News Analysis India

Tag: IPL

  • I am paid to finish games for my side: Delhi Capitals batsman Shimron Hetmyer

    By ANI

    DUBAI: Delhi Capitals batter Shimron Hetmyer has said that he is paid to finish off games for his side and it is a good feeling to be able to do the job against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021.

    Hetmyer played an unbeaten knock of 28 runs off just 18 balls to help Delhi Capitals defeat CSK by three wickets with two balls to spare. With this win, Rishabh Pant-led outfit moved to the top of the points table with 20 points from 13 games.

    “Very important for me to finish games. I tell the guys that is what I am paid for and I try to finish as many games as possible. I thought I was out (on his dropped catch), and the guy missed it and I was thankful,” Hetmyer told host broadcaster Star Sports after the game ended.

    “It was just about getting bat on ball. The 19th over was the one where I thought I’d try and get a six and bring it down as much as possible. I had enough practice against Bravo in the CPL. I knew he would go wide with the field he had and I just looked to go straight down the ground against him. It paid off twice,” he added.

    Earlier, Ambati Rayudu played an unbeaten knock of 55 runs off 43 balls as CSK posted a total of 136/5 in the allotted twenty overs. For Delhi Capitals, Axar Patel returned with figures of 2-18.

    “It is difficult, but important to assess the lines and the speeds at which we needed to be bowling on this pitch. I thought they were five or ten runs short in the powerplay. The discussion with Hetmyer was about the lines they’d bowl. He told me that they would bowl wide and he asked me to play straight and look for singles. Such matches give you a lot of confidence in the knockouts,” Axar told Star Sports.

    Delhi Capitals will next square off against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Friday at the Dubai International Stadium.

  • MS Dhoni was not the only batter who struggled, difficult wicket for strokeplay: CSK coach Stephen Fleming

    By ANI

    DUBAI: After suffering a three-wicket loss against Delhi Capitals in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) coach Stephen Fleming came in defence of skipper MS Dhoni, saying he was not the only batter to struggle on the Dubai wicket.

    Shimron Hetmyer played an unbeaten knock of 28 runs off just 18 balls to help Delhi Capitals defeat CSK by three wickets with two balls to spare. With this win, Rishabh Pant-led outfit moved to the top of the points table with 20 points from 13 games.

    “Dhoni was not the only one, it was a difficult day for strokeplay. 137 was almost enough, it was a tough wicket to score big on in terms of big shots, both teams struggled with it towards the end of the innings. Sometimes, you set your sights too high, probably we were just 10-15 runs short of having a match-winning score,” said Fleming during a virtual post-match press conference.

    “That is the difficulty at the moment, trying to assess what the conditions are at three different grounds, there was no lack of intent. We had to stabilise after a couple of mistakes. Delhi bowled well in the last five overs, they were really smart,” he added.

    Earlier, Ambati Rayudu played an unbeaten knock of 55 runs off 43 balls as CSK posted a total of 136/5 in the allotted twenty overs. For Delhi Capitals, Axar Patel returned with figures of 2-18.

    “Yeah, I rather have two defeats now than have two semi-finals, if I have a wish list. There were a lot of mistakes from both sides. Sometimes, when you have qualified, things do change. We are trying to maintain the intensity, there were clumsy mistakes from us which was the most disappointing aspect. But in terms of the competition, one of the most important things is rebounding. We need to just to get our intensity back as before,” said Fleming.

    “The pitch if you watched it, it was very difficult. There was inconsistency, Bravo is not someone who bangs the ball in, his changes in pace and yorkers are his key weapons. I thought tactics were sport on. We did it really well,” he added.

    CSK will next lock horns against Punjab Kings on Thursday at the Dubai International Stadium.

  • Delhi Capitals opt to bowl against CSK

    By PTI

    DUBAI: Delhi Capitals skipper Rishabh Pant won the toss and elected to bowl against Chennai Super Kings in their Indian Premier League match here on Monday.

    Delhi handed maiden IPL cap to Gujarat’s Ripal Patel at the expense of Steve Smith.

    CSK made three changes, bringing in Dwayne Bravo, Deepak Chahar and Robin Uthappa in place of Sam Curran, KM Asif and Suresh Raina.

    The Teams: Chennai Super Kings: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt & wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, Robin Uthappa, Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Josh Hazlewood.

    Delhi Capitals: Rishabh Pant (capt & wk), Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Ripal Patel, Shreyas Iyer, Shimron Hetmyer, Axar Patel, R Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Avesh Khan.

  • Disciplined DC bowlers restrict CSK to 136/5

    By PTI

    DUBAI: A disciplined performance by Delhi Capitals bowlers restricted Chennai Super Kings to 136 for five despite a 43-ball 55 not out from the seasoned Ambati Rayudu in their Indian Premier League match here on Monday.

    Rayudu reached his fifty when he slashed Anrich Nortje over point for a boundary, following a six over deep extra over in the innings’ 19th over, from which CSK scored 14 runs.

    However, Avesh Khan bowled a fantastic final over in which he conceded only four runs while taking the wicket of Mahendra Singh Dhoni (18).

    Rayudu smashed five fours and two sixes during his stay in the middle.

    A major part of DC’s bowling effort was a far cry from pacer Nortje’s horrendous first over when he conceded 16 runs, with nine off them coming off a leg bye and a bye that Rishabh Pant couldn’t get his hand to despite a diving attempt.

    In between, Ruturaj Gaikwad was given out lbw, but the decision was overturned after the batsman reviewed as TV replays showed the ball was missing the leg stump.

    Faf du Plessis got two boundaries on either side of the wicket against Avesh Khan as CSK raced to 26 in only two overs at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

    There was swing on offer but DC’s bowlers were not able to get their act right until left-arm spinner Axar Patel struck when du Plessis’ attempted pull shot was held by a diving Shreyas Iyer in the deep mid-wicket region.

    The in-form Gaikwad welcomed Kagiso Rabada with a drive straight down the ground, even as Robin Uthappa, playing this game in place of Suresh Raina, walked into the middle.

    Nortje removed Gaikwad in the fifth over when the batsman failed to connect his pull shot for Ravichandran Ashwin to complete a neat catch.

    From scoring over 25 runs in the first two overs, CSK found themselves ploughing along at 48 for two at the end of the six power play overs.

    CSK were 69 for four in 10 overs but their bigger concern at that of time was that they lost two more wickets — Moeen Ali to the impressive Axar and Uthappa to Ashwin’s carrom ball.

  • In battle for top-two, DC prevail over CSK by 3 wickets

    By PTI

    DUBAI: Shimron Hetmyer kept his nerves and played some fine shots under pressure to guide Delhi Capitals to a three-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings in a battle for top-two finish in the Indian Premier League here on Monday.

    Needing 28 from the last three overs to reach the target of 137, the Guyanese picked 12 runs against Dwayne Bravo and then got 10 off pacer Josh Hazlewood to bring down the equation to six runs from six balls.

    DC completed the job with two balls to spare despite losing Axar Patel.

    Hetmyer remained not out on a vital 28 off 18 balls, including a crucial six in the penultimate over.

    A disciplined performance by Delhi Capitals bowlers restricted Chennai Super Kings to 136 for five despite a 43-ball 55 not out from the seasoned Ambati Rayudu.

    The flashy Prithvi Shaw smashed three boundaries in seven balls to get the DC innings going but, while trying to go for one too many, the Mumbaikar threw his wicket away when he failed to negotiate Deepak Chahar’s extra bounce and Faf du Plessis ran backwards from mid-off to complete the catch.

    Josh Hazlewood bowled a tight fourth over, conceding just three runs, but Shikhar Dhawan (39 off 35 balls) clobbered Chahar for two sixes and as many fours to get 21 in the fifth over.

    However, Hazlewood cut short Shreyas Iyer’s (2) brief stay in the middle when he could not execute a pull shot.

    Ravindra Jadeja sent back Rishabh Pant (15) when the DC skipper tried to sweep a quicker delivery from the left-arm spinner.

    Debutant Ripal Patel hit two fours as DC required 53 from 54 balls, but Jadeja came back to get the better of the new man from Gujarat.

    R Ashwin too followed suit and when Dhawan, three balls after getting a decision against him overturned through a review, played Shardul Thakur to cover in a soft dismissal, DC were in trouble at 99 for six at the end of the 15th over.

    Thakur returned excellent figures of 2/13 in four overs, while Jadeja had 2/28.

    Substitute fielder K Gowtham dropped Shimron Hetmyer at a crucial stage of the game, the ball instead going past the ropes.

    Earlier, Rayudu reached his fifty when he slashed Anrich Nortje over point for a boundary, following a six over deep extra over in the innings’ 19th over, from which CSK scored 14 runs.

    However, Avesh Khan bowled a fantastic final over in which he conceded only four runs while taking the wicket of Mahendra Singh Dhoni (18).

    Rayudu smashed five fours and two sixes during his stay in the middle.

    A major part of DC’s bowling effort was a far cry from pacer Nortje’s horrendous first over when he conceded 16 runs, with nine off them coming off a leg bye and a bye that Rishabh Pant couldn’t get his hand to despite a diving attempt.

    In between, Ruturaj Gaikwad was given out lbw, but the decision was overturned after the batsman reviewed as TV replays showed the ball was missing the leg stump.

    Faf du Plessis got two boundaries on either side of the wicket against Avesh Khan as CSK raced to 26 in only two overs at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

    There was swing on offer but DC’s bowlers were not able to get their act right until left-arm spinner Axar Patel (2/18) struck when du Plessis’ attempted pull shot was held by a diving Shreyas Iyer in the deep mid-wicket region.

    The in-form Gaikwad welcomed Kagiso Rabada with a drive straight down the ground, even as Robin Uthappa, playing this game in place of Suresh Raina, walked into the middle.

    Nortje removed Gaikwad in the fifth over when the batsman failed to connect his pull shot for Ravichandran Ashwin to complete a neat catch.

  • Play smart, enjoy your game and give 100 per cent: Rajasthan Royals all-rounder Rahul Tewatia

    By IANS

    NEW DELHI: Rajasthan Royals are currently placed at the sixth position in the IPL 2021 points tally and they will have to win both their matches to enter the playoffs.

    Their confidence would be rocket high following their thumping win over mighty Chennai Super Kings but their next encounters are also not easy at all, as the Sanju Samson-led side will face Mumbai Indians on October 5 and Kolkata Knight Riders on October 7.

    However, despite the crunch situation, the Royals look a little relaxed. Day ahead of their crucial tie, all-rounder Rahul Tewatia said that the team is not discussing anything related to the net-run rate or playoff fight.

    “All matches are important for us. We are not thinking anything like we win both the matches and enter the playoffs. We are just taking one match at a time. We want to give our hundred per cent and enjoy the game, like we did in our last match. This is what Kumar Sangakkara (team director) also suggested,” Tewatia said on Monday. “Nothing such as net run rate or where we are standing at the moment (points tally) have been discussed in the team meeting so far.”

    Further talking about their Tuesday’s match against Mumbai, the 28-year-old said the Rohit Sharma-led side is a dangerous team on their given day. “Their middle order is really good, so is their top order. But we will try to play a smart game and win it,” he said.

    The all-rounder further admitted that his performance has not been up to the mark in the season and said he will look to produce a better show to help his team.

    “Yeah, our middle order is struggling and I take responsibility for that. I know my performances weren’t up to the mark with regards to the high expectations. However, I will put in the effort to improve the output in the next matches.”

  • Emergence of young domestic bowlers a big positive for Punjab Kings: KL Rahul

    Punjab Kings suffered another defeat on Sunday, losing to RCB by six runs, which leaves them dependent on other results to make it to the playoffs.

  • KL Rahul adjusts to everything, never get the feeling he’s a leader: Ajay Jadeja

    By IANS

    NEW DELHI: Punjab Kings captain KL Rahul lacks leadership quality, feels former Indian cricketer Ajay Jadeja following PBKS continuous struggle in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

    Punjab has managed to win just 14 of the 25 games played under Rahul’s leadership so far. The team has finished sixth in the league stages in the last two IPL editions. Also, this season they are almost out of the playoff fight. They are currently placed fifth in the tally with 10 points.

    “If you look at KL Rahul, he’s been the captain of this team for the past two years, I never get the feeling that he’s a ‘leader’. Whenever this team has gone through a good phase or a bad phase, we never look at him. The team (PBKS playing XI) that’s playing today, the changes that have been made, do you think KL Rahul would have made that?

    “Someone becomes an Indian captain based on his philosophy because he should be a leader. I have not seen that in KL Rahul so far because he’s very soft-spoken and adjusts to everything. If he becomes the captain one day, then it’s a certainty he’ll last the longest because a guy ready to adjust can stay longer in that position,” Jadeja was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.

    “But there are leadership qualities where whether I agree with his philosophy, the Indian captain should at least have one philosophy. Because there’s a huge difference between the captaincy of an IPL team and the Indian team,” the former India batsman added.

    Jadeja further said that Rahul has the calmness like MS Dhoni but hasn’t taken much responsibility on his shoulders during his stint as the Punjab captain.

  • Seeds of Arshdeep Singh’s stellar IPL run were sown in Sri Lanka

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The seeds of Punjab Kings pacer Arshdeep Singh’s stellar IPL season were sown in Sri Lanka where he straightened his run up to improve his inswinger under the guidance of India A and NCA coach Paras Mhambrey.

    The 22-year-old left-arm pacer had travelled to Sri Lanka as a net bowler with the India squad in June-July and was close to making his international debut after a COVID outbreak in the team.

    Arshdeep, who is into his third season, made instant impact on IPL resumption by taking a five-wicket haul against Rajasthan Royals.

    He has taken 16 in the season so far at an average of 19.18.

    Over the past two seasons, he had already made a reputation as an effective death bowler but now he is also making the new ball talk.

    Courtesy a straighter run-up, he is able to bring ball back into the right-hander and the best example of that was the late inswinger to Shubman Gill in the game against KKR.

    Speaking to PTI on the sidelines of the UAE leg, Arshdeep recalled the time spent with the Indian team and how it made him a better bowler.

    Rahul Dravid was head coach on that tour.

    “It was a great experience. You learn a lot when you travel with the team even if you are not playing. The environment under Rahul sir was good. The first zoom call we had after landing there, he said ‘It is not a squad of 20, it is a squad of 25 (including net bowlers) and everyone will get the same treatment’.

    “That makes you feel part of the group. Also there was no senior or junior, you could learn from anyone, from captain to fellow net bowlers to the support staff,” he said.

    Talking about work done on his run up with former India pacer Mhambrey, Arshdeep said: “I did some fine tuning work with Paras sir. He worked on my run up, straightened it a bit which allowed me to move the ball back in, the angle was little too much.

    “We also worked to how better my finish on the follow through. I was there for a month, it was very good experience training wise.”

    Arshdeep, who was born in Madhya Pradesh but hails from Kharar in Punjab, is aware that left-arm pacers are a sought after lot but meditation has taught him to not lose sleep over selection matters — be it for his IPL franchise or the Indian team.

    “Paaji, I believe in expecting nothing and be ready for everything at the same time and also learning never stops. Our mental health expert (with Punjab Kings) told us to medidate regularly and with that I have learnt is that don’t expect much.

    “They even say in a love story also one should not expect as it always hurts,” said the lanky pacer on a lighter note.

    Arshdeep also gives personal coach Jaswant Rai a lot of credit in his rapid rise.

    Having started his IPL career with Punjab Kings, the “homely” atmosphere of the team has also helped him perform.

    “It is like family here. Even when there was change in support staff, it always felt like home.”

    He may not be part of India’s T20 World Cup squad but it is evident that he is on selectors’ radar and the performance in the ongoing IPL has only helped his case.

    Arshdeep signed off after remembering a conversation with Dravid during the Sri Lanka tour.

    “Rahul sir said ‘you are doing well,you are getting results and you are on the radar and just keep performing game after game’. That has stayed with me.”

  • Has been wonderful to watch Ruturaj Gaikwad bat: Delhi Capitals spinner Ravichandran Ashwin

    By ANI

    DUBAI: Delhi Capitals spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has praised Chennai Super Kings (CSK) opening batter Ruturaj Gaikwad for showing remarkable consistency in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

    Delhi Capitals and CSK will be locking horns on Monday in the top of the table clash at the Dubai International Stadium.

    “Look, I think CSK have got a couple of batters who look at like golden form. I do not know what to say. The way Ruturaj Gaikwad has been batting, has been absolutely wonderful to watch. It is going to be a challenge,” Ashwin said in a video posted on the official Twitter handle of DC.

    “CSK bat deep, bat aggressively. They batted aggressively against us at the Wankhede as well. It will be at the Dubai stadium, the pitch has been good there, I am looking at the batting dish out game,” he added.

    Gaikwad had scored his maiden IPL ton against Rajasthan Royals and he remained unbeaten in the last game. Delhi Capitals had won its last game against Mumbai Indians while CSK suffered a loss against Rajasthan Royals.

    CSK and Delhi Capitals are currently at the top two spots in the IPL points table.