News Analysis India

Tag: kkr

  • ‘Rohit Sharma Won’t Be At MI Next Year…’: Wasim Akram Wants Star Batter With Gautam Gambhir At KKR | cricket news

    Former Pakistan cricketer Wasim Akram wants to see Rohit Sharma play for Kolkata Knight Riders in the next Indian Premier League (IPL) season. He feels the India captain won’t be part of the Mumbai Indians (MI) squad next year after handing over his captaincy duties to Hardik Pandya in the IPL 2024.

    Many fans were disappointed this year not seeing Rohit Sharma lead the Mumbai Indians and they even suggested that the veteran batter moves to another team for the upcoming IPL seasons. Similarly, Wasim Akram also suggested that Rohit would be a perfect fit for KKR with Gambhir as mentor. (‘Suryakumar Yadav Has To Bat At Number 3 For India In T20 World Cup 2024’, Says Brian Lara)

    “I have a feeling he won’t be at Mumbai Indians next season. I would love to see him at KKR. Imagine him open there, Gauti as a mentor, Iyer as a captain, they will have a very strong batting unit, on That wicket. He bats very well on any wicket, he is that great a player. But it will be good to see him at KKR.

    Former star India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh, the ambassador of the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, came out in support of skipper Rohit Sharma, backing him to lead his charges to the title in the US and the West Indies.

    Yuvraj, who shared the Indian dressing room with the current captain, watching him rise from a precociously talented youngster to one of the leading lights of Indian cricket and a modern-day batting great, said Rohit’s leadership skills and ability to stay calm under pressure will be the key to India’s chances of ending their prolonged drought in ICC events.

    “Rohit’s presence is going to be very crucial. I think we need a really good captain, a sensible captain who takes decisions well under pressure. And he’s the one to take them. He was the captain when we lost in the (Cricket World Cup 50-over final (in 2023). He has won five IPL trophies as a captain. I think we need somebody like him to captain India,” Yuvraj was quoted as saying in a release by the International Cricket Council (ICC). (After Getting Controversially Out, Now RR captain Sanju Samson Fined 30 Percent Match Fees For Breaching IPL Code Of Conduct)

    India’s trophy drought at ICC events stretches back to the 2011 ODI World Cup, which saw the team lift the world title at home under the inspiring leadership of Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

    It has been a case of so near yet so far for India over the last few years in ICC events, with last year’s ODI World Cup bearing the latest illustration of the same. After running down rivals in round-robin and knockout stages, Rohit and his charges fell to an agonizing defeat to five-time champions Australia in the title clash, prolonging their wait for a world title.

    Be it the loss in the semi-final of the 2022 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, the final of the ICC World Test Championship 2023 and last year’s 50-over World Cup, Indian cricket has suffered many heartbreaks at world events over the last few years. .

    Going into the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup, the fans are counting on Rohit and his boys to go all the way, as opposed to falling at the final hurdle. The bond between Yuvraj and Rohit goes back to the Mumbaikar’s early days in the Indian setup. It’s no secret that Yuvi was one of Rohit’s closest friends in the dressing room and still is.

    Yuvraj was one of the stars in the India squad when Rohit made his debut for the country. It was at the fall of the southpaw’s wicket that a young Rohit stepped onto the international cricket scene in 2007, making his first appearance for the team with the willow against Ireland.

    Their cricketing ties came full circle in 2019 when Yuvraj featured in his final Indian Premier League (IPL) season with the Mumbai Indians under Rohit’s captaincy. Thereafter, Yuvraj announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in June 2019.

    Recalling his first impressions of the ‘Hitman’, who came to be a part of the Indian dressing room at the age of 17, Yuvi said he was struck by his humility, camaraderie and leadership qualities both on and off the field.

    “Very poor English. Very funny guy. From the streets of Borivali (in Mumbai), we always tease him. But a great guy at heart,” Yuvi said jokingly.

    “The more success he’s had, he has never changed as a person. That’s the beauty of Rohit Sharma. Fun-loving, always having fun with the guys, A great leader on the park and one of my closest friends from cricket. I really Want to see Rohit Sharma with a World Cup trophy and a World Cup medal,” the former India all-rounder signed off saying.

  • ‘The Door Is Now Closed’: Sunil Narine On Reversing Retirement Decision To Play For West Indies In T20 World Cup 2024 | cricket news

    Former West Indies bowling all-rounder Sunil Narine, who is having a terrific IPL season, won’t be reversing his retirement decision for the upcoming T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and USA, insisting that the “door is now closed”. The 35-year-old last played for the West Indies in a T20 International in August 2019 before retiring from international cricket in November last year to focus on franchise T20 leagues around the world.

    But owing to his sensational form with both bat and ball for Kolkata Knight Riders this IPL season, attempts were being made to convince Narine to reverse his decision for the T20 World Cup.

    “I’m truly flattered and humbled that my performances recently have moved many people to publicly express their wish for me to come out of retirement and play in the upcoming T20 World Cup,” Narine wrote in an Instagram post. He asserted that he has made peace with his decision and will be supporting the team from home.

    “I have made peace with that decision and whilst I never wish to disappoint, that door is now closed and I will be supporting the guys who take the field in June for West Indies. “Guys who have worked hard over the past few months and deserve to show our wonderful fans that they are capable of winning another title. I wish you all the best,” he added.

    Narine, who has been a key member of KKR since 2012, is seventh on the list of leading run-scorers in the ongoing IPL season, having scored 286 runs, including an unbeaten century against Rajasthan Royals last week — his maiden T20 ton. With the ball, the off-spinner is KKR’s joint-leading wicket-taker with nine scalps at an average of 22.11 and an economy rate of 7.10.

    Narine’s purple patch has compelled West Indies captain Rovman Powell to encourage the spinner to come out of retirement for the home World Cup. “For the last 12 months, I’ve been whispering in his ears, he’s blocked out everyone. Asked (Kieron) Pollard, (Dwayne) Bravo, (Nicholas) Pooran, hopefully before they select the team, they can crack his code, ” Powell had said last week.

  • Shah Rukh Khan’s Heartwarming Gesture Towards Jos Buttler Goes Viral After KKR Lose To RR In IPL 2024; watch

    Rajasthan Royals beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 2 wickets in IPL 2024 clash on Tuesday night. Buttler’s unbeaten 107 off 60 balls helped Rajasthan win the match on the last ball.

  • BCCI Makes 2 Changes In IPL 2024 Schedule; KKR Vs RR, GT Vs DC Matches Moved To New Dates | cricket news

    The BCCI has announced changes to the schedule of two Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 matches. Slated for April 17, 2024, the match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, will now be held a day earlier on April 16, 2024. Additionally, the match between Gujarat Titans and Delhi Capitals, initially planned for April 16, 2024, at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, will now take place on April 17, 2024.

    Also Read | Riyan Parag Reminds Me Of Suryakumar Yadav At MI, Says Shane Bond After RR Beat Mumbai In IPL 2024

    In the IPL release, there is no mention of the reason of the changes but it was earlier reported that it could be to do with the festival of Ram Navmi which falls on April 17. The festival is celebrated widely in Gujarat and West Bengal and it could be one of the reasons why BCCI made the changes as security arrangement could have been a big hassle for the cities of Kolkata and Ahmedabad.

    Check updated schedule of two matches here:

    S.No Day Date Match Venue 1 Tuesday April 16 KKR vs RR Eden Gardens, Kolkata 2 Wednesday

    April 17th

    GT vs DC Narendra Modi stadium, Ahmedabad

    The league has already seen 14 games. Mumbai Indians find themselves in a spot of bother with three losses on the go. These include 2 defeats in away matches while MI also lost one match, to Rajasthan Royals, at home. Their captain Hardik Pandya also remains a target for Mumbai fans as they gave him a hostile reception on coming back to Wankhede in Mumbai jersey. MI are currently placed right at the bottom of the points table.

    On the top of the standings are RR, who have won all three matches played so far in the tournament. Second are KKR who have all 2 they have played so far. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) played 3 and won 2 with their only defeat so far coming against Delhi Capitals (DC) at Visakhapatnam.

    Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have a lot to catch up as well. RCB have blown hot and cold in the tournament so far, winning a tight game but losing two one-sided matches, against CSK and KKR.

  • KKR Captain Shreyas Iyer Likely To Miss IPL 2024's First Phase Due To Same Back Injury Which Ruled Him Out Of 2023 Season | cricket news

    In what could be a huge blow to the hopes of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) ahead of Indian Premier League's next season (IPL 2024), captain Shreyas Iyer could miss the few initial games due to back injury. It is the same back injury because of which Iyer had missed the complee IPL 2023. Iyer recently played a knock of 95 runs in the Ranji Trophy final and a report in Times of India says that it is this knock which has led to the injury resurfacing. .

    Also Read | IPL 2024: MS Dhoni To Retire At End Of This Season? AB de Villiers Makes A Big Statement On CSK Captain's Future

    Iyer had undergone a back surgery last year before making a comeback just before the World Cup. He played four months of international cricket before complaining of the back pain again. Confusion remained over why Iyer was not picked in the last 3 Tests squad. India coach Rahul Dravid had said that Iyer had missed out on the selection while the batsman has reportedly told BCCI he had back issues and that was the reason why he did not even play a Ranji Trophy match for Mumbai.

    Medical team of National Cricket Academy, reportedly, informed BCCI that there was no issue with Iyer. BCCI dropped him from the central contracts post which Iyer was seen playing the final of the Ranji Trophy.

    Let's get started! _ pic.twitter.com/i2l0M9dP8x — KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) February 22, 2024

    A BCCI source has been quoted as saying to Times of India that Iyer's injury is not looking good and is in danger of missing the first few games of IPL.

    “It is not looking good. It is the same back injury which has got aggravated. It is unlikely that he will take the field on Day 5 of the Ranji Trophy final. He is in danger of missing the initial matches of the IPL,” said the BCCI source.

    Not to forget, during his 95-run knock for Mumbai, Iyer took medical assistance twice as he was clearly uncomfortable. He did not take the field for Mumbai on Day 4 and likely to be missing on Day 5 as well due to the same injury.

    KKR play their first match of IPL 2024 on March 23 and if Iyer does not reach full fitness in the next 8 days, he is likely to miss the team's opening game. If that happens, it will be interesting to see KKR's stance on this as if Iyer was not completely fit, then how did NCA clear him to play the Ranji final. That is the big question.