News Analysis India

Tag: IPL

  • Will help KL Rahul to make team better, says Punjab Kings’ Moises Henriques

    By ANI
    MUMBAI: Moises Henriques led Sydney Sixers to a title win in Big Bash League (BBL) in February but the Australian all-rounder shied away from taking the credit as he feels each and every member of the squad played an integral role during the tournament.

    Henriques said a successful team needs players who are ready to help their captain when required and the same was the case with him in the BBL.

    The Australian all-rounder, who will be seen in action for Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL), is ready to do a similar thing for his skipper KL Rahul.

    “Just because you’re the captain, it doesn’t mean you run the show. I had 10 other very good players, very good leaders out there helping me,” the Punjab Kings’ website quoted Henriques as saying.

    “And now I’ll be trying to do the same for KL (Rahul), whether it be while playing or watching the game. It is about trying to make the team get better from wherever I may be,” he added.

    Henriques highlighted how good fielding switches the game in a team’s favour in the shortest format of the game.

    “I think fielding is a huge part of the game that doesn’t get the praise and the acknowledgement it deserves. A lot of the best teams I’ve played with have had really good fielding setups,” said Henriques.

    “If you can constantly save 5-10 runs in the field whilst the other teams are probably losing a few runs on the field everytime. If you take that half catch or the odd run-out chance, you do it multiple times in a season and it will probably get you two or three extra wins through the course of a season,” explained the 34-year-old.

    Punjab Kings will play against Rajasthan Royals in their first game on April 12 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. 

  • Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers’ presence will hopefully allow Glenn Maxwell to have a good IPL, feels Daniel Vettori

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: Former New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori said that Glenn Maxwell will have an amazing season in the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) with the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) as the Australian all-rounder will feel less pressure while playing with skipper Virat Kohli and star batsman AB de Villiers.

    In IPL 2021, Maxwell will don RCB colours after he was bought by the franchise for Rs 14.25 crore. In the past, Maxwell has represented Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals and Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings).

    “The emphasis normally is on AB and Kohli, and Maxwell in a way can fly under the radar. Hopefully, that lack of pressure will allow him to have an IPL that everyone expects him to most years,” ESPNcricinfo quoted Vettori as saying.

    Former RCB coach further said that responsibility brings the most out of Maxwell and added that he should be part of the leadership group along with Kohli and De Villiers.

    “Where he’s been successful, particularly at Melbourne Stars, he’s been engaged, he’s been captain and he’s been the senior player. He’s been given a lot of responsibility and I think that’s where teams tend to get the best out of him. Even though de Villiers and Kohli are the focal points, if they can spread that leadership across him, I think that will be the best way to utilise him.”

    Maxwell just managed to accumulate 108 runs off 13 games last season. The all-rounder also failed to hit a single six for the first time in his eight-season IPL career. Maxwell will hope that the change in the franchise will bring a change in fortune as well for him.

    IPL 2021 will commence on April 9 with Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) locking horns in the tournament opener.

  • You forget how to have conversation with people outside: Glenn Maxwell on challenges of bubble life

    By ANI
    CHENNAI: Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell who has had issues with mental health in the past, has spoken about the challenges of the bio-bubble life and how it can take a toll on the players’ mental well-being.

    In IPL 2021, Maxwell would be seen representing Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) after he was bought by the franchise for Rs 14.25 crore.

    “It is very difficult. The stresses around that, especially when you are travelling, you are stuck in kind of a nightmare where you are reliving the same day over and over again. You start to become a bit sheltered from the outside world and you sort of forget how to have normal conversations with people outside. That can be very hard mentally and it is something which is a massive challenge for the cricketers,” Maxwell said in a video posted on the official Twitter account of RCB.

    “It is certainly a difficult lifestyle, travel is not that glamorous it used to be. You are stuck in a hotel for an extended period of time, you can become sheltered and it puts a strain on your relationships as well. As long as players have support, they can get through,” he added.

    Australia had its first taste of bio-bubble in England last year where the Aaron Finch-led side played three T20Is and three ODIs.

    Talking about how bubble life also helps in making the team bonding better, Maxwell said: “I certainly felt that when Australia was playing against England last year in a bio-bubble, the playing group got a lot closer together, we were staying at the cricket stadiums and we were not allowed to go outside. We were spending a lot of time together, I found it to be a great way to know people. It was our first bio-bubble together as well, we were excited to play cricket again.”

    When asked whether he was surprised about his price tag (Rs 14.25 crore) for IPL 2021, Maxwell said: “Not really, I thought there might be a little bit of interest. I think a lot of teams want that middle-order player, I knew there were a couple of teams who were looking for a middle-order player who can bowl off-spin as well. I am just glad two teams (CSK and RCB) went hard for me and in the end, RCB got hold of me.”

    “I suppose for me, I am so excited to get going again. New team, new tournament, we are back in India, I am excited to get stuck in. It was nice to see some friendly faces and just get some of that energy that you have been conserving during the seven-day quarantine. I want to have a positive influence on the group, if I see improvement in the whole squad, I want to make sure that everything I do has a positive influence on the group,” he added.

    IPL 2021 will commence on April 9 with Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) locking horns in the tournament opener. 

  • Confident that Harbhajan Singh will do good job for KKR: Dinesh Karthik

    By ANI
    MUMBAI: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik has said picking spinner Harbhajan Singh was not easy and he also added that the veteran looks like a ‘different man’ now.

    The Turbanator will turn 41 this July but he still has the passion to perform and succeed at the highest level. The IPL 2021 is slated to kickoff from April 9 and KKR will play their first match on April 11 against SunRisers Hyderabad in Chennai.

    “Picking him I think wasn’t easy, considering that he has been around for so long. But the amount of interest and intensity he has shown in the last one week is just fabulous. He has been coming to practice sessions early, much ahead of all other players! And he has been doing it consistently! I think he is a different man now from whatever little I have seen of him this week,” the official website of KKR quoted Karthik as saying.

    “Even in a practice game that starts at 7 PM, he had come at 4 O’clock! He was batting before that, he bowled to Shakib Al Hasan and Eoin Morgan, and then did his stretching again before getting into the practice game. He is bowling in the match and also fielding all 20 overs. That’s about as much as you can ask for from a man of his stature! He has achieved everything. Yet to show this kind of interest at this stage of his career speaks volumes of him as a character. I am sure he will do a great job for KKR,” he added.

    Harbhajan was bought in the 2021 auction for Rs 2 crore by KKR. He has earlier played for Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians in the past.

    Earlier, KKR skipper Eoin Morgan had said that the addition of Harbhajan will further bolster the spin bowling lineup of the franchise.

    “I think adding Harbhajan to our squad has strengthened our spin department. If you look at our spin department, on paper it is one of the best in the tournament and that is factual. We have to play in Chennai and it can turn there, it can raise the eyebrows of our spinners there. If we do well in the tournament, our spinners would have bowled well,” Morgan had said during a virtual press conference.

  • Had Glenn Maxwell done well in IPL, he wouldn’t have played for so many teams: Gautam Gambhir

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: Former India batsman Gautam Gambhir has said that all-rounder Glenn Maxwell has been disappointing throughout his stint at the Indian Premier League (IPL).

    In IPL 2021, Maxwell would be seen representing Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) after he was bought by the franchise for Rs 14.25 crore. In the past, Maxwell has represented Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals and Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings).

    “Had Maxwell done really well in the IPL, he wouldn’t have played for so many franchises, to be honest. He’s played for so many franchises because he’s not been consistent at all. We can’t keep talking about ‘he hasn’t had the freedom’ for the previous franchises he’s played for… when he played for Delhi, he had a lot of freedom. Most of these franchises and coaches – because they think he’s an X-factor – they want to try and provide him with the best platform where he can succeed,” Gambhir told ESPNcricinfo.

    “The most unfortunate thing is that despite getting that platform, he has not succeeded, apart from that one season in 2014 where he set the IPL on fire. Had he done that, I think none of the franchises would have released him. Look at what Andre Russell has done for KKR and the amount of time he’s spent at one franchise,” he added.

    Further elaborating his point on Maxwell, Gambhir said: “The only reason why a franchise releases you is because you haven’t performed. The more franchises you play for, it just shows you haven’t really been able to get settled in any of the franchises. Hopefully, he delivers this time around because every year, he keeps getting more and more money just because he does really well for Australia. So hopefully from RCB’s point of view, he can do really well.”

    “He’s probably got freedom more than any other player in the IPL. I feel he has been very disappointing throughout the IPL, but hopefully, this time around he can turn it,” he added.

    IPL 2021 will commence on April 9 with Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) locking horns in the tournament opener. (ANI)

  • MS Dhoni asked me to bowl slow bouncers, cutters and it’s been useful: T Natarajan

    Natarajan, who bowled a maximum 71 yorkers among all pacers in the last IPL, dismissed big names such as Dhoni and AB de Villiers during the season.

  • Virus shadow on IPL: RCB’s Daniel Sams latest to test positive for COVID-19, Devdutt Padikkal recovers

    By PTI
    CHENNAI: Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Australian all-rounder Daniel Sams on Wednesday tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the IPL starting on April 9 here, but opener Devdutt Padikkal recovered from the dreaded infection to join the side.

    According to a statement issued by RCB on its Twitter handle, the 28-year-old all-rounder arrived in India on April 3 and had a negative COVID-19 test report at that time.

    RCB will take on defending champions Mumbai Indians in the tournament-opener on Friday.

    “His (Sams’) report from the 2nd test on 7th April came positive. Sams is currently asymptomatic and he is currently in isolation at a designated medical facility,” the RCB said.

    “Royal Challengers Bangalore medical team is in constant touch with Daniel Sams and continue to monitor his health and abide by the BCCI protocols.”

    Sams was traded to the RCB this season from Delhi Capitals.

    He became the second RCB player to test positive for the infection after left-handed opening batsman Padikkal.

    Padikkal, however, came out negative in the latest round of testing.

    The 20-year-old had been in home quarantine since March 22 after being infected.

    He was RCB’s highest scorer last season with 473 runs from 15 matches.

    “Devdutt Padikkal, has joined the team on 7th April 2021 with negative reports for COVID-19 as per BCCI protocols. RCB medical team was in constant touch with Devdutt to ensure his safety and well-being,” the franchise stated in a separate release.

    Sams has played in only three IPL games.

    He made his league debut last season for Delhi Capitals.

    On Tuesday, Mumbai Indians’ wicket-keeping consultant and talent scout Kiran More had also tested positive for the virus, but all other members of the defending champions’ squad returned negative reports.

    IPL 2021 has been hit hard by the coronavirus even before its start as a number of ground-staff at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, broadcast crew event management officials, and some cricketers, including the likes of Axar Patel and Nitish Rana, have contracted the infection.

  • IPL 2021: It’s raining sixes at CSK nets as skipper MS Dhoni looks in ominous touch

    By ANI
    MUMBAI: Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper MS Dhoni would like to see his team get back to winning ways in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). One of the most successful IPL teams, CSK failed to reach the playoffs last year and Dhoni is leaving no stone unturned to make sure the side gets back to form ahead of the 14th edition.

    CSK on Monday shared a video from the team’s net session, where the former Indian skipper was seen whacking sixes all around the park. Dhoni fired on all cylinders as he muscled the ball in the nets during the practice session.

    “Thala Paraak fully loaded! #WhistlePodu #Yellove,” CSK captioned the post on Instagram.

    Dhoni has hit most sixes in the IPL for an Indian batsman. In 204 games, the CSK skipper has smashed 216 sixes while Chris Gayle with 349 maximums under his belt is leading the charts.

    Last week, batting coach Michael Hussey said CSK is a balanced squad as it has most bases covered to take on teams in the IPL.

    CSK picked up six players at the 2021 auction, headlined by off-spin bowling all-rounders Moeen Ali and Krishnappa Gowtham, after buying top-order batsman Robin Uthappa in a trade with Rajasthan Royals.

    “I think they are all excellent additions. Moeen is an excellent all-rounder, Robin has a lot of experience and has been a quality performer in the past and Gowtham has some genuine talent that we can look to develop further,” the CSK website quoted Hussey as saying.

    “I feel we have a very balanced squad that has most bases covered and with depth in most areas. The guys are in really good spirits and have been and are preparing extremely well,” he added

    The Super Kings are currently training in Mumbai where they play their first five matches of IPL-14 beginning with a game against Delhi Capitals on April 10.

  • Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting recalls Prithvi Shaw’s ‘interesting’ training habits

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting has revealed that Prithvi Shaw refused to bat in the nets when he hit a bad patch in the last IPL and hoped that the highly-rated Indian youngster has changed his training habits “for the better” ahead of the upcoming edition.

    The former Australian skipper has been working with the 21-year-old for the past two seasons in the Delhi Capitals camp.

    He recalled how Shaw simply refused to pad up for nets when after scoring two fifties last season, he was hit by a slump.

    “…he had an interesting theory on his batting last year – when he’s not scoring runs, he won’t bat, and when he is scoring runs, he wants to keep batting all the time,” Ponting told ‘cricket.com.au’ as his side geared for the event starting April 9 in Chennai.

    “He had four or five games where he made under 10 and I’m telling him, ‘We have to go to the nets and work out (what’s wrong)’, and he looked me in the eye and said, ‘No, I’m not batting today’. I couldn’t really work that out.”

    “He might have changed. I know he’s done a lot of work over the last few months, that theory that he had might have changed, and hopefully, it has, because if we can get the best out of him, he could be a superstar player”.

    Ponting joined the DC squad on March 29 and just completed his week-long quarantine required to enter the IPL bio-bubble.

    Ponting said he did not hold back from giving a piece of his mind to the youngster last year but he “stuck to his word” and did not practice towards the business end of the tournament.

    “I was going pretty hard at him. I was basically telling him, ‘Mate you’ve got to get in the nets. Whatever you think you’re working on, is not working for you’,” he remembered telling him.

    “It’s my job as a coach to challenge someone’s preparation if they’re not getting results.”

    “So I challenged him and he stuck to his word and he didn’t practice much at all towards the back-end of the tournament, and didn’t get many runs towards the back-end of the tournament either.”

    However, Ponting is confident that Shaw will make it big internationally.

    “Maybe (his training habits) have changed for the better, because (his success) won’t just be for the Delhi Capitals, I’m sure you’ll see him play a lot of cricket for India as well in the coming years,” said Ponting.

    Ponting said there are visible similarities between Shaw and the great Sachin Tendulkar, right down to their diminutive frames.

    “He’s diminutive in the (Sachin) Tendulkar sort of mould but hits the ball incredibly powerfully off front and back foot, and plays spin really well,” he said.

    Shaw heads to the IPL on the back of a sensational Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign with champions Mumbai.

    Leading the side to victory, he scored four centuries and ended the tournament as the top scorer.

    “If we can get him to take that form that he’s just shown into the IPL, it just makes the balance on our Delhi Capital side so good.

    “If (the penny) does drop – I’m not sure I’ve seen many more talented players than him in my whole time of playing the game,” Ponting said.

  • Shahrukh Khan reminds me a bit of Kieron Pollard, says Punjab Kings head coach Anil Kumble

    By ANI
    MUMBAI: Punjab Kings head coach Anil Kumble has lavished praise on Tamil Nadu cricketer Shahrukh Khan and compared the swashbuckling batsman to West Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard.

    Pollard, who plays for Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL), is one of the most dangerous batsmen in the shortest format of the game. Kumble feels the rookie has a similar skill set as that of Pollard.

    “He (Shahrukh ) reminds me a bit of Pollard actually. When I was with Mumbai Indians, Pollard in the nets was dangerous. I used to bowl a bit (in the nets), and the first thing I used to tell him was don’t hit straight,” Kumble said in a video posted on Punjab Kings’ Twitter.

    “Here I’m not even trying. I’m a lot older now, and the body doesn’t take the bowling anymore. So, I’m not going to bowl at Shahrukh, for sure,” he added.

    Uncapped Shahrukh was bagged by Punjab Kings in the IPL mini-auction in February. Shahrukh had his base price of Rs 20 lakh but he went to Punjab Kings for Rs 5.25 crore. Delhi Capitals, RCB, and Punjab Kings all made the bids for him, but in the end, the winning bid was made by Punjab Kings.

    Shahrukh was in remarkable form in this year’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and he had a major hand in Tamil Nadu winning the title for the second time.

    Meanwhile, when it comes to bowling, the pace-bowling attack of Punjab Kings has a classy look to it with Mohammad Shami leading the pack in the company of Chris Jordan, Jhye Richardson, Arshdeep Singh and Riley Meredith.

    The spin-attack will be headed by U19 World Cup star Ravi Bishnoi while Murugan Ashwin and Saurabh Kumar are also in the squad to extend their support. Punjab Kings will play against Rajasthan Royals in their first game on April 12 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.