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Tag: Rajasthan Royals

  • Rajasthan Royals spinner Tabraiz Shamsi looking to pick ‘inside information’ about UAE pitches

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Set to play for the Rajasthan Royals in the second leg of the IPL, South African spinner Tabraiz Shamsi said he is looking to gather some “inside information” about the UAE pitches before he returns to the country for the upcoming T20 World Cup.

    Shamsi, the world no.1 ranked T20I bowler in ICC rankings, will be joining the Royals squad as a replacement for Australian pacer Andrew Tye for the remainder of IPL scheduled to be held in the UAE from September 19.

    “I’m not going to sit here and pretend that I’m not excited about (the IPL). I am very excited. Especially because I’ve never played in Dubai and Abu Dhabi,” Shamsi was quoted as saying by ‘ESPNcricinfo’.

    “The IPL is a different thing. I have played in the past but I was a lot younger and I didn’t get a lot of game time regularly. When you get regular game time, you can showcase what you can do. You can improve,” he added.

    Shamsi had earlier played four IPL matches in which he picked up three wickets for the Royal Challengers Bangalore, who had recruited him as a replacement player during the 2016 season.

    “…I’m really happy I got picked up in the IPL because I’ve never been there and played there. It will be nice if I can play on those pitches and get some inside information and gain some experience; just to be able to pick up some knowledge and information that might help us in the World Cup,” said Shamsi, who has since picked up 45 wickets in 39 T20Is, along with 32 wickets in 27 ODIs for South Africa.

    The 31-year-old left-arm spinner feels South Africa will do well at the T20 World Cup, considering their strong bowling attack. “…I believe we have one of the best bowling attacks in the world. All we need is a bit of game time. I’m not saying that because we’ve won a couple of series back-to-back. The talent in the squad is there,” he said.

    “We might be inexperienced at the international level but it doesn’t mean that we don’t have the skill. We showcased that against a very strong West Indies team, and against Ireland. Nobody here wants to lose and I know the people back home don’t want to see us losing. So we’re pushing it. We just need a bit more time together. The more we play together the better we’re going to get,” he added.

  • Rajasthan Royals announce signing of world number one T20 bowler Tabraiz Shamsi

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Rajasthan Royals on Wednesday roped in South Africa’s left-arm wrist spinner Tabraiz Shamsi for the remainder of IPL scheduled to be held in the UAE from September 19.

    Shamsi, the world no.1 ranked T20I bowler in ICC rankings, will be joining the Royals squad as their second replacement player.

    The 31-year-old from Johannesburg represented ‘The Titans’ in South Africa’s domestic cricket, and made his international debut for South Africa during a bilateral T20I series against England in 2017.

    The left-arm leg spinner has since picked up 45 wickets in 39 T20Is, along with 32 wickets in 27 ODIs for South Africa.

    In the IPL, Shamsi has played 4 matches in which he picked up 3 wickets for Royals Challengers Bangalore, who had recruited him as a replacement player during the 2016 season.

    Meanwhile, Australian pacer Andrew Tye, who had left for home amid the COVID-19 pandemic during the first phase of the IPL, said he won’t be available for the remainder of the season.

    “It is with great regret that I have to pull out of the remainder of the IPL 2021 with the Rajasthan Royals,” Tye said in a release issued by the franchise.

    “It has been a long year for me which has kept me away from home for a lengthy period, and the disappointment of not making it to the World Cup squad has added to the dismay.

    “Therefore, keeping my best interests in mind, I had to make this tough decision of staying at home and preparing myself mentally and physically for next year’s T20 World Cup.”

    Tye said he is gutted to not been able to play the remainder of IPL.

    “I am gutted that I won’t be able to rejoin the Royals family this year, but like all the fans out there, I will be cheering the team on.”

    Liam Livingstone was the other RR player who had flown back to England citing bio-bubble fatigue in April.

    Rajasthan Royals are currently placed fifth in the points table with three wins and four losses out of the seven games.

  • Chetan, who came out of the bio bubble to meet his father directly, said- I am getting the father’s treatment with the amount received from IPL.

    Corona, father of Rajasthan Royals fast bowler Chetan Sakaria, has been infected. After reaching Sakariya’s house, go straight to the hospital and see her father. Chetan hails from Gujarat. His father Kanji brother is admitted to the hospital due to corona infection. The IPL was intercepted due to some players being corona infected. After which Sakariya returned to Gujarat from Delhi. His team was to play second leg matches in Delhi. Chetan told the media that he had received information about his father’s infection a week earlier. He sent the money from the IPL to the father for his treatment. He said ‘I was lucky because I received my share payment from Rajasthan Royals a few days ago. I had transferred the money home so that my family could work under adverse circumstances. Chetan’s father is an auto driver Chetan’s father is an auto driver. A few days earlier, his brother had committed suicide. The amount of Chetan’s earnings is the amount received from IPL. Chetan was added to the IPL auction for 2021 by Rajasthan Royals for Rs 1.20 crore. Under IPL rules, the player is paid 30 per cent of the amount by the franchisee after joining the camp. After that 50% of the amount is given after the half of the tournament is over. As there are 60 matches in the 14th season of the IPL and 29 matches are over. Only then the IPL has been stopped. In such a situation, 60 to 70 percent amount has been paid to the players from the teams. Teams will pay the remaining amount after the IPL is over. Chetan took 7 wickets in 7 matches Chetan Sakaria has taken 7 wickets in seven matches played in his first IPL at an economy rate of 8.22. He took the wickets of MS Dhoni, KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal. He has taken 35 wickets from 23 T20 matches at an economy rate of 7.44, playing for Saurashtra. Dhoni’s parents have also been corona infected Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s parents have also become corona infected. Dhoni’s parents became corona infected during the IPL, due to which he was admitted to the hospital in Ranchi. Now both have recovered and gone home.

  • IPL amid pandemic: It’s our responsibility to give people some reason to smile, says Chris Morris

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: Rajasthan Royals all-rounder Chris Morris says the COVID-19 catastrophe in India has been discussed in his team multiple times and the players can feel the pain that the pandemic is causing in its deadly second wave here.

    India is reeling under the second wave of the pandemic with cases rising by over 3 lakh everyday, a crisis compounded by shortage of some crucial medicines and oxygen supplies.

    Morris said it is “difficult to comprehend” what is happening.

    “As a team, we have been talking about it quite a lot over the last couple of days. We have seen how badly this pandemic has taken over the specific parts, if not all of India,” Morris said at the post-match press conference after his side defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by six wickets here on Saturday.

    “It is quite difficult to comprehend what is happening. It is a responsibility for us to play with smiles on our faces because we have a reason to smile and that we are healthy and get to play cricket.

    “We hopefully get to keep people happy on the other side of the screen.

    Whether we winning or losing, it is an opportunity to keep people smiling, if that gives people a reason to smile, then we are doing well as a sport,” he added.

    The South African commended the front-line workers all over the world who are working tirelessly to help everyone in these tough times.

    “So as a team, we just want to say to the heroes out there, the frontline workers all over the world, to be doing what they are doing day in and day out for 24 hours a day is just incredible.

    “As a team, we are feeling the hurt for everyone around the world.”

    Morris starred with the ball against KKR, registering the impressive figures of 4/22 before skipper Sanju Samson (42) and compatriot David Miller (24) led the former champions to their second victory this season.

    “Our execution was a lot better today, hitting the length, bowling yorkers and slower balls.”

    The Royals had entered the game after a humiliating 10-wicket loss to Royal Challengers Bangalore.

    “It’s very easy to go down the dark route of thinking you are not good enough when you get beaten by 10 wickets but sometimes you need to tip your hat off to the opposition,” said Morris.

    “As a team we had a good discussion on what was our motivation. The first seven overs, we were having an absolute blast, it was very entertaining. The guys had a good time.”

    Morris, who became the most expensive buy in the IPL auction history in February, is happy to repay the faith the Royals have put in him.

    “Quite nice to contribute. It’s nice to reward some of the faith placed in me,” he added.

    The Royals currently occupy the sixth spot in the points table. They will next take on Mumbai Indians next on Thursday in Delhi.

  • IPL 2021: Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson needs to lead from the front with bat, says Gavaskar

    By IANS
    MUMBAI: Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson has to be consistent instead of performing well early in the season and then fizzing out, said former India captain Sunil Gavaskar.

    Samson scored a blistering 119 in the first match of the IPL season but has since managed scores of 4, 1 and 21.

    “First and foremost, the captain has to stand up and deliver. He did it in the first game but that has been the problem with him. That is one of the reasons why he has not been featuring in the Indian team is that he scores runs in one game and then he looks to do it and carry on as if he’s batting in the next game from the same game, and that’s how he keeps getting out,” Gavaskar said on Star Sports.

    “So therefore, I think if the captain leads by example, the captain scores runs because he is the one class act in the team,” said Gavaskar.

    He said that while RR have powerful batsmen in David Miller and Chriss Morris down the order, they don’t have a proven finisher in the team which makes it all the more important for the top order to perform well.

    “Yes there is David Miller, there is Chris Morris who can come in and smash a few but at the top of the order, they need to get it right because what happens is that they have a little problem at No 5, 6 and 7. They don’t really have any finishers and that is the reason it is so important that the captain at the top of the order gets you lots of runs,” Gavaskar pointed out.

  • KKR vs RR Preview, IPL 2021: Kolkata hope to revive campaign against beleaguered Royals

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: Bolstered by Pat Cummins’ late blitz against Chennai Super Kings, a pumped-up Kolkata Knight Riders will finally look to bring their campaign back on track after a hattrick of defeats when they face a beleaguered Rajasthan Royals in their IPL clash here on Saturday.

    Big on paper, KKR, led by England’s World Cup winning skipper Eoin Morgan, have so far failed to come together as a unit and slipped to sixth in the table after starting the tournament on a high against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

    Facing bottom-placed Rajasthan Royals, who have been the most inconsistent team so far in the season, KKR will be desperate for a turnaround.

    The rise of Pat Cummins as a batsman in their 18-run defeat to CSK will provide a big boost but it can’t paper over the failure of their star batsmen, who have floundered even while chasing even modest target.

    The seamers too have leaked runs in the death overs.

    Having struggled on Chepauk’s slow surface, KKR had hoped to return to winning ways at the Wankhede but Faf du Plessis and Ruturaj Gaikwad took their attack to the cleaners and amassed a massive 220 for 3 in their previous match.

    If that was not all, their famed top-five, including Shubman Gill and Morgan, surrendered inside the Powerplay.

    ALSO READ | IPL 2021: Need to be honest with ourselves and come back better, says RR skipper Sanju Samson

    Andre Russell and Dinesh Karthik then revived the chase before Cummins produced some sensational powerhitting, slamming a 34-ball 66 not out before running out of partners as KKR finished on 202 after being 31/5 in 5.2 overs.

    “Everyone’s pumped. I am sure if we get a win or two and we will be on our way and flying. I think there’s a feeling that we can win from basically anywhere,” Cummins had said.

    The other positive has been Russell’s return to form.

    It was his 54 off 22 balls that had set the tone and it would not be a bad ploy for Morgan to promote the Jamaican up in the order, while Cummins provides late blitz.

    The skipper will himself look to get back among runs, while he will be equally concerned about Gill, who once again failed to convert his starts and he returned with a golden duck against CSK.

    Rajasthan Royals, on the other hand, are coming into the match after a humiliating 10-wicket loss against RCB.

    Sanju Samson’s men have failed to inspire after posting their only win of the tournament, against Delhi Capitals in their second match.

    Samson has fizzled out after a blazing 119 against Punjab Kings and the top and middle-order look brittle with Jos Buttler, Manan Vohra and David Miller enduring poor form.

    Bowling is also a big concern for the inaugural edition champions as their big buy Chris Morris and Mustafizur Rahman have struggled to check runs.

    They also have limited overseas options with Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes ruled out because of injuries, while Liam Livingstone have left citing bio-bubble fatigue.

    Squads:

    Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (c & wk), Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Manan Vohra, Anuj Rawat, Riyan Parag, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Mahipal Lomror, Shreyas Gopal, Mayank Markande, Andrew Tye, Jaydev Unadkat, Kartik Tyagi, Shivam Dube, Chris Morris, Mustafizur Rahman, Chetan Sakariya, KC Cariappa, Kuldip Yadav and Akash Singh.

    Kolkata Knight Riders: Eoin Morgan (c), Dinesh Karthik, Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Tim Seifert, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Kuldeep Yadav, Shivam Mavi, Lockie Ferguson, Pat Cummins, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Sandeep Warrier, Prasidh Krishna, Rahul Tripathi, Varun Chakravarthy, Shakib Al Hasan, Sheldon Jackson, Vaibhav Arora, Harbhajan Singh, Karun Nair, Ben Cutting, Venkatesh Iyer and Pawan Negi.

    Match starts: 7.30 pm IST.

  • Rajasthan Royals need to improve overall performances: Kumar Sangakkara

    By IANS
    MUMBAI: Rajasthan Royals (RR) team director Kumar Sangakkara said that the team needs to improve on overall performances and execute their plans better.

    RR’s 10-wicket defeat to Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL has left them at the bottom on the points table.

    “It is the overall performance. You have to tie together good performances with bat and ball and field well too. We had a game that we nearly chased down, a game that we should have won quite easily and then were quite outplayed in the next two,” said Sangakkara in the post-match press conference on Thursday.

    “Today we were completely outplayed by RCB. You can’t always have perfect games but we have to get a lot better at executing our game plan and get some confidence going. There are some good pitches out there, a lot of batsmen score runs and it is quite tough for the bowlers to match the totals and keep scores in check. We need to match the other sides in that intensity,” he said.

    Sangakkara said that the team did well to get to 177/9 despite being 43/4 in the eighth over.

    “Today was a game of two halves, we struggled that first six to seven overs and the next overs after having lost a lot of wickets we still managed to get to 176 so you see that ability there, one of the top four need to get a big score,” he said.

  • IPL table: Royal Challengers Bangalore solidify top spot, Rajasthan Royals rooted to bottom

    By IANS
    MUMBAI: Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) continued to remain on top of the IPL table after recording their fourth consecutive win of the season.

    The perfect start has helped them reach eight points and their dominant win over Rajasthan Royals (RR) has also given a boost to their net run rate (NRR), which has gone from +0.750 before the match to +1.009.

    Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are placed second on the table, having won three and lost one of the four matches they have played thus far. They are tied on six points with third-placed Delhi Capitals (DC) but their NRR remains the best in the league thus far. CSK have an NRR of +1.142 while DC’s NRR is +0.426.

    Defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) are two points behind DC in fourth place and have an NRR of +0.187.

    The teams below MI are all tied on two points and separated only by their NRRs. All the teams have won one and lost three of the matches they have played thus far. Rajasthan Royals, after their 10-wicket defeat to RCB on Thursday, are rock bottom with an NRR of -1.011. Punjab Kings, with an NRR of -0.824, are above them in seventh place while Kolkata Knight Riders are sixth with an NRR of -0.700. SunRisers Hyderabad are fifth with an NRR of -0.228.

  • IPL 2021: RCB hope to keep momentum going against stumbling Rajasthan Royals

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: Off to the best possible start with three wins on the trot, a confident Royal Challengers Bangalore will hope to keep the juggernaut rolling when they take on Rajasthan Royals in an IPL match here on Thursday.

    Both sides have endured contrasting campaigns so far.

    RCB head in to the game after three morale-boosting victories.

    The Virat Kohli-led side edged past defending champions Mumbai Indians in the tournament opener before getting the better of Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders to jump to the top of the points table.

    On the other hand, the Royals have managed to win only one of their three fixtures.

    They lost to Chennai Super Kings in their previous match to slip down to the sixth spot.

    Sanju Samson and his men will be eyeing a second win.

    The Royals have struggled to perform as a cohesive batting unit.

    While Samson led the team to within touching distance of victory with his sensational century against Punjab Kings, it was the South African duo of David Miller and Chris Morris that pulled off a win against the Delhi Capitals.

    Against CSK, opener Jos Buttler looked dangerous but the other batsmen failed to provide any valuable contributions.

    For the former champions to do well, the side must click as a batting unit with Samson and the Englishman playing key roles.

    The Royals bowling unit has been underwhelming to say the least, apart from the game against Delhi Capitals, the bowlers have leaked runs.

    Pacer Jaydev Unadkat shone against the Rishabh Pant led-side, registering the impressive figures of 3/15, while young Chetan Sakariya has shown promise.

    In the absence of Jofra Archer, more will be expected out of the likes of Chris Morris and Bangladesh speedster Mustafizur Rahman.

    For RCB, Ab de Villiers and new-recruit Glenn Maxwell have been the standout players with the willow.

    While the South African continues to deliver season after season, the Australian all-rounder is proving to be a valuable addition to the middle order.

    Kohli has got decent starts in a couple of games but the talismanic skipper will be itching to play a big innings.

    Young Devdutt Padikkal, who impressed everyone last season, has also looked rusty and is yet to perform to his full potential.

    After two failures Rajat Patidar will, too, look to make amends.

    The RCB bowling department has been impressive with pacers Harshal Patel and Mohammed Siraj boasting economy rate of of 5.75 and 5.81 respectively.

    The former pulled the rabbit out of the hat with a five-wicket haul against MI while left-arm spinner Shahbaz Ahmed (3/7) changed the complexion of the match in just one over against the Sunrisers.

    In an interesting move RCB played only three foreigners instead of four in the game against KKR.

    It will be interesting to see if they go for a similar playing XI or get in the likes of leg-spinner Adam Zampa, pacer Kane Richardson or experienced all-rounder Daniel Christian, who hasn’t impressed with the bat or ball, back into the team.

    Teams (from): Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli (c), AB de Villiers, Devdutt Padikkal, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Siraj, Kane Richardson, Washington Sundar, Pavan Deshpande, Joshua Philippe, Shahbaz Ahamad, Navdeep Saini, Adam Zampa, Kyle Jamieson, Glenn Maxwell, Rajat Patidar, Sachin Baby, Mohammed Azharuddeen, Dan Christian, KS Bharat, Suyash Prabhudessai, Daniel Sams and Harshal Patel.

    Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (c & wk), Jos Buttler (wk), Ben Stokes, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Manan Vohra, Anuj Rawat, Riyan Parag, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Mahipal Lomror, Shreyas Gopal, Mayank Markande, Andrew Tye, Jaydev Unadkat, Kartik Tyagi, Shivam Dube, Chris Morris, Mustafizur Rahman, Chetan Sakariya, KC Cariappa, Liam Livingstone, Kuldip Yadav, Akash Singh.

    Match starts at 7.30 PM.

  • No plans to change: RR captain Sanju Samson says he will continue to bat the way he loves

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson is not bothered about failures and said he would continue to play his shots and keep on batting the way he loves to in the ongoing Indian Premier League.

    Samson scored a blistering ton in the first match which Royals lost narrowly to Punjab Kings but failed to come good against Delhi Capitals and against Chennai Super Kings on Monday night.

    “Yeah, actually it keeps on happening in this format of the game. I think IPL definitely demands a lot of risk-taking shots. And I said before when I succeeded, I took a lot of risks. That’s why I scored a hundred. So, it depends actually on the day, the mindset you are coming with,” Samson said at the post-match press conference after RR lost to CSK by 45 runs here on Monday night.

    “Actually, I don’t want to restrict my shots, I want to keep on playing my shots and keep on batting the way I love to bat actually. So, I’m also accepting a lot of failures on the way. So, I am not at all worried about getting out, but at the same time, I will definitely look to keep on contributing to my team’s victory in the coming matches.”

    He said the IPL is a long tournament and it was normal to fail in a few matches.

    “Pressure to perform is always there. When you play IPL, pressure is always there. Sometimes you succeed and sometimes you fail. I think IPL is a long format and you play 14 continuous matches, it is very normal to fail in a few matches.

    “(But) it is always crucial to remember how good a team we are… So, we’ll keep on coming back and keep on trying to win the coming matches,” Samson said.

    Samson said the chase on Monday night would have been easy if dew had come in.

    “Looking at the previous matches, we played here or which we watched on the TV, I think bowling first has more advantage than bowling second.

    So that’s why we opted to bowl first and actually restricting CSK around 180 was really good work by our bowlers.

    “I thought if the dew comes on and the wicket eases out a bit, it would have been an easy chase for us actually,” he added.

    Asked about the batting order, the RR captain backed Shivam Dube, who could not get going on Monday, for the crucial No 4 position.

    “I think our batting order is very nicely set up. I think Shivam Dube is someone who is good at playing spin and pace. I think No 4 really suits him. It depends upon the condition actually.

    “I think he has definitely done really well in the domestic season and I feel he is really looking good and we expect a lot of runs from him in the coming matches. David Miller is a really great finisher and one of the greatest finishers in world cricket.”