News Analysis India

Tag: kkr

  • Tried to create culture for youngsters, have given my best, says Kohli as he bids goodbye to RCB captaincy

    By PTI

    SHARJAH: Virat Kohli expects the new leadership group in Royal Challengers Bangalore to maintain the “culture” of giving opportunities to youngsters for playing expressive cricket as his innings as captain of the side ended without an IPL trophy.

    RCB was knocked out of this year’s edition after losing the Eliminator to KKR by four wickets but Kohli promised to stay with the team as a player because “loyalty” is everything for him.

    “I have tried my best to create a culture here where youngsters could come in and play with freedom and belief. It is something I have done with India as well,” Kohli, who led the side for a decade, said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

    Kohli finished with below-par 66 wins to 70 defeats in 140 games as RCB skipper, something that will certainly be a blot in his chequered career.

    “I have given my best. I don’t know how the response has been, but I have given 120% to this franchise every time, which is something I will now do as a player. It is a great time to regroup and restructure for the next three years with people who will take this ahead,” the outgoing skipper said.

    “I don’t see myself playing anywhere else. Loyalty matters more to me than worldly pleasures. I would be in the RCB till the last day I play in the IPL.”

    ALSO READ: Narine made it look easy with his outstanding spell, says KKR captain Eoin Morgan

    On the match, Kohli felt that it was trio of Shakib Al Hasan, Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy who tilted the match in KKR’s favour.

    “Those middle overs where their spinner dominated the game was the difference. They kept bowling in tight areas and kept picking wickets. We had a great start and it was about quality bowling and not bad batting. They thoroughly deserve to win this one and be in the next round.”

    Kohli was happy that his team fought till the end.

    “The fight till the end with the ball has been the hallmark of our team. That one big over (22 runs) in the middle deflated our chances. We fought till the last over and made an amazing game out of it.”

    Kohli admitted that the par score could have been around 155.

    “Fifteen runs less with the bat and a couple of big overs with the ball cost us. Sunil Narine has always been a quality bowler and today he once again showed it. Shakib, Varun and him created pressure and didn’t allow our batsmen to get away in the middle.”

  • Robin Uthappa story indicative of Chennai Super Kings’s IPL record

    Express News Service

    CHENNAI: Amidst the euphoria of witnessing a late flourish from MS Dhoni’s willow — allowing fans to indulge in some wistful nostalgia of what the man from Ranchi was once capable of — it shouldn’t be forgotten that the platform for Chennai Super Kings’ victory on Sunday was set by another man in the twilight of his career. Robin Uthappa has been a formidable contributor for various teams in the IPL — his days with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) being the apogee — but he had struggled to find his groove in the past couple of seasons. On Sunday, like Dhoni, Uthappa chose a great time to turn back the clock with an innings of 63 off 44 balls.

    While Uthappa of course deserves all the credit for doing the job, the fact that the former India batter was persisted with in the first place illustrates why CSK have entered their ninth IPL final (out of the 12 seasons that they have played). In his two games before Sunday, Uthappa had managed scores of just 19 and 2. The 35-year-old had come into the side only as a replacement for an injured Suresh Raina. While the latter was admittedly struggling for runs himself, it would have been so easy for Chennai to send Uthappa back to warm the bench for Qualifier 1 against Delhi. Raina, after all, has served Chennai incredibly well in big games over the years and knows the team’s template far better than the man from Karnataka. But as Stephen Fleming reminded after the game, Chennai seldom drop somebody without giving them a proper go. So once Uthappa had found his way into the side, he was going to get every opportunity possible to make it count.

    “We are proud of every performance that a player puts up that helps us win the game. That was pretty special from Uthappa. He had been out of action for a long time. He has been training hard. An opportunity came up. And as everyone knows, when opportunities are given, we tend to stick with players a little bit longer than the rest. He has repaid us in bucket loads. His intent was good right from the first ball. It was flashes of his old self. His partnership with Ruturaj (Gaikwad) set the match up for us,” Fleming explained.

    Considering the huge stakes involved in the IPL, team owners, in particular, tend to be ruthless with their decisions, often demanding too much too soon and missing out on drawing the optimum from a potential match-winner. But CSK, refreshingly, haven’t been prone to that sort of mindset. The likes of Shane Watson have spoken about how it has helped them prolong their IPL journeys. Uthappa seems to be enjoying the benefits of that relaxed environment now.  

    “There were doubts (whether he would play or not). You listen to a lot of chatter that is happening outside. I just felt I would be able to contribute. This is one of the most secure franchises going around. That only makes a player give that much back to the franchise,” Uthappa said. 

  • After Gambhir-led KKR, CSK is where I have felt most secure: Robin Uthappa

    By ANI

    DUBAI: Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batsman Robin Uthappa, who played a match-winning knock against Delhi Capitals on Sunday, said he has felt the most secure in the Yellow Camp in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021.

    Uthappa, who had earlier played for KKR under Gautam Gambhir’s leadership, launched a counterattack after Faf du Plessis’ early dismissal. The right-handed batsman smashed 63 off 44 balls as CSK defeated Delhi Capitals by four wickets.

    “I always maintain that this has been one of the most secure franchises going around and everyone feels secure within the group and I think that only makes a player only give that much more to the franchise,” Uthappa said during the post-match presentation.

    “After KKR, when Gauti was the captain I really enjoyed myself there and felt really secure in that group but after that this is the most secure I’ve felt while playing cricket in a while.

    “It’s gonna be interesting and exciting and really looking forward to it. I just like to take the opportunity to say everyone in the world out there — let’s be kind, the world needs it,” he added.

    Uthappa warmed the bench for CSK before he got the opportunity to bat in the last few games of the league stage. The right-handed batsman dedicated his knock to his son, who was celebrating his birthday on Sunday.

    “Happy that I was able to contribute. Today is my son’s birthday and this one’s for him. When I went out to bat we knew we needed a good start, so I just tried to react to the ball and play according to the merit,” said Uthappa.

    “Hopefully it’s nothing serious (about his injury), seems like it’s a little bit of a niggle and we have got 4 days to go so I should be good. There were days when there were doubts to be honest, when you don’t get to play these doubts tend to creep in and I try to make sure that I shut myself from the outside world, I just stuck to that and I just felt that at some point I will be able to contribute to the team in a way that’s really meaningful and I’m really grateful for God that I have been able to do that today,” he signed off. 

  • Virat Kohli’s RCB faces Eoin Morgan’s KKR in IPL Eliminator 

    By PTI

    SHARJAH: It will be a test of Virat Kohli’s tactical acumen against the ice-cool demeanour of Eoin Morgan when perennial underachievers Royal Challengers Bangalore clash with former champions Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL Eliminator here on Monday.

    Kohli, who has decided to step down from captaincy after this edition, has led RCB to the finals in 2016 besides reaching the play-offs twice in 2015 and 2020, and he would like to end things on a high in his last hurray as captain.

    For Morgan, it is about regaining the lost glory for KKR, a team that achieved great success under Gautam Gambhir, who had led them to two IPL titles in a space of three years in 2012 and 2014.

    On paper, it would be a battle between two evenly-poised teams, but overall, KKR has a slight edge, having won 15 out of 28 matches they played over the years.

    However, RCB will be brimming with confidence after securing a thrilling win over Delhi Capitals with a last-ball six in their final league match, finishing third in the standings with 18 points from 14 matches.

    KKR, on the other hand, scripted a terrific turnaround, finishing fourth with 14 points after winning five of seven games in the UAE leg following a lacklustre performance in the first phase.

    Morgan’s men had notched up a massive 86-run win over Rajasthan Royals to seal their play-offs spot and would look to carry the momentum into the Eliminator.

    But past records will count for little and it will boil down to winning small moments in the match, something which Kohli and Morgan would know pretty well.

    Both the captains have enough ammunition in their disposal and it will be all about managing the resources.

    RCB possess a formidable batting line-up that includes AB de Villiers, Glenn Maxwell and Devdutt Padikkal apart from Kohli but they have failed to find a perfect combination so far.

    While their top-order has given starts on most occasions, the middle-order looked unsure with the ploy to get Daniel Christian at number 3 backfiring.

    Also AB de Villiers has been wasted at number 5 but Srikar Bharat’s emergence has been a big positive.

    The wicketkeeper batsman scored a 52-ball 78 at number 3 and etched his name in the record books with a last-ball six for RCB in the last game.

    One man who has stood out for RCB is Glenn Maxwell.

    The Australian power-hitter has 498 runs and has been Kohli’s go to man this season.

    The RCB skipper, however, has misfired in the last two innings and would need to find his touch quickly.

    In bowling, Harshal Patel has been simply sensational with 30 wickets in 14 games, which includes a hat-trick against Mumbai Indians.

    Mohammed Siraj and George Garton too have been impressive, while Yuzvendra Chahal has answered his critics with 16 wickets this season.

    KKR too has been served well by the bowlers, who has churned out some terrific performances.

    While pace duo of Lockie Ferguson and Shivam Mavi have peaked at the right time, sharing seven wickets in their last match, the spinners led by Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine and Shakib Al Hasan too have been impressive.

    In batting, Shubman Gill, Venkatesh Iyer, Rahul Tripathi and Nitish Rana hold the key and it will be interesting to see how they handle the variations of Patel and guile of Chahal at the slow Sharjah pitch.

    Skipper Morgan has been woefully out of form and that remains a concern.

    Teams | Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli (C), Navdeep Saini, Glenn Maxwell, Dan Christian, Rajat Patidar, Dushmantha Chameera, Pavan Deshpande, Mohammed Siraj, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Azharuddeen, Sachin Baby, Wanindu Hasaranga, George Garton, Yuzvendra Chahal, Shahbaz Ahmed, Devdutt Padikkal, Kyle Jamieson, Suyash Prabhudessai, KS Bharat, Tim David, Akash Deep, AB de Villiers.

    Kolkata Knight Riders: Eoin Morgan (C), Dinesh Karthik, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Karun Nair, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathy, Shubman Gill, Harbhajan Singh, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Kuldeep Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Pawan Negi, M Prasidh Krishna, Sandeep Warrier, Shivam Dube, Tim Southee, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravarthy, Andre Russel, Ben Cutting, Shakib Al Hasan, Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Sheldon Jackson, Tim Seifert.

  • Family congratulates SRH pacer Umran Malik after excellent show in debut game against KKR

    By ANI

    NEW DELHI: SunRisers Hyderabad pace sensation Umran Malik was in tears as his family congratulated him on an excellent debut in the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League against Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday night. The Jammu and Kashmir cricketer’s family also wished him luck for the upcoming games.

    “Umran, congratulations to you for getting a chance to play in the IPL. I keep praying for you, my prayers are always with you. Just keep performing well,” his mother said in a video posted by SRH on Twitter.

    “Umran, you have got an opportunity to play in the IPL. Our prayers are always with you. We hope you are happy, wherever you are. Entire Jammu and Kashmir is happy for you,” his father said.

    Sharing his joy, Umran’s brother said: “Congratulations you are getting a chance to play in the IPL. Everyone is proud of you, we are eagerly waiting to see you on television. Best of luck brother.”

    His sister said she was proud of his effort in the opening game. “Congratulations Umran for getting a chance to play in the IPL. I pray that you give your 100 per cent and make us feel proud,” she said.

    Umran impressed one and all with his quick pace to rattle the opposition batters on Sunday night. Umar, who hails from Jammu and Kashmir, clocked two deliveries over 150 kmph on the speed gun and his fastest ball was 151.03. As a result, he is now the only Indian in the top ten for this season to deliver the fastest balls.

    The 21-year-old clocked a delivery at 146 kmph speed in his very first over, and he then entered 150s twice on the speed gun.

    In fact, SRH skipper Kane Williamson had also praised him and said: “We’ve been facing him in the nets, and it’s something quite special. He’s got a lot of pace, he runs in and goes hard. He racked up some fast speeds as well, which is pretty special. What a talent!”

  • Dubai wicket wasn’t easiest to hit spinners: KKR batsman Shubman Gill

    By ANI

    DUBAI: After playing a knock of 57 runs against SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) opening batter Shubman Gill revealed that the pitch was not the easiest to hit spinners for constant boundaries.

    “It was important to keep the wickets in hand, and when the balls and runs were closer then just take it easy. It was important to assess the wicket. It wasn’t easy to hit the spinners on this wicket. I was targeting the shorter side, and the leg-side was shorter than the off-side at one end. When I didn’t have much runs under the belt, you don’t want the opposition to gain the upper hand,” Gill told host broadcaster Star Sports after KKR’s six-wicket win over SRH.

    “When you play on slower wickets, it’s more important to play with the wrists and that comes naturally to me. I took on the extra pace (of Umran) today and it came off in this game, but in another game it might not,” he added.

    Gill played a knock of 57 runs as KKR defeated SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) by six wickets with two balls to spare here at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday. With this win, KKR consolidated its position at the fourth spot and the side now has 12 points from 13 games.

    Earlier, a spirited bowling performance helped KKR restrict SRH to 115/8 in the allotted twenty overs. For Eoin Morgan-led side, Tim Southee, Shivam Mavi, and Varun Chakravarthy returned with two wickets each while for SRH, Kane Williamson top-scored with a knock of 26 runs.

    KKR will next square off against Rajasthan Royals on Thursday at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

  • SRH pacer Umran Malik clocks 151 kmph against KKR, impresses one and all

    By ANI

    DUBAI: SunRisers Hyderabad might have lost the Indian Premier League (IPL) encounter against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), but pacer Umran Malik impressed one and all with his quick pace to rattle the opposition batters.

    Malik, who hails from Jammu and Kashmir clocked two deliveries over 150 kmph on the speed gun and his fastest ball was 151.03.

    As a result, he is now the only Indian in the top ten for this season to deliver the fastest balls. The 21-year-old Malik clocked a delivery at 146 kmph speed in his very first over, and he then entered 150s twice on the speed gun.

    He ended up conceding just 27 runs in his four overs. Shubman Gill played a knock of 57 runs as KKR defeated SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) by six wickets with two balls to spare here at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday. With this win, KKR consolidated its position at the fourth spot and the side now has 12 points from 13 games.

    Earlier, a spirited bowling performance helped KKR restrict SRH to 115/8 in the allotted twenty overs. For Eoin Morgan-led side, Tim Southee, Shivam Mavi, and Varun Chakravarthy returned with two wickets each while for SRH, Kane Williamson top-scored with a knock of 26 runs.

    Sunrisers Hyderabad had brought in medium-pacer Umran Malik as a short-term COVID-19 replacement for T Natarajan for their ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 campaign in the UAE.

    Natarajan had tested positive for COVID-19 before the team’s fixture against Delhi Capitals on September 22. Before playing against KKR, Malik had played one T20 and List A match for Jammu Kashmir and he picked a total of four wickets.

  • KKR beat SRH by 6 wickets to keep IPL play-offs hopes alive

    By PTI

    DUBAI: Kolkata Knight Riders beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by six wickets to keep their IPL play-offs hopes alive here on Sunday.

    Chasing a modest target of 116, KKR reached 119 for 4 in 19.4 overs overs to win the match.

    Opener Shubman Gill top-scored with 57 from 51 balls while Nitish Rana contributed 25.

    Jason Holder was the pick of the SRH bowlers, grabbing two wickets for 32 runs, while Siddarth Kaul and Rashid Khan took a wicket apiece.

    With the win, KKR remained on fourth spot with 12 points with a match left to be played.

    Earlier, already out of contention for a play-off berth, Sunrisers Hyderabad scored 115 for 8 after opting to bat.

    Captain Kane Williamson top-scored with 26 while Abdul Samad made 25 in a mediocre show after opting to bat.

    For KKR, Tim Southee, Shivam Mavi and Varun Chakravarthy took two wickets apiece while Shakib Al Hasan got one.

    Brief Scores: Sunrisers Hyderabad: 115 for 8 in 20 overs (Kane Williamson 26; Tim Southee 2/26, Varun Chakravarthy 2/26, Shivam Mavi 2/29).

    Kolkata Knight Riders: 119 for 4 in 19.4 overs (Shubman Gill 57, Nitish Rana 25; Jason Holder 2/32).

  • All eyes on Venkatesh Iyer vs Ravi Bishnoi match-up as upbeat KKR square off against Punjab Kings

    By PTI

    DUBAI: IPL’s newest sensation Venkatesh Iyer’s footwork or the lack of it will be put through a stern test against the sharp googlies bowled by Ravi Bishnoi when Kolkata Knight Riders square off against a beleaguered Punjab Kings here on Friday.

    Knights all-rounder Venkatesh has caught everyone’s attention with his fearless strokeplay against genuine pace but Bishnoi’s wrist spin has troubled the best in the business during the last two editions.

    It will be the biggest match-up in the game which is very important for KL Rahul’s Punjab Kings if they have any intentions of staying afloat in the competition.

    Rahul had admitted after the defeat against Mumbai that his team has not played well under pressure and needs to put up a better fight.

    The poor show from the middle-order has also hurt them badly as only Rahul (422 runs) and his opening partner Mayank Agarwal (332 runs) have found some form.

    ‘Universe Boss’ Chris Gayle, with 193 runs from 10 games, has been the biggest disappointment.

    Likewise, Nicholas Pooran, the highly rated West Indies dasher, has managed only 70 runs in 10 knocks which perfectly summarises Punjab Kings’ troubles.

    The Indian talent has also not come to the party as far as batting is concerned with both M Shahrukh Khan and Deepak Hooda not making the best use of the opportunities that they have got so far.

    There have been way too many batting collapses and it will be a challenge of sorts for these players to face Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy on a slow track.

    The eight overs from the premier spinners could go a long way in deciding the fate of the match.

    Punjab also has problems aplenty in the bowling department with none save for Bishnoi (9 wickets economy rate 6.16) have been able to trouble the opposition batsmen.

    Mohammed Shami (14 wickets, 7.68) and Arshdeep Singh (13 wickets, 7.64) have got wickets but have leaked runs at the death, most recently against Mumbai Indians the other day.

    For KKR, Venkatesh’s (126 runs at strike rate of 144 plus) mastery against spin has not yet been a topic of discussion but it will be interesting to see if he can survive the first spell of Shami and Arshdeep.

    Also, how he tackles Bishnoi and left-arm spinner Harpreet Brar during the middle overs will be keenly observed.

    Venkatesh will certainly like to put up a strong show which will get him a fat contract during the big IPL auction next year.

    KKR have also made one correct move by sending Nitish Rana up the order as he is a far better player of spin bowling than his skipper Eoin Morgan.

    The strategy paid dividends in their win against Delhi Capitals earlier in the tournament.

    Teams

    Kolkata Knight Riders: Eoin Morgan (C), Dinesh Karthik, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Karun Nair, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathy, Shubman Gill, Harbhajan Singh, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Kuldeep Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Pawan Negi, M Prasidh Krishna, Sandeep Warrier, Shivam Dube, Tim Southee, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravarthy, Andre Russel, Ben Cutting, Shakib Al Hasan, Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Sheldon Jackson, Tim Seifert

    Punjab Kings: KL Rahul (C), 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.

    Match Starts: 7:30 pm IST.

  • IPL 2021: Ashwin’s on-field altercation with Morgan brings back ‘Spirit of Game’ debate

    By PTI

    SHARJAH: Senior KKR player Dinesh Karthik was happy to come in-between an angry Ravichandran Ashwin and irate Eoin Morgan after their heated on-field altercation and play the role of a “peace-maker” during their IPL encounter against Delhi Capitals on Tuesday.

    KKR beat DC by three wickets in a low-scoring encounter but the problem had started when Ashwin tried stealing an extra run after KKR fielder Rahul Tripathi’s throw ricocheted off DC captain’s body.

    Karthik revealed that his skipper felt that it wasn’t in “Spirit of the Game” and had a word or two reserved for Ashwin when he got out off a Tim Southee delivery.

    An angry Ashwin who was leaving the field stopped and was seen charging towards the KKR skipper when Karthik came in between and gave his Tamil Nadu statemate a friendly pat requesting him to leave.

    “Look, I know that when Rahul Tripathi threw the ball and it ricocheted off Rishabh Pant’s body, Ashwin called for it and they started to run,” Karthik said at the post-match press conference after his side defeated Delhi Capitals by three-wickets.

    “I don’t think (Eoin) Morgan appreciated that. I think he is somebody who, when the ball hits the batsman or the bat, expects them not to run in ‘Spirit of Cricket’. Again it is a very grey area, it is a very interesting topic, I have my own opinion on it,” the flamboyant cricketer-cum-commentator said at the post-match interaction.

    “But at the moment, I will just say, I am happy I played peace-maker and things have come to a good standstill right now,” Karthik quipped.

    Meanwhile, Delhi Capitals skipper Rishabh Pant downplayed the confrontation incident saying it is “part and parcel” of the game.

    “I think it is part and parcel of the game because both the team are striving to win the match, so something is going to happen. Whatever is good for the game, I think that was in the ‘Spirit of the Game’,” Pant backed his senior bowler.

    He said that one shouldn’t read too much into these kind of altercations.

    “At the end of the day, both Ash and Morgan are trying to win the game for their side and there can be some mis-communication between them,” said the diminutive left-handed batsman.

    Pant said that Prithvi Shaw is around 80 percent fit and probably will “play the next game”.