England players have been called back for T20 World Cup 2024 preparation. The PBKS side will be under huge pressure as the likes of Jonny Bairstow, stand-in captain Sam Curran and Liam Livingstone will leave the side after to join their national team. PBKS will have to a big selection headache in the upcoming days, feels batter Riley Rossuow.
HYDERABAD: Stung by back-to-back losses, Sunrisers Hyderabad will be keen to get back to winning ways against table-toppers Rajasthan Royals at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Thursday.The 2016 champions went down to Royal Challengers Bengaluru by 35 runs and suffered an embarrassing 78-run loss to Chennai Super Kings- chasing down 206 and 213, respectively.IPL ORANGE CAP | IPL PURPLE CAP | IPL POINTS TABLEAs the race for the playoffs intensifies, the Pat Cummins-led side, who are now fifth in points table with 10 points, need to bring their ‘A’ game against the Royals.While setting up totals has been their strong suit, Sunrisers seem to come unstuck batting second. Cummins wants his team to polish their skills in that aspect. Opener Travis Head has not fired in the last two games and a big score from the Australian opener, who tops the batting charts for his side with 338 runs, will help SRH. Abhishek Sharma also needs to be consistency as a lot depends on the start these two provide. The fragile middle-order consisting of Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Abdul Samad stood exposed in the last two games. The dip in Klaasen’s form (20, 7, 15 in last three outings) compounded their woes.T Natarajan (13 wickets) has been the pick of the bowlers but the rest have all gone over nine runs per over.In contrast, the Royals have been on a roll. With 16 points in their kitty, they are almost assured of a playoff spot. Captain Sanju Samson (385) has led from the front while Riyan Parag (332), Jos Buttler (319) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (249) have all struck form. Jaiswal, who struggled initially, slammed a century against Mumbai Indians, adding more firepower to the batting unit. Yuzvendra Chahal has been impressive with 13 scalps while Trent Boult and Sandeep Sharma have produced good results with the new ball.Royals are coming into this match with a seven-wicket win over LSG and a nine-wicket thrashing of MI and would like to extend their purple patch.
Ruturaj Gaikwad’s half-century on Wednesday saw him move to pole position in the IPL 2024 Orange Cap race, overtaking Virat Kohli. The Chennai Super Kings captain smacked 62 runs off 48 balls, packed with five fours and two sixes. He leads the Orange Cap race with 509 runs in 10 matches, at a strike rate of 146.68. He has also bagged a ton and four half-centuries. Shubman Gill has been named in the reserves list and Ruturaj Gaikwad has missed out totally.(PTI) Among Indian openers, he has more runs than Shubman Gill (320), Rohit Sharma (315) and Yashasvi Jaiswal. But it looks like your form in IPL doesn’t really count as the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee decided to ignore Gaikwad for Rohit and Jaiswal in India’s T20 World Cup squad. Meanwhile, they named Gill in the reserves. Unlock exclusive access to the latest news on India’s general elections, only on the HT App. Download Now! Download Now! Speaking on his Youtube channel, India legend Krishnamachari Srikkanth lashed out at the BCCI for their questionable decision. He pointed out Gill’s poor form and also accused the selection committee of ‘favoritism’. “Shubman Gill is totally out of form, but why he’s selected in the team. There’s no doubt that Ruturaj Gaikwad deserves a place. He scored more than 500 runs in 17 innings. Also he scored a century against Australia. Shubman Gill is selectors’ delight. He gets chance even if he fails. He finds place even if he fails in Test, ODIs and T20s.There’s too much of favoritism in selection. The team selection is all about favoritism,” he said. Another notable exclusion has been KL Rahul, who was India’s first-choice wicketkeeper-batter at the 2023 ODI World Cup. Meanwhile, Kolkata Knight Riders captain Shreyas Iyer has also missed out on a spot. Shivam Dube’s swashbuckling form with the bat this year has also seen him get selected for the tournament. Riyan Parag has been ignored, but his Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson has been included in the squad. Gaikwad will be lamenting on missing out on a ticket to the ICC showpiece event. The opener has shown immense maturity after MS Dhoni handed over CSK’s captaincy to him on the eve of IPL 2024. CSK are currently fourth in the standings and will be hoping to qualify for the playoffs. 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 / Srikkanth accuses BCCI of ‘favouritism’ in hot-headed rant over Ruturaj Gaikwad snub from T20 World Cup, namedrops Gill
Image Source : AP CSK vs PBKS. Punjab Kings (PBKS) displayed a clinical performance on Wednesday (May 1) to become only the second team in the 17th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to beat Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at their fortress in Chepauk after Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). Electing to field first, Punjab were disciplined with the ball in hand and restricted the hosts to just 162 for the loss of seven wickets in 20 overs. Chasing an average total, Punjab lost Prabhsimran Singh early, however, the other batters didn’t lose sight of the target and helped the visitors reach there with 11 balls to spare. The win helped Punjab beat Chennai in five consecutive IPl games and they became only the second team in the history of the tournament to achieve the feat after Mumbai Indians. Punjab’s five-match unbeaten streak against CSK started on October 7, 2021, when they defeated Chennai in the 53rd game of that season by six wickets and seven overs to spare. Their second win of the streak came on April 3, 2022, as they restricted CSK to 126, in pursuit of 181 and won the clash by 54 runs. The third victory also came in the 2022 season when the Mayank Agarwal-led Punjab beat Chennai by 11 runs in Mumbai. PBKS won their fourth consecutive game against CSK on April 30 in the latter’s den as they successfully chased down 201 to win a last-ball thriller. Now, the two teams will meet once again on May 5 (Sunday) at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala in a battle of the bragging rights. The fixture in Dharamsala will be the first of the ongoing season at the venue and hence the two teams can expect a fresh wicket for the encounter. Punjab are still in contention for the playoffs whereas Chennai are fourth on the table with five wins and as many losses in 10 games.
If you have to pick one player who has never stopped knocking on the doors of BCCI selectors, it has to be Sanju Samson; and the 29-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman has deservingly been rewarded with a place in India’s T20 World Cup squad.IPL 2024 STANDINGS: Points table | Orange Cap | Purple Cap The Rajasthan Royals captain, who has been leading the team by example in this IPL, has been picked in India’s squad as the second wicketkeeper-batsman besides Rishabh Pant, but both Samson and Pant have the batting credentials to be in the playing eleven as pure batsmen as well. Talking about Samson, under whom RR top the points table currently with a staggering 8 wins in 9 matches, the Kerala man sits at No. 7 on the list of top run-getters of IPL 2024 with 385 runs in 9 matches, including four half-centuries, at a strike rate of 161.08 and average of 77.0. Hailing his recall to India colours, RR posted a video on social media where Samson’s teammates are congratulating him for his T20 World Cup selection. “Congratulations my Chintu bro,” said RR leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, who incidentally will also make his India comeback at the T20 World Cup. “Tu jaisa hai waisa hi rahiyo (stay the way you are). Enjoy this success. I want you to play for India for another 10 years, as well as for RR. Whatever you are doing, we are so proud of you.”Here’s what Samson’s other RR teammates had to say: The T20 World Cup is scheduled for June 2 to 29 and will be co-hosted by the West Indies and USA. India play their opening match against Ireland on June 5 in New York. Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in their next match in IPL 2024 on Thursday in Hyderabad.
India and Rajasthan Royals spinner Yuzvendra Chahal made a hilarious request to Elon Musk — a billionaire and owner of X, formerly Twitter — on Wednesday. Chahal asked Musk to put a copyright strike on Punjab Kings’ pacer Harshal Patel after the latter celebrated a catch during Chennai Super Kings game in a viral fashion. After completing the catch, Harshal celebrated in a manner that is associated to Chahal’s viral meme. Sharing the picture of Harshal’s celebration, Chahal wrote on X, “Dear @elonmusk paaji, Harshal bhai pe copyright lagana hai.” Dear @elonmusk paaji, Harshal bhai pe copyright lagana hai pic.twitter.com/CUAeZd6uNa — Yuzvendra Chahal (@yuzi_chahal) May 1, 2024 The post of Chahal, who has been named in India’s T20 World Cup squad that was announced on April 30, went viral on social media. Talking about the celebration, Kagiso Rabada bowled a short ball outside off stump to Sameer Rizvi, who tried to play an upper cut on it. The ball could not get past the third man where Harshal put a well-timed slide to take the catch. Punjab Kings beat Chennai Super Kings by 7 wickets at MA Chidambaram Stadium on Wednesday to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. Chasing a target of 163, PBKS reached home in 17.5 overs, thanks to Jonny Bairstow’s 46 off 30 and Rilee Rossouw’s 43 off 23. Earlier, Ruturaj Gaikwad (62 in 48) scored a fighting fifty to help CSK post 162 for 7 in 20 overs after getting an invitation to bat first. Rahul Chahar (2 for 16 in four overs) and Harpreet Brar (2 for 17 in four overs) were the pick of the bowlers for PBKS. Brar was later named the Player of the Match. “It was a good wicket to bowl on, and even Rahul (Chahar) bowled really well. I have been playing since 6 years, so my confidence has been pretty high. Now bowling to these legends of the game feels normal, I just bowl to my strengths. To be honest, I don’t think wickets, my aim is only to bowl lots of dot balls and dot balls create the wickets. When there is spin in the wicket, the bowlers confidence goes up and it is a bit helpful,” said Brar after the game. Topics mentioned in this article
Chennai Super Kings all-rounder Daryl Mitchell ended up ‘completing’ two runs despite MS Dhoni denying him a single during the IPL 2024 match against Punjab Kings in IPL 2024 on Wednesday. On the third ball of the final over, Dhoni slammed a delivery from Arshdeep Singh in the deep cover region and Mitchell instantly started running. However, Dhoni was not interested in taking the run and in a hilarious turn of events, Mitchell reached the other end and then ran back to the non-striker’s end before the fielder picked up the ball and threw it back. Dhoni made amends on the fifth ball of the over as he heaved Arshdeep over deep extra cover for a huge six but his action faced criticism from fans on social media, with some calling the act ‘selfish’. One Of funniest Moments today Thala Dhoni × Daryl Mitchell ROLF #ChennaiSuperKings #CSKvsPBKS #PBKSvsCSK pic.twitter.com/AtGQUirTZ2 — Srinivasan M (@sriniPopeye) May 1, 2024 Daryl, you have the best seat in the house! Relax #TATAIPL #CSKvPBKS #IPLonJioCinema #MSDhoni pic.twitter.com/NaM8jGqIUj — JioCinema (@JioCinema) May 1, 2024 Dhoni was eventually run-out in the match, losing his wicket for the first time this season as CSK put a total of 162/7 on the board. Punjab Kings had little trouble in chasing down the target, scoring 163 with more than 2 overs to spare. After a defeat, CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad felt his side was “50-60 runs short” during the match and highlighted that pitch was not that great but improved in the second half. Punjab Kings with an all-rounded performance, clinched a comprehensive seven-wicket victory over Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk on Wednesday in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. After Lucknow Super Giants breached Chepauk, CSK’s fortress was breached for the second time in the ongoing season as CSK bowlers struggled to find their rhythm with dew majorly hindering them throughout the night. “Probably 50-60 runs short, the pitch wasn’t great when we batted, but it got better later on. With the impact rule as well, we were well short,” Gaikwad said in a post-match presentation. Talking about the toss, “I’ve practised the tosses (during the practice sessions), it’s not going well in the match, not sure what to do. To be truthful, I’m under pressure when I go to the middle (for the toss).” With ANI inputs Topics mentioned in this article
NEW DELHI: Rishabh Pant delved into the profound intricacies of ambition, dreams, and the perpetual journey of cricket, offering a glimpse into his remarkable resilience and unwavering determination.In a candid interview on Star Sports, Pant’s reflections on the evolution of dreams resonated deeply as he articulated, “You have some dreams which you have been seeing since childhood…Then there are some dreams which, as your life goes on, you have to give dreams to yourself.” This introspective perspective shed light on the transformative nature of aspirations, evolving from childhood fantasies to self-motivated milestones.Drawing from personal experience, Pant emphasized the necessity of setting new goals to sustain motivation and growth, stating, “As a kid I always thought I have to play for India… So I played for India, now what? You have to give yourself different dreams.” His words echoed the sentiment of continuous self-challenge and reinvention, crucial for navigating the complexities of life and sport.While acknowledging the significance of focusing on the process, Pant underscored the importance of establishing small, attainable targets in life to fuel motivation. “It is important to give yourself these small goals in life… So that we remain motivated. And this is a constant journey,” he remarked, highlighting the perpetual quest for personal and professional excellence.In a poignant analogy, Pant likened the cricketing journey to a dynamic progression rather than a static destination, asserting, “I feel cricket is not a destination. Playing for India is not a destination. It’s a journey.” His profound insight underscored the enduring commitment and continuous evolution inherent in the pursuit of sporting excellence. Pant’s introspective musings come against the backdrop of his remarkable resurgence in the cricketing arena, marked by his triumphant return to the Indian squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup. This milestone follows a tumultuous period during which Pant faced a near-fatal car crash, resulting in a severe knee injury that threatened his career.Undeterred by adversity, Pant’s resilience and determination shone through as he staged a remarkable comeback to competitive cricket, dazzling fans with his explosive batting displays in the ongoing Indian Premier League. With 398 runs in 11 innings at a blistering strike rate of 158.56, Pant’s performances underscored his indomitable spirit and unwavering commitment to excellence.
Image Source : BCCI/IPL Daryl Mitchell was at the other end for MS Dhoni to not give him a strike in the last over despite CSK not having a great score on the board Chennai Super Kings (CSK) came second for the second time in six matches at home in the ongoing edition of the IPL as Punjab Kings kept their hopes alive of a late push towards the playoffs with a 7-wicket win. Injuries, loss of form of players, lost tosses amidst heavy dew have not helped CSK’s cause and as skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad mentioned they had the worst of conditions while both batting and bowling and were easily 40 runs short. Punjab Kings chased the target beautifully, however, the fans couldn’t forget the double ran by Daryl Mitchell which earned him zero runs and almost got him out. Former CSK skipper MS Dhoni took charge in the final over bowled by Arshdeep Singh. Dhoni despite failing to middle a couple of balls, believed in his ability to get a few more runs for his side and poor Daryl Mitchell remained stuck to the non-striker’s end. The incident happened on the third ball of the final over when Dhoni hit a widish delivery from Arshdeep to the deep covers pocket and Mitchell started running as soon as his partner hit the ball. However, Dhoni denied the run and Mitchell was in his zone. He ran all the way towards the striker’s end, touched his bat in the popping crease and came back before almost getting run out. Dhoni scored seven runs off the last three balls before getting run out, as he was dismissed for the first time in the season. However, the fans couldn’t forget that moment and felt bad for Mitchell, who has been the most dependable batter for New Zealand across all formats and was coming off a fifty. Watch the video here: CSK ended up scoring 162, which wasn’t enough as Punjab Kings got through the chase without much discomfort. The two teams play each other again in a few days’ time in Dharamsala on Sunday, May 5.
Hardik Pandya’s tale of woe is well documented in the 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League. From breaking the hearts of Gujarat Titans fans to upsetting Rohit Sharma faithful by taking over the captaincy reigns, Pandya has been facing the wrath of jeering fans in the IPL 2024. Becoming a staunch critic of Hardik, former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan recently took aim at selectors for prioritising the selection of the MI skipper. Pathan has questioned the appointment of India’s new vice-captain for T20 World Cup (AFP-PTI) Launching a fresh attack on Hardik following his return to the Indian side for the T20 World Cup, Pathan questioned the appointment of the new vice-captain. Even though Hardik has struggled to revive MI’s campaign in the IPL 2024, the star all-rounder was picked as Rohit’s deputy for the T20 World Cup. Hardik was also the vice-captain of the Indian team at the 2023 World Cup. However, an ankle injury cut short his campaign in the ICC event last year. HT launches Crick-it, a one stop destination to catch Cricket, anytime, anywhere. Explore now! ‘Hardik held the captaincy but Rohit…’ “Previously, Hardik Pandya held the captaincy, but Rohit Sharma took over for T20 matches. Post T20 World Cup, there was a new plan; they aimed for a younger team with Pandya and Surya as potential captains. Yet, questions arise regarding Pandya’s performance consistency and commitment to Indian cricket. Regular participation in domestic cricket is essential for serving Indian cricket throughout the year. Injuries are inevitable, but proper planning involving consistent match play, including domestic cricket, is vital for a player’s return. But then there’s this one player who returns from injury without fulfilling the same requirements,” Pathan told Star Sports. Hardik escaped ‘Kishan-Iyer’ treatment In the lead-up to the IPL 2024, Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan didn’t receive contract extensions for ignoring BCCI’s directive to play in the Ranji Trophy. Pathan had then claimed that Hardik was not judged using the same parameters. All-rounder Hardik was drafted in the Grade A category when the BCCI revealed its annual central contracts list. After recovering from an ankle injury in the build-up to IPL 2024, Hardik made his return to competitive cricket in the DY Patil tournament. ‘Whether you’re Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli…’ “That shouldn’t happen because it sends the wrong message to the rest of the team. When they see one player receiving special treatment, it disrupts the team environment. Cricket isn’t like tennis; it’s a team sport where equality is vital. Every player should be treated fairly and equally. Regardless of whether you’re a newcomer or a seasoned player like Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli, cricket is a team sport first and foremost. I’ve witnessed things in the past, particularly during the T20 World Cup last year, that went against the principles of Indian cricket—instances where certain players were given undue advantage, which is unacceptable,” the former India all-rounder added. Hardik’s flop show in IPL 2024 With Hardik succeeding Rohit at MI for IPL 2024, the five-time winners made an awful start to the new season by losing their first three games. Hardik’s MI side is placed ninth in the IPL with six points in 10 matches. Despite flopping with the bat and ball in the IPL 2024, Hardik was added to the Indian side for the T20 World Cup. Instead of appointing Hardik as vice-captain, Irfan argued that the national selectors should have picked pace ace Jasprit Bumrah as Rohit’s deputy for the ICC event. ‘Bumrah wouldn’t have been a bad choice either’ “To succeed in tournaments like the World Cup, it’s imperative that every player is treated fairly and equally. So, now, coming back to your question about Hardik Pandya being vice-captain, I understand the rationale behind it due to the importance of continuity in leadership. However, considering the current performance, the selectors opting for continuity may be understandable. Yet, I believe someone like Bumrah wouldn’t have been a bad choice either,” Pathan concluded.
