Cricket

IPL-17: LSG vs KKR | Playoffs hopeful Lucknow Super Giants wary of dominant Kolkata Knight Riders’ all-round firepower

Danijones6 months ago07 mins

Lucknow Super Giants will have to bring their ‘A’ game forward to prevail against a dominant Kolkata Knight Riders when the two teams, marching towards IPL playoffs, clash in Lucknow on May 5. With an all-round win by 24 runs over Mumbai Indians propelling the second-placed KKR to 14 points — one more step closer to qualification — the pressure will be on KL Rahul’s LSG to find a way past the threat that Shreyas Iyer’s side poses. Lucknow Super Giants are placed just one rung below KKR at number three with 12 points from 10 matches with six wins and four defeats. With a rampant Sunrisers Hyderabad (12 points) hot on heir heels at fourth, followed by the dangerous Chennai Super Kings (10 points) and Delhi Capitals (10 points) on the points table, LSG will be under pressure to avoid getting into a mid-table battle as the race for the final-four has intensified. LSG were far from convincing in their previous assignment at Ekana Stadium here as they were made to work hard in a modest 145-run chase by Mumbai Indians, winning by just four wickets in the last over. Skipper Rahul and all-rounder Marcus Stoinis have been the key players for LSG and it remains to be seen if South Africa veteran Quinton de Kock is brought back in place of young Arshin Kulkarni, who opened the innings in the last game. Even though he has gone without a fifty since the first game, Nicholas Pooran has consistently notched up crucial scores but LSG’s overall finishing skills is under question following their struggles against Mumbai Indians. LSG seemed to have made heavy weather towards the end giving MI a real sniff by losing wickets in a flurry and completing their modest chase with some stutter. Ayush Badoni has had a subdued run in this IPL and the uncapped Indian player would be keen to shrug off the rustiness. LSG’s bowlers will also face a stern test with none of them making a real dent with individual brilliance in this IPL. LSG are also likely to be without express pacer Mayank Yadav. Having lost only three of their 11 matches so far, it has taken something out of the ordinary to stop KKR in their tracks. CSK used a spin-friendly surface to eke out a win in Chepauk, while RR’s all-round class helped them pip KKR in a high-scoring thriller. If anything, KKR’s bowling woes were exposed when Punjab Kings recorded IPL’s highest chase ever against them, but Iyer’s side has emerged strongly from that setback with two impressive wins. However, having trumped MI on a sluggish wicket which exposed their batting frailties, KKR will aim for a much improved performance with the bat. For the second time in this IPL, KKR batters struggled when the ball did not come on to the bat and they were forced to change gears in order to build a strong target. KKR slipped to 57 for five at one stage and ran the risk of being shot out for a paltry total, but Venkatesh Iyer (70) and Manish Pandey (42) came to the rescue with a fine 83-run stand. Iyer and Pandey were forced to soak pressure, curb their attacking game and look to farm the strike to build a recovery path for their side before the bowlers carried out a perfect job to secure a 24-run win. Teams (from): Lucknow Super Giants: Quinton de Kock, KL Rahul (c & wk), Deepak Hooda, Ayush Badoni, Marcus Stoinis, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Krunal Pandya, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohsin Khan, Shamar Joseph, Yash Thakur, Manimaran Siddharth, Prerak Mankad, Arshad Khan, Krishnappa Gowtham, Amit Mishra, Kyle Mayers, Ashton Turner, Matt Henry, Naveen-ul-Haq, Devdutt Padikkal, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Mayank Yadav, Arshin Kulkarni. 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.

IPL-17: PBKS vs CSK | Chennai Super Kings eye payback in second successive clash against Punjab Kings

Danijones6 months ago07 mins

Defending champions Chennai Super Kings will look to set their house in order and get back to winning ways when they face an upbeat yet unpredictable Punjab Kings for the second time in a row in the IPL in Dharamsala on May 5. Just three days back, PBKS outclassed CSK by seven wickets at Chepauk, considered their fortress. The two losses in the last three games at home have put Chennai in a spot. They are placed fifth on the table with 10 points and the five-time champions will hope the change of venue would bring a change in fortune as well with just four games to go to seal their place in the knockout stage. CSK’s failure to push the pace in the middle overs against the spin duo of Harpreet Brar and Rahul Chahar saw them post a below-par score of 162-7. Their batting has become too dependent on skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad and six-hitting machine Shivam Dube and the moment one of them fails, it puts the pressure on others who have not been consistent in bailing out the team. While Gaikwad hit his fifth 50-plus score of the season to hold it together, veteran batter Ajinkya Rahane once again failed to capitalise on the starts, while Ravindra Jadeja and Sameer Rizvi struggled against spin. CSK also has been hampered by the health and fitness concerns of their pacers, including Deepak Chahar, who limped off holding his hamstring after bowling just two balls and is likely to miss the reverse clash against PBKS. The absence of their frontline bowlers, Matheesha Pathirana (niggle) and Tushar Deshpande (flu), also didn’t help matters the other day. Add to that the dew factor which took the spinners out of the equation and PBKS romped home comfortably. While Richard Gleeson made his IPL debut in the last match, CSK might bring back Mukesh Choudhary. Punjab Kings, on the other hand, have seen a resurgence as they registered back-to-back wins to re-ignite their playoffs hopes. En route to their win over CSK, Punjab became the second team after Mumbai Indians to beat the defending champions five times in a row and they will fancy their chances. Punjab remains an unpredictable side as although it notched up wins over Gujarat in Ahmedabad, Chennai at Chepauk and also chased down a T20 record score against KKR, it has struggled at home against RR, SRH and Gujarat. With back-to-back wins, PBKS climbed to seventh spot with 8 points and will need to carry the momentum to salvage their slim hopes. Jonny Bairstow, who made a hundred against KKR, will be their go-to man, while Rilee Rossouw, Shashank Singh and Prabhsimran Singh too have to raise their hands. PBKS’ bowling department has experienced names such as Kagiso Rabada, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh and Sam Curran and they need to be consistent. Rabada was brilliant the other day but others have gone for runs. If PBKS has to repeat their performance against CSK then the spinners — Harpreet Brar and Rahul Chahar — will have to deliver once again. Interestingly, the first IPL match in Dharmasala stadium was a clash between Chennai and Punjab in 2010. The venue offers a lot of runs and dew remains a factor, making it an enticing contest. Teams Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), MS Dhoni (wk), Aravelly Avanish, Ajinkya Rahane, Shaik Rasheed, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, RS Hangargekar, Ravindra Jadeja, Ajay Jadav Mandal, Daryl Mitchell, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Nishant Sindhu, Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Mukesh Choudhary, Mustafizur Rahman, Matheesha Pathirana, Simarjeet Singh, Prashant Solanki, Shardul Thakur, Maheesh Theekshana and Sameer Rizvi. Punjab Kings: Shikhar Dhawan (c), Matthew Short, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sikandar Raza, Rishi Dhawan, Liam Livingstone, Atharva Taide, Arshdeep Singh, Nathan Ellis, Sam Curran, Kagiso Rabada, Harpreet Brar, Rahul Chahar, Harpreet Bhatia, Vidwath Kaverappa, Shivam Singh, Harshal Patel, Chris Woakes, Ashutosh Sharma, Vishwanath Pratap Singh, Shashank Singh, Tanay Thyagarajan, Prince Choudhary, Rilee Rossouw. Match starts: 3.30 PM.

IPL-17 | Hardik Pandya looks flattened, drained and under pressure: Aaron Finch

Danijones6 months ago07 mins

Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya walks off the ground during the IPL match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians, at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, Friday, May 3, 2024. | Photo Credit: PTI India vice-captain Hardik Pandya looks drained, flattened, under pressure and Mumbai Indians looks like a confused unit under him, reckons former cricketers Aaron Finch and Greame Smith as five-time champions continue to struggle in the IPL. Pandya once again walked out to loud boos around the Wankhede Stadium here on Friday during Mumbai Indians’ yet another disappointing outing, which they lost by 24 runs to Kolkata Knight Riders. Mumbai Indians had begun the contest on a positive note by snaffling five quick wickets to leave KKR reeling at 57 for five, but the visitors fought back to post 169 on the board. In reply, Mumbai crashed out for 145 in 18.5 overs despite Suryakumar Yadav’s 56. Pandya lasted only two deliveries as Mumbai’s batters once again cut a sorry figure on a two-paced track to succumb to their eighth defeat in 11 matches this season. “He just looks really flattened at the moment, he looks really drained and someone who is feeling the pressure. I feel for him; I have been in that situation myself where everything that you’re trying personally doesn’t seem to be working,” Finch was quoted as saying by Star Sports. “When the team isn’t performing as well, that is a very difficult place to be. It one thing where you’re not performing and the team is winning — that is something you’d take as a captain. You bear all responsibility as captain for the team’s performance and that is an incredibly hard place to be, particularly in this competition where it’s so brutal,” Finch added. The former Australia opener conceded Mumbai Indians should have got over the line chasing 170 at a ground considered a haven for batters. “You would expect them to chase 170 with the dew falling at the Wankhede stadium. It’s a beautiful place to bat, generally. Yes, it was a bit uncharacteristic in the way it turned a bit more two-paced than what we have seen in the past,” Finch said. South Africa’s legendary captain Graeme Smith said MI have been a ‘confused team’ under Pandya with plenty of changes being made with the personnel. “Hardik has really struggled, he’s looked like a man under pressure. That has created a little turmoil in the air, who knows how that has affected the people. But even the batting lineup, they look like they’re confused,” he said. “Tilak Varma and Naman Dhir were fighting in the middle order, Dhir was batting at No 3, and Hardik moving all over the place. They should have had Tilak at (No) 3, Sky at (No) 4, and Hardik batting at (No) 5 throughout the season, with David at (No) 6. Then, figure out your bowling units,” he said. “All over and all around, they’ve been a very confused team this season and it’s been hugely disappointing from one of the mega franchises of the IPL. A lot of people in the MI fanbase and camp will be very sore,” Smith added. Former Australia vice-captain Shane Watson was also critical of Pandya’s captaincy calls, saying MI allowed KKR back into the game by not deploying their best bowler when they were 57 for five. “To keep bowling Naman Dhir when it was so critical (KKR were at 57-5), it was a big mistake from the leadership of the Mumbai Indians, whether it was Hardik Pandya making the decisions or information coming from the sideline,” Watson told Jio Cinema. “(Jasprit) Bumrah had bowled only one over at that stage, so (they needed to) get him in the game again to try and break the partnership of Venkatesh Iyer and Manish Pandey, but they didn’t. They just let them cruise and build momentum in the partnership.” “Before you know it, they hadn’t played a shot in anger and that built the partnership to a point where it was too late when he came in. There were a lot of baffling decisions from the Mumbai Indians’ leadership, which is going to be hard to explain,” Watson added.

“Are Hardik Pandya, Tim David That Bad?”: Virender Sehwag Fumes At MI, Demands Serious Actions

Danijones6 months ago04 mins

Former India batter Virender Sehwag questioned Mumbai Indians (MI)’s tactics during the 24-run defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in their IPL 2024 match on Friday. Chasing a below-par 170, Mumbai lost wickets at regular intervals and were eventually bowled out for 145 off 18.5 overs at the Wankhede Stadium. While analysing the match, Sehwag said he was “baffled” with captain Hardik Pandya and Tim David arriving at No.7 and 8 in the lineup, respectively. Sehwag also posed a similar question for KKR after star all-rounder Andre Russell batted down the order. “KKR saved Andre Russell; he played only two balls. Mumbai Indians saved Hardik Pandya and Tim David. What did you achieve by doing that? There were many deliveries left, and they all got out. You could’ve come earlier, or maybe you could’ve finished the game earlier, too. I don’t know what happens to them when they chase… Hardik Pandya at seven and Tim David at 8. I just don’t understand what they did. Are these players that bad that they will get out if they come earlier?” Sehwag told Cricbuzz. Sehwag also slammed Hardik for batting down the order for MI, and pointed out how the all-rounder used to bat in the top order for Gujarat Titans. He added that the MI owners should take serious actions against the players and management. “Hardik Pandya batted at 4 consistently when he was the GT captain. What has happened here? It baffles me that the experienced players are coming so low. “I’m baffled by this. Management needs to take severe action on players and ask them what’s happening. Or, players should speak up about why their batting positions are changed. The captain, batting coach, bowling coach, and support staff are at fault here. Owners need to ask strict questions,” he added. Speaking on the loss, Hardik said after the game that his team failed to form any needed partnerships, and there are a lot of questions that will take time to answer, but he has not much to say at the moment. “I mean obviously in the batting inning, we couldn’t form partnerships and kept losing wickets, in T20s if you don’t form partnerships, it will cost you. Not much, there are a lot of questions that will take some time to answer but for now, not much to say,” Pandya said in a post-match presentation. Topics mentioned in this article

Venkatesh Iyer asks Mitchell Starc where was he hiding Alyssa Healy after match-winning spell vs MI

Danijones7 months ago04 mins

KKR and star Australia seamer Mitchell Starc had a phenomenal outing during Match 51 of the Indian Premier League 2024 against MI as he picked 4/33 in 3.5 overs. Notably, the 34-year-old’s spouse and Australian women’s team skipper Alyssa Healy was also present at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai as Starc picked three wickets in his last over to set up a 24-run victory for KKR. Following the match-winning spell by the most expensive player in the history of the league, Starc’s KKR teammate Venkatesh Iyer hilariously asked him where he had been hiding his lady luck all this while. The speedster replied that Healy had been at home since she had been on the road for a long time due to international commitments. “Mitch very well bowled but I have to ask you where were you hiding Alyssa Healy till now,” asked Iyer in the post-match chat posted by IPL. “She’s been at home because she’s been on the road for a while so now she’s here but she stayed till the end so hopefully that’s a good sign,” Starc replied. IPL 2024 Full Coverage | IPL 2024 Points Table and Standings | 2024 IPL Full Schedule Further speaking ahead, the left-arm seamer spoke about his plans in the finishing over where he got the prized scalp of Tim David (24 off 20) which sealed the win for his side. “I was watching a little bit of video and talking a few people and trying to change a few things. I haven’t felt like it’s been going wrong. Nice to get a few in the right areas tonight with a bit of rhythm and close out the game which is nice. The last over, obviously Timmy (Tim David) got hold of that first ball and then just tried to stay step ahead trying to get those wide yorkers in there and missed on the fuller side. I think its equal, the spinners in the middle is a fantastic spell of overs there. They just really strangled the innings in the middle and really made it a lot easy for us at the back end,” he added. In the nine matches played in the season so far, Mitchell Starc has picked 11 wickets at an average of 33 and an economy of 11.40 with best figures of 4/33. Earlier, he also registered match-winning figures of 2/25 vs DC and 3/28 vs LSG. Published By: Saurabh Kumar Published On: May 4, 2024

‘In my cricket life, MS Dhoni plays my father’s role’: Matheesha Pathirana reserves highest praise for CSK legend

Danijones7 months ago04 mins

MS Dhoni’s cricketing prowess is world-renowned, but perhaps equally remarkable is his knack for nurturing young talent. Since becoming the Indian captain for the first time in 2007, Dhoni has played a pivotal role in cultivating a rich pool of Indian cricketers, propelling the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to batting stardom, among numerous others. This talent cultivation extends seamlessly to the IPL; under Dhoni’s astute leadership, Chennai Super Kings have clinched a record 5 titles, witnessing the transformation of budding talents like Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja into world-class cricketers. Chennai Super Kings’ Matheesha Pathirana, left, celebrates a dismissal with MS Dhoni in IPL 2024(AP) But it’s not just the Indian cricketers who benefited from Dhoni’s rich presence at the CSK dressing room. Sri Lanka’s Matheesha Pathirana is among the first names in his national team’s playing XI in limited-overs formats, but MS Dhoni was among the first ones to spot him. It was at CSK where Pathirana first announced his arrival to the cricketing fraternity in 2022, eventually making his national debut the same year. Unlock exclusive access to the latest news on India’s general elections, only on the HT App. Download Now! Download Now! In an interaction with CSK on their official YouTube account, Pathirana showed his immense gratitude to Dhoni for propelling his career. Labelling him a father figure in his cricketing life, Pathirana said Dhoni has always supported him. “After my father, in my cricket life, he (Dhoni) plays my father’s role. He takes care of me, and he gives me advice on what I have to do, similar to my father’s thing when I’m at my home. I think that’s enough,” said Pathirana. “He doesn’t tell me a lot of things when I’m on the field and off the field, but he tells just small things that make a lot of difference and gives me a lot of confidence. He knows how to maintain the players. Off the field, we don’t talk much, but if I have to ask something from him, definitely I’d go to him and ask him,” Pathirana said further. Pathirana’s impact at CSK Pathirana was crucial to CSK’s success in the previous edition of the IPL, where he picked 19 wickets in 12 matches and helped the side win a record-equalling fifth title. This year, too, Pathirana has been brilliant for the side so far; in six matches, the Sri Lankan has taken 13 wickets and is in the top ten in the Purple Cap list.

Like Dad, Like Daughter: Suhana Khan’s Post On KKR Ending 12-Year Jinx Has Our Heart

Danijones7 months ago03 mins

File photo of Suhana Khan.© Instagram Suhana Khan, daughter of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) co-owner Shah Rukh Khan, was over the moon after the team won their game against the Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Wankhede Stadium on Friday. Suhana came to support KKR in the absence of his father and Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who was banned in 2012 by Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) from entering the venue. While his five-year ban was lifted by the MCA in 2015, Shah Rukh Khan was nowhere to be seen on Friday. Nonetheless, KKR registered a memorable win over MI by 24 runs, ending a 12-year wait for a victory over the hosts at the Wankhede Stadium. Taking to Instagram, an elated Suhana posted a story after KKR’s win. She shared a few hearts with the Wankhede big screen showing, “KKR win by 24 runs.” Her post has gone viral on social media. Coming back to the match, Venkatesh Iyer’s brilliant fighting half-century topped a similar effort by Suryakumar Yadav as Mitchell Star’s four-fer helped KKR beat MI by 24 runs. In a match dominated by the bowlers, Iyer rescued KKR from a precarious 57/5 by scoring a valiant 52-ball 70 to help them reach a lowly 169. KKR’s spin twins, Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy, then claimed identical hauls of 4-22 in their four overs each to reduce Mumbai Indians to 61/4. MI were soon down to 71/6 before Suryakumar Yadav launched a valiant rescue attempt, hauling them to 120 in the company of Tim David before Andre Russell (2-30) and Mitchell Starc shared five wickets between them to end Mumbai Indians’ fightback. Starc claimed three wickets in the 19th over, two of them off successive deliveries as MI were bowled out for 145. KKR consolidated their second spot in the IPL 2024 points table, while MI are all but out after suffering their eighth loss in 11 matches. (With IANS Inputs) Topics mentioned in this article

Will rain wash away Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Gujarat Titans IPL 2024 clash? – India TV

Danijones7 months ago03 mins

Image Source : PTI RCB vs GT. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) meet Gujarat Titans (GT) in the 52nd fixture of the Indian Premier League (IPL) season 17 on Saturday (May 4) with hopes to remain alive in the race to the playoffs. RCB are reeling at the bottom of the points table but have form on their side. They are on a two-game winning streak and got better of Titans in the previous meeting by nine wickets. Hence, RCB would want to make the most out of the winning momentum and make it three out of three. The inclusion of Will Jacks worked wonders for RCB in the game against Titans. The English player smashed an unbeaten hundred with the help of five fours and 10 sixes to help RCB make mincemeat of the Shubman Gill-led side. However, RCB’s intention can be marred by the ongoing spell of rain in Bengaluru. The city was experiencing a heat wave a few days ago and the sudden precipitation has brought relief to its people. RCB vs GT Weather Report As per Weather.com, there is a seven percent chance of thunderstorms in Bengaluru till the afternoon. However, to the delight of fans, the chances of drizzle are likely to drop down to 1-2% in the evening during the game. Hence, the chances of a result are on the higher side. Royal Challengers Bengaluru IPL 2024 squad: Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis (c), Will Jacks, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Swapnil Singh, Karn Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, Yash Dayal, Anuj Rawat, Mahipal Lomror, Himanshu Sharma, Akash Deep, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Lockie Ferguson, Suyash Prabhudessai, Reece Topley, Tom Curran, Mayank Dagar, Alzarri Joseph, Manoj Bhandage, Saurav Chauhan, Rajan Kumar Gujarat Titans IPL 2024 squad: Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Shubman Gill (c), Sai Sudharsan, David Miller, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rahul Tewatia, Shahrukh Khan, Rashid Khan, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Noor Ahmad, Mohit Sharma, Sandeep Warrier, Sharath BR, Vijay Shankar, Manav Suthar, Darshan Nalkande, Matthew Wade, Umesh Yadav, Kane Williamson, Jayant Yadav, Abhinav Manohar, Joshua Little, Kartik Tyagi, Spencer Johnson, Sushant Mishra

Gautam Gambhir’s Left Fuming As Rinku Singh Fails In 1st Match After T20 World Cup Snub. Video

Danijones7 months ago03 mins

Rinku Singh scored just nine runs in eight balls, despite a promising start.© X (Twitter) Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batter Rinku Singh failed to impress on his first outing after being left out of India’s 15-man T20 World Cup squad. Rinku’s exclusion from the team has sparked a debate with fans and experts suggesting that the explosive batter should’ve been part of the 15-man squad. Rinku is one of the four travelling reserves for the tournament in the West Indies and USA. The 26-year-old, however, had a horror outing in his first IPL match after the unfortunate T20 World Cup snub. On Friday, during KKR’s game against the Mumbai Indians (MI), Rinku scored just nine runs in eight balls, despite a promising start where he hit Hardik Pandya for two boundaries. However, he was dismissed by Piyush Chawla in the veteran’s first ball of the match. Chawla deceived the youngster with a wrong’un, with Rinku chipping the ball straight back to him. Rinku’s dismissal, however, left KKR mentor Gautam Gambhir visibly frustrated in the dug out. Watch: Rinku Singh’s dismissal leaves Gautam Gambhir fuming https://t.co/r3JFmqLhmO — VEDANT BLANCO (@MrTrequartista7) May 4, 2024 Coming back to the match, Mitchell Starc picked up four wickets as a disciplined bowling performance helped KKR beat MI for the first time in 12 years at the Wankhede Stadium. Chasing a below-par 170, Mumbai lost wickets at regular intervals to be bowled out for 145 off 18.5 overs at the Wankhede Stadium. Suryakumar Yadav raised hopes with a 35-ball 56 but his dismissal in the 16th over tilted the scales in favour of Kolkata. Earlier, Kolkata lost five quick wickets including that of the prolific Phil Salt (five) and skipper Shreyas Iyer (six) after being put in to bat. Tottering at 57-5, Venkatesh Iyer (70) and impact sub Manish Pandey (42) steadied Kolkata with an 83-run stand and ensured a respectable total on the board. Iyer, who hit a century at the same ground last season, hit three sixes and six fours in his fighting 52-ball knock. (With AFP Inputs) Topics mentioned in this article

T20 cricket is here to stay and will take the game forward: Sourav Ganguly | Cricket News

Danijones7 months ago03 mins

NEW DELHI: T20 cricket, according to former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly, is a vital component of the game and has the potential to advance it. Ganguly believes that the game’s shortened version will always exist and continue to be an important part of the sport.In addition, he gave the T20 format a due and discussed why it has grown in significance in cricket.Ganguly said these things on Friday in Kolkata at the Bengal Pro T20 League trophy unveiling.In Kolkata, the Bengal Pro T20 League trophy was unveiled in the presence of Sourav Ganguly, Jhulan Goswami, the former Indian women’s cricket player, and Snehasish Ganguly, the president of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB).“It is a great introduction to the game. Change is inevitable in everything. Many of us who started playing 2-day cricket and 4-day cricket will have to accept that T20 cricket is here to stay and it is something that will take the game forward,” Ganguly said during the event.The official franchise-based premier T20 cricket competition of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) is called the Bengal Pro T20 competition.Speaking about the same to the media, Ganguly said, “It’s (T20 Leagues) happening in every state. We are probably 5-6 years late on this. Any way of playing the sport will always be very helpful. T20 is an important part of cricket these days and this will be a huge opportunity for everyone to perform.”The inaugural edition of the Bengal Pro T20 League is set to kick off from June 11, 2024, in Kolkata as 8 teams get to ready showcase their talent on the big stage. (With IANS inputs)