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Tag: Rishabh Pant

  • Watch: MS Dhoni Seeks Divine Blessings At Deori Mata Temple Ahead Of IPL 2024 | cricket news

    Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain, MS Dhoni, recently took a spiritual detour as he visited the famous Deori Mata Temple, situated approximately 60 km from Ranchi in Tamar village. Seeking the blessings of Goddess Maa Durga, the legendary cricketer made this pilgrimage ahead of the eagerly awaited IPL 2024. In a recent gesture of reverence and devotion, MS Dhoni, the revered captain of Chennai Super Kings, embarked on a journey of spiritual significance. His visit to the sacred Deori Mata Temple, nestled in the serene surroundings of Tamar village near Ranchi, marks a poignant prelude to the upcoming IPL 2024 season.

    MS Dhoni at Deori Temple ahead of IPL 2024. __#MSDhoni @MSDhoni #WhistlePodupic.twitter.com/BolC6QlxeW — Dhoni Army TN_ (@DhoniArmyTN) February 6, 2024

    A Glimpse Beyond the Cricket Field

    Amidst the fervour of cricketing pursuits, a devoted fan captured a candid moment of Dhoni’s spiritual quest. The video footage, shared across social media platforms, portrays the cricketing maestro humbly queuing alongside fellow devotees, illustrating a facet of his persona rarely witnessed on the cricket field.

    A Journey of Convalescence and Renewal

    Dhoni’s sojourn to the temple comes on the heels of a period of convalescence post his triumphant leadership in IPL 2023. Following a successful campaign culminating in CSK’s fifth championship victory, Dhoni underwent knee surgery, commencing a journey of rehabilitation and renewal.

    Echoes of Mentorship: Rishabh Pant’s Tribute

    In a poignant revelation, Indian wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant reminisced about his profound mentorship under Dhoni’s tutelage. Pant’s candid recounting of seeking Dhoni’s counsel underscores the enduring impact of the veteran’s wisdom and guidance on emerging talents within the cricketing fraternity.

    Dhoni’s Humility Amidst Adulation

    During his temple visit, Dhoni’s humility and affability once again took center stage. Engaging warmly with devotees and fans, the revered cricketer exuded grace and goodwill, epitomizing the essence of sportsmanship beyond the cricketing arena.

    Anticipation Builds for IPL 2024

    As Dhoni and his contemporaries gear up for another exhilarating season of IPL, the pilgrimage to Deori Mata Temple serves as a poignant prelude, infusing their endeavors with spiritual resonance and renewed purpose.

  • Ended in heartbreak, but could not be more proud of team of exceptional warriors: Rishabh Pant

    By ANI

    NEW DELHI: Delhi Capitals skipper Rishabh Pant on Thursday said the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 journey for his side ended in heartbreak but he could not be more proud of leading his team of exceptional warriors.

    “It ended in heartbreak last night, but I could not be more proud of leading this team of exceptional warriors. We battled hard through the season, and while we may have fallen short on some days, we always gave 100 per cent,” tweeted Pant.

    In another tweet, the Delhi skipper said: “To the owners, management, staff, my teammates and most importantly, our passionate fans, I want to say thank you from my heart. You all made this season special. We will come back stronger @DelhiCapitals.”

    It ended in heartbreak last night, but I could not be more proud of leading this team of exceptional warriors. We battled hard through the season, and while we may have fallen short on some days, we always gave 100%. pic.twitter.com/IRPGqsmPT0
    — Rishabh Pant (@RishabhPant17) October 14, 2021
    Venkatesh Iyer and Shubman Gill played knocks of 55 and 46 respectively to follow up Varun Chakravarthy’s two-wicket haul as KKR defeated Delhi Capitals by three wickets in Qualifier 2 here at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.

    “Can’t change anything after the match. Always we kept on believing and stayed in the game for as long as possible. The bowlers pulled it back. They bowled really well through the middle overs. We were stuck and unable to rotate the strike. Hopefully, we can come back next year for a stronger season,” Pant had told host broadcaster Star Sports after the game ended.

    “We played really good cricket throughout the season. We stuck together and cared for each other. Hopefully, we will improve next year and come back strongly,” he added.

    As a result of this win, KKR will now lock horns against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL 2021 final on Friday at the Dubai International Stadium.

  • Bowlers nearly pulled it back, unfortunate it didn’t go our way: DC captain Pant after losing Qualifier 2

    By PTI

    SHARJAH: Kolkata Knight Riders almost committed harakiri in what seemed like an easy run chase against Delhi Capitals in the IPL Qualifier 2 here on Wednesday and captain Eoin Morgan said a proper postmortem of the last four overs will be done later.

    Chasing 136 to win, KKR were cruising at 123 for 1 in 15.5 overs but the match took an incredibly dramatic turn when they lost five wickets for seven runs, with four batters getting out for nought.

    It was Rahul Tripathi, who eventually saved the team the blushes with a penultimate ball six, which sealed KKR a place in the final against Chennai Super Kings.

    “Should’ve been a lot easier after the start we got. The openers gave us a great platform. We will dissect what happened in the last four overs,” Morgan said during the post-match presentation.

    “Dew came in and all, but hey, we have won and we are in the finals. We are delighted to get over the line. Would’ve loved to win convincingly but Capitals are a very good side.

    “Six off two, the odds were probably in favour of the bowling side, but Rahul Tripathi has done superbly well for us.”

    DC captain Rishabh Pant was left stunned by the turn of events after his team managed to take the game to the last over only to fall short in the end.

    “I don’t have words to express at the moment, can’t tell anything,” he said.

    “We just kept believing, tried to stay in the game as long as possible. The bowlers nearly pulled it back, but it’s unfortunate that it didn’t go our way.”

    He credited the opposition bowlers for making it difficult to score runs.

    “They bowled very well in the middle-overs, we got stuck and couldn’t rotate strike,” Pant said.

    “Delhi Capitals are known to be positive and hopefully we’ll come back better next season.”

    KKR opener Venkatesh Iyer, who was adjudged the Man of the Match for his 41-ball 55, said he played freely and didn’t try to restrict himself.

    “I think in the past couple of games, I have been trying to restrict myself a bit as I wanted to stay till the end. But then I thought it is not me. I was losing out on the present trying to be a bit conservative,” he said.

    “(Opening partner Shubman) Gill is an extremely wonderful strokeplayer. My entire focus is on the final now.”

    On his match-winning six, Tripathi said: “It feels great.

    The win was very important.

    One or two tough overs, and it would go so deep we never thought.

    “The 18th over was a great over by Rabada. I had to just connect one, and luckily I connected today, so I am very happy.

    “It was difficult once you go in. Straightaway to get those boundaries was difficult. The ball was keeping a little low. After the first phase, we were a little down. We were always looking for positive options.”

  • I was batting well in the nets; plan was simple, see the ball, hit the ball, says MS Dhoni as CSK enter final

    By PTI

    DUBAI: Mahendra Singh Dhoni walks the talk when he speaks about having an uncluttered mind while doing the finishing job for Chennai Super Kings, something he did with elan on Sunday against Delhi Capitals to take his team to the record ninth IPL final.

    Dhoni scored 18 off six balls to ensure CSK’s smooth passage into the final against DC in a successful chase of 173.

    “I’ve not done a lot in the tournament, so wanted to look for the ball and see what the bowler can do. I was batting well in the nets. But wasn’t thinking too much, if you think too much while batting then you mess your plans up,” Dhoni said at the end of the match.

    He praised DC for bowling well and exploiting the big boundaries to good effect.

    “My innings was a crucial one. Delhi has a very good bowling attack. They exploited the conditions well, so we knew it would be tough. My plan was simple, see the ball, hit the ball.”

    Dhoni said that he keeps his chats with team’s premier batter Ruturaj Gaikwad simple.

    “Whenever Ruturaj and I have a chat, its a simple chat. Want to know what he was thinking. Its good to see how well he has improved. He is someone willing to bat 20 overs,” he said.

    ALSO READ: Robin, Ruturaj spearhead chase, Dhoni finishes off in style as CSK beat DC to reach IPL final

    On promoting Shardul Thakur to No 4, Dhoni said that he wanted to check out if he can get a couple of boundaries which can make a difference when the gap between runs required and balls left is 15 to 20.

    “Shardul has done decent batting, as has Deepak. He/they are allowed to go for the shots from first ball unlike other top-order batters.”

    It was the situation that prompted him to send Robin Uthappa at No. 3 instead of Moeen Ali. “Robin enjoys batting at the top but Moeen has been excellent at No. 3. But we have created a situation where either of them could bat at No. 3 depending on the situation and the opposition.”

    Dhoni feels the kind of practice they got the last season after being knocked out of play-offs helped this season as it was evident with Ruturaj scoring 600-plus runs with one more match to go.

    “Last season was the first time we didn’t qualify into play-offs. But we wanted to just make use of the 3-4 games left last season and a lot of our batters made use of that. That is the reason why we have come back strongly this season.”

    DC skipper Rishabh Pant was disappointed with the outcome but vowed to comeback strongly in next game.

    “Obviously, it is very disappointing, and I can’t have enough words to describe how we are feeling.”

    The decision to use Tom Curran in the 20th over was based on his performance during the first three overs in which he got two for 14.

    “I thought Tom bowled beautifully throughout the match, and so I thought better to use him for the last over. The score was decent, and they got off to a flier. That was the main difference. We are going to rectify our mistakes, learn from it and hopefully, we can move on and play the final.”

  • Robin, Ruturaj spearhead chase, Dhoni finishes off in style as CSK beat DC to reach IPL final

    By PTI

    DUBAI: Chennai Super Kings enter Indian Premier League final after beating Delhi Capitals by four wickets in the first Qualifier here on Sunday.

    CSK reached the target of 173 with two balls to spare with captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni remaining not out on 18 off six deliveries.

    Ruturaj Gaikwad top-scored with a 50-ball 70 while Robin Uthappa contributed a 44-ball 63.

    For DC, Tom Curran took three wickets while Anrich Nortje and Avesh Khan got one each.

    Earlier, Prithvi Shaw top-scored with a 34-ball 60, while captain Rishabh Pant and Shimron Hetmyer contributed 51 not out and 37 respectively after DC scored 172 for 5 after being invited to bat.

    Josh Hazlewood was the pick of CSK bowlers with figures of 2/29 while Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo and Moeen Ali took a wicket apiece.

    Brief Scores:

    Delhi Capitals: 172 for 5 in 20 overs (Prithvi Shaw 60, Rishabh Pant 51 not out; Josh Hazlewood 2/29).

    Chennai Super Kings: 173 for 6 in 19.4 overs (Ruturaj Gaikwad 70, Robin Uthappa 63; Tom Curran 3/29).

  • Delhi Capitals owner backs Ashwin after spat with Morgan, Southee

    By PTI

    DUBAI: Delhi Capitals owner Parth Jindal has backed his team’s off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin over his confrontation with Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Eoin Morgan during an IPL game.

    The incident happened during Delhi Capitals’ innings when Ashwin and Rishabh Pant decided to take a run after the ball deflected off his partner’s body.

    The move did not go down well with KKR pacer Tim Southee and Morgan, who entered into an ugly spat with Ashwin.

    While throwing his weight behind Ashwin, Jindal reminded Morgan of the 2019 World Cup final, where England were awarded four runs for an overthrow after the ball ricocheted off Ben Stokes’ bat.

    “So when the ball ricochets off Ben Stokes for 4 additional runs which single handedly allows England to win the 50 over World Cup there are no issues? But when Ash takes an extra run the world goes crazy? #Hypocrisy at its best – fully behind you @ashwinravi99,” wrote Jindal on Twitter on Thursday.

    While Morgan was not pleased with the run, after dismissing Ashwin Southee had apparently rebuked the senior India star by saying, “That’s what happens when you cheat”.

    Ashwin was then seen charging towards Morgan and Southee, prompting Dinesh Karthik to intervene and douse the fire.

    In a series of tweets, Ashwin had earlier in the day made it clear that he would again run if the ball hit a fielder’s body and asked Morgan and Southee to not use “derogatory” words and lecture him on the spirit of the game by taking a moral high ground.

  • IPL 2021: Skipper Pant says DC bowling unit doesn’t need massive change

    By PTI

    SHARJAH: Delhi Capitals skipper Rishabh Pant rued that the team fell short by 10 runs against Kolkata Knight Riders but asserted that the bowling unit doesn’t need a “massive change” despite the three-wicket defeat here on Tuesday.

    The KKR bowlers restricted Delhi Capitals to a meagre 127 for nine before their batting unit overhauled the target in 18.2 overs.

    “I think we were 10 short, not much. We knew wicket would slow down in the second innings. But every team is trying to win the match,” Pant said at the post-match presentation.

    The Delhi batters struggled with only Pant (39) and openers Steve Smith (39) and Shikhar Dhawan (24) managing the double digits scores.

    “Batting was pretty difficult for new batters. We wanted to capitalise in the end with the bat, but we lost wickets and ended up 10 short,” Pant added.

    The skipper was “really happy” with the team’s bowling display.

    “We learn from our mistakes. I don’t think there is a massive change that we have to do as a bowling unit, just some little things but we’ll learn from our mistakes and move onto the next one.”

    “We want to give 100% and if it doesn’t go our way we will learn and move on,” Pant said.

    Winning skipper Eoin Morgan was “delighted” by his team’s performance.

    “It’s tough playing two day games in three days but delighted to get a couple of points. Winning toss and fielding is not an easy thing to do.”

    “Guys were more calculated today, and it came off. When the outfield is slow, if you are cagey it can come back to hurt you,” Morgan said.

    “Both sides played the game hard. On a hot day, things can boil over. Thankfully it didn’t.”

    The victory helped the two-time champions, who have won three of their last four games since the resumption of the league, consolidate the fourth spot and Morgan credited head coach Brendon McCullum for the way the team has performed.

    “We all played in the right spirit. And its a tough contest against Delhi Capitals. Full credit has to go to our coach Brendon McCullum. It’s his ethos, his mindset, and the boys have bought into that.”

    Sunil Narine was adjudged the Player of the Match for his all round performance.

    He snared two wickets, including the crucial one of Shreyas Iyer, while giving away only 18 runs before smashing a 21 off 10 balls.

    “Watching a few games here, knew there’s a bit of spin here. Didn’t want to get too full. I’ve been through a lot.”

    “Need to give credit to bowling coach, that’s a plus and that’s been key for me to come back,” Narine said.

  • IPL 2021: Shreyas Iyer return boosts Delhi Capitals ahead of SRH clash

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI:  Quite often, an unplanned break in the midst of a league can lead to a top team losing momentum once action resumes.

    But both skipper Rishabh Pant and coach Rickey Ponting feel that the gap has actually helped the Delhi Capitals as they gear up to face the Sunrisers Hyderabad on Wednesday. 

    One of the biggest reasons for this is the return of Shreyas Iyer, who could not play any part in the first phase due to a shoulder injury.

    The return of the former skipper opens up a ton of possibilities for the franchise. Iyer’s batting skills aside, the balance of the team and the ability to play an extra overseas bowler are among the options available for the team management to tinker with.

    “I am absolutely delighted to have Shreyas back in our line-up,” Ponting said in a press interaction on the eve of Capitals’ first match of the UAE leg.

    “It was devastating for him and the team when he hurt his shoulder just before the start of the IPL earlier in the year. He is a world-class player, and he has been an exceptional player for Delhi Capitals for a long time now. Him slotting back into our line-up, I think it makes the make-up of our team look a little bit more complete.”

    “The first part of the tournament, as well as we played — we won six of our eight games — our overall balance didn’t quite feel like it was just right. But Shreyas coming back in now, it does give us the opportunity to play the two overseas fast bowlers, which we had [done] successfully in the past.”

    Last season’s runners-up used Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje to great effect and with Steve Smith not exactly shining in Iyer’s position, the Delhi side can go back to using Iyer in his preferred No 3 role and it will free up the space for an an additional foreign bowler.

    The only negative point for Delhi has been the performance of their domestic quick bowlers.

    Avesh Khan emerged as the lone match-winner during the first phase as the rest of the Capitals’ fast men took just nine wickets.

    Avesh’s success meant Capitals could afford to leave out Nortje but expect him to be back in the UAE. 

    DC topped the standings with six wins from eight matches and now are sitting in second spot, with 12 points.

    On the other hand, Sunrisers are placed at the last spot, with just a solitary win from seven games and six losses.

  • Ultimate goal is to win IPL, says Delhi Capitals captain Rishabh Pant

    By PTI

    DUBAI: Coming off a long tour of the United Kingdom, Delhi Capitals captain Rishabh Pant sought to get acclimatised to the UAE’s extreme heat by spending time on the balcony of his hotel room during the mandatory quarantine.

    However, it was still not comfortable when he did his first training session on Friday ahead of the IPL’s resumption.

    Pant said that he is currently focussing on getting used to the conditions in the UAE.

    “It’s pretty hot here in the UAE. I was trying to sit on the balcony during my quarantine period as much as possible to get used to the conditions. But, it still felt quite hot when I took part in my first practice session here.

    “I’m just trying to get used to the conditions now and hopefully, I will be fully acclimatised to the conditions in 2-3 days,” Pant said in a release issued by Delhi Capitals.

    The wicketkeeper-batsman said that the team will look to continue its brilliant performance from the first half of the IPL 2021 season.

    The Delhi Capitals are currently at the top of the table with 12 points from eight matches.

    “Our ultimate goal is to win the trophy, but we are going to focus on our process. Hopefully, we can continue to play the way we did in the first half of the IPL 2021 season and we can go on and win the IPL trophy this year,” said Pant.

    He has also expressed his excitement about meeting his teammates after completing his quarantine period.

    “It’s really nice to meet everyone after coming out of quarantine. It’s been great meeting the teammates here in training.”

    Delhi Capitals will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad on September 22, in their first match on resumption.

  • Delhi Capitals retain Rishabh Pant as captain for remainder of IPL 2021

    By PTI

    DUBAI: Delhi Capitals on Thursday announced that flamboyant wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant will continue to lead the side in the remainder of the IPL beginning September 19.

    It was one of the most predictable decisions considering that Delhi Capitals did well under Pant despite the fact that Shreyas Iyer led them to their first final last year.

    Delhi Capitals are currently leading the IPL points table with 12 points having won six games under Pant’s captaincy earlier this year after he was assigned the role in absence of injured Iyer, who had to undergo a shoulder surgery.

    “JSW-GMR co-owned Delhi Capitals today announced that Rishabh Pant will continue as captain for the remainder of the IPL2021 season,” franchise’s official handle tweeted.