Cricket

‘It’s all about…’: KKR mentor Gautam Gambhir backs under-fire pacer Mitchell Starc | Cricket News

Danijones9 months ago06 mins

NEW DELHI: Gautam Gambhir, the mentor of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), came to the defence of Mitchell Starc, emphasising that the Australian pacer’s recent struggles in the IPL do not define his abilities as a bowler. Despite Starc’s underwhelming performance, Gambhir highlighted the importance of team success over individual brilliance.Starc, who was acquired by KKR for a significant amount of Rs 24.75 crore, has faced criticism for his lackluster returns in the tournament.With just two wickets to his name at an average of 77 and an economy rate of 11 runs per over across four matches, Starc’s form has been far from ideal.However, Gambhir refrained from labeling Starc as a “bad bowler,” acknowledging that cricket is a team sport where individual performances often fluctuate.Instead, he emphasized the collective effort required for the team’s success, suggesting that Starc’s contribution, while not meeting expectations statistically, may still have positive implications within the team dynamic.IPL: POINTS TABLE | ORANGE CAP | PURPLE CAP“It (his poor stats) doesn’t matter, T20 cricket is all about bowlers getting smashed. We’ve got three wins out of four,” Gambhir said.Ahead of their match against LSG in Kolkata, Gambhir added, “In a team sport, it’s the wins that matter. We have got three wins out of four. Why should I not be happy with anyone’s performance? See, people have bad and good days, ultimately, it’s the team that needs to win.“And we’ve got decent results in the first four games of the competition. And we all know how big a threat Mitchell Starc is. Four games doesn’t make him a bad bowler.“And four good games doesn’t make him a brilliant bowler either. So I know what impact he can create and what impact he will create in the competition.”Gambhir further said the Aussie will create an “impact” going forward.“Tomorrow it might be a completely different day. Or probably going forward, it could be a completely different day. An individual can have a brilliant performance and the team doesn’t end up winning.“There’s no reason why you should talk about individual performance. I feel that Mitchell Starc has done reasonably okay. I think he’s bowled some tough overs. And he will create an impact, what he’s been picked for,” he said.A new startGambhir, who served as the mentor for LSG in the last two seasons, has made a return to his former team, KKR. Gambhir had previously led Kolkata to two IPL titles in 2012 and 2014 during his tenure with the franchise from 2011 to 2017.During Gambhir’s time as the mentor of LSG, KKR faced them three times without securing a victory. Despite this, Gambhir remains optimistic about the new season, emphasising that each day presents a fresh opportunity to begin anew.“It’s a new day, new start. What difference does it make that what has happened in the last two years? It really makes no difference. We start from scratch.“All of us are really looking forward to the game tomorrow. You know, it’s a quality side. But we are a quality side as well,” he said.Gambhir further reacted to criticism about their head coach Chandrakant Pandit‘s “militant style” of functioning.“I don’t read a lot about what has been said and stuff, but it’s been early days. My working relationship with him has been really, really good and hopefully it continues that way.“He’s been very successful in domestic cricket and that’s why he got this opportunity, so far it’s been really good working with him.”Former KKR all-rounder David Wiese had earlier described Pandit as a strict disciplinarian and a “militant-type” coach.(With PTI inputs)

“It’s good news for Punjab as well as India”: Aakash Chopra on Arsdeep Singh’s performance | Cricket

Danijones9 months ago9 months ago04 mins

Mullanpur [India], : Ahead of the fixture against Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League 2024 on Saturday, former India opener Aakash Chopra feels that if Punjab Kings seamer Arshdeep Singh performs well it will not only be great for his franchise but for team India also as the T20 World Cup 2024 is around the corner. Punjab Kings will play their sixth game in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League against the in-form Rajasthan Royals at the new PCA Stadium, Mullanpur on Saturday. “So who should we focus on? Since the ball is moving here more under lights, let me start with a bowler. Let’s talk about Arshdeep. He picked up four wickets and kept his team alive in the game. Arshdeep was swinging the ball both ways. It’s good news for Punjab as well as India if Arsh continues to pick up wickets,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel. “The second player, I am saying Shashank Singh. You can send Shashank above Jitesh because if someone has a form, it needs to be utilized fully. Jitesh is a capped Indian player and might be a better player than Shashank, but the truth is that whoever has form, more power, and is doing well, should be made to bat up the order,” the former cricketer added. “You can probably send him to bat above Sikandar Raza. The third player to watch out for – I am once again going towards Ashutosh. He comes and hits very hard. He got two or three lives in the last over in the previous match but the guy has the power. Whatever I said for Shashank, the same goes for Ashutosh, send him also slightly up the order,” the commentator concluded. In the IPL 2024 so far, Arsdeep has snapped eight wickets in five matches at an average of 20 with the best bowling figures of 4/29 which came in the previous fixture against SunRisers Hyderabad . PBKS squad for IPL 2024: Shikhar Dhawan, Jonny Bairstow, Prabhsimran Singh, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Jitesh Sharma, Shashank Singh, Harpreet Brar, Harshal Patel, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh, Rilee Rossouw, Tanay Thyagarajan, Harpreet Singh Bhatia, Vidhwath Kaverappa, Chris Woakes, Rishi Dhawan, Sikandar Raza, Ashutosh Sharma, Atharva Taide, Nathan Ellis, Shivam Singh, Prince Choudhary, Vishwanath Singh. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.

Kolkata Knight Riders vs Lucknow Super Giants, IPL 2024: Match Preview, Fantasy Picks, Pitch And Weather Reports

Danijones9 months ago09 mins

Match 28 of the Indian Premier League, 2024 will be played between Kolkata Knight Riders and Lucknow Super Giants (KKR vs LSG) at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata, on Sunday. Kolkata Knight Riders have played four matches in the series and are ranked second on the points table, while Lucknow Super Giants have played five matches in the series and are ranked fourth on the points table. In the last match played by KKR against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), CSK beat Kolkata by seven wickets. The top fantasy player for the Knight Riders was Sunil Narine who scored 73 fantasy points. The other top point-getters are Vaibhav Arora with 65 match fantasy points and Shreyas Iyer with 45 match fantasy points. In their last match in this series against Delhi Capitals (DC), DC beat LSG by six wickets. The top fantasy player for the Super Giants was Ayush Badoni who scored 78 fantasy points. The other top point-getters are Yash Thakur with 173 match fantasy points, Krunal Pandya with 91 match fantasy points and Marcus Stoinis with 80 match fantasy points. Pitch Report and Weather Conditions The pitch at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata, will allow for good stroke play and the batters will find it easy to bat on the surface. The surface will not allow a lot of assistance to the bowlers and wicket-taking is not going to be easy. The average first-innings score at this venue in the last 20 matches is 176 runs. The pitch is a balanced one with decent assistance for both batters and bowlers on offer. The team winning the toss may decide to bat or bowl depending on the ground conditions. Pace or Spin? The venue is suited for both pacers and spinners alike. Weather Report The temperature is expected to be around 37 degrees C with 23% humidity. Winds at a speed of 5.71 m/s are expected. Head-to-Head In the three matches played between these two teams, Lucknow Super Giants have won all their matches. KKR do not have a good record against LSG. Based on our analysis and trends, we predict that the Super Giants will win this match. Kolkata Knight Riders’ batters have earned the most fantasy points for their team, while the all-rounders have earned the most fantasy points for Lucknow Super Giants. Both teams last played against each other in Match 68 of the Indian Premier League, 2023, where Rinku Singh scored the highest fantasy points for Kolkata Knight Riders with 107 match fantasy points while Nicholas Pooran topped the fantasy points leaderboard for Lucknow Super Giants with 90 match fantasy points. Fantasy Top Captain and Vice-Captain Picks Andre Russell Andre Russell is an all-rounder with an average of 77 match fantasy points in the last 10 games, a fantasy rating of 9.7 and can be a good safe pick for your Dream11 Team. He is a batter who bats right-handed. In the recent four matches, Russell has scored 115 runs averaging 57.5 per match. Russell can also give you some bowling fantasy points, bowling right-arm fast and in recent matches, he has taken five wickets at an average of 15.2. Krunal Pandya Krunal Pandya is a fairly consistent player in terms of fantasy points. Krunal has an average of 58 match fantasy points in the last 10 games and a fantasy rating of 8.5. He is a slow left-arm orthodox bowler and in the recently played five matches, he has taken three wickets at an average of 37. Krunal is also a handy batter. In recent matches, he has scored 51 runs at an average of 51 per match. Nicholas Pooran Nicholas Pooran is a wicket-keeper with an average of 55 match fantasy points in the last 10 games, a fantasy rating of 9.2 and can be a good safe pick for your Dream11 Team. He is a left-handed batter and also keeps wickets. In the last five matches, Pooran has scored 178 runs at an average of 89 per match. Yash Thakur Yash Thakur is a very inconsistent player in terms of fantasy points and can be a high-risk, high-returns pick in your team. He has an average of 55 match fantasy points in the last 10 games and a fantasy rating of 7.9. He is a right-arm medium bowler and in the recent four matches, Thakur has taken seven wickets at an average of 20.3. Rinku Singh Rinku Singh is a good-to-have player for your Dream11 Fantasy Team. Rinku Singh has an average of 42 match fantasy points in the last 10 games and a fantasy rating of 8.7. He is a batter who bats left-handed. In the recently played four matches, he has scored 63 runs averaging 21 per match. Varun Chakaravarthy Varun Chakaravarthy is a fairly consistent player in terms of fantasy points. He has an average of 41 match fantasy points in the last 10 games and a fantasy rating of 7.7. He bowls leg-break googly and in the last four matches, Chakaravarthy has taken four wickets at an average of 33.5. Philip Salt Phil Salt can be a differential pick for your Dream11 Team. Salt has an average of 39 match fantasy points in the last 10 games and a fantasy rating of 8.3. He is a top-order, right-handed batter and also keeps wickets. In the recently played four matches, this player has scored 102 runs at an average of 25.5 per match. Ravi Bishnoi Ravi Bishnoi is a very consistent player in terms of fantasy points. He has an average of 33 match fantasy points in the last 10 games and a fantasy rating of 7.6. He bowls leg-break googly and in the last five matches, Bishnoi has taken four wickets at an average of 32.2. KKR vs LSG, Fantasy Team Wicket-Keepers: KL Rahul and Phil Salt Batters: Rinku Singh, Ayush Badoni and Nicholas Pooran All-Rounders: Andre Russell, Krunal Pandya, Marcus Stoinis and Sunil Narine Bowlers: Varun Chakaravarthy and Ravi Bishnoi Captain: Krunal Pandya Vice-Captain: Sunil Narine Topics mentioned in…

IPL 2024: Jos Buttler picks this Bollywood star for his biopic role | Cricket News

Danijones9 months ago9 months ago02 mins

NEW DELHI: Rajasthan Royals teammates Jos Buttler and Trent Boult shared a lighthearted moment on Saturday, engaging in a humorous conversation. In a video posted by their franchise Rajasthan Royals, Boult and Buttler disclosed their favorite TV shows and the actors they’d envision portraying them in a biopic. During the playful Q&A session, Buttler revealed his choice for the actor to depict him in a biographical film.The renowned English batsman expressed his desire for Bollywood icon Shah Rukh Khan to take on the role. Buttler also disclosed that if he had to choose one show to binge-watch indefinitely, it would be ‘Friends’. Having played five matches in the tournament thus far, Buttler has amassed 143 runs at an average of 35.75, including a century. As of now, the Rajasthan Royals lead the points table with four victories and one loss in five matches.The English wicketkeeper-batter asked the Kiwi pacer what was the last thing he searched on his phone, to which Boult hilariously replied, “Trent Boult dismissing Jos Buttler.” Boult also revealed that right-hand batter KL Rahul, currently representing Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL, is his favourite Indian player.

5 highest run-scorers between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings as MS Dhoni eyes major record – India TV

Danijones9 months ago03 mins

Image Source : BCCI/IPL MS Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar and Hardik Pandya. MI vs CSK: The Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings rivalry is set to get underway at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai as the two heavyweights collide against each other on a super Sunday. It will be the only time that MI and CSK meet each other in the league phase due to their different groupings. The rivalry is an epic one with several jaw-dropping matches played in the past. The spotlight has usually been on the big wigs like MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Jasprit Bumrah, and Kieron Pollard among others. Here are the top five run scorers in MI vs CSK clashes The top five run-scorers in the rivalry are spread out well between the two teams. Suresh Raina is the leading run-scorer between CSK and MI in IPL with 710 runs to his name. Notably, former MI captain Rohit Sharma is next on the list with 700 runs to his name. Former CSK skipper MS Dhoni is also eyeing a record and needs 45 runs to get 700 runs against the fierce rivals in the Indian cash-rich league. Highest run-scorers in MI vs CSK IPL clashes: 1 – Suresh Raina: 710 from 30 matches 2 – Rohit Sharma: 700 runs from 27 matches 3 – MS Dhoni: 655 runs from 35 games 4 – Kieron Pollard: 583 runs from 27 games 5 – Sachin Tendulkar: 368 runs from 12 matches Mumbai Indians squad: Rohit Sharma, Tim David, Ishan Kishan, Vishnu Vinod, Nehal Wadhera, Suryakumar Yadav, Dewald Brevis, Piyush Chawla, Shreyas Gopal, Anshul Kamboj, Mohammad Nabi, Shams Mulani, Hardik Pandya (c), Romario Shepherd, Tilak Varma, Jasprit Bumrah, Gerald Coetzee, Kumar Kartikeya, Akash Madhwal, Arjun Tendulkar, Nuwan Thushara, Naman Dhir, Shivalik Sharma, Luke Wood, Kwena Maphaka Chennai Super Kings squad: MS Dhoni, Aravelly Avanish, Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), 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, Sameer Rizvi

“MS Dhoni Blames IPL Parties For T20 World Cup Exit”: RCB’s Old Post Resurfaces, Internet Puzzled

Danijones9 months ago9 months ago05 mins

File photo of MS Dhoni© BCCI/IPL The internet can be a funny place. Often it throws up posts and comments which surprises all. Old posts which was long lost from public memory, suddenly resurfaces without any context. One such post again came light on Saturday. The post was made on May 12, 2010 from the official handle of IPL team Royal Challengers Bengaluru. “Dhoni blames IPL parties for T20 World Cup exit… What do you think??? Via Allen,” the post read. The post again came to light as a X handle ‘TukTuk Academy’ reposted it along with the scorecard of a match where Irfan Pathan scored 26 off 30 balls while other Indian batters failed. It is not known which match’s scorecard the handle shared. But 13-year-old post is a genuine one done from RCB’s official handle. While India won the 2007 T20 World Cup under the leadership of Dhoni, it was knocked out of the Super Eight Stage in the 2010 edition. “Most of the players were fit and fresh. Players also need to be smart, not only about cricket but about other things going around in the IPL. We have to respect your body and give some time for it to recover because there is more to it than playing matches. Attending parties and travelling takes a toll,” Dhoni had said in 2010 on India’s T20 World Cup exit. Dhoni blames IPL parties for T20 World Cup exit… What do you think??? Via Allen — Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) May 12, 2010 MS Dhoni’s fan following has got no bounds. The former India captain called time on his international cricket career in 2020 and since that he has been available only for the Indian Premier League, playing for Chennai Super Kings. It means that the Dhoni fans have to wait for around ten months to see their favourite player in action. Despite the lack of appearance among fans in the past three-four years, Dhoni’s craze has only increased with the passage of time. The study of the official TV broadcaster for IPL 2024 too backs this opinion with some unique data. Shame on Irfan Pathan for scoring 26 runs in 30 balls pic.twitter.com/oU6kUUOliS — TukTuk Academy (@TukTuk_Academy) April 13, 2024 Star Sports has come up with the technology of calculating the crowd’s noise levels at different junctures during the course of the tournament and Dhoni holds the top two spots. As per the data, the top noise from the crowd is 130 Decibel which was attainted during Dhoni’s entry into the MA Chidambaram Stadium before the toss for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Chennai Super Kings match, which happened to be the opening game of the ongoing tournament. At the joint-second spot in the list is the moment when Dhoni smashed a four against Delhi Capitals in the 17th over. The crowd’s noise peaked in the game at that moment with a record of 128 Decibel. Coming in at the 8th position in the match, this was the first time Dhoni batted in IPL 2024.

IPL Live Score RR vs PBKS: It’s Punjab Kings vs Rajasthan Royals today

Danijones9 months ago9 months ago07 mins

LIVE NOW IPL Live Score RR vs PBKS: A disappointed Rajasthan Royals will have to focus on better execution of their strategies for a swift turnaround when they face a highly inconsistent yet capable Punjab Kings in their Indian Premier League match on Saturday. The Royals had an excellent chance to register their fifth win on the trot and consolidate their totem pole position, but Rashid Khan’s daring assault helped Gujarat Titans snatch a last-ball victory on Wednesday. It might have come as a rude shock for the Royals at Fort Jaipur, and as such, they would want to treat it as an aberration and dish out a more refined outing against the Punjab side. But it also highlighted some muddled thinking. The Sanju Samson-led Rajasthan outfit lost to the Titans because of the below-par effort from Kuldip Sen (19th over) and Avesh Khan (20th over) at a vital passage, when they conceded 35 runs across 12 balls. Here, the Royals made a slight tactical error by not letting Trent Boult complete his quota in that match as the veteran left-arm pacer ended the match at 2-0-8-0. There is no gainsaying that Boult could have made a change in the script, but Samson leaving that option unused was a tad perplexing. Of course, Boult has been largely used with the new ball in this iteration of the IPL, but in crunch situations nothing counts more than experience. So, the Royals will be looking for an improvement in the strategising and execution part against the Kings. The Shikhar Dhawan-captained side has blown hot and cold so far in the tournament, winning two and losing three out of five matches. The primary reason for their middling run this year is the patchy form of their fancied batsmen as Punjab relied on cameos by uncapped Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma to boost their batting. Opener Jonny Bairstow (5 matches, 81 runs) and middle-order batter Jitesh Sharma (5 matches, 77 runs) are the most underwhelming of the lot, and it has robbed them of momentum upfront and in the business end of their innings. Sam Curran has been above average with the ball, taking six wickets from five matches but the England all-rounder’s needle has fallen behind from the halfway mark with the bat, despite scoring a 63. The absence of injured Liam Livingstone from the middle-order too has reduced their firepower, and Kings will hope to have the Englishman back in their ranks at the earliest. On the contrary, the Punjab bowlers have done marginally better, but their propensity to concede big runs while bowling first will be a concern. A group consisting of bowlers such as Kagiso Rabada and Arshdeep Singh has given away 199, 199 and 182 runs in their last three matches and they will have to break the pattern against the Royals. It’s easier said than done as the Royals’ batting unit has been in good shape as 185 is the lowest total it posted while batting first. Outside the match calculations, the Royals will have another bigger worry to nullify. Over the last few editions of the IPL, the Royals had begun strongly, just as they did this year, before tapering off after the mid-season. As a result, they have managed to qualify for the play-offs only twice across the last six seasons. Royals would dearly hope that the defeat against GT was not the beginning of another meltdown. The Teams (from): Punjab Kings: Shikhar Dhawan (c), Matthew Short, Prabhsimran Singh, Jitesh Sharma, 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 Thyagarajann, Prince Choudhary, Rilee Rossouw. Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (c), Jos Buttler, Shimron Hetmyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Donovan Ferreira, Kunal Rathore, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Sen, Navdeep Saini, Sandeep Sharma, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal, Avesh Khan, Rovman Powell, Shubham Dubey, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Abid Mushtaq, Nandre Burger, Tanush Kotian, Keshav Maharaj. Read Less

India Suffer 0-5 Whitewash In Australia, Lose Fifth Test 2-3

Danijones9 months ago9 months ago04 mins

The Indian men’s hockey team failed to avoid a 0-5 series whitewash after going down 2-3 in the fifth Test against Australia, completing a nightmare of a tour in Perth on Saturday. The Indians entered the final game of the series after losing their previous four matches 1-5, 2-4, 1-2 and 1-3. The rubber was significant as far as preparation is concerned ahead of the upcoming Paris Olympics. Skipper Harmanpreet Singh (4th) and Boby Singh Dhami (53rd) were the goal scorers for India, while Australia sounded the board through Jeremy Hayward (20th), Ky Willott (38th) and Tim Brand (39th). The Indians started the game with an attacking mindset. Jugraj Singh lobbed the ball up to Jarmanpreet Singh in the Aussie half but failed to connect with the forward line. India took the lead in the fourth minute through Harmanpreet from a penalty corner as he registered his third goal of the series. Australia equalised in the 20th minute through Hayward, who scored his seventh goal of the series from a set piece. India’s reserve custodian Suraj Karkera made a fine save to deny Nathan Ephraums. Seconds from the half time, Australia secured a penalty corner but Suraj Karkera kept India in the hunt by making an excellent save with his right leg to deny Hayward. India started brightly after the change of ends and secured a penalty in the 37th minute but Harmanpreet’s flick missed the target. The Kookaburras stunned the visitors once again by taking the lead a minute later through Willot, who deflected the ball in front of the Indian goalkeeper Krishan Bahadur Pathak from Nathan Ephraums’s inch-perfect pass. Australia added salt to India’s wounds by extending the lead through an unmarked Brand who shot home from Eddie Ockenden’s assist. The Indians had chances and secured another penalty corner in the 42nd minute but Amit Rohidas shot wide. The hosts too got two more penalty corners but the Indians defended well. India meant business and looked to put pressure on the Australian defence in the final quarter. Their efforts bore fruit when Dhami scored his first international goal with a reverse hit past Andrew Charter seven minutes from the hooter. But that was all India could manage as the Australian defence didn’t commit any more mistakes, even though the visitors pressed hard. (This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Topics mentioned in this article

IPL-17: MI vs CSK | Dhoni in spotlight as Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians resume rivalry in new era

Danijones9 months ago07 mins

The legendary Mahendra Singh Dhoni will be in the spotlight in what could be his final game at the iconic Wankhede Stadium when defending champions Chennai Super Kings take on Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League in Mumbai on April 14, 2024. Dhoni returns to the hallowed turf of Wankhede for the first time ever as a non-captain of the CSK, potentially in his last IPL season. It will also be his first appearance as just a player for any team since November 2005. Even at 42, Dhoni’s glove-work remains impeccable and so does his assessment of the game like always. But CSK will hope that his tactical acumen also helps them improve a dismal away record this season, having suffered two defeats on the road. CSK would also hope their recent record against MI — four wins in last five matches including their seven-wicket win in Mumbai last season — holds them in good stead. Two of IPL’s most successful teams with five titles each, both sides are witnessing a tectonic shift of leadership change with Hardik Pandya taking over the mantle from Rohit Sharma at MI and Ruturaj Gaikwad succeeding Dhoni at CSK, but there is nothing that suggests their intense rivalry would expect any such shift. If anything, CSK’s bowlers could be put to sword by the rampaging MI batters who have gone hammer and tongs at the flat pitches here, scoring in excess of 230 against Delhi Capitals and chasing down nearly 200 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru with more than four overs to spare. Pandya’s MI have found their footing after a jittery start. Their batters have done well in the last two outings and Suryakumar Yadav’s 17-ball fifty against RCB provides an ominous sign to CSK bowlers, who have shown mastery on slow, turning pitches at the Chepauk but remain untested on flat, batting-friendly surfaces. Ishan Kishan (161 runs) and Rohit’s opening stand would thus be crucial in the scheme of things but CSK would also have a lot of assurance with their own batting. Skipper Gaikwad may not be a marauder with the bat but he can be the silent enforcer in the CSK line-up, which has the exuberance of Rachin Ravindra at the top, sturdiness of Daryl Mitchell in the middle and explosiveness of Shivam Dube (176 runs), Ravindra Jadeja and Dhoni in the death overs. CSK would also be aware that seeing off the dexterous Jasprit Bumrah (10 wickets) and going after the rest of the MI bowling would be the key, since the others have given away runs at alarming rate while struggling with their line and lengths on placid surfaces. Despite Bumrah’s five-wicket haul, MI leaked runs at a high rate to allow RCB get closer to the 200-run mark here a few nights ago. A lot will be riding on Shardul Thakur and Tushar Deshpande for CSK, who both return to their home ground, but Mustafizur Rahman (9 wickets) and the wily Jadeja would be the ones to watch out for given their recent exploits. On their part, teams say “we want to get as many runs as possible” but by the look of it, scores around 220-230 while batting first could be the best way possible to ensure an upperhand at this venue. 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, Nehal Wadhera, Luke Wood. Chennai Super Kings: MS Dhoni (wk), Aravelly Avanish (wk), Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), 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, Sameer Rizvi. Match starts 7:30PM IST.

IPL-17: KKR vs LSG | Kolkata Knight Riders seek home comfort against Lucknow Super Giants

Danijones9 months ago07 mins

Two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders will seek home comfort in their bid to return to winning ways when they face a depleted Lucknow Super Giants in an Indian Premier League match in Kolkata on April 14. The match will be KKR’s first of the five matches at home on the trot and the Gautam Gambhir-mentored side will be fully aware this can prove decisive to clinch the play-off spot for the first time since 2021. In the points tally, nothing separates the two teams, both of whom have secured three wins each, and lost their respective last-round matches. KKR’s over-reliance on their Caribbean ageing duo of Sunil Narine and Andre Russell was exposed by defending champions Chennai Super Kings when they lost by seven wickets in their previous outing. Narine (27) and Russell (10) failed with the bat and the team, who had posted two 200-plus scores from three matches on the back of the Caribbean duo’s blazing form, could manage an under par 137/9 at Chennai. That sums up KKR’s batting that has relied on some odd fireworks and missed an anchor in the absence of Nitish Rana (finger injury), who is slated to sit out of another match. In the spotlight since the beginning of the season, KKR captain Shreyas Iyer has failed to impress and his scores give an abysmal picture — 0, 39 not out, 18 and 34. Their another designated batter Venkatesh Iyer has three single digit scores this season to go with one odd fifty against Royal Challengers Bengaluru and the team, it seems, doesn’t have a clear role for him. From batting at No. 3 in their IPL opener against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Iyer was seen in the finisher’s role at No. 7 and No. 5 in their last two matches. Ramandeep Singh also had a lean run after an impressive 35 against SRH. The 2022 U-19 World Cup winning Angkrish Raghuvanshi has impressed the most following his 54 against Delhi Capitals. And he will like to return among runs after failing to convert his start against CSK. The most-talked about signing Mitchell Starc’s poor form with the ball has been the talk of the town. The Aussie speed gun has an economy of 11.00 and took his first wicket of this IPL against DC after giving away 100 runs in the first two matches. Having come as Impact Subs, left-arm orthodox spinner Anukul Roy has been impressive and he would like to forge formidable partnership with Narine. While KKR will be overwhelming favourites at Eden, LSG with their unassuming approach will not give up easily, even as they will miss their pace sensation Mayank Yadav for a second successive match. Recovering from a side strain that ruled him out of their match against Gujarat Titans, Mayank is doing “good” but skipper KL Rahul has said that he may take “a couple of more games before coming back”. Mayank’s replacement Arshad Khan failed to impress, conceding at 10.73 runs over as they failed to defend 167 at home against DC last evening. Mohsin Khan, who claimed 2/34 against Punjab Kings, could be a perfect replacement but it remains to be seen if he’s fully recovered from his hamstring injury that had sidelined the left-arm pacer. The team owned by Kolkata-based industrialist Sanjeev Goenka will hope for a much better show after mustering an average 167/7 against DC on Friday. The likes of Quinton De Kock and Rahul will look to return among runs, while they also boast of a powerful line-up down the order with the likes of Marcus Stoinis and Nicholas Pooran. That they also have a formidable slow bowling lineup in Ravi Bishnoi and Krunal Pandya will pose some tough questions for KKR batters. Teams (from): Kolkata Knight Riders: Shreyas Iyer (c), KS Bharat, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, 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 and Mujeeb Ur Rahman. Lucknow Super Giants: KL Rahul (c), Quinton de Kock, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Kyle Mayers, Marcus Stoinis, Deepak Hooda, Devdutt Padikkal, Ravi Bishnoi, Naveen-ul-Haq, Krunal Pandya, Yudhvir Singh, Prerak Mankad, Yash Thakur, Amit Mishra, Shamar Joseph, Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan, K. Gowtham, Arshin Kulkarni, M. Siddharth, Ashton Turner, Matt Henry and Mohd Arshad Khan. Match Starts: 3.30 pm.