Danijones

Eight IPL players named in Afghanistan T20 World Cup squad

Danijones6 months ago03 mins

Gujarat Titans Rashid Khan trying to catch a ball during the Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty-20 cricket match between Delhi Capitals and Gujarat Titans at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. | Photo Credit: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR Eight players featuring in the ongoing Indian Premier League have been named in the 15-member Afghanistan T20 World Cup squad to be led by star all-rounder Rashid Khan. Hashmatullah Shahidi, who captained Afghanistan at the 2023 ODI World Cup, has been left out of the squad named by the Afghanistan Cricket Board. Left-handed opener Hazratullah Zazai, Sediqullah Atal and Mohammad Saleem Safi have been named as travelling reserves for the marquee event to be played in the USA and the Caribbean from June 2. Rashid, Azmatullah Omarzai, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen Ul Haq, Mohammad Nabi, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Gulbadin Naib are the Afghan players currently playing in the IPL. The squad has only four batters in wicketkeeper Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Najibullah Zadran and back-up keeper Mohammad Ishaq. But, six all-rounders have been named to make up for the lesser number of specialist batters. Apart from Rashid, the other all-rounders are Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat and Nangeyalia Kharote. Mujeeb-ur-Rahman and Noor are the other spinners along with Rashid, Nabi, Kharote. Right-arm fast bowler Naveen-ul-Haq, left-armers Fazalhaq Farooqi and Fareed Ahmad will man the pace department, along with the all-rounders. Janat, Ishaq and Noor have been after missing the 2022 T20 World Cup. Afghanistan are in Group C in the 20-team tournament, along with New Zealand, co-hosts West Indies, Uganda and Papua New Guinea. They play their first match against Uganda on June 3 at Providence. The squad: Rashid Khan (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Azmatullah Omarzai, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Ishaq, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Nangyal Kharoti, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad Malik. Reserves: Sediqullah Atal, Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Saleem Safi.

Hardik Pandya fined ₹24 lakh after team’s second slow over-rate offence

Danijones6 months ago02 mins

Mumbai Indians’ Hardik Pandya bowls during the Indian Premier League (IPL) match between Lucknow Super Giants and Mumbai Indians, at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, in Lucknow on April 30, 2024. | Photo Credit: PTI Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya has been fined ₹24 lakh after his team’s second slow over-rate offence in the Indian Premier League during their match against Lucknow Super Giants in Lucknow. All the other players, including the Impact Player, were each individually fined either ₹6 lakh or 25% of their respective match fees, whichever is lesser. MI lost the match by four wickets at the Ekana Stadium on April 30. “Mr. Hardik Pandya, Captain, Mumbai Indians has been fined after his team maintained a slow over-rate during Match 48 of the TATA Indian Premier League [IPL] 2024 against Lucknow Super Giants on April 30, 2024,” the IPL said in a statement. “As it was his team’s second offence of the season under the IPL’s Code of Conduct relating to minimum over-rate offences, Pandya was fined INR 24 Lac,” it said adding, “The rest of the members of the Playing XI, including the Impact Player, were each individually fined either INR 6 Lac or 25% of their respective match fees, whichever is lesser.”

Hardik Pandya blames top-order collapse for defeat against Lucknow Super Giants | Cricket News

Danijones6 months ago03 mins

NEW DELHI: As Mumbai Indians succumbed to their seventh defeat of the season, this time against Lucknow Super Giants, skipper Hardik Pandya said loss of early wickets led to their down fall at the Ekana. After being put in to bat by KL Rahul, MI found themselves tottering at 28 for four after powerplay with pacers Mohsin Khan, Marcus Stoinis and Naveen-ul-Haq doing the early damage. Rohit Sharma (4), Suryakumar Yadav (10), Tilak Varma (7) and Hardik (0) all fell cheaply as Ishan Kishan (32) and Nehal Wadhera (46) and Tim David (35) somehow took them to a par total.Hardik said loss of wickets in a cluster in powerplay hurt them badly and they were never able to fully recover from that. “Definitely, losing early wickets in the powerplay is tough to recover from. Where we needed the most, we could not do well,” Hardik said in the post-match presentation. On being asked if high scores this season have put more pressure on the batters early, Hardik said, “Not really, you still have to see the ball and hit. The wicket was good. The ball was there to be hit and we just missed, that sort of season for us so far. I have always believed that whenever you take to the field, sometimes you will be down, sometimes you will be up, and you have to fight. It looks difficult but there are a lot of things you can learn from this game.”Amid MI’s freefall against LSG, Wadhera stood out, notching up a solid 41-ball 46 and Hardik was quick in praising the responsible effort from the youngster. “He has been fantastic, the way he batted against Rajasthan and tonight. He did fantastic last year as well. It was because of the team combination that he could not play early. Looking at his talent, he will play for a lot of years for Mumbai and for India eventually,” Hardik added. With 7 losses in 10 matches, MI are at the ninth spot. A victory on the other hand, lifted Lucknow to third spot.

‘I was surprised by the selection of…’: Former Australian captain on India’s T20 World Cup squad | Cricket News

Danijones6 months ago03 mins

NEW DELHI: Former Australian captain Aaron Finch conveyed his “surprise” regarding the composition of the Indian squad announced by the BCCI for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.The squad includes four spinners: Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Kuldeep Yadav, among the 15 selected players set to represent India in the tournament taking place in the West Indies and USA from June 1 to 29.Sharing his thoughts, Finch said, “I was surprised by the four spinners as well. I had Rinku in there and only two spinners.”“In my initial squad, I had the extra quick because I think, because of the inconsistency that we have seen with everyone bar Jasprit Bumrah with the ball, especially in the powerplay, I wanted the extra cover of that quick. And if they want to play three spinners in the game, one of them has to be prepared to bowl in the powerplay, and I don’t see any of those guys doing it consistently, so I think they’ve backed themselves into a corner slightly,” Finch told Star Sports.However, former West Indies cricketer Ian Bishop expressed his approval of the selection, noting the potential behavior of pitches in the West Indies and the USA during the T20 World Cup.Bishop remarked that having four spinners in the squad could be considered a luxury rather than a necessity, indicating their adaptability to varying pitch conditions.“I guess spin will play a part in the tournament. The only concern I have is that the pitches for the World Cup may be slightly different from the ones we have seen in bilateral series or domestic tournaments. So I think it’s a luxury to have four spinners rather than it being a necessity.”(With IANS inputs)

Vindhya Vishakha of Hyderabad, makes news as the Telugu IPL presenter

Danijones6 months ago09 mins

It is the summer of 2024, and Vindhya Vishakha Medapati is back on the small screen for the ongoing star-studded Indian Premier League (IPL). Glamorous and spontaneous, Vindhya, one of the Telugu presenters — actor Nandu and anchor Ravi being the other two — has a way with words and numbers for Star Sports channel. A VJ, model and television entertainment host, Vindhya has created a space for herself in the niche cricket circuit. Vindhya Vishakha during the cricket World Cup 2023 | Photo Credit: Special arrangement “IPL 2024 is my seventh edition,” says Vindhya, who was the first female Telugu sports presenter for IPL in 2018. She adds that a presenter is a bridge between expert commentators and a cricket viewer. While experts (former cricketers) discuss strategies, technicalities and intricacies of the players’ game/team, a presenter tries to see a match through the viewers’ eyes, asking questions and clarifying doubts. Their interaction with stars coming to the television studios increases the excitement and boosts audience engagement. Presenter for Pro-kabaddi Presenter with Pro-Kabaddi | Photo Credit: Special arrangement Born and brought up in Hyderabad, Vindhya, an English literature student from Kasturba Gandhi Degree and PG College for Women was an extrovert with no stage fright. Her television stint started in her college days, as a news presenter on HMTV in 2011, and grew to become a host, for entertainment, and game shows/programmes for Star Maa, TV9, Zee Telugu and ETV. Having played for the Darling Devils team in Kevv Kabaddi (kabaddi game show) on Gemini, she made her debut as a sports presenter for Pro-kabaddi (KBD Live Season 5) in 2017 for Star Sports (Telugu). When Star Sports acquired the broadcasting rights of IPL and was looking for a Telugu sports presenter, Vindhya was not confident as cricket was a game she had only watched and cheered. She still went ahead to audition for the role with a ‘it is just an audition, not a real presentation’ attitude; being selected was a pleasant surprise to her. Literature student Vindhya Vishakha with Ravi Shastri | Photo Credit: Special arrangement Though a fan of the now-defunct Deccan Chargers franchise, she never thought of becoming a presenter, it was her cricket enthusiast husband Vishal, who was her huge support. Recalling their initial days of marriage, she says with a laugh, “Sometimes I used to see him watch a cricket test match at 2am and would jokingly say, ‘I am going to divorce you if you watch like this’ but when I got the IPL show offer, it was his turn to tease me and say, ‘God is there, I’m so happy he’s putting you in the right place.” Style of presentation Memorable moment… Vindhya Vishakha with David Beckham | Photo Credit: Special arrangement She has come a long way from being nervous and doing homework before a presentation. Having watched sports presenters Mandira Bedi and Mayanti Langer, Vishakha created her unique style. Interacting with experts and sports presenters of English, Hindi, Kannada and Tamil channels during breaks, watching a game with others and making notes have all been part of her learning experience. Focus on statistics with actor Nani | Photo Credit: Special arrangement Her talk points, questions to experts and presentation style evolved over the years. The experience of presenting the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2023 and the Asia Cup and interacting with Vivian Richards, Sachin Tedulkar and David Beckham have been feathers in her cap. “ . Earlier I would read up about batsmen’s and bowlers’ techniques. Now, I know the sport, get the statistics right and read the docket to remember the key contest between two teams. .” Spreading Telugu flavour IPL commentary team | Photo Credit: Special arrangement Presenting comfortably in Telugu is an added advantage. “My mother says, maa ammayi ki emochhina raaka poyina, Telugu maatram spashtam ga ravali ( whether my daughter gets anything or not, she should get the Telugu correctly).” Catching up with commentator Harsha Bhogle (“Harsha loves talking to me because I speak a lot of Telugu with him”) or her video with DK (Dinesh Karthik during the 2023 World Cup) in Telugu or recently teaching a few Telugu words to MS Dhoni (Chennai Super Kings) to teach his daughter makes not just her mother but Telugu cricket fans too quite happy. On the personal front, dealing with her father’s illness (chronic kidney issue) has been stressful. “Initially, I couldn’t balance work and personal life and used to cry. I was depressed for six months but have accepted the situation now. I greatly respect my father, a farmer, who never rests. Even after dialysis, when he goes home to Ghatkeskar, he first goes to his dairy to tend to his cows and buffaloes.” Next goal Making a mark | Photo Credit: Special arrangement Exploring possibilities to grow to the fullest has been her dictum for life. While she balances sports presentations with pre-release events, trailer launches and corporate events, Vindhya hopes to be an entrepreneur. Finally, who does she think will win IPL 2024? “SunRisers Hyderabad; not only because I am a huge fan but the team is looking great,” she says with a laugh, , “If you see the IPL history, the trophy went to the Hyderabad team when it had an Australian captain – (Adam Gilchrist/ Deccan Chargers (2009) and David Warner/SunRisers Hyderabad (2016). This time, we have Pat Cummins, an Australian captain for the SunRisers team.”

IPL 2024: Jasprit Bumrah clone with RCB? 2022 video of Bengaluru net bowler goes viral

Danijones6 months ago03 mins

In a viral video on social media, RCB net bowler Mahesh Kumar gained some attention due to the uncanny similarity in his bowling action to that of experienced MI pacer, Jasprit Bumrah. The video, which is originally from Mahesh’s stint in a similar role for another Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise, GT back in IPL 2022, where he can be seen delivering a Bumrah-esque deliveries during their nets session. While Bumrah’s bowling brilliance has seen him become one of the leading pace-bowling figures in the history of IPL, the uniqueness in his bowling action has continued to be a factor of praise directed towards the 30-year-old. The video has seen many fans showing eagerness for Mahesh’s bowling abilities, with many even wanting to see the pacer appear for RCB in IPL 2024. RCB have not had the best of times when it has come to their bowling in the ongoing season of the competition, which is the basis of those claims from RCB’s massive fanbase. On the other hand, Bumrah has been in scintillating form this season, which has seen him become the current holder of the purple cap with his 14 wickets in 9 matches for MI so far. Tell me you’ve replicated Bumrah with AI. Gazab similarities. ðäï — Front Foot (@frontXfoot1) April 29, 2024 RCB IN IPL 2024 RCB were under a lot of criticism after their dismal start in IPL 2024, which saw them win only 1 out of their first 8 matches in the competition. However, the Faf du Plessis-led side has managed to regain some winning form in their last two games, after registering some emphatic victories against an in-form SRH, followed by their recent one against GT on April 28. IPL 2024 Full Coverage | IPL 2024 Points Table and Standings | 2024 IPL Full Schedule Tackling their bowling woes, brilliant batting has been the saviour for RCB, and they will be looking to continue on the winning track when they face the same opponent in GT on May 4. Published By: Debodinna Chakraborty Published On: Apr 30, 2024

LSG speedster declared fit, expected return date revealed – India TV

Danijones6 months ago02 mins

Image Source : BCCI/IPL Mayank Yadav. Lucknow Super Giants fast bowler is set to make a return to the team as he has reportedly passed fitness tests ahead of LSG’s game against Mumbai Indians on April 30. Pace merchant Mayank Yadav has been on the sidelines ever since his third game in the Indian Premier League 2024 against Gujarat Titans on April 7. Mayank impressed everyone since making his IPL debut in LSG’s match against Punjab Kings. The speedster has clocked speeds in north of 150 Kmphs consistently barring the one over against Gujarat Titans where he picked up an injury. The fans are waiting in anticipation for Mayank to make a return. Now as per a report in ESPNCricinfo, Mayank has cleared all the fitness tests ahead of the team’s next game against Mumbai Indians at the Ekana Cricket Stadium on Tuesday, April 30. He is expected to make his return for the fixture against MI. Mayank’s availability will offer LSG a chance to set up their overseas combination. Matt Henry is likely to make way for the 21-year-old speedster. More to follow…

Pakistan propose three venues to ICC for 2025 Champions Trophy: Report | Cricket

Danijones6 months ago05 mins

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has reportedly proposed three venues that can host the 2025 Champions Trophy. The PCB sent the proposal with the finalised venues after the International Cricket Council (ICC), sent a team to conduct recces. Pakistan are the defending champions of the Champions Trophy(Getty Images) According to ESPNCricinfo, Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi are the three cities named in the PCB’s proposal. The board has been racing against time to upgrade the venues with the Champions Trophy expected to be held in the mid-February window. The last edition of the tournament was held in 2017 where Pakistan stunned India in the final to win the title. This was initially thought to be the last edition of the tournament but the ICC brought it back in 2022 for the 2023-27 cycle with Pakistan being awarded the hosting rights for the 2025 edition. HT launches Crick-it, a one stop destination to catch Cricket, anytime, anywhere. Explore now! “We’ve sent the schedule for the matches in Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi said at a press conference in Lahore. “The ICC’s security team came and we had a very good meeting. They looked at arrangements here and we’ll also share stadium upgrade plans with them. We’re continuously in touch with the ICC. We are trying to ensure we host a very good tournament in Pakistan.” Question over India’s participation The biggest question continues to be whether India would agree to send a team to Pakistan for the tournament. India had refused to send a team to Pakistan last year for the Asia Cup. The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) eventually adopted a hybrid model for the event with all of India’s games and a vast majority of matches overall ending up being played in Sri Lanka. The two sides have met a number of times recently in multi-nation tournaments and this has led to calls from former cricketers for India and Pakistan to play a Test series on neutral soil. India captain Rohit Sharma recently said that he would love to face Pakistan in red ball cricket. “They are a good team, superb bowling line-up, good contest. Especially if you play in overseas conditions, that will be awesome,” said the 36-year-old. “I would love to. It would be a great contest between two sides… so why not?” Rohit had said in a podcast on Youtube. IPL 2024 ABOUT THE AUTHOR At HT Sports Desk, passionate reporters work round the clock to provide detailed updates from the world of sports. Expect nuanced match reports, previews,reviews, technical analysis based on statistics, the latest social media trends, expert opinions on cricket, football, tennis, badminton, hockey,motorsports, wrestling, boxing, shooting, athletics and much more. …view detail News / Cricket News / Pakistan propose three venues to ICC for 2025 Champions Trophy: Report

CSK vs SRH, IPL 2024: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Tushar Deshpande Guide Chennai Super Kings To Easy Win

Danijones6 months ago07 mins

Skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad’s belligerent 98 was complemented by a clinical bowling display, led by pacer Tushar Deshpande, as Chennai Super Kings defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by 78 runs in the Indian Premier League in Chennai on Sunday. Invited to bat, Gaikwad’s valiant 54-ball knock was the driving force which propelled CSK to an imposing 212 for three. He was ably supported by Daryl Mitchell, who returned to form with a crucial 32-ball 52 before Shivam Dube’s 20-ball 39 not out took CSK past the 200 mark. In response, SRH’s ultra-cautious batting approach backfired again as they couldn’t recover from Deshpande’s (4/27 in 3 overs) three-wicket burst with the new ball and the middle-overs squeeze to be all out for 134 in 18.5 overs as CSK snapped their two-game losing streak. Following the win, CSK moved to the third spot with 10 points, same as Kolkata Knight Riders, Lucknow Super Giants and Delhi Capitals. SRH, who are also on 10 points, slipped to fourth after their fourth loss. Chasing 213 to win, Travis Head (13) and Abhishek Sharma (15) made rapid starts but Deshpande got rid of the former with a slower wide ball and then returned to remove impact sub Anmolpreet Singh with an outswinger on the stumps as the batter went for a golden duck. Abhishek was next caught at deep point as Deshpande broke their back, leaving SRH at 40 for 3 in the fourth over. Nitish Reddy (15) and Aiden Markram (32) tried to steady the ship but Ravindra Jadeja bamboozled the former with a bouncer, while Matheesha Pathirana produced a superb yorker to uproot the middle stump of the South African. At 85-5 in 10.5 overs, Heinrich Klaasen and Abdul Samad joined hands but runs were tough to come by as the bowlers executed their plans to perfectly. While Jadeja completed a superb spell of 4-0-22-1, Shardul Thakur kept bowling at wide outside off to frustrate the batters as CSK conceded just two boundaries in nine overs after the powerplay. With an improbable 104 needed off 30 balls, Klaasen, Samad, Pat Cummins and Shahbaz Ahmed all holed out as Mitchell claimed five catches in the outfield during the match. Earlier, Gaikwad missed out on a successive hundred by a whisker but his 107-run stand with Mitchell was the cornerstone of CSK’s innings. It is CSK’s 35th 200-plus total, the most by any side in T20 cricket. Gaikwad was the star of the CSK batting as he hit 10 fours and three sixes in his innings. Opening the innings, Ajinkya Rahane (9) perished early again with Bhuvneshwar Kumar earning his prized wicket in the third over but Gaikwad kept CSK going. The skipper did not back down and attacked the bowlers at will as the hosts ended the powerplay at 50 for one. In no time, the 27-year-old Gaikwad brought up his 17th IPL half-century off just 27 deliveries. Gaikwad and Mitchell batted sensibly as they managed to keep the boundaries coming, with the latter chipping in periodically too after a slow start (12 off 11). With dew setting in the 12th over, the batting duo tried to take advantage of it as Mitchell soon brought up his maiden IPL 50 off 29 deliveries in the 13th over. But the New Zealander failed to get going for too long and perished in the following over to Jaydev Unadkat after depositing a full-toss into the hands of Nitish Kumar Reddy in the deep mid-wicket. In-form Shivam Dube then joined Gaikwad and the two decided to up the ante. SRH skipper Pat Cummins was targeted by the batters, having been dispatched for 49 in his four overs. Gaikwad looked set to back-to-back tons but the heat and humidity of Chennai seemed to affect him as his vigil ended with a tired-looking shot as T Natarajan sent him back in the final over. Crowd-favourite MS Dhoni scored five off two deliveries that included a four, while Dube deposited a full toss in the stands as the final four overs yielded 53 runs. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.) Topics mentioned in this article

India Beat Bangladesh By 44 runs In First Women’s T20I

Danijones6 months ago06 mins

Pace duo of Renuka Singh and Pooja Vastrakar shared five wickets as India produced a clinical bowling display to outclass Bangladesh by 44 runs in the opening women’s T20I on Sunday. Opting to bat, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and Yastika Bhatia provided solidity in the middle order but India missed the late flourish to manage 145 for seven. The hosts must have fancied their chances of chasing down the total but Indian bowlers led by Renuka delivered the goods to limit Bangladesh to 101 for 8. Skipper Nigar Sultana waged a lonely battle with a 51 off 48 but didn’t get any support from the other end. For India, Renuka was the leader of the bowling unit as she trapped Dilara Akter (4) in her third ball before cleaning up Sobhana Mostary (6) in 5th over. Experienced spinner Deepti Sharma then removed Murshida Khatun (13) LBW, while Vastrakar rapped Fahima Khatun (1) on the pads in 7th over to leave the hosts at 30 for 4. Radha Yadav too tossed one up to deceive Shorna Akter (11), while Renuka returned to get rid of Rabeya Khan (2). Shreyanka Patil too joined the party, sending back Nahida Akter (9), before Sultana fell to Vastrakar in the final over. Earlier, charismatic opener Smriti Mandhana departed for just nine runs but Shafali Verma put up a gritty display to score a 22-ball 31. Bhatia (36 off 29 balls) and Harmappreet (30 off 22) then came up with a 45-run partnership, as India batters overcame the challenges on a slow wicket. Bangladesh leg-spinner Rabeya Khan was the most successful bowler for the hosts, returning figures of 3/23 in four overs. Mandhana started in right earnest dispatching Sultan Khatun’s consecutive deliveries in the second over to the ropes. The India vice-captain first danced down the track to heave the ball over the extra cover fielder before swatting a short-pitched delivery through the square leg region. But Mandhana’s stay was cut short as she tried to play a Fariha Trisna (1/23) ball across the line, only to find a thick inside edge uprooting her leg stump. That blow kept the Indian batters silent for a good one over before Shafali declared her intention by heaving a tossed up delivery over the long on fence for a big six off Khatun. Shafali and Yastika continued to score at a reasonable rate, picking up loose deliveries from Fariha and Nahida Akter to hit boundaries. But Shafali departed in the ninth over, trying to play a Rabeya Khan delivery across the line only to end up giving an easy catch to Fahima at extra cover. With Harmanpreet joining Yastika at the crease, runs came freely. She chose Rabiya for special treatment in the 11th over, scoring 13 runs with the help of two boundaries. Yastika too showed superb technique and timing, playing some exquisite boundaries off left-arm pacer Fariha Trisna in the 13th over as India crossed the 100-run mark. But both the well-set batters departed in quick succession, with Harmanpreet declared plumb leg-before in front off a Fahima delivery in the 14th over and Rabeya getting the prized wicket of Yastika, caught in the point region by Sultana. Earlier, Harmanpreet won the toss and elected to bat. The five-match T20I series is a dress rehearsal for the upcoming T20I World Cup slated in Bangladesh later this year. (This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Topics mentioned in this article