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Tag: IPL

  • Missing Jofra Archer is big blow, we have faith in young Indian pacers Kartik Tyagi, Chetan Sakariya: Kumar Sangakkara

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: Star pacer Jofra Archer’s absence because of injury is a “big blow” to Rajasthan Royals but their new Director of Cricket Kumar Sangakkara is confident that the team’s young Indian fast bowlers will rise to the challenge in this year’s Indian Premier League.

    Archer, who played with a hand injury during the India series, is currently recuperating from a surgery and the duration of his availability during the later part is still not clear.

    “Sanju and I will both agree that it’s a big blow for us. Jofra is a very vital part of our make-up and not to have him is unfortunately the reality of it. We have to work around it and plan contingencies,” Sangakkara told PTI during a virtual press conference on Sunday ahead of the clash against Punjab Kings here on Monday.

    The former Sri Lankan captain is, however, hopeful that Archer will be available at some point and “play his part in the IPL.”

    The weak link for Royals, over the years, has been their Indian pace attack where the most experienced name Jaydev Unadkat hasn’t exactly set the stage on fire.

    Apart from Unadkat, they have his left-arm back-up Chetan Sakariya and the immensely talented Kartik Tyagi.

    “Inexperience can probably work for you and it could mean that opposition hasn’t seen you either. Fast bowling in IPL is not an easy task and we saw that yesterday (Delhi Capitals vs Chennai Super Kings) as well,” said Sangakkara, who has played a number of seasons in the IPL.

    “Most of the wickets are good for batting. So, you have to be quite skilful. We have Kartik Tyagi, who did pretty well last season in patches and this year we have new additions (pacer) Kuldeep Yadav (Jr) and Chetan Sakariya,” he stated.

    For Sangakkara, it is imperative that these youngsters are prepared to understand match situations and bowl accordingly.

    “It’s about keeping them focussed on what their job is and get them trained and prepared to execute different deliveries, scenarios and match plans for the opposition but at the same time, giving them confidence about their own strengths.”

    The Royals skipper Sanju Samson has gone slightly off the radar as far as the national team is concerned after having failed to grab even a single opportunity.

    However, Sangakkara believes that both the captain and Rahul Tewatia, who recently was in India squad for the T20 series against England, could be national team regulars if they can trust their abilities a bit more.

    “Pressure is always there. Whether it is Sanju or Rahul, reality is they will tell you that expectations and pressures will always be there. Everyone has various coping mechanisms to deal with it, focus is to stay in the moment,” he said.

    “It is very important to have those grand ambitions of playing regular international cricket, and both Sanju and Rahul are very capable of not just being regulars but great, outstanding performers at the international stage.”

    The eloquent former glovesman wants each of his 11 players to be “problem solvers”, who can think on their feet and help the skipper.

    “…that really helps the skipper Sanju a lot on the field when people are thinking themselves as to what’s going on (match situation), and it also builds a lot of trust within the unit,” he added.

  • MS Dhoni inspiration behind emergence of keeper-captains in IPL: Rajasthan Royals star Jos Buttler

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Rajasthan Royals’ English recruit Jos Buttler believes the legendary Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the inspiration behind emergence of wicketkeeper-captains in the world’s biggest T20 league, the IPL.

    In the ongoing IPL, four out of eight franchises will be captained by wicket-keepers and Buttler feels the credit should go to Dhoni for setting the trend.

    Besides Dhoni, who has been Chennai Super Kings’ skipper since the inaugural edition in 2008, three more glovesmen — KL Rahul (Punjab Kings), Sanju Samson (Rajasthan Royals) and Rishabh Pant (Delhi Capitals) will lead their respective sides in the ongoing IPL.

    “I am sure MSD (Dhoni) has something to do with the sixth sense and breeding of wicketkeepers who can captain. He obviously has been a fantastic captain and there are lots of players who want to follow his footsteps,” Buttler told PTI Bhasha in an exclusive interview.

    Buttler himself a wicketkeeper, feels stumpers enjoy an advantage as captains as they get a 360 degree view of the proceedings.

    “I think a wicketkeeper has a brilliant view of the game. That can add to your decision making as you can see first-hand how the wicket is behaving and the way bowlers are bowling,” he said.

    The 30-year-old Englishman expects Samson to deliver the goods as skipper and termed compatriot Ben Stokes as the X-factor for Rajasthan.

    “We have lots of variety in the team this season with some world-class all rounders like Ben Stokes and Chris Morris and a new captain. Sanju (Samson) is very exciting player and has a long affiliation with the franchise. He is a very calm person and likes to have fun. I am sure he would try and get across that to the team. There will be a lot of passion in his leadership.

    “I strongly believe Ben Stokes will be the X-factor for our team in this season,” said Buttler, who has played 50 Tests, 148 ODIs and 79 T20 matches for England.

    The presence a legend like Kumar Sangakkara as the team’s Director of Cricket will be beneficial for RR, said the cricketer.

    “He (Sangakkara) is a legend and has so much knowledge to share. He has vast experience of international cricket and has played the IPL too. He knows what to expect and it’s a big plus for everyone to have him around,” said Buttler.

    Buttler, who captained England in the final two ODIs of the three-match series in India recently in the absence of an injured regular skipper Eoin Morgan, said that outing was a valuable learning experience for him.

    “Playing against India in India is always the biggest challenge for England team. I mean playing against the best players and getting used to the conditions.

    “Playing against some young Indian players was a great experience. I have enjoyed playing and captaining against India. I have learnt a lot about myself from that experience,” he said.

    Ever since international cricket resumed, the players have been forced to stay in bio-bubbles to avoid contracting the deadly coronavirus, making it extremely difficult for players to stay fresh and motivated.

    With India witnessing an exponential surge in COVID-19 cases, the ongoing IPL is also being held behind closed doors.

    “Playing without fans and living continuously in bio-bubbles is difficult. You have to learn to live without the energy that the crowd brings to the stadiums in IPL,” Buttler said.

    “Pressure and excitement is still there but they are not visible. Certain times you have to raise your energy and intensity, which the crowd used to generate earlier.”

    Rajasthan Royals will open their IPL campaign against Punjab Kings in Mumbai on Monday.

  • IPL 2021: CSK captain MS Dhoni blames poor bowling execution for DC defeat

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said his bowlers will have to pull up their socks after a “poor” outing against Delhi Capitals in their IPL opener here on Saturday.

    Chasing 189 for victory, DC romped to a seven-wicket victory with eight balls to spare after Shikhar Dhawan (85) and Prithvi Shaw (72) struck blistering half-centuries.

    “We could have bowled slightly better, and if batters are hitting you over the fields, that’s fair enough.

    “The execution of the bowlers was poor and there were boundary balls that they bowled, but the bowlers will have learned and they will apply that in the future games,” Dhoni said at the post-match press conference.

    DC’s new skipper Rishabh Pant won the toss and opted to bowl in the game and Dhoni said the dew factor played in their minds.

    MATCH REPORT: Openers Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw help DC crush CSK by 7 wickets

    “A lot depended on dew, and that factor played on our mind from the start and that’s why we wanted to get as many runs as possible. The batters did a good job to reach 188, because it was tacky until dew settled in 50 minutes later. The opposition have half an hour advantage in a 7:30 start, when the pitch is really tacky and the ball stops a bit, so we need to get 15-20 runs extra to be sage.

    “If we get dew consistently, then 200 will be a must on a pitch like this.

    The bowlers bowled a great line when it was stopping and seaming a bit, and the openers got really good balls in which they got out and that can happen in a game like this,” Dhoni said.

    Earlier, Suresh Raina announced his IPL comeback with a blazing 36-ball 54 and powered his team to a solid 188 for seven.

    Sam Curran smashed 34 off only 15 balls to prop up the CSK innings towards the end.

    Curran hit four fours and two sixes.

  • IPL 2021: SRH spinner Rashid Khan ‘ready’ for opening clash against KKR

    By ANI
    CHENNAI: Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) spinner Rashid Khan is “ready” to take on Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 on Sunday.

    The 14th edition of the cash-rich league kicked off with a thrilling encounter between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Banglore (RCB) and SRH will begin their campaign in the third game of this IPL on Sunday.

    The Afghanistan spinner Rashid on Saturday shared pictures from SRH’s practice game played as the build-up to their tournament opener. “All ready for tomorrow game #OrangerArmyOrNothing,” Rashid tweeted.

    All ready for tomorrow game #OrangerArmyOrNothing @sunrisershyd pic.twitter.com/hF9prGIGrt
    — Rashid Khan (@rashidkhan_19) April 10, 2021

    Earlier in the day, England batsman Jason Roy arrived in Chennai for the IPL. Roy was signed by SRH ahead of the tournament as a replacement for Mitchell Marsh. The Australia all-rounder made himself unavailable for the entire season owing to personal reasons.

    Roy will now remain in seven days of quarantine as per BCCI’s SOPs before joining the squad.

    The David Warner-led side had won five out of their last six games to qualify for the playoffs in the 13th edition of the tournament and the team will be looking to carry forward the momentum in this year’s IPL.

    Over the years, SRH has depended heavily on skipper Warner and he has consistently delivered. With 548 runs in the 13th edition, the captain once again led the Hyderabad unit’s charge. And it will be a delight for the SRH team management that opening partner Jonny Bairstow has also been in tremendous form.

    When it comes to the bowling department, Warner has one of the best line-ups at his disposal. While Bhuvneshwar is back and showed his prowess in the recently concluded series against England, T Natarajan stole the show in the last edition and was rewarded with a national call-up. Not to forget Sandeep Sharma’s swing bowling and Rashid’s spin. 

  • DC vs CSK: Ajinkya Rahane completes 150 games in IPL

    By ANI
    MUMBAI: Delhi Capitals batsman Ajinkya Rahane completed 150 games in the Indian Premier League (IPL) when he stepped onto the field in the game against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Saturday.

    Rahane has scored 3933 runs in the IPL at a strike rate of 121.38. He has smashed 28 half-centuries and two tons.

    Meanwhile, spinner Amit Mishra completed 100 games for Delhi Capitals. The right-arm spinner has played a total of 151 matches in the cash-rich league but for the Delhi-based franchise, Mishra has featured in the 100 matches.

    Delhi Capitals skipper Rishabh Pant won the toss and opted to field first against CSK. The MS Dhoni-led got off to the worse possible start as they lost both openers Faf du Plessis and Ruturaj Gaikwad before the completion of the third over.

    On Friday, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) spinner Yuzvendra Chahal added another feather to his illustrious cap as he completed 100 games in the IPL.

    Chahal achieved the feat when he stepped in the field against Mumbai Indians. The right-arm-leg spinner, who made his debut for Mumbai Indians in 2013, has played 99 games for his franchise RCB. The IPL 2021 tournament opener is also Chahal’s 200th T20 match.

    Chahal has taken 121 wickets in the cash-rich league, giving runs at an economy of 7.67. In last year’s IPL, the right arm leg spinner scalped 21 wickets for RCB. 

  • ‘Mr 360’ lights up IPL opener as RCB beat defending champions Mumbai Indians

    By PTI
    CHENNAI: AB de Villiers rolled back the years with his beautiful yet brutal assault as Royal Challengers Bangalore pipped defending champions Mumbai Indians by two wickets in a last-ball thriller in the Indian Premier League opener here on Friday.

    De Villiers smashed 48 off 27 balls after RCB were down in the dumps at 106 for 5.

    Harshal Patel capped off his dream day by scraping a single off the final delivery to reach the target of 160 in 20 overs. Haryana’s Harshal, an eternal peripheral presence in the IPL, finally had his night under the lights with 5 for 27, which helped RCB restrict MI to 159 for nine.

    MI again lost the first match as has been the tradition in the IPL but they lost it to de Villiers, who changed the script in a space of two overs by attacking the two MI spinners Rahul Chahar (0/43) and Krunal Pandya (1/25).

    His attack prompted Rohit Sharma to finish his best bowler Jasprit Bumrah’s spell (2/26 in 4 overs) before the final over, from which seven runs were required.

    RCB were in control when Glenn Maxwell (39 off 28 balls) came in and upset leg-spinner Chahar’s line with a reverse-pull boundary. He repeated the shot off the same bowler for a six and got another maximum off Krunal Pandya over long-on.

    Skipper Virat Kohli (33 off 29 balls), who had launched into an experienced Marco Jansen in his first over, got a bit bogged down as the innings progressed.

    However, Maxwell’s attack meant that Kohli could take his time.

    ALSO READ | Winning the championship is important, not the first game: Rohit Sharma

    It was MI’s strike bowler Bumrah, who came back for his second spell at the back-10 and removed the Indian captain with an angular delivery. If that wasn’t enough, Jansen, the 6 feet 8 inch youngster, banged one short that ended Maxwell’s potentially dangerous innings as the ‘Big Show’ once again promised a lot but delivered little.

    After Jansen removed Shahbaz Ahmed, de Villiers announced his arrival with a six and a boundary off Chahar.

    Earlier, Harshal produced a death over masterclass, which kept the MI total under check.

    He picked up three wickets in his final over for a run and also became the first bowler to pick up a five-wicket haul against Mumbai Indians.

    Reserve opener Chris Lynn (49 off 35 balls) partially made amends for his part in a horrible mix-up that led to skipper Rohit Sharma’s (19 off 15 balls) run-out, by adding 70 runs in seven overs for second wicket with Suryakumar Yadav (31 off 23 balls).

    That stand was the platform that MI needed to fire during the back-end.

    Fresh from his exploits for India, Ishan Kishan blazed his way to 28 off 19 balls but Harshal got a few wickets in the final over to prevent MI from inflicting bigger damage.

    On a Chepauk track where a good score is anything in the region of 150, the total was certainly par for the course.

    ALSO READ | Harshal Patel got bowling clarity that a captain would want says Virat Kohli 

    Kyle Jamieson (1/27 in 4 overs) had an impressive IPL debut with his disconcerting bounce but the seasoned Yuzvendra Chahal (0/41 in 4 overs) has clearly lost his bearings for some time now. ut Harshal, Chahal’s Haryana teammate made it up with some accurate wicket-to-wicket bowling in the 18th and 20th over.

    Lynn, who looked shaky during the first few overs, stepped out to loft Chahal for a six over long-on and another over wide of long-on off left arm spinner Shahbaz Ahmed to get his rhythm back.

    This was after he called Rohit for a non-existent single and then sent him back, only to find the skipper yards short of his ground.

    Suryakumar (31 off 23 balls), at the other end, took off from where he left against England as he clipped Jamieson for a boundary, punched Chahal through covers off the back foot and then back-cut Dan Christian for another four.

    The pitch that looked slow during the first four overs went out of the equation as runs came at a fair clip.

    Brief scores: Mumbai Indians: 159/9 in 20 overs (Chris Lynn 49, Suryakumar Yadav 31; Harshal Patel 5/27)Royal Challengers Bangalore: 160/8 in 20 overs (AB de Villiers 48, Virat Kohli 33, Glenn Maxwell 39; Marco Jansen 2/28, Jasprit Bumrah 2/26).

  • Winning the championship is important, not the first game: MI’s Rohit Sharma

    By PTI
    CHENNAI: Mumbai Indians captain Rohit wouldn’t mind losing another opening game as long as his team goes on to win the tournament, but admitted that they were 20 runs short against RCB in the season-opener at Chennai.

    “Winning the championship is important, I guess, not the first game. It was a great fight and we didn’t let it go easily. Although the score wasn’t something we were happy with. We were 20 short,” Rohit said.

    “We made some mistakes, those are bound to happen. We need to move on. When you look at the situation with four overs left they had AB and Christian, that’s why we went with Bumrah and Boult to try and get them out.

    “Definitely not an easy pitch to bat on, the oddball was gripping,” he said.

    The MI captain was all praise for de Villiers.

    “De Villiers batted really well and got them home. We haven’t had much time together as a group and it was totally opposite in Dubai, where we began preparations a month before,” Rohit said.

    MATCH REPORT: ‘Mr 360’ lights up IPL opener as RCB beat defending champions Mumbai Indians

    The MI skipper didn’t want to give any excuses for the defeat.

    “…But that’s how the IPL has been played over the years, you just got to get in the game as quickly as possible. It can be difficult for teams that have great home records, but that is what sport is, you’ve got to go away and win. We are fortunate that we’re even on the park.”

    De Villiers, whose exploits won the game for RCB, was also very pleased with his effort.

    “It was an incredible game of cricket, always seems to be against Mumbai. We obviously came in knowing it wasn’t going to be easy. I knew halfway it was going to get tough, it’s one of those pitches that gets harder as the game goes on,” de Villiers said.

    South African AB de Villiers rolled back the years with his beautiful yet brutal assault as Royal Challengers Bangalore pipped defending champions Mumbai Indians by two wickets in a last-ball thriller in the Indian Premier League opener here on Friday.

    De Villiers smashed 48 off 27 balls after RCB were down in the dumps at 106 for 5.

     

  • RCB vs MI: Harshal Patel got bowling clarity that a captain would want says Virat Kohli 

    By PTI
    CHENNAI: Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli was all praise for Harshal Patel’s match-winning bowling performance here on Friday, terming him their designated death bowler in this edition of the IPL.

    Harshal’s 5 for 27 was the reason RCB were able to restrict MI to 159 for nine in the IPL opener, which is something that even losing captain Rohit Shama admitted.

    MATCH REPORT | ‘Mr 360′ lights up IPL opener as RCB beat defending champions Mumbai Indians

    “We brought Harshal in a trade from Delhi. He is relishing the responsibility and is clear with his plans. He was the difference today. He is going to be our death bowler. As a captain you want players with clarity, and he has that,” Kohli said at the post-match press conference.

    About AB de Villiers’ 48 off 27 balls, Kohli said that the South African still intimidates the opposition.

    “The opposition gets nervous about AB. We have depth in the batting which we want to utilize. AB is probably the only one in the team who is so versatile. And he does it on slow wickets what not many can do.”

  • IPL 2021: RCB spinner Yuzvendra Chahal completes 100 games

    By ANI
    CHENNAI: Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) spinner Yuzvendra Chahal added another feather to his illustrious cap as he completed 100 games in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

    Chahal achieved the feat when he stepped in the field against Mumbai Indians in the 14th edition of the cash-rich league here at MA Chidambaram Stadium on Friday.

    The right-arm-leg spinner, who made his debut for Mumbai Indians in 2013, has played 99 games for his franchise RCB. The IPL 2021 tournament opener is also Chahal’s 200th T20 match.

    Chahal has taken 121 wickets in the cash-rich league, leaking runs at an economy of 7.67. In the last year’s IPL, the right arm leg spinner scalped 21 wickets for RCB.

    Meanwhile, RCB skipper Virat Kohli won the toss and has opted to bowl first against Mumbai Indians in the opening game.

    Glenn Maxwell, Kyle Jamieson and Rajat Patidar have made their debut for RCB.

    “It’s unbelievable, bit of a mini-break helped me I guess to win a toss. Going to bowl first. They’re a side who likes chasing. Good chance for us to get onto the park and create some intensity. With the balance we have this year we can do both, but have to understand who you’re playing against. We understand with the depth they have they have never out of the game. Bowling first was a no-brainer for us,” Kohli said after winning the toss.

    On the other hand, Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma said: “Would’ve fielded first as well. But as a team we’ve batted well over the years. Nothing different for us. Bat well in the powerplay and set the game up for the big hitters. The entire square has been changed. Recently played a couple of Tests. Need to do what we do as a team, put our best foot forward. For us it’s a fresh year, don’t need to look at what’s happened in the past. Fresh year, new faces as well. Important for us to start well which we haven’t done in this tournament. Last game we played was a final in Dubai. Got only two changes from that lineup. Quinny is in quarantine, so he isn’t available. Lynn will make debut. And we have a six foot eight inch South African, Marco Jensen.”

    A HUGE milestone for our magician tonight, completing a century of matches in the #IPL!Let’s make this a night to remember, Yuzi! #PlayBold #WeAreChallengers #MIvRCB #DareToDream pic.twitter.com/GguzaybrZq
    — Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) April 9, 2021

  • New Zealand travel ban from India could affect Black Caps at IPL if extended beyond April 28

    By PTI
    WELLINGTON: New Zealand’s travel ban from India starting Sunday could impact its cricketers playing in the IPL and force them to fly straight to the UK for the two-Test series against England in May-June, followed by the World Test Championship final.

    Captain Kane Williamson, pacers Trent Boult and Kyle Jamieson are among the 10 New Zealand players taking part in the IPL beginning on Friday.

    “We’re monitoring the situation and are in contact with the IPL franchises to keep the lines of communication open, because the tournament’s due to go for some time,” Richard Boock, NZC’s public affairs manager was quoted as saying by ‘New Zealand Herald’.

    New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Thursday announced an April 11 to 28 ban on arrivals from India in the wake of rising COVID-19 cases in the country.

    “We’re prepared to discuss all contingencies, if the situation warrants.

    For argument’s sake, if it occurred with one of the test players, it might make more sense for them to continue on to England (for the test tour and world championship final),” Boock added.

    New Zealand play two Tests in England between May 25 to June 14, followed by the WTC final against India from June 18.

    India has been recording more than one lakh cases for the past few days.

    “Ultimately these decisions around travel into high risk countries generally will come down to individuals, but also if it’s a workforce, their employers.

    So those are judgements they need to make,” Ardern said.

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