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Tag: IPL

  • LSG mentor Gautam Gambhir catches up with ‘skipper’ MS Dhoni after win over CSK

    By ANI

    MUMBAI: Lucknow Super Giants mentor Gautam Gambhir caught up with his old teammate and former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni after LSG’s maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 victory in Mumbai at the Brabourne Stadium on Thursday.

    The photos and videos of Gambhir interacting with Dhoni went viral on social media. The CSK superstar could be seen with a smile on his face during his conversation with Gambhir, bringing joy to the fans, given the reports of seemingly strained relations between them.

    Gambhir also posted a heartwarming picture with Dhoni after the game that went viral. “It was nice catching up skipper!” Gambhir posted on Instagram.

    On several occasions earlier, Gambhir had openly criticized the wicket-keeper batter on various issues.

    Gambhir played a key role in India’s 2011 World Cup win, which came under Dhoni’s captaincy. In the most iconic partnerships of Indian cricket, Dhoni and Gambhir joined hands to chase down a 275-run target against Sri Lanka.

    Earlier on Thursday, MS Dhoni smashed a six off the very first delivery he faced. He hit 16 runs from just 6 deliveries, pushing CSK’s score past 200.

    A 61-run knock from LSG’s wicket-keeper batter Quinton de Kock and an unbeaten 55 from Evin Lewis helped Lucknow Super Giants chase down the huge target of 211 to register a six-wicket win over four-times IPL champions Chennai Super Kings.

    Merely two days before the start of IPL 2022, Dhoni had stepped down as the captain of CSK. (ANI)

  • Winning close games is always good for team morale, believes LSG batter Quinton de Kock

    By ANI

    MUMBAI: After defeating Chennai Super Kings in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 clash on Thursday, Lucknow Super Giants wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock said that winning such close games is always good for team morale.

    It was a complete team effort as Lucknow Super Giants chased down a big target of 211 in 19.3 overs against Chennai Super Kings to register a six-wicket win here at Brabourne Stadium.

    “It was unbelievable. Winning these types of close games is always good for team morale. Great win, boys batted really well. We came out fighting and to come out on top is always special. We thought we can chase down 210. We understood after the first two or three overs that it was a really good wicket. I’d say it was a par score on this wicket actually. It was nice to get out there and just bat, I wasn’t in too much rush. I had to get out there and spend some time, I knew it was a good enough wicket. It was just a matter of doing that and it’s also nice for a couple of the other boys to get out there and bat a bit,” said de Kock in a post-match presentation.

    “Evin played a hell of a knock tonight which was unbelievable and so did the youngster. It was great for everyone. It was nervy, chasing 210 is always going to be a close game but the boys were quite calm. It was mixed emotions among everyone. I was pretty calm myself, we knew what was going on out there. But still to get it done actually is still a hell of a job done,” he added.

    Chennai Super Kings batters Robin Uthappa, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube batted well and took Lucknow bowlers to the cleaners but there was one bowler on the Lucknow side who bagged two wickets and conceded only 24 runs in four overs.

    Ayush Badoni has been a real find for Lucknow as the youngster clicked in the first match of the season scoring a half-century and in the successful chase against CSK, the youngster scored an unbeaten 19 from 9-balls to guide his team to a six-wicket win.

    After registering their maiden win in the IPL, Lucknow Super Giants will now take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in their next encounter on April 4 at DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.

  • CSK skipper Ravindra Jadeja feels team needs to practice with wet ball

    By ANI

    MUMBAI: Chennai Super Kings skipper Ravindra Jadeja expressed disappointment after his side got defeated by Lucknow Super Giants in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 clash on Thursday.

    It was a complete team effort as Lucknow Super Giants chased down a big target of 211 in 19.3 overs against Chennai Super Kings to register a six-wicket win here at Brabourne Stadium.

    “We had a very good start, Robbie and Shivam Dube were playing brilliantly. We had a good start, but in the fielding, we have to take catches then you’ll win matches. We should have taken those chances. There was a lot of dew, the ball wasn’t sticking to the hand,” said Jadeja in a post-match presentation.

    “Next time, we have to practise with the wet ball. We batted brilliantly in the top-six and in the middle-overs. The wicket was very good to bat on. As a bowling unit, we need to execute our plans,” he added.

    Chennai Super Kings batters Robin Uthappa, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube batted well and took Lucknow bowlers to the cleaners but there was one bowler on the Lucknow side who bagged two wickets and conceded only 24 runs in four overs.

    Ayush Badoni has been a real find for Lucknow as the youngster clicked in the first match of the season scoring a half-century and in the successful chase against CSK, the youngster scored an unbeaten 19 from 9-balls to guide his team to a six-wicket win.

  • Mumbai Indians are slow starters, but it’s still early days: Zaheer Khan

    By PTI

    NAVI MUMBAI: Mumbai Indians Director of Cricket Zaheer Khan on Friday admitted that the five-time champions are slow starters but said it is important to keep the mood of the side upbeat in a long tournament like the IPL.

    As has been the case in the past, MI had a disappointing start to the season, losing by four wickets to Delhi Capitals in their opener on March 27.

    “There have been a lot of constructive chats around the options which we can take. You know the first game is always a tricky one and you know traditionally how we have been faring in the first game of the tournament. So, usually we have been slow starters,” Zaheer said ahead of their game against Rajasthan Royals at the DY Patil stadium here on Saturday.

    “It is a long tournament, so you have to keep the mood upbeat. Still early days, very early days I would say, so that is how the whole camp is looking at it. The intensity, the preparation, the way everyone is doing their business is fantastic. We are looking for that first win.”

    Zaheer also confirmed that their ace batsman Suryakumar Yadav will be available for selection against RR following his recovery from a finger injury.

    “…like I said earlier he has been practicing, so that is something which we are all eagerly waiting for and in terms of his availability for the next game, yes he is (available),” he said.

    Yadav had suffered a hairline fracture while fielding in the third and final T20I against the West Indies in Kolkata in February and was recuperating at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.

    He missed MI’s opening game against DC.

    There was another injury scare for MI in their first game when Ishan Kishan was hit on the toe by a Shardul Thakur yorker and Aryan Juyal kept wickets in his place.

    But Zaheer said Kishan is fit for the game against RR.

    “He (Kishan) is absolutely fine. We have taken necessary actions. He has been practicing regularly and we had a gap in between so that also helped him.”

    MI failed to defend 177 against DC, but the former India pacer is not too bothered about the team’s bowling performance.

    “I am happy with the way the plans are working, the way everyone is looking at approaching this year. You will definitely see the change in the coming games.

    “It was good learning for us. You have seen the CCI wicket is not an easy wicket for bowlers. You have seen in yesterday’s game also, 200 runs were chased. So, it was not an easy day for the bowlers, but in terms of planning and preparation they are right on the money,” added Zaheer.

  • Bowlers availability a big confidence booster for Rajasthan Royals: Kumar Sangakkara

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Rajasthan Royals’ director of cricket and head coach Kumar Sangakkara said on Friday that the availability of a full-strength bowling lineup is a real confidence booster for the team at a time when many sides are struggling with their overseas recruits.

    Boasting one of the best attacks of IPL-15 in Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna, Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal, the Royals began their campaign in style, crushing Sunrisers Hyderabad by 61 runs.

    “It’s always nice to have such high quality in your attack. To have them available throughout is another great plus,” the Sri Lankan great said in a virtual media interaction on the eve of their match against Mumbai Indians.

    While many teams are struggling with the unavailability of overseas players, Royals have scored full marks in ensuring that bowlers such as Jimmy Neesham, Obed McCoy and Navdeep Saini are available for the full season.

    “The bowling and batting equally make a huge impact in T20 cricket especially on flat wickets. So, it’s really a confidence booster to have that bowling strength always present.”

    One of IPL’s leading wicket-takers (170 scalps from 122 matches), Lasith Malinga has also joined the Royals as the fast bowling coach after his retirement last year.

    The prospect of Malinga working alongside the likes of upcoming Indian pacers Krishna and Saini excites Sangakkara.

    “It’s really exciting to have him. It’s really huge. The bowlers really enjoy talking to him, while he’s there at the top of their marks. Discussing and debating fields and deliveries. He’s been exceptional,” Sangakkara said.

    On Malinga’s role, he said: “He’s just directing the players to keep things simple, what the strengths are and how they are going to approach the situations and the batters.”

    They also have another former Mumbai player in Nathan Coulter-Nile.

    “Everyone brings knowledge and experience into the mix. Players change around in terms of auctions at various times. It’s good to have their experience in the side,” Sangakkara said.

    The middle-order batting has always been a concern for the Jaipur franchise, but Sangakkara said the players’ are aware of their roles so that they can support each other well.

    “There are always times when anyone can struggle in a long season. At various times, the key is to have the ability around to support that and to have players understand that.

    “It’s the natural way of cricket. Unfortunately we can’t have good day everyday…we try and very hard. Good days and bad days are part and parcel of the game,” he concluded.

  • IPL 2022: After firing blanks in last three seasons, Rajasthan Royals now quietly confident

    Express News Service

    CHENNAI: On Sunday afternoon, Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson, on his Instagram handle, uploaded a photo with his new teammates Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal and their development & performance director Zubin Bharucha in their team bus with a caption that read: “D Back Benchers” with a smiling emoji.

    It was perhaps a fitting description of where the team stood at the end of the last three seasons. Seventh in 2019, eighth in 2020 and seventh in 2021. Barring the last season, going into their last league match, they were in with a chance to make it to the play-offs stage. Invariably, they fell short each time. In the 2018 season, when they made a comeback after a two-year suspension, they made it to the play-offs, but only to field a weakened team after Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes left for national duty. That is the closest they have come to a title since their return.

    This year they have learnt from their past mistakes and managed to put together a balanced squad on paper. For a team that was overly reliant on overseas players, they now have a strong Indian core in Samson, Ashwin, Chahal, Devdutt Padikkal, Prasidh Krishna and Yashasvi Jaiswal to complement Jos Buttler, Trent Boult, Shimon Hetmyer and Nathan Coulter-Nile who are expected to be their first-choice overseas players in the XI. That makes for a strong team with one among Karun Nair and Riyan Parag in contention for the one remaining slot.

    Ahead of the first match against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Maharashtra Cricket Association stadium in Pune, it came as no surprise that Samson sounded bullish. “We definitely had a lot of learning from the last 2-3 seasons. We discussed and worked on a few options and we got a really very good team in the auction. Our main focus is to get together as soon as possible. We have a different squad this time, some new members in the team, so it is important to come together and understand your teammates,” Samson said.

    Rajasthan, thanks to some of their picks, have been able to blend a good mix of Indian and overseas players. With a top-five consisting of Padikkal, Jaiswal, Buttler, Samson and Hetmyer, they have enough ammunition to annihilate any team with the bat.

    With the exception of Padikkal, who is a lot more text-book oriented, the rest have the wherewithal that is suited to T20, and one which will allow Royals to bat in the top gear at all times if required. In a way, the batting unit complements the style of play their captain Samson plays. On odd days they can fire duds, but if they click, they would be hard to stop, especially given the left-right combination.

    “I think this format has to be played with a fearless mindset and that sort of characters are there in this team this year. So we would just like to go out there and express ourselves. You can’t have second thoughts in this format and there is a reason why everyone loves this format because you have the freedom to go out and enjoy the batting. So we will be doing the same,” Samson said.

    With Boult to cause damage with the new ball and Prasidh and Coutler-Nile in the mix and two quality spinners in Ashwin and Chahal, Samson also has variety with the ball. The need for a sixth bowling option may see them go for Garg over Karun. “We have a lot of Indian and international strength in our team. It’s a very long tournament. We need to understand the mindset and the fitness and form of all players. But we have enough options to play around,” Samson said.

  • Blow for CSK as Moeen Ali ruled out of IPL opener against KKR due to visa delay

    Express News Service

    CHENNAI: Three days ahead of their Indian Premier League (IPL) opener against Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai Super Kings are caught in a combination deadlock. If the unavailability of Deepak Chahar because of an injury was bound to weaken their attack and affect the composition of the four overseas players, the delay in Moeen Ali’s arrival has added to the headache.

    The English all-rounder, one of Chennai’s stand-out performers in their title-winning campaign last season, is yet to join the team because he hasn’t been issued a visa yet. It is understood that a detailed verification is currently underway, which is taking more than the usual time.

    “We were expecting Moeen to join us by Monday but because of the delay in issuing a visa, it is not clear when he will leave for Mumbai. He submitted the visa application on February 28, but because of the verification process, there has been a delay. Unless he enters the bubble by Wednesday noon, it won’t be possible for him to play against Kolkata,” CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan told The New Indian Express.

    If Ali doesn’t arrive in time, it will be interesting to see how Chennai go about their combination. Last season, batting at No 3, he provided them with some much-needed aggression in the middle overs, an area that proved to be their biggest undoing in the 2020 season. Though his absence is expected only for the game against Kolkata, it gives Chennai an option to try their other overseas picks.

    The unavailability of Chahar for at least the first half of the tournament means they need to strengthen their fast bowling resources and as a result, apart from Dwayne Bravo, Adam Milne looks certain to be in the XI. The Kiwi’s pace can be handy in the powerplay as well as in the end overs. Fellow New Zealander Devon Conway is expected to open alongside Ruturaj Gaikwad. Ali’s absence also opens the door for Robin Uthappa to slot in at No 3.

    The toss-up for the remaining one overseas slot would be between Chris Jordan and Maheesh Theekshana. With Ali unavailable, mystery spinner Theekshana could be a handy option at the Wankhede should MS Dhoni prefer a tweaker to bowl in the powerplay. In that case, one among Tushar Deshpande, KM Asif and Rajvardhan Hangargekar will get a chance. That would give Dhoni four seam bowling options in Bravo, Milne, Shivam Dube and one of the above-mentioned trio with Ravindra Jadeja and Theekshana as spinners.

    However, if Chennai wish to strengthen their pace resources further by including Jordan in place of Theekshana, then the highly-rated leg-spinner Prashant Solanki could make his IPL debut.

    Last season, one of Chennai’s biggest strengths was its batting depth. It allowed the batters to adopt a more aggressive approach. The end result was that they were amongst the highest-scoring teams in the middle-overs, something they will be keen to replicate this season too.

  • IPL 2022 mega auction’s rags to riches tale: Small-time salon owner’s medium pacer son Kuldeep Sen bought by Rajasthan Royals for Rs 20 lakh

    By Express News Service

    BHOPAL: The IPL 2022 auctions have ushered a rags to riches tale for the Vindhya region of Madhya Pradesh.

    Ram Pal Sen, who runs a small hair cutting salon at Sirmour Chouraha in Rewa town is on cloud nine since Sunday, when his promising 25-year-old medium pacer son Kuldeep Sen was bought by Rajasthan Royals for Rs 20 lakh.

    The lanky medium pacer, hailing from Rewa district’s Hariharpur village will join speedsters Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna and Navdeep Saini in the RR ranks to test the best willow wielders of the game in the coming IPL season starting in April.

    Ram Pal Sen at his small time salon in Rewa town of MP and Kuldeep Sen.

    “It’s like a dream come true. The same game of cricket for which he was scolded and beaten by me in his school days, has ushered glory and fortune to my family, which for years has been surviving on the small salon run near Sirmour Chouraha. On being thrashed by me for wasting time in cricket, Kuldeep told me only one thing that cricket was his passion and dream, which will usher us glory. But I never dreamt that a small-time salon owner’s son will not only usher glory, but also fortune to his family with the game of cricket,” elated Ram Pal Sen said with wet eyes.

    The third among five children (eldest among three brothers) of Ram Pal Sen and Geeta Sen, Kuldeep started playing cricket at the Vindhya Cricket Academy (VCA) club around a decade back.

    “Like many others at the club, Kuldeep hailed from a very humble background, but his hunger to make big in cricket made us zero our eyes on him. His thirst for success and dedication, prompted us to waive off his academy fees and even fund his kits in the formative years,” recounts Aril Anthony, the proud coach of the promising pacer in Rewa.

    “He is regularly bowling at 135-140 kph and has the unusual knack of surprising even the best batsmen with his killer in-swing and out-swingers and the menacing in-cutters. Entire VCA now aspires to see him making mark among the best in international cricket in the IPL arena. His success in IPL 2022 will inspire many other promising talents from our region to dream and make big in the world of cricket,” Aril Anthony, the MP Cricket Association coach posted in Rewa said.

    Now training hard to justify his inclusion in the ranks of the inaugural IPL title winner, Kuldeep told The New Indian Express “being from a humble background, my father’s anger on me and mother’s love for me, besides the peerless coaching by Aril Sir and guidance by ex India pacer and our club senior Ishwar Pandey have inspired me to dream big.”

    “I still remember the days, when the Club waived off my fees and Ishwar Bhaiya gave his spikes to me as I was unable to buy a new pair for me. It was only after 2015, when I was selected to the u-19 team of Madhya Pradesh that I started funding my cricket needs from financial support of MPCA. This is the third year that I’ve played at trials of IPL teams and finally succeeded in being selected for donning an IPL team’s colours. Presently I’m focusing on the Ranji Trophy season with my state’s squad and will try my best to justify my selection for IPL that will open the floodgates of the premier tourney for others like me,” Kuldeep said.

    After the u-19 and u-23 state teams, Kuldeep made his first-class debut for Madhya Pradesh in 2018-19 Ranji Trophy and claimed his maiden five wicket haul against Punjab in November 2018. He made his Twenty20 debut for MP in the 2018-19 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in February 2019 and List A debut in September 2019, for MP in the 2019-20 Vijay Hazare Trophy.

    He claimed 25 wickets in eight matches in his debut Ranji Trophy season and 20 scalps in six matches in the ensuing season. Kuldeep is the second player from Rewa, after ex India pacer Ishwar Pandey (also from VCA Club) to make it to the IPL.

  • Did Royal Challengers Bangalore get their picks wrong again at the IPL auction?

    Express News Service

    BENGALURU: One look at the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) squad after the IPL mega auction and it is a case of old wine in a new bottle. Problems are plenty.

    The auction was an opportunity for the team to make the changes that were needed and break their title jinx, but Bangalore failed to pick quality Indian players. This has left them lacking in depth on the batting front, which could hurt them if they manage to qualify for the end stages of upcoming IPLs.

    Among the top six costliest players at the auction, five were Indians. And while Bangalore did avail the services of Harshal Patel (Rs 10.75 crore) and Dinesh Karthik (Rs 5.50 crore), the rest of the Indian players they invested in, including Mahipal Lomror and Shahbaz Ahmed, will not instill fear amongst their opponents.

    They also allowed themselves to get outbidded by other teams having bigger purses. How did that happen?

    One reason could be their splurging on Sri Lanka spinner Wanindu Hasaranga, for whom they paid Rs 10.75 crore at a time when when Yuzvendra Chahal, who has been a fine servant for Bangalore in the past, had not come up for auction. The latter was snapped up by Rajasthan Royals for Rs 6.5 crore.

    ALSO READ | IPL 2022: Complex auction dynamics in display on day one

    And despite RCB being in need of an explosive opener and a possible captain, they did not even make a bid for David Warner, who went to Delhi Capitals for a relatively modest Rs 6.25 crore. They might have made that call as they had already signed Faf Du Plessis, who could lead the team next season. However, the team management have not finalised their captain yet.

    “We have three great leaders in Maxwell, Virat, and Faf du Plessis. We are happy with those three leaders, also have Josh Hazlewood as a leader from the bowling point of view. So we are happy with the group, we will make a decision regarding captaincy after the auction,” Mike Hesson, Director of Cricket Operations, RCB, had said .

    Irrespective of who leads the team, the captain has a huge task ahead with the franchise not able to fill the gaping hole left by the departure of their stalwart AB de Villiers. It also means, their big players, including Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell (both retained) and new man Du Plesis will be under sheer pressure to deliver.

    From the present squad, it seems incredibly difficult to find a decent better at No 3 and 6. The team lacks a solid finisher at six or seven as well. This was one of the problem areas last season. They might have to depend on the 36-year-old Karthik to bring his A game week in and week out and shoulder responsibility with cameos. It will be interesting to see if David Willey will be given the role of assisting Karthik.

    If the franchise has anything to be happy about, it is the look of their pacers department. With Mohammed Siraj already retained, and the likes of Patel, Willey, Josh Hazlewood, Jason Behrendorff and Siddharth Kaul around, there is quality and firepower in plenty.

    While they have pacers for all kinds of surfaces, they come up short in the spin department. Barring leg-spinner Hasaranga, they do not have much quality there and this too can create create problems when it comes to fielding the right combinations.

  • IPL 2022: Brian Lara, Dale Steyn part of Sunrisers Hyderabad’s revamped support staff

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Sunrisers Hyderabad on Thursday named West Indies batting legend Brian Lara and South African pace great Dale Steyn as part of their revamped support staff ahead of the 2022 IPL.

    Lara, who is usually seen commentating during the IPL, has taken up the coaching role at Sunrisers. He has been named strategic advisor and batting coach.

    The team made the announcement via social media.

    Steyn, who has played for multiple IPL teams in the past including Sunrisers, has been appointed the pace bowling coach.

    He had announced his retirement earlier this year.

    Sri Lankan great Muttiah Muralitharan remains the spin bowling coach.

    Moody returns as head coach after fellow Australian Trevor Bayliss quit following the 2021 season.

    Moody was Sunrisers’ director of cricket last season.

    Former India batter Hemang Badani has been named fielding coach while Simon Katich, who has been the head coach of RCB, has been appointed assistant coach.

    Sunrisers had retained three players including skipper Kane Wiliamson, uncapped Umran Malik and Abdul Samad ahead of the mega auction in February.

    The team finished last in the 2021 IPL.