Cricket

Premier League: Arsenal’s Title Bid Rocked By Aston Villa Loss

Danijones7 months ago07 mins

Arsenal’s Premier League title hopes suffered a massive blow as Aston Villa struck twice in the closing stages to boost their top four bid with a dramatic 2-0 win at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday. Mikel Arteta’s side would have gone back to the top of the table with a victory, but instead they surrendered the initiative to Manchester City after conceding two goals in the last six minutes. Leon Bailey put the visitors ahead and Ollie Watkins doubled their lead as Villa boss Unai Emery enjoyed a second sweet win this season over the club that sacked him in 2019. Arsenal’s first defeat in 12 league games leaves them in second place, two points behind City, while third placed Liverpool are behind Arsenal on goal difference. With just six games left, champions City are closing in on an unprecedented fourth successive Premier League crown. City’s rout of Luton on Saturday had knocked Arsenal out of first place. But the Gunners should have been on a high after Liverpool suffered a shock 1-0 defeat against Crystal Palace just half an hour before kick-off in north London. Instead, Arsenal produced a spluttering display that could prove fatal to their challenge for a first English title in 20 years. It has been a dispiriting week for the Gunners, who were held to a 2-2 draw by Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals on Tuesday, setting up a tricky trip to Germany for the second leg on Wednesday. After blowing an eight-point lead in the title race last season, Arsenal are in danger of squandering the advantage yet again. Villa had moved up to fourth place without kicking a ball after Tottenham’s thrashing at Newcastle on Saturday dropped them below Emery’s men on goal difference. And Villa’s second win in six league games moved them three points clear of Tottenham, who have a game in hand in the race to qualify for the Champions League via a top four finish. Arsenal had started brightly and Kai Havertz’s low drive was palmed away by Emiliano Martinez before Gabriel Jesus headed into the side-netting from Bukayo Saka’s cross. Accelerating onto Martin Odegaard’s pin-point pass, Saka took aim from inside the area, but couldn’t test Martinez from an acute angle. Watkins should have put obdurate Villa ahead when he was allowed to break into the Arsenal area unimpeded for a low strike that cannoned back off the post and ricocheted along the goalline to safety. Just seconds later, Arsenal were repelled by Martinez’s superb reflex save after Leandro Trossard met Jesus’s cross with a close-range shot that appeared destined for the net until the Argentine keeper stuck out a foot to block it. As Arsenal’s pressure mounted, Saka curled narrowly past the far post from 12 yards. But superbly-organised Villa remained resolute, reaching half-time on level terms before Youri Tielemans was inches away from giving them the lead on the hour. Robbing the careless Zinchenko 20 yards from goal, Tielemans unleashed a blistering shot that hit the bar, then bounced onto the post before cannoning to safety. Martinez pushed away Jesus’s shot from the edge of the area, but Arsenal were labouring to unlock a Villa defence expertly marshalled by Diego Carlos. The Emirates crowd grew increasingly frustrated as Villa pushed Arsenal back in the closing stages. And their fears were confirmed in the 84th minute when Emery’s men snatched the lead. Lucas Digne’s low cross eluded Arsenal defenders William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes, leaving Bailey with the simple task of slotting into the empty net from close-range. Two minutes and 26 seconds later, Watkins delivered the knockout blow, stealing the ball from Emile Smith-Rowe and clipping a delicate finish past David Raya for his 10th goal in his last 11 league games. Emery celebrated with a jubilant jig on the touchline, while Arteta stood ashen-faced as Arsenal faced up to a catastrophic loss. (This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Topics mentioned in this article

IPL 2024 Points Table, Orange Cap, Purple Cap: Chennai Super Kings’ Win Over Mumbai Indians Benefits Punjab Kings

Danijones7 months ago03 mins

IPL 2024: CSK beat MI by 20 runs on Sunday.© BCCI Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana’s best IPL figures overshadowed Rohit Sharma’s fighting century as Chennai Super Kings defeated Mumbai Indians by 20 runs in the match at Wankhede Stadium on Sunday. Despite Rohit’s heroic unbeaten century, Mumbai remained well short of the target set by Chennai. Pathirana dismissed Ishan Kishan (23), Suryakumar Yadav (0), Tilak Varma (31) and Romario Shepherd (1) to register figures of 4 for 28. MI were restricted to 186 for 6 in response of CSK’s 206 for 4. The result of the game saw only one change in the points table with MI slipping to number 8 and Punjab Kings rising to the 7th spot. Earlier in the day, Kolkata Knight Riders had defeated Lucknow Super Giants by 8 wickets. CSK, despite the win on Sunday, remained at the third spot. Meanwhile, KKR held the second position with as many points as CSK but with a better net run rate. Check IPL 2024 Points Table here: Virat Kohli remained at the top of the run-scorers chart with 319 runs from 6 games, while Yuzvendra Chahal led the wicket-takers’ list with 11 wickets from 6 matches. Top run-scorers: Leading wicket-takers: After leading CSK to win over MI on Sunday, Matheesha Pathirana bagged the Player of the Match award. “When we were bowling in the powerplay, I was pretty nervous. I was told to keep it calm and do my thing, that gave me the confidence today. I don’t think too much about results, just concerned with my execution. If I execute, I will get my rewards. Sometimes I have to change my plans depending on the batters. I was struggling with a bit of a niggle two weeks ago, but the support staff all backed me and that’s been the main reason for my form,” said the Sri Lankan pacer. Topics mentioned in this article

Ruturaj Gaikwad Shatters KL Rahul’s Record To Claim Huge IPL Milestone

Danijones7 months ago04 mins

Mumbai (Maharashtra) : Chennai Super Kings (CSK) opener and skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad completed 2,000 runs in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Sunday, becoming only the fourth player from his franchise to do so. The 27-year-old accomplished this milestone against arch-rivals the Mumbai Indians (MI) at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Playing what was perhaps his most fluent knock of the season, Gaikwad scored 69 in 40 balls. His knock was decorated with five boundaries and five majestic sixers. His runs came at a strike rate of 172.50. In 58 IPL matches, Gaikwad has made 2,021 runs at an average of 39.62 and a strike rate of 134.91. He has scored a century and 16 fifties in 57 innings, with his best score being 101*. He is the fourth-highest run-getter in the IPL for CSK behind Faf Du Plessis (2,721 runs in 92 matches), MS Dhoni (4,547 runs in 226 matches) and Suresh Raina (4,687 runs in 176 matches). He is the fastest Indian to reach the milestone in just 57 innings and the overall third fastest behind Chris Gayle (48 innings) and Shaun Marsh (52 innings). Gaikwad’s finest season with CSK, a franchise he has represented since his debut in 2020, was the 2021 season. In that season, he scored 635 runs in 16 matches at an average of 45.35 and a strike rate of 136.26, with a century and four fifties. He won the ‘Orange Cap’ for most runs and also the fifth IPL title for the ‘Men in Yellow.’ This season, Gaikwad has so far scored 224 runs in six matches at an average of 44.80 and a strike rate of just over 130, with two half-centuries. His best score is 69, making him the seventh-highest run-getter this season. Coming to the match, MI won the toss and put CSK to bat first. After Ajinkya Rahane (5) and Rachin Ravindra (21 in 16 balls, with two fours and a six) did not make much impact, Gaikwad (69 in 40 balls, with five fours and five sixes) and Shivam Dube (66* in 38 balls, with 10 fours and two sixes) stitched a 90-run partnership. Later, MS Dhoni (20* in four balls) came during the final over and a hat-trick of sixes took CSK to 206/4 in 20 overs. Hardik Pandya (2/43) was the pick of the bowlers for MI. Shreyas Gopal and Gerald Coetzee got a wicket each. Topics mentioned in this article

Picture Perfect! Sachin Tendulkar hugs MS Dhoni after MI-CSK match | Cricket News

Danijones7 months ago02 mins

NEW DELHI: Irrespective of the match result in the IPL, the players’ camaraderie of the opposition camps often takes center stage. One such moment emerged after the Mumbai Indians-Chennai Super Kings match at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday.The two legends of the game, former CSK captain MS Dhoni and MI mentor Sachin Tendulkar were seen hugging each other graciously after the match.CSK put an end to MI’s home winning streak and secured their first away victory in this IPL season. Defending a total of 206 runs, they relied on superb defensive bowling. Matheesha Pathirana shone brightly, leading the charge with figures of 4 for 28 in his four overs.Despite Rohit Sharma’s magnificent unbeaten 105, Mumbai Indians fell short by 20 runs as they attempted to chase down a formidable target set by defending champions CSK in a clash between IPL giants.Even though Rohit raised his century off 61 balls, Mumbai concluded their innings at 186-6, unable to overhaul the target at their home ground, Wankhede Stadium. Skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad and the in-form Shivam Dube powered Chennai, who won their fifth title last year, to 206-4. Gaikwad hit 69 and Dube smashed an unbeaten 66 before warhorse MS Dhoni smashed three successive sixes in the 20th over to take Chennai past 200.Dhoni came in to bat with four balls left and scored 20. He smashed Mumbai skipper Hardik Pandya for three sixes and finished with a two to end a 26-run over.

Young wicketkeeper’s 3 sixes, Baby Malinga: CSK captain credits Dhoni, Pathirana for MI win

Danijones7 months ago04 mins

CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad credited MS Dhoni’s superb cameo and Matheesa Pathirana’s sensational bowling effort for Chennai’s 20-run win over MI in the IPL 2024 match at the Wankhede Stadium. Gaikwad addressed Dhoni as a ‘young wicketkeeper’ while acknowledging his unbeaten 20-run cameo as a game-changer. Dhoni’s ballistic 4-ball 20 garnished forceful fifties by Shivam Dube and Ruturaj Gaikwad as Chennai powered to a strong 206 for four against Mumbai, which turned out to be a winning total. “The young wicketkeeper (MS Dhoni) scoring those three sixes helped us a lot, that proved to be the difference. We needed those 10-15 extra runs for this kind of venue. In the middle phase, Bumrah bowled really well. I feel we were spot on with our execution with the ball despite them scoring some great shots. I would have taken 6 overs 60 at the powerplay,” Ruturaj Gaikwad said after the win over MI. Chennai were under the pump inside the Powerplay as the opening pair of Mumbai were doing some real damage. However, the introduction of Matheesha Pathirana in the 8th over, turned things around in the blink of an eye as he got two big wickets in his first over and got his side back in the game. Chennai once again let another partnership build before Ruturaj Gaikwad brought Pathirana in and he yet again delivered with a wicket. This was well backed up by the likes of Shardul Thakur and Tushar Deshpande who went for just 5 runs combined in their final overs. In the end, Mustafizur Rahman got hit but got David out and then Pathirana closed things out well. IPL 2024 Full Coverage | IPL 2024 Points Table and Standings | 2024 IPL Full Schedule Gaikwad lauded Pathirana’s performance, emphasizing his critical role in the team’s bowling strategy. Alongside Pathirana, Tushar Deshpande and Shardul Thakur also received praise for their contributions, highlighting the collective effort of the bowling unit. Looking ahead, Gaikwad emphasized the importance of maintaining simplicity in approach and fostering a positive mindset among the team members. “You need to be on the mark with bowling and batting at this venue. Our Malinga (Matheesa Pathirana) bowled really well today, he nailed those yorkers. Not to forget, Tushar and Shardul also did well. (On plans ahead) I think we need to keep it simple, encourage all to be in a good headspace and continue the same way. Jinks was carrying a bit of a niggle, so thought it was better for him to open. I’m fine batting anywhere, plus it is the added responsibility as the team captain,” Ruturaj added. Published By: Saurabh Kumar Published On: Apr 15, 2024 Tune In

‘Selfless’ Rohit Sharma did not raise bat after hundred: Brett Lee

Danijones7 months ago03 mins

MI lost to CSK by 20 runs at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, 14 April. Former MI captain hit his first hundred of the Indian Premier League 2024 season but was not able to help his team to a victory in the 207 chase. Sharma reached his hundred in 61 balls, in the final over of the game, when the match had already slipped out of the hands. The opener did not celebrate his milestone, his 2nd in the IPL. Former Australia pacer Brett Lee spotted the same and hailed Rohit Sharma for his selfless nature. Speaking on Jio Cinema after the match, Lee spoke highly of the batter’s innings and said that Rohit not celebrating his century shows how much the team’s win means to him. IPL 2024 Full Coverage | IPL 2024 Points Table and Standings | 2024 IPL Full Schedule “Rohit Sharma scored a brilliant hundred. The fact that he went out there, scored at a good clip too. I liked it when he scored his hundred, he didn’t even raise his bat. For me, it shows that the win means more than his personal milestone. You know, he played with real intent right from ball one. He played shots all around the ground, but then the power and the finesse came into play. 105 not out of 63 balls with 11 fours and 5 sixes, just unfortunately, you can’t do everything on your own,” Brett Lee said on Jio Cinema. MI vs CSK: Highlights Apart from Sharma, no other Mumbai batter scored even a half-century on the day, as the MI chase crumbled in the final 7 overs of the match. Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya and Tim David failed to help Rohit and the opener was left with too much to do on his own. Credit must be given to CSK, who executed their slower balls well in the final 7 overs of the match, picking wickets and stopping boundaries in regular intervals. With the loss, MI lost the chance to get to the top half of the table and remained at the 8th position with 2 wins and 4 losses from 6 games. Published By: Kingshuk Kusari Published On: Apr 15, 2024

MI vs CSK, IPL 2024 highlights: Matheesha Pathirana overshadows Rohit Sharma’s century as Chennai Super Kings beat Mumbai Indians by 20 runs | Cricket News

Danijones7 months ago06 mins

NEW DELHI: Matheesha Pathirana and the timeless MS Dhoni dealt decisive blows as Chennai Super Kings triumphed over Mumbai Indians by a margin of 20 runs, despite Rohit Sharma‘s resilient, unbeaten 105 in their clash in the Indian Premier League on Sunday.Dhoni’s onslaught of three consecutive sixes in the final over, bowled by Hardik Pandya, propelled CSK to a commanding total of 206 for four, with Dhoni himself reaching 20 not out from just four deliveries.Pathirana’s stellar performance, claiming 4 wickets for 28 runs, effectively curbed MI’s chase, restricting them to 186 for six. Rohit showcased his brilliance with only his second IPL century and first since 2012, smashing 11 boundaries and five maximums in his 63-ball innings. However, his remarkable innings lacked support from the rest of the MI lineup, despite the favorable batting conditions at the Wankhede Stadium.The defending champions, CSK, secured their first away victory of the season, propelling them to third place with eight points, while MI suffered their fourth defeat in six matches, languishing at the eighth position in the standings.In a game wherein the loudest cheers were reserved for Dhoni, Mumbai skipper Pandya continued to get booed intermittently. There were, though, a section of fans cheering him on at least once, like they did in the last game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.Unlike CSK, who got their majority of runs in the last 10 overs (136), Mumbai Indians remained in the hunt of in the initial part through Rohit’s sustained acceleration and some handy contributions from others.Once again, Rohit set the platform for Mumbai with a sturdy 70-run stand in seven overs with Ishan Kishan, who raced to 23 off 15 balls (3x4s, 1x6s).With MI on charge, pacer Pathirana produced a two-wicket over after the powerplay accounting for Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav (0), getting him caught at third man with Mustafizur Rahman producing a juggling act at the ropes to complete the catch. Tilak Varma aided Rohit with a 20-ball 31 laced with five fours, adding 60 off 38 balls for the third wicket, but Pathirana’s return broke their stand.However, it was the Mumbai duo of Shardul Thakur and Tushar Deshpande tilted the game in favour of CSK, producing two tight overs which broke the back of MI’s chase.Pandya fell for just two but consumed six balls and Tim David hammered a couple of sixes but failed to capitalise. Amid all this, Rohit remained stuck at the other end watching the game slip away despite his best effort.Earlier. Dhoni’s ballistic 20 garnished forceful fifties by Shivam Dube and Ruturaj Gaikwad as Chennai Super Kings powered to a strong 206 for four.Dube (66 not out, 10×4, 2×6) and Gaikwad (69), who milked 90 runs off a mere 45 balls for the third wicket, gave Chennai innings steam in the initial and middle passages of the play before Dhoni mesmerized a packed Wankhede with vintage shot-making. The former CSK skipper hammered three consecutive sixes off MI skipper Pandya (2/43) to help his side collect 26 runs off the final over.Dhoni’s stunning knock – which had the balls sailing over long-off, wide long-on and deep square leg – also pushed Chennai past the 200-run mark, which did appear tough until that final over.Even though he could not push beyond 69, which came off 40 balls with five sixes and as many boundaries, Gaikwad appeared in prime form.The CSK skipper hit through the line effortlessly to clear ropes and when the MI bowlers challenged him by angling their deliveries into his body, Gaikwad improvised to find his runs without taking any unwanted risks.Dube remained unbeaten on 66 off 38 balls, studded with 10 fours and two sixes.(With inputs from PTI)

MI vs CSK, IPL 2024: Matheesha Pathirana Overshadows Rohit Sharma’s Century As CSK Beat MI By 20 Runs

Danijones7 months ago02 mins

CSK beat MI by 20 runs.© BCCI Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana came up with his best IPL figures, grabbing four wickets as Chennai Super Kings defeated Mumbai Indians by 20 runs, despite a heroic unbeaten century by Rohit Sharma at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday. Pathirana took the wickets of Ishan Kishan (23), Surya Kumar Yadav (0), Tilak Varma (31) and Romario Shepherd (1) to return figures of 4 for 28 as MI lost the steam in the chase of an imposing 206/4, managing to score 186 for six. Rohit batted from start to finish for his unbeaten 105 off 63 deliveries — his second IPL century — but he could not find a partner who could stay with him long enough and build a big partnership. Earlier, CSK top-order batter Shivam Dube and skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad struck stroke-filled half-centuries as the five-time champions scored 206/4. Dube slammed an unbeaten 66 off 38 deliveries, while Gaikwad smashed a 40-ball 69, including five maximums, as the duo put up a 90-run stand after CSK had lost openers Ajinkya Rahul (5) and Rachin Ravindra (21) cheaply. (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

Matheesha Pathirana stars with ball to help CSK beat MI despite Rohit Sharma’s second IPL century – India TV

Danijones7 months ago02 mins

Image Source : BCCI/IPL Chennai Super Kings kept their calm with the ball in the end to defend a score at Wankhede Stadium against the Mumbai Indians Chennai Super Kings (CSK), irrespective of the venue, the conditions, the long batting line-up of the Mumbai Indians, pulled off what is rare at the Wankhede Stadium, defending a total, especially in the night games as the Men in Yellow won by 20 runs on Sunday, April 14. Former Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper Rohit Sharma smashed his second IPL century but no other batter supported him from the other end. Matheesha Pathirana was the difference between the two sides in the end as he took four wickets to break the back of the chase for the home team. At 130/2 in the 14th over, Mumbai Indians were on course to chase down 207 runs with two set batters in, however, the wicket of Tilak Varma proved to be the turning point as the strike dried up for Rohit and the incoming batters kept hitting out to the fielders on the boundary and eventually the Mumbai Indians fell short. Captain Hardik Pandya struggled to get going, Tim David hit a couple of big sixes but he too got out as the pressure kept mounting on Rohgit and the required run rate kept rising to 14, 15 and 17. Rohit did get a few boundaries at the end but it just wasn’t enough and the Mumbai Indians will be disappointed at how the chase panned out ultimately. More to follow…

“Worst Kind Of Bowling”: Sunil Gavaskar Blasts Hardik Pandya After MS Dhoni’s Fiery Knock

Danijones7 months ago03 mins

Hardik Pandya (L) and MS Dhoni© AFP Legendary Indian cricket team batter Sunil Gavaskar was furious with Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya after he was hit for three consecutive sixes by MS Dhoni during the IPL 2024 match against Chennai Super Kings on Sunday. Hardik was the pick of the MI bowlers with two wickets but he was slammed for 20 runs by Dhoni in the final four balls of the CSK innings. Gavaskar slammed Hardik for his ‘ordinary bowling and ordinary captaincy’ and criticised the kind of deliveries that he produced. “Probably the worst kind of bowling that I’ve seen for a long, long time. It almost looks like I’ve had this embrace with my hero. I’ve got a bowling kind of deliveries that he’s gonna hit for sixes. One 6 is fine. The next one again a length ball when you know that this batter is looking for a length ball to hit. The third ball again, a full toss on the leg side and he’s looking for it and hits it for a 6. Absolutely ordinary bowling, ordinary captaincy,” Gavaskar said during his analysis in the mid-innings break. Gavaskar also referred to the interaction that Hardik and Dhoni had just ahead of the match. Hardik ran to Dhoni and hugged the former India skipper in a moment that has gone viral on social media. Coming to the match, Rohit Sharma’s century went in vain as Mumbai Indians lost to Chennai Super Kings by 20 runs. Rohit played a brilliant knock but the hosts kept losing wickets at regular intervals and an impressive four-wicket haul from Matheesha Pathirana ensured the victory for CSK. Earlier, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Shivam Dube slammed half-centuries while Dhoni provided a late flourish against Hardik’s bowling to take CSK’s total to 206. Thanks to the victory, CSK remain in the third position while Mumbai Indians are eighth in the competition with just four points from six matches. Topics mentioned in this article