News Analysis India

Tag: IPL

  • Rajasthan Royals all-rounder​ Ben Stokes to undergo finger surgery in Leeds on Monday, sidelined for 12 weeks

    By ANI
    LONDON: England and Rajasthan Royals all-rounder Ben Stokes, who was ruled out of the remainder of the Indian Premier League (IPL) due to a finger injury, has been sidelined for up to three months, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed on Friday.

    ECB also informed that a repeat X-ray and CT scan on Thursday revealed that Stokes has a fracture of his left index finger and the all-rounder will fly home on Saturday for the surgery.

    “England all-rounder Ben Stokes will be out for up to 12 weeks after a repeat X-ray and CT scan on Thursday revealed that he has a fracture of his left index finger,” the ECB said in an official statement.

    “Stokes, who is currently in India with Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League, will fly home tomorrow. He will have surgery in Leeds on Monday,” the statement further read.

    The England all-rounder had sustained the injury during the game against Punjab Kings on Monday. The incident occurred during the Punjab innings as Stokes went forward to complete the catch off Punjab batsman Chris Gayle.

    Stokes was visibly in pain even though he did come out to bat in the Rajasthan innings — a match which the Sanju Samson-led side lost by four runs.

    Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals clinched a thrilling win over Delhi Capitals, thanks to David Miller’s 62-run knock followed by Chris Morris’ cameo at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.

    With 27 needed off the final two overs, Morris stepped up to the occasion to take his side over the line with two balls to spare. He hit two sixes off Kagiso Rabada’s penultimate over and accumulated 15 runs from it.

  • Rajat Patidar is a very promising talent: RCB batsman AB de Villiers

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) star batsman AB de Villiers said that Rajat Patidar is a promising talent and natural striker of the ball.

    De Villiers is excited to see Patidar, who made his IPL debut in the season opener against Mumbai Indians, in the ongoing season. The right-handed batsman scored just eight runs and failed to find an opportunity in the playing XI against SunRisers Hyderabad. RCB has won both the games in the season so far.

    “Rajat made his debut other night. I have not seen him playing big innings in the game yet. I watched him in the nets yesterday. Very promising talent, I think he looks calm at the wicket and is a very natural ball striker. It’s gonna be exciting to watch him come through this season. If I have any influence whatsoever it would be great. I think he is gonna have good IPL. I’m excited to see what’s to come,” the wicketkeeper-batsman said in a video posted on RCB’s official Twitter handle.

    When asked how tough his job to keep wickets is, the former Proteas skipper said, “It is tough to start, it is one of the hardest things is the wicket-keeping and preparing for the games. 120 balls in and out, it is intense but it is not the one that kills you it’s the build. Trying to take a lot of balls and trying to imitate what I’m going to do in the game at the training session.

    “And then I’m a character who really enjoys to push myself. I really enjoy to knuckle down and take as many balls as I can. Do the drills, do the hard yards and then things are much easier in the game time than the other way around rather,” he added.

    De Villiers further said it is special to have his family with him for the IPL.

    “It is obviously the first time all five of us are here. It is not something that comes easy, it is not easy to have five people in one room. It’s chaos but it brings a different touch to the IPL for me. It definitely makes it special when I looked up the other night seeing the kids in the stands. Incredibly special,” he concluded.

    RCB will next play against Kolkata Knight Riders at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday.

  • Coming from last year, I wasn’t expecting to play: Rajasthan Royals batsman David Miller

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: After a thrilling three-wicket win over Delhi Capitals at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday, Rajasthan Royals batsman David Miller said he was not expecting to play but he was always ready for his chance after playing just one game for the franchise last season.

    Miller not only featured in the playing XI against Delhi Capitals but also contributed with the bat for his team. He played a knock of 62 runs while chasing 148 runs. He could not finish things for the team but his countrymate Chris Morris’ 36-run cameo was enough to get Rajasthan over the line.

    Miller came in the place of injured Ben Stokes. The English all-rounder was ruled out after injuring his left-hand finger in the first game against Punjab Kings.

    “Good to get out there and hit the few balls. We were in a bit of trouble but that first one (boundary) was always a big relief. I knew when I got out that big man Morris will take us over the line,” Miller said in a video posted by the IPL’s official website.

    “Coming from last year, I wasn’t expecting to play but you are always ready to play. Stokes, unfortunately, missed out with a broken finger so that’s a big loss to us but it allows others to come in,” he added.

    With 27 needed off the final two overs, Morris stepped up to the occasion to take his side over the line with two balls to spare. He hit two sixes off Kagiso Rabada’s penultimate over and accumulated 15 runs from it.

    “Rabada is pretty quick. I used his pace and only a few guys can hit against the pace,” Morris said.

    Earlier, an inspired bowling performance by Jaydev Unadkat, Morris, and Mustafizur Rahman helped Rajasthan Royals restrict Delhi Capitals to 147/8 in the allotted twenty overs.

    Delhi kept on losing wickets at regular intervals, and although skipper Rishabh Pant played a knock of 51, Rajasthan managed to maintain a stranglehold over the opposition. Rajasthan Royals will play now against Chennai Super Kings on Monday.

  • AR Rahman dedicates ‘Chale Chalo’ from ‘Lagaan’ to CSK skipper MS Dhoni

    By ANI
    MUMBAI: Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman has dedicated ‘Chale Chalo’ from the movie Lagaan to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper MS Dhoni as it motivates to play together. Rahman also dedicated the song ‘Mangta Hai Kya’ from the movie Rangeela to CSK all-rounder Suresh Raina.

    Speaking on Star Sports show Cricket Live, Rahman dedicated songs to CSK stars Dhoni and Raina, “I would like to dedicate the song ‘Chale Chalo’ from the movie Lagaan to MS Dhoni, as it motivates people to play cricket together. And for Suresh Raina, I would like to dedicate the song ‘Mangta Hai Kya’, because whenever I went to Bangalore, they were listening to a lot of songs from Rangeela.”

    Earlier in the day, former India batsman Gautam Gambhir said that Dhoni should bat at number four or five and not below that for his side.

    Dhoni generally comes in to bat at number 7 and in the first game against Delhi Capitals he failed to get going and got out for a two-ball duck. His side lost the game despite setting up a target of 189 as Shikhar Dhawan (85) and Prithvi Shaw (72) provided a flying start to the side and stitched a 138-run stand for the opening wicket.

    Speaking on Star Sports show Cricket Live, Gambhir said, “MS Dhoni should be batting higher, that’s what matters because ultimately people should start leading from the front. We keep mentioning this thing that a leader needs to lead from the front. You can’t be leading, when you’re batting at No.7. Yes, there are issues in their bowling line up.”

    Gautam further added that Dhoni is not as attacking as he used to be and it is better for him to bat up in the order and set his eyes on the ball. “Plus, he is not the MS Dhoni, which he used to be probably four or five years back, where he could just come in and start taking on the bowlers from the word go. For me, I think he needs to bat at number four/ five. Nothing below that,” Gambhir said.

    CSK will next play against Rajasthan Royals at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday.

  • Consistently succeeding helps build winning culture, feels RCB batsman AB de Villiers

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: Royal Challengers Bangalore batsman AB de Villiers has said consistency and sustainability of the batting unit is the key if the side wants to develop the winning culture. The Virat Kohli-led side won both the games of the season so far. First with the bat against Mumbai Indians and the second one while defending 150 runs against SunRisers Hyderabad.

    “I think we have started something where we as a batting unit sort of felt something special and now the consistency and sustainability of that is important. If we do it two or three times we will start believing that. We almost can’t fail that’s the kind of position you want to be as a batting unit and as a team.

    “You want to get into the winning culture where you feel like what if I don’t do it he is going to do it. If he doesn’t do it then I’m doing it. You get this beautiful flow going in the team. We are few games away from that hopefully, we will keep going with the momentum,” de Villiers said in a video posted by RCB on their official Twitter handle.

    When asked if having experienced players in the squad helps the youngsters, the former Proteas skipper replied: “It helps everyone to know that there is a couple of experienced heads around. That’s always a nice feeling. Guys whether they are in good form or bad form they find a way to cross the line more often than not. Down the order as well a couple of guys who need some big balls even Harshal finished the game the other night.”

    During England’s tour of India, Kohli reached out to de Villiers, who revealed the conversation between them. “I don’t want to say. It’s embarrassing. I think I mentioned four points. We spoke about a couple of things away from the game and then also a couple of technical things but it was very basic.

    “I have been wanting to tell him for quite a while, I was watching him for a few months looking like he was quite intense — at the crease, with his whole game. So, I really wasn’t surprised when I saw the message and I knew immediately that all he needs to hear is the basic stuff,” he added.

    De Villiers went to take his phone out of pocket to read the text he sent to Kohli. “Four points — see the ball, still head, allow the ball to come into your space, body language, and attitude. And then we sort of elaborated around those four points,” De Villiers added.

  • Delhi Capitals pacer Anrich Nortje out of quarantine after false COVID-19 scare

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: Delhi Capitals pacer Anrich Nortje on Friday came out of his hard quarantine that was extended by a couple of days following a false COVID-19 positive report.

    The Proteas speedster, a star performer for DC in the last edition, had tested positive for COVID-19 while in quarantine.

    But was retested and came out negative in three RT-PCR results.

    “Our pace superstar is now out of quarantine. After a false positive result for COVID-19, Anrich Nortje tested negative thrice, and is now part of our team bubble. We can’t wait to see him in action,” DC tweeted from its official handle.

    “It’s nice to be out of the room and see everyone at breakfast. Excited to get to training today,” Nortje said in a video posted by the franchise.

    “It will be nice to go back to the stadium and it’s nice that the IPL is happening in India. It’s exciting to get back on the field.”

    Nortje’s case is the second such instance of false COVID-19 positive report in the ongoing IPL.

    Kolkata Knight Riders’ opener Nitish Rana had endured a similar turn of events.

    Nortje and Kagiso Rabada had arrived in Mumbai on April 6 and started their quarantine with a negative report.

    However, just as they were supposed to enter the team bubble from their hard quarantine, Nortje’s first report came out a positive, which eventually turned out to be a false alarm.

  • It was satisfying to execute Prithvi Shaw’s well-planned dismissal: Rajasthan Royals seamer Jaydev Unadkat

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: Rajasthan Royals seamer Jaydev Unadkat was extremely satisfied with a perfectly-laid trap for the in-form Prithvi Shaw as his dismissal triggered a top-order collapse from which Delhi Captals eventually failed to recover.

    Unadkat’s 3 for 15 was a match-winning spell as he scalped Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan (more due to brilliant catch by Sanju Samson) and Ajinkya Rahane with clever variations of pace on a tricky surface that had moisture.

    Asked about the strategy employed to dismiss Shaw, Unadkat said: “We had a couple of plans in place for Prithvi. He (Shaw) played really well last game and you know he tries to hit it down the ground a lot.”

    Wish some sing on offer Shaw tried to cart one outside the off-stump towards deep mid-wicket but the outside edge flew to David Miller at backward point.

    “If you have a protection down there (straight field), you know the batsman would obviously try and do something new. Be it Prithvi or anyone else, if the ball is doing something, then you will try and go out of your way and try to play a shot, which I think eventually he did and lucky to get as we get in that over itself,” he said.

    Being able to execute a strategy in a manner one wants is extremely satisfying, an emotion that the often panned Jaydev Unadkat felt after his match-winning spell for Rakasthan Royals against Delhi Capitals in an IPL game.

    Unadkat took 3 for 15 in 4 overs to rock DC’s top-order and also came in at No 9 to score an unbeaten 11 off 7 balls to help Chris Morris in a low-scoring chase.

    “So happy to have contributed to the game and happy for myself that I was able to execute what I wanted and how I wanted to do,” Unadkat said at the post-match conference.

    A domestic stalwart for Saurashtra, Unadkat’s IPL career has been inconsistent at best and he has often been a subject of harsh trolling in past years when his performance didn’t match his million dollar price tag.

    In fact, he was also dropped from the playing XI during Royals’ opening game against Punjab Kings.

    “It’s always about just one good game and I knew that when my opportunity will come, I will have to be right up there in terms of my performance and happy to have contributed today,” Unadkat said.

    Unadkat felt that the Wankhede pitch wasn’t as much on the slower side as it looked.

    “It wasn’t on the slower side. If you would see the stats, it was just about four or five slower balls that that I bowled in the Powerplay. It seemed more because I got wickets on those balls.

    “I think it was seaming a little as there was a little moisture in the wicket to start with. The pace (of the deck) increased as the game progressed. That’s why it was still seaming when they came into bowl.”

  • Delhi Capitals’ R Ashwin one scalp away from 250 T20 wickets

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: Seasoned spinner Ravichandran Ashwin will be looking to add another feather to his illustrious cap when he takes the field against Rajasthan Royals on Thursday.

    The off-spinner is one wicket away from completing 250 scalps in T20 cricket. The 34-year-old has 139 wickets to his name in the ongoing IPL career while he bagged 52 wickets for India in 46 T20Is. The rest of his wickets came in the domestic circuit.

    He is the sixth-highest wicket-taker in the IPL. Veteran pacer Lasith Malinga is leading the chart with 170 scalps followed by Amit Mishra (160), Piyush Chawla (156), Dwayne Bravo (154) and Harbhajan Singh (150).

    Apart from Malinga, all the top five wicket-takers are playing in the IPL. Malinga announced his retirement ahead of the start of the 14th edition of the tournament while in the last season he made himself unavailable due to personal reasons.

    Coming back to DC’s campaign, the team is set to take on Rajasthan Royals on Thursday night and Delhi has not lost its last five games against the Royals. The win in the first game against CSK will act as a confidence booster for the team.

    In his first match as in-charge of Delhi Capitals, Rishabh Pant saw a winning performance as his side defeated MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings by seven wickets at the Wankhede Stadium.

    Delhi Capitals chased down the target of 188 as Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan set the stage on fire with their stunning opening partnership against CSK. 

  • Virat Kohli floated idea of me joining Royal Challengers Bangalore during Australia tour: Glenn Maxwell

    Glenn Maxwell was the focus of a bidding war between RCB and CSK which led to him eventually being sold for a whopping Rs 14.25 crore.

  • Sanju Samson and Kumar Sangakkara lifted my confidence, says Chetan Sakariya on IPL debut

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: Rajasthan Royals pacer Chetan Sakariya lauded Director of Cricket Kumar Sangakkara and captain Sanju Samson for boosting his confidence on his Indian Premier League (IPL) debut against Punjab Kings.

    In his debut game, Sakariya returned with the impressive figures of 3-31 in his four overs even when Punjab Kings posted 221. The youngster managed to take the wickets of KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, and Jhye Richardson.

    “Sanga sir told me bowl according to your understanding and back yourself. If it lands on the right area the whole credit will go to you and if didn’t work we will help you. The same thing Sanju bhai did, he gave me full freedom and said I will give you the field of your choice,” the pacer said in a video posted by Royals’ on their website.

    “I got to know in the team meeting before the match that I will play in the next match. Since then I was trying to mentally prepare myself for the opportunity.

    “When I was bowling the first ball, I felt the pressure but after that, I felt it is normal cricket. The wicket of KL Rahul was special for me as we saved a lot of runs by sending him back to the pavilion,” he added.

    When asked about the stunning diving catch he took of Nicholas Pooran, he said, “I remembered my coach’s advice who told me to always be prepared for the dive and I implemented on that. The ball got stuck on the hand.

    “We lost a hard-fought game so I don’t consider this as a defeat. We will learn from here and rectify our mistakes in the next game. Sanju bhaiya showed his class as he is playing IPL for such a long time. It is very pleasing to watch him play. He times the ball very easily and effortlessly,” he added.

    Sakariya was picked up by Rajasthan Royals for Rs 1.2 crore in the players’ auction held in February this year. In fact, Sakariya was a net bowler with the Virat Kohli-led franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) last year.Rajasthan Royals will next take on Delhi Capitals at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.