News Analysis India

Tag: IPL

  • David Warner says won’t be at stadium again amid speculation of Sunrisers Hyderabad stint ending

    By PTI

    DUBAI: Sunrisers Hyderabad’s big-hitting opener David Warner, who has been dropped from the playing XI because of poor form, has said that he won’t be seen at the stadium “again”, hinting that his stint with the struggling franchise could be over.

    Warner was axed last night from the game against Rajasthan Royals, which SRH won by seven wickets.

    That win aside, the franchise has battled a poor run with only two wins from 10 matches, which has left them at the bottom of the points table and out of contention for a playoffs berth.

    Warner’s absence from the team dugout did not go unnoticed and fans wondered about his whereabouts underneath an instagram post by SRH.

    Responding to the queries, Warner posted, “Unfortunately won’t be again but keep supporting, please.”

    Warner has been woefully out of form this season, having accumulated just 181 runs in eight matches so far at an average of 24.37.

    His strike rate, at present, is the lowest in all his IPL stints, making it his worst season in the league.

    The 34-year-old joined SRH in 2014 and captained the side to its maiden IPL title in 2016.

    Dropped from the leadership role after the 2018 ball-tampering scandal, he came back as skipper in 2020.

    He was again removed as captain during the first leg of this season due to the team’s poor run and differences with Team Director Tom Moody and head coach Trevor Bayliss.

    “We can’t make the finals, so we made a decision that we want the youngsters to experience not just the matches, but time at the ground and around the set-up,” Bayliss had said at the post match press conference on Monday when asked about Warner staying back at his hotel room.

    IPL sources have revealed that he will be released at the end of the season and go back to the auction pool.

  • Kane Williamson is a great captain, kept telling me I can finish match against Rajasthan Royals: Abhishek Sharma

    By ANI

    DUBAI: SunRisers Hyderabad all-rounder Abhishek Sharma has hailed skipper Kane Williamson for always showing faith in him and having the belief in the left-handed batter’s ability.

    Jason Roy and Kane Williamson played knocks of 60 and 51 respectively as SRH chased down 165 with seven wickets in hand to defeat Rajasthan Royals in the 18th over of the innings. Abhishek played an unbeaten knock of 21 runs off just 16 balls.

    “I think it was a big opportunity for me. I was waiting for my chance and wanted to contribute for my team. Feels good that this is our first game in Dubai. Throughout my time in the nets I was planning to play an innings such as this and take my team to victory,” Abhishek told host broadcaster Star Sports after the game ended.

    “Williamson is a great captain. He kept giving me the confidence and kept telling me that I could finish this match on my own,” he added.

    Earlier, Sanju Samson played a knock of 82 as Rajasthan Royals posted 164/5 in the allotted twenty overs. For SRH, Siddharth Kaul returned with two wickets.

    SunRisers will next lock horns against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Thursday in the IPL.

  • Win against Rajasthan Royals big for Sunrisers Hyderabad camp, says Jason Roy

    By ANI

    DUBAI: SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) opening batter Jason Roy has said that the win against Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) is big for the team camp and it will hold them in good stead.

    Jason Roy and Kane Williamson played knocks of 60 and 51 respectively as SRH chased down 165 with seven wickets in hand to defeat Rajasthan Royals in the 18th over of the innings on Monday here at the Dubai International Stadium.

    “I have played quite a bit of T20 cricket, having this kind of first was an incredible feeling. It was a great honour and it was a lovely feeling. To get in and contribute slightly, I couldn’t have asked for anything more,” Roy told teammate Jason Holder in a video posted on iplt20.com.

    “I had a good session and I had confidence coming in, it was a case of getting myself in and going on from there. The win is big for our camp,” he added.

    Earlier, Sanju Samson played a knock of 82 runs as Rajasthan Royals posted 164/5 in the allotted twenty overs. For SRH, Siddharth Kaul returned with two wickets.

    “It was much needed, it looks like we have won a game after four months especially after IPL being played in two halves. It is the stage of the tournament where there is not much left for us in terms of qualification, the personal pride is always at stake,” Holder told Roy.

    SunRisers will next lock horns against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Thursday in the IPL.

  • We need to win big moments in the game: Rajasthan Royals all-rounder Chris Morris

    By PTI

    DUBAI: Star all-rounder Chris Morris says inability to win the big moments of a game is costing Rajasthan Royals dearly after the former champions suffered a seven-wicket loss against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the ongoing IPL.

    “Look, at the moment we are not performing in the big moments of the game, when the big moments come either we are batting or bowling, I don’t think we are winning them,” Morris said at the post-match press conference on Monday night.

    Opener Jason Roy and skipper Kane Williamson struck confident half-centuries to guide SRH to a comfortable win over RR, who are still in the play-off race.

    “There was a very big moment in our first game, which we won in the last over. But apart from that we haven’t, by any means, played our best cricket. I thought our first half from the last game was really really good and we were outdone by Delhi (Capitals) bowling attack.

    “We should pull up our socks a little-bit when big moments in the game (come),” he said.

    The loss also meant RR has slipped to the sixth spot in the pecking order with eight points from 10 games.

    Asked if their play-off chances have become tougher after last night’s loss, Morris replied, “Absolutely.”

    “I think there are four teams that are vying for probably that last play-off spot and some seriously good teams that are vying for it. That is very tough.

    “Listen it is the best tournament in the world, it is the toughest tournament in the world and it has got world class players in it, so every game is going to be tough.”

    Morris said RR now will need to grab every single point to push their case.

    “It is crunch time now. It is pretty simple, we need to start stringing some important results together and like I keep saying win big moments in the game. We need to grab every single point that we possibly can now to push for that last spot,” he said.

    The South African also refused to react to legendary Sunil Gavaskar’s comment about his side, saying “that is his opinion.”

    RR will take on a rejuvenated Royal Challengers Bangalore on Wednesday here.

  • Wanted to give youngsters chance, so dropped David Warner: Sunrisers Hyderabad coach Trevor Bayliss

    By PTI

    DUBAI: Sunrisers Hyderabad head coach Trevor Bayliss said a struggling David Warner was dropped from the playing squad against Rajasthan Royals to give the youngsters in the side a chance as they are already out of contention for a play-off berth in the Indian Premier League.

    SRH beat RR by seven wickets, riding on half centuries from opener Jason Roy and skipper Kane Williamson on Monday night, after the team management decided to leave out star Australian Warner who has been struggling for form.

    “We can’t make the finals, so we made a decision that we want the youngsters to experience not just the matches, but time at the ground and around the set-up,” Bayliss said at the post match press conference.

    “We have a number of young players who haven’t even been to the ground, even as reserves, so we wanted to give them opportunity to come and experience a game. And that might continue for a few more games, we’ve got to sit down in a day or two and pick a team and a squad of 18.”

    Bayliss said Warner was supporting his team-mates from the hotel.

    “Dave obviously was watching the game at the hotel and giving his support to the boys. Just like everyone else. We’re all in this together,” quipped the head coach.

    Bayliss was specifically asked if this could be the beginning of the end of Warner at SRH, to which he said, “Look, that certainly hasn’t been discussed. This is the last year before the major final (mega auction), those decisions will be made later. He (Warner) has been a great contributor to Sunrisers for a number of years and he’s very well-respected. And with the amount of runs he has scored, I’m sure he has got a lot more runs in him in the IPL,” Bayliss signed off.

    SRH, who are already out of reckoning for a play-off berth, next play against Chennai Super Kings on September 30 in Sharjah.

  • Last overs were difference in victory and defeat: Samson on Royals’ loss

    By PTI

    DUBAI: Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson on Monday rued that they could not finish their innings with a flourish from a strong position and lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad by seven wickets, making it tougher for themselves to make the cut for the IPL Play-offs.

    The Royals lost momentum after Samson was dismissed as they could not find a single boundary in the last 17 balls of their innings.

    They added only two runs and lost two wickets in the final over, bowled by Siddarth Kaul.

    “The last overs was the difference, you can say that,” said Samson at the post match presentation.

    “It was a decent score. The wicket was sticky, and they were bowling well. We could have got 10 or 20 more actually. I wanted to keep going, but we kept losing one or two wickets,” he said after they could not defend 164 on the board.

    “We got the target which we were aiming for after the time-out. We definitely need to work a lot on our batting and bowling. We need to be at our best each and every ball. We need to lift our standards.”

    The Royals now need to win their remaining four matches to stay in contention for the Play-offs.

    SRH skipper Kane Williamson said it was a “good feeling” to have a win under their belt in a pathetic season for them.

    “We can say the performance was improved. There was clarity in roles too. Good to be on the right side. Want to build on this, want to see the younger players take their opportunity and enjoy the cricket,” he said.

    Williamson also acknowledged that they turned the game towards the end of Royals innings.

    “The last two overs with the ball were critical. Sanju batted outstanding and they were looking to score more but we managed to close them into a par-ish total.”

    “And then the partnership with the bat up top. We weathered the storms against the slower bowlers,” he said.

    All praise for Jason Roy, who hit a blistering 60 at the top, Williamson said the Briton was “an injection of energy”.

    “He’s been on the sidelines but was always ready to go. He did what he does, great to see. Fantastic player, great contribution,” he said.

    Roy, adjudged Player of the Match for his match-winning knock, said he thoroughly enjoyed being on the field and making a difference after being on the sidelines.

    “It makes me extremely happy. Really grateful for the opportunity from Sunrisers. Have been training, and waiting hard. Grateful for this award too – we had some great performances today. Happy to get over the line,” he said.

    “Saha was instrumental in that partnership. Allowed me to relax early on. We’ve got to keep our feet very grounded. We’ve had a tough tournament, but to come out today to chase a decent total was hugely impressive. We need to do the basics all over again.”

  • Jason Roy, Kane Williamson star in Hyderabad’s seven-wicket win over Rajasthan

    By PTI

    DUBAI: Opener Jason Roy and skipper Kane Williamson struck confident half-centuries to shape Sunrisers Hyderbad’s comfortable seven-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals as IPL Play-offs calculations got a bit more complicated, here on Monday.

    Opting to bat, the Royals scored 164 for six on the back of a well-calculated 82-run knock by skipper Sanju Samson on a sticky wicket where stroke-making was difficult.

    However, the score proved insufficient as Roy (60 off 42) and Williamson (51 not out)_led the team to their only second win of the season.

    The loss has dented the Royals’ playoff chances as they remained at the sixth spot with eight points while Sunrisers, who have been ruled out for the playoffs, remained at the bottom of the table.

    Now four teams — Kolkata Knight Riders, Punjab Kings, Royals and Mumbai Indians — are tied on eight points each and all are alive in the play-offs race in which CSK and Delhi Capitals are firm favourites for the top two places with 16 points each.

    Chasing 165, Roy, playing his first match for Sunrisers, and Wriddhiman Saha (18 off 11) raced to 57 for no loss.

    The two plundered 18 runs of the fifth over, bowled by Chris Morris, that included four fours.

    The fine partnership was broken by spinner Mahipal Lomror (1/22).

    Williamson and Roy, without taking much risk, continued to milk runs to take Sunrisers to 90 for one with 10 overs.

    Roy was dropped on 55 by Yashasvi Jasiwal off Rahul Tewatia but was caught off rookie pacer Chetan Sakaria (1/32) soon after.

    Priyam Garg (0) departed soon after as the Royals seem to be making a comeback.

    But Williamson and young Abhishek Sharma (21) then led the side over the line.

    Earlier, Samson produced his second consecutive fifty after conjuring up an unbeaten 70 against Delhi Capitals on Saturday.

    The captain sent the ball seven times to the fence and three times over it in his impressive 57-ball innings, with which he became the leading run-scorer (433) of the season, surpassing Delhi Capitals’ Shikhar Dhawan (430).

    Jaiswal (36) and Mahipal Lomror (29 not out), who was dropped twice (23 and 29), were the other two batters to provide valuable contributions on a wicket where the ball did not come on to the bat easily for a major part of Royals innings.

    Asked to bowl, pace spearhead Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1/28) bowled a splendid length ball, on leg stump which worked perfectly for SRH as the dangerous Evin Lewis (6) hit straight to Abdul Samad at deep backward square leg in the second over.

    Despite snaring Lewis’ wicket early, the Sunrisers bowlers were guilty of bowling wide and short and Jaiswal took the opportunity to counterattack.

    The youngster, who smashed four boundaries and a six, played some splendid shots with skipper Samson also slowly finding his feet as the two collected 46 runs in the Powerplay.

    The duo went on to share a 56-run stand before Sandeep Sharma (1/30) got rid of Jaiswal, who had hit a stunning six just a ball earlier.

    To keep the pressure on the Royals, SRH skipper Kane Williamson brought in star Afghan leg-spinner Rashid Khan (1/31) back into the attack and a mis-hit by Liam Livingstone (4) meant the move was met with the desired result.

    With Lomror playing second fiddle to perfection, Samson took over the proceedings.

    But Siddharth Kaul (2/36) bowled a great last over, dismissing Samson and Riyan Parag (0) to restrict the Royals to 164 after being hit for 20 runs in his third over.

  • Struggling Mumbai Indians face inconsistent Punjab Kings

    By PTI

    ABU DHABI: On a slippery slope after a hat-trick of losses, defending champions Mumbai Indians will need their famed top-order batting to fire and turn things around when they take on Punjab Kings in the IPL here on Tuesday.

    Time is running out for Mumbai after they lost all the three games post the resumption of the IPL in the UAE, slipping to the seventh spot with 8 points from 10 games.

    While the five-time champions faltered in their run-chase against Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore, the team couldn’t defend its total against Kolkata Knight Riders.

    MI’s batting has been a major worry for the franchise as their mainstays with the willow, including Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan, have been struggling for runs.

    Skipper Rohit Sharma scored 33 and 43 in the last two games but couldn’t capitalise on the starts.

    After being left out of the first two games due to fitness issues, Hardik Pandya was included in the playing XI against RCB, but his stay was short-lived.

    The form of these players, who are also part of the Indian squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup, is a worrying sign not only for the franchise but also for the country’s campaign in the showpiece event, which will be held in the UAE and Oman after the IPL.

    In bowling, Jasprit Bumrah has consistently delivered, returning with 8 wickets so far in the last three matches, while fellow pacers Trent Boult and Adam Milne, too, have contributed with 3 scalps each.

    But the spin duo of Rahul Chahar and Krunal Pandya has disappointed and will need to step up their performance if MI are to qualify for the knockout stage.

    Punjab, on the other hand, are placed in the fifth spot after returning to winning ways in their last game against Sunrisers Hyderabad following a splendid performance from the bowlers, who made up for the team’s below-par batting display.

    With 8 points from 10 games, just like MI, Punjab too can’t afford any slip-up.

    Punjab boast of some excellent Indian and foreign talent, and yet, they have regularly messed up games, and are one of the most inconsistent teams in the league.

    After failing to score 4 runs in the final over against Rajasthan Royals, the Mohali-based team made three changes in their previous game and it will look to continue with the winning combination after making too many changes over the last 14 seasons.

    Punjab possess a formidable batting line-up with skipper KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal scoring the bulk of the runs at the top of the order.

    With the ageless Chris Gayle, Aiden Markram and Nicholas Pooran also in the ranks, Punjab do have the firepower in batting to blow away any attack.

    However, Punjab’s batters couldn’t adjust to the slow conditions at Sharjah in their last game, prompting skipper Rahul to ask them to learn to bat according to the surface.

    In the bowling department, Mohammed Shami and young Arshdeep Singh have shone the brightest, while spinner Ravi Bishnoi grabbed the opportunity with both hands as he returned with three wickets after his inclusion in the last game.

    Squads

    Punjab Kings: KL Rahul (captain), Mayank Agarwal, Arshdeep Singh, Ishan Porel, Shahrukh Khan, Mohammed Shami, Nathan Ellis, Adil Rashid, Murugan Ashwin, Harpreet Brar, Moises Henriques, Chris Jordan, Aiden Markram, Mandeep Singh, Darsan Nalkande, Prabhsimran Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Utkarsh Singh, Fabian Allen, Saurabh Kumar, Jalaj Saxena.

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

    Match starts at 7:30 pm IST.

  • IPL 2021: Knew Prasidh would opt for slower ball or wide yorker in penultimate over, says Jadeja

    By ANI

    ABU DHABI: Chennai Super Kings (CSK) all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has said that he knew pacer Prasidh Krishna would opt for a slower delivery or wide yorker in the penultimate over of the Indian Premier League (IPL) match.

    Ravindra Jadeja single-handedly took the game away from Kolkata Knight Riders in their Indian Premier League encounter at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium on Sunday as he scored 22 runs off the 19th over as Prasidh Krishna looked on haplessly. The two-wicket win saw CSK return to the top of the table.

    “Pressure was there. We are playing T20 cricket after a long time and the situation was a tough one, I just thought about backing my game and if the ball is there in my areas, I will go for it. Only one run came in the first two balls, but I knew that Prasidh would go for a slower one or wide yorker looking at the field. I just backed my strengths and went for it,” Jadeja told teammate Shardul Thakur in a video posted on iplt20.com.

    “I just told Deepak Chahar that as a right-handed batsman, Sunil Narine would bowl a leg-spin delivery, hopefully, he connected and we were able to win the match,” he added.

    Earlier, Rahul Tripathi and Nitish Rana scored 45 and 37 respectively as KKR posted 171/6 in the allotted twenty overs. Eoin Morgan’s side was struggling at one stage but Dinesh Karthik’s cameo of 26 runs of 11 balls helped KKR go past the 170-run mark.

    CSK will next lock horns with SunRisers Hyderabad on Thursday in the IPL. 

  • Maxwell produces ‘Big Show’, Harshal takes hattrick as RCB crush Mumbai by 54 runs

    By PTI

    DUBAI: Glenn Maxwell justified his million dollar contract with an all-round performance before Harshal Patel took a hat-trick to ensure a thumping 54-run victory for Royal Challengers Bangalore over Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League here on Sunday.

    Maxwell (56 off 37 balls and 2/23) produced one of his better efforts in the IPL while Harshal (4/17 in 3.1 overs), the current Purple Cap holder removed Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard and Rahul Chahar off successive deliveries to defend a target of 165 without breaking much sweat.

    MI were all-out for 111 in 18.1 overs, losing 10 wickets for 54 runs after being 57 for no loss at one stage.

    Skipper Virat Kohli won the ‘Battle of Bosses’ against his national team deputy Rohit Sharma as RCB with 12 points are back in the play-off contention while MI with three successive defeats are now in a real spot of bother at seventh spot in eight-team table.

    Kohli would also happy with his second half-century and the form of his premier spinner Yuzvendra Chahal (3/11 in 4 overs).

    Rohit teed off with three boundaries in a single over from Kyle Jamieson.

    MI looked in complete control during the Powerplay as Quinton de Kock also got a few boundaries.

    However it was Chahal, who removed de Kock and then Ishan Kishan’s full-blooded shot was just about parried away by Rohit, who was hit on the left wrist trying to avoid a body blow.

    That must have affected his concentration as he tried to hit a second six off Maxwell having hit one in the earlier over but this time was pouched by Devdutt Padikkal at the long-on boundary much to the delight of rival skipper Kohli.

    Ishan Kishan (9 off 12 balls), who has barely managed 100 runs in nine IPL matches this season, would increase the worry of national selectors as he played an irresponsible hoick against the turn off Chahal and Krunal Pandya (5) then trying to break the logjam was bowled by Maxwell.

    However, what disappointed the MI skipper most was how Surykumar Yadav (8) chased a wide yorker from Mohammed Siraj to give simple catch to short third man as MI slumped to 97 for 5 with recovery looking implausible.

    Then Harshal got his hattrick to finish off the proceedings in style.

    Earlier, Maxwell finally came good with an attacking 56 after skipper Kohli’s second consecutive half-century, taking Royal Challengers Bangalore to a par-score of 165/6.

    Kohli, who completed 10,000 runs in T20 cricket, scored 51 off 42 balls with three fours and three sixes but it was Maxwell who justified his expensive price tag with a 37-ball blitzkrieg before Jasprit Bumrah brought MI back in the game.

    Maxwell’s innings had six fours and three sixes as he showed true destructive potential with switch hits, lap shots and flicks during the final overs when he launched into MI pacers Adam Milne (1/48 in 4 overs) and Bumrah (3/26 in 4 overs) with utter disdain.

    Such was the ferocity of Maxwell’s hits that even the normally calm MI skipper Rohit looked helpless before Bumrah removed both Maxwell and AB de villiers (11) off successive deliveries which at least helped them save 20 to 25 runs in the final two overs.

    The normally dependable Devdutt Padikkal (0) had an off-day as Bumrah bowled a beauty which pitched on length and moved away taking the outside edge into Quinton de Kock’s gloves.

    Kohli found a confident partner in Bharat (32 off 24 balls) as they quickly added 68 runs for the second wicket.

    Bharath for good measure swept Rahul Chahar against the turn for two sixes while Kohli also imperiously pulled Bumrah for a six over deep mid-wicket.

    However, Bharat couldn’t convert his start as Chahar bowled one straight and full and the batter didn’t get the required elevation being holed at long-off boundary.

    Once Bharat was out and Maxwell came in, RCB despite some great shots couldn’t force the pace as Kohli and Maxwell added 50 runs in seven overs.