Danijones

IPL 2024: Aakash Chopra calls out MS Dhoni for refusing single to Daryl Mitchell against PBKS

Danijones6 months ago04 mins

Legendary CSK wicketkeeper batter MS Dhoni has come under fire for refusing a single to his teammate Daryl Mitchell during IPL 2024 Match 49 between PBKS and CSK on Wednesday, May 01 at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. During the first innings of the game, Dhoni sliced a low full toss from Arshdeep Singh towards deep extra cover in the last over as Mitchell ran for a single. However, he was denied the run by the former CSK skipper and had to make his way back to the non-striker’s end after almost reaching the striker’s end. Dhoni’s refusal to take a single to his batting partner hasn’t gone down well with some of the fans who are unhappy with the legendary cricketer. Former India cricketer turned commentator Aakash Chopra has also called out Dhoni for his act and said that he wasn’t batting with a tailender and that he chose to keep the strike. “In the end, Dhoni even refused to take a single. It’s fine but Daryl Mitchell is Daryl Mitchell. You were not batting with Mustafizur, no disrespect, but he refused. He hit a six but the runs were never going to be enough, and that’s exactly how it panned out,” said Chopra on his YouTube channel. Notably, Dhoni went on to hit a six on the second last ball of the over before finally getting dismissed for the first time in the ongoing season on the last ball of the innings for 14 (11) while Mitchell remained unbeaten on 1. IPL 2024: Fans slam MS Dhoni Chopra Highlights CSK’s Slow Starts Further speaking ahead, Chopra also called out CSK for their slow starts and not utilising the fielding restrictions in the first six overs of the innings. “You lost the toss here and were invited to bat first. They start slowly. The Chennai Express always starts slowly. They are a locomotive engine that takes time to warm up. They made 50-odd runs in the powerplay. Ajinkya Rahane got out after the powerplay,” he added. IPL 2024 Full Coverage | IPL 2024 Points Table and Standings | 2024 IPL Full Schedule Coming back to the match, after being put in to bat first, CSK went on to score a modest total of 162/7 with captain Ruturaj Gaikwad once again top scoring with his innings of 62 (48). In reply, Punjab chased down the target in 17.5 overs courtesy of brilliant knocks from Jonny Bairstow (46 off 30) and Rilee Rossouw (43 off 23). Following their loss, CSK find themselves precariously poised on the fourth spot on the points table with ten points from ten matches. The Ruturaj Gaikwad-led side will need to win all of their remaining four fixtures for smooth qualification to the playoffs. Published By: Kingshuk Kusari Published On: May 2, 2024

Virat Kohli one of the best to ever play cricket: AB de Villiers | Cricket News

Danijones6 months ago03 mins

NEW DELHI: Former South African cricketer AB de Villiers praised India and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batsman Virat Kohli, calling him one of the greatest players in history.In IPL 2024, Kohli is the second-highest run scorer. He played in ten matches and amassed 500 runs at a strike rate of 147.49. In the current T20 tournament, he hit 20 sixes and 46 fours.IPL ORANGE CAP | IPL PURPLE CAP | IPL POINTS TABLEWhile speaking on his official YouTube channel, De Villiers said he is fed up with seeing “data-driven pundits” criticizing Kohli’s strike rate.The legendary Indian batsman was praised by the former Proteas cricket player, who called him “incredible” at the IPL.“Virat Kohli, catching criticism about his strike rate. It’s been going on for way too long and I am sort of fed up with that now. I’m frustrated to say the least. This guy is one of the best players to ever play the game of cricket. He’s incredible in the IPL, he plays a certain role for RCB, and I’ve pretty much had enough of data-driven pundits who keep criticising this man. When you don’t really have knowledge of the game. How many games of cricket have you played, how many IPL hundreds have you scored?,” De Villiers said.In the last game between RCB and GT, Kohli made an impression with his blistering 70*. He was a major factor in Bengaluru’s victory and dismissed the recent discussion regarding his strike rate.During the game, ‘chase master’ Virat Kohli achieved a landmark feat during RCB’s clash against GT.Kohli now stands second in the list after his undefeated performance of 70 runs off 44 balls, struck at a strike rate of 159.09. Kohli achieved 24 half-centuries when chasing a target. Dhawan, with 23 scores of fifty or above, is in third position. While chasing a target, David Warner holds the top spot with 35 half-centuries.The 35-year-old also tied David Warner’s record for the most IPL seasons with 500 or more runs. In an IPL season, Warner and Kohli have both scored 500 runs or more seven times.(With ANI inputs)

Rishabh Pant: EXCLUSIVE – ‘If India wants to win…’: Former World Cup winner reveals the X-factor of Rohit Sharma-led team at T20 World Cup | Cricket News

Danijones6 months ago04 mins

NEW DELHI: After BCCI unveiled the 15-member Indian team for the upcoming T20 World Cup on Tuesday, former Indian cricketer Madan Lal has named the potential game-changer in Rohit Sharma‘s side. India could dominate in the World Cup, set to be hosted in West Indies and USA between June 2 and June 29, if they can perform well in the initial overs upfront.In an exclusive chat with TimesofIndia.com, the 1983 World Cup winner hailed Rishabh Pant, dubbing him as the team’s X-factor. Lal stated, “In a word, it (Pant’s comeback) is superb. If India wants to win (the T20 World Cup), he needs to perform well. It is as simple as that. He is a class act. At the moment, he is one of the top batsmen in the world. It depends on him, what position the team gives him, and how they use him.” Having seen Shivam Dube flourish in the Indian Premier League this season, Lal has supported the selection of the Chennai Super Kings all-rounder over Rinku Singh, who has failed to make the headlines, somewhat due to limited opportunities, at Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2024.Thus, Lal stated, “I think Shivam Dube has done quite well recently. And thus, the selection is ideal for me. He is the best hitter of the ball (at the moment). And that’s why I think they have picked Dube ahead of Rinku Singh.” Despite questioning KL Rahul’s complete exclusion from the T20 World Cup squad, Lal has expressed his satisfaction with Sanju Samson‘s selection as he told TimesofIndia.com, “I am happy with Sanju Samson’s selection because he has worked quite hard. He has been very consistent. The only thing that has gone against him is that he has not had enough chances at the international level. Otherwise, look at his batting, he is quite strong. KL is also very talented, and there is no doubt about that. It (not selecting Rahul) is another mysterious case.”“The game is won on the front when the top batsmen and bowlers play well. For the bowlers, if you don’t get wickets early on and then allow opponents to score runs against you, then that haunts you all the game. The same goes with the batsmen. The first six and last three-four are very important overs. That is the position where you would have to cash in. If you are not good during that phase, you may pay the price,” opined the former all-rounder.India’s schedule for the T20 World Cup 2024 includes matches against Ireland (June 5), Pakistan (June 9), the USA (June 12), and Canada (15), all to be played in New York and Florida.

Pakistan announce 18-member squad for Ireland and England tour – India TV

Danijones6 months ago02 mins

Image Source : AP Pakistan cricket team. Pakistan have announced an 18-member squad for the forthcoming T20I series against Ireland and England. The announcement witnesses the recall of Haris Rauf alongside allrounders Salman Ali Agha and Hasan Ali. The three players were not a part of the recently concluded New Zealand series. Pacer Zaman Khan and leg-spinner Usama Mir have been left out of the squad. Both players were a part of the series against New Zealand and their exclusion leaves a very slim possibility of them making it to Pakistan’s squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024. Pakistan’s squad for the Ireland and England series: Babar Azam (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Usman Khan More to follow…………

Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli given ‘last chance’ to win World Cup: ‘Just 2-3 years more. Don’t know where they’ll be in…’ | Crickit

Danijones6 months ago06 mins

At 37 and 35 years old, the T20 World Cup 2024 may be the last chance for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to lay their hands on an ICC trophy. The two stalwarts of Indian cricket have been World Cup winners before – Rohit winning the 2007 T20WC and Kohli lifting the ODI World Cup 2011, but the two are yet to win a World Cup together. Since the 2013 Champions Trophy, Kohli and Rohit have played seven World Cups – three 50-overs and four T20s- but have been unable to win the big one. The closest they came to doing so was seven months ago, at the ODI World Cup in India, where despite putting up the performance of a lifetime, Team India lost to Australia in the final. Is this the last time we are seeing Rohit Sharma (L) and Virat Kohli playing a World Cup for India? (Getty) With the wounds of November 19 still afresh, Kohli, Rohit and their legion of fans want the Indian team to go the distance and break the 11-year-lond hoodoo. Having said that, it could well be the last World Cup Kohli and Rohit play – together or individually. The next World Cup after this is in 2026 – another T20 World Cup, followed by an ODI World Cup the following year – and while there is the Champions Trophy and the World Test Championship final in between next year, this is possibly the last throw of the World Cup dice for Rohit and Kohli to finish their careers with a World Cup. Unlock exclusive access to the latest news on India’s general elections, only on the HT App. Download Now! This is why former India batter Mohammad Kaif reckons Kohli and Rohit will be fiercely motivated to right the wrongs of the past. “Rohit Sharma knows he isn’t going to play for too long now. Just 2-3 years more. Same with Virat Kohli. So this is the last chance for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli [to win a World Cup]. They lost the World Cup final in Ahmedabad. They played as if they had the cup snatched away from them. Hearts were broken, and fans were devastated. They won 10 matches before losing the one that mattered the most. And it’s going to be similar here as well. India hardly have competition in the group stage. There are only 2 main matches – the semifinal and the final. It’s not the IPL that you’ll get 14 opportunities. Are you ready for those 2 days? That’s the biggest test for Rohit Sharma,” Kaif said on Star Sports. The suspense surrounding India’s team combination was put to rest on Tuesday when the BCCI announced the squad of 15 that will play the T20 World Cup. While Rohit’s place was nowhere in question, given that BCCI secretary Shah confirmed him as captain during a public event, there were speculations about Kohli’s future. But once he began scoring runs in the IPL for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, which has now swelled to 500 runs, it was only a matter of time before Kohli’s berth was guaranteed. Rohit, on the other hand, may not have enjoyed a blistering season like Kohli, but the former Mumbai Indians captain has scored a century to show for his form in an otherwise forgettable campaign by the five-time champions. With Kohli showing marauding form and Rohit expected to replicate his touch during the World Cup back home, neither batter would want to leave any room for error. “He is taking all the experience with him. Look at Rohit’s own form. He is playing well, giving starts in the Powerplay. I feel that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will be extra motivated. By 2026, we don’t know where they will be. But this is a chance when players are heading right after the World Cup, have been playing regularly, and are in flow and rhythm. They would want to rectify the mistake against Australia,” pointed out Kaif.

IPL 2024: Stephen Fleming hoping for a positive report from CSK medical team on Deepak Chahar | Cricket News

Danijones6 months ago07 mins

NEW DELHI: Although seamer Deepak Chahar‘s most recent injury “doesn’t look good,” Chennai Super Kings head coach Stephen Fleming expressed optimism for a positive report from the team’s medical staff ahead of the ongoing IPL’s business phase.Fleming did not provide any information regarding Chahar’s recent injury, but in just the second ball of the Punjab Kings’ chase in Chennai on Wednesday night, the 31-year-old seamer was seen pulling off his run-up.IPL ORANGE CAP | IPL PURPLE CAP | IPL POINTS TABLEAfter speaking with the physiotherapist and captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, Chahar appeared to be suffering from a hamstring injury. He did not bowl during the remainder of the match.Injuries have plagued Chahar’s career in the past few years, depriving him a berth on the Indian squad.“Yeah, the travelogue is pretty busy. There’s a lot of ins and outs. So, Deepak Chahar doesn’t look good,” said Fleming during the post-match presser.“The initial feeling wasn’t great. So, I’m hoping for a more positive report when the physio and the doctor have a look.”Due to Chahar’s injury, Gaikwad was compelled to insert Shivam Dube, who has mostly been employed as a batter this season, for one over.However, Fleming acknowledged that Dube is not fit for the role in the IPL due to the Impact Player rule after Dube went for 14 in the one over he bowled. Dube will have his opportunity under the right circumstances.“He (Dube) is ready to bowl and is working hard on it. He will play a role in the right conditions, and with the Impact Player rule, we have players who can fit the role better. Currently, his necessity to bowl is pretty much small,” the coach said.CSK suffered a seven-wicket defeat to PBKS, their second loss at home this season, managing a meagre 162 for 7, which was comfortably chased down with 13 balls to spare.Talking about the demanding wicket at Chepauk, Fleming said, “It’s difficult, and we have spoken on the unpredictability of the wickets here before. Batting first makes it difficult for us to judge as to what a good competitive score is.“We had a couple of 200s (before), which was in our minds today. But, the wicket was very sticky.“We also had a good start in the (first) six overs before things became difficult. We also tried a few lefties in the form of Dube and (Ravindra) Jadeja but we just couldn’t get anything through the middle. They bowled really well, they got good purchase and held onto it. We just got stifled through the middle, which prevented us from getting a score of 180,” he said.With a low score to defend, Fleming was impressed with the commitment and performance shown by English pacer Richard Gleeson, who made his debut last night.“Richard Gleeson was good, and it was a positive. Losing Fizz (Mustafizur Rahman) is disappointing.“Tushar (Deshpande) has a bit of flu going around as well. So, we’ve had to make a few changes, which is unusual. Again, that’s part of it, and we have got the resources,” he said.“Just they haven’t had the game time to be really comfortable with their roles and us to be comfortable with a game plan, which we’re struggling a little.”Ajinkya Rahane, the experienced opener, reached double figures despite struggling in the last four games, although he was only able to get a score of 29 off of 24 balls.“I thought he (Rahane) was good today. He’s been probably a bit too aggressive in what he wants to do,” Fleming observed.“Keep in mind, we’re batting on wickets here that we don’t know how they are gonna play. So, we got to take a bit of a pause to see what a good score is. If you are 3 for 30, the game is pretty much over.“His (Rahane) hitting that was so good last year, is more crisp. It’s not for lack of intent. He has doubled up on intent. We’re fine with Jinks and the role he plays.” (With PTI inputs)

India’s T20 World Cup Squad Press Conference Live Updates: Ajit Agarkar To Face Tough Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh Questions

Danijones6 months ago01 mins

India T20 World Cup squad selection: Rohit Sharma and Ajit Agarkar in press conference© X (Twitter) India T20 World Cup squad press conference Live Updates: Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selection committee chief Ajit Agarkar will address the media at 4:00 PM IST on Thursday in a press conference. The captain and chief selector are expected to shed light on the squad selection that the BCCI announced on Tuesday, picking the 15-member roster for the T20 World Cup 2024. Along with the 15-player list, the BCCI also named a reserve list consisting of 4 players. India T20 World Squad Selection Press Conference: Topics mentioned in this article

Today’s IPL Match: SRH vs RR Preview, Prediction, Head-to-Head, Hyderabad Pitch Report and Who Will Win?

Danijones6 months ago05 mins

Pat Cummins’ SRH will be desperate to get back on track in the Indian Premier League after losing stream in the last two matches against RCB and CSK. SRH have been found wanting in the two matches with sluggish tracks as they failed to get even close to the target in the second innings of the game. Hyderabad will hope to give them the best shot of reaching the playoffs by winning the home fixture against tough-to-beat RR side who are at the top of the table. RR are a fairly well rounded team with an exceptional bowling attack, which is expected to challenge the might of the SRH batting. Openers Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head need to get back to their best so that they can tee off Heinrich Klaasen in the middle overs of the game. RR would be buoyed by the selection of captain Sanju Samson, opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and spinner Yuzvendra Chahal in the T20 World Cup squad and would hope to take inspiration from there. Not like they need it as the side has won 8 out of their 9 matches so far. Focus will be on the SRH batters and their form, if they are able to break their slump and go about their usual ways. India’s Squad for T20 World Cup: Details SRH vs RR: Head-to-Head SRH and RR have faced 18 times in the Indian Premier League and the spoils are shared at the moment at 9-9. In recent history, RR have a narrow lead of 3-2 in the tournament and SRH would like to level that. IPL 2024 Full Coverage | IPL 2024 Points Table and Standings | 2024 IPL Full Schedule SRH vs RR: Team News Both teams do not have any injury concern at the moment and one can expect it to be a shootout between the batters. Hyderabad have lost back to back matches in sticky pitches so far, and they would like to change that trend. The best way they can do it is by preparing a flat batting track where their famed line-up can take the attack to the opposition. SRH vs RR: Pitch Report The Hyderabad pitch has helped the batters and slightly – the spinners so far. This one is expected to be a flat batting track which would help the SRH batting line-up to get things back on track once again. SRH vs RR: Predicted XI SRH Predicted XI Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Nitish Reddy, Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed, Pat Cummins (c), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat, T Natarajan. Impact Player: Mayank Markande RR Predicted XI Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson (c & wk), Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Avesh Khan, Sandeep Sharma, Yuzvendra Chahal. Impact Player: Rovman Powell Published By: Kingshuk Kusari Published On: May 2, 2024

IPL-17 | Kolkata Knight Riders look to iron out flaws against off-colour Mumbai Indians

Danijones6 months ago07 mins

Kolkata Knight Riders will look to iron out their flaws and get the better of a mis-firing Mumbai Indians when the two teams, placed on the opposite ends of IPL points table spectrum, clash here on Friday. With six wins in nine games giving them 12 points and the second position in the IPL points table, a berth in the playoffs looks within the grasp of two-time winners KKR. But the Shreyas Iyer-led side will have to find consistency across departments and avoid any slip-ups in order to make it to the final four. Each of their three losses have come in the last six games for KKR, who were at the receiving end of a record run chase by Punjab Kings but did well to bounce back with a seven-wicket thrashing of Delhi Capitals. With the bat, KKR’s requisite firepower in the ranks entwined with an ultra-aggressive approach has delivered the goods more often than not but it is their bowling which needs improvement. Mitchell Starc has given nearly 12 runs an over while managing a mere seven wickets in eight outings. On flat, batting-friendly pitches, the lanky Australian’s lack of control has also been exploited well by zealous batters. Harshit Rana is among those with most wickets (11) for KKR this season but the right-arm seamer will serve a one-match ban for his animated celebrations after dismissing DC’s Abhishek Porel. Vaibhav Arora’s nine scalps in five games make him KKR’s best bet with the ball. A small Wankhede Stadium with a batting-friendly wicket tends to encourage scores in excess of 200 and the team would be mindful of that. Spotlight will also be on Rinku Singh, whose exclusion from India’s main squad for the T20 World Cup, has triggered an outpouring of sympathy for the 26-year-old. The power-hitter has not got enough game time this season which probably tilted the scales against him. For Mumbai Indians, the race to the IPL playoffs seems lost even though the five-time winners have five more games to play. Even if Mumbai Indians win each of these, they can only get to 16 points and somewhere in the middle of the points table — not necessarily challenging those who have been consistently good. Jasprit Bumrah (14 wickets) and Gerald Coetzee (13) have been MI’s best bets with the ball but despite their impressive showing, the batters’ collective failure has resulted in the team’s underwhelming season. Tilak Varma has been MI’s best batter with 343 runs, including three fifties this IPL, but his performances have not been enough to hide the failings of others. Ishan Kishan has struck the ball well but severely lacks consistency at the top and losing wickets in heaps in the powerplay has been one of MI’s biggest woes in this season. India skipper Rohit Sharma’s (315 runs at strike rate of 158.29) selfless approach with the bat has not given him big scores consistently but his form will be in focus given the T20 World Cup is now just one month away. All eyes will also be on Suryakumar Yadav who has two fifties in seven IPL games this season, but it is not the consistency which is expected from the batter of his calibre. Mumbai Indians’ under-fire skipper Hardik Pandya has neither dazzled with the ball nor the bat after a long injury lay-off. but the fact that he finds himself in the Indian side as vice-captain for the World Cup should motivate him to turn things around. Teams (from) Mumbai Indians: Hardik Pandya (c), Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Dewald Brevis, Jasprit Bumrah, Piyush Chawla, Gerald Coetzee, Tim David, Shreyas Gopal, Ishan Kishan (wk), Anshul Kamboj, Kumar Kartikeya, Akash Madhwal, Kwena Maphaka, Mohammad Nabi, Shams Mulani, Naman Dhir, Shivalik Sharma, Romario Shepherd, Arjun Tendulkar, Nuwan Thushara, Tilak Varma, Harvik Desai (wk), Nehal Wadhera, Luke Wood. Kolkata Knight Riders: Shreyas Iyer (c), KS Bharat (wk), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Rinku Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Sherfane Rutherford, Manish Pandey, Andre Russell, Nitish Rana, Venkatesh Iyer, Anukul Roy, Ramandeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine, Vaibhav Arora, Chetan Sakariya, Harshit Rana, Suyash Sharma, Mitchell Starc, Dushmantha Chameera, Sakib Hussain, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Gus Atkinson, Allah Ghazanfar, Phil Salt. Match starts 7:30pm IST.

When and where to watch Bangladesh vs Zimbabwe on TV and online? – India TV

Danijones6 months ago03 mins

Image Source : GETTY IMAGES Bangladesh vs Zimbabwe. Bangladesh are all set to take on Zimbabwe in a five-match T20I series to give a finishing touch to their preparations for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. The first three games will be organised at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram and the series opener is slated to be played on May 3 (Friday). The Bangla Tigers have the wood over the Chevrons in the shortest format of the game. Both teams have played 20 T20Is against each other, with Bangladesh winning 13 of them and Zimbabwe clinching just seven. Hence, Bangladesh have a 65.00% win percentage against Zimbabwe in the T20Is and they are the favourites to win the forthcoming series. While for Bangladesh it is an opportunity to finalise their team combination ahead of the marquee tournament in the USA and the Caribbean, for Zimbabwe it is a chance to show the world that they were unfortunate to miss out on securing a qualification berth for the World Cup by beating the hosts. The final two T20Is will be played at the Sher-E-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, Dhaka. Where to watch the Bangladesh vs Zimbabwe T20I series online? The Bangladesh vs Zimbabwe T20I series will be streamed live on the FanCode app and website. Which channel will broadcast the Bangladesh vs Zimbabwe T20I series in India? The Bangladesh vs Zimbabwe T20I series will not be broadcast in India. Bangladesh squad for first three T20Is Najmul Hossain Shanto (captain), Litton Das, Tanzid Hasan, Towhid Hridoy, Mahmudullah, Jaker Ali, Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan, Parvez Hossain, Tanvir Islam, Afif Hossain, Mohammad Saifuddin Zimbabwe T20I squad Sikandar Raza (captain), Faraz Akram, Brian Bennett, Ryan Burl, Johnathan Campbell, Craig Ervine, Joylord Gumbie (wk), Luke Jongwe, Clive Madande (wk), Tadiwanashe Marumani, Wellington Masakadza, Blessing Muzarabani, Ainsley Ndlovu, Richard Ngarava, Sean Williams