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Tag: IPL

  • IPL 2021: Hardik shows some form as Mumbai beat Punjab Kings by six wickets

    By PTI

    ABU DHABI: Hardik Pandya finally showed glimpses of his destructive self as he brought Mumbai Indians back in play-off contention with the defending champions beat Punjab Kings by six wickets in an IPL encounter on Tuesday.

    Hardik smashed two fours and a six in the penultimate over bowled by Mohammed Shami as his 40 not out off 30 balls saw MI snap a three-match losing streak successfully chasing down a target of 136 in 19 overs.

    Saurabh Tiwary (45 off 37) and Kieron Pollard (15 not out) also played their part as M survived some anxious moments before ending on winning note.

    Pollard who took two wickets in Punjab innings hit a six and four off young left-armer Arshdeep Singh taking 13 off the 18th over which helped Hardik go for the jugular against Shami.

    It only helped that his final shot which ended as a maximum was a regulation catch which Deepak Hooda dropped at the fence.

    After this victory, MI reached the fifth spot with 10 points from 11 matches, while Punjab slipped to sixth spot.

    Defending the total, leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi got rid of Rohit Sharma (8) and Suryakumar Yadav (0) in successive deliveries to leave MI toterring at 16 for two.

    Tiwary and Quinton de Kock (27) took the team to 30 for 2 in the powerplay.

    Tiwary eased the pressure with a boundary at the cover-point area, before picking up another four off Nathan Ellis.

    Dropped by Aiden Markram at the boundary line in 8th over, Tiwary danced down the wicket and deposited Harpreet over mid-wicket for a maximum to bring up the 50.

    De Kock, who was looking good, lost his bearing in the 10th over as he dragged one on to his stumps, immediately after pulling Mohammed Shami for a four as MI slumped to 62 for 3.

    Tiwary and Hardik Pandya kept MI in hunt but runs dried up with Arshdeep Singh taking the pace off but Harpreet dropped the India allrounder to add to his frustration.

    Needing 52 off 36, Tiwary clobbered Bishnoi over mid-wicket but he was soon removed by Nathan Ellis.

    Hardik then unleashed a four and six in two balls off Shami to keep MI in the hunt.

    Needing 29 in the last three overs, Pollard blasted one across the at extra cover and then deposited the next one over long-off.

    Hardik then exploded in the 19th over bowled by Shami as he sent a wide delivery across the boundary and then pulled one across the midwicket before heaving one over long-on to end the contest.

    Earlier, Markram shared a 61-run partnership with Deepak Hooda (28) to lift their score after they were reduced to 48 for 4 in 7.3 overs.

    However, once the South African was back in the hut in the 16th over, Punjab couldn’t score a single boundary, managing a meagre 23 runs in the last four overs.

    Pollard (2/8) and Bumrah (2/24) were the pick of the bowlers but they were supported well by Krunal Pandya (1/24), Rahul Chahar (1/27) and Nathan Coulter-Nile (0/19).

    earlier, Mandeep Singh (15) was the first to go as Krunal Pandya dealt the first blow.

    Pollard then removed Chris Gayle.

    Two balls later, Pollard picked up Rahul for his 300th wicket in T20s after the batsman pulled a short of length delivery straight to Bumrah at short fine leg.

    Bumrah then produced his famous dipping yorker to trap Nicholas Pooran in front of wicket as Punjab slipped to 48 for four in 8th over.

    Markram and Hooda then kept the scoreboard ticking, picking up singles of Chahar and occassional boundaries to take Punjab to 90 for 4 in 14 overs.

    Punjab never got the momentum going as new man Harpreet Brar struggled to negotiate the variations of Bumrah and Coulter-Nile in the death overs.

    Hooda, in desperation, then sent one up in the air only to be caught by Pollard as PBKS ended with a below-par score.

  • IPL 2021: Skipper Pant says DC bowling unit doesn’t need massive change

    By PTI

    SHARJAH: Delhi Capitals skipper Rishabh Pant rued that the team fell short by 10 runs against Kolkata Knight Riders but asserted that the bowling unit doesn’t need a “massive change” despite the three-wicket defeat here on Tuesday.

    The KKR bowlers restricted Delhi Capitals to a meagre 127 for nine before their batting unit overhauled the target in 18.2 overs.

    “I think we were 10 short, not much. We knew wicket would slow down in the second innings. But every team is trying to win the match,” Pant said at the post-match presentation.

    The Delhi batters struggled with only Pant (39) and openers Steve Smith (39) and Shikhar Dhawan (24) managing the double digits scores.

    “Batting was pretty difficult for new batters. We wanted to capitalise in the end with the bat, but we lost wickets and ended up 10 short,” Pant added.

    The skipper was “really happy” with the team’s bowling display.

    “We learn from our mistakes. I don’t think there is a massive change that we have to do as a bowling unit, just some little things but we’ll learn from our mistakes and move onto the next one.”

    “We want to give 100% and if it doesn’t go our way we will learn and move on,” Pant said.

    Winning skipper Eoin Morgan was “delighted” by his team’s performance.

    “It’s tough playing two day games in three days but delighted to get a couple of points. Winning toss and fielding is not an easy thing to do.”

    “Guys were more calculated today, and it came off. When the outfield is slow, if you are cagey it can come back to hurt you,” Morgan said.

    “Both sides played the game hard. On a hot day, things can boil over. Thankfully it didn’t.”

    The victory helped the two-time champions, who have won three of their last four games since the resumption of the league, consolidate the fourth spot and Morgan credited head coach Brendon McCullum for the way the team has performed.

    “We all played in the right spirit. And its a tough contest against Delhi Capitals. Full credit has to go to our coach Brendon McCullum. It’s his ethos, his mindset, and the boys have bought into that.”

    Sunil Narine was adjudged the Player of the Match for his all round performance.

    He snared two wickets, including the crucial one of Shreyas Iyer, while giving away only 18 runs before smashing a 21 off 10 balls.

    “Watching a few games here, knew there’s a bit of spin here. Didn’t want to get too full. I’ve been through a lot.”

    “Need to give credit to bowling coach, that’s a plus and that’s been key for me to come back,” Narine said.

  • IPL 2021: Ashwin’s on-field altercation with Morgan brings back ‘Spirit of Game’ debate

    By PTI

    SHARJAH: Senior KKR player Dinesh Karthik was happy to come in-between an angry Ravichandran Ashwin and irate Eoin Morgan after their heated on-field altercation and play the role of a “peace-maker” during their IPL encounter against Delhi Capitals on Tuesday.

    KKR beat DC by three wickets in a low-scoring encounter but the problem had started when Ashwin tried stealing an extra run after KKR fielder Rahul Tripathi’s throw ricocheted off DC captain’s body.

    Karthik revealed that his skipper felt that it wasn’t in “Spirit of the Game” and had a word or two reserved for Ashwin when he got out off a Tim Southee delivery.

    An angry Ashwin who was leaving the field stopped and was seen charging towards the KKR skipper when Karthik came in between and gave his Tamil Nadu statemate a friendly pat requesting him to leave.

    “Look, I know that when Rahul Tripathi threw the ball and it ricocheted off Rishabh Pant’s body, Ashwin called for it and they started to run,” Karthik said at the post-match press conference after his side defeated Delhi Capitals by three-wickets.

    “I don’t think (Eoin) Morgan appreciated that. I think he is somebody who, when the ball hits the batsman or the bat, expects them not to run in ‘Spirit of Cricket’. Again it is a very grey area, it is a very interesting topic, I have my own opinion on it,” the flamboyant cricketer-cum-commentator said at the post-match interaction.

    “But at the moment, I will just say, I am happy I played peace-maker and things have come to a good standstill right now,” Karthik quipped.

    Meanwhile, Delhi Capitals skipper Rishabh Pant downplayed the confrontation incident saying it is “part and parcel” of the game.

    “I think it is part and parcel of the game because both the team are striving to win the match, so something is going to happen. Whatever is good for the game, I think that was in the ‘Spirit of the Game’,” Pant backed his senior bowler.

    He said that one shouldn’t read too much into these kind of altercations.

    “At the end of the day, both Ash and Morgan are trying to win the game for their side and there can be some mis-communication between them,” said the diminutive left-handed batsman.

    Pant said that Prithvi Shaw is around 80 percent fit and probably will “play the next game”.

  • Last two IPL league games to be held at same time; new teams to be announced on October 25

    By PTI

    DUBAI: The IPL Governing Council on Tuesday decided that the two final league stage games will start concurrently at 7:30 PM IST instead of the usual double header with one game starting in the afternoon.

    The norm till date has been one game at 3:30 PM IST followed by evening match at 7:30 pm but the games will start at same time in order to avoid giving any unfair advantage to any team in case the last match has an outfit which has mathematical chance of qualification.

    “In a first for the IPL, the last two league matches before the VIVO IPL 2021 Playoffs will be played concurrently,” BCCI secretary Jay Shah said in a release.

    The last two games will feature SunRisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians in one and Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals in the other.

    “On the last day of the league stage (08.10.2021) of the ongoing season, instead of having one afternoon match and one evening match, two matches (SRH v MI and RCB v DC) will be played simultaneously at 7.30 PM IST (6.00 PM GST).”

    New IPL teams to be announced on Oct 25, Fresh media rights tender cycle to start

    The IPL Media Rights tender for the cycle 2023-2027 will be released immediately after the appointment of two new IPL teams which is scheduled to be announced on 25th October 2021.

    It is understood that the Sony and Zee which has recently gone into a merger is expected to put up a handsome bid along with current rights holders Star Sports.

  • IPL 2021: KKR outwit Delhi Capitals by three wickets in low-scoring Sharjah encounter

    By PTI

    SHARJAH: Nitish Rana kept his calm in a tricky chase as Kolkata Knight Riders kept their play-off hopes alive with a three-wicket victory over Delhi Capitals in a low-scoring IPL contest, here on Tuesday.

    The KKR bowlers made optimum use of the slow Sharjah track to restrict Delhi Capitals to 127 for nine.

    T20 specialist Rana (36 not out) and seasoned Sunil Narine (21 off 10 balls) went after inexperienced Lalit Yadav in the 14th over and also attacked seasoned Kagiso Rabada in the 16th over to tilt the game in KKR’s favour.

    The loss would be a nice wake-up call for DC, who remain second in the table with 16 points even as KKR consolidated their fourth spot with 10 points.

    On a relaid Sharjah track where run-scoring was difficult, DC did well enough till the 13th over when KKR were struggling at 76 for 4.

    However Rishabh Pant had by then finished Ravichandran Ashwin’s (1/24 in 4 overs) quota and had to rely on Lalit Yadav’s fast off-breaks.

    Rana used the long handle with two huge sixes as 20 came off that over.

    In the 16th over, it was Narine, who launched into Rabada and got 21 runs which put KKR in the driver’s seat and despite some late jitters, Rana with a slashed boundary off Anrich Nortje finished the match in style.

    Earlier, the KKR bowlers justified skipper Eoin Morgan’s decision to put Delhi into bat as the ball was stopping before coming onto the bat.

    For Delhi Capitals, only Steve Smith (39) and skipper Rishabh Pant (39) could cross the 30-run mark as run-scoring looked a difficult task.

    Not a single six was hit during the entire innings.

    Capitals opener Shikhar Dhawan (24) hit five boundaries in quick time as he converted a lot of balls into half volleys before Venkatesh pouched him at point of Lockie Ferguson.

    After the Powerplay, DC were 39 for one but it soon became 40 for two, as Sunil Narine (2/18) castled Shreyas Iyer (1) in the seventh over.

    Then Pant joined Smith and both found scoring difficult as there was no pace off the track and the balls were not really coming onto the bat.

    Varun Chakravarthy (0/24) as usual was steady while Narine (2/18) also payed his part.

    Smith tried changing gears and hammered successive fours in the 10th over off Chakravarthy, as Delhi got 12 from that over.

    The Australian then slog swept Narine and was looking in his element when Ferguson pegged back Delhi by castling Smith as they slipped to 77/3.

    Kolkata then grabbed three quick wickets, as Shimron Hetmyer (4), Lalit Yadav (0), who was trapped in front by Narine, and Axar Patel (0) too perished cheaply as Delhi was teetering at 92/6.

    With Pant failing to up the ante, Venkatesh (2/29) bowled really well in the back-10 mixing it up nicely at a speed of nearly 130 kmph which is certain to keep Hardik Pandya on tenterhooks, if not in coming days, then definitely in coming months.

    Pant became the leading run-scorer for Delhi Capitals surpassing Virender Sehwag.

  • Skipper Sanju Samson says RR need to trust youngsters and hope for best in upcoming matches

    By PTI

    DUBAI: Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson, who has been in sublime touch said that he is trying to “share information” with his teammates as to what has worked for him during the second leg of the IPL.

    Samson has been in exceptional form since the resumption of the league. He has scored two consecutive half-centuries in the previous two games but the other batters in the side have failed to get going.

    “I’m sharing as much as I can with the youngsters. The things that are working for me and people trying to perform. That communication is happening from my side,” Samson said.

    “But to be honest, everyone playing in the playing XI they’ve played enough cricket to understand what do we need to do to get back from failure to success. We need to trust their characters and hope for best in the coming matches,” he added.

    After snatching a win from the jaws of defeat against Punjab Kings, Rajsthan have lost two games on the trot, which has partially hampered their play off qualification chances.

    On Monday, they lost to laggards Sunrisers Hyderbad by seven wickets.

    “Myself and the whole team are a bit disappointed by the way we the last game. We know that we can play much better as a unit and definitely in the coming matches, we will showcase a good standard of cricket.”

    The former champions, who are currently on the sixth spot after registering four wins from 10 outings, have eight points like Kolkata Knight Riders, Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians, who are all ranked according to the net run-rate.

    Asked what he as a captain tells his squad in a tough situation like this, Samson said “We need to boost their confidence and tell them how good we are but at the same time we need to also tell them what’s going on, we need to be honest and true to ourselves and understand that we are not playing the brand of cricket that Rajasthan Royals is known for.

    “We need to express ourselves a bit more, we are much better than this. The Royals next take on Royal Challengers Bangalore here on Wednesday. Talking about the crucial clash, Samson said “Every opponent is tough in the IPL so it comes down to the brand of cricket we play. If we (are able to) play around 80-90 per cent of our potential we can defeat any team in this tournament. We have done it before and we need to focus..,” he concluded.

  • IPL: KKR win toss, ask Delhi Capitals to bat first at Sharjah

    By PTI

    SHARJAH: Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Eoin Morgan won the toss and elected to bowl in their Indian Premier League match against Delhi Capitals here on Tuesday.

    KKR have made a couple of changes with injured all-rounder Andre Russell and out-of-form pacer Prasidh Krishna making way for Kiwi quick Tim Southee and fast bowler Sandeep Warrier.

    For the Capitals, the injured Prithvi Shaw made way for Australian Steve Smith in the playing XI.

    Teams: Delhi Capitals: Shikhar Dhawan, Steven Smith, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (c), Shimron Hetmyer, Lalit Yadav, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Avesh Khan.

    Kolkata Knight Riders: Shubman Gill, Venkatesh Iyer, Rahul Tripathi, Eoin Morgan(c), Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik, Sunil Narine, Lockie Ferguson, Tim Southee, Varun Chakaravarthy, Sandeep Warrier.

  • IPL: Do or die for Rajasthan Royals against Virat Kohli’s RCB

    By PTI

    DUBAI: A thumping win over defending champions Mumbai Indians boosting their confidence, Royal Challengers Bangalore would look to build on the momentum when they take on a struggling Rajasthan Royals in their Indian Premier League match here on Wednesday.

    The Virat Kohli-led RCB are currently at third spot with 12 points from 10 matches and a win over RR will virtually put them in the play-offs.

    On the other hand, with eight points from 10 matches, it will be a make-or-break outing for RR as a loss on Wednesday can put them in a tight situation in their bid for a last-four berth.

    RCB did not have the best of starts after the IPL’s resumption as they lost two consecutive matches, including the forgettable nine-wicket defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders where they made just 92 runs.

    They were then outplayed by Chennai Super Kings though Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal came good with 53 and 70 respectively.

    The previous match against MI, however, gave them their first win after the IPL’s resumption with Kohli hitting his second consecutive fifty — 51 — and Maxwell also coming good (37-ball 56).

    Kohli, who is stepping down from RCB captaincy after this season, would look to continue his good form.

    South African legend AB de Villiers, on the other hand, needs a big one after scores of 0, 12, 11 while Maxwell will be keen to stay in good touch with the T20 World Cup not far.

    On the bowling front, Harshal Patel is the star with six wickets from three matches, including a hat-trick in the last match, and Yuzvendra Chahal is also in fine form with five dismissals.

    A bit of worry is New Zealand fast bowler Kyle Jamieson, who has not taken any wicket from the two matches he has played so far.

    Rajasthan, on the other hand, have been outplayed by their respective opponents in their last two matches after winning their first game by two runs.

    Except for captain Sanju Samson and Yashasvi Jaiswal, most of the RR batsmen are struggling.

    Lone ranger Samson hit 70 and 82 after scoring four runs in the first match but other batsmen have let the team down.

    In Monday’s match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, it was Samson again who took his side to 164 for 5 with a well-calculated 82 on a sticky wicket where stroke-making was difficult.

    However, the score proved insufficient as RR lost by seven wickets, which dented their play-off chances as they remained at the sixth spot with eight points.

    Among bowlers, Kartik Tyagi (3 wickets), Chetan Sakariya (4 wickets) and Mustafizur Rahman (3 wickets) have done reasonably well for the side.

  • Bihar barber hits jackpot in IPL ‘Dream Team’ contest

    By IANS

    PATNA: A barber from Bihar’s Madhubani district became rich overnight by winning the top prize of Rs one crore in an Indian Premier League (IPL) ‘Dream Team’ contest.

    Ashok Kumar’s selection of players in the match between Chennai Super King and Kolkata Knight Riders, which the former won by two wickets, was spot on and at the end of the engrossing contest on Sunday, he was declared the winner.

    “After the match, I came in first position and won Rs one crore. The official call also came soon after. I was told that a sum of Rs 70 lakh would be credited into my account in the next two days. The money will be paid after the deduction of taxes. I couldn’t sleep that night,” said Ashok.

    Ashok has a barber shop at Nanaur Chowk in the Andharthandi block of Madhubani. He has been taking part in the ‘Dream Team’ contest for several years but hit the jackpot for the first time.

    “I selected the Chennai Super King and Kolkata Knight Riders teams after paying the entry fee of Rs 50. I never thought I would be so lucky. When the match ended, the team I had selected performed remarkably. They have helped me win that contest,” said Ashok.

    “I love my job as a barber and it will continue. I will first clear the debts with the winning amount and then construct a house for my family,” he said.

  • Saba Karim dismayed by Rajasthan Royals’ strange selection calls

    By IANS

    MUMBAI: Former India cricketer Saba Karim lambasted the Rajasthan Royals’ team selection, saying they urgently need “at least one quality spinner” in the playing XI, and added that some of their decisions defied logic in their match against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Monday.

    On Monday during the post-match press conference, Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson blamed his batters and bowlers for a woeful performance as they slumped to a seven-wicket defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad. The Royals were eyeing a score of closer to 180 with Samson going great guns after scoring his half-century, hitting some powerful shots all around. But they could manage only 18 runs in the last three overs and eventually ended with 164/5 in 20 overs.

    On Tuesday, Saba Karim blamed RR’s dismal performance to team selection, saying, “They have also made some strange team selections. I can’t understand why they would have Rahul Tewatia and Mahipal Lomror as their fifth bowlers.

    “Both of them can only act as your sixth bowler. Their entire strategy of playing only with four quality seamers didn’t quite go well for them,” Karim told cricket.com. After having risen to fifth in the IPL points table, RR have slipped to sixth with eight points from 10 games following the loss at the hands of SRH.

    Karim felt that both Lomror and Tewatia have failed to exert pressure on the rivals, and gave away far too many runs against SRH. The duo gave away 54 runs in six overs on Monday evening. This season, RR spinners have bowled 50 overs and only taken six wickets.

    “You need quality spinners because you can’t always rely on your pacers. They might do well in the powerplay and death overs but you need good spinners at least in the middle overs,” opined Karim.

    Karim was also surprised with the fact that RR could only score 18 runs in the last three overs, and fell way short of the targeted score of 180 despite Samson slamming 82 off 57 deliveries. Yashasvi Jaiswal too chipped in with a 23-ball 36 but Evin Lewis and Liam Livingstone failed miserably, scoring 6 and 4 respectively.

    The Royals managed 164 in their 20 overs, which Hyderabad chased down in 18.3 overs, thanks to fifties from Jason Roy and Kane Williamson.

    “This is so surprising for Rajasthan. I was expecting them to pull this through and try to get into the playoffs and this will hurt them. Although Samson scored runs, the last three overs made a big difference. Sunrisers came back very strongly in the last three overs and gave away just 18 runs. That hurt RR in a big way.

    “Rajasthan not only have to now play up to their potential but even above that. I think they are suffering because some of their big players are not scoring runs. Lewis and Livingstone got out cheaply and the entire responsibility fell on Samson’s shoulders. He batted well but needed a power-hitter at the other end. If that would have happened, RR would have probably got 180 on this decent surface. They are suffering because the middle-order is not contributing,” said Karim.

    “I feel for Rajasthan because they are without three quality players (Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler and Jofra Archer), but having said that, they do have some freshness in their approach. But nothing can be done if your top players aren’t performing.”