

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

Match starts 7:30PM IST.

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

News Source : PTI

2022-05-15 12:08

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

News Source : PTI

2022-05-15 12:03

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

Mumbai, May 14 (Cricket News) Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Shreyas Iyer was all praise for his team's "outstanding mindset" during its 54-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad as the players had nothing to lose at this stage of the tournament.

KKR remained in play-off contention, albeit with a slim chance but what Iyer liked was that his team was able to bring their 'A' game to the fore.

"The mindset we came up in this game, it was outstanding. All the boys did the right things, played fearless cricket. Everything panned out really well," Iyer said after the match.

"We have nothing to lose now. We haven't played our A-game yet, that's what I spoke today before the game," Iyer said.

On the gameplan front, Iyer said that at the back-end, they wanted Andre Rusell (49 no and 3/22) to take as much strike as possible.

"We were going over-by-over. The plan was to give Russell the strike as much as possible. We knew Washi (Washington Sundar) had one over left, that was the over we were going to target. It worked out pretty well, hope it works out well in the final game as well," the skipper said.

"It was an over-par total. Sunil (Narine) and Varun (Chakravarthy) stepped-up, they bowled smart and got crucial wickets. We never allowed them to get under our skins, kudos to that." Skipper "clarifies" his CEO "comment" --------------------------------------------- It was a day of back-tracking and after CSK batter Ambati Rayudu went back on his IPL retirement plans, it was time for KKR captain to predictably take back his words after inadvertently spelling out that CEO Venky Mysore is involved in team selection.

Questions were raised after KKR played 13 different combinations in 13 games so far, some forced due to injuries but a few just for the heck of it.

It was known that KKR management have had a word with Iyer and told him to clarify as his comments reflected poorly on the all-powerful Mysore.

"When I took the CEO's name, I wanted to say that he's there to console the players who've been sitting out. It's tough for us as well while picking teams," Iyer said.

We lacked momentum, says Williamson -------------------------------------------- This year's IPL has been a lesson for him, admitted skipper Kane Williamson as he was at pains to explain how SRH have now managed to lose five games on the trot and are almost out of play-off contentions.

"The game teaches us lessons and I am learning it right now," Williamson said on his own wretched form.

"We have been struggling with creating momentum in the last few games. Sundar stepped up in the last over. Using our resources a little early didn't work for us today.

"We wanted to get off to a good start. There were glimpses and signs but wasn't to be. The run rate got up and we were not able to pull it back."

Also Read : Kolkata Knight Riders beat SRH by 54 runs in must-win IPL game

News Source : PTI

2022-05-14 19:19

Rohit, Pant, Rahul, Bumrah to be rested for SA series; Dhawan and Pandya in line for captaincy

New Delhi, May 14 (Cricket News) Many seniors including captain Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul are all set to be rested for the upcoming five-match T20 series against South Africa, with an eye on the marquee tour of England in July.

Besides, the national selection committee is also set to excuse Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant from the engagements against the Proteas.

It is understood that veteran opener Shikhar Dhawan and all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who has impressed one and all with his captaincy for Gujarat Titans in IPL-15, are in reckoning for the leadership role for both South Africa and the short two-match T20I series against Ireland.

The T20 rubber against the Proteas will start in the national capital on June 9 with the remaining matches being held at Cuttack, Visakhapatnam, Rajkot and Bengaluru respectively.

The squad for the SA series is likely to be selected on May 22 -- the last day of the league phase of this edition of IPL -- in Mumbai.

The PTI has already reported that an out-of-form Virat Kohli will also be given a much-needed break but it is understood that for the selectors as well as the BCCI, the tour of England starting early July is paramount.

"All the senior India players will get at least three and half weeks of complete rest. Rohit, Virat, KL, Rishabh and Jasprit will all directly go to England for the 'fifth Test' following the white-ball series. We need all our key players to remain fresh for the England series," a senior BCCI source privy to the development told PTI on the condition of anonymity.

As a part of workload management, all the senior all-format players will not be part of the next seven T20 Internationals.

Asked about captaincy, the source said: "The selectors have a couple of choices. Shikhar Dhawan, as he has already captained India in absence of Virat, Rohit and Rahul during last year's Sri Lanka series. But Hardik Pandya's impressive captaincy for Gujarat Titans hasn't gone unnoticed. So it will be a close call," he added.

Mohsin Khan could pip Umran Malik in SA squad ---------------------------------------------------- While Umran Malik has generated considerable excitement with his 150 kmph plus pace, there is a feeling that he is too raw and time with the India A team could help him develop better.

While he remains in the mix with death overs specialist Arshdeep Singh, the man who is emerging as a 'Dark Horse' is Lucknow Super Giants' left-armer Mohsin Khan.

"Our pace bowling department is set and selectors might not experiment too much," he said.

"But yes, Mohsin has impressed almost everyone with his pace, bounce and swing in this edition. He does have a chance. Having said that, not ruling out Umran or Arshdeep either, but Mohsin might just be slightly ahead," he added.

It is understood that most of the players who recently played in the T20 series against Sri Lanka and the West Indies are set to be retained irrespective of their current IPL form.

Obviously Suryakumar Yadav or Ravindra Jadeja's injury needs to be factored in and Deepak Chahar will also not be available.

The likes of Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Deepak Hooda along with Dhawan and Hardik are set to form the core of the batting unit. Sanju Samson could also be retained and there could be at the max one left field selection in the squad.

In the pace bowling unit, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Prasidh Krishna, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan are all certainties, along with the IPL's stellar spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal. Kuldeep Yadav is also expected to make the cut.

Also Read : Unrest in CSK? Rayudu backtracks after announcing 'IPL retirement'

News Source : PTI

2022-05-14 17:29

Unrest in CSK? Rayudu backtracks after announcing 'IPL retirement'

Mumbai, May 14 (Cricket News) The unrest in Chennai Super Kings camp once again came to the forefront after senior batter Ambati Rayudu announced his "IPL retirement" on social media, only to backtrack within an hour after being talked out of it by the team management.

CSK are already out of play-off race with couple of matches left but already former skipper Ravindra Jadeja has gone home with a "bruised rib" but not before adding fuel to the speculations that he has had a fall-out with management after being told relinquish captaincy.

On Saturday morning, the 36-year-old former India white-ball player took to twitter to announce his decision.

"I am happy to announce that this will be my last ipl. I have had a wonderful time playing it and being a part of 2 great teams for 13 years. Would love to sincerely thank Mumbai Indians and Csk for the wonderful journey," Rayudu had tweeted.

But within an hour, the post was deleted as CSK owners and team management were completely caught unawares about Rayudu's decision which also raised questions about the communication channel in one of the most successful teams in IPL history.

"I can confirm that Ambati Rayudu is not retiring from IPL. Yes, he did tweet about it. May be it was in an emotional state he tweeted. He has been spoken to and subsequently deleted the tweet," CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan told PTI.

It is not the first time Rayudu made U-turn from retirement decision. He made news following his "3 dimensional" tweet aimed at India selector MSK Prasad in the backdrop of his exclusion from World Cup 2019 squad.

Subsequently, Rayudu retired from international cricket in July the same year only to overturn his decision.

During his over-decade IPL career, Rayudu, an IPL legend, represented two franchises. He was first picked up by Mumbai Indians in 2010 after being granted amensty by BCCI to return to the main fold following his stint in the de-recognised Indian Cricket League in 2007 and stayed there till 2017.

Rayudu is one of the most successful players in the IPL as he has been part of the title-winning sides on five occasions (2013, 2015, 2017 with Mumbai Indians and 2018, 2021 with Chennai Super Kings).

In his entire IPL career, Rayudu, 36, accounted for 4,187 runs at an average of 29.28, scoring one century and 22 fifties.

The Hyderabad middle-order batter also is the 10th Indian to reach the milestone of 4,000 runs in IPL.

In the ongoing IPL season, Rayudu has scored 271 runs at a strike-rate of 124 but has often been seen struggling for fitness on the ground. In the last IPL in the UAE, Rayudu scored 257 runs from 13 innings with a tournament-best of 72 not out. He was retained by CSK but later the four-time champions successfully picked his up for Rs 6.75 crore.

Rayudu played 55 ODIs and six T20Is for India, accumulating 1694 and 42 runs respectively. His best score in the ODIs is 124 not out against Zimbabwe at the Harare Sports Club in 2015.

Also Read : LSG look to confirm IPL play-offs berth with win over RR

2022-05-14 13:50

LSG look to confirm IPL play-offs berth with win over RR

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

2022-05-14 13:25

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

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

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

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

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

Interesting facts:

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

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

Probable XI for KKR:

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

Probable XI for SRH:

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

2022-05-14 12:04

GT eye top-2 finish with win over out-of-reckoning CSK

Mumbai, May 14 (Cricket News) Their play-offs berth already secured, high-flying Gujarat Titans would look for nothing less than a win to ensure a top-2 finish when they take on out-of-reckoning Chennai Super Kings in an Indian Premier League match here on Sunday.

Under the brilliant leadership of Hardik Pandya, GT rose above expectations to book their play-offs berth with two matches in hand.

GT are currently at the top of the table with 18 points from 12 games and a win on Sunday will more or less secure them a top-2 finish, which means they will get an extra chance of making it to the final.

Lying at the second-last spot, defending champions CSK are out of the competition and will play for pride in their remaining two games.

While GT ensured their play-offs berth after a comprehensive 62-run win over Lucknow Super Giants, CSK slumped to a five-wicket loss against Mumbai Indians.

Young opener Shubman Gill, skipper Hardik, David Miller, Wriddhiman Saha and Rahul Tewatia have been GT's batting mainstay throughout the season and they would be hoping to carry on in the same vein.

The credit for GT's phenomenal run in their opening season largely goes to their ability to fight back from adverse situations.

But of late, GT's batting unit has misfired and Hardik would be looking for some consistent performances from his batters.

In their last match, only Gill (63 not out) made a substantial score and batted through the innings to take GT to a modest 144 for 4, which they defended with ease.

The GT team management would also be hoping for Hardik, Miller and Tewatia to return among runs.

But GT's main strength is their potent bowling attack, comprising world-class bowlers like Mohammed Shami, Lockie Ferguson and Rashid Khan.

Shami, the team's highest taker with 16 scalps, has been lethal upfront, while Ferguson's ability to generate pace is a cause of concern for any batting line-up.

Rashid too has got his mojo back after a slow start, scalping four wickets in the last match and when on song, he can tear apart any batting line-up.

Yash Dayal too has been among wickets but his economy is a cause of concern, while R Sai Kishore has complemented Rashid perfectly in his first game.

GT's main recipe for success has been a considerably mellowed down Hardik, who seems to be relishing the responsibility of captaincy.

CSK, meanwhile, have endured a nightmarish season with nothing working for them from the start.

MS Dhoni's decision to hand over captaincy to Ravindra Jadeja backfired as the all-rounder never looked in his comfort zone with the responsibility, forcing him to return the leadership mantle to the talismanic stumper.

If that was not enough, there were rumours about a fallout between CSK and Jadeja, who was released from the camp before their last match due to a bruised rib.

Devon Conway has starred with the bat for CSK in the limited chances he got, while the likes of Shivam Dube and Ruturaj Gaikwad would look to prove a point.

If batting was a problem, CSK's bowling unit lacks quality in the absence of Deepak Chahar and Adam Milne. Mukesh Chaudhary and Simranjeet Singh have been impressive but lacked quality with the new ball, while Moeen Ali and Maheesh Theekshana would need to share the responsibility in the spin department.

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.

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

Match Starts at 3.30 PM.

Also Read : Bairstow enjoying opening slot for Punjab Kings after struggling in middle order

News Source : PTI

2022-05-14 10:56

Bairstow enjoying opening slot for Punjab Kings after struggling in middle order

Mumbai, May 14 (Cricket News) Jonny Bairstow has not opened for England in too many matches in recent times but he is relishing his job at the top of the order for Punjab Kings in the ongoing Indian Premier League.

Bairstow's 66 off just 29 balls with the help of four boundaries and seven sixes laid the foundation for a 54-run win for Punjab Kings against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Friday.

"I am happy with the way I have transitioned to opening the batting. It has been very enjoyable being back at the top," Bairstow said at the post-match press conference.

Bairstow arrived late for this edition of the tournament and initially started in the middle order, where he struggled to find his groove. The team management then promoted him to the top and captain Mayank Agarwal moved himself down the order.

The move yielded result as after scoring one in his first match as opener against Gujarat Titans, Bairstow roared back to form with a 56 against Rajasthan Royals before Friday's 66.

"It's one of those days. A couple of those come off and it's your day," he said after the match.

Bairstow has mostly batted in the middle order in the T20Is for England in the last two years, though he has opened the innings in a few matches. He has also kept wickets when Jos Buttler was not playing.

"It's a completely different commodity playing for England and playing here. Through the middle, there's a job to do for England. Coming here, the stats suggest I quite enjoy opening the batting," said the 32-year-old.

Before Friday's match, Bairstow had scored 136 runs in eight IPL innings at a strike rate of 117.24 but he never thought he was having a tough time in the tournament. "It depends on what you class as a tough tournament really," he said.

"Because obviously I have been caught at fine leg twice, third man once, and run out on 19.5 overs so there is a difference in being unselfish and it being a difficult competition." Bairstow was sensational on Friday as he scored 59 out of 83 in the powerplay, taking down RCB key bowler Josh Hazlewood. He reached his fifty in 21 balls.

"There are many quality bowlers in the IPL and sometimes you have to try to get them off their lengths because someone like him hits that length consistently. So you have to try to get him off that length into areas you want to be hitting.

"From the end he was bowling at, the line he was bowling was off stump. Just think that sometimes there is balls in your area, and you have to try to take advantage of that.

"Sometimes it is fine lines where you might get caught on the boundary, just inside the rope, or you might get a thin edge on another one. Today was a good day. Was happy to take advantage of the powerplay." Asked if there was any game plan to attack the opposition bowlers, he said, "That has generally been the ethos of how we have tried to go about all of the tournament," Bairstow said.

"That has been the way in which the guys want to go about the process of the game. You may have noticed sometimes we have lost wickets in clusters in the middle, which has stifled our progress on from there, but I think on the whole that was the way we wanted to try and go about it for a majority of the tournament.

"It doesn't happen all the time but if we can do it more often than not, then hopefully when a couple of people stand up we can get the job done."

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

News Source : PTI

2022-05-14 10:29

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

Mumbai, May 13 (Cricket News) Punjab Kings buried Royal Challengers Bangalore under a deluge of runs as they kept their play-off hopes alive with 54-run victory, riding on superb half-centuries from Jonny Bairstow and Liam Livingstone in an IPL match here on Friday.

Bairstow (66 off 29 balls) and Livingstone (70 off 42 balls) propelled Punjab Kings to 209 for 9 in a must-win game and the scoreboard was always going to be telling as RCB were restricted to 155 for 9 in 20 overs.

While Punjab remain in the mix with 12 points from as many games, the margin of victory considerably improved their net run-rate to +0.210 and RCB despite having 14 points from 13 games are at a -0.323.

RCB will have to win their final game and move to 16 points but also now need to have some rub of the green with a few favourable results going their way.

It was another day and another failure for Virat Kohli (20), who got a faint under-edge tickle on his gloves before it hit his thigh pad and bobbed up to short fine leg off a Kagiso Rabada (4-0-21-3) delivery.

Rabada was literally unplayable on the day as he worked good pace and hit the ideal fuller length for better part of his spell.

Rishi Dhawan (4-0-36-2), perhaps the weakest link in Punjab attack, then made up for his lack of pace by hitting immaculate length as Faf du Plessis edged one to Jitesh Sharma behind stumps and Mahipal Lomror's rasping pull shot was taken by Shikhar Dhawan.

Rajat Patidar (26) and Glenn Maxwell (35) did add 64 runs but they were never in the game with both departing in quick succession.

And when Dinesh Karthik (11) was snuffed out by the brilliant Arshdeep Singh (4-0-27-1) with a wide yorker and a catch by short third-man on the circle, RCB fizzled out in a jiffy.

Earlier, Bairstow's opening blitzkrieg found its ideal match in Livingstone's finishing carnage.

While Bairstow laid the foundation with a 29-ball-66, Livingstone was equally good in his 42-ball-70 as the RCB bowlers had a day which they would like to forget in a hurry.

Bairstow, who was rusty during the earlier phase of the tournament, was back in his element with as many as seven sixes and four boundaries during a knock where he literally went hell for leather.

Such was his dominance that by the time six overs of Powerplay ended, Bairstow had hit seven towering sixes and Shikhar Dhawan (21 off 15 balls) rubbed salt to the wound with another one which made it eight in all.

Punjab Kings, which had set the template of blazing Powerplay starts, got 83 in six overs with Glenn Maxwell (1/17 in 2 overs), Josh Hazlewood (0/64 in 4 overs) and Mohammed Siraj (0/36 in 2 overs) being treated with utter disdain.

While Maxwell did manage to get Dhawan, both Hazlewood and Siraj were guilty of bowling short on a pitch offering true bounce. Bairstow effortlessly pulled and flicked them into the stands and by the time, deliveries pitched up, they landed in the stands as well. It only helped that the boundary on one side was 66 metres only, which is a dream for any power-hitter.

Siraj had a forgettable first spell where he was hit for four sixes, while Hazlewood in his first over had gone for 22. The Australian had his worst IPL figures ever.

However post Powerplay, once Wanindu Hasaranga (2/15 in 4 overs) and Shahbaz Ahmed (1/40 in 4 overs) started operating, RCB stemmed the flow of runs with some tight wicket-to-wicket bowling.

Bengal left-arm spinner Shahbaz was rewarded for his tight lines as Bairstow finally mistimed one and Siraj did well to pouch the skier.

After 83 in the first six, there was a drastic dip in scoring as 22 came in between 7th and 10th overs.

Both Hasaranga and Shahbaz bowled wide outside the off-stump not letting Livingstone and Agarwal to charge down the track.

Still the Englishman managed a couple of sixes and a reverse swept boundary to continue his good form in the competition and then muscled into the stands towards the fag end even as Harshal Patel (4/34 in 4 overs) was exceptional at the death.

His fifty came off 35 balls and by the time he was out, he had four out of those 14 sixes in the Punjab innings.

Also Read : Bairstow, Livingstone power Punjab to 209 for 9 against Royal Challengers Bangalore

News Source : PTI

2022-05-13 19:37

Umran will play for India but quality of execution will matter more than raw pace: Nortje

New Delhi, May 13 (Cricket News) Umran Malik will surely play for India but to survive the rigours of international cricket, raw pace alone wouldn't be enough and the youngster will need to supplement his skills with quality execution, star South African pacer Anrich Nortje said on Friday.

Nortje, one of the fastest bowlers in world cricket and who has made a comeback in this IPL after a four-month lay-off due to a hip injury, spoke about the hardships related to his return and missing his new ball partner, Kagiso Rabada.

When asked about his assessment of India's new pace sensation, who is regularly hitting upwards of 90 miles per hour, Nortje sounded cautiously optimistic.

"I am sure Umran is going to be one of the key players for India in near future. Luck will also have to play its part. But most importantly, it's about the quality of what you deliver as we have seen fastest deliveries that are being awarded are going for boundaries," Nortje told PTI in an interview.

"It doesn't matter at what pace it is bowled. Pace is not the be-all and end-all.

"It is about the quality of execution. And I believe he is improving on that aspect of having control with pace. Also at Sunrisers Hyderabad, under Dale (Steyn, fast bowling coach), Umran is in good hands. He has a lot of senior and experienced players around him, so he will certainly improve," the Proteas speed merchant said.

Coming back after long break -------------------------------- The current season hasn't been the best for Nortje as he got picked in only four of Delhi Capitals' 12 games, taking six wickets in them.

"It's been a long break but it's good to be out there on the field with the team and it was long time at home. I needed a break at the start (of my injury) but got very long at the end not knowing what's going on.

"It's really good feeling to get going again and obviously trying to bowl at level I was bowling," the 28-year-old said.

When can I bowl full tilt? I still don't know ---------------------------------------------- For fast bowlers suffering from hip injuries and stress fractures, building the rhythm is an important aspect, and Nortje is still not sure as to how much time it would take for him to hit the peak again, like the 2019-20 season.

"If I knew the answer I would have told you," he laughed.

"I am myself trying to figure out as well. There is obviously a balance between the amount we can bowl at this stage and so you can't really bowl 20 to 30 overs in a week really." He spoke about his endeavour to build the muscle memory.

"Just trying to find a balance. Quantity of overs bowled will play a massive role later on but for now, just trying to focus on small things -- like trying to remember what I was doing right before I ended up injured in November. So trying to find that feeling but it might take some time just to get on top of everything," Nortje said.

For now, Nortje is not trying to again hit the 95 mph, focusing instead on deliveries of better quality and then gradually build on the pace.

"The basics are about execution and the sort of quality of delivery as well and the recent focus is to try and get that quality up." Not being selected in playing XI for nearly a month ------------------------------------------------------- Nortje first played this seaosn on April 7, but after a horrendous start, where he went for 35 in 2.2 overs against Lucknow Super Giants, Nortje next played on May 5, and since then, has turned up in three games.

"It is quite tough. It is also if you know where you left off and what team owners, coaching staff expect from you, it's sort of you have to improve. Full credit to support staff as well for helping me get things back on track." "In that first game against LSG, I had no rhythm and then adrenaline kicked in and it was a small issue (niggle). The next game that I played (after a month), I had rhythm and my run-up was back.

"There were subtle changes and then it was about building on that. It was an eye opener that game (against LSG). One or two things could have gone differently and it would have been different." It was good to have KG alongside but I am enjoying new challenge too ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rabada and Nortje for two seasons were the most lethal new ball pair in IPL before his teammate was snapped up by Punjab Kings at this year's auction.

"It has always been good playing with KG and having him beside me on the field. But it is also nice to have a different challenge, new challenge for next three years.

"I enjoyed my time with him and it will be nice to see him again. He has obviously done great stuff for the team, but it's a nice team composition what we have got now.

"It brings in a different challenge and I am enjoying that." White ball at times does little, so slow bouncers, wide yorkers in vogue ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The advent of T20 with placid pitches has definitely affected swing bowlers and it is one of the reasons that a lot of wide yorkers and slow bouncers are being used in the shortest format.

"It's always hard with white ball as it doesn't always swing and conditions do not favour swing. On good batting tracks, it becomes even more difficult for swing bowlers, who probably in terms of speed are a notch below the faster guys.

"Therein comes the change ups. You need a lot of training to perfect the slow bouncers or wide yorkers. Even fast bowlers, who some years back believed in consistently hitting the hard lengths, are also using the variations," he concluded.

Also Read : Captaincy has helped Hardik temper his emotions, feels senior pro Shami

News Source : PTI

2022-05-13 17:53

Captaincy has helped Hardik temper his emotions, feels senior pro Shami

Mumbai, May 13 (Cricket News) The responsibility of leadership has considerably mellowed down an otherwise fiery Hardik Pandya, which has been the key recipe for Gujarat Titans' first-season success in the ongoing IPL, feels senior pacer Mohammed Shami.

Shami has played a lot of international cricket alongside Pandya and has always found the flamboyant all-rounder to have wore his heart on his sleeve but in his first season as an IPL captain, he has been able to keep his emotions under check.

"After he (Hardik) became captain, he has become more normal, his reactions have been tempered (mellowed). I have advised him to control his emotions on the field because the entire world watches cricket," Shami told mediapersons on Friday.

"It is very important as a leader to be sensible, understand situations and he has performed that role to perfection," the veteran fats bowler added.

Titans are already in play-offs with 18 points from 12 games and Shami does give Hardik a lot of points for his captaincy.

"He has kept the team together. I have witnessed a lot of changes in him as a captain in comparison to a player," said Shami, one of the star performers for GT with 16 wickets from 12 games.

Having played under Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the national team along with multiple captains in different IPL teams, Shami knows that each one has his unique style.

"Every captain has different temperament. Mahi (Dhoni) bhai was quiet, Virat was aggressive, Rohit leads according to match situations, so understanding Hardik's mindset is not a rocket science." Shami has been the highest wicket-taker GT with 16 scalps so far.

"As far as my performance is concerned, whenever I was given the white ball, I always tried to put in my 100 per cent. Not just this season, if you look at the last four seasons then you can see nobody (in teams that he played) took more wickets than me," said Shami.

"Whenever I am entrusted with responsibility I have always tried to live up to that. I have always tried to perform my role to the 100 per cent of my capability." Not a big fan of raw pace, says the veteran ------------------------------------------------ Shami is pleased to witness the emergence of young Indian fast bowlers from this IPL but said someone like Umran Malik needs to add swing and accuracy to his pace to become successful in T20 cricket.

"For any country, it is pleasing to see youngsters bowling with pace and swing. If you get to see good talent then you don't remain in question mark. There is more clarity then. The most important thing is experience, so the need is to make them play more matches, help them in spending more time with seniors.

"Pace is there but if you are asking my personal opinion I am not a big pace fan. If you are bowling 140 kmph and moving the ball both sides then it's enough to get a batter out. He (Umran) will need some time to get mature because along with pace you need accuracy," he said.

"In T20 everything depends on swing and length because nobody fears pace now-a-days. If you can swing it at good pace with perfect line and length, then you have chances to survive in this fast-paced game." Mantra for Titans' success ----------------------------- Asked about the mantra behind GT's success in their debut season, Shami said: "We have made a good bonding in the team from the start. In every match we played as a group. We have put on combined performance. We have worked as a team in the tournament. Everyone contributed a little bit and hope this continues." The premier pacer also lavished praise on former teammate-turned-coach Ashish Nehra for keeping the GT unit together.

"As a coach you need to be chill, it is important to deal the team as a family, there are plenty of responsibilities and he (Nehra) has done a remarkable job," Shami said.

GT will play Chennai Super Kings in their penultimate league game here on Sunday.

Also Read : Cummins' IPL stint over, leaves for home to recover from hip injury

News Source : PTI

2022-05-13 16:58

ECB appoint Brendan McCullum as England Men's Test Head Coach

(Cricket news) The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced that it has appointed Brendon McCullum as England Men's Test Head Coach. McCullum, 40, will be in place to start his role for next month's LV= Insurance three-match Test series against New Zealand, which gets underway at Lord's from 2 June, subject to obtaining the necessary work visa.

The ECB's selection panel of Chief Executive Officer Tom Harrison, Managing Director of England's Men's Cricket Rob Key, Strategic Adviser Andrew Strauss and Performance Director Mo Bobat unanimously agreed that he was the outstanding candidate for the role, having impressed during the competitive interview process.

New Zealand born McCullum currently works as Head Coach of Indian Premier League franchise Kolkata Knight Riders and previously coached Trinbago Knight Riders to the 2020 Caribbean Premier League title. He also had an exemplary playing career that saw him earn 101 Test caps and was Test captain of the Black Caps from 2012 to his international retirement in 2016.

Commenting on the appointment of McCullum, Rob Key said: "We are delighted to confirm Brendon as England Men's Test Head Coach. It has been a real privilege to get to know him and understand his views and vision for the game. I believe his appointment will be good for England's Test team.

"He has a recent history of changing cricket culture and environments for the better, and I believe he is the person to do that for England's red-ball cricket. We were incredibly fortunate to have a seriously strong list of quality candidates for the post, with Brendon demonstrating he was our number one choice. I'd like to thank Tom Harrison and the ECB Board for their support in this process. I believe in Brendon and Ben Stokes - a formidable coach and captain partnership. Time for us all to buckle up and get ready for the ride."

Speaking about his appointment, McCullum added: "I'd like to say how pleased I am to be given this opportunity to positively contribute to England's Test cricket set-up and move the team forward into a more successful era. In taking this role on, I am acutely aware of the significant challenges the team faces at present, and I strongly believe in my ability to help the team emerge as a stronger force once we've confronted them head-on.

"I've enjoyed several robust conversations with Rob Key about the direction of travel for the team and have found his enthusiasm contagious. I'm no stranger to bringing about change within a team environment, and I can't wait to get started. Ben Stokes is the perfect character to inspire change around him, and I look forward to working closely with him to build a successful unit around us."

McCullum is due to arrive in the UK later this month. The Knight Riders have two matches left in their IPL group campaign on Saturday against Sunrisers Hyderabad and complete their season on Wednesday 18 May against Lucknow Super Giants.

Also read: Playoffs hopefuls PBKS take on in form RCB in match no 60

2022-05-13 14:23

Playoffs hopefuls PBKS take on in form RCB in match no 60

(Cricket news) A win for RCB would virtually guarantee them a place in the playoffs as they breach the magical 16 point mark for qualification. The equation for PBKS is pretty simple, they need to win their remaining games if they want to qualify for the playoffs.

PBKS have won 5 matches this season and seem to be paddling through a familiar storyline, with the team turning out to be inconsistent. To make matters worse, their NRR of -.231 isn't impressive either. In the batting department, Johnny Bairstow finally found form after being promoted to the top order as captain Mayank Agarwal continues his struggles with the bat, in the lower order Liam Livingstone and Jitesh Sharma are playing the finisher roles in the team as their are masking Shahrukh Khan's modest form. In the bowling department, they have picked the second-fewest wickets in the middle overs of the innings and have the worst economy rate in the middle overs also. Once again they have to heavily depend upon Kagiso Rabada and Rahul Chahar to strike crucial blows. Rabada has dismissed his former South African skipper Du Plessis thrice in T20 cricket.

RCB are a win away from virtually sealing their place in the top four but Faf Du Plessis and co will be worried about their poor net run rate which leaves them with less room to work with. The last 4 out of the 5 batters scored 30’s and helped them reach a mammoth total. One of the key players in the past few games has been Rajat Patidar, who was brought in belatedly as a replacement player but has been a revelation at the no 3 spot. Dinesh Karthik continued his fine form this season and will again be the key player against PBKS as he will be assigned with the job to finish the innings. In the bowling department, Sri Lankan spinner Wanindu Hasaranga will be the key as Mayank Agarwal and Shikhar Dhawan have been dismissed four times each against spin while Bairstow has fallen twice to spin in IPL 2022. Hasaranga also dismissed Mayank at the start of the tournament.

Pitch and weather report: The Brabourne Stadium pitch has been on the slower side as batting becomes difficult with the older ball but the last match played on this venue was on 6th May as we can expect a new pitch for this game. Spinners will play a crucial role in the match. The temperature is going to hover around 30 degrees with no chance of rain as dew might play a factor in the second innings.

Interesting facts:

Karthik, Livingstone, Rajapaksa and Jitesh have the highest strike rates for the first 10 balls faced, in IPL 2022
Faf du Plessis has scored 702 runs in 13 innings against the PBKS
Arshdeep has given away just five sixes off the 38 overs he has bowled this season, the least for a bowler this season
Kohli has been dismissed in the first 15 balls on eight occasions in IPL 2022
Rabada has taken 18 wickets which is the most by a pacer in IPL 2022
Virat Kohli needs one more run to become the first player to 6500 runs in the IPL
Mayank Agarwal needs seven more runs to reach 1500 runs for PBKS in the IPL.

Also read: CSK's fast bowling stock will be strengthened next season, hints Dhoni

Probable XI for PBKS:

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

Probably XI for RCB:

1 Faf du Plessis (capt), 2 Virat Kohli, 3 Rajat Patidar, 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Shahbaz Ahmed, 6 Mahipal Lomror, 7 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Harshal Patel, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Josh Hazlewood

2022-05-13 13:43

IPL 2022: SRH face KKR in battle of survival

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Match starts at 7.30PM IST.

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

News Source : PTI

2022-05-13 13:14

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

Mumbai, May 13 (Cricket News) Chennai Super Kings head coach Stephen Fleming termed the absence of DRS at the start of their innings as "unlucky", saying it led to a chain of events that didn't go in their favour in the IPL match against Mumbai Indians here.

The absence of Decision Review System due to a short-circuit at the Wankhede Stadium for 10 balls during the start of the innings cost CSK dearly as they became victim of dubious on-field umpiring calls.

While CSK opener Devon Conway failed to get his LBW decision overturned after replays suggested that the Daniel Sams' delivery would have missed the leg-stump by a distance, Robin Uthappa too got out LBW to Jasprit Bumrah in the next over, in what looked like a 50-50 call.

"It was a little bit unlucky that it happened at that time," Fleming said about the absence of DRS at the post-match press conference.

"We were a little disappointed, but that's still part of the game, isn't it? It sort of set off a chain of events that were not in our favour, but we should be better than that. It certainly wasn't a great start." The five-wicket loss to MI on Thursday ended CSK's IPL campaign this year with two matches remaining.

Although disappointed, Fleming now wants to look at the positives.

"There were really some positive signs. The new ball bowling of Mukesh (Chaudhary) and Simarjeet (Singh) was outstanding. We have been developing Mukesh all throughout the season so it's good for him to be confident of bowling a spell like that.

"They have made some gains so that's a positive with Deepak Chahar coming back into the side, we have some good new ball options. We are really positive about the pairing going forward," he said.

"We haven't been as good as we need to be, we are trying to find some pieces as we move forward." Out of the play-off race, CSK will now test their bench strength in the remaining games.

"Now that we are out of the competition, we have got the opportunity to play some other guys in the last 2 games and hopefully find something there as well," the coach said.

"We will finish looking for positives and opportunities for next season. We are not going to turn too much over but we do need to improve in some areas." MI bowling coach Shane Bond hailed his bowlers' comeback in the last few games.

He was particularly effusive in his praise for Bumrah and Sams.

"As a bowling unit we got better in the last 4-5 games, we have been aggressive with the way we bowled.

"Bums has bowled consistently well all season. He is such a consistent performer but often doesn't get the wickets he deserves. I am pleased with the way he has bowled throughout the season," Bond said.

Bond, however, was a bit disappointed with Sams' batting efforts.

"Daniel Sams hasn't shown the talent he has with the bat. We spoke about putting him up the order but unfortunately, he hasn't grabbed that opportunity. It's a move that didn't pay off.

"He would admit that he was disappointed with his performance early in the tournament but he has worked really hard to a comeback with the ball. He has got better and better with the ball," he said.

Also Read : MI send CSK out of reckoning for IPL play-offs with five-wicket win

News Source : PTI

2022-05-13 13:11

CSK's fast bowling stock will be strengthened next season, hints Dhoni

Mumbai, May 12 (Cricket News) Chennai Super Kings are out of reckoning for the IPL play-offs after losing to Mumbai Indians on Thursday, but captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni hinted that his side will come back stronger next season with more fast bowlers in their arsenal.

MI beat CSK by five wickets in a low-scoring match to send the Dhoni-led side out of reckoning for a play-off berth.

MI chased down a target of 98 with 31 balls to spare.

"The fast bowlers, to have both of them (Mukesh Choudhary and Simarjeet Singh) bowling really well is a big positive. Not to forget we'll have two more fast bowlers coming in to the next season and we have a few more up our sleeves. We just want to give them ample time to prepare for what the IPL holds for them," Dhoni said at the post-match presentation.

"So we have a few positives that we'll take into the next season but what is important is that whatever gaps are there, to try to fill in those gaps so that leakages don't happen." The former India captain was happy that the IPL has seen the rise of many fast bowlers.

"It's good to have them. We have gone through a period where we never had extraordinary bench strength with fast bowlers. Also what happens is fast bowlers, they take their time to mature. If you're lucky, you get somebody who in six months' time can feature in all the different formats, whether Test cricket, one-day or T20. I feel that's what IPL is doing.

"It's an opportunity for them and a lot of them become slightly more bold and a bit more courageous which is important in a format like this. They want to take the opposition head on and that has been the difference.

"You see a few who are not those types, who shy away initially but as they play more games, they get more and more confident and are able to execute their plans better." He said irrespective of the nature of the wicket, anything below 130 was difficult to defend.

"I asked the bowlers to show a lot of character, put the opposition under pressure and forget about the result. I feel both the young fast bowlers bowled really well. As far as their contribution is concerned, I feel a game like this really helps them.

"It's something that they start believing in themselves. Whenever we start, we need the same kind of attitude and that's what is needed in the shortest format." During the CSK innings, Dhoni ran out of partners, leaving him stranded at 36.

Asked what he said to his batters, Dhoni stated, "What was important is that when you're batting under that kind of pressure, it's the first few deliveries that are important. I said to be themselves. If they want to hit the first delivery, then go for it. It's a chance for survival.

"If they pass those first few deliveries, then they can be themselves. It didn't pay off but at the same time the opposition bowled really well and a bit of application was needed from our side. A few of our batters got out on good deliveries.

"We can't really help that but other than that these are the kind of games where you learn a lot so hopefully they are learning from each and every game." MI captain Rohit Sharma said looking at how the pitch was playing and his team losing wickets upfront, there were tense moments in the middle.

"It was just about keeping calm and getting the job done. We were a little calm and got the job done in the end," he said.

"We have played a lot of cricket here. We've had pitches like this. It's nice to get bowlers into the game as well at times. It's been batting-friendly all over, it was good to see bounce and swing from both sides which was good to watch." MI have already been out of reckoning for a play-off berth. On the future of the team, he said, "We are keeping one eye (on the future), we want to win games and at the same time we try out certain players. There are options that we still want to try." He said batter Tilak Varma, who took MI home with an unbeaten 34, can play for India soon.

"He (Tilak) has been brilliant, playing for the first year, having such a calm head is never easy. I feel he's going to be an all-format player for India pretty soon. He's got the technique and temperament. And there's hunger as well." On pacer Jasprit Bumrah, Rohit said, "He knows what he needs to do and what the team expects him to do. He understands, magnificent spell upfront." Asked about veteran Kieron Pollard, who did not play on Thursday, the skipper said, "He's been a stalwart, he came out and said that he's okay with that."

Also Read : MI send CSK out of reckoning for IPL play-offs with five-wicket win

News Source : PTI

2022-05-13 10:38

MI send CSK out of reckoning for IPL play-offs with five-wicket win

Mumbai, May 12 (Cricket News) Mumbai Indians on Thursday snuffed out defending champions Chennai Super Kings' faint hopes of making the Indian Super League play-offs with a five-wicket win in a low-scoring match here.

Opting to bowl, MI shot CSK out for 97 with pacer Daniel Sams (3/16 from 4 overs) running though the MS Dhoni-led side's top-order with three quick wickets in a fiery opening spell, and then huffed and puffed to overhaul the small target of 98 with 31 balls to spare.

MI were four wickets down for 33 runs in the fifth over before Tilak Varma (34 not out off 32 balls) and Hrithik Shooken (18) calmed the frayed nerves with a 48-run stand for the fifth wicket. MI reached 103 for 5 in 14.5 overs.

Tim David remained not out on 16 off just seven balls.

With their eighth loss in 12 matches, CSK are out of reckoning for a play-offs berth. They remained at ninth position with eight points.

Already out of reckoning for a play-offs berth long time ago, MI remained rooted at the 10th and bottom place with three wins from 12 matches.

Both CSK and MI have two inconsequential matches left to be played. It will be the first time in IPL history that neither MI nor CSK would be part of the play-offs.

Defending 97, Mukesh Choudhary (3/23) struck in the fifth ball of the opening over as Ishan Kishan (6) poked well away from his body to see a thin edge go through to Dhoni behind the stumps.

MI captain Rohit Sharma found a four each off Choudhary and Simarjeet Singh in the next two overs. But Simarjeet had the last laugh in the fourth over, having Rohit caught by Dhoni.

Choudhary then raised hopes of a CSK miracle by having Daniel Sams (1) and Tristan Stubbs (0) in the space of three balls in the fifth over.

MI were 36 for 4 after powerplay and Hrithik Shokeen survived after a review.

Moeen Ali broke the fifth-wicket partnership between Varma and Shooken by having the latter in the 13th over but it was too late as MI needed just 17 runs from 7.2 overs.

Earlier, Sams tore apart the CSK top-order from which the Dhoni-led team never recovered.

Riley Meredith and Kumar Kartikeya chipped in with two wickets apiece while Jasprit Bumrah and Ramandeep Singh got one each as CSK innings folded in 16 overs.

CSK's woes were compounded with the non-availability of Decision Review System (DRS) due to power cut at one of the floodlight towers at Wankhede Stadium after the start of their innings during which they lost three wickets, with two being LBW decisions.

Captain Dhoni played a lone hand for CSK with a 33-ball 36 not out with the help of four boundaries and two sixes. None of his colleagues gave him company in a pathetic batting display.

Dwayne Bravo (12), who shared 39 runs with Dhoni for the seventh wicket, the best partnership in the CSK innings, was the second best batter. But for the 15 extras Mumbai bowlers conceded, the CSK total would have been much lower.

In the end, Dhoni ran out of partners.

Conway, who played a match-winning knock of 87 in CSK's match against Delhi Capitals, was struck on the pad off the second ball of the innings bowled by Sams. The umpire raised his finger though the ball hit him just below the knee-roll and looked to be going down the leg. There was no DRS, and Conway had to go for nought.

Two balls later, Moeen Ali (0) edged another Sams delivery for Hrithik Shooken to take a catch at short midwicket, as CSK were down two wickets for five runs in the opening over.

It was the turn of Bumrah to join the party as he dismissed Robin Uthappa (1) who could not ask for DRS review of the LBW decision.

CSK got a bit of relief after the 10-ball mayhem but Sams was not done yet as he removed opener Ruturaj Gaikwad (7) who edged behind the wicket to Ishan Kishan in the first ball of the fifth over. CSK were 32 for 5 after powerplay.

After Shivam Dubey was out in the seventh over, Dhoni and Dwayne Bravo slowed down the procession to the dressing room, as they took CSK to 72 for 6 at the end of 12th over.

But CSK were back to square one as Bravo, Simarjeet Singh and Maheesh Theekshana fell in the space of eight balls to be reduced to 87 for 9 at the end of 15 overs.

Also Read : Chennai Super Kings all out for 97 all out against Mumbai Indians

News Source : PTI

2022-05-12 21:11

Hasaranga is a good cricketer, as is Yuzi: Mike Hesson

Mumbai, May 12 (Cricket News) Royal Challengers Bangalore's Mike Hesson-led support staff feels Sri Lankan leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga has done more than what was expected of him in the ongoing IPL, having entered the team as a direct replacement for Yuzvendra Chahal.

The second highest wicket-taker in the current edition of the league, Hasaranga recently took a five-for to lead his team to victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad.

"From the start, Hasaranga was always getting big players out, he was getting wickets in the middle that got us back in the game, even though he might have got one for 28 which does not cause highlights. He was actually doing a nice job for us," said director of cricket Hesson on RCB Bold Diaries.

Chahal, one of RCB's best bowlers in the last few years, left for Rajasthan Royals ahead of ongoing IPL season to leave a void that was wonderfully filled by the Lankan.

"It was very hard to replace one of our all-time greats and someone like Yuzi, he is an icon at RCB. Hasaranga comes in as his replacement, as the tournament's gone they work out he is a good cricketer as is Yuzi," Hesson said.

RCB's batting and spin bowling coach Sridharan Sriram also lauded the 24-year-old for exceeding expectations.

"What we have done with him is, that his run up has been very up and down so we just fixed his run up the speed at which he delivers is very much the same now.

"He used to run fast, slow there was a mixed up pattern to it but the way the speed at which is running, the angles from which he runs, from where he delivers the ball, we are trying to still experiment and keep getting him better so I think there are little tweaks here and there. At the end of the day, they are delivering the results," Sriram said.

He added, "Replacing Yuzvendra Chahal for RCB was not an easy task; Hasaranga comes in with incredible expectations.

"Everyone knows what Yuzi has done for RCB and to come and fill into his boots and be second on the list of highest wicket taker now, full credit to him because the way he has handled the pressure on the expectation of the Indian public and the RCB fans.

"Some of the criticisms he had to face and how he has bounced back every time, is incredible proof of his sort of temperament." Speaking about handling pressure situations, Hasaranga said, "I like to get challenges so that's very easy to handle pressure situations for me."

Also Read : Mumbai Indians win toss, opt to bowl against Chennai Super Kings

News Source : PTI

2022-05-12 18:46

IPL gives India more finishing options in Dinesh Karthik and Rahul Tewatia

New Delhi, May 12 (Cricket News) IPL form can't be the sole criteria for a national call-up but Dinesh Karthik and Rahul Tewatia with their stellar shows as finishers for their respective franchises have certainly made a strong case for themselves in the coming months leading up to the T20 World Cup.

The ICC event in Australia is still more than four months away but the selectors and team management will soon have to decide on their core group of players, starting with the five match home series against South Africa next month.

The finisher's job is only gaining significance in the power-packed modern game and the Indian team is definitely in need of players who can go ballistic from ball one.

In the absence of Hardik Pandya due to fitness issues, the Indian team management tried out Deepak Hooda and Venkatesh Iyer in the middle-order post World Cup debacle last year but they haven't yet found closure as far as their search is concerned.

Hardik, who has done well in the IPL in what has been his comeback competition, too has thrown himself back into national contention. However, Hooda and Hardik have been batting higher up in the order for their respective IPL teams but are expected to play lower down for the national team.

Venkatesh has had a tough second year in the IPL and has gone down in the pecking order of finishers.

With Ravindra Jadeja being the only established finisher in the Indian team, IPL performers like Karthik and Tewatia sensed an opportunity and have made full use of it.

Tewatia has built a reputation of winning games from improbable situations while Karthik, who had made his India debut way back in 2004, has shown insatiable hunger to make another comeback.

Former India chief selector MSK Prasad feels both Karthik and Tewatia must be tried in the series against South Africa beginning on June 9 besides calling for Hardik's return.

"Hardik, Jaddu, Karthik and Tewatia are my top four for the finisher's role. DK and Tewatia has been brilliant in this IPL and Hardik has made a good comeback. The World Cup is still some time away but the likes of DK and Tewatia should get their opportunity.

"If you look at DK, he has consistently done well for India in the T20 format, Nidahas Trophy being the highlight," Prasad told PTI.

On Hardik, he said: "He will be one of your main players in Australia where the T20 World Cup is. But I also want to see him bowling regularly. We will need his all-round skills Down Under." Hardik has not been bowling for Gujarat Titans in every game but has bowled closed to 20 overs during the course of the season besides getting crucial runs at number four. Prasad's former colleague in the erstwhile selection committee, Sarandeep Singh, said the Baroda all-rounder has to bowl regularly to be in the scheme of things.

"He can't just play as a batter in the side. You lose out on a crucial bowling option that way. DK can be given a go but can he play only as a batter with Rishabh donning the gloves, I am not so sure about it. But he has certainly made a case and he has got all the experience.

"He also has the ability to change his role if wickets fall in a heap. Tewatia too has done well in the IPL but I doubt if he could replicate his form in Indian conditions in Australia. The bowlers are likely to bounce him out I feel," said the former India spinner.

Tewatia had received an India call up last year but failed a fitness test.

He added that Venkatesh should be persisted even if he is having an ordinary IPL.

Among other players who should be tried in other roles against South Africa including young pacer Umran Malik, reckons Prasad.

"Shami and Bumrah are your frontline pacers but you also need a bowler who can regularly clock 150 kmph. Umran has been doing that. It is also heartening to see Kuldeep and Chahal doing well for their IPL and should be back bowling together for India," said Prasad.

Also Read : DWPL 2022 inaugurated by Sports Minister of Telangana Shrinivas Goud

News Source : PTI

2022-05-12 14:43

Riding high on momentum, RCB could be too strong for inconsistent Punjab

Mumbai, May 12 (Cricket News) Royal Challengers Bangalore, who have found much-needed momentum towards the business end of IPL, will back themselves to ride past an inconsistent Punjab Kings and get closer to a play-off spot here on Friday.

Having put up complete performances in their last two games, RCB seemed to have figured out their best combination. Barring Virat Kohli, all of their batters are in top form with uncapped Rajat Patidar and Mahipal Lomror complementing seasoned pros like skipper Faf du Plessis, Glenn Maxwell and Dinesh Karthik, who has been among the best finishers in the tournament alongside Gujarat's Rahul Tewatia.

The bowling packs a punch too in the presence of in-form pacers Josh Hazlewood and the ever-reliable Harshal Patel. Mohammad Siraj has not been at his best but trust him to deliver when the team wants it the most.

Maxwell has been handy with his off-spin, both in powerplay and middle overs, while Wanindu Hasaranga is among the leading wicket-takers in the tournament with 21 scalps including a five-wicket haul.

"What we are trying to get better as a team is making sure that one of those top-four creates a bit of a base. We have got some really strong hitters at the back. "The games where we didn't do so well, there was a big cluster of wickets in the powerplay. Obviously need some stability but at the same time you gonna make sure you don't go into defensive mode," said du Plessis after the massive win over SRH.

Kohli, who is in the middle of his worst IPL season, is due for an impact knock and that could come against Punjab. A win on Friday would take RCB to 16 points though 18 seems to be a safe number for a play-off berth.

Punjab, who have three games left, need to win all to have a shot at the top-four finish. They had started their campaign with a win over RCB and are on 10 points with five wins and six losses.

The fact that they have not been able to win two games in a row sums up their inconsistent run. Shikhar Dhawan and Bhanuka Rajapaksa have delivered at the top, so has Liam Livingstone and Jitesh Sharma in finishing the innings. Jonny Bairstow finally got runs after being promoted to open the innings alongside Dhawan.

Skipper Mayank Agarwal, who has moved himself down the order, needs to lead from the front.

On the bowling front, Sandeep Sharma has been tidy but could do with some wickets in the powerplay. Lead pacer Kagiso Rabada has done well to take 18 wickets but has gone for close to 9 runs per over.

Arshdeep Singh has been brilliant, especially in the death overs, and has impressed many with his ability to land yorkers at will.

Despite a solid squad at their disposal, Punjab have flattered to deceive and they must raise their game before it is too late yet again.

Teams (From): 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, Siddharth Kaul.

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

Match starts 7:30PM IST.

Also Read : It was communicated to me properly that I will be used higher up in batting order: Ashwin

News Source : PTI

2022-05-12 14:21

It was communicated to me properly that I will be used higher up in batting order: Ashwin

Navi Mumbai, May 12 (Cricket News) Ravichandran Ashwin says the work done on his batting technique before the start of the season has yielded results in the IPL, where Rajasthan Royals have given him the opportunity to bat higher up the order.

Batting at no 3, Ashwin smashed a 38-ball 50 against Delhi Capitals here on Wednesday night, albeit in a losing cause.

"No license has been given. Starting from the season it was communicated to me properly that I will be used as a batter up the order. We had a few practice games where I opened also.

"Have worked a lot on my batting so it's nice to see whatever has been worked on translates into the field," the veteran off-spinner said during the post-match press conference.

Talking more about the work he put in before the IPL, he said:"I was in good batting rhythm before the start of the season. Worked a little bit on my batting, like tried to transfer my body wait forward, made a little switch on my technique. Pretty good feel about the knock but it didn't come at a winning cause." RR are currently placed third in the standings with 14 points from 12 games, while DC are positioned at fifth spot with 12 points from as many games.

And Ashwin said RR need to bounce back strongly in their remaining two games to ensure their place in the play-offs.

"Back end of the tournament is always pressure. Hopefully, we can turn it on and string a couple of wins together," he said.

Mitchell Marsh finally got his form back with an all-round show to guide DC to a comfortable win.

After the bowlers restricted RR to 160 for six, Marsh's 62-ball 89 and David Warner's unbeaten 52 off 41 balls helped DC overhaul the target with 11 balls to spare. Marsh also picked up two wickets with the ball.

"In the powerplay the ball was swinging and nipping around, so one of the tougher powerplay I have batted since I started playing T20 cricket. We assessed that we have to get through powerplay unscatched," Marsh said.

Marsh also heaped praise on fellow Australian and DC teammate Warner.

"I just love batting with Davey (Warner). We have had a lot of great partnerships.

"He is someone I have looked upto for a long time now and I feel very lucky over the last 18 months I was able to bat with him a lot," he said.

Also Read : Struggling MI take on CSK in the IPL El Classico in match no 59

News Source : PTI

2022-05-12 13:55

Struggling MI take on CSK in the IPL El Classico in match no 59

(Cricket news) For the majority of the 14 seasons before 2022, Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians have dominated the league with 9 titles between them, and have raised the roof whenever their paths have crossed. Although this season has not been smooth sailing for both the teams as they occupy the bottom two places in the table. For MI, their star player Suryakumar Yadav is out for the season, same applies to CSK with Ravindra Jadeja.

CSK dealt with a major blow when their former captain Jadeja was ruled out for the season with a rib injury. In the batting department, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway are forming a terrific opening pair. The two have put together one half-century and two century stands in just four innings. Along with that the finishing skills of MS Dhoni are coming in handy as he is only proving to the world that age is just a number. In the bowling department, Mukesh Choudhary seems to have turned the page after a poor start to the season and is their leading wicket taker this season, last match we saw Simranjeet Singh also perform well along with some season pros in the side. For CSK, Dwayne Bravo will hold the key as he has dismissed Rohit five times in the IPL before.

For MI, Suryakumar Yadav who has been the most successful batter this season for them, has been ruled out of the remainder of the tournament with a forearm injury he suffered during the match against Gujarat Titans. In the batting department MI is clearly struggling to get any real partnerships going, the top order as well as the middle order have failed miserably this season. Mumbai can try out uncapped South African Tristan Stubbs in the playing XI as he could replace Ramandeep Singh, with Basil Thampi coming in for Riley Meredith to keep the overseas players' count to four. The batting really needs some reinforcements and Stubbs can bring that unknown quality to the table as the CSK bowlers must not have seen too much of him.

In the bowling department both Kieron Pollard and Jasprit Bumrah will be the key, Pollard has dismissed Conway three times in 17 balls for just 17 runs. He has been successful against Robin Uthappa also with three dismissals in 32 balls for only 42 runs. Against Moeen Ali, he has two dismissals in 25 balls for 25 runs. Bumrah fresh after his fifer against KKR, will look to get the better of Shivam Dube as he has dismissed him twice and scored just 10 runs in 17 balls against him.

Pitch and weather report: The Wankhede Stadium has historically been a high scoring venue with chasing being easier considering it's a small ground and dew playing a major part but the last two matches, the team batting first have won the match. The pacers will get a lot of pace and bounce with the new ball but once the ball becomes old, batting will be easier. The temperature is going to hover around 30 degrees with 10% chance of rain

Interesting facts:

MS Dhoni has scored 710 runs at a strike rate of 130.8 against MI in the tournament
Rohit Sharma has near-identical numbers against CSK - 752 runs at a strike rate of 125.3, including seven half-centuries
In IPL 2022, Pollard has scored only 144 runs in 11 innings at an average of 14.40 and a strike rate of 107.46.
Rohit Sharma has been dismissed 4 times against spin this season, scoring only 33 runs off 32 balls.
MS Dhoni will be batting his 200th innings for Chennai Super Kings in T20 cricket
Robin Uthappa (4951) is 49 runs away from completing 5000 runs in the tournament
Jasprit Bumrah (248) needs two scalps to complete 250 wickets in the T20 matches.
Devon Conway (3996) needs just four runs to complete the landmark of 4000 runs in T20 cricket.

Also read: Marsh's all-round heroics power DC to eight-wicket win over RR

Probable XI for CSK:
1 Ruturaj Gaikwad, 2 Devon Conway, 3 Moeen Ali, 4 Robin Uthappa, 5 Shivam Dube, 6 Ambati Rayudu, 7 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 8 Dwayne Bravo, 9 Simarjeet Singh, 10 Maheesh Theekshana, 11 Mukesh Choudhary

Probable XI for MI:
1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Ishan Kishan (wk), 3 Tilak Varma, 4 Tristan Stubbs/Ramandeep Singh, 5 Tim David, 6 Kieron Pollard, 7 Daniel Sams, 8 Hrithik Shokeen, 9 Kumar Kartikeya, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Basil Thampi/Riley Meredith

2022-05-12 12:39

Marsh's all-round heroics power DC to eight-wicket win over RR

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

News Source : PTI

2022-05-11 16:11

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

Mumbai, May 11 (Cricket News) High price-tag does create an unimaginable pressure and that's the reason why IPL auction's costliest buy Ishan Kishan was advised by current India captain Rohit Sharma and his predecessor Virat Kohli not to lose sleep over something which is not under his control.

Mumbai Indians re-bought Ishan from the auction at a staggering price of Rs 15.25 crore but so far, there hasn't been return on investment with the Jharkhand dasher accumulating only 321 runs.

Kishan agreed that price-tag pressure does play on one's mind for a first few days but his Team Indian seniors have specifically told him not to fret too much on the issue.

"Price tag pressure will remain for a few days but then one feels the pressure then it's always good to speak to the seniors and share your worries," Ishan said ahead of MI's match against Chennai Super Kings.

"So many seniors like Rohit (Sharma), Virat bhai (Virat Kohli) and Hardik bhai (Pandya) said I should not think about the price tag, because this is not something I have asked for.

"If someone has believed (in me), they have done it (bid that amount)." At the highest level, one can't think too much about these things as the focus is on trying to guide the side to victory.

"Instead of thinking about price-tag, it is important how I think about improving my game and be in that zone. It helped that I spoke to the seniors as they all have been through that phase and could relate with what I wa feeling." He does feel a touch lighter after his conversations with Rohit and Virat.

"Now I feel light and price-tag is secondary now. It's immaterial if you are sold for a base price of Rs 1 crore or for a premium bid of Rs 15.25 core. What is important is to help your team win and also help others in achieving that goal." Captain, coach asked me to play my natural game ---------------------------------------------------- Ishan said that skipper Rohit and head coach Mahela Jayawardene asked him to play his natural game.

"The captain and the coach asked me to play my (natural) game. Everyone has roles in the team and for me it was giving good starts and if I am set, then I have to try not to get out in 30s and 40s and convert them into big scores," said the left-handed batter.

Also Read : Mumbai Indians to play for pride, Chennai Super Kings survival

News Source : PTI

2022-05-11 15:54

Mumbai Indians to play for pride, Chennai Super Kings survival

Mumbai, May 11 (Cricket News) Their IPL play-off hopes hanging by a thread, Chennai Super Kings will face their fiercest rivals, a down and out Mumbai Indians, in their bid to stay afloat in the competition here on Thursday.

This has been a season to forget for both Mumbai and CSK. While Mumbai will be playing for pride, CSK still have an outside chance to progress if they win their remaining games and other results go their way.

CSK will be eliminated if they lose to Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium.

The M S Dhoni-led side would take confidence from their 91-run win over Delhi Capitals in their last outing and hope the batters build on their brilliant showing. Opener Devon Conway is in sublime form and has hit three back-to-back half centuries. He tore apart the Delhi Capitals attack with his whirlwind 87 and would need to provide an aggressive start with fellow opener Ruturaj Gaikwad, who too has found form but can be more consistent.

The season got worse for Ravindra Jadeja who was left out for the last game against Delhi due to an injury after handing back the captaincy to Dhoni. It remains to be seen if he is back in action against Mumbai.

If CSK have to post a big score, like they did against DC, all batters will have to fire in unison.

Last time when the two sides met, a vintage Dhoni, 'the best finisher' sealed the game on the last ball of the game.

CSK bowlers were right on the money when they bundled DC for 117. Tweaker Moeen Ali picked three wickets, while young pacers Mukesh Choudhary and Simarjeet Singh also fared well.

The trio will need to once again deliver along with key spinner Maheesh Theekshana, whose four overs can also change the game's fate. Another important cog is Bravo, who has the knack of breaking partnerships.

For Mumbai, all the remaining games are 'dead rubbers' and they would need to give a 'complete performance' with an improved batting show.

Skipper Rohit Sharma' (200 runs) will need to lead from the front and Ishan Kishan (321 runs) can build on his half century in the last game. MI's middle order batters, which crumbled against KKR, will also need to get the act right.

With Suryakumar Yadav ruled out, the likes of Tilak Varma, Tim David, Ramandeep Singh and Kieron Pollard, who has been a failure, will need to take greater responsibility.

In bowling, Bumrah found his mojo back and clinched a maiden five-wicket haul in IPL history. But he needs support from other bowlers -- Daniel Sams, Riley Meredith and Kumar Kartikeya Singh, who will need to contain the CSK batters.

While Mumbai would eye revenge, for Chennai the game is about "survival".

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

Chennai Super Kings: MS Dhoni (Captain), Ravindra Jadeja, Moeen Ali, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Dwayne Bravo, Ambati Rayadu, Robin Uthappa, Mitchell Santner, Chris Jordan, Adam Milne, Devon Conway, Shivam Dube, Dwaine Pretorius, Maheesh Theekshana, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Tushar Deshpande, KM Asif, C Hari Nishaanth, N Jagadeesan, Subhranshu Senapati, K Bhagath Verma, Prashant Solanki, Simarjeet Singh, Mukesh Choudhary. Match starts at 7.30 PM.

Also Read : Playoff hopefuls DC take on Hetmyer less RR in match no 58

News Source : PTI

2022-05-11 13:30

Playoff hopefuls DC take on Hetmyer less RR in match no 58

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

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

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

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

Interesting facts:

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

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

Probable XI for RR:

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

Probable XI for DC:

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

2022-05-11 12:03

Want to have focus and concentration levels of Pujara: Rizwan

London, May 11 (Cricket News) Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan wishes to have focus and concentration levels of his County teammate Cheteshwar Pujara as he looks to improve as a red-ball cricketer.

Pujara has made a strong case for a Test comeback with two hundreds and as many double hundreds in his campaign for Sussex in County Championship Division 2.

The Indo-Pak pairing had shared a 154-run stand against Durham earlier this month and they playing for the same team has also attracted a lot of positive attention on social media.

Rizwan, who was named the ICC Player of the Year for 2021, rates Pakistan's Younis Khan and Fawad Alam very highly when it comes to batting with unwavering concentration but he has now added Pujara to the list.

"...As far as myself and Pujara are concerned, I didn't feel anything strange (on the lines of India-Pakistan rivalry).

"And hopefully, if you ask him, his answer will be the same as mine. Although I do share a laugh with him and tease him (laughs) and everyone in the team knows this," Rizwan told Cricwick when asked about the time spend with the India veteran.

Heaping praise on Pujara, Rizwan said: "He is a very nice and loving guy. And his concentration and focus too... If you get a chance to learn something, you should do it.

"In terms of concentration levels and I told this to the coaches here too. In my whole career, the players with most focus, concentration are Younis bhai, Fawad Alam and his (Pujara's).

"Pujara is second on my list and Fawad Alam on three in terms of pure concentration and focus. I rate these three players very highly." Regular white-ball cricket can affect your discipline in the longer-format and Rizwan said advice from Pujara helped him on that front.

"...in terms of the focus and concentration levels, there is a time when that starts dropping low ... I will try to figure how these three players have so intense focus and concentration. I keep on talking with Younis bhai, I couldn't talk much with Fawad recently on this.

"And with Pujara, I had a chat with him after I got out early. He told me a few things and one of them was to play close to the body. And as everyone knows, we have been playing white-ball cricket consistently over the past few years and play a bit away from our body." Rizwan said "in white-ball, you don't play very close to your body since the ball doesn't swing or seam as much." "So early on here, I played away from my body and got out twice in a similar way," he said.

"Then I went over to meet him in the nets and I remember him saying that when we play in Asia, we force the ball to play the drive. Here, we don't need to do that. And we need to play close to the body. So these are the things which he told me and whatever he learned from me, he can tell (laughs)."

Also Read : We just wanted to be ruthless during games and relax after that, says GT skipper Hardik

News Source : PTI

2022-05-11 10:43

We just wanted to be ruthless during games and relax after that, says GT skipper Hardik

Pune, May 10 (Cricket News) A "proud" Gujarat Titans skipper Hardik Pandya on Tuesday said his side's plan to be ruthless on the field and relax post-game paid rich dividends as they beat Lucknow Super Giants by 62 runs to become the first team to qualify for the IPL play-offs here.

Newcomers GT ensured their place in the last-four with 18 points from 12 games, while LSG are a close second with 16 points from 12 matches and need a win to secure their play-off berth.

"Really, really proud of the boys. It is a great effort to qualify before the 14th game in this league. We just wanted to be ruthless today, and relax post game," Hardik said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

The win came after back-to-back defeats for GT and Hardik said his side learnt a lot from their last game.

"To be honest, in the last game, we kind of thought that the game was over before it was over. We were always under pressure in all the other games that we won, and we felt that we'd finish off the last game with the kind of batting we had. That was learning we took," he said.

"I always feel that if you lose a game like the one we lost in our last game, we win and lose games as a team. Yes, we did not do what we wanted to do. We messed it up, but we messed it up as a team." Defending 145, GT bowled out LSG for 82 in 13.5 overs and Hardik was full of praise for his bowling unit.

"Our bowlers did everything that we asked of them, and we ticked all boxes today." While LSG skipper KL Rahul lauded the performance of his bowlers, he came down hard on the batting unit for its below-par show.

"It looked like a tricky wicket, that's how it's played here for the last 2 or 3 games that we have played here. We knew it was a low-scoring game, we knew it was a tricky and challenging pitch, we bowled really well. Restricting a team under 150 on any pitch is commendable and the bowlers did their job," Rahul said.

"We should have batted a lot better. Some poor shot selections, a run-out didn't help, good learning for us, hopefully we can learn from a loss like this. Sometimes you need a little bit of a reminder to keep turning up every game and keep trying to do our best," he said.

Afghan spinner Rashid Khan, who starred with the ball for GT with figures of 4 for 24, feels he eventually got his line and length on Tuesday, which was missing in the initial few matches, resulting in fewer wickets for him.

"Those couple of games which did not go well was all about my line and length. That was something I was missing in those games.

"The pace I bowl and action I have, I cannot afford to lose my line and length, it was about focusing on hitting the right area. The wicket was helping today with bounce and turn, but overall it was about bowling in the right areas," Rashid said.

Man-of-the-match Shubman Gill, who top-scored with an unbeaten 63 off 49 balls, was pleased with his performance but said he faced a bit of back issues during his knock.

He, however, ruled out any major problem with his back and expects to be ready for the next game.

"Always pleasing when you're there till the end and finish the game for your team. Not a lot of people gave us a chance at the start, but great to qualify now. The ground was soft and I had a bit of back issues, but hopefully it would all be fine by the next match," he said.

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

News Source : PTI

2022-05-11 09:44

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

Pune, May 10 (Cricket News) Gujarat Titans returned to winning ways after back-to-back losses and became the first team to seal their place in the play-offs by defeating Lucknow Super Giants by 62 runs in an Indian Premier League match here on Tuesday.

Even though LSG did a decent job with the ball to restrict GT to 144 for 4 after being asked to bowl, the KL Rahul-led side flopped with the bat as they were bowled out for 82 in 13.5 overs.

Rashid Khan (4/24) starred with the ball for GT, while Yash Dayal (2/24) and R Sai Kishore (2/7) picked up two wickets each.

Earlier, opening batter Shubman Gill hit a fine half-century but LSG produced a disciplined bowling effort to restrict GT to the modest score. Gill remained not out on 63 off 49 balls with the help of seven fours but lacked support from the other end. He was left stranded as GT's next highest scorer was David Miller (26).

Avesh Khan (2/26) picked up two wickets for LSG, while Mohsin Khan (1/18) and Jason Holder (1/44) scalped one apiece.

GT sealed their play-off berth, reaching 18 points from 12 games. The defeat snapped LSG's five-match winning streak but they are still comfortably placed in the second spot with 16 points and need just a win to book their last-four berth.

LSG made a slow start to their chase and their problems were further compounded after they lost Quinton de Kock (11) and skipper KL Rahul (8) in consecutive overs to slump to 24 for 2 after four overs.

While Yash Dayal accounted for De Kock, Rahul top-edged a Mohammed Shami short delivery to Wriddhiman Saha behind the stumps.

Debutant Karan Sharma didn't help his cause either, handing a catch to David Miller inside the circle to give Dayal his second scalp of the day.

Introduced into the attack in the eighth over, Rashid Khan struck with his third delivery, foxing Krunal Pandya with a googly and Saha was quick to whip off the bails.

With wickets falling in quick succession from the start, LSG never got any momentum to their chase, reaching 58 for 4 at the halfway stage.

The ever-rising asking rate led to the downfall of Ayush Badoni (8), who was stumped by Saha off R Sai Kishore.

LSG's scorecard cut a sorry figure as the likes of Marcus Stoinis (2) and Jason Holder (1) too failed to rise to the occasion.

Deepak Hooda top-scored for LSG with a struggling 26-ball 27.

Earlier, GT's decision to bat first after winning the toss backfired big time as they lost Wriddhiman Saha (5) and Matthew Wade (10) cheaply with the scoreboard reading just 24 inside five overs.

With wickets tumbling from the other end, Gill went about his business cautiously and in the company of skipper Hardik Pandya shared 27 runs for the third wicket before the latter departed, edging one to Quinton de Kock behind the stumps to give Avesh his second wicket of the day.

Once Hardik departed, Gill took the onus on himself and upped the ante, first chopping Avesh to the square boundary and then reverse-swept Krunal Pandya to the third-man fence in the next over.

But thereafter, both Gill and Miller failed to open their arms as Mohsin and Krunal bowled tight line and length to stem the run flow.

Miller finally broke the shackles in the third delivery of the 16th over with a huge six off Jason Holder over extra cover, in what was the first maximum of the innings.

Miller, however, perished in the final ball of the over, caught by Ayush Badoni as he slashed one straight to deep third man.

Gill, on the other hand, went about his innings in a smooth fashion and brought up his fifty in 42 balls with a single off Dushmantha Chameera.

Once he reached his fifty, Gill opened up and struck Chameera for back-to-back boundaries to pick up 14 runs from the 17th over.

Rahul Tewatia (22 not out off 16 balls) used the long handle to good effect in the final over, smashing Holder for three boundaries to take the score close to the 150-run mark.

Also Read : Shubman Gill hits half-century, but LSG restrict GT to modest 144/4

News Source : PTI

2022-05-10 17:03

I try to learn one new shot every year: Jitesh Sharma on his range of strokes and stellar IPL debut

New Delhi, May 10 (Cricket News) Jitesh Sharma, one of the finds of IPL 2022, has attributed his wide range of strokes to his penchant for learning a new shot "every year".

The 28-year-old wicketkeeper batter, who has been playing limited overs cricket for Vidarbha since 2014, has grabbed attention with his audacious strokeplay for Punjab Kings. Not only he has established himself in the playing eleven after making his IPL debut, Punjab have relied heavily on him and Liam Livingstone to finish games.

In his seven innings, including three 30-plus scores, Jitesh has scored 162 runs at a strike rate of 167.

After his 18-ball 38 in the last game Rajasthan Royals, the great Virender Sehwag backed his inclusion in the Indian team for the T20 World Cup as a reserve keeper batter. "Grateful that Sehwag sir has said this about it me but I can only do what is in my control and selection is certainly not," the soft-spoken cricketer told PTI on Tuesday.

"I didn't expect that I would have a season like this. As a cricketer you can only try to have the right mindset and focus on performance, the rest is uncontrollable. That is what I tried to do." Jitesh has impressed with his ability to find the boundaries all around the ground. In the last game, he beautifully flicked in-form leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal for a six and two balls later, he flat batted Prasidh Krishna's slower ball over the mid-off fielder.

Jitesh has not done a lot of experimentation in the IPL but makes a conscious effort to learn a new shot every year. He has mixed skills and power effectively to play multiple impact innings for Punjab over the course of the season.

"I have worked hard on this (on his range of strokes). Playing straight is my strength. It is down to preparation again. I also try to learn a new shot every year or learn something new." His big-hitting skills have been enhanced under the guidance of Punjab's power-hitting coach Julian Wood.

"While during tournaments I don't try to do anything different. What I have known all these years I am doing that only.

"There are minor changes I have made including in my power game, the right posture and having a strong base. This is what our power coach has taught us." He doesn't have a go-to shot but he loves hitting the straight drive.

"My favourite shot is a shot which gives me maximum runs. I don't mind even when I nick one to the boundary. I don't have a go-to shot but I really like playing the straight drive," said Jitesh.

He also feels that skill and power in the modern game go hand in hand.

"Every technical batter is a power-hitter. Cricket is a mixture of technique and power. If you can add power to a sound technical game, it can only be good." In his own franchise, he is getting to learn a lot from Livingstone on the power aspect of batting while he is picking Jonny Bairstow's brains on wicketkeeping. Outside that, he also got to speak with his role model M S Dhoni.

"I have also learned a lot from Amabati Rayudu when he was a professional player with Vidrabha.

"At Punjab, Livingstone talks to me about how to bat on different surfaces, who to attack and when. He is also very relaxed while batting, that is another thing I have picked up from him.

"With Jonny, since he knows about keeping in all conditions, the talk is mainly about the glove work and leg movement.

"Amongst other teams, I was lucky to get some time with Mahi bhai. I have also learnt a lot by just observing him over the years. He just told me to 'play situations' as the result is not in your control." He has already attracted attention like never before with his exploits in the IPL but Jitesh has stuck to what brought him success in domestic cricket. "In domestic cricket too you tend to hit from ball one but in IPL you don't get as many loose balls. The bowlers are much quicker and more consistent at this level." After Sehwag's endorsement, has he started thinking about the India cap? "Every cricketer wants to play for India and I am no different. But there is no additional pressure on me as I am someone who thinks about preparation and don't look beyond the next game which we have against RCB (on Friday)."

Also Read : Pant should bat in the 'Russell mode'; just smack, no matter who the bowler is, says Shastri

News Source : PTI

2022-05-10 16:43

Pant should bat in the 'Russell mode'; just smack, no matter who the bowler is, says Shastri

New Delhi, May 10 (Cricket News) Former India coach Ravi Shastri says Rishabh Pant must bat in the "Andre Russell mode" in T20 format and not change the tempo once he gets going so that he can win more matches for his side, Delhi Capitals.

The Southpaw has collected 281 runs in 11 matches at a strike rate of 152.71 but has struggled to convert his starts into meaningful contributions.

The 24-year-old wicketkeeper-batter is having an underwhelming IPL season. He has shown glimpses of his destructive power but could not take the team over the line like he has done umpteen times in the past.

"I feel once he gets the tempo going he shouldn't change, he should be in the Russell mould in this format of the game," Shastri said on ESPNcricinfo's 'T20 Time Out'.

"You get your eye in, you're striking it well - don't think too much. No matter who the bowler is, if it's there to be smacked, smack it. Who knows, you might win more matches than people expect you to." Shastri feels what sets Rusell, one the most destructive batters in T20 cricket, apart from the other is the clarity of mindest, which will also serve Pant, who is capable of playing belligerent knocks, well.

"Russell is very, very clear in his mindset. It is bang-bang-bang once he's in the mood. There's no stopping him, there's not even a negative thought that will peep through his system - it is (all about) smacking.

"Rishabh is totally capable of playing in that fashion, and I hope he thinks in that way because you'll see some special innings from him in T20 cricket." "He's getting off to starts and then getting out in a manner which he wouldn't like, but I don't think he should change his tempo," added Shastri.

Former New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori feels Pant is his best when he is reckless and pummelling the opposition.

"Rishabh Pant is almost at his best when he's reckless, and we've seen him play some exceptional innings when he just continues to take teams down time and time again," Vettori said.

The Capitals have lacked a quality finisher and Pant has adopted a conservative approach out of a sense of responsibility.

"It's a team game, you don't expect an individual to go and win the game all the time. But in that short period of time, if he does the damage, there's enough damage to bring that required rate from say 12 an over to 10 an over. Then it's for the other guys to take it home," Vettori added.

The Capitals need to win all their three remaining matches to get to the play-offs and Shastri wants Pant to bat at number 3.

"I'd like to see him bat at three for Delhi Capitals, especially now when the heat is on, when they've got to win. Let him go and smack it."

Also Read : Jasprit Bumrah's timely return to form is a blessing for team India

News Source : PTI

2022-05-10 13:58

Delhi Capitals aim to bounce back against Rajasthan Royals

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Match starts 7.30 IST.

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

News Source : PTI

2022-05-10 12:56

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

(Cricket news) LSG have been one of the most consistent sides this season, stringing eight victories in 11 games, same as fellow IPL debutants Gujarat Titans. These two sides will face off for the second time, as the winner this time will become the first team to qualify for the playoffs of IPL 2022. LSG have won four on the trot while the Titans who had a five-game winning streak, have lost two successive games and will be eager to get back to form.

LSG have been heavily reliant on their top order to get the majority of the runs as KL Rahul and Quinton De Kock have formed a formidable partnership. They have also found the solution to their No.3 problem in the form of Deepak Hooda who has managed scores of 41, 52 and 34 in their last three games. Marcus Stoinis has been used as a floater in the teams as in the last match we saw him score 14-ball 28 which is a sign of things to come as the Australian is yet to make a big impact in this tournament. In the bowling department, the pace bowlers Avesh Khan, Mohsin Khan, Dushmantha Chameera and Jason Holder, have picked up 44 wickets which has highlighted the collective nature of LSG's pace bowling arsenal. Although the spin duo of Krunal Pandya and Ravi Bishnoi have failed to pick up wickets at regular intervals, they have restricted the batters to low run rates in their overs. Avesh Khan could be the key against Shubman Gill, having conceded only 25 runs off the 28 balls he has bowled to the opener while he has also dismissed him twice.

GT are entering this fixture on the back of two defeats and will like to go back to winning ways again. Even though they lost these two matches, Hardik Pandya and co. can take out some positives as Shubman Gill and the captain are back amongst the runs after failures in the recent games. A stable batter at No. 3 is still a concern for them, but Sai Sudarshan's 65 against PBKS gave them some encouragement. Their lower middle order has been the reason behind winning games as David Miller, Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan have kept Titans in the race for the playoffs. In the bowling department, the GT management will be a bit worried after Mohammed Shami's expensive outings in the recent games as they will be hoping he gets back on track quickly. Rashid Khan will be key as he has dismissed Rahul three times, with the batter having a strike rate of only 76.64 against the leg spinner off the 43 balls he has faced.

Pitch and weather report: Both the teams are undefeated in Pune as the pitch over the last few matches suggest that it is on the slower side. If the batsmen can negate the early pace and bounce, then batting becomes easy, like we saw when Ruturaj Gaikwad scored 99. The temperature is going to hover around 28 degrees with a 10% chance of rain.

Interesting facts:

Gujarat Titans have been the best chasing team this season, having won five out of the six times they have batted second.
Marcus Stoinis has batted in five different positions in his eight innings so far in IPL 2022, with his 38* off 17 at No. 8 against RR being his highest.
Mohammed Shami has dismissed both KL Rahul and Quinton De Kock thrice in the IPL.
Saha has an average of 51.7 against pacers this season.
Lockie Ferguson's economy has jumped to 10 in the last six matches, after having conceded 7.7 runs an over in the first five matches.
Chameera is two short of completing 100 wickets in T20s.
Quinton de Kock is one half-century away from overtaking Kamran Akmal (48) to own the record of most fifty-plus scores by a wicketkeeper in T20 cricket.
Hardik Pandya (46) needs four scalps to complete 50 wickets in the IPL.

Also read: Bumrah was special but batters let us down, says MI skipper Rohit

Probable XI for LSG:

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

Probable XI for GT:

1 Shubman Gill, 2 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 3 B Sai Sudharsan, 4 Hardik Pandya (capt), 5 David Miller, 6 Rahul Tewatia, 7 Rashid Khan, 8 Alzarri Joseph, 9 Lockie Ferguson, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Pradeep Sangwan

2022-05-10 11:38

There is lot of noise outside, but that doesn't affect me: Bumrah

Navi Mumbai, May 10 (Cricket News) Mumbai Indians pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who picked his maiden fifer in the IPL, said he is happy with his rhythm in the ongoing season and the "noise outside" doesn't affect him personally.

Despite the five-wicket haul, Bumrah has been able to take only 10 wickets in this IPL season from 11 matches.

"Look we prepare for the tournament and we have our process, we don't look at the end result," Bumrah said at the post-match press conference after MI lost to KKR by 52 runs.

"If you understand the game, you have to really observe what's going on, what is the game like, what situation you are bowling like, and for me personally I was very happy with the rhythm going on throughout the tournament." Bumrah bowled exceptionally well to restrict KKR to 165 for 9, but the MI batters faltered yet again, as the team suffered its ninth loss in eleven games.

"I know there is a lot of noise outside that goes on but it doesn't really affect me. Because I am not a person who judges my performance on what others think or what the experts are saying or whatever people want to say," he said.

Bumrah hasn't been able to pick wickets consistently this season but the pacer said the way he contributes to the team is more important for him.

"I look at my personal evaluation is very important, I look at the processes that I have to follow and I look at the end result on how I can contribute to the team, by sometimes bowling a good over and however I can help the team.

"So this is how I play cricket and this is how I always wanted to play cricket and that is how I will do (play) going further as well." 'Searching for complete performance' ================================== Mumbai are already out of the play-offs race and Bumrah admitted that the team was still searching for a "complete performance".

"You said it right, we didn't manage to close games, in a lot of games, we came very close and we crumbled in crucial scenarios. This is a new team and our youngsters are understanding and making their game better,” said Bumrah, one of the senior members.

"This is not an excuse that you lost because of it. But when new youngsters come they take time to understand their game. We are searching for a complete performance and we are trying and working hard, but it hasn’t worked this time,” he added.

Bumrah said MI will look to put up a good show in the remaining three matches.

"In the remaining games, our focus is to give an ideal performance where everything clicks and how we can come in the best case scenario," he signed off.

Also Read : India to play 3 T20s at home against Australia in September

News Source : PTI

2022-05-10 10:25

Kolkata Knight Riders remain in competition with big win over Mumbai Indians

Navi Mumbai, May 9 (Cricket News) Kolkata Knight Riders finally found the team balance they were looking for to outclass Mumbai Indians by 52 runs here on Monday and keep their slim IPL play-off hopes alive. Lead Mumbai Indians pacer Jasprit Bumrah picked up his maiden five-wicket haul in IPL history to restrict KKR to 165 for nine after fine knocks from Venkatesh Iyer (43 off 24) and Nitish Rana (43 off 24).

Barring a 43-ball 51 from Ishan Kishan, Mumbai batters struggled to get going in the chase as their innings ended at 113 all out in 17.3 overs.

KKR finally played Tim Southee (1/10) and Pat Cummins (3/22) together and the move worked with the seasoned pacers sharing four wickets. Andre Russell too chipped in with couple of wickets.

Another big positive was the return to form of Venkatesh Iyer, who had to be dropped earlier in the competition due to his lean run after a sensational debut season in 2021. While MI were already out of the play-off race, KKR, who have five wins from 12 games, can still sneak into the top four with two games remaining.

In the run chase, Mumbai skipper Rohit Sharma (2) fell to a controversial DRS call in the first over after the on-field adjudged him not out for a caught behind appeal.

Going by TV replays, the UltraEdge spike came just before the ball went past the bat but the on field call was overturned, leaving Rohit shake his head in frustration.

Earlier, KKR openers Venkatesh and Ajinkya Rahane (25 off 24 balls) added 60 runs in just 5.4 overs after they were put into bat but the Shreyas Iyer-led side failed to capitalise on that promising start.

Rana blazed his way to a 26-ball 43, with three boundaries and four sixes, but it was Bumrah (5/10), who took five wickets in two overs, to put the brakes on KKR, who suffered a middle-order collapse.

In the 15th over, Bumrah removed Russell (9) and Rana and then clinched three wickets -- Sheldon Jackson (5), Cummins (0) and Sunil Narine (0), in the 18th over, a maiden, to bring MI back into the game.

Venkatesh smashed three boundaries and four sixes, but perished in the sixth over, giving a sitter to Daniel Sams at point, with spinner Kumar Kartikeya Singh (2/32) getting his first wicket.

Venkatesh was brutal on spinner Murugan Ashwin (1/35), hitting him for his first maximum, a pull shot and then hammered a boundary.

The southpaw then walloped his second six over deep mid-wicket off Daniel Sams (1/26), as KKR raced to 26/0 after three overs. He then targeted Riley Meredith (0/35), hammering him for boundary and a six, a scoop shot, in the fifth over where KKR amassed 17 runs.

Mumbai bowlers conceded only 23 runs from overs 7-10.

Kartikeya cleaned up Rahane, with a full delivery that turned in as the opener was beaten while attempting a reverse-sweep. After Rahane's dismissal, Rana upped the ante and launched into Kartikeya, hitting him for two successive sixes, one over long-on. He then tore into Kieron Pollard, hammering two sixes and a boundary in the 13th over, where the side got 17 runs.

But then it was Bumrah, who wreaked havoc with the ball and firmly brought MI back into the contest.

Also Read : Bumrah's first ever five wicket haul in IPL helps MI limit KKR to 165/9

News Source : PTI

2022-05-09 16:24

Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants look to seal IPL play-off berth in match against each other

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

2022-05-09 15:35

Conway credits Dhoni for big score against DC, says skipper told him to come down and hit straight against spinners

Navi Mumbai, May 9 (Cricket News) Coming down the track and hitting spinners over the ropes was not his biggest strength but CSK opener Devon Conway tried it with great success on captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni's advice in the win against DC in the IPL.

After helping CSK to 91-run win with a 49-ball 87, laced with seven fours and five sixes, Conway revealed that Dhoni’s advice on handling spinners helped him score his third straight half-century this season.

“I have got to give credit to MS actually,” Conway said after the match.

“In the last game, I swept quite a lot, and I unfortunately got out playing the sweep. But he (Dhoni) told me 'I think the guys are going to try to bowl fuller to you tonight. So maybe come out and try to hit them straight.' "He sort of gave me the guideline to try to execute that," the New Zealander said.

Conway, who has scored an unbeaten 85 and 56 in earlier games, usually plays the sweep shot against spin but was dismissed when he attempted one against leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga in CSK's last game against Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Against DC, he not only swept and reverse-swept but also charged at the DC bowlers to hit them down the ground. In all, he stepped down to hit four balls from spinners Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav and all went for sixes.

Another CSK stalwart who has been helping Conway is assistant coach and former Australia batter Mike Hussey with whom the Kiwi chats before matches.

“I think I’ve heard that a few times now, which is quite good,” Conway said at the post-match conference on people comparing him with Hussey.

“To get compared to one of the greats, Mike Hussey... it’s pretty special to be possibly in that bracket.

“He’s got so much knowledge, so much experience. Not only in the IPL, but throughout the world. It’s just very important for me as a player to continue talking to him and learning from him and just getting some guidelines when I need it.” The 30-year-old right-handed batter, who has played seven Tests, three ODIs and 20 T20Is since making his debut in 2021, said he wants to keep things simple.

"For me, the key is to keep very simple, and authentic myself as a player" "My blueprint is simple. In the first six (overs), try to play strong cricket shots, analyse the situation, the surface and the conditions. I just kept up the communication with Rutu (Ruturaj Gaikwad) at the other end.

"He is a class player, he’s really calm at the crease, so him and I have good chats and we complement each other quite nicely in the middle.”

Also Read : I fully back every decision Pant takes on field: Ricky Ponting

News Source : PTI

2022-05-09 15:22

I fully back every decision Pant takes on field: Ricky Ponting

Navi Mumbai, May 9 (Cricket News) Rishabh Pant's on-field decisions as Delhi Capitals captain in the ongoing IPL might have come under the scanner of former players but the wicketkeeper has got the "full backing" of head coach Ricky Ponting, who says "it's easy to make judgment from outside".

Under Pant, DC have won just five of the 11 matches they have played so far, including the 91-run thrashing at the hands of Chennai Super Kings on Sunday.

Pant's bowling changes and selection of bowlers to bowl at crucial periods of matches have been criticised by former players like Virender Sehwag.

But Ponting, a former Australia and Mumbai Indians captain, said he fully backs every decision Pant takes on the field.

"I fully back every decision he (Pant) takes on the field. I being a T20 captain before, I know you don't have a lot of time to think about especially under extreme pressure," Ponting said at the post-match press conference after DC's 91-run loss to CSK.

"It is easy to make judgments from outside but trust me when you are in the middle it is not an easy thing to do." Elaborating on the decision-making process of a captain, the legendary batter said, "A captain makes decisions in a very short time and the decision he takes he thinks is the best for the team at that given time of the match.

"He takes things like boundary size and batsmen at the crease into account when he takes those decisions." He, however, admitted that his side fared poorly in all departments of the game in the loss against CSK.

"Our bowling was not up to the mark, similarly our batting was very very poor. There were not many positives to take from the match. The only positive was Khaleel Ahmed, he was outstanding with the ball again," Ponting said.

"To lose by 91 runs, it will put a huge dent in our net run-rate. It means we need to bounce back really strongly in our next game.” Ponting said DC can still make the play-offs with wins in all the remaining three matches.

"We would think we can make the play-offs with three wins. Eight wins might be enough to get in and one big win might help our net run rate. Who knows we can be in the final.

"That is what we can think of, what happened has happened and we would want to look to the future and look for a rebound from a bad performance." DC have been facing issues related to COVID-19 with a net bowler testing positive for the virus just before the CSK match on Sunday. Some of their players and support staff, as well as Ponting's family member, had also contracted the virus last month.

"That's not an excuse for us. It's not the first time that we've had to deal with it on game day. In one of the earlier games against Punjab Kings we had to deal with the same thing and ended up winning that game really comfortably,” he said.

"We are going to make excuses and we are going to find solutions for the problems we are facing. Although it wasn't ideal preparation, we should have played better cricket. At the end of the day, we let ourselves down."

Also Read : Moody backs pace sensation Umran Malik to come back stronger

News Source : PTI

2022-05-09 14:40

Moody backs pace sensation Umran Malik to come back stronger

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

News Source : PTI

2022-05-09 13:48

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

Navi Mumbai, May 8 (Cricket News) Chennai Super Kings might have had a "perfect game" against Delhi Capitals but skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni doesn't want to lose his sleep over play-off qualifications as he feels that even if they fail in that pursuit, it won't be "end of the world".

CSK beat Delhi Capitals by 91 runs and moved to the eighth position in the league table and will now need to win three games and depend on other results to make it as fourth place entrants in the play-offs.

"If we make the playoffs, great. But even if we don't it's not the end of the world," a pragmatic Dhoni said after completing a 'Capitals Demolition'.

"I am not a big fan of maths. Even in school, I wasn't good at it. Thinking of the net run-rate doesn't help. You just want to enjoy the IPL. When two other teams are playing, you don't want to be under pressure and thinking. You just have to think about what to do in the next game," he said.

However, he did admit that the cricket they are playing now could have been played a few game earlier.

"It would have been better if we would have had a win like this somewhere early. It was a perfect game." We were outplayed in each department: Pant ============================ Rishabh Pant had no hesitation in admitting that his team was outplayed in every department of the game but it was good to get such a one-sided defeat out of the way.

"I think they outplayed us in all departments. As Delhi Capitals, we have played a lot of close games, there had to be a game where there is a massive difference between the two sides and unfortunately we are on the receiving end," he said.

Pant said that the equation is simple for DC from hereon as they must win three games and not depend on any other result to qualify.

"The only thing we can look forward to is the next three matches, if we win them then we will qualify." With a net bowler being found COVID-19 positive and opener Prithvi Shaw in the hospital, Pant agreed that a lot of off-the-field incidents were happening but at the same time wouldn't like to use them as an excuse.

"There is a fair bit going on amongst us, especially COVID-19 and we had few stomach infections, but we are not making an excuse and we just want to keep improving.

"Right now, we can be more positive and that's what we are going to be talking about to the boys, let's be more proactive and let's be in a good frame of mind to make good decisions in the next few matches," he concluded.

Also Read : Struggling KKR take on already out of the playoffs MI in match no 56

News Source : PTI

2022-05-09 13:05

Struggling KKR take on already out of the playoffs MI in match no 56

(Cricket news) It's not the best of times for Kolkata Knight Riders to face MI, seeing that their head-to-head with Mumbai Indians is pretty ordinary, for some reason MI always had their measure against KKR. When KKR played MI this season, Daniel Sams ended the match with an over to forget, as Pat Cummins took 35 off that over to score the joint-fastest half-century in the IPL, but with the majority of the season done, both teams look like out of the playoffs race already.

KKR’s main concern has been selecting a consistent side over the league phase as they have used close to 20 players to play in the playing XI. There have been honest confessions from the head coach Brendon McCullum about being aware that the opposition is testing his batters with a barrage of bouncers, but they haven’t found any answers to counter it as yet. Much like how their woes in the batting powerplay despite trying out five different opening combinations have hampered them from giving them a get start at the top of the order. In the bowling department, Sunil Narine will hold the key as he has the best economy rate of 5.23 in the IPL this year. His record battle against Rohit Sharma will be one to watch out for, he has dismissed him nine times in 170 balls, conceding runs at a rate of 107.65, Tim Southee has also been fairly successful against the MI skipper.

MI will be confident after getting two wins on the board and will be proud of the effort in the last match, where they defended 9 runs of the last over to win against the table topper Gujarat Titans. In terms of batting all the Indian cricket fans would want to see Rohit Sharma score some runs this tournament as he has hardly got going in this year's edition, the MI young guns have been carrying the mantle of scoring the majority of the runs this season. One positive over the two wins was that Tim David played brilliant finishing knocks to take his team to victory as his hefty price tag is finally paying some dividence. In the bowling department, the five-time champions have managed the second-worst economy rate (9.04) of all teams in the middle overs but could exploit KKR’s powerplay struggles. Riley Meredith could be used to test the KKR batters with bouncers as Bumrah vs Russell will be a battle to look out for, he has dismissed the hard-hitting West Indian thrice in 49 balls, conceding runs at a rate of only 134.69.

Pitch and weather report: The DY Patil pitch has been a hard surface as batting becomes easier once the batsman is settled and can negate the early swing. Last match proved that chasing would have its advantages even as Delhi Capitals fell 91 runs short of Chennai Super Kings' score on Sunday evening. The temperature is going to hover around 31 degrees, the conditions are expected to be cloudy with high humidity levels as dew might play a part later on.

Interesting facts:

With 328 runs, Tilak Varma is Mumbai India's leading run-getter of the season so far and the highest run getter for uncapped players
Mumbai have won 22 of their 30 games against Knight Riders. Their win percentage of 73.33, the highest win percentage against another team in IPL history.
In all T20s since the start of 2021, no batter has hit more sixes in the death overs than Tim David (47).
Rohit's average of 19.80 in IPL 2022 is his worst in any season of the tournament.
Mumbai are set to play their 250th T20 match overall.
Shreyas Iyer needs to hit four more sixes to reach 100 sixes in the IPL.
Andre Russell (1972) needs 28 runs to complete 2000 runs in the IPL

Also read: Head coach Brendon McCullum rues KKR's power play struggles

Probable XI for KKR:

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

Probable XI for MI:

1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Ishan Kishan (wk), 3 Suryakumar Yadav, 4 Tilak Varma, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Tim David, 7 Daniel Sams, 8 M Ashwin/Hrithik Shokeen, 9 Jasprit Bumrah, 10 Kumar Kartikeya, 11 Riley Meredith

2022-05-09 11:50

Conway pummels DC attack as Chennai Super Kings score massive 208 for 6

Navi Mumbai, May 8 (Cricket News) Devon Conway continued his red-hot form, smashing his third half-century on the trot as Chennai Super Kings put up an imposing 208 for 6 against Delhi Capitals in an IPL match here on Sunday.

Conway scored 87 off 49 balls with seven fours and five sixes and also added 110 for the opening wicket with Ruturaj Gaikwad (41 off 33 balls) to lay the foundation for a big score.

Conway added another 59 runs for the second wicket with Shivam Dube (32 off 19 balls) before MS Dhoni (21 no off 8 balls) added insult to DC's injuries at the fag end.

The South Africa-born New Zealander has been one of the key players for an ageing CSK side in transition and has responded nicely to captain Dhoni's call of being a like-for-like replacement of Faf du Plessis.

What makes Conway a standout performer among most overseas recruits is his mastery over spinners which is an absolute must to be a consistent success in IPL.

Whether CSK make it to play-off this time or not, Conway in all likelihood will be serving the franchise for the next five years at least.

Along with Gaikwad, Conway showed how aesthetically pleasing stroke-play can destroy the confidence of rival bowlers. There weren't any lap-scoops, switch hits, reverse flicks but shots within the 'V' with immaculate use of feet wile negotiating the spinners. It did help that DY Patil Stadium track resembled a highway due to its flat nature.

Kuldeep Yadav's (3-0-43-0) length was completely in disarray as Conway repeatedly came down the ground to loft the deliveries with disdain.

If the delivery was flighted, Conway would come down the track and hit it down the ground or wide of long-on. If the bowler kept it flat, he would thump it through the covers and if it was fast an full, he would play the conventional sweep shot over deep square leg. The shot that stood out was a cover drive which was more like a slap with minimal back-lift.

Conway's third consecutive fifty came off 27 balls as poor Kuldeep had no clue as to what had hit him. His deliveries were like cannon fodder as he was hit for four fours and two sixes in his first spell.

Conway repeated his 'dancing down the track' act in Kuldeep's second spell with another lofted six.

It didn't help matters that Antich Nortje (4-0-42-3) and Shardul Thakur (3-0-38-0) bowled short during their first spell with Khaleel Ahmed (2/28 in 4 overs) being the only saving grace.

Conway's brutal yet classical assault gave Gaikwad time to gather his composure and play his own game at the other end as CSK reached 100 off 10 overs.

Finally, Gaikwad (41 off 33 balls) was dismissed when DC stuck to their gameplan and the opener was left in a tangle trying to tackle to a 152 kmph bouncer hurled by Nortje.

Also Read : Head coach Brendon McCullum rues KKR's power play struggles

News Source : PTI

2022-05-09 11:22

Women’s World C'ships: India boxers handed mixed draw; Lovlina to begin campaign on opening day

New Delhi, May 8 (Cricket News) Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain will take on former champion Chen Nien-Chin in her opening bout as Indian pugilists were handed a mixed draw in the 12th edition of the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships, starting in Istanbul on Monday.

Borgohain (70kg) will kickstart India’s campaign on Monday, as she will be up against the Chinese Taipei boxer, who won gold and bronze medals in 2018 and 2016 editions respectively.

However, Borgohain, who will be making her first competitive outing since her podium finish at the Tokyo Olympics, will head to the fixture with some confidence having defeated Chen in the Olympic quarterfinals last year.

Two-time Asian champion Pooja Rani (81kg), Nandini and Nikhat Zareen (52kg) have also been handed tough draws in their respective categories.

Pooja will start in the round of 16 against two-time World Championships bronze medallist Timea Nagy of Hungary, while Nandini (+81kg) has received bye in the opening round but will face last edition's bronze medallist Khadija El-Mardi of Morocco in the quarter-finals.

On the other hand, Nikhat will face Mexico's Herrera Alvarez in the opening round and if she wins, she is likely to meet 2021 Asian Championships bronze medallist Lutsaikhan Altantsetseg of Mongolia in the round of 16.

Jaismine (60kg) will lock horns with two-time youth Asian champion Porntip Buapa of Thailand in the opening round.

If the Indian gets past the first hurdle, she may clash against former World Championships bronze medallist Rashida Ellis of USA in the last eight stage.

Among other Indians, Ankushita (66kg) got a comparatively easier draw alongside Nitu (48kg), Anamika (50kg), Shiksha (54kg), Manisha (57kg), Parveen (63kg) and Saweety (75kg).

Ankushita will begin her challenge in the round of 16 after getting bye in the opening round.

The Indians have garnered 36 medals, including nine gold, eight silver and 19 bronze, so far in the 11 editions of the prestigious event.

India’s tally is the third highest after Russia (60) and China (50).

In the last edition held in Russia in 2019, the Indian boxers clinched one silver and three bronze medals.

More than 400 boxers from a record 93 countries are set to take part in this year’s event, which also marks the 20th anniversary of the prestigious event.

Indian squad: Nitu (48kg), Anamika (50kg), Nikhat Zareen (52kg), Shiksha (54kg), Manisha (57kg), Jaismine (60kg), Parveen (63kg), Ankushita (66kg), Lovlina Borgohain (70kg), Saweety (75kg), Pooja Rani (81kg), Nandini (+81kg).

Also Read : Head coach Brendon McCullum rues KKR's power play struggles

News Source : PTI

2022-05-08 12:55

Head coach Brendon McCullum rues KKR's power play struggles

Pune, May 8 (Cricket News) Kolkata Knight Riders were found wanting on more than one front, but head coach Brendon McCullum singled out their struggles in the power play, as a disappointing IPL campaign neared its end.

Former champions KKR suffered their seventh defeat on Saturday night, a 75-run drubbing by Lucknow Super Giants here.

"We struggled in the power play which has been a frustration for us throughout the season," McCullum said, adding that the team needs to find a way to be more aggressive without losing wickets in the first six overs.

The Shreyas Iyer-led side now finds itself on the brink of elimination.

"We've been good throughout the middle phase and not too bad at the death," McCullum said at the post match press conference.

"But in the power play we've been a little stuck and we've to find a method to not lose many wickets and also throw a few punches and get a few boundaries," he reiterated.

KKR have used several opening combinations this season but failed to find the one that clicks. Their openers have not been able to give kind of starts required for teams to win matches.

"If you look around other teams at the top of the table, one of their opening batters is also one of their highest run-scorers. It's an area we haven't been able to settle. Unfortunately, some of the guys haven't been in the form that they would have liked to.

"That happens, sometimes. In a quick tournament, you do have to sometimes change personnel. It's been a little frustrating. But the guys have been working really hard, it hasn't necessarily worked out for us but can't fault their effort." Taking about the chopping and changing of the playing XI throughout the season, the New Zealander said: "Few changes were forced upon us with overseas players joining in late in the tournament plus a couple of injuries and loss of form.

"It's not always easy but we need to find a method to deal with the attacks that come to us." KKR retained Venkatesh Iyer ahead of the auction but the all-rounder, who enjoyed a breakout last season, struggled to put up good performances with the bat and ball and was eventually dropped from the side.

"He did not get as many runs as he would have liked to. We were forced into a situation where we had to look for other options. That's disappointing for someone who has represented India in the last 7-8 months on the back of what was a very good IPL last time in the UAE.

"That's a little bit of frustrating for him as well. He is working hard at the nets, trying to get his form back. That will certainly be a consideration. He is certainly not out of contention for the games to come." McCullum feels teams have done their homework on the all-rounder and figured out how to play him.

"It's Venky's second year. Teams do a little bit more homework, it's been historically the case in this tournament even in international cricket.

"It's an opportunity for Venkatesh to work on his game and improve, to come back stronger.

"He is a real talent, has got a good head on his shoulders. I know he is determined to take that next step and start to perform more regularly," McCullum added.

Also Read : Didn't get the respect I deserved, wasn't treated properly: Gayle on opting out of IPL-15

News Source : PTI

2022-05-07 23:38

De Kock's 50, bowlers take LSG closer to playoff berth with crushing victory over KKR

Pune, May 7 (Cricket News) Quinton de Kock laid the platform with a commanding fifty and his pacers then terrorised Kolkata Knight Riders to record a crushing 75-run victory for Licknow Super Giants which put them on top of the table with an IPL play-off berth being a formality now.

For last year's runners-up KKR, eight points from 11 games with a deflating negative run-rate now puts them closer to the exit door with lacklustre performance and unimaginative captaincy combining for what has turned out to be a disastrous season so far.

Invited to bat, De Kock slammed a 29-ball-50 but Lucknow almost frittered away a solid start before some lusty hitting in a 30-run penultimate over off Shivam Mavi took them to 176 for 7.

The LSG bowlers then raised to the occasion to bundle out KKR for 101 in 14.3 overs, despite the heroics of Andre Russell (45 off 19 balls) to gather two crucial points and take their overall total to 16 points in the IPL standing.

KKR remained at the 8th spot after suffering their 7th loss in 11 games.

Defending 177, LSG left KKR tottering at 25 for four with four bowlers picking up their first wickets. While Mohsin produced a wicket-maiden to get rid of to Baba Indrajith, Chameera sent back Shreyas Iyer after rattling him with a short and quick delivery.

It has now been an all too familiar script for KKR skipper whose discomfort while facing quick bouncers is well-documented and national coach Rahul Dravid would only be worried with this glaring technical deficiency.

Aaron Finch too perished as his miscued pull was poached by de Kock as KKR slipped to 23 for 3 in the first six overs.

Nitish Rana was then cleaned up by Avesh Khan with a yorker as KKR looked down the barrels.

Russell then used his brute force to hit Holder all across the park. One was whacked at midwicket for a maximum, the second one was slapped to deep, while a flat-batted pull earned him another six and the last one was a four over short third.

After amassing 25 off the Holder over, Russell produced another maximum off Ravi Bishnoi as KKR reached 64 for 4 in 10 overs.

He and Sunil Narine (22 off 12) produced a small partnership but once Russell was out to Avesh Khan in the 13th over, it became a downward slide for KKR as they folded in 14.3 overs.

Avesh and Holder returned with three wickets each.

Earlier, De Kock, who was involved in a terrible mix up with skipper KL Rahul, who got a 'Diamond Duck' (out for 0 without facing a ball), redeemed himself with an innings studded with four boundaries and three maximums.

He added 71 with Deepak Hooda (41 off 27 balls) to give LSG a good start after being invited to bat.

Hooda made up for the loss of Rahul's with his back to-back boundaries over extra cover off Shivam Mavi (1/50 in 4 overs), while De Kock too joined in with a special treatment to Tim Southee, clobbering him for two fours and a six in the 3rd over.

Left-arm spinner Anukul Roy and pacer Harshit Rana were next in line as De Kock smashed the former for a four before lunching into the latter for a four and two sixes to take LSG to their best score in the powerplays this season, a 66 for one.

De Kock, however, couldn't stay much longer as he was holed out in deep only two balls after completing his fifty.

Hooda, who hit four boundariers and two sixes in his entertaining 27-ball knock tat took LSG past 100-run mark before falling to a Andre Russell delivery with his miscued pull ending in safe hands of skipper Shreyas Iyer.

Krunal Pandya then tried to keep the run-rate high and slammed two fours before ending at the hands of Aaron Finch at deep point.

The decision to promote Ayush Badoni (15 not out off 18) didn't bear result as the young Delhi batter was under pressue after a quiet over and couldn't find his rhythm with runs drying up between 12th to 16th over.

However, Marcus Stoinis (28 off 14 balls) changed things when he clobbered Mavi for three successive sixes before holing out. However, new man Jason Holder (13 off 4 balls) slammed the next two balls for two more maximums as the 19th over yielded 30 runs for LSG.

In the bowling front, KKR missed the experience of Umesh Yadav, who missed out due to a muscle pull, with Hooda and de Kock going hammer and tongs early on.

However, Andrew Russell (2/22) was rewarded for bowling back of length , while Sunil Narine (20/1) and Tim Southee (1/28) also kept things tight but the rest of bowlers bled plenty in their stipulated overs.

Also Read : De Kock scores 50 as LSG put up 176 for 7 vs Kolkata Knight Riders

News Source : PTI

2022-05-07 20:17

Delhi Capitals aim to solve opening conundrum against Chennai Super Kings

Navi Mumbai, May 7 (Cricket News) Delhi Capitals will need to solve their opening conundrum quickly and find an able partner to complement David Warner if they want to return to the top four in the IPL here on Sunday with a win against a lacklustre Chennai Super Kings, who are standing on the brink of elimination.

DC are currently placed fifth in the 10-team standings with 10 points from as many games after their 21-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in their last match.

Defending champions CSK, on the other hand, are mathematically still there in the tournament although their chances of making it to the play-offs are almost non-existent.

The Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led side is placed in the penultimate position with just six points from 10 games and need to win all its remaining games and depend on results of other matches to progress to the next stage.

But going into the business end of the tournament, DC have a major problem at hand -- an able opening partner for Warner.

Prithvi Shaw has failed to live up to his talent this season, garnering just 259 runs from nine games at an average of 28.77. His replacement in the last match, Mandeep Singh hasn't fared well either with just 18 runs from three outings.

And it remains to be seen whether DC opt for Shaw again to partner Warner, which in any case, would be best suited for the team.

Warner remains DC's top-scorer this season, scoring 356 runs from eight matches with his unbeaten 92 against SRH in the last match being the highest.

Skipper Rishabh Pant and Mitchell Marsh have got starts but have failed to replicate that into big scores and it's time the duo rises to the occasion.

After a string of low scores, the big-hitting West Indian Rovman Powell has finally found his groove and would look to continue in the same vein.

On the bowling front, spinner Kuldeep Yadav (18 wickets) and pacers Khaleel Ahmed (14), Shardul Thakur (10) and Mutafizur Rahman (8) all have picked up wickets but they have been a little on the higher side of the economy rate.

Kuldeep, in particular, has been phenomenal for DC, picking up wickets at will with his new-found confidence.

The return of pacer Anrich Nortje has only added sting to DC's bowling attack.

On the other hand, CSK have been hit hard by injuries and the poor form of some of their key players throughout the season hasn't helped their cause either.

While CSK lost key players Deepak Chahar and Adam Milne to injuries for the entire season, poor form of opener Ruturaj Gaikwad and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who relinquished captaincy midway into the tournament, has added to the team's woes.

Ambati Rayudu, Dhoni, Shivam Dube and Moeen Ali have played some good knocks on and off but lack consistency with only Devon Conway turning out to be the shinning light with the bat. The Kiwi has collected 144 runs from three matches he has played at an average of 72.

In the bowling front, Maheesh Theeksana, Mukesh Chaudhary and Dwayne Bravo have been among wickets but have leaked runs.

And CSK's bowling unit would look for an inspirational performance from any of its bowlers in the remainder of the tournament.

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

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

Match Starts at 7:30 PM.

Also Read : Rajasthan Royals beat Punjab Kings by 6 wickets

News Source : PTI

2022-05-07 19:49

Lahiri handles rain and cold to rise to 10th at Wells Fargo

Potomac, May 7 (Golf News) India's Anirban Lahiri handled tough windy, cold and wet conditions well for 16 holes before dropping a double bogey to card 2-under 68 in the second round of the Wells Fargo Championship.

At 4-under, the Indian is T-10, up from overnight T-38, as he chases another good week on the PGA Tour.

Lahiri, just four behind leader Jason Day at one stage, is now six behind at the TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm.

The former No. 1 player Day shot 3-under 67 in steady rain and stretched his lead over the field to three shots as he attempts his first victory in four years.

Day is 10-under 130 through two rounds and Max Homa is second at 7-under. Denny McCarthy (69), Luke List (66), Kurt Kitayama (67), and James Hahn (68) are tied for 3rd at 6-under.

The weather took a toll as even the shots from the first cut of the rough saw water splashing off and the divots were big. Lahiri did well to hang in with six birdies, two bogeys and a double.

“Tough day, it was a grind. Weather was obviously difficult, you have to battle the elements. The golf course is hard and long enough to begin with," said Lahiri.

"I played really, really well, but missed a couple of putts. I think I could have avoided some of the bogeys that I made. Then right in the end on the 17th, I just lost control of the ball due to the heavy rain and the gust that we got at that point of time." Lahiri hit 12 of the 18 greens in regulation. After a string of four pars, he got an opportunity when he hit from 92 yards to inside 10 feet for his first birdie on Par-4 fifth and he converted that from seven feet.

On the very next hole, he hit his approach to just over 11 feet and birdied it to go 2-under. A six-foot miss for par cost him a shot on eighth and he turned in 1-under.

After the turn he hit two great approach shots to birdie both 10 and 11 and get to 3-under as the conditions stayed challenging. He missed the fairway and reached the green in three on 13th and gave away a shot, but got it back on 14.

Another fine second shot set up a birdie on 16 and at 4-under he was inside top-5. Then came the crushing double bogey.

On the 190-yard par-3 17th, Lahiri hit into the water off the tee. Following a penalty drop for his third shot he was 45 feet from the flag. He two-putted for a double bogey. He parred the 18th to finish 2-under for the round.

"I think it's going to get more of the same in the next couple of days, probably going to get a lot colder. Pars are going to be very valuable and birdies even more," Lahiri said.

Rory McIlroy shot 73 to finish at even par. Matthew Wolff, who shot 65 on Thursday, fell back with a 73.

Korean pair Si Woo Kim and K.H. Lee, and C.T. Pan of Chinese Taipei returned scores of 72, 71 and 73 respectively to move into the weekend rounds. They are tied 29th on 1-under.

Also Read : Lahiri lifts his game on final day to end T-15 in Mexico

News Source : PTI

2022-05-07 09:51

Tim David's whirlwind 44 not out takes MI to 177/6 against GT

Mumbai, May 6 (Cricket News) Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan produced the early fireworks while Tim David provided the late flourish as Mumbai Indians posted 177 for 6 against Gujarat Titans in their IPL match here on Friday.

Invited to bat, Rohit (43 off 28 balls) and Ishan Kishan (45 off 29 balls) gave Mumbai a rollicking start but the five-time champions lost three quick wickets before David (44 not out off 21 balls) lifted the team to a competitive total.

Rashid Khan was the most successful bowler for the Titans with his two wickets for 24, while Pradeep Sangwan and Lockie Ferguson got one each. Alzarri Joseph also took a wicket but he bled 41 runs in his four overs.

After a series of low scores, Rohit seemed to be in good touch as he took the early initiative, dominating the proceedings with his strokeplay as Kishan played the second fiddle The MI skipper was particularly harsh on Alzarri Joseph as he smashed the bowler for four boundaries and a six, while Kishan joined the party in the fifth over, slamming Rashid Khan for a couple of fours to bring up their 50-run partnership.

Rohit then hit Lockie Ferguson for a four as MI posted 63 for no loss in the powerplay.

Rashid produced the breakthrough in the eighth over, removing the dangerous Rohit, who was trapped in front while looking to play a reverse shot.

Kishan then took over, dancing down the pitch to send Rahul Tewatia over mid-wicket.

Suryakumar Yadav produced his trademark whip for a maximum but perished in his next attempt off Pradeep Sangwan.

Back into the attack, Joseph then struck with a slower delivery which Kishan ended up sending to Rashid at mid-wicket as MI slipped to 111 for 3 in 12 overs.

Kieron Pollard lived dangerously with Sangwan and Ferguson bowling two quiet overs and was eventually cleaned up by Rashid, who set up the West Indian with two googlies.

Tilak Verma (21) and Tim David then tried to put together a partnership with the latter launching Mohammed Shami for two fours at mid-off and long leg respectively.

David next sent one over Joseph's head for his first maximum before depositing a no-ball from Ferguson for another six in the 19th over.

Varma was run-out with Hardik Pandya producing a direct throw, while Daniel Sams too perished with a second-ball duck.

However, David smacked Shami for two maximums in the last over to take the team past 170-run mark.

Also Read : Harbhajan wants to see Umran partner Bumrah in T20 World Cup

News Source : PTI

2022-05-07 09:34

Harbhajan wants to see Umran partner Bumrah in T20 World Cup

Mumbai, May 6 (Cricket News) Former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh wants to see young speedster Umran Malik in the Indian team and partner pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah for the T20 World Cup to be held in Australia later this year.

The 22-year-old Malik, who's playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the ongoing Indian Premier League has been bowing consistently over the 150 kmph mark.

Malik, who has picked 15 wickets so far, has bowled the fastest delivery -- 157 kmph -- in the current IPL.

“He (Umran Malik) is my favourite, I want to see him in the Indian team because what a bowler he is,” Harbhajan told reporters here on Friday.

Harbhajan was speaking after ‘DreamSetGo’ became the Official Travel Agent of the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia.

“Tell me any one bowler who bowls more than 150 (kmph) and is not playing for the country. So, I think it is a great thing and he will inspire many youngsters to take up this game, where he has come from and what he is doing in IPL, he has been unbelievable,” he added.

Harbhajan said if he was in the national selection committee, he would have drafted the Jammu pacer into the Indian team.

“And I don’t know whether he will be selected or not but if I was part of selection committee, I would have given a go ahead. Umran Malik should partner Jasprit Bumrah when India plays in Australia (for T20 World Cup),” said the former off-spinner.

“I am sure he (Umran) will also learn, he's a promising cricketer and I hope he gets selected and plays for India.” Harbhajan said the 22-year-old Malik's age should not be a factor while considering him for the national team.

“When Sachin (Tendulkar) played for India, he was very young. Of course, he was Sachin Tendulkar, but that’s okay, ‘aise hi player bante hai’ (players are made like this).

“When I played my first Test, I was 17 and half, but if you keep on thinking that he is a kid, then time will run out. When he is bowling at his best, he should be playing. Forget what his age is, when someone is performing well and is fit enough, they should walk in,” said Harbhajan.

Backs Kohli, Rohit to come good before T20 World Cup ================================== Saying that going through a lean patch is part and parcel of a player’s career, Harbhajan backed Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to roar back to form much before the T20 World Cup to be held in October-November.

“Of course, they are champion players, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, they are champion, world-class players, I am hopeful that they will get back to form much before the (T20) World Cup.

“This (lean patch) is a part and parcel of the game, everyone goes through this and I am sure they will come out of it and they will become ever stronger and better players out of this (phase),” added Harbhajan.

Backs ‘Kulcha’ to be part of Indian team for T20 WC ================================ Harbhajan also backed the spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal to board the flight to Australia for T20 World Cup.

“I certainly believe that you have to bring ‘Kulcha’ back. Kuldeep and Yuzvendra, I think they have been brilliant for Team India. When they played together, they took wickets in middle overs, whether it was T20s, ODIs or any format,” he said.

“I don’t know why they (selectors) break that partnership which was going well for India. It will be great to see them bowling in Australia, where grounds are big and they both are quality bowlers,” he signed off.

Also Read : Ben Stokes smashes County Championship record with 17 sixes in an innings

News Source : PTI

2022-05-07 09:10

Awesome we got over the line: Daniel Sams on conceding just 3 runs in last over

Mumbai, May 6 (Cricket News) Australian pacer Daniel Sams, who conceded just three runs in a dramatic last over to help Mumbai Indians beat Gujarat Titans by five runs, said he stuck to his slower deliveries and it was an "awesome" feeling to finally take his team over the line.

Gujarat Titans needed nine runs from the last over bowled by Sams but they could score just three to lose the match.

"Awesome we got over the line, it went back and forward. 9 runs off 6 balls made me feel I have nothing to lose and the odds are in the batter's favour," Sams said after the match.

"I got a few wide balls in the tramline and managed to execute it well. My intent was to stick to the best balls I could bowl, the slower one is the ball I go back to and it paid off." Mumbai were already out of reckoning for a play-offs berth and Sams said his side did not have the start they wanted in this IPL.

"After the eight losses, we looked at it as a mini-IPL with six games. We are trying to show what we can do and were able to pull it off which helps our confidence," said Sams.

MI captain Rohit Sharma praised his bowlers for pulling off the win.

"It was tight towards the back end, very satisfying as we were looking for this. Luck had to turn in to our favour, we will take this with both hands," said Rohit.

"We were 15-20 short (while batting), they bowled well. Tim David played really well. Dew came in, good pitch and lightning outfield meant things were in their favour, credit to our bowlers who finished the job.

"The boys pulled it off, which is great. We wanted to take one game at a time, we know we have not played our best cricket, but that happens." About the team strategy during the Titans' run chase, Rohit said, "Lots of factors need to be considered on bowling changes, I felt they like pace coming on to the bat, so we wanted to take that off.

"Lot of credit to the bowlers at the back end. They did a fantastic job by putting pressure and pull it back to 170, as they (MI) were on the way to 200." On Daniel Sams who conceded just three runs in the last over to seal the match in MI's favour, Rohit said, "He was under the pump in a couple of games, but I have seen him for Australia and in the BBL, he has a lot of skill. It was not easy to defend nine runs." Titans captain Hardik Pandya said the two run-outs (of himself and Rahul Tewatia) cost his side the game.

"On any day, we'd take nine runs off the last over. The two run-outs cost us the game. I think batters let us down," he said.

"In T20s, you can't lose back to back games. No blame games as we have cleared such games. We have made rookie mistakes which cost us this one.

"We played good cricket for 19.2 overs in our innings, one or two hits would have made a difference. We should not have let it come down to the last over."

Also Read : Table toppers GT take on a dispirited MI side in match no 51

News Source : PTI

2022-05-06 13:30

Table toppers GT take on a dispirited MI side in match no 51

(Cricket news) Table toppers Gujarat Titans will look to seal their place in the IPL playoffs this season against the struggling Mumbai Indians. On the other hand MI are already out of the playoff race and will be playing for pride.

The Gujarat Titans only lost their second match against the PBKS as they had won five games on the trot to have gone eight wins out of nine. For the Titans, it will be about how they gather themselves back after batting failures in the past matches. Shubman Gill and Hardik Pandya both started off the tournament in blistering fashion but have failed together in the last few games, which has hampered the side.

In terms of bowling, the GT camp will be a bit worried about Rashid Khan’s form with the ball as he hasn’t been that deadly with ball in hand over the last few matches, but if he is not contributing with the ball, he is certainly compensating with the bat. Their pace trio of Shami, Ferguson and Alzzari Joseph will be the key heading into the match against a struggling MI batting lineup. Rashid has dismissed Rohit Sharma twice in five innings, a battle to watch out for.

Mumbai Indians know that even if they win their next four matches, their chances of qualification are very slim. Mahela Jayawardene, on their chances of qualification, said "If you take four-five games, we have bowled well for 18 overs and we've had two big overs. We are one of those teams that has given 20-plus [runs] overs pretty much in every game and that has cost us at least four to five games. We need to make sure that you don't go for big 20-plus overs, even though we may get hit”.

MI’s top order hasn’t fired at all this season with both Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan struggling to get some valuable runs at the top but the only saving grace this season has been Tilak Verma who has been really impressive and consistent with his performance and is certainly that he will become a franchise mainstay in the future. The opponents have been smart to negate Jasprit Bumrah off and target the other bowlers. Bumrah's economy rate of 6.87 this season with only 5 wickets this season.

Pitch and weather report: The Brabourne pitch can be a batting paradise for the teams, like we saw in yesterday’s match. The shorter side boundaries will play a big role in setting big totals again. The temperature is going to hover around 30 degrees, with no chance of rain as dew may come into play in the second innings.

Interesting facts:

Mumbai have bowled 40.3 overs of spin in this season
Bumrah has gone wicketless in six out of the nine games so far
The Titans' average opening partnership has been 22 runs. Only Kolkata Knight Riders (14.40) have done worse this season.
Mohammed Shami had just one wicket in four games against Mumbai Indians till IPL 2018.
Since 2019, only Sanju Samson has scored more runs than Suryakumar Yadav at no 3 in IPL

Also read: Rishabh doing well as DC skipper, big knock isn't far away: Raina

Probable XI for GT:

Probable XI for MI:

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

2022-05-05 18:01

Desired result did not come due to poor 'structuring' of line-up: Jayawardene

Mumbai, May 4 (Cricket News) Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jaywardene on Thursday admitted that "lack of execution" in close games during this IPL season has been due to the poor "structuring" of line-up, putting them at the bottom of the 10-team table.

Mumbai Indians are already out of the IPL having lost eight games on the bounce before logging home their first points. But more importantly, the critics have been vindicated about five-time champions' poor auction strategy.

The mediocre bunch of domestic players like Basil Thampi, Jaydev Unadkat, Murugan Ashwin along with purely sentimental retentions like Kieron Pollard and an insane bid of INR 15.25 crore for Ishan Kishan have all contributed to MI's downfall.

"For a team to work, it is not about just one individual, it is about a team executing a game plan.The way we have structured our line-up this season, that is something we have lacked," Jayawardene said when asked about Rohit Sharma's poor run of form in the nine games.

"At the same time, we have not had those finishers at the back-end," the head coach added.

"It is about getting most of your guys playing good cricket on (in) a game and having that consistency going through. That is something we have lacked," Jayawardene said ahead of their game against Gujarat Titans.

Not closing out games has been one of MI's banes this season.

"This has been one of those seasons where we have not been able to win those close matches and we have not been able to ruthlessly finish games off.

"And at the same time we have lacked consistency and we need main batters to be consistent and getting those runs. It is not just one individual, it is about a collective group and we haven’t been consistent all around," the head coach added.

"Rohit's form has been a disappointment," agrees Jayawardene ====================================== Asked if Rohit's form was the reason why Mumbai Indians aren't able to post high totals, Jayawardene replied: "Let me answer that in a much fairer way. Yes, as you rightly said Ro (Rohit's nickname) has been brilliant in batting for long periods, getting those big scores consistently and the rest of the guys have batted around him." "He (Rohit) knows he had starts and hasn't been able to convert them into big scores and that has been a disappointment," he quipped.

Teams have employed cautious approach against Bumrah ================================== Jayawardene also rued the fact the bowlers weren't able to dominate the power-play periods and Jasprit Bumrah "My de-brief on the entire bowling this session has been that we haven't been able to dominate the power-play. It is unfair to point fingers at Booms (Jasprit Bumrah) because his role has been to create pressure.

"You can say he hasn't picked up wickets but teams play the entire bowling unit and not just one bowler. So they (opposition) have covered Bumrah and made sure that they don't take too many risks against Booms. Therefore he hasn't been able to create opportunities," he said.

One 18-20 run-over in at least 4-5 games cost us dearly =================================== According to Jayawardene, Mumbai in at least four to five games, have had two such overs where they have given away 20 extra runs which has proved to be decisive.

"It is one of those seasons where we haven't been able to control the situations. If you take four-five games, where we have bowled brilliantly for 18 overs and we've had two big overs.

"One 20-run over pretty much in every game and that has cost us at least four to five games," he signed off.

Also Read : Gujarat look to fix batting woes, seal IPL play-off berth against MI

News Source : PTI

2022-05-05 14:45

Gujarat look to fix batting woes, seal IPL play-off berth against MI

Mumbai, May 5 (Cricket News) Table-toppers Gujarat Titans would look to plug the holes in their top-order and seal a place in the play-offs by returning to winning ways against an already out-of-contention Mumbai Indians in an Indian Premier League match here on Friday.

GT got a timely wake-up call in an eight-wicket loss to Punjab Kings in their last match, which snapped their five-game winning streak.

An inconsistent batting department, especially top-order has been GT's thorn in the flesh throughout the tournament so far and it's time the IPL newcomers fix the issue going into the business end of the league.

Despite the loss, GT are sitting pretty at the top of the 10-team standings with 16 points from 10 games and a win on Friday would make them the first team to cement their spot in the play-offs.

Young Shubman Gill has failed to live up to expectations at the top, while veteran Wriddhiman Saha, who was a great replacement for struggling Matthew Wade, got a start before fizzling out.

B Sai Sudharsan, who has been the team's weak link so far, was the only saving grace for GT in their last match, where everyone failed, scoring a 50-ball 65.

The likes of skipper Hardik Pandya, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan, who had produced stellar performances and played a key role in GT's success so far, have floundered against Punjab.

But the quartet would be very well aware about their importance in the side and look to rise to the occasion to make a comeback, in what has been a remarkable opening season.

Hardik, who has been GT's batting mainstay with 309 runs -- the highest among all in the team, has had two rare back-to-back failures and would be desperate to get his mojo back.

Miller and the six-hitting duo of Tewatia and Rashid too would be itching to prove their worth after a rare failure.

In Mohammed Shami, Lockie Ferguson, Alzzari Joseph and Rashid, Gujarat have one of the most lethal attacks in this year's IPL.

Despite going for runs in the last match, Shami is a class act with the new ball, while Ferguson's ability to generate extra pace is a cause of concern for any batting line-up.

Rashid has been economical with the ball, but his inability to pick up wickets would be a cause of concern for the side.

MI, on the other hand, are placed last and are already out of the tournament after registering eight consecutive defeats.

But the Rohit Sharma-led side would heave a sigh of relief after finally registering their first win of the tournament, a five-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals.

Suryakumar Yadav has been the star for MI in the batting department, which lacks cohesive effort.

Rohit and Ishan Kishan's terrible run at the top continued, while Kieron Pollard failed miserably to perform the role of a finisher till now in the season.

On the bowling front too, MI looked nowhere near to his best.

Jasprit Bumrah has been economical upfront but has not been among wickets which has hurt the team most.

Daniel Sams and Riley Meredith have been patchy and barring Bumrah, MI doesn't have another quality bowler to rely upon.

But having returned to winning ways, MI would look to play party spoilers in their remaining games.

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

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

Match starts at 7.30 PM.

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

News Source : PTI

2022-05-05 13:45

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

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

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

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

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

Interesting facts:

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

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

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

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

2022-05-05 12:01

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

New Delhi, May 5 (Cricket News) Virat Kohli has not been able to score fluently in the IPL this season and it is a matter of concern that he is getting out to different types of bowlers, observed former West Indies pacer Ian Bishop.

Kohli has managed just 175 runs with a top score of 58 at a strike rate of just 111.09, which is the third lowest among batters with at least 150 runs this season.

On Wednesday, Kohli was cleaned up by Mooen Ali after a laboured 30 off 33 balls and Bishop said he is concerned about Kohli's struggles against spin, especially off-spin.

"For a while, for 10 or 15 runs, he wasn't even going at a run-a-ball, or he was just going at a run-a-ball," Bishop said on ESPNcricinfo's 'T20 Time Out'.

"He didn't get ahead, and there wasn't much intent. He hit one (six) over extra-cover off the seamer, and that was when he just went ahead to a run-a-ball and then he came back.

"This is something we've been seeing with Virat, not just this season. Even last season, I remember, and even sometimes internationally, he'll fly out - he didn't fly out tonight - and then he'll slow down again. So, I'm concerned." Overall, Kohli played 16 dot balls against Chennai Super Kings on Wednesday.

"If you're not getting ahead of the rate and going at a run-a-ball, you need to bat deep into the innings," he said.

"And he isn't going deep into the innings either. So those deliveries don't come back to you. Even if RCB won, that wasn't an innings, even given the difficulties of the pitch, that you could say caused a match-winning total." Pointing out Kohli's struggles against spinners, Bishop said: "Roston Chase got him out in the West Indies series (at home in February), we saw him getting out to the off-spinner in Test matches. So, I'm concerned about ... and I'm a Kohli fan.

"I tune in to watch cricket when Kohli's at his best, so it isn't criticism but an observation that I am concerned that a number of types of bowlers are getting him out and he's not getting ahead of the rate." Kohli was out to a Ali delivery that was tossed up outside the off stump and turned past the inside edge to disturb his woods.

Making his observations, former New Zealand spinner Daniel Vettori said: "I can think of the likes of a R Ashwin or a Harbhajan (Singh) bowling really quickly to him in the powerplay and him just looking for singles, and potentially not dominating them. But this is different.

"This is Moeen Ali trying to spin the ball, wide of off stump and I feel like I can see that dismissal a few times in Test matches.

"And that is a huge amount of credit to Moeen Ali and his style of bowling - the fact that he was able to hit those areas with a little bit of drift, then that quick spin. So, this type of bowling seems to have troubled him (Kohli) a little bit as of now," he added.

Also Read : I'm not concerned: CSK coach Fleming on Jadeja's poor form

News Source : PTI

2022-05-05 11:55

I'm not concerned: CSK coach Fleming on Jadeja's poor form

Pune, May 5 (Cricket News) Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming is not too concerned about the form of Ravindra Jadeja but said going forward, the team will evaluate which position in the batting order best suits the star all-rounder.

In the 10 matches this season, Jadeja has scored just 116 runs at an average of 19.33 in 10 games, while taking five wickets at an economy rate of 7.52.

On Wednesday, Jadeja was dismissed for three as CSK went down by 13 runs against Royal Challengers Bangalore, their seventh loss overall.

"No, I am not concerned. The T20 game can be tough and when you are batting at No 5 or 6, you do not get a lot of time to get your rhythm or tempo," Fleming said during a virtual press conference.

"We will look at it now and work out what the best order would be going forward. But, no I am not concerned about his form." Terribly out of form, Jadeja had last week handed back captaincy to Mahendra Singh Dhoni to focus on his own game.

With just six points from 10 games, CSK are virtually out of the tournament and Fleming admitted they "have been off in all departments." "Our fielding at times, the catches we dropped is of concern. We are not far away, in lot of games you can say we were really close in winning them.

"We had the games taken away or we were not good enough to get across the line. But that's usually the story of the competition if you are just off. All three departments have been below par," he said.

"We lost some bowlers also, you have to acknowledge that but yeah, we have been just off." Injuries to key players have also affected CSK with Deepak Chahar being the most prominent member to miss the entire season due to a back injury which he sustained while recovering from the quadricep tear.

Moeen Ali also missed a few games after injuring his ankle during a training session.

"We had a couple of players we had in our plans whom we lost early on, so we looked at bringing young players in, probably, little bit ahead of their times. Mukesh Choudhury has developed well, Simranjit is getting an opportunity here," Fleming said.

"But we just have been off our balance and competition as tight as this, that can be the difference. We have some very good spin options." Most important victory of the tournament: Hazlewood ------------------------------------------------------- RCB pacer Josh Hazlewood described their 13-run win over CSK as the most important victory for the team so far in the tournament as it kept them in the hunt for the play-offs.

The win snapped RCB's three-match losing streak and helped them to move to the fourth position in points table.

"It is probably the most important victory of the tournament so far. We are sort of at that point where we have to win all games to make the play-off, that's what I feel, and today was the first step in doing that," he said.

"We have been flat last three games, we have things to work on bowling, batting and on fielding to be honest. We put it all together and held our chances, so its most important victory so far." On his T20 form, Hazlewood said: "It is mostly playing continuous T20 cricket for last three years and learning things along the way on differently conditions, against different players.

"Talking to lot of voices in this camp, there is lot of experience which is handy, it accelerates the learning process for me who has played just 60-70 T20 games."

Also Read : What let us down was batsmanship: Mahendra Singh Dhoni

News Source : PTI

2022-05-05 10:52

What let us down was batsmanship: Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Pune, May 4 (Cricket News) Chennai Super Kings skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni pulled up his batters for their poor shot selection after suffering a 13-run loss to Royal Challengers Bangalore, which pushed the defending champions to the brink of elimination.

Invited to bat, RCB posted 173 for 8 and then returned to restrict CSK to 160 for 8 in their stipulated 20 overs on Wednesday.

"We did well to restrict them to 170-odd runs. We had to get off to a good start, everything was up to the mark and what let us down was the batsmanship," Dhoni said after the match.

CSK were 54 for no loss in 6.3 overs but they kept losing wickets to eventually fall shot of the target.

It was CSK's seventh loss of the season.

"When you are chasing you know what is required and at times you have to curb your instinct and see what really the situation is demanding rather than playing your shots," Dhoni said. "The shot selection could have been better towards the end. We had a good start and had wickets in hand, the surface kept getting better but we lost wickets at regular intervals.

"We can look back at some of the shots, if we take care of those things.. chasing is about calculations and batting first is more about instinct. Ultimately as a batter or bowler you are in the middle and you have to decide." Winning captain Faf du Plessis said his team was in need of this win after three successive losses.

"We definitely needed that. We put up a decent total. We are moving in the right direction. We have been very good in the bowling department," he said.

"I thought 165 would be nice to get.The fielding was amazing. Some great catching and good bowling indeed." He said his team will have to "keep improving in the batting department." "We want one of the top four to bat through.

RCB's Harshal Patel was adjudged the Man of the Match for his three for 35.

"I think in the first over, the slower balls I tried to bowl it into the wicket but it kind of floated on to the bat. I have been trying to improve my sequencing," he said.

A death over specialist, Patel said it is important "to be aware of the conditions and then what the batter is trying to do." With this win, RCB moved to the fourth position in overall standing.

Also Read : RCB register 13-run win, push Chennai Super Kings to the brink of elimination

News Source : PTI

2022-05-05 09:18

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) spinners restrict RCB to 173/8

Pune, May 4 (Cricket News) The Chennai Super Kings spin duo of Moeen Ali and Maheesh Theekshana spun a web around Royal Challengers Bangalore batters to restrict them to 173 for 8 in the Indian Premier League here on Wednesday.

The CSK spinners made full use of skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni's decision to bowl first as a fit-again Ali (2/28) and Theekshana (3/27) shared five wickets between them.

While Ali rattled the top-order getting rid of the opening pair of Virat Kohli (30 off 33) and Faf Du Plessis (38 off 22), Theekshana snapped three wickets in the penultimate over.

Dwaine Pretorius (1/42) was the other wicket taker for CSK.

Mahipal Lamror was the top-scorer as he smashed a 27-ball 42 while Dinesh Karthik (26 not out off 17) hit some lusty blows towards the end to help RCB go past the 170-run mark.

Kohli and du Plessis (38 off 22) batted with authority as the two veterans pummelled the inexperienced pace duo of Mukesh Choudhary (0/30) and Simarjeet Singh (0/21) in the Powerplay.

The opening pair extracted 57 runs in the first six overs, RCB's highest Powerplay total this season.

With the uncapped talent going for runs aplenty, skipper MS Dhoni introduced spin, which slowed down the proceedings for RCB.

With the pitch offering turn and bounce, England off-spinner Ali, who returned to the side after an ankle injury, broke the dangerous partnership as du Plessis found Ravindra Jadeja at deep midwicket in the eighth over.

A horrible mix up between Kohli and new-man Glenn Maxwell (3) spelt the end of the big-hitting Australian's short stay in the middle. It was the fourth time that Kohli was involved in a run-out this season.

The CSK bowlers did a tremendous job after an expensive start.

RCB was trying to recover from the twin blows, when Ali bowled a brilliant delivery.

He pitched the ball up outside off, inviting Kohli for the drive. However, the ball turned past the inside edge and clattered the stumps, the former Indian skipper's struggles against Ali's spin continued.

Lamror and Rajat Patidar (21) then shared a quick 44-run stand but Dhoni re-introduced pace in the form of Pretorius and the South African struck in his very first delivery, getting rid of Patidar.

Lamror was dropped on 33 by Jadeja, but the batter couldn't capitalise on the reprieve as he became Theekshana's first victim in the 19th over The Sri Lankan then went on to dismiss compatriot Wanindu Hasaranga and Shahbaz Ahmed.

Also Read : Senior Women's T20: Railways beat Maharashtra by seven wickets; clinch title

News Source : PTI

2022-05-04 18:04

Will Rohit, Rahul, Virat be India's top-3 going into T20 World Cup?

New Delhi, May 4 (Cricket News) Their current form may not inspire confidence but skipper Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli will be indispensable in the Indian team during the T20 World Cup in Australia but a change in their batting order may be considered for the benefit of the side, say experts.

While IPL is an indicator of current form but the national selection committee under Chetan Sharma at this point is not even remotely harbouring any such thoughts, at least not for the time being.

However, one point that is being debated is whether skipper Rohit, his deputy Rahul and team's premier batter Kohli will occupy the top three slots in the batting order at the mega event, set to be played in Australia in October-November.

In the last World T20, their batting order didn't yield favourable results and the approach of the top three was mildly criticised as all of them employed pretty similar styles of first settling down and then going for attack.

Rohit since then has changed his approach and has been seen going hammer and tongs although big runs have eluded the India and MI captain. Rohit certainly would like to better his 155 runs from 9 games at a strike-rate of 123.

Kohli's woeful form has continued for way too long now and 186 runs in 10 games at a lowly strike-rate of 116 is neither indicative of former skipper's quality nor his calibre.

Rahul is playing the role of an anchor for LSG and with 451 runs at an average of 145, he has been in a league of his own.

However there is a worrying piece of statistic which skipper Rohit and coach Rahul Dravid will have to address before Team India hits road with some 15-odd T20Is lined up before World Cup.

The trio hasn't exactly set the Powerplay (first six overs) on fire.

Sample this.

In 10 games so far, Rahul has played 55 dots in Powerplay overs and has compiled a total of 141 off 126 balls in these overs across games with a strike-rate of 111.90. In those games in PP overs, he has hit 15 fours and four sixes.

Rohit in this period has played 56 dots in powerplays in 9 games, scoring 136 off 104 balls at 130.76 strike-rate.

In case of Kohli, he has batted in Powerplay in seven games and has played 16 dot balls but scored 61 runs in 55 balls during the period.

The numbers show that all three are taking their time in the first six overs and perhaps even all three are playing, at least one -- preferably Rahul can come down the batting order and allow a bit of rejig around Rohit and Virat.

So what do the experts think about the trio's batting order? Former chairman of selectors MSK Prasad and his colleague Devang Gandhi had slightly divergent views while analyst former India keeper Deep Dasgupta had a completely different take.

"These three are indispensable if fit. There is no way that you can leave anyone of them for the World T20. But yes, if I look at numbers, I might just try someone like Shikhar Dhawan at the opening slot and check Rahul out at No.4. He has a T20 hundred in Manchester some years back in middle-order, so why not," Prasad told PTI.

"But yes, I want Virat to take a significant break and before the Asia Cup, he should be fresh, up and running," Prasad said.

For Gandhi, in a big tournament like the T20 World Cup, he isn't too keen on experimentation and doesn't want to rock the boat.

"These are your proven performers and when they play for India, it is completely different from the roles they have for their franchises. Also when we talk about changes, we should know who are the replacements? Are they good enough and better than those three in pressure scenario during a Pakistan game? You need to factor in," Gandhi said.

For Dasgupta, T20 by nature is a game that warrants a different philosophy and guiding principles.

"In Tests or ODIs, we normally find players, check them out and accordingly assign roles to them. In T20, you need to do the reverse. You first decide roles and then fit in players.

"They can still play the trio as number 1, 2 and 3 but there has to be specific role which they should be told long before the tournament," Dasgupta said.

Asked in case, a change is required, Dasgupta feels that Dhawan or Prithvi Shaw should be kept in the set-up and may be tried out if necessary.

Also Read : Coaches feel Sai Sudharsan has talent to go places

News Source : PTI

2022-05-04 17:20

Coaches feel Sai Sudharsan has talent to go places

Chennai, May 4 (Cricket News) From shining in age-group and league cricket in Chennai to a breakout season in Tamil Nadu Premier League before being fast-tracked into the state white-ball teams, things moved rather swiftly for B Sai Sudharsan as he broke into the IPL.

The 20-year-old left-handed batter got himself noticed with a half-century for Gujarat Titans against Punjab Kings in an IPL game on Tuesday, albeit in a losing cause. The coaches, who saw him in his initial years, feel he is destined for bigger things in the game.

He impressed in the 2021 edition of TNPL in which he was the second highest scorer with 358 runs in eight innings at an average of 71.60. Sudharsan showcased his abilities for the formidable state side in the victorious Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy campaign and also the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

After warming the bench at Chepauk Super Gillies previously, he had a breakout season for Lyca Kovai Kings in the 2021 TNPL and has been on the rise since. Apart from making the Tamil Nadu white-ball sides, he was also picked in the Ranji Trophy squad.

Son of Bharadwaj R, an athlete who has represented India in the South Asian Federation (SAF) Games and Usha, who has played volleyball for TN, the Chennai player has been able to make a mark in a different sport.

Picked up by Titans, one of the two new IPL franchises in 2022, for his base price of Rs 20 lakh, Sudharsan got a look-in when his state team captain Vijay Shankar pulled out due to back spasm. He made an assured 35 in his first IPL game.

After moderate returns with the bat in two subsequent games, he was benched before returning in style with an unbeaten 65 against an attack that included Kagiso Rabada and the fast-improving Arshdeep Singh.

His rise through the ranks has not surprised TN coach M Venkataramana, who says Sudharsan has worked hard and has the talent to go places.

"He is talented, has a wide range of strokes and has worked hard," he told PTI.

Further, Venkataramana said, "Sai (Sudharsan) is a good athlete and works hard on his game. It is good to see him keep improving. He has a good range of shots and has the ability to bat long once he settles down, which is a nice quality.

"As he keeps working on his game and other aspects, he will get better." State team assistant coach R Prasanna, a stalwart of TN cricket himself, said from the time he saw Sudharsan at an under-16 camp five years ago he knew that the left-handed batter had it in him to make it big.

"I saw him at an under-16 camp. I noticed he had the talent to score runs. Like all boys at that age, he was a playful lad and did not appear too focussed on fielding, fitness, etc. But he has changed phenomenally over the years.

"He has had the run-scoring knack and has worked hard to get the results. I am so happy for him," Prasanna said.

Sudharsan had been a heavy scorer in schools cricket and then did well for Alwarpet CC in the city league.

"He just kept getting better and the TNPL was a good platform for him to show the talent he had and catapulted him to the TN teams (white ball and red ball)," Prasanna added.

The TN assistant coach said Sudharsan's ability to handle the likes of Rabada and the others showed how much the young batter had improved and worked on his game to set himself up for bigger things.

Also Read : Getting cap from Rohit bhai gave me confidence to do well: Tilak Varma

News Source : PTI

2022-05-04 17:15

Getting cap from Rohit bhai gave me confidence to do well: Tilak Varma

Mumbai, May 4 (Cricket News) Young Mumbai Indians batter Tilak Varma, who has been one of the finds of the IPL season, said getting the cap from skipper Rohit Sharma gave him the confidence to perform well.

Varma has been the leading run-getter for Mumbai Indians this season, with 307 runs under his belt.

Although this has been a disastrous season for the five-time champions as they are out of contention for a play-off berth after suffering eight losses from nine games, Varma is one of the few positives for MI.

"I always liked Rohit bhai, so getting the cap from him really pumped me up and gave me confidence," Varma told mumbaiindians.com.

Another advice which Rohit gave Varma was to enjoy the game.

"He (Rohit) keeps telling me that I shouldn't take pressure in any situation, and says, 'The way you enjoy and play, keep enjoying your game that way'.

"He would say 'you're young, this is the time to enjoy it. If you ever lose that, it doesn't come back. So the more you enjoy yourself and play, positive things will come to you. Bad days will come, good days will also come'," added Varma of his captain.

Varma attributed his success to Rohit, saying his advice has worked for him.

"He (Rohit) has told me to always enjoy myself and that is something I remember always. It will stay with me for my life in general too. And it is working too. If I've started well, it's because of that," the middle-order batter, who hails from Hyderabad, added.

Varma also said head coach and former Sri Lankan great Mahela Jayawardene makes suggestions about his batting.

"He (Jayawardene) talks to me about my batting and makes suggestions," Varma said.

"If I back myself to play a shot and get out in a game, he tells me to not stop myself from playing that same shot in the next game. Because that is my scoring shot, so you can get out on it too, but you'll get runs from it also. He makes one mentally strong," he said.

Stressing that he has also developed strong friendship with young Dewald Brewis, Varma says it becomes easy to bat with the South African.

"Now we're so close we understand each other very well too, on the field and off it. So it's become very easy to bat with him (Brewis) in a match.

"When you are doing well on the field, automatically the bond becomes stronger off the field too," he signed off.

Also Read : IPL showed people have different ways to succeed, can't be just one template, says Kohli

News Source : PTI

2022-05-04 15:37

IPL showed people have different ways to succeed, can't be just one template, says Kohli

Mumbai, May 4 (Cricket News) IPL's all-time leading scorer, Virat Kohli, feels playing in the lucrative league for 14 years has made him realise that there is not just one template to succeed in the game in which he has attained superstar status.

It also helped him add a different dimension to his "understanding of the game", the former India captain said.

Seeking to regain his touch after battling a prolonged slump in form, Kohli has so far accumulated nearly 6500 runs in the IPL, having played for Royal Challengers Bangalore from its inaugural edition in 2008.

On IPL's impact on his life, Kohli said on 'Inside RCB' show on Star Sports, "I think outside of playing for India, IPL gave me the platform to show my capabilities, compete against the best in the world and share knowledge with them.

"I think that was the most important thing that added a different dimension to my understanding of the game. This helped me move ahead in a very progressive manner.

"I was picking brains of people that probably I wouldn't have come across otherwise on things like how to play in different conditions and what mind-set they have.

"You know, people have different ways to succeed so it can't be just one template. So I used to be so excited and grateful for the opportunity to pick their brains and just learn from them day in and day out and that's for me has been the standout feature of IPL." Apart from his sedate fifty in the last game against Gujarat Titans and a knock of 48 earlier in the tournament versus Mumbai Indians, Kohli has mostly struggled for runs this season.

The batting maestro has so far scored 186 runs in 10 matches at a below-par average of 20.67.

Kohli is the only player who has been with the same franchise from the very beginning of the IPL.

On his loyalty towards RCB (even though he still hasn't won a trophy for them in the IPL), Kohli said, "To be very honest I thought about it. Yes, I won't shy away from it and I have been approached many times as well to come into the auction somehow, put my name there and stuff.

"And then I thought about it, I was like at the end of the day everyone has X numbers of years that they live and then you die and life moves on. There would have been many great people who won trophies but no one addresses you like that. No one addresses you in the room like 'Oh he's an IPL champion or he's a World Cup champion.

"It's like if you are a good person, people like you, if you're a bad guy, they just stay away from you and eventually that's what life is all about." Kohli was just 18 when he first played for RCB in 2008. Appointed the franchise's captain in 2011, Kohli enjoyed his best season in 2016 when he amassed a whopping 973 runs, the most by a player in a single edition of the IPL. An IPL trophy, though, continues to elude Kohli, who played in the finals of 2009 and 2016 editions.

"For me the understanding that the loyalty with RCB like how I follow my life is far greater for me than the fact that five people in the room will say oh finally you win the IPL with whoever xyz. You feel good for five minutes but then sixth minute you could be miserable with some other issues in the life. So it is not the end of the world for me.

"What this franchise has given me in terms of opportunities in the first three years and believed in me that is the most special thing because as I said there are many teams who had the opportunity, but they didn't back me, they didn't believe in me.

"So now when I am successful and I shouldn't fall to the opinion of people saying 'but' the IPL. This was the case with me till 2018 England tour happened. For four years of my life, I was doing well everywhere in the world, the only thing was 'but England'.

"So there are always going to be 'but', you literally can't live your life like that and I just carry out doing my own things and I actually honestly don't even bother about a third person beyond myself and Anushka discussing things.

"For me nothing else or no one else's opinion matters at all."

Also Read : Resurgent CSK take on RCB in classic battle in match no 49

News Source : PTI

2022-05-04 13:56

Resurgent CSK take on RCB in classic battle in match no 49

(Cricket news) With five wins and five losses, RCB’s 2022 IPL season has been a mirror image of some of their past seasons, they are not being able to find that level of consistency that is required for them to qualify for the playoffs. On the other hand CSK are going through a change in their set up as MS Dhoni is back at the helm leading his side again as they have to treat every match as a do or die match, if they are to qualify for the playoffs.

CSK have found a glimmer of hope in the last couple of matches as the likes of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway have found form. Devon Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad stitched a massive opening stand of 182 which meant that CSK's tried and tested template of building a platform in the Powerplay with 'anchor-batters' and then pressing the accelerator in death overs. In the bowling department as left-arm pace bowler, Mukesh Chowdhary has mixed up his short deliveries and also generated a hint of swing up front and now has 11 wickets in this year's tournament. For CSK, Ravindra Jadeja will be the key man as he has accounted for the wickets of Glenn Maxwell, Dinesh Karthik and Virat Kohli 7, 3 and 3 times respectively in the IPL. In the last match, Ravindra Jadeja bowled in tandem with Sri Lankan spinner Maheesh Theekshana in the middle overs and conceded only 15 runs from his 18 balls against Sunrisers which could be crucial to stop the free flowing RCB batters.

RCB are in a spot of bother after a very good start to the season as Faf Du Plessis’ side risk losing out a spot in the top 4. RCB are in the middle of the table, having gone winless in the last 14 days. Their bowling is the only respite in the team as the likes of Wanindu Hasaranga, Josh Hazlewood and Mohammed Siraj are among the wickets, but their batting needs to improve. Captain Faf du Plessis has not found his magic touch of last season with 184 of his 278 runs coming in just two innings other than that he has been dismissed for single-digits but for the RCB as well as Indian fans, the biggest positive in the last match was that Virat Kohli was back amongst the runs. Harshal Patel will be the key the man as he has found some success against the likes of MS Dhoni (dismissed him twice) and Ambati Rayudu (dismissed him five times) in the IPL

Pitch and weather report: The MCA Pune pitch has offered some bounce early on but if batter can negate the early swing, then batting becomes easy like we saw in the last match. CSK and SRH combined to score 391 runs in the last match played here. The temperature is going to hover around 29 degrees as dew won’t play a factor in the second innings because of the less humidity.

Interesting facts:

Jadeja is the leading wicket-taker against RCB in the history of IPL with 26 scalps in 29 games.
Dhoni has hit 46 sixes against Royal Challengers
Faf du Plessis has been dismissed by pacers eight times in his ten matches this IPL.
Kohli has scored 949 runs against CSK in the IPL, the most against an opposition for him
This season both the half centuries hit by Ruturaj Gaikwad have been at his home ground in Pune.
RCB have been the best bowling side in the middle overs in this IPL - 34 wickets at an average of 18.53

Also read: Punjab Kings beat Gujarat Titans by 8 wickets (IPL)

Probable XI for CSK:

1 Ruturaj Gaikwad, 2 Devon Conway, 3 Robin Uthappa, 4 Ambati Rayudu, 5 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 Moeen Ali/Dwayne Bravo/Mitchell Santner, 8 Dwaine Pretorius, 9 Mahesh Theekshana, 10 Simarjeet Singh, 11 Mukesh Choudhary

Probable XI for RCB:

2022-05-04 13:55

We have to win every game from hereon to make it to finals: Warner on congested points table

Mumbai, May 4 (Cricket News) Delhi Capitals have fluffed their lines during a few chases and the current mid-table "congestion" only means that they will have to win their remaining five games while checking out RCB's results, senior opener David Warner said on Thursday.

DC are currently seventh in the standings with eight points from nine games but with another five rounds left for a few teams and four for some of the others, save Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants, no team is sure of securing a top four berth.

Between slots fourth and ninth, teams are locked between 10 to 6 points and it can change in a matter of two games.

"Moving forward from where we are, we've obviously got to win every game to make it to the finals. There's a strong competition, two teams we have got to come against - Punjab Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad, who are pretty much similar points to us," Warner said ahead of their match against Kane Wiliamson's men.

"We could get that upper hand if we beat Sunrisers. We then go into the top four, but obviously, we need RCB to start losing as well. It's quite a congested table, but exciting for the rest of the tournament," he added.

Some of the matches went awry for DC as they didn't chase well and Warner admitted that.

"I think if you look at the results, we've just missed out when we are chasing those big totals. We have managed to get so close, but they are the ones that hurt you." Speaking ahead of the game against his former team, Warner expressed, "My thoughts are like every other game, just keep going through your processes till you have to do it, training and just get ready for the game." When asked about his form and the experience of batting with Prithvi Shaw, the swashbuckling opener said, "We've got off to a good start. In the last match, we've fallen cheaply, both of us, and that can happen in this game because we have to play that high-level brand of cricket in the power play." He emphasised on the role of the top three batters in the team and how at least two of the three getting big runs is making a difference.

"I think the most important thing is myself or him (Prithvi Shaw) or Mitch (Mitchell Marsh) scoring an 80 or 90 or even a hundred if we can, to post good totals or chase down big totals, and that's the key.

"I think that's the focus for every other team. The teams who are doing well are scoring big runs at the top of the order. And, two players are actually scoring big in the games, they are the ones that you really need to shine to win these games," said the Aussie opener.

Also Read : Annual ICC Rankings: Australia are No. 1 in Tests, India remain on top in T20, NZ are No. 1 ranked ODI team

News Source : PTI

2022-05-04 12:09

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Match starts at 7.30 pm.

Also Read : The wicket helped us, says Sandeep Sharma

News Source : PTI

2022-05-04 10:57

The wicket helped us, says Sandeep Sharma

Navi Mumbai, May 4 (Cricket News) Punjab Kings pacer Sandeep Sharma said that the DY Patil track, which was "sticky" in the beginning helped their bowlers in the IPL game against Gujarat Titans, which they won by eight wickets.

First South African pacer Kagiso Rabada snared four wickets to restrict Gujarat Titans to a below-par 143 for eight and then Punjab rode on flamboyant opener Shikhar Dhawan's unbeaten 62 to chase the target with 24 balls to spare.

"Today the wicket (the track) also helped us. It was sticky in the beginning, which helped the new ball to move and the ball was holding on the wicket," Sharma, who returned with figures of 0/17, said at the post-match press conference. "We wanted to execute the plans that we had discussed with (head coach) Anil (Kumble) Sir and we were lucky that it happened today (last night)," said Sharma.

Sharma also felt that the Punjab bowlers came with the mindset of executing their plans and they bowled well throughout the innings.

"We bowled well in all the overs. We have very experienced bowlers in our team who have played in the league. So we wanted to execute the plans and if they got a partnership, we should stick to the plan in pressure moments," he said.

The win helped Punjab jump to the fifth spot and according to Sharma, the Mayank Agarwal-led team is focusing on one game at a time from now.

"Now all the matches are crucial for us. But more important is that we take one game at a time, like we mentally prepared for this match and came with a positive mindset and similarly we go into the next game. And we will try to execute the plans.

"Yes, we have a good team, we lost two close matches, had we won that, we would have been better on the points table. As a group, we have left that behind and are focusing on the next four games, one by one," he signed off.

Miller rues tumbling of regular wickets for loss and dew factor ====================================== Meanwhile, Gujarat Titans batter David Miller, who managed just 11 runs, rued the loss of regular wickets for the loss along with the dew factor. "It is difficult when you are losing wickets throughout. In the first 10 overs, we were under the pump and there were one or two brilliant moments from the Kings, with (Shubman) Gill getting run out with a direct hit," he said.

According to Miller, Gujarat Titans didn't score enough runs.

"We didn't put enough runs on the board. It was a tough loss but something that we are going to dissect and talk about as a team going forward," the left-handed batter added.

He also said that the bowlers wanted to take the game as deep as possible but Liam Livingstone turned the game on its head with his brutal hitting.

"There is obviously a lot of dew out there, so bowling with a wet ball and the ball does skid on in the evening, so it was quite challenging to defend that (score).

"But our plan towards bowling in the back end was to try and take the game as deep as possible, but (Liam) Livingstone came in and played that knock in one over, that changed the game," he added.

Livingstone, who made a brisk 30 went hammer and tongs on senior India speedster Mohammed Shami, hitting him for three sixes and two boundaries, that finished the game in the 16th over.

Also Read : We wanted to come out of our comfort zone: Hardik on batting first

News Source : PTI

2022-05-03 16:55

PBKS take on the mighty GT in match number 48

(Cricket news) Gujarat Titans have hardly put a foot wrong in this year’s tournament, they are not just winning games in their first season of the Indian Premier League, they are defying odds, outplaying their oppositions collectively. On the other hand Punjab Kings are still yet to fire as a collective union, Mayank Agarwal and co will hope to find the midas touch and go on a winning run.

The Gujarat Titans are going into the match knowing that a victory will virtually seal their place in the top 4. "The way they are batting, it gives me the confidence that even our No. 8, 9 and 10 can win us the game," their captain Hardik Pandya said after the game against RCB, the batting trio of Miller, Tewatia and Rashid Khan have been phenomenal finishing games for them. If you look closely at their team, Shubman Gill has managed only 80 runs in Titans' last six games, at a strike rate of 98.76 and they are still yet to figure out who their best No. 3 batter. Along with that the added uncertainty around Pandya's bowling fitness, they have been forced to play an extra bowler and compromise their batting but that has all been masked with a terrific bowling unit and their lower order.

Punjab Kings are looking for some consistency in their performance in this year’s IPL as they are languishing at seventh on the points table. The major concern this year is that they haven't figured out their best XI. In the batting department Shikhar Dhawan and Liam Livingstone have scored the bulk of the runs as the rest haven’t really got going in this year's tournament. In the bowling department the PBKS spinners have struggled the most as Rahul Chahar has conceded 254 runs at an economy rate of over 8 but on the other hand Arshdeep and Rabada have been the key in the death overs. Kagiso Rabada will hold the key in today’s match as he has managed to keep Shubhman Gill in check, conceding only 20 runs in 32 balls, and dismissing the Titans' opener twice and he has kept David Miller quiet conceding only 30 runs in 32 balls and also dismissing his international teammate once.

Pitch and weather report: The DY Patil pitch has been a mixed bag as a lot of runs have been scored and lots of wickets have also fallen at this venue. We can expect ballers to hit the deck hard in the first 6 overs as the pitch might offer some swing. The longer boundaries will play a major role in this match. The temperature is going to hover around 30 degrees, with no chance of rain as dew may play a part in the second innings.

Interesting facts:

Wriddhiman Saha has scored 91 runs at a SR of 142.18 in the powerplay without getting out
Dhawan has taken Mohammed Shami for 108 runs off 69 balls without getting out.
Liam Livingstone has scored 86 runs off 52 balls against Rashid but has also been dismissed four times.
Miller and Tewatia have added 236 runs in six innings this season at an average of 59 and a run rate of 10.48.
Titans have won five run chases in the last over, two of them off the last ball only CSK in 2018 saw more last over finishes

Also read: Has Kolkata Knight Riders' retention policy failed already?

Probable XI for GT:
1 Shubman Gill, 2 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 3 Sai Sudharsan, 4 Hardik Pandya (capt), 5 David Miller, 6 Rahul Tewatia, 7 Rashid Khan, 8 Alzarri Joseph, 9 Lockie Ferguson, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Yash Dayal/Pradeep Sangwan.

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

2022-05-03 16:27

Players should be allowed to review wide, high no-balls: Vettori, Tahir

Mumbai, May 3 (Cricket News) Former New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori and South African spinner Imran Tahir reckon that wides and height no-balls should also come under the DRS scanner as umpires' call sparked fresh debate during Rajasthan Royals' IPL match against Kolkata Knight Riders here.

Defending 18 runs from the last two overs, Royals skipper Sanju Samson was visibly upset by umpire Nitin Pandit's three wide calls despite considerable movement from the batters -- Rinku Singh and Nitish Rana -- on a couple of occasions in the penultimate over on Monday.

Samson then went on to ask for a review when the ball was miles away from the bat in his sarcastic way of protest.

It sparked a fresh debate for call of wides and waist height no-balls for review with the Kiwi former all-rounder speaking up on the issue once again.

"I don't think there was any thought of it actually being out... Absolutely (players should be allowed to review wides). The players should be able to decide in such crucial matters," Vettori, a former Royal Challengers Bangalore coach, told ESPNCricinfo.com.

"Today it is a little bit different where it always looked like KKR are going to win. But we have sat here so many times and seen decisions go against bowlers that are so close and the umpire has got it wrong.

"So therefore the players should have some avenues towards rectifying those mistakes. That's why DRS was brought in: to rectify mistakes. I would like to see that happen. And players are very good judges of that. They get it right more often than not." According to the ICC rule 22.4.1 on wides, "The umpire shall not adjudge a delivery as being a Wide, if the striker, by moving, either causes the ball to pass wide of him/her, or brings the ball sufficiently within reach to be able to hit it by means of a normal cricket stroke." Rajasthan Royals were involved in yet another controversy -- this time involving a no-ball in their match against Rishabh Pant-led Delhi Capitals.

Chasing a mammoth 223, Delhi needed 36 from the final over and Rovman Powell upped the ante, smashing three sixes in a row.

The third six came off a waist-high full toss but the on-field umpires did not call it a no-ball, nor did they choose to refer it.

It led to unprecedented scenes in the Delhi dugout as Pant started calling back the players and their assistant coach Pravin Amre stepped on the pitch in a blatant violation of the Code of Conduct.

Echoing similar sentiments, former Chennai Super Kings all-rounder Tahir said: "Yeah why not (review)... There is not much for bowlers in the game. When batters are hitting you all over, you don't have much choice than bowling wide yorkers or bowling wide leg breaks. If that becomes a wide, you are in trouble." "But look, it was a close call. Samson was a little bit frustrated. It was a 50-50 thing. I don't think it should be a big issue. Kolkata played well, and they were going to win it. But yeah there should be a review that a player can go for," he added.

The KKR duo of Rana and Singh scored 17 runs in the penultimate over to seal a seven-wicket win with five balls to spare.

Also Read : Those sixes off Cottrell at Sharjah instilled self-belief in Rahul Tewatia: Gavaskar

News Source : PTI

2022-05-03 15:00

Has Kolkata Knight Riders' retention policy failed already?

(Cricket news) The IPL went through a major change this season by becoming a 10 team tournament with two new teams. A mega auction was staged where old teams were allowed to retain a maximum of 4 players while new teams could pick 3 players outside of the Auction. Kolkata Knight Riders who finished runners up in last season's final decided to retain their star overseas players Andre Russell and Sunil Narine. Their two Indian retention's were Varun Chakravarthy and Venkatesh Iyer.

Russell and Narine are legends of KKR and this season the pair continue to consistently put in good performances. Their retention wasn't a big surprise as they have an incredible history at the club. Eoin Morgan and Lockie Ferguson were the two other options but the choice was always going to be Russell and Narine. The other two retentions were extremely bold. KKR did not retain Dinesh Karthik, Rahul Tripathi, Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana or Prasidh Krishna instead opting for Varun Chakravarthy and Venkatesh Iyer.

Chakravarthy has had two incredible seasons with KKR but his time with the Indian team hasn't been good. His consistent injury issues have been an issue as well. KKR chose a player who has played well for only two seasons and that too for 8 Cr which was a little risky. This season Varun Chakravarthy has been a shadow of the player he previously was. The mystery spinner has not been effective at all this season having picked up only 4 wickets in 8 matches with an economy of 8.82. He was dropped after these below par performances which suggests that KKR management may have lost patience with him.

Venkatesh Iyer on the other hand burst onto the scene in the 2nd leg of the 2021 IPL where he scored 370 runs in 10 matches and also picked up 3 wickets. After that he had an amazing campaign in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Iyer made his debut for India in T20Is as well as ODIs and put in some good performances. This season he has been up and down the order as he started as an opener after which he was asked to bat lower. He was then asked to open again before being dropped in the last match against Rajasthan Royals.

KKR's retention policy hasn't been fruitful yet. KKR have used a total of 19 players this season, more than any other franchise. They have constantly chopped and changed players as well as team combination. Players are not getting an extended run in the team at all. As of now they are still in the race to qualify but the management need to find a combination and playing XI that works. There is still a chance that Iyer and Chakravarthy could return to the playing XI but their confidence must have taken a massive hit.

Also read: Battle of weak-links: CSK, RCB square off in important mid-table clash

2022-05-03 14:03

Battle of weak-links: CSK, RCB square off in important mid-table clash

Pune, May 3 (Cricket News) Chennai Super Kings' fragile bowling vis-a-vis Royal Challengers Bengaluru's struggling batting line-up put the sides on an even keel as the two heavyweights face-off in an important mid-table clash of the IPL here on Wednesday.

In cricket, when two strong and equally performing teams have a match-up, it promises a great contest but when two sides with specific weak-links are pitted against each other it makes the contest all the more exhilarating.

Sample this. In 10 games that RCB has played so far, only six half-centuries have been recorded and out of them two belongs to skipper Faf du Plessis, which is a testimony to below-par batting show in the tourney.

In nine games that CSK have played so far, there hasn't been a single bowler (pacers and spinners), who has bowled at an economy rate of less than 7.50 runs an over. The best economy rate is of Mahesh Theeksana (7.54) while Dwayne Bravo (14 wickets) and Mukesh Choudhary (11 wickets) have had poor economy rates of 8.73 and 9.82 runs per over average.

The match also becomes an enticing one as Virat Kohli has finally found some some form going his way and Mahendra Singh Dhoni is back in the saddle and would do everything under his control to plot the downfall of India's best batter.

Dhoni's return as CSK skipper replacing an out-of-sorts and more so bereft of ideas Ravindra Jadeja, proved beneficial as they outscored a formidable Sunrisers Hyderabad, keeping their campaign alive with six points from nine games.

While RCB are still on fifth place with 10 points from as many games, they seemed to have lost a bit of momentum with three back-to-back defeats primarily due to shoddy batting shows.

They have been all-out for season's lowest score --68 -- and have also failed to chase a modest target of 145 in another game.

Even in their last game versus Gujarat Titans, Kohli's 58 off 53 balls was one of the reasons that RCB failed to score more than 170, which was below-par on a good batting track.

In Kohli (186 runs in 10 games) and skipper Du Plessis (278 from 9 games), RCB have one of the scariest of opening pairs but it hasn't really translated into big performances.

In case of Kohli, his form of late has been so bad that one can't really blame him for taking his time to score runs.

However, nearly nine of the 20 overs consumed for 58 runs will never be considered as a performance that can help the team.

Young Rajat Patidar, after a below-par last season, has shown some spark but the likes of Dinesh Karthik (218 from 10 games) and Glenn Maxwell (157 from 7 games) perhaps will need to do more than what they are currently contributing.

Especially Karthik, whose form has tapered since he closed in a few chases earlier in the tournament.

On Wednesday, RCB will face a bowling line-up which isn't an intimidating one with rookie Choudhary or Simarjeet Singh, still trying to find feet in an elite league and the most experienced spinner Ravindra Jadeja having completely lost form due to leadership burden, which he was forced to relinquish.

In such a backdrop, whoever wins will only add to the 'mid-table muddle' as most teams between six to 10 poitnts are clubbed together making it an interesting next four weeks.

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

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

Match Starts at 7:30 pm IST.

Also Read : Trying to perform anchor's role after 7-8 years in IPL: Rana

News Source : PTI

2022-05-03 11:33

Trying to perform anchor's role after 7-8 years in IPL: Rana

Mumbai, May 3 (Cricket News) Kolkata Knight Riders batter Nitish Rana said having plied his trade in the IPL for considerable number of years, he is now trying to adapt to the role of an anchor, which was on full display against Rajasthan Royals here.

Rana, who hit an unbeaten 48, anchored the 153-run chase on a slow-paced Wankhede wicket to help KKR beat RR by seven wickets on Monday and snap their five-match losing streak.

"A lot of things depend on factors like opponent team and what total we are chasing and what number I am batting. I have been playing IPL for seven-eight years now and trying to perform the anchor or main player.

"I have been successful till date and hope that in the coming matches, I play such innings for the team," Rana said at the virtual post-match press conference.

"...the role which the team is giving me according to match situation, I am trying to bat like that. Today, I had to play the anchor's role.

"I knew that if I was there at one end, then things would become easy for us with players like Rinku, Andre Russell, and Anukul (Roy) waiting in the wings. So we had depth in batting but my role was to play from one end so that we could easily chase the target," he added. Rana also heaped praise on young Rinku Singh, who played an unbeaten 42-run cameo of 23 balls.

He said his efforts to calm down a "hyper" Rinku yielded rich dividend for KKR.

"I am very happy for the way he (Rinku) batted as I know him for 5-6 years and he has worked a lot, scored in every domestic season. The way he was batting, I knew he would do something big for our team once he gets the chance," said Rana.

"When he walked in to bat, I tried to calm him as I know he is a little-hyper and told him (if) we bat, we can finish the game in any over. I am very happy for him and hopefully he will continue batting the same way for KKR and himself," he added. Rana also took a dig at their critics, who have questioned KKR's team selection. "In our eyes we have got the best XI, probably the outsiders feel that we haven't. We comfortably won without any big player (making an impact). If we win like this, any eleven is best." RR's Kumar Sangakkara rues lack of runs ********************************** Rajasthan Royals Director of Cricket Kumara Sangakkara rued the batter's inability to put on big scores behind the team's defeat in the last two games.

"Two scratchy games and we didn't get enough runs on the board. In Mumbai (Indians games) we were 130 with four overs to go, should have been 170. Today we just got little-bit bogged down in the middle," he said.

"Sanju (Samson) batted well and Hetty (Shimron Hetymer) at the back end got us some respectability. The bowlers in both the games did their utmost to take into the last over, but a lot to improve on and a lot to think about as we go into that next game."

Also Read : Kolkata Knight Riders restrict RR to 152/5 despite Samson's fifty

News Source : PTI

2022-05-03 10:28

Way Rinku maintained his calm under pressure was outstanding: KKR skipper Iyer

Mumbai, May 2 (Cricket News) Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Shreyas Iyer on Monday lavished praise on Rinku Singh for showing "outstanding" calmness under pressure, calling him an "asset" for the team.

Singh smashed an unbeaten 23-ball 42 studded with six boundaries and a six as he and Nitish Rana (48 not out) chased down a 153-run target with ease for a seven-wicket victory over Rajasthan Royals.

"I was talking to my teammates in the dressing room and was like, the way he's maintaining his calm even in such pressure situations playing his second or third game, it's outstanding," Iyer said during the post-match presentation ceremony.

"Building that partnership with Nitish Rana in that situation, it's something we have to praise about and he's a great asset for the future in the franchise.

"The way he has given starts right from the first game, he doesn't look like a newcomer in the team." Iyer also praised his bowlers, especially veteran Umesh Yadav (1/24) and Sunil Narine (0/19) for consistently producing the goods for KKR.

"Right from the powerplay when our bowlers conceded just 36 runs and took a wicket, it was just the start we needed," he said.

"We have been talking about Umesh right from the start. He has increased his pace, bowls those hard lengths and as a captain you just have to give him the ball to deliver.

"Whenever I give Sunil Narine the ball, he gets me wickets, but the batsmen don't take chances against him. He is very economical, but when he gets a wicket, he gets a big one." One area where KKR has struggled is the opening slot and Iyer said they will have to address the issue.

"We are looking for a good start. I love pressure, but it sweats a lot of me to build the innings in every game." Rajasthan captain Sanju Samson blamed his batting unit for not being able to accelerate in the end.

"I think the wicket was a bit slow and they bowled really well, but with the batting we have I would have liked to score a few more boundaries at the end. I think we were short 15-20 runs," he said.

"With the bowling and fielding we showed some real fight. The body language and energy was amazing. I think we could have batted a bit better.

"I think you have to keep on assessing the game and who is batting with you. Wickets at intervals, that's what stopped myself to keep going with momentum. When I wanted to go hard, they bowled really well and we couldn't execute our shots." Samson also said he had "a niggle in the last few games." "But I'm recovering well and (my back) is fine. It was a great effort (in the field)."

Also Read : KKR win toss, opt to field against RR

News Source : PTI

2022-05-02 18:58

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

New Delhi, May 2 (Cricket News) When Imran Khan, a young aspiring first-class cricketer took his younger brother Mohsin to Badruddin Siddiqui for guidance, the coach didn't know what to make of the short and slight player from Moradabad's Sambhal area.

With eight wickets from four games, Mohsin is the latest among the group of rookie pacers, who have started making waves in this year's IPL.

Badruddin is one of the well-known grassroots level coaches in UP, having groomed the versatile Mohammed Shami during his initial years.

"It was more than a decade back when Mohsin's elder brother Imran used to come to my academy. By then Shami had moved to Kolkata and was playing Ranji Trophy.

"It was Imran who told me that his younger Mohsin is interested and if he could bring him for training," Badruddin recollected after his ward took 4/16, including wickets of David Warner, Rishabh Pant and Rovman Powell to win it for Lucknow Super Giants.

Badruddin remembers that initially Mohsin was like any other 13-year-old, who would at times be a tad inattentive.

"Kids of that age would be like that. Suddenly, he is bowling and next moment I see him padded up and taking guard. He would get scolded by me but if I am honest, 10 years back, I never felt seeing his physique that he could become a potent fast bowler," the coach said.

"However, his height shot up in a year and he became six feet tall. His game went to a different level and he started working hard with full focus," the coach said.

Multan Khan, a retired cop with UP Police had full faith in Badruddin since he was Shami's coach and left it entirely on him to guide his son.

"Imran unfortunately couldn't continue and later cleared state government exam and is now employed. But their father left all cricketing decisions with me. Once he got selected in the Vijay Merchant Trophy (U-16 Nationals), I knew he would come up the ranks," he said.

In fact, just like Shami left for Kolkata to face the bump and grind of tough club cricket, Badruddin also sent Mohsin to Kolkata based coach Abdul Monayem so that he could arrange a first division club for him.

Lot of youngsters from Meerut ply their trade as professionals in Kolkata but as luck would have it, Mohsin had to come back as he was selected for U-19 UP side.

"I remember Mohsin as he played in some practice matches between club teams that we had arranged pre-season. He attracted a lot of attention with his 6 feet 3 inch frame and would release the ball from around 10 feet after jump. He was a fine talent but he had to go back," Monayem recollected.

Training with Shami at his private ground --------------------------------------------- While he has been primarily a white-ball bowler, in 2020 during first lockdown post COVID-19, Mohsin got a rare chance to train with Shami at his residential ground in Amroha.

Shami owns a proper private ground at his native place where he has developed turf pitches and along with Badruddin, his younger brother Mohammed Kaif and Mohsin trained there during lockdown.

"It was a very small group and I had called Mohsin so that he could train and learn watching Shami. I also wated Shami to have a look at him and give his feedback as to how he was shaping up.

"What I felt was that Shami was impressed and gave him a lot of tips. He has often enquired about Mohsin's progress. And trust me you have seen his bowling but he is an equally capable had-hitting batter," Badruddin said.

UP's most potent T20 bowler of late ---------------------------------------- Lucknow is not the first team for Mohsin as he was picked by Mumbai Indians some years back after attending trials. It was learnt a senior BCCI official's right-hand man back then had really helped Mohsin get a first foothold but MI then had a set team and he didn't get chance to play.

Before Vijay Dahiya joined Lucknow Super Giants as an assistant coach this season, he already had worked as the senior UP team's head coach and already had a first hand knowledge about Mohsin's talent which came in handy at the auction.

Dahiya, perhaps, one of the best talent spotters in the country, had preferred playing Mohsin in one of the games ahead of the seasoned Ankit Rajpoot.

"Apart from Bhuvneshwar Kumar, we had three premier pacers --Yash (Dayal), Ankit and Mohsin. In one of the T20 games, we gave Ankit a break and played Mohsin.

"The extra bounce that he gets due to his height will always be an advantage. He is humble, gentle and hardworking, the attributes one always likes," Dahiya said.

Setting a player of Pant's calibre with short balls and then a dipping fuller delivery showed how he can be a 'Director's Actor', in this case a captain's perfect executor, but the tougher journey will start now.

"The challenge now is to remain grounded and the real test of temperament will happen in this tournament itself. Not all days will be same.

"A game will be round the corner where batters will go hell for leather against him. How he comes back will tell us how he will be doing in future. In the end, we all have our future in our own hands," Dahiya concluded.

Also Read : Cheteshwar has got his 'flow' back with better match practice, says father cum coach

News Source : PTI

2022-05-02 17:40

Cheteshwar has got his 'flow' back with better match practice, says father cum coach

New Delhi, May 2 (Cricket News) Regular match practice, something Cheteshwar Pujara was not able to get due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is the reason for the India batter's consistent run in the ongoing County Championship, reckons his father and coach Arvind Pujara.

Pujara, a veteran of 95 Tests, found himself out of the Indian team after the series loss in South Africa alongside Ajinkya Rahane.

The consistency that has made him play close to 100 Tests was not there over past three seasons when he averaged less than 30, forcing the selectors to look beyond him for the home series against Sri Lanka.

But with two double centuries and a hundred in three games for Sussex this season, Pujara is doing what is in his control as he looks to make a comeback for the one-off Test in England in July.

"I feel the lack of game time was a big reason why he could not be consistent over the past three seasons," his father Arvind, who remains his only personal coach till date, told PTI.

The pandemic struck, Ranji Trophy was not happening and Cheteshwar being a one format player, found himself playing series to series with no warm up games too, sometimes with long gaps in between (when India played white-ball cricket).

"When you play the likes of Australia and England, you have to be on the top of your game as you don't get loose balls that you may get at the domestic level.

"There were not enough games for him to play at the domestic level to be ready for bigger battles. That I feel impacted his consistency at the highest level." "Now that he is getting to play regularly, you can see the consistency is back in his game," said the father cum coach.

The 34-year-old did play three Ranji Trophy games this season as the premier domestic event made its return after two years.

After Saurashtra failed to qualify for the knock-outs, Pujara headed to UK for a full-fledged County season.

Pujara's technique was questioned after being dismissed while defending on the front foot on multiple occasions over the last two years.

Without getting into the technical side his son's game, Arvind said when one doesn't play enough games, the ability to "concentrate in the middle for long periods is affected".

His father said Cheteshwar was understandably disappointed after being left out of the Indian team but the setback made him hungrier for runs.

"Selection is in the hands of selectors. I just told him that you need to keeping working hard, keep putting in the effort day in and day out and rest will follow.

"It is every cricketer's dream to play for India and no different for Cheteshwar but you also play for the love of the game. The fact he is playing County Cricket at the moment shows that just wants to be out in the middle." On his selection for the one off Test in England couple of months down the line, "That is for the selectors to decide. I feel especially in overseas conditions, you need your experience players in the team to deal with tough situations and also guide the youngsters. He just needs to keep scoring," Arvind added.

Also Read : Captaincy pressure burdened Jadeja's preparations and performance: Dhoni

News Source : PTI

2022-05-02 16:25

Captaincy pressure burdened Jadeja's preparations and performance: Dhoni

Pune, May 2 (Cricket News) The pressure and demands that come with captaincy affected Ravindra Jadeja's preparation and performance, says Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who had encouraged the all-rounder to take responsibility as a skipper rather than "spoon-feeding" him after the initial two-match transition period.

Jadeja had been appointed CSK skipper after Dhoni decided to step aside just before the tournament began last month.

But the all-rounder buckled under pressure and eventually gave up the job, forcing the franchise to fall back on their most trusted lieutenant.

Under Jadeja, CSK lost six out of their eight matches. India's most dependable all-format all-rounder's batting, bowling and fielding also took a hit.

Back at the helm of affairs, Dhoni, who has led CSK to four titles, produced instant result as CSK registered a 13-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad to keep themselves afloat in the tournament on Sunday.

"I think Jadeja knew last season he'd be captaining this year. For the first two games, I oversaw his work and let him be later. After that, I insisted he'd take his own decisions and responsibility for them," Dhoni said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

"Once you become captain, it means a lot of demands come in. But it affected his mind as the tasks grew. I think captaincy burdened his prep and performances." Dhoni said Jadeja taking over the mantle of the side was a gradual transition, which he wanted.

"He knew and got enough time to prepare, what is important is you want him to lead the side and I wanted that transition to happen. At the end of the season, you don't want him to feel as the captaincy was done by someone else and I'm just going for toss.

"So it was a gradual transition. Spoon-feeding doesn't really help captain, on the field you have to take those crucial decisions and you have to take responsibility for those decisions.

"Once you become the captain, we have to take care of lot many things and that also includes your own game," he said.

Dhoni hoped Jadeja would rediscover form after being freed from captaincy.

"Even if you relieve captainship and if you are at your best and that's what we want. We were also losing a great fielder, we are struggling for a deep mid-wicket fielder, still we have dropped 17-18 catches and that's a matter of concern." "These are tough games and hopefully we will comeback strong, important to communicate with the bowlers," he said.

Talking about the match, Dhoni said they managed to put up a defendable score on the board.

"It was a good score to start off. I did nothing different, it's not like much changes with the change of captain. The target we got was a good one, dew comes in so the bowling needed to be good.

"The spinners did well in the 7-14 over period, that was key to the win and gave a surplus of runs which we could fall back on."

Also Read : Yastika's special effort goes in vain as Maharashtra beat Baroda by six wickets to enter final

News Source : PTI

2022-05-02 15:29

David Griffin appointed new President of Cricket Ireland

(Cricket news) David Griffin has been confirmed as the new President of Cricket Ireland following today’s Annual General Meeting, replacing Philip Black who has been President since 2020. His career began in 1972 when he played for Pembroke Cricket Club, becoming the Honorary Secretary of the club from 1976 to 1982. He then joined the Cork County Cricket Club in 1985 – eventually rising to captain of the 1st XI in 1989 and 1990 before retiring after the 2000 season.

David remembers that time fondly: “Cork County is a great club to be involved with and the Mardyke is one of the nicest places in which to play cricket in Ireland. The club has been a huge part of my life since I moved to Cork and I have played and worked with a great group of people during this time. Off the field, I became Honorary Secretary of Cork County in 1986 and continued in that role until 2001, when I changed jobs and became Honorary Treasurer of the club. I stepped down from this role at the club AGM in December 2021.”

David’s involvement with Munster Cricket’s administrative side began in 1986 and he remained involved with the provincial setup on an almost continuous basis from then until this year. At various times, he even acted as a selector or team manager for the Munster interprovincial team - now known as the Munster Reds. David had two terms as President of the Union in 1999-2001 and 2014-15, and became chairperson of Munster Cricket in 2016 - and held that role until 2021.

“The development of Munster Cricket is something I am very proud to be associated with. Cricket in Munster is run by passionate and dedicated volunteers who have the belief that cricket is a community game that brings together people of different backgrounds and abilities in the common enjoyment of this great game. In recent years, the great work of these volunteers has been brought to a new level since the appointment of our General Manager, Joe Moynihan, in 2019 and the more recent appointment of development and operations staff. It has been very satisfying to see Munster clubs make national club competition finals, to be named or shortlisted for the national club of the year award and to have been involved in bringing the Munster Reds back into the Interprovincial T20 and T50 competitions. These achievements show the progress and potential of the game in the Province.”

David has also had extensive involvement in cricket at a national level too – firstly as the Munster Delegate to the Irish Cricket Union Executive from 1991 to 2001, then as Chair of the Finance Committee in 2002-03, as the Munster delegate to the Cricket Committee from 2014-16, and finally as the Munster nominee to the Cricket Ireland Board from 2017 to 2022, and as Chair of the Cricket Ireland Audit & Risk Committee from 2020-22.

His next chapter is set to be a busy one: “The 2022 home season is the biggest international programme we have seen in Ireland, with 25 matches across the Irish men’s and women’s senior sides – then followed by a Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia in October. But the Presidency is not just about the senior showcase matches – I am just as much looking forward to the opportunity to travel to many club grounds around Ireland and take in the domestic game as much as possible.

“I have been involved in provincial and regional cricket for many decades and know the importance of the grassroots game to our sport. This will be a big year for our sport at all levels, and I hope I can meet as many of the wonderful players, coaches, volunteers, umpires, scorers and administrators across this island who help sustain and grow our sport.”

Also read: Brian MacNeice replaces Ross McCollum as Chair of the Cricket Ireland

2022-05-02 15:17

Brian MacNeice replaces Ross McCollum as Chair of the Cricket Ireland

(Cricket news) Brian MacNeice has assumed the role of Chair of the Cricket Ireland Board following today’s Annual General Meeting, replacing Ross McCollum who has been Chair since 2012. MacNeice was announced as Vice-Chair in 2021 and worked closely with McCollum over the last year as part of a transition process. He is currently a Managing Director at Teneo with more than 30 years’ experience in consulting across a range of industries, as well as acting as a strategic advisor to major businesses and sports organisations in Ireland and overseas. He was formerly the President of Clontarf Cricket Club, and was appointed to the Board of Cricket Ireland in 2020.

Following the AGM, MacNeice said: “It is an incredible honour and somewhat humbling to assume the role of Chair. I am acutely aware of the responsibility that comes with this position, and will work to my best endeavours in the best interests of Irish cricket at all times. We have such a vibrant sport with the potential for enormous growth over coming years, and I hope to play a part in guiding the sport into the next phase of its development.

“I would like to acknowledge Ross McCollum for his immense contribution over the last decade in the Chair’s role – spending the last 12 months working closely with Ross has provided a great insight into how committed he is about the improvement of Irish cricket, and he should be very proud of what has been achieved under his stewardship. Our standing with major stakeholders domestically and internationally has grown immeasurably in his time in the role.

“The role itself is a demanding and extensive one in terms of the brief, but the last year has allowed me the opportunity to get to grips with all of the areas of responsibility. I also spent part of this time travelling around various provinces and clubs in order to gather a better understanding of the priorities across the cricket community. I intend to do more of that in the coming year.”

MacNeice was involved in the development of the past three Cricket Ireland Strategic Plans, and through these projects he acknowledges a number of key challenges over the next five years: “Cricket Ireland’s latest Strategic Plan, that covers 2021-2023, sets out the future direction of the organisation, and establishes the foundations for creating the longer-term growth beyond 2023. Over the last decade, the rapid pace at which cricket on this island has transformed is astonishing. However, we still have much work to do to ensure that we continue to strengthen, support and grow the game sustainably and across all provinces. To achieve this, we recognise the role of clubs is crucial. Having been a past club president has given me a certain perspective and insight in this area.

“A strong grassroots allows the whole sport to flourish. To achieve this, we need to innovate and expand the reach of our game to make sure more people are encouraged to get involved at whatever level is right for them. We need to get more youngsters picking up bats and balls and having great fun through cricket. We need to create dynamic, exciting, engaging experiences for them and make it commonplace for kids everywhere across the island to see cricket as a natural option to consider. We are an open, inclusive, diverse sport and we embrace the different cultures that are drawn to the game.

“There are huge growth opportunities for women and girls, and this has already become a major priority area for Irish cricket. The success of our international teams has made us all proud. We need to continue to invest in our pathways and performance programmes to ensure we are competitive on the Men’s and Women’s international stage so that we can celebrate many more wonderful sporting successes on the world stage.

“We have much work to do too on the infrastructure for cricket in terms of facilities at club, regional and international level. So there is no shortage of things that will be sitting on the in-tray! And it will require focused planning, investment and shrewd use of scarce resources – both financial and people. It will also require us to work closely together across Cricket Ireland, the Provincial Unions, and the clubs. This will be a key focus of mine in the coming months and years. We have seen what has already been achieved with vision, ambition and hard work in the last decade. I have no doubt we will continue to build on the achievements to date and make cricket in Ireland stronger, better, and more sustainable into the future.”

And about his own cricket playing career?

“My journey in cricket started out as a seven-year old when I wandered down the lane at Castle Avenue into Clontarf Cricket Club. It opened the door to a lifetime of involvement and enjoyment. Since then I have been involved in many capacities. I have been a player, selector, administrator, and advisor to cricket ever since.

“My playing career was a modest one. I played on various representative sides at both underage and senior level including captaining Irish Schools and winning a few trophies with Clontarf along the way. Indeed a certain Ross McCollum’s swashbuckling innings in the 1990 Irish Senior Cup final denied me a winners medal that year. My military medium pacers were no answer to his attacking power at the crease.

“I spent eight years as a National Team selector, including two World Cup campaigns - the obvious highlight of which was the wonderful night in Bangalore in 2011. I was recently President of Clontarf Cricket Club - a club that I am very proud of and one which has had a history of producing many leading administrators that have contributed hugely throughout the years to cricket in Ireland. In a professional capacity I have acted as a strategic advisor to many sports organisations in Ireland and overseas, and hopefully I can bring that expertise to bear in continuing to build effective relationships with our key stakeholders domestically and internationally.

“There are very many people that I would like to thank for helping me on my journey in cricket so far. Far too many to name check all of them. However, there are some that have made a significant impact and whom I will always be indebted to. At Clontarf, I have been surrounded by great role models and tireless workers on behalf of others.

“Throughout my schoolboy years I benefitted from the work of volunteers from many clubs to provide great opportunities and a platform for building long-lasting friendships with my peers. In the latter years I have got more involved in the administrative side of cricket and I am forever astonished at the commitment and passion that so many people bring to their involvement within the game. They are the true heroes of our sport and the people that have helped bring cricket in Ireland to where it is today and they will be the people that ensure we continue to grow the game on the island. Finally, I am blessed with a supportive family and without whom I could not take on the role. To Miriam, Charlie, Jack and Dan thank you for your ongoing support and encouragement.’’

Also read: Struggling KKR take on the might RR in match no 47

2022-05-02 14:14

Struggling KKR take on the might RR in match no 47

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

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

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

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

Interesting facts:

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

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

Probable XI for KKR:

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

Probable XI for RR:

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

2022-05-02 13:40

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

Navi Mumbai, May 2 (Cricket News) Gujarat Titans, who have been remarkable in bouncing back from adverse situations, would look to seal a spot in the Play-offs when they clash with inconsistent Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL), here on Tuesday.

Gujarat, the IPL debutants, are clearly the team to beat in the competition having won eight out of nine games. A sixth consecutive win will make them the first side to enter the play-offs.

A big reason for Gujarat's stellar run has been their ability to come back from tough situations.

Whether it is Rahul Tewatia, David Miller, Rashid Khan or skipper Hardik Pandya -- they all have produced match-winning efforts during the course of the tournament. If one has failed, the other has risen to the occasion.

"That's the beauty of this team, people coming in and showing what they can do in clutch situations is becoming quite a habit, something I don't mind happening. We always back them to do it, but they're defying odds time and again," Hardik's words after the win over RCB summed up his team's sprit aptly. The last time Gujarat and Punjab met, they produced a cracking finish with Tewatia bringing his team back from the dead by smashing two sixes off the last two balls of the game.

Punjab would hope to be on the right side of the result and that the game doesn't go deep. They are in the middle of another inconsistent campaign and with five losses in nine games and are running out of time.

Their senior batters, captain Mayank Agarwal himself, Jonny Bairstow, Shikhar Dhawan and Liam Livingstone have done well in patches but have not been consistent enough.

Barring pacer Arshdeep Singh, who seems to be getting better with every game, the bowling department can also do better. They did well in the previous game but the batters flopped to let the team down. For Titans, wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha has been a great replacement for a struggling Matthew Wade.

His opening partner Shubman Gill has had starts but of late the elegant right-handed batter hasn't been among the runs and considering his potential, he would be keen to get back to form.

The batting mainstay for Gujarat has been Hardik, who has played responsible knocks, and with 308 runs is the third highest run-scorer.

A rare failure in the last game against the RCB shouldn’t bother the flamboyant all-rounder.

Their weak link is number three B Sai Sudharsan and he needs to take more responsibility along with Miller, who has been playing the role of a finisher to perfection.

Miller has taken the team over the line and along with Tewatia, who can hit sixes at will, is a formidable batter to have at the business end of the innings.

Another important cog for Gujarat is all-rounder Rashid Khan, who has also displayed his six-hitting prowess, to go with his crafty bowling.

Miller, Tewatia and Rashid have together hit 28 sixes and will be expected to keep doing the job.

Gujarat also have one of the most lethal attacks in the IPL.

While Mohammed Shami can wreak havoc with the new ball, the big-hitters in the Punjab line-up would be wary of the pace and variety which Lockie Ferguson brings with him.

They can also continue with Pradeep Sangwan, who returned with fine figures in his first IPL game after four seasons.

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

Punjab Kings: Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Agarwal, 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.

Match starts at 7.30 PM.

Also Read : Washington injured his bowling hand again, losing him against CSK impacted our bowling: Moody

News Source :PTI

2022-05-02 10:45

Indian embassy in Oman organises cricket tournament

Muscat, May 1 (Cricket News) India’s embassy in Muscat said on Sunday that it organised a cricket tournament that saw riveting cricketing action, drawing significant interest among Omani people and expatriates.

The 'Friendship Cup Cricket Tournament 2022' organised in cooperation with the Oman Cricket Association (OCA) was part of ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ which is being celebrated to mark 75 glorious years of India's independence, it said.

"This first-ever and unique cricket initiative in Oman saw the active participation of four teams from the embassies of India, the US and the UK as well as a team representing the Oman Cricket Association (OCA)," the Indian mission said in a statement.

The tournament was inaugurated on April 22 by ambassadors of India, the US, UK and the Vice Chairman of OCA. It was played in a league format with the two teams with maximum points reaching the final.

While the OCA team won all its league matches to book a seat in the final, the ambassador's XI of the Indian embassy beat the US and the UK teams comfortably.

The UK ambassador's XI lost all its matches, while the US team could win one league game, the embassy said.

The final was played on April 30 at the OCA cricket ground, the venue of the T-20 World Cup playoffs last year.

The final witnessed a tight and exciting encounter between the ambassador's XI of the Embassy of India and Chairman's XI of OCA.

The embassy team, led by Ambassador Amit Narang, posted a fighting total of 103 in 15 overs.

"Even though the OCA team featured some former players of the Oman National Cricket team, their chase was anything but easy. Embassy team gave the Oman team a tough fight leading to a nail-biting finish in the last over," the embassy said.

Oman's Chairman XI managed to win the match off the last ball of the match, thus taking the inaugural 'Friendship Cup' home, it said.

"This unique tournament saw riveting cricketing action, with amateur diplomat-cricketers from all three embassies showcasing impressive skills with both the ball and the bat," the embassy said.

"More importantly, it was a beautiful show of sportsmanship and camaraderie and also gave the families from respective countries a chance to come together and enjoy the sporting entertainment," it said.

The embassy said that the tournament not only helped in strengthening bonds of friendship but also generated interest in cricket among Omani citizens and expatriates.

"The tournament was well covered in the local media and also generated strong interest in the diplomatic community," it added.

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

News Source : PTI

2022-05-02 09:54

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

News Source : PTI

2022-05-02 09:39

Gaikwad, Conway power CSK to 202/2 against SRH

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

News Source : PTI

2022-05-02 08:02

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

Pune, May 1 (Cricket News) Talismanic Mahendra Singh Dhoni feels the pressure and demand of captaincy took a toll on Ravindra Jadeja and affected the all-rounder's mind, resulting in his below-par outing in Chennai Super Kings colours in the ongoing IPL.

Jadeja was anointed as CSK skipper for the ongoing season after Dhoni decided to step aside but the all-rounder failed to cope with the pressure and eventually gave up the job, forcing the franchise to fall back on their most trusted lieutenant.

Back at the helm of affairs, Dhoni produced instant results as CSK notched up a 13-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad to keep themselves afloat in the tournament.

"I think Jadeja knew last season he'd be captaining this year. For the first two games, I oversaw his work and let him be later. After that, I insisted he'd take his own decisions and responsibility for them.

"Once you become captain, it means a lot of demands come in. But it affected his mind as the tasks grew. I think captaincy burdened his prep and performances," Dhoni said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

Dhoni said Jadeja taking over the mantle of the side was a gradual transition, which he wanted.

"He knew and got enough time to prepare, what is important is you want him to lead the side and I wanted that transition to happen. At the end of the season, you don't want him to feel as the captaincy was done by someone else and I'm just going for toss.

"So it was a gradual transition. Spoon-feeding doesn't really help captain, on the field you have to take those crucial decisions and you have to take responsibility for those decisions.

"Once you become the captain, we have to take care of lot many things and that also includes your own game," he said.

Dhoni hoped Jadeja would reignite as a player after being freed of the captaincy pressure.

"Even if you relieve captainship and if you are at your best and that's what we want. We were also losing a great fielder, we are struggling for a deep mid-wicket fielder, still we have dropped 17-18 catches and that's a matter of concern.

"These are tough games and hopefully we will comeback strong, important to communicate with the bowlers," he said.

Talking about the match, Dhoni said they managed to put up a defendable score on the board.

"It was a good score to start off. I did nothing different, it's not like much changes with the change of captain. The target we got was a good one, dew comes in so the bowling needed to be good.

"The spinners did well in the 7-14 over period, that was key to the win and gave a surplus of runs which we could fall back on." SRH skipper Kane Williamson said it is always a challenge to chase down a target in excess off 200 in a T20 game.

"When anyone gets over 200, it'll always be a challenge chasing it down. I thought we responded well to it, but they kept us under pressure with the total they had.

"We did show a lot of fight and were unlucky at times with some things that didn't go our way," he said.

Williamson said losing Washington Sundar's services in the bowling department after he hurt himself while fielding was a big setback for the team.

"It was a bit slower (on the pitch), we did try our best, but losing Washy (Sundar) for the best part of the bowling innings was a struggle for us.

"Still we can look back at the game with a lot of positives, we came up against quality spinners, at the end of the day, we did show a lot of fight," he said.

The SRH skipper said the need of the hour for his side is to stay connected and carry on the good work of the first half of the tournament.

"We just need to stay connected, we're playing well, and did so at the first half of the tournament (talking about the 5 straight wins). We just need to touch on a few things, shape well and come back stronger in the next game."

Also Read : LSG take a step towards play-offs as Mohsin, Rahul star in six-run win over DC

News Source : PTI

2022-05-02 07:53

LSG take a step towards play-offs as Mohsin, Rahul star in six-run win over DC

Mumbai, May 1 (Cricket News) Unheralded Uttar Pradesh left-arm pacer Mohsin Khan put up an exceptional bowling performance as Lucknow Super Giants beat Delhi Capitals by six runs on Sunday, thereby taking a giant stride towards qualifying for the IPL play-offs. It was skipper KL Rahul's 77 off 51 balls and newly promoted Deepak Hooda's 52 off 34 balls that propelled LSG to an imposing 195 for 3 despite stuttering towards the end of the innings.

In reply, Mohsin (4/16 in 4 overs) got breakthroughs exactly when things seemed to spiral out of control as Delhi Capitals finally managed 189 for 7 in the end.

LSG now have 14 points from 10 games and another win out of the remaining four games would seal a play-off spot for them considering 16 being the magic number in most years.

For DC, things get really tough from hereon as 8 points from nine games mean that they might have to win four out of their remaining five games which looks to be an uphill task with this bowling attack which has been defensive on most occasions.

At least two among Rishabh Pant (42 off 24 balls), Mitchell Marsh (37 off 20 balls) and Rovman Powell (35 off 21 balls) needed to score in excess of 60 to make a match of it.

But Mohsin, who produced disconcerting bounce with his mostly back of the length balls, occasionally slipped in a fuller blockhole delivery as his victims included all the big names like David Warner (3), Pant, Powell and Shardul Thakur.

The way he set up Pant showed Mohsin's cricketing smarts as he bowled short and wide making the DC skipper desperate to reach for the deliveries.

With not much success coming his way, Pant pre-empted another short delivery which would have enabled him to play the pull-shot but to his utter dismay found one dipping into blockhole and he yorked himself.

Once Pant was out, it was left to Powell but he was also snuffed out with a short delivery which he couldn't clear ending Delhi's hopes of a win even as Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav did try their best.

Earlier, Rahul once again anchored the innings with a well-crafted 77 in company of an imperious Deepak Hooda but LSG didn't seize the initiative completely, despite managing a challenging 195 for 3.

The last five overs yielded 50 runs despite the platform set by the duo, largely due to Marcus Stoinis (17 no off 16 balls) not being able to connect the big shots.

Rahul and Hooda (52 of 34 balls) added 95 runs for the second wicket but more importantly nullified the DC spin threat, taking the duo of Kuldeep Yadav (0/29 in 3 overs), Lalit Yadav (0/16 in 1 over) and partially Axar (0/25 in 4 overs) to the task.

While Rahul, in his 51-ball knock had four fours and five sixes, Hooda had six boundaries, mostly peppering the off-side cordon and a huge six over deep mid-wicket in what was his third half-ton of the season.

While Shardul (3/40 in 4 overs) had best figures for DC, he didn't actually pose any threat to the batters and it didn't help matters that Chetan Sakariya (0/44 in 4 overs) sprayed it all over and was taken to the cleaners, especially by the LSG captain.

Rahul didn't always look smooth during the initial part when he tried to play himself in but once he was able to execute the big hits, he indeed looked a different player.

It was the fourth over from off-spinner Lalit, which opened the floodgates.

Rahul played an inside out chip over cover for a six and then lobbed one over '45' for a boundary and then Quinton de Kock smashed one through covers in an over that yielded 16 runs.

Just when it seemed De Kock was finding his feet, he played a suicidal shot. He mistimed a short and wide delivery off Shardul to give Lalit a simple catch at the extra cover.

What was exemplary on the day was Rahul and Hooda's footwork as they didn't let Kuldeep settle to a particular length.

Rahul hit an off-drive and Hooda followed it up with a cover-drive in the very first over which prompted the left-arm wrist spinner to lessen pace on his deliveries.

Once, Hooda offered a return catch to Thakur, Rahul was at his innovative best, playing the reverse lap-scoop over short third man off Mustafizur Rahaman.

He was finally caught by Lalit at deep point as he timed his jump to perfection off a Thakur delivery.

Also Read : Viswanath became my childhood idol after listening to radio commentary: Kapil

News Source : PTI

2022-05-01 11:32

KKR hope to end top-order woes, losing streak against Royals

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Match starts 7.30 IST.

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

News Source : PTI

2022-05-01 11:19

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

Navi Mumbai, May 1 (Cricket News) The target of 159 would have been enough for Rajasthan Royals if dew hadn't played a major role, premier off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin said after his team's five-wicket loss to Mumbai Indians in the IPL here.

Suryakumar Yadav and young Tilak Varma gave the best 35th birthday present to their skipper Rohit Sharma as MI finally opened their account on Saturday.

Chasing a victory target of 159, MI reached home in 19.2 overs, courtesy of Surya (51 off 39 balls) and Tilak (35 off 30 balls), the two adding 81 runs for the third wicket.

"I think if dew hadn't played a part, that score would've been enough, but there was heavy dew, so felt it was 10-15 runs short," said Ashwin at the post-match press conference.

"158 was a competitive score. It was always going to be about how well we started. In fact, we had a very good powerplay and got one wicket more than what Mumbai had at the front.

"So I thought it was a reasonably good score to fight and we pretty much did well with whatever scores we had this season. I thought the wicket was a little sticky to begin with." It was MI's first win after eight successive defeats and even though the result bears little consequence, it is certainly going to keep the five-time champions in a good mind space.

While RR's winning run came to an end.

"It was unfortunate today. I don't know how this works, whether it's the humidity factor, or the spray whether it works or not or what it was, but it (dew) was wet all over the place today.

"And it makes a massive difference; good deliveries tend to get overpitched and stuff like that for the spinner. Also usage of the spinner cannot be at the back of the innings.

"So all these facets can't be kicking in when dew comes in so it's a combination. We put up a decent score. Could've had 10-15 more, but these things happen in a 14-game IPL," said Ashwin.

In defence of a below par total, RR kept Mumbai quiet in the powerplay while also getting two wickets, but part-timer Daryl Mitchell conceded 20 runs in the seventh over.

Asked about the turning point in the match, Ashwin said: "Last game too Daryl Mitchell had bowled that 7th over. It is our strategy of that sixth bowler and he had bowled well the previous time.

"But today it didn't work, but it happens in the game. If we use a sixth bowler upfront, then we have options in the back end. That's the thought process. Sometimes it comes off, sometimes it doesn't, but that's how T20 cricket is." Promoting Suryakumar to No.3 worked in MI's favour as he ended with a man-of-the-match performance.

"I've never celebrated personal milestones, but if they help the team, then I will be very happy," said Suryakumar.

"The win will spread a lot of positivity. We already were actually enjoying each other's company during practice session, team dinners and all. This win will spread even more positivity and will help each and everyone learn going forward this season."

Also Read : Jadeja resigns from CSK captaincy, Dhoni to lead in remaining games

News Source : PTI

2022-04-30 19:44

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

Mumbai, Apr 30 (Cricket News) Gujarat Titans extended their dominance at the top of the table with a six-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League here on Saturday and inched closer towards clinching a play-off spot in their inception year.

After failing multiple times, Virat Kohli finally came out out of a prolonged slump in form by registering his first IPL fifty in 14 matches, including nine this season, as Royal Challengers Bangalore posted a challenging 170 for six.

In reply, Rahul Tewatia (43 not out) and David Miller (39 not out) did the job for GT after the table toppers were struggling at 95 for four in the 13th over. With 16 points which has been the magic mark, Titans are well on course towards a top-two finish at the end of league stage.

On the day, Kohli made 58 off 53 balls before walking back to the dugout amid a standing ovation at the Wankhede Stadium.

Rajat Patidar blasted a 32-ball 52 -- his maiden IPL fifty -- while Glenn Maxwell blazed away to 33 in 18 deliveries to prop up RCB The returning Pradeep Sangwan was excellent with the ball, finishing with figures of 2/19, while Rashid Khan gave away just 29 runs in his four over to check the flow of runs in the middle overs.

GT were off to a sound start with Wriddhiman Saha (31) and Shubman Gill (29) putting on 51 runs before Wanindu Hasaranga effected the first breakthrough by removing the former.

Left-arm spinner Shahbaz Ahmed had Shubman Gill trapped in front of the wicket. GT skipper Hardik Pandya (3) once again got out cheaply, falling to Shahbaz.

Sai Sudharsan chipped in with a 14-ball 20 before Hasaranga picked up his second wicket, the batter caught by substitute keeper Anuj Rawat as Dinesh Karthik did not take to the field.

Sudharsan's dismissal left RT at 95 for four with the innings entering the 14th over.

Needing 71 from six overs, David Miller hit Hasaranga for a six and four to collect 13 runs, and then, two boundaries by Rahul Tewatia and four off a leg bye got GT 15 runs from a Mohammed Siraj over.

Harashl Patel bowled an economical 17th over before Tewatia flicked Josh Hazlewood for a six over fine-leg. Two more fours followed in the same over as GT closed in on yet another win.

Earlier, Mohammed Shami pulled out twice in his run up, the false starts leaving the umpire annoyed, before the seasoned India seamer beat Kohli with his late movement.

Out in the middle was a batting maestro battling a lean patch but it didn't quite look like that really when the former India captain played Shami for two lovely boundaries -- one down the ground past mid-of and the second a flick square of the wicket on the leg-side.

RCB's top-order woes continued, though, as left-arm seamer Sangwan marked his return to the league with the wicket of rival skipper Faf du Plessis in his very first over.

Fresh from his invaluable half-century in the previous game, Wriddhiman Saha had no problem holding on to du Plessis' thick outside edge after the bowler had set him up.

Alzarri Joseph was introduced, and he saw Kohli play a classic cover drive and then pull a short one over the mid-wicket region for a boundary.

In came Lockie Ferguson and the New Zealand pacer's low full toss was smashed over long-on by Kohli, who followed that up with a four towards backyard point.

Even as Kohli was getting into the groove, Patidar was gaining in confidence, thanks to the flurry of confident strokes that flowed from his willow during their 99-run association.

Alzarri bowled one short and Patidar pulled him over deep mid-wicket for a six and found a four in the next ball to close in on his maiden IPL fifty. He got there soon, reaching the landmark in only 29 balls with a four off Ferguson.

There was a bigger roar at the ground just before that as Kohli reached his half-century in 45 balls.

Patidar took the risks and largely succeeded, helping Kohli to settle down and get som runs under his belt.

Sangwan got his second of the match when Patidar top-edged the seamer, and Kohli too failed to convert his fifty into a bigger score as a Shami delivery made its way through, even as the batter tried to make room and play it through cover.

Also Read : Pace sensation Umran Malik in focus as SRH play struggling CSK

News Source : PTI

2022-04-30 18:00

Pace sensation Umran Malik in focus as SRH play struggling CSK

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Match Starts 7:30pm IST.

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

News Source : PTI

2022-04-30 17:49

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

Mumbai, Apr 30 (Cricket News) Coming out of a prolonged slump in form, Virat Kohli carved out his first IPL fifty in 14 matches, including nine this season, as Royal Challengers Bangalore posted a challenging 170 for six against Gujarat Titans here on Saturday.

Kohli made 58 off 53 balls before walking back to the dugout amid a standing ovation at the Wankhede Stadium.

Rajat Patidar blasted a 32-ball 52 -- his maiden IPL fifty -- while Glenn Maxwell blazed away to 33 in 18 deliveries to help RCB reach a challenging score.

The returning Pradeep Sangwan was excellent with the ball, finishing with figures of 2/19, while Rashid Khan gave away just 29 runs in his four over to check the flow of runs in the middle overs.

Mohammed Shami pulled out twice in his run up, the false starts leaving the umpire annoyed, before the seasoned India seamer beat Kohli with his late movement.

Out in the middle was a batting maestro battling a lean patch but it didn't quite look like that really when the former India captain played Shami for two lovely boundaries -- one down the ground past mid-of and the second a flick square of the wicket on the leg-side.

RCB's top-order woes continued, though, as left-arm seamer Sangwan marked his return to the league with the wicket of rival skipper Faf du Plessis in his very first over.

Fresh from his invaluable half-century in the previous game, Wriddhiman Saha had no problem holding on to du Plessis' thick outside edge after the bowler had set him up.

Alzarri Joseph was introduced, and he saw Kohli play a classic cover drive and then pull a short one over the mid-wicket region for a boundary.

In came Lockie Ferguson and the New Zealand pacer's low full toss was smashed over long-on by Kohli, who followed that up with a four towards backyard point.

Even as Kohli was getting into the groove, Patidar was gaining in confidence, thanks to the flurry of confident strokes that flowed from his willow.

Alzarri bowled one short and Patidar pulled him over deep mid-wicket for a six and found a four in the next ball to close in on his maiden IPL fifty. He got there soon, reaching the landmark in only 29 balls with a four off Ferguson.

There was a bigger roar at the ground just before that as Kohli reached his half-century in 45 balls.

Patidar took the risks and largely succeeded, helping Kohli to settle down and get som runs under his belt.

Sangwan got his second of the match when Patidar top-edged the seamer, and Kohli too failed to convert his fifty into a bigger score as a Shami delivery made its way through, even as the batter tried to make room and play it through cover.

Maxwell employed every shot in his book, including the switch hit, to prop up RCB after the end of the 99-run association between Kohli and Patidar.

Also Read : Pujara slams third hundred in County Championship in as many games

News Source : PTI

2022-04-30 16:25

Cricket Ireland signs new broadcast deal with Pitch International

(Cricket news) Cricket Ireland has today announced a new five-year broadcast deal with Pitch International for Ireland men’s and women’s international cricket played at home in that period. Pitch International has worked with Cricket Ireland since 2014, facilitating broadcast sales for Ireland Men’s home internationals matches with the global market. The new deal, covering home internationals from 2022-2026, extends Pitch’s scope in a number of ways – with Pitch now assuming ownership of Cricket Ireland’s rights, Pitch will be expanding its portfolio of matches to include women’s internationals, and taking all international matches to the end of the next future tours programme (FTP).

The broadcast reach of Ireland Men’s internationals have begun to attract substantial numbers in recent years, with the Ireland Men v India Men two-match T20I series in 2018 recorded broadcast reach globally of 429M, while the home international programme in 2019 and 2021 had a combined broadcast reach of almost 600M.

Warren Deutrom, Chief Executive of Cricket Ireland, said: “As Irish cricket grows in stature on the world stage, broadcast and digital rights are becoming a key income stream to support Cricket Ireland and its work in growing and improving the sustainability of our sport. Having worked closely with Pitch International as our agent in the broadcast market for so many years, we are delighted to formally welcome them as our official global broadcast partner. From experience, we are confident that Pitch provides the necessary expertise and reach into the global broadcast and digital marketplace.

“Not only will this agreement help grow the profile of our sport internationally, but it will also help to sustain the revenue for Cricket Ireland to invest back into the sport – our facilities, our high performance programmes, our Provincial Unions and programmes at club and grassroots levels. As a new aspect of our latest broadcast deal, we will offer women’s cricket content to the market for the first time. Almost 750,000 views of our women’s international livestreams in 2021 has demonstrated the interest in Irish women’s cricket, and this will be set to grow significantly further with the senior squad’s entry into the ICC Women’s Championship.

“As we don’t want to just be a major nation in world cricket, but a major sport in Ireland, we have ensured the new broadcast deal carves out our ability to offer attractive opportunities for with domestic broadcast partners in Ireland – and we will explore these

Guy Le Grew, Chief Revenue Office at Pitch international, said: “We are delighted to extend our long-term partnership with Cricket Ireland and continue to help grow the game of cricket in Ireland. As the landscape of world cricket continues to evolve, our focus is on driving reach and revenue for Irish cricket and to enhance the profile of Ireland’s international sides both at home and abroad. Cricket Ireland have consistently secured high quality opposition for both their men’s and women’s teams, which in turn provides us all with exciting opportunities in broadcast markets around the world.

“Through Pitch’s wider portfolio of international cricket rights, which also includes the England and Wales Cricket Board, New Zealand Cricket, Cricket West Indies, Netherlands Cricket and Cricket Scotland, our unrivalled expertise and network uniquely positions us to deliver market-leading results. We look forward to continuing to work with Cricket Ireland to take the sport forward.”

Also read: Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) record 20-run win as Punjab fluff run chase

2022-04-30 12:43

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) record 20-run win as Punjab fluff run chase

Pune, Apr 29 (Cricket News) Lucknow Super Giants pounced on the mistakes of a self-destructing Punjab Kings to record a 20-run win in the Indian Premier League here on Friday.

Kagiso Rabada struck four times as Punjab Kings upped their game in the bowling department to restrict Lucknow Super Giants to 153 for eight.

It should have been a straight forward chase but Punjab fluffed to end at 133 for eight in 20 overs.

Pacer Dushmantha Chameera (2/17) and Krunal Pandya (2/11) led LSG's spirted bowling effort but they were also aided by the recklessness of the Punjab batters who struggled to convert starts, including skipper Mayank Agarwal (25), Liam Livingstone (18) and Jonny Bairstow (32).

Left-arm pacer Mohsin Khan also ended with three wickets.

Rishi Dhawan (21 not out) tried his best to bring back Punjab from the dead but it proved to be too much of a task.

A sixth win in nine games takes IPL debutants LSG closer to a play-off berth while the task gets tougher for Punjab who have only four wins in nine games.

Earlier, the second wicket stand of 85 runs between opener Quinton de Kock (46 off 37) and Deepak Hooda (34 off 28) was the lone bright spot of LSG's innings.

The pace trio of Rababda (4/38), Arshdeep Singh (0/23) and Sandeep Sharma (1/18) delivered in different ways, while leg spinner Rahul Chahar chipped in with a couple of wickets. Punjab pacers were impressive in the powerplay after skipper Mayank Agarwal opted to bowl, limiting LSG to 39 with the crucial wicket of in-form K L Rahul (6).

While the ever improving Arshdeep and the seasoned Sandeep got the ball to swing, it was Rabada who got rid of the opposition skipper.

The South African speedster got one to straighten from good length proving it to be too good for Rahul, making it look like a proper Test match dismissal.

With the first four overs only fetching 16 runs, de Kock broke the shackles for LSG by smashing his fellow countryman Rabada for successive sixes, one a straight hit that landed on the boundary rope while the other maximum came via a massive hoick over midwicket. Hooda, who struggled to rotate strike early on in his innings, got going with a straight six off Rishi Dhawan.

Sandeep was brilliant in his first spell conceding only eight runs in his three overs.

With LSG 67 for 1 in 10 overs, Punjab were very much in control of the game.

The 11th over of Liam Livingstone went for 15 runs and it seemed LSG were finally getting into the groove but the dismissals of set batters de Kock and Hooda increased their troubles.

De Kock was honest enough to walk back into the dressing room after getting a faint edge off Sandeep while Hooda paid the price for not being alert enough to get himself run out after a brilliant direct hit from the deep from Jonny Bairstow.

LSG's innings was going nowhere as they struggled to 109 for five in 15 overs.Cameos from Jason Holder (11 off 8), Dushmantha Chameera (17 off 10) and Mohsin Khan (13 not out off 6) allowed LSG to cross the 150-run mark.

Also Read : Cricket South Africa (CSA) announces new franchise-based T20 league

News Source : PTI

2022-04-29 17:27

Will Bayern Munich be a good move for Cristiano Ronaldo?

(Cricket news) At the start of the season, Cristiano Ronaldo made a fairy tale return to Manchester United. The Portuguese legend left Juventus to join the club where he became one of football's all time greats. That fairy tale has somewhat become a nightmare as the season has progressed. Manchester United are going to be without a piece of silverware for the 5th consecutive season. As things stand the Red Devils need a big miracle to finish in the top 4.

Despite all these hardships, Cristiano Ronaldo has been scoring important goals throughout the season. He has scored 17 league goals, which is far more than any other Manchester United player. He is the 2nd top scorer in the league behind Mohamed Salah who has 22 goals and is equal with Son Heung-min. In the UEFA Champions League, he has scored 6 out of 12 goals scored by United and all 6 of those goals were extremely crucial. If not for Ronaldo's goals, Manchester United wouldn't have made it to the UCL Round of 16. Ronaldo has also been criticised for his lack of pressing which has been unfair more often than not.

Cristiano Ronaldo as a player was never a pressing forward just like the majority of the great strikers such as Ronaldo Nazario, Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Eric Cantona. It's definitely not an age thing as even in his prime, Ronaldo would often save his energy by not pressing. Despite all this in United's 1-1 draw at the Old Trafford, Cristiano Ronaldo ran a lot and had to track back on the left side to stop Reece James. The only issue is that having Ronaldo in the squad means that he will want to start all the games even at the age of 37 which isn't ideal if the club wants to groom a younger striker.

During his entire professional career, Ronaldo has always played in the UCL. Manchester United are likely to play in the Europa League or even worse in the Europa Conference League. Reports suggest that Ronaldo's agent Jorge Mendes is going to hold talks with Manchester United over Ronaldo's future. Bayern Munich are said to have contacted Mendes over Ronaldo's potential transfer. Robert Lewandowski is heavily linked with a move away from Bayern Munich to Barcelona.

Ronaldo will provide a very short term replacement but the fact that he has still scored 17 goals in the Premier League proves that he can still produce the goods for Bayern Munich. The commercial and cultural impact of Ronaldo's signing would be massive for the Bavarian side. The Portuguese talisman has never played in the Bundesliga but has scored tons of goals against German teams in the past. Ronaldo will definitely get more personal and collective success in Bayern Munich but he may have a point to prove at Manchester United which is why he may choose to stay. A lot depends on Erik Ten Hag and what he wants to do when he eventually takes over the club.

Also read: Leicester City come from behind to draw 1-1 against AS Roma

2022-04-29 15:45

Ben Stokes' biggest challenge as England's new Test captain

(Cricket news) Ben Stokes has been named as the new Test captain of England. Joe Root left the role after 5 years of leading the team which was the beginning of the transition that England's red ball set up needs. A new coach is also set to be appointed very soon and Gary Kirsten is being mentioned as a strong candidate. Ben Stokes has a massive target ahead of him and the process is expected to be a long one.

Ben Stokes showed his commitment to the Test side by choosing not to participate in the IPL. He clearly mentioned that he felt that the Test team would benefit by him playing county cricket rather than the IPL. Stokes will have to manage the workload of being an all-rounder along with the captaincy which will be a very big challenge. Having said that, Stokes has all the quality to do it at the highest level for years to come. At the age of 30 he is in his cricketing prime and at the peak of his powers. Having someone like Joe Root in the squad to help him out will be a massive benefit for him. If Gary Kirsten does become the coach then Stokes' job becomes much easier. Kirsten with all his experience will have a clear idea of what to do in any given situation.

Reports say that Stokes want's Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad back in the squad. The pair was dropped from the side for the West Indies tour despite bowling well in the Ashes. The decision will definitely be a controversial one and is likely to divide people. As long as the Durham all-rounder has a clear idea and blueprint of what he wants to do the move should benefit the team. The ECB will also have to play a role to make England a good Test team again with changes in selection policies and county tournaments.

Ben Stokes' first Test as captain will be against New Zealand. After the 3 match series against the Kiwis, England have the last Test against India which they need to win in order to draw the series. Coincidentally India will also have a different captain in Rohit Sharma after Virat Kohli stepped down earlier this year. These 4 Tests will be very crucial for Ben Stokes and England but not so much from the results point of view. Even if England lose all 4 Tests after playing some good cricket then there won't be too many complaints as they are clearly in a rebuilding process.

Also read: Umran Malik's raw and lightning pace is lighting the IPL on fire

2022-04-29 15:39

In form LSG take on inconsistent PBKS in match no 42

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

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

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

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

Interesting facts:

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

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

Probable XI for LSG:

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

Probable XI for PBKS:

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

2022-04-29 14:40

Rajasthan Royals aim to continue winning momentum against struggling Mumbai Indians

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Match starts at 7.30 PM.

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

News Source : PTI

2022-04-29 14:14

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

Mumbai, Apr 29 (Cricket News) Batting stalwart Virat Kohli's wretched form would once again come under scrutiny when Royal Challengers Bangalore face table-toppers Gujarat Titans in an Indian Indian Premier League match here on Saturday.

Kohli has scored a mere 128 runs in nine matches for RCB this season with 48 being his highest score. His promotion to opening slot in RCB's previous match after scoring back-to-back ducks too did not yield results as he was out for 9.

Kohli's form has been one of the reasons for the inconsistent show of RCB who are currently at fifth spot with five wins from nine matches.

The Bengaluru-based team, though, is hoping that the former India captain would return to form soon with captain Faf du Plessis backing him after their last match. On the other hand, the Titans have been the side to watch this IPL. Whatever they have touched have turned to gold with unlikely match winners emerging every time they were in trouble.

With seven wins from eight matches and on a five-match winning steak, the Titans are the clear favourites to win Saturday's match. If they do that, they will virtually book a play-off berth.

In their previous match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, the Titans were struggling in a stiff chase of 196 but Rashid Khan, known more for his leg-spin exploits, and proven finisher Rahul Tewatia struck four sixes in the last over to steal the match from their opponents.

The Titans have shown that if their top-order fails, there is assurance that the lower order can bail the team out, though captain Hardik Pandya was hoping that his side's luck does not run out later in the tournament.

For the Titans, Pandya has been the top scorer with 305 runs from seven matches and under his "relaxed" approach the team seems to be flourishing. He will once again be the top man to get the runs, along with the likes of Shubman Gill, David Miller and Wriddhiman Saha.

It is not that RCB do not have the batting depth but the problem for them is that they have not fired as a team on many occasions. Besides, Kohli's struggle, Australian Glenn Maxwell has blown hot and cold so far with just 124 runs from six matches and with one half century.

Only captain Faf du Plessis, Dinesh Karthik and Shahbaz Ahmed have done well so far and they have to once again take the responsibility of scoring the bulk of runs against a balanced bowling attack of the Titans.

It can be an interesting match-up in the bowling front as both sides have some of the best performers this season.

Mohammed Shami has been the best bowler for the Titans with 13 wickets and with fast bowler Lockie Ferguson and premier leg-spinner Rashid Khan -- though he went wicketless for 45 runs in the previous match -- in their ranks, the Titans have a lethal bowling attack which can decimate any opposition.

RCB also have firepower in bowling in death-over specialist Harshal Patel, who has taken 12 wickets so far, the equally successful Sri Lankan Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva (13 wickets) and along with quality pacers like Mohammed Siraj and Josh Hazlewood, they can stop the Titans' batters on their tracks.

If they do that, and the maestro Kohli clicks with the bat, it can be anybody's game on Saturday.

The Teams (From): 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, Siddharth Kaul.

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

Match starts at 3:30pm.

Also Read : It's been difficult to set up right combination, shouldn't be conservative with bat: KKR skipper Shreyas Iyer

News Source : PTI

2022-04-29 10:39

It's been difficult to set up right combination, shouldn't be conservative with bat: KKR skipper Shreyas Iyer

Mumbai, Apr 28 (Cricket News) Kolkata Knight Riders have completely lost the plot with as many as 19 players being used in nine games and skipper Shreyas Iyer had no option but to admit that they haven't been able to get their combination right in IPL-15.

KKR have used as many as five different opening pairs and the team looked far from settled after its fifth straight defeat -- this time to Delhi Capitals by four wickets with an over to spare.

"No real excuses, we have to go back and assess where things are going wrong. A lot of chopping and changing is happening (at the top of the order), it's been difficult to set up the right combination, with all injuries not helping as well," an irritated looking Iyer said after the match here on Thursday.

He urged his teammates to play fearless cricket and not be conservative in their approach.

"We need to stick together, play some fearless cricket, not be conservative with the bat. Five more matches remaining, we need to play well, show belief and give something back to the team and the management, forget about the past, start afresh and back your instinct," he said on the way forward.

"You need to sit back and think where it's going wrong. We can't be overconfident, give your best, if we still lose, then it's fine," he said.

Once Khaleel is back from injury, we will have an idea of a set XI: Pant ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- DC skipper Rishabh Pant was always confident that once they take the game deep, there was no way they won't win against KKR but he also believed that once Khaleel Ahmed is back from his hamstring injury, they will have a settled XI.

"We were thinking (of the wobble) because we lost too many wickets in the middle but at the same time we thought if we take the game deep, we can win it.

"We haven't thought (about this as the best XI) as hundred percent. Khaleel got injured and that was a forced change, once he is back then we will have our best XI." Pant made it clear that Rovman Powell is being seen as a finisher.

"We see him (Powell) as a finisher but like today when we lost too many wickets, he has to come up and do the job.

"We are not thinking about the points table and take one game at a time. We have to be more clear with our plans and that is something we can improve," he added.

No fear of failure, says Player of the Match Kuldeep ------------------------------------------------------- Having decimated KKR in the first leg, Kuldeep Yadav took another four wickets against his old team to inch closer towards the Purple Cap with 17 scalps, which is currently one less than Yuzvedra Chahal.

For Kuldeep, the fear of failure is no more there in him.

"I might have become a better bowler, but I am mentally stronger than before. When you fail in life you pick what you can improve on and that is something I had to improve. I don't get scared of failing now," the left-arm wrist spinner said.

Also Read : Delhi Capitals beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 4 wickets

News Source : PTI

2022-04-28 18:07

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

News Source : PTI

2022-04-28 17:01

Umran Malik is a 'gem' but should be managed carefully: Vettori

New Delhi, Apr 28 (Cricket News) Describing Sunrisers Hyderabad fast bowler Umran Malik as a "gem", New Zealand bowling great Daniel Vettrori says the youngster's raw pace generates anxiety among batters and brings an "X-factor" to the game.

Vettori, a former New Zealand captain and leg-spin great, said Malik was a "rare" talent emerging after the end of era of Brett Lee, Shoaib Akhtar and Shaun Tait.

"That pace generates anxiety among batters and not just tailenders, it's all batters," Vettori told ESPNCricinfo's 'T20 Time Out' show.

"We don't often see bowlers get around 153-154 mark. That's exceptional pace, that's a rarity that we haven't seen I suppose consistently since the likes of (Brett) Lee, Shoaib Akhtar or Shaun Tait.

"So to see that is a huge part of the game now. You can see the excitement factor, brings a bit of X-factor." The 22-year-old Jammu and Kashmir player's maiden five-for dismantled Gujarat Titans' batting line-up in SRH's IPL game before Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan pulled off a heist by hitting four sixes in the final over to win the match by five wickets.

Vettori said the BCCI should quickly step in and manage Malik's workload to safeguard his unique talent.

"This is a gem here and it's just how it's looked after in the next couple of years for Indian cricket and how to get the best out of him.

"Potentially. It might be the best thing for him coming under the umbrella of the BCCI or the NCA, and they can manage his workloads, because there is a temptation for a player of his pace to keep bowling." "I am reflecting on my conversation with Shane Bond and the fact that he thought the more you bowled, the slower you got," said Vettori, who had taken 362 wickets from 113 Tests and 305 scalps from 295 ODIs.

Bond is the current bowling coach of Mumbai Indians in the IPL and also a Kiwi fast-bowling great.

"In the subcontinent, you are used as a net bowler, you are going on tours and things like that. So the workload could get a bit much," Vettori said.

Former Mumbai Indians and Australia batter Chris Lynn said Malik should be fast-tracked into India's squad for the T20 World Cup in Australia later this year as the bouncy and pacy nature of pitches Down under would suit the youngster's bowling.

"I will factor the wickets are bouncy here in Australia and you need I suppose that youth and just that guys haven't played against it," said Lynn, who played four ODIs and 18 T20Is for Australia between 2014 and 2018.

"You keep going back to whom you drop because it is such a formidable (bowling) line-up, but would love to see this guy in the World Cup.

"He's going to take the world by the storm if he does get a chance at the international level. It is lucky that I am not a selector for India."

Also Read : I had self belief in my batting, I've been working on it in last two years: Rashid

News Source : PTI

2022-04-28 15:31

Umran Malik's raw and lightning pace is lighting the IPL on fire

(Cricket news) In Sunrisers Hyderabad's last ball thriller against Gujarat Titans, Umran Malik was named the Player of the match. GT ended up chasing the target of 196 with 5 wickets to spare thanks to some late fireworks by Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan. Despite being on the losing side Umran Malik was selected as the player of the match, which doesn't happen often especially in the T20 format but it was just that kind of spell by the Jammu bowler.

When Malik came into bowl, Gujarat were wicketless and cruising towards the target thanks to a brilliant opening partnership by Wriddhiman Saha and Shubman Gill. He picked up the wickets of Gill, Saha, Hardik Pandya and Abhinav Manohar in his 4 overs. The speedster gave away only 25 runs in his 4 overs and bowled at lightning quick pace. In his wicket taking balls he clocked the speeds of 144.2 kmph, 145.1 kmph, 152.8 kmp, 148.7 kmph, 146.8 kmph. The 5 wicket haul was the first of the IPL season by a fast bowler.

As every game passes the pacer is making an excellent case for himself to make his international debut. If Umran Malik continues these types of performances then the selectors will have no option but to get him into the side. India will be hosting South Africa in the T20I series before travelling to England for the one off Test and white ball series. There will also be 2 T20Is in Ireland where the BCCI is likely to send a 2nd string side. If Malik doesn't find a place in the main squad then he will definitely be a part of the 2nd team. Many experts and former players have already suggested that he must be included in the Indian team before it's too late to see if he belongs to the level.

Other Indian players who perform well during the IPL all get a buzz for an international call up but with Umran Malik it's different. No one on the Indian side can do what Malik does, in fact no one even comes close. Clocking 150 kmph on a regular basis is very unique and if India has a bowler with that ability then it's going to be the bowling attack better than it already is. Malik has already been a part of the Indian side as a net bowler in last year's T20 World Cup. If he does get a call up and puts in a good performance then he might make his way into the T20 World Cup squad.

Also read: Struggling KKR take on a depleted DC squad in match no 41

2022-04-28 13:35

Struggling KKR take on a depleted DC squad in match no 41

(Cricket news) KKR come into this match in dismal form as they have lost four on the trot, their unsavoury run kick started against DC earlier in the month. Until then, KKR had been topping the table with three wins in four games. DC on the other hand have had a topsy turvy IPL season as they have been plagued with injuries and covid cases but will look to make a late playoff run in the second half of the season.

KKR have some worries going into the match as their top order and middle order are failing to perform, the KKR management need to find a solution. In terms of batting the KKR batters have been a hit and miss this tournament, Aaron Finch firing from the top of the order against Rajasthan Royals gave them hope but he had to sit out of the match against Gujarat Titans with a niggle as Shreyas Iyer also has been hot and cold this season. The only consistent player this season has been Andre Russell who not has been performing with the bat but also with the ball. Their bowling performance over the course of 4 matches has been awful as they have conceded almost 11.63 rpo in the death. The arrival of Tim Southee into the playing XI has brought some parity in the ball line up as he has a bowling average of 10 which is the best this season among the bowlers

DC have been heavily reliant on their opening batsmen to score the majority of the runs as the middle order has been performing that well. With Mitchell Marsh back after recovering from Covid might just slot straight into the playing XI as the number 3 position in the team has been very uncertain. They too would be hopeful of better results after Rovman Powell gave hints of delivering on his hitting promise, after a blistering knock against RR in the last match. Their death bowling too hinges solely on Mustafizur Rahman, which has proved to be cumbersome of late as batters usually take him on in the death. Andre Russell has been dismissed three times by Shardul Thakur and Mustafizur Rahman so far but he also maintains a healthy strike rate against them also, it will be interesting on how Rishabh Pant uses these two bowlers in the death overs.

Pitch and weather reports: The Wankhede pitch over the last five matches have been producing a lot of runs as the last five matches barring yesterday’s match was won by sides batting first as dew factors is not affecting the venue so much. We can expect a lot of runs especially with firepower that is on display today. The temperature is going to hover around 33 degrees with no chance of rain.

Interesting facts:

Sunil Narine needs one wicket to reach 150 wickets in the IPL
Prithvi Shaw has an average 56 and has a strike rate of 171 against KKR
DC have taken only eight wickets in the powerplay in IPL 2022 and it is the lowest amongst all teams in IPL 2022
Sunil Narine has dismissed Rovam Powell thrice in eight meetings, and Powell's average reads 7.3 against the mystery spinner
Umesh Yadav has dismissed David Warner four times in 55 balls
David Warner has the highest strike-rate of 171 in the powerplay this season

Also read: I had self belief in my batting, I've been working on it in last two years: Rashid

Probable XI for KKR:

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

Probable XI for DC:

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

2022-04-28 12:35

Two quick goals give Liverpool first leg advantage over Villarreal

(Cricket news) Liverpool defeated Villarreal 2-0 in the 1st leg of the UCL semi final. The result is a very positive one for the Merseyside club to take to La Ceramica next week. The game was very tight in the first half but in the end Liverpool deserved the victory. The Reds should have scored more goals with the amount of chances they had. Villarreal on the other hand didn't create any chances as they had just 1 shot which was also not on target. It will be one of the biggest comebacks in the history of the UCL if Villarreal do manage to turn this around in the return leg.

The game played out exactly the way one would have imagined. Liverpool had 73% possession of the ball and 5 shots on target. Villarreal were expected to be defensive but the home side didn't concede a single big chance. The 2 corners that the yellow Submarine had couldn't beat the first man. Unai Emery will definitely be disappointed with his side as they couldn't create any sort of chance even from set pieces which is supposed to be their main weapon. The first half was pretty frustrating for Liverpool as they couldn't break Villarreal's wall despite numerous attempts.

The deadlock was broken in the 53rd minute as Jordan Henderson's cross deflected off Pervis Estupinan and found its way past Geronimo Rulli. The goal was a very unlucky one to concede but the shot stopper could've done a little better. One brought two as moments later Mohamed Salah beautifully set up Sadio Mane who doubled the advantage. Villarreal couldn't manage to hold the ball for longer periods despite being two goals down. Gerard Moreno was a big miss for the away side as he would have been a real threat going forward. Giovanni Lo Celso who had a few good passages of play couldn't use his full potential as he was played out of position on the right wing and had a lot of defensive work to do.

Thiago had an absolutely incredible game in the center of midfield. The midfielder expertly controlled the pace of the game with his link up play and sleek passing. He had 96% pass accuracy and also hit the woodwork once. The full back duo of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson were flying once again as their attacking threat was too much for Villarreal to deal with. Their presence alone was enough to put the away team's wingers on the back foot throughout the game. The front three of Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz is starting to take shape as they look to be Jurgen Klopp's first choice attackers at the moment.

Also read: UCL classic between Manchester City and Real Madrid ends 4-3

2022-04-28 12:15

I had self belief in my batting, I've been working on it in last two years: Rashid

Mumbai, Apr 28 (Cricket News) Hitting three sixes in four balls, including the match-winning maximum from the final delivery, is a stupendous achievement for any batter but Afghan star Rashid Khan says he has the self-belief to execute such performances after working on his batting in the last two years.

Rashid (31 off just 11 balls), known more for his match-winning leg-spin bowling, pulled off a heist as he struck three sixes from four balls, bowled by pacer Marco Jansen, to hand Gujarat Titans a thrilling five-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad on Wednesday night.

His partner Rahul Tewatia (40 not out off 21 balls) had hit a six from the first ball and ran a single after the Titans needed 22 runs from the final over while chasing a stiff 196 for a win.

"The feeling is good...you just have it in mind to go out there and have the self-belief, keep my shape strong and hit it," Rashid said after his batting heroics.

"I was happy to do it against them (former club Sunrisers Hyderabad), but I was just trying to play my game and have the belief in my batting which I've been working on the last two years." Asked what transpired between him and Tewatia during the final over, Rashid said, "When it was 22 left, I just told Tewatia that we have given 25 in the last over with our best bowler (Lockie Ferguson). We just have to have that belief in ourself.

"If we have one missed ball, don't think about it and don't panic. Just stay strong and we need to finish it or get as close as possible because it might help us with run rate.

"But as long as we have that belief, anything is possible. Just stay there, keep your shape and hit it strong. So that was our plan and luckily we had those four sixes." Tewatia also echoed Rashid's sentiments and said his earlier experience of finishing matches helped him in such situations.

"We needed 22 runs from last over. Rashid bhai said it was chaseable. I told him we can take the match closer (to a win) if I can hit six from the first ball. I said I will go all out for a six and let's see what happens," Tewatia said at the post-match press conference.

"I batted at same order for my domestic team (Haryana) and I have played in such situations a few times. When I got this role in IPL two years back, I did a lot of practice for these kind of situations for my Haryana team as well as for IPL, especially for death overs.

"If you need 40 to 50 runs in the last four-five overs, you need to choose the deliveries of the bowler (to hit)." Asked why he ran for a single from the second ball of the last delivery, Tewatia said, "Rashid bhai bats very well and he had finished matches earlier and had won matches (with the bat) for us.

"I had no doubt about his abilities, so my thought was I will hit boundary if I can and I will also run singles." With the ball, however, Rashid had an off day against the Sunrisers as he gave away 45 runs without taking any wicket.

The 23-year-old premier leg-spinner was hit for two fours and three sixes by Abhishek Sharma and Aiden Markram and he could bowl just two dot balls.

"I haven't bowled as good as I should have done. I bowled four or five bad deliveries which have been punished. On a wicket like this, you can't miss your line and length and that is something which I have done and Abhishek finished it off.

"This was a good wicket to bat on...this is something that is good for my learning and something I will try my best to not repeat in the next games," Rashid said.

Also Read : I will bowl above 155kmph one day: Young pace sensation Umran Malik

News Source : PTI

2022-04-28 12:03

Jaywardene in favour of third umpire intervention in above-waist no balls

Mumbai, Apr 27 (Cricket News) Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene, a member of the ICC's Cricket Committee, feels going forward the third umpire should intervene in case the on-field officials get above-waist no balls wrong in the course of a match.

Jayawrdene believes the ICC Cricket Committee should hold a discussion on whether the third umpire should alert the on-field umpires in such a scenario.

The former Sri Lankan captain's statement came following the drama witnessed in the final over of the IPL match between Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals last Friday when the third delivery, a hip-high full-toss from Obed McCoy, was whacked by Rovman Powell for a six, but the DC camp demanded it be called a no-ball for height.

But the on-field umpires stood their ground, saying the delivery was legal. DC lost the match by 15 runs.

"Probably, the umpires did get it wrong, but the rules say that you can't go to the third umpire or check on those things," Jayawardene said on The ICC Review.

"It is something, I think, going forward we need to look at: whether (there should be) the option for the third umpire to come on the field, on to the main umpires and inform them that it's a delivery you should check." Soon after the incident, a livid DC captain Rishabh Pant asked Powell and Kuldeep Yadav to walk out, while assistant coach Praveen Amre went into the playing arena to lodge his protest.

Pant and Amre both were fined 100 per cent of their match fees, with the latter also handed a one-match ban and pacer Shardul Thakur fined 50 per cent of his match fee for breaching the IPL Code of Conduct.

"But...the spirit of the game, and to see things moving forward, it's never an option for any coach or any player to come on to the field," Jayawardene said.

"We are given an opportunity during the strategic time-out to come out in IPL, and that should be the only time the coaches or anyone else should be allowed." Under the current ICC playing conditions, all front foot no-balls are checked by the third umpire.

The action of DC players and support staff didn't go down well with Jayawardene.

"It is disappointing to see that. You are stopping the game, and people are coming on to the field," he said.

"But I honestly believe it was just the emotions carrying away. It was just the last over, a couple of sixes were hit and there was probably an opportunity (for Capitals to chase down the target).

"We saw it on TV. Most of the guys (Mumbai Indians players) were watching it together, and afterwards as well, we had a chat.

"We will probably react in the dugout, but (for us) it's never an option to go onto the field. That's not the way things should be, but I'm pretty sure Rishabh and Pravin would regret what happened," he added.

Also Read : Punjab Kings aim to stifle in-form KL Rahul in IPL game against Lucknow Super Giants

News Source : PTI

2022-04-28 11:48

Punjab Kings aim to stifle in-form KL Rahul in IPL game against Lucknow Super Giants

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

2022-04-28 11:26

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

Mumbai, Apr 28 (Cricket News) The legendary Sunil Gavaskar has pitched for young pace sensation Umran Malik's inclusion in the Indian team for the upcoming England tour following his stunning five-wicket haul against Gujarat Titans in the IPL here.

The 22-year-old Sunrisers Hyderabad pacer from Jammu produced one of the most fiery spells of fast bowling in the IPL history, snapping five wickets for 25 runs on Wednesday night.

But his breathtaking effort went in vain as Rashid Khan (31 not out off 11 balls) and Rahul Tewatia (40 not out in 21 balls) scored 56 from the last four overs, including 22 from the final six deliveries, to take the Titans home in a last-ball thriller.

"The next for him, I think is the Indian team," former India skipper Gavaskar said during his commentary after the game.

"He might not play in the XI because India have got Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Umesh Yadav. So, he might not play.

"But just travelling with the group, travelling with the likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, sharing the dressing room with them... just look what is going to happen to him!" The young pace sensation has been clocking in excess of 150 kph consistently throughout the season and has picked up 15 wickets in eight matches at 15.93 average.

Introduced into the attack as late as the eighth over, Malik bowled devastatingly quick deliveries to scythe through the Gujarat Titans top-order, becoming the first IPL bowler to pick up all the first five wickets of an innings.

He rattled Shubman Gill's off stump for his first wicket, before removing Hardik Pandya with a combination of pace and bounce.

Next, he produced a perfect 153 kmph thunderbolt yorker to smash the wickets of Wriddhiman Saha, before cleaning up both David Miller and Abhinav Manohar to sign off with a five-for.

India's tour of England starts in June with the visitors playing the final Test of the five-match series, which was abandoned last year due to COVID-19, from July 1 to 5, before embarking on a three-match T20 series and playing as many ODIs.

India will begin the UK tour with two T20Is against Ireland in Dublin, starting June 26.

Also Read : Rashid and Tewatia power GT's stunning win, SRH lose despite Umran heroics

News Source : PTI

2022-04-28 08:02

Rashid and Tewatia power GT's stunning win, SRH lose despite Umran heroics

Mumbai, Apr 27 (Cricket News) All eyes were on Sunrisers Hyderabad's Umran Malik, but all they could see was a blur. But still, Gujarat Titans had the last laugh as they prised out a five-wicket win in their thrilling IPL match here on Wednesday.

Introduced into the attack as late as the eighth over, as Kane Williamson's last resort, the young pace sensation delivered what was expected of him, grabbing five wickets with devastatingly quick deliveries to scythe through the Gujarat Titans top-order and almost propel Sunrisers Hyderabad to their sixth successive win in the ongoing edition of the lucrative league.

But Rahul Tewatia (40 not out off 21 balls) and Rashid Khan (31 not out off 11) had other ideas as GT, needing 56 from the last 24 overs after Umran had completed his quota of four overs, knocked off the required runs, with the star from Afghanistan finishing the game with a six over fine leg.

The BCCI, nevertheless, will have again taken serious note of the man from Jammu, who, in one of the best ever exhibitions of fast bowling, finished with incredible figures of 5/25, four of which were bowled.

Opener Abhishek Sharma and Aiden Markram struck sparkling half-centuries as Sunrisers Hyderabad posted 195 for six after being asked to bat first.

In pursuit of a stiff target, the Titans were off to a flyer with Wriddhiman Saha (68) blazing his way to a flurry of boundaries while putting on 69 runs for the first wicket with a subdued Shubman Gill (22), who played the second fiddle.

After the others have tried and failed, Umran succeeded in getting the first breakthrough, when he disturbed Gill's off stump in the innings' eighth and his very first over.

Having got himself two fours, GT skipper Hardik Pandya was done in by Umran's bounce as he top-edged one to the third man.

Meanwhile, playing one of his great IPL knocks, Saha raced to his fifty in 28 balls with a single to long-on.

Luck too was on Saha's side as Washington Sundar could not hold on to what would have been an unbelievable catch at mid-on, only for the ball ball to race to the boundary.

The show then belonged to Umran before the duo of Tewatia and Rashid swung the match in GT's favour with their astonishing hitting.

Earlier, Abhishek blazed away to 65 off 42 deliveries, while Markram made a 40-ball 56 during a third-wicket stand of 96 runs.

Then, Shashank Singh (25 off 6 balls) smashed Lockie Ferguson (0/52 in 4 overs) for three successive sixes to score 25 runs in the innings' final over.

To start with, SRH were helped by Mohammed Shami's (3/39 in 4 overs) 11-run opening over in which a first-ball beauty was followed by five leg-side wides, not once but twice.

Yash Dayal too conceded 11 runs, thanks to two boundaries by Abhishek Sharma on the off side, as SRH raced to 22 for no loss in two overs.

Kane Williamson clipped Shami over square leg for his first boundary but that's all the SRH skipper could do with the bat as, three balls later, the seasoned India pacer went through the gate with a lovely seaming delivery to dismiss the Kiwi and give his team the match's first breakthrough.

Having got a life at point even before he could open his account, Rahul Tripathi smashed Shami for 6, 4, 4 before a review found that the batter was trapped in front of the wicket in an eventful fifth over, which went for 14 runs.

Unperturbed by the fall of two wickets, Abhishek collected two successive fours off Alzarri Joseph -- first he lofted over the infield and then found the gap through a packed off-side -- to help SRH score 53 runs in the six power play overs at the Wankhede Stadium.

SRH needed a partnership at that stage and the duo of Abhishek and Markram not just provided them that but also kept the scoreboard moving at a very good rate by regularly finding the boundaries.

While Markram dealt with the likes of pacers such as Alzarri, Abhishek went after Rashid Khan, hitting the Afghanistan spin ace for his third six to reach his half-century in style.

Also Read : Gujarat Titans opt to bowl against Sunrisers Hyderabad (IPL)

News Source : PTI

2022-04-27 15:30

Reasons for Royal Challengers Bangalore's batting woes in IPL 2022

(Cricket news) Royal Challengers Bangalore in all these years has never managed to win the IPL. Despite being one of the top teams consistently, RCB has never gone all the way and won the silverware. Traditionally, Bangalore is always known for being a batter dominated side who is often let down by its bowlers but this time it seems to be the other way around. The bowlers have performed very well for RCB this season but the batting has been well below standard. The absence of AB de Villiers after all these years can clearly be seen but there are other factors as well.

RCB unsurprisingly retained Virat Kohli and Glenn Maxwell before the auction. They signed Faf du Plessis to become the new captain and opener. Dinesh Karthik was brought in to be the designated finisher for the team and he has been excellent so far this season. Despite having a strong core group, RCB have been disappointing as a batting unit this season. The management backed Anuj Rawat for as long as they could but dropped him in the last game. Shabaz Ahmed has been good in patches but hasn't played a big innings yet. Suyasb Prabhudesai has also been underwhelming.

Maxwell hasn't got going so far this season with just 1 fifty in 6 matches. Du Plessis has played a couple of very good knocks but hasn't been able to replicate his form from last season. Virat Kohli is a different story altogether as he is in his worst ever period form wise. The former Indian captain has scored only 128 runs in 9 games with the highest score of 48. With Kohli it always feels like a big knock is around the corner but it has been a while since a big knock. The big worry amongst all cricket lovers is whether Kohli will actually come back or not. He played the first 8 games batting at number 3. After two golden ducks, Kohli was promoted to open the innings. This could have been the magic but it wasn't as his struggles continued.

Now RCB have done everything they can to change personnel wise and it might be time for a little bit of an attitude change. RCB got all out on 68 while batting first against Sunrisers Hyderabad and in the very next day were bowled out at 115 while chasing 145 against Rajasthan Royals. Virat Kohli needs to rediscover his form while others also need to take more responsibility. Mahipal Lamror, who has been sitting on the bench, is a candidate to come in the side.

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

2022-04-27 13:15

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

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

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

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

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

Interesting facts:

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

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

Probable XI for SRH:

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

Probable XI for GT:

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

2022-04-27 08:42

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

Pune, Apr 26 (Cricket News) Batting stalwart Virat Kohli has been horribly out of form in this IPL but he got the backing of his Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Faf du Plessis, who on Tuesday said "great players go through phases like this".

Kohli was promoted to the top of the order against Rajasthan Royals on Tuesday after scoring back-to-back ducks but that move also did not yield the desired result as the former India captain was out for nine. RCB lost the match by 29 runs.

"We tried changing the batting line-up today and we feel that they can try playing positively," du Plessis said when asked about a struggling Kohli being sent to bat as an opener along with him.

"(Kohli) Can't go into a shell. Great players go through phases like this and we wanted to get him in the game straightaway so that he doesn't sit in the sidelines and think about the game. It's a game of confidence." Kohli, who hasn't scored a hundred in any format for more than three years now, had got out to first ball ducks in successive games before Tuesday's match with a familiar pattern of dismissals outside the off-stump.

Du Plessis, however, admitted that his top-order batters are lacking in consistency and his side will haver to fix the problem sooner than later.

"The top order is a trick we need to fix. You need someone in the top four to bat through and we haven't done that consistently," he said.

"It's pretty similar to the previous game. If you hit the deck hard in the first few overs, it is hard to get away. The dropped chance cost us," said the former South Africa captain.

Royals captain Sanju Samson said his side's run chase was "looking dicey" after 15 overs but they won the match thanks to Riyan Parag, who hit 56 not out off just 31 balls.

"We have been backing him (Parag) and he came in and showed the world how explosive he can be," Samson said.

"We were 10-15 runs short with no dew and the wicket turning a bit. We were waiting for the back end of the batting order to go out and win matches. Almost everyone has put up a match-winning performance until now." He said the chat before Royals' run chase was about putting pressure on the opposition as it is tough for batters to change gears.

"In this kind of conditions, it was a matter of putting pressure. We do make a couple of changes here and there based on the opponents and conditions.

"But it is important to give clarity to people who are being dropped. Credit to Karun (Nair) to accept and understand that we needed (Daryll) Mitchell's one over today and he can come in later." Player of the match Parag said, "A little bit of satisfaction. The Royals have backed me for the last three years and I am paying off bit by bit. I love pressure and try to showcase my abilities and do my best.

"During the timeout, we agreed on 140 to be a good score and we tried that and worked well in the end," said Parag, who also took four catches.

"Hasaranga's second over to me, I wanted to target him but had to curtail it because we lost wickets and then go after Hazlewood and Harshal."

Also Read : Was confident of hitting six sixes against RR but umpire's decision is final, says Powell

News Source : PTI

2022-04-26 18:32

Was confident of hitting six sixes against RR but umpire's decision is final, says Powell

Mumbai, Apr 26 (Cricket News) Delhi Capitals power hitter Rovman Powell was hoping that the controversial third delivery of the final over against Rajasthan Royals be called a no-ball for height as he felt confident to smash six sixes in a row.

The West Indian, however, wants to concentrate at the games ahead rather than think about the past.

Needing 36 runs for a win off the final over, Powell hit three successive sixes from the first three deliveries, including the third ball which was a hip-high full-toss from Obed McCoy, to bring the equation down to 18 runs from the final three balls.

However, the DC camp demanded that the third ball be called a no ball for height but the umpires stood their ground, saying the delivery was legal.

Skipper Rishabh Pant then asked his batters -- Powell and Kuldeep Yadav to walk out and assistant coach Pravin Amre stepped on to the playing arena to speak to the umpire.

"It is something we have to put behind us very fast. We have a lot of games coming up, and we have no time to dwell in the past," Powell was quoted as saying in a media release.

"You know, we have to always look to the future because some important games are coming up. Important games for us to win to qualify for the next round of the competition. We have no time to sit and think about what happened in the past," said the West Indian.

The new-recruit, who has been struggling all season with the bat, had kept Delhi's hopes of winning the tie alive by smashing the three consecutive sixes.

The game had resumed after a 15 minute break and Powell reiterated assistant coach Shane Watson's comments that the umpire's decision is final.

"To be honest, I was pretty confident (at hitting six sixes in an over). After I got the first two, I was like what can happen from here, and then I got the next one. I was just hoping that it was a no-ball, but the umpire's decision is final, and we as cricketers take that and move on." In the six innings this season, Powell has scores of 0, 20, 3, 8, 0 and 36.

Speaking about his current form, Powell said, "It felt good. I've been searching for that for the last few games, and it's finally good to see a few come out in the middle. It's just for me to take the confidence from that game leading up to the rest of the matches, and just transfer it to the next phase of the competition." Delhi are currently seventh on the points table with three wins in seven outings.

The Capitals will take on Kolkata Knight Riders in their next match at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.

Also Read : Once we get going, Kolkata Knight Riders will be unstoppable: Iyer

News Source : PTI

2022-04-26 16:10

I always believed that Mukesh is destined for bigger things: Coach Surendra Bhave

Mumbai, Apr 26 (Cricket News) When a gangly teenager named Mukesh Choudhary, all of 16 back in the day, bowled for the first time at the 22-yards academy, there was some spark which convinced former national selector Surendra Bhave to believe that his newest ward will make it big.

Eight years hence, 25-year-old Choudhary has grabbed opportunities provided by Chennai Super Kings with seven wickets from seven games, including a man-of-the-match winning 3/19 against Mumbai Indians.

"When I saw him at our academy in the first week, I immediately told our coach Rajesh Mahurkar that I could 100 percent visualise a first-class player in him. They (academy coaches) still can't believe that what I predicted came true," Bhave, a former first-class heavyweight and current Punjab Ranji team coach told PTI.

Bhave recollected the time when young Choudhary came to him after not being satisfied with a couple of academies.

"Mukesh came to my academy after after having visited a couple of academies earlier. I believe somebody suggested that he visit our academy if he wants systematic coaching," Bhave, who has scored nearly 8000 first-class runs for Maharashtra and West Zone, said.

But since his academy did not play invitational tournaments which is a norm if one wants to make a case for Ranji Trophy selection.

What worked for Choudhary was his good physique, coupled with a very smooth action. It wasn't long before Bhave laid the first platform for the Rajasthan boy which enabled him to showcase his talent in-front of Maharashtra selectors.

"He had a naturally beautiful action, which was refined, and had a good physique. Then he trained with us on a regular basis.

"When I felt that he was doing well and he needed a platform, that is when I was spoke to officials of the Deccan Gymkhana club and told them that I had a rookie left-arm pacer and it was necessary for him to get a platform and that is when Deccan Gymkhana took him up," Bhave recalled.

Deccan Gymkhana, one of the oldest clubs in Pune, had produced many state players and when they took Choudhary into their folds, as they say the rest is history.

"It is Maharashtra Cricket Association's selection criteria that squads are chosen on basis of performances in the invitational leagues." Bhave is happy that despite having a couple poor games, CSK persisted with him and that yielded results when he removed Rohit Sharma and ishan Kishan first up in their match against Mumbai Indians.

"He (Mukesh) got a good platform in terms of CSK. He didn't have two great games (but still CSK backed him). He is in right hands and a guy like MS (Mahendra Singh Dhoni) to guide him from behind the stumps, it is like a stuff of dreams (for Mukesh)," Bhave, one of the finest domestic coaches, said.

Nikhil Dixit, his coach at Deccan Gymkhana, insisted that the rookie pacer was taking wickets at ease in the invitational tournaments and that paved the way for him.

"Mukesh was taking wickets at ease during the invitational matches. His consistent performances helped him to break into the U-23 side and then into the Maharashtra Ranji team. He was also net bowler for the CSK, which also helped him make the cut," said Dixit.

Also Read : Kevin Pietersen backs Jos Buttler to continue sensational run

News Source : PTI

2022-04-26 15:39

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Match starts: 7.30 pm. IST.

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

News Source : PTI

2022-04-26 13:42

In form RR take on struggling RCB in match no 39

(Cricket news) RCB will hope that this time they put up a better performance and forget about the horror show they produced last match against SRH. It also left them with the worst Net-Run-Rate among the teams around them - a factor that could prove decisive in the run-in. On the other hand , RR have been banking heavily on their two star players in Jos Butler and Yuzvendra Chahal to win them matches.

RCB endured one of their heaviest defeats against SRH last time out and will be hoping that they will bounce back from that crushing defeat. In terms of batting the RCB management will be hoping that Virat Kohli finds his batting mojo back after two back to back ducks as Anuj Rawat hasn't quite set the batting charts on fire for his new team, and is in danger of losing his place. The one thing that has been their recipe to success is their lower middle order which has flourished in pressure situations and often bailed their team out from the clutches of defeat. The battle between Dinesh Karthik and Chahal will be one to watch as the leg spinner has dismissed him thrice in nine innings, with Karthik scoring at a strike rate of only 83. In terms of bowling, Wanindu Hasaranga will be the key as he has dismissed Sanju Samson four times in five innings and will be an obvious plan of attack against the Royals captain.

For RR in the batting department it has been the Jos Butler show, he has scored 491 runs in 7 matches including 3 centuries, at this rate he is well on course to break Virat Kohli’s historical 2016 season where he scored 4 hundreds and scored over 900+ runs. Shimron Hetmyer and Sanju Samson have also been in good form as they have been finishing the innings really well. In the bowling department, despite having Yuzvendra Chahal in flying form, the Royals have conceded 192, 210 and 207 in their last three games, which could be a cause of concern for the RR management. We saw in the last match how Marco Jansen caused havoc in the RCB batting lineup, the same way RR can throw Trent Boult and Obed McCoy to poke at their opposition's insecurities.

Pitch and weather report: The MCA Pune pitch has been brilliant for batting but the venue will be used after a long time as this might just restart the trend of winning the toss and bowling first. Pacers will get some assistance in the powerplay and the spinners will play a massive role in the middle overs. The temperature is going to hover around 28 degrees as there is no chance of rain.

Interesting facts:

Wanindu Hasaranga has completed his full quota of overs only once in the last four matches
Buttler is 58 runs ahead of where Kohli was in the 2016 season when he scored the record-setting 973 runs.
Among batters with more than 200 runs in the league, only Dinesh Karthik (200) and Liam Livingstone (182.26) have a higher strike-rate than Shimron Hetmyer 179.20
Faf du Plessis' teams have won 70% of matches where he has made 30 or more.

Also read: Punjab Kings PBKS beat Chennai Super Kings by 11 runs

Probable XI for RCB:

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

Probable XI for RR:

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

2022-04-26 12:50

In India, jealous gang wanted me to fail so I developed thick skin: Former coach Shastri

London, Apr 26 (Cricket News) Robert Key will need to grow a "thick skin" akin to the Dukes ball just like I grew one to counter the "jealous people", former India head coach Ravi Shastri said on how the ex-England opener should go out about his job as ECB's 'Director of Cricket'.

Shastri was at helm of India's coaching staff between 2014 to 2021, save one year in the middle when Anil Kumble was given the charge.

In an interview to UK's 'The Guardian' newspaper, Shastri said that there was a "gang of people in India" who always wanted him to fail.

Just like Shastri, Key has also been an acclaimed commentator for a long time and doesn't have a coaching degree as he tries to ease into a new and very different role.

"I didn't have coaching badges [either]. Level one? Level two? **** that. And in a country like India, there is always jealousy or a gang of people willing you to fail. I had a thick skin, thicker than the leather of the Dukes ball you use. A real solid hide.

"And you need a bloody hide over here. Rob will develop this as he does the job, because every day you are judged. And I am glad he has a lot of captaincy experience from his time at Kent, because communication with the players is absolutely paramount," Shastri was quoted as saying by the British newspaper.

From his own experience of working with the Indian team, Shastri feels that national teams across the cricketing world function in a pretty similar fashion.

"Rob may have more work with the domestic game but, when it comes to the national team, it is very similar. The most important thing is getting among the players and setting a tone from the outset: what you believe in, what you think of them and changing the mindset to compete and win.

"You have to be bullish and brutish in wanting to achieve that. For us, and now England, it was about setting the challenge of winning abroad, big time. I was very firm when it came to team culture: all the prima donnas and all that shit, that had to go out of the window early," Shastri explained.

Outlining the philosophy and team culture is important, according to Shastri and that's what he had drilled in when India beat Australia in two back-to-back away series.

"...it was also outlining how we want to play: to be aggressive and ruthless, to up the fitness levels, to get a group of fast bowlers to take 20 wickets overseas. And it was about attitude, especially when playing the Aussies. I told the boys if one single expletive comes your way, give them three back: two in our language and one in theirs." Shastri also feels that Key needs to discuss issues with former Test captain Joe Root to understand how it all works.

"Rob will have an adjustment period to understand the issues and will need to speak in detail with Joe Root for his experiences as Test captain. But in my 24 years [commentating], I did not miss a beat or a ball of Indian cricket.

"And he (Key) will have covered a huge amount too. So you’re not lagging behind by an inch, you’re abreast of what a team requires but also what other teams are doing. You should be able to leapfrog over all those early issues and get into the nitty gritty straight away." Shastri felt that Ben Stokes would be the ideal choice to take the England team forward.

"The adrenaline of captaincy – not that he needs it – could fire Stokes up to be something even more than the incredible player he is now. The important relationship is with the captain – the moment there is friction, things go downhill.

"But they will be fine because the England I saw last year, they have enough talent and skill to compete. There’s no doubt about that in my mind. It’s all about their mindset."

Also Read : Punjab Kings PBKS beat Chennai Super Kings by 11 runs

News Source : PTI

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