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‘Leaving Rinku Singh out of T20 World Cup team toughest thing’: Apologetic Ajit Agarkar finds no fault in KKR batter | Crickit

Danijones12 months ago05 mins

BCCI chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar said leaving Rinku Singh out of India’s 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup was one of the toughest decisions. India announced their squad on Tuesday (April 30) for the world event slated to take place in the USA and West Indies in June this year. The squad has a good mix of youth experience, but the non-selection of Rinku, one of India’s top performers in T20Is in the lead-up to the IPL, became one of the biggest talking points. India’s Rinku Singh plays a shot(BCCI Twitter) The 26-year-old Aligarh left-hander, who captured the cricketing world’s imagination with five sixes in an over during the previous IPL, made way for Shivam Dube in the main national squad while his name ended up being among the reserves. Unlock exclusive access to the latest news on India’s general elections, only on the HT App. Download Now! Download Now! Two days after naming the squad, Agarkar and captain Rohit Sharma answered queries from reporters in a press conference held in Mumbai. Agarkar said Rinku didn’t do anything wrong. The selectors couldn’t pick the dynamic left-hander in the final 15 as they wanted more bowling options. “(Not picking Rinku Singh) the toughest thing that we have to discuss. Rinku hasn’t done anything wrong, nor has Shubman Gill. It’s about the combinations. We are not quite sure about the conditions. So we wanted to have enough (bowling) options. We have picked a couple of wrist spinners, Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav, to give Rohit more options. There’s Axar (Patel), a bowling all-rounder. It’s just unfortunate,” Agarkar said on Thursday. ‘Not Riku Singh’s fault that he has missed out’: Agarkar News agency PTI quoted a BCCI source privy to the developments in the selection meeting to claim that Rinku may have paid the price of the Impact Player rule in the IPL, which prevented him from having many opportunities with the bat in this IPL for his franchise Kolkata Knight Riders. The Impact Player rule has allowed every IPL franchise to field an extra batter when they are batting and replace him with a bowler later. As a result, Rinku, who has made a name for himself as a finisher, has played only 82 balls in 9 matches in IPL 2024, scoring 123 runs at a strike rate of 150. KKR have not needed his finishing skills in most of the matches this year as their openers, Phil Salt and Sunil Narine, have been doing the bulk of the scoring. Agarkar, however, said the decision to leave out Rinku had nothing to do with him. It was because of the combination the team management wanted to find the right balance in the USA and West Indies. “I don’t think it has anything to do with him. It’s not Rinku Singh’s fault that he has missed out. With two keepers who are both terrific batters, there’s already an extra batter sitting. So we thought of having an extra bowling option. Rinku is a travelling reserve; that’s how close he was, it’s a little tough on him but at the end of the day, you can only pick 15,” Agarkar said. India start their campaign in the T20 World Cup against Ireland on June 5.

Australia Women vs England Women, AUS-W vs ENG-W , Today Match Prediction

Vann Hiso3 months ago3 months ago06 mins

𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇 : Australia Women vs England Women 𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄 : January 20, Monday 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 : 13:45 PM IST 𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐔𝐄 : Sydney Cricket Ground, Moore Park, Australia𝐓𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 : 1st T20 2025 Australia Women continue to set the pace in the Women’s Ashes and come into the WT20I leg with a lead of six points to zero. Perth Scorchers vs Adelaide Strikers TV channels: The fans can watch the match live on Hotstar Live Streaming: Live streaming of the match will be available on the FAFA191 Cricket Exchange India and website. AUSW vs ENGW Match Prediction & Analysis Although the last Women’s Ashes series saw England Women come back from a six point deficit to share the trophy, it currently looks highly unlikely that the same will play out in this edition. Firstly, the last series was in England, where the conditions were very different but also Australia Women are an even tougher side at home! That said, it is often believed that the shorter formats provide more of an opportunity for a weaker side as there is not as much time for the stronger team to show their dominance. England Women will look at this game as an opportunity to re-set and get back into the series whereas Australia Women will arrive at the SCG with plans to take an 8-0 points lead. TEAMS PREVIEW Australia Preview Australia Women are a dominant side irrespective of the format and that was what made their Women’s T20 World Cup semi-final defeat to South Africa Women all the more surprising in October last month. They were also not at their best with the bat in the opening two WODIs of this series, losing six wickets in the first and being bowled out for 180 in the second. The hosts were also in trouble at 59/4 midway through the 15th over of the third WODI before Ashleigh Gardner’s century. But the bad news for England Women is that Australia’s Women’s batting is improving while their bowling continues to be of the highest order. The hosts will arrive at the SCG with plenty of confidence throughout their side England Preview It will be tough for England Women to turn around the six points deficit in this Women’s Ashes series, particularly as the Australia Women are the home side and playing in front of their fans. After a disappointing WODI series, Heather Knight will be keen to stress the positives for her team ahead of this WT20I. The two main ones are that England Women finally saw a batter go to a half-century on Friday when opener Tammy Beaumont hit 54 and she was followed by Nat Sciver-Brunt who hit 61. Danni Wyatt-Hodge and Amy Jones will also come into this WT20I in good form. Weather Conditions According to the forecast, this will be a warm and clear evening in Sydney. The start of the game will begin under sunny skies before dusk falls and the temperature will be over 20 degrees throughout. AUSW vs ENGW Pitch Report The SCG is one of the oldest and most iconic stadiums in Australia and could well bring out the best from both sides in this game. There will be some turn for the spinners and batters never feel totally comfortable at a venue where ball often is in charge. Toss: To Bat Only three WT20Is have been played at the SCG and the last two were both won by the team batting first. With Australia Women also winning the last two WODIs when batting first, we predict that both captains will be looking to bat first in this match.

New Zealand vs India, ICCCT, Today Match Prediction

Vann Hiso2 months ago2 months ago06 mins

𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇 : New Zealand vs India𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄 : March 02, Sunday𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 : 14:30 PM IST𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐔𝐄 : Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai, United Arab Emirates 𝐓𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 : ICC Champions Trophy, 2025 The top two teams from Group A meet with their places in the semi-final already guaranteed! New Zealand vs India TV channels: The fans can watch the match live on Hotstar Live Streaming: Live streaming of the match will be available on the FAFA191 Cricket Exchange India and website. NZ vs IND Match Prediction & Analysis Group A has not been overly competitive in this year’s Champions Trophy with New Zealand and India winning both of their games at the expense of Pakistan and Bangladesh. But this game will be an important one as it will decide who finishes top of Group A and at the same time will determine who plays the runners-up from Group B. Both New Zealand and India have not really been challenged across their two games in this competition but we expect all to change in this fixture with both playing a high standard of cricket. TEAMS PREVIEW New Zealand Preview It continues to be a surprise that anyone is surprised by how easily New Zealand have negotiated their first two games of this Champions Trophy and it was another comfortable victory for the Black Caps when they beat Bangladesh in their last game on Monday. That match saw Rachin Ravindra return to the team with Daryl Mitchell missing out through illness but we expect New Zealand to be at full strength for this top of the table clash with India. With Ravindra taking the Player of the Match award thanks to his 112 runs from 105 balls, it is going to be tough for New Zealand to work out who makes way for Mitchell and we expect one of Will Young or Devon Conway to be left out with Ravindra promoted to open. India Preview Pakistan were no match for India last Sunday as Rohit Sharma’s team got over the winning line with six wickets in hand and 45 balls remaining. In all, it was a fine team performance from India and they have so far lived up to their tag of pre-tournament favourites. Wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav was back to his best in the win over their great rivals, returning figures of 3/40 with Hardik Pandya the pick of the pacers. Mohammed Shami had an off day but the team management will not be concerned as he builds up his strength following a long injury lay off. With the bat, Virat Kohli once again saved a century for a game against Pakistan and the consistent pair of Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer both made significant contributions as well. India continue to have vast depth in both their bowling and batting ranks! Weather Conditions The temperature will be around 24 degrees from start to finish during this game even after sundown. Humidity levels will also be moderate and will not increase as the match progresses. NZ vs IND Pitch Report The Dubai International Cricket Stadium has good pace and bounce so overall is a good place for batting. Whoever bats first will be looking to post a total of 320+. Toss: To Bat Both teams are equally comfortable batting first or bowling first and the conditions look unlikely to change across this match. Therefore, we predict that both captains will want to bat first ahead of this game.

Bud Cricket Club vs Gauhati Town Club, ASMT20, Today Match Prediction

Vann Hiso7 months ago7 months ago04 mins

𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇 : Bud Cricket Club vs Gauhati Town Club 𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄 : Sep 10, Tuesday𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 : 13:00 PM IST𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐔𝐄 : Nehru Stadium, Guwahati, Kamrup Metropolitan, India𝐓𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 : Assam T20 Pride Cup, 2024 Gauhati Town Club have beaten Bud Cricket Club quite comfortably earlier in the tournament. Bud Cricket Club vs Gauhati Town Club TV channels: The fans can watch the match live on Hotstar Live Streaming: Live streaming of the match will be available on the FAFA191 Cricket Exchange India and website. TEAMS PREVIEW Bud Cricket Club Preview Bud Cricket Club have managed just two wins so far from their five games. They are coming off a 2-run loss to River Rine Club. Bud CC need to get some wins under their belt quickly or the season will slip away from them very soon. Gauhati Town Club Preview Gauhati Town Club too have managed just two wins this season, although they have played six games. They are coming off a 1-wicket loss to City Cricket Club. Arnav Borah tops Gauhati’s batting charts with 122 runs in 5 innings at a strike rate of 93.13. He is closely followed by Bishal Sharma (113 runs in 5 innings at 88.98) and Yuvraj Tewari (89 runs in 5 innings at 90.82). Weather Conditions Batsmen have struggled to find their rhythm on the challenging pitch at the Nehru Stadium in Guwahati. Bowlers have capitalized on the slow and seam-friendly conditions, making it difficult for batsmen to score runs consistently. Spinners will be tough to score off when the ball becomes a little soft. The pitch’s slow nature and seam movement have made it difficult for batsmen to score runs freely, requiring patience and technical skill. BCC vs GTC Pitch Report There have hardly been any high-scoring matches seen at the Nehru Stadium in the Assam T20 Pride Cup 2024. The highest total posted here this season is 167/5 by New Star Club against Ankurjyoti Club. That was the only instance of a team posting a 150+ score in the tournament. Given the trend, a score around 120 runs is expected to be competitive.

Suryakumar Yadav 102 vs SRH: T20 World Cup-bound MI star perfectly times return to form

Danijones12 months ago09 mins

Suryakumar Yadav came up with a statement of sorts on Monday at the Wankhede Stadium. His IPL 2024 form before MI’s home game against SRH was likened to the keys on a piano — up and down, as his scores read 0, 52, 0, 78, 10, 26, 10, 56. However, the World No. 1 T20I batter showed why he is rated the best in the world with a 51-ball 102 not out that helped MI comfortably outclass the in-form SunRisers. Suryakumar, who returned to the IPL 2024 season after a long injury layoff, battled tiredness during his whirlwind knock, not throwing in the towel even though he found it hard to run between wickets comfortably. “I felt it was the need of the hour for me,” Suryakumar Yadav said after winning the Player of the Match award. The Mumbai star acknowledged the value and the timing of his second IPL hundred. He proved his naysayers and detractors wrong. He never had to justify his spot in the T20 World Cup squad, but he needed self-assurance that everything was going right. It’s not easy returning from a long injury layoff, which involved surgery in treating sports hernia, and straightaway finding peak form in a tournament like the IPL. And Suryakumar was under pressure straight away as MI’s campaign, under their new captain Hardik Pandya, was floundering. Their captain was booed and the atmosphere in the dug-out looked tense. It was not as if Suryakumar was struggling to put bat to ball, but the seasoned campaigner was not able to live up to his own high standards. IPL 2024 Full Coverage | IPL 2024 Points Table and Standings | 2024 IPL Full Schedule However, on Monday, Suryakumar was a different beast. Building on a fifty he scored against KKR earlier in the month, Suryakumar showcased his ability to soak in pressure and play the situation in his imitable style. Suryakumar and Tilak Varma joined hands when Mumbai were reeling at 31 for 3 while chasing 174. SRH captain Pat Cummins greeted Suryakumar in the middle with a wicket maiden over. Suryakumar was beaten 4 times on the trot by Cummins, who bowled a Test match line on the Wankhede Stadium pitch that was assisting swing and seam bowling under the night sky. “Initially it was really tough. We were struggling and decided to play with the straight bat. Play it like Tests or ODI knowing we have a 360-degree batter,” Tilak Varma said after their unbeaten 143-run partnership — the highest for Mumbai for the 4th wicket of below in the history of IPL. SPECIAL UNDER PRESSURE Suryakumar was willing to see off the new ball. And it didn’t take long for him to launch a counter-attack as he tore into left-arm pacer Marco Jansen in the first over after the powerplay. 22 runs came off the 7th over with Suryakumar doing what Suryakumar does best – flick a fast bowler into the stands behind square on the leg side. Two sixes and two boundaries were hit in the over and the momentum swung in MI’s favour. There was no stopping Suryakumar from there on. He hit 6 sixes and 12 boundaries and reached his second IPL hundred in just 51 balls. He hit a six to get to the landmark and help complete MI’s chase of 174 in just 17.2 overs. The World No. 1 T20I batter well and truly arrived at the IPL party, showcasing how dangerous he can be even against some of the best bowlers. “During the chase, they had to get through those first 4 or 5 overs. But MI lost 3 wickets. But they kept hanging in there. And then this partnership, that was class, batting at its best. Under pressure initially, and then to be aggressive and take on the bowlers is very hard thing to do. And then capitalise and not give it away and get the team home is something special,” former Australian captain Michael Clarke told Star Sports, lauding Suryakumar’s hundred. “He finds the boundaries so easily. I know this ground is quite small, especially on one side. But the way he timed the ball, they were going for sixes in any ground in the world. So, we got another good look at his class. That’s an innings, I am sure he will remember for a long time. But I think we should not underestimate that knock. The team has been under pressure, the senior players failed at the top. He grabbed that today and stood up. That’s leadership,” he added. Suryakumar Yadav’s 2nd IPL hundred saw him equal Rohit Sharma’s record for most 3-figure scores for MI by a batter in the IPL. It was also his 6th T20I hundred. The MI star took his tally in the season to 334 runs in just 9 matches. As expected, Suryakumar has been striking at over 170 in the ongoing season. “Suryakumar is a high-quality batter. He knows how to absorb pressure. When he walked in, he absorbed the pressure. He did not do anything silly. He absorbed pressure, especially in the Cummins over. That was one of the best overs of the IPL, a maiden wicket. It was quality bowling, it was almost like we were watching Test bowling. Suryakumar Yadav was also aided by some ordinary bowling,” former fast bowler Varun Aaron said on Monday. Yes, Mumbai’s playoff hopes are all but over. However, the remaining two games of their campaign allow their World Cup-bound stars to find some form. Suryakumaar, who ruled out any injury after his blazing 102, will be hoping to send a couple more warning notices to India’s rivals before he joins the rest of the teammates on their trip to the T20 World Cup in the USA and the Caribbean. Published By: Saurabh Kumar Published On: May 7, 2024

Ireland vs South Africa, IRE vs SA , Today Match Prediction

Vann Hiso7 months ago7 months ago07 mins

𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇 : Ireland vs South Africa𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄 : Oct 02, Wednesday𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 : 17:00 PM IST𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐔𝐄 : Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates𝐓𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 : 1st ODI 2024 Can Ireland carry their T20 series-levelling momentum into the ODIs? Can South Africa shake off their 1-2 series loss to Afghanistan and pick up a series win? Ireland vs South Africa TV channels: The fans can watch the match live on Hotstar Live Streaming: Live streaming of the match will be available on the FAFA191 Cricket Exchange India and website. IRE vs RSA Match Prediction & Analysis After the T20I series ended with Ireland and South Africa sharing the honours, the focus shifts to the ODI series. Ireland will go into the series with renewed confidence that they can topple a quality side like South Africa if they stick to their plans and play fearlessly. Now that the opportunity to add a T20 series trophy to their cabinet has gone begging, South Africa will look to quickly regroup and start prepping for the champions trophy to be held in Pakistan in 2025. A series loss to Afghanistan a few weeks ago, over at Sharjah, is a hard pill to swallow and the South African lads will be still hurting. But Ireland is a different challenge and South Africa, with 8 wins from 9 matches, will feel confident having had the upper hand over Ireland for many years. But they know they can’t rest easy because that gap is slowly but surely starting to close with the young and exciting Irish cricketers making big strikes on the international scene. Let’s see what the first match has in store for us. TEAMS PREVIEW Ireland Preview Ireland managed their first ever victory over South Africa in this format the last time these sides went head to head in the ODI series in Dublin in 2021. Victories like that and the one they just notched in the T20 series here bring a monumental shift in the way an associate side like Ireland approach challenging a heavyweight like South Africa. The Irish team hasn’t undergone much changes since that series, with the core of the team still intact. Paul Stirling has taken the reins and done reasonably well, winning 5 out of 8 matches that he captained. Harry Tector averaging 58.5 and striking at 91 has been the standout Irish player in this time period, with five 100s from 33 games. South Africa Preview South Africa’s bowling attack may have a lot of talent but they’re short on experience. Only Lungi Ngidi (33 matches) and Andile Phelukwayo (18 matches) have more than 10 caps in from the squad that’s been selected to represent the Proteas in this series. Bjorn Fortuin (7), Nandre Burger (5) , Lizaad Williams (4), Wiaan Mulder (8) and the newcomer Nqabayomzi Peter (2) have a combined 26 caps between them. Weather Conditions Abu Dhabi wickets always bring both batsmen and bowlers into play. It’s not a road, but teams have put sizeable totals on board here too. Stats suggest that any score over 250 batting first could be a real challenge for the chasing team, with the teams chasing only managing to win on 3 out of 14 occasions. The weather forecast for the match looks quite good and it’s highly likely that we would have a full match barring delay due to any unforeseen circumstances. IRE vs RSA Pitch Report The ODI leg of this series will also feature the Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi. Paul Stirling, the Irish captain, has plundered the runs here scoring 263 runs from 3 matches, with two centuries to his name including a high score of 131*. Toss: To Bat 19 out of the 26 matches played here since 2014 have been won by the team batting first, which goes to show there’s a definite advantage to winning the toss and batting first. And we reckon the team winning the toss would be happy to have a bat first.

Bangladesh Women vs Ireland Women, BD-W vs IRE-W 2024, Today Match Prediction

Vann Hiso4 months ago4 months ago05 mins

𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇 : Bangladesh Women vs Ireland Women𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄 : December 09 ,Monday 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 : 09:30 PM IST𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐔𝐄 : Sylhet International Cricket Stadium, Sylhet, Bangladesh𝐓𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 : 3rd T20I 2024 Bangladesh women eye a consolation win against Ireland women at Sylhet Bangladesh Women vs Ireland Women TV channels: The fans can watch the match live on Hotstar Live Streaming: Live streaming of the match will be available on the FAFA191 Cricket Exchange India and website. BANW vs IREW Match Prediction & Analysis Host Bangladesh women will be looking to earn a consolation victory when they face Ireland women in the third and final game of the t20i series played at Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on Monday. Ireland women registered a 47-run win over Bangladesh women, courtesy excellent performances from all-round heroics from Orla Prendergast and Laure Delaney. With this result, Ireland women have taken a 2-0 lead in the three-match T20I series.On the other hand, Nigar Sultana-led Bangladesh will be keen to raise their overall game with bat and ball to end their season on a positive note. TEAMS PREVIEW Bangladesh Preview In the batting department, the side will be depending on the likes of Orla Prendergast, Laura Delaney, captain Gaby Lewis, wicket-keeper Amy Hunter and Leah Paul to do the bulk of the scoring. In the previous match, Laura Delaney scored 35 runs off 25 balls with the help of four boundaries, whereas Orla Prendergast chipped in with 32 runs off 25 balls with the help of three fours and one six. Wicket-keeper Amy Hunter scored 23 runs off 23 balls with the help of four fours, whereas Leah Paul chipped in with 16 runs off 19 balls. Ireland Preview In the batting department, the side will be relying on the likes of Dilara Akter, Sharmin Akhter, Sobhana Mostary, captain Nigar Sultana, Shorna Akhter and Fahima Khatun to deliver the bulk of the runs. In the previous match, Sharmin Akhter showcased decent form with the bat for Bangladesh women and finished the innings with the top-score of 38 runs off 43 balls with the help of one four. She was well supported by Shorna Akhter, who scored 20 runs off 21 balls. In the bowling department, the side will be depending on the likes of Sanjida Akter Meghla, Fahima Khatun, Jannatul Ferdus, Nahida Akter and Fahima Khatun to deliver timely breakthroughs. Weather Conditions The average first innings score in a T20I match at Sylhet over the past six completed games is around 140 runs. The highest total posted was posted by Australia women, who scored 191 runs against Ireland women in 2014 Women’s T20 World Cup. The weather forecast for Monday’ game is going to be bright and sunny. BANW vs IREW Pitch Report Sylhet International Cricket Stadium, Sylhet is going to host the third and final game of the T20I series played between Ireland women and Bangladesh women. Toss: To Bat Sylhet International Cricket has been a great venue for sides batting first. The first two matches played at Sylhet was won by side batting first.

London Spirit Women vs Manchester Originals Women, HWC, Today Match Prediction

Vann Hiso9 months ago9 months ago04 mins

𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇 : London Spirit Women vs Manchester Originals Women𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄 : Aug 09, 2024𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 : 19:30 PM IST 𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐔𝐄 : Lord’s Cricket Ground, United Kingdom, United Kingdom𝐓𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 : The Hundred Women, 2024 Host London Spirit women eye a strong show against Manchester Originals women London Spirit Women vs Manchester Originals Women TV channels: The fans can watch the match live on Hotstar Live Streaming: Live streaming of the match will be available on the FAFA191 Cricket Exchange India and website. LSW vs MCRW Match Prediction & Analysis Host London Spirit women will be looking to continue their decent form when they take on Manchester Originals women in the 23rd match of the Hundred Womens Competition 2024 played at Lords in London. With two wins, two defeats out of five matches played, London Spirit are currently placed at fifth position in the league table. Skipper Heather Knight will be hoping that the side can learn from their mistakes and make a strong comeback in this home fixture. On the other hand, Manchester Originals women were completely outclassed by Oval Invincibles women in all three departments. The visitors will be desperate to break their two-match losing streak at Lords.Last year, the match between London Spirit women and Manchester Originals women was abandoned due to heavy rains. London Spirit Women Preview In the batting department, the onus will be on the likes of former Australian captain Meg Lanning, Danielle Gibson, all-rounder Deepti Sharma and captain Heather Knight to do the bulk of the scoring. Manchester Originals Women Preview In the batting department, the side will be depending on the likes of Laura Wolvaardt, Beth Mooney, Emma Lamb, Kathryn Bryce and Evelyn Jones to deliver the bulk of the runs. Weather Conditions The average first innings score at Lords in the ongoing Hundred Womens Competition 2024 is 135 The highest total posted here is London Spirit women’s 150 for 5 against Welsh Fire women. The match was eventually won by Welsh Fire by six wickets.The surface prepared at Lords is expected to provide an exciting battle between bat and ball.

Shimron Hetmyer seals nervy win for Rajasthan Royals against Punjab Kings | Cricket

Danijones1 year ago06 mins

Given what had transpired in IPL 2024 before Saturday, a target of 148 should not have posed any threat. Especially when the team chasing was an in-form Rajasthan Royals (RR) and the team defending was a struggling Punjab Kings (PBKS). However, a tricky pitch at the stadium in Mullanpur combined with a better bowling show from PBKS meant that RR had a few jittery moments in their run chase. Rajasthan Royals batters Shimron Hetmyer and Trent Boult celebrate their victory over PBKS(PTI) In the end, RR did get to the target with three wickets in hand and only a ball to spare, which means they occupy the top spot with five wins in six matches. After an all-round bowling effort by RR that restricted the hosts to 147/8 — Avesh Khan and Keshav Maharaj took two wickets apiece while Trent Boult, Kuldeep Sen and Yuzvendra Chahal claimed a scalp each — it was Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shimron Hetmyer who played crucial knocks to take Rajasthan over the line in a tense chase. Unlock exclusive access to the story of India’s general elections, only on the HT App. Download Now! While Jaiswal got back to form at the top of the order with a 28-ball 39, Hetmyer showed his finishing prowess in the final over of the game. With RR needing 10 off the last six balls, Punjab’s Arshdeep Singh began by nailing the yorker twice in a row for dot balls. When Arshdeep erred ever so slightly off the third ball, Hetmyer managed to hit a six to relieve all the pressure. Two balls later, Hetmyer finished the game in style by hammering a rank full toss over the fine leg boundary for six. His 10-ball 27 not out earned him the player-of-the-match award. Arshdeep is known to bowl the yorker in the death overs but faltered in his execution against the big-hitting West Indian when the pressure was on. It didn’t look like Hetmyer would be required when Jaiswal was on song early in the innings. Used as an impact player in this game, Jaiswal stitched together an opening stand of 56 with Tanush Kotian, who was brought into the side for off-spinner R Ashwin and opened in Jos Buttler’s absence. Both Ashwin and Buttler were nursing niggles. If not for Kagiso Rabada dismissing Jaiswal and Sanju Samson in successive overs, RR might have had a much more straightforward chase. Riyan Parag, in superb form this season, also couldn’t see it through on Saturday, getting dismissed after making 23 off 18 balls courtesy an excellent catch by Rabada at deep midwicket off Arshdeep. That was when Hetmyer had to come to the party and he didn’t disappoint. Punjab faced a blow even before a ball was bowled as captain Shikhar Dhawan was not available for the game, resulting in Sam Curran taking charge. Similar to the previous games, Punjab’s top-order disappointed again as they were tottering at 52/4 in 9.3 overs. Jonny Bairstow’s middling run is a cause for concern in particular. He took 19 balls for 15 before giving left-arm spinner Maharaj his first IPL wicket. That Punjab’s eventual total had a degree of respectability was thanks to the efforts of Jitesh Sharma (29 off 24 balls), Liam Livingstone (21 off 14 balls) and Ashutosh Sharma. Having made an impact in the earlier games, Ashutosh again stepped up with a late blitz of 31 (16 balls) — his innings included three sixes and a four — to take the hosts near the 150-run mark. That 72 runs came off the last six overs allowed Punjab to go into the second innings with optimism. For RR, Maharaj and Avesh were the pick of the bowlers.

IPL-17 | No plans to rest Bumrah yet: MI batting coach Pollard

Danijones12 months ago07 mins

Mumbai Indians’ Jasprit Bumrah celebrates after taking wicket of Abhishek Sharma during the IPL match between MI and Sunrises Hyderabad at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on May 6, 2024. | Photo Credit: EMMANUAL YOGINI Mumbai Indians have no plans to rest ace India pacer Jasprit Bumrah ahead of the T20 World Cup even though they are out of contention for the IPL playoffs, said batting coach Kieron Pollard. MI defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by seven wickets here on Monday after Suryakumar Yadav (102 not out) struck his second IPL century to help his team chase down a target of 174 with 16 balls to spare. The win helped MI end their four-match losing streak and record only their fourth win in 12 matches. “I certainly haven’t had any discussions about that,” Pollard told media after the game when asked if there are any plans to rest Bumrah from MI’s remaining two matches keeping in mind the upcoming T20 World Cup. Also Read: IPL-17 | Technology comes to the rescue of practice pitches at Dharamshala “I don’t think that’s my role and function at this point in time. But let’s see what happens. We are all here to play an entire IPL. Sometimes when we think too far ahead of different things, thinking about World Cups, all these things could affect performances even from before the team was selected. “For us and in our camp, the most important thing is finishing off the IPL and let’s see what happens after that. When he leaves the IPL and he goes into the Indian team, I think that’s where that concession will take place.” MI’s last IPL game is against Lucknow Super Giants at home on May 17. The T20 World Cup, to be co-hosted by USA and the West Indies, will begin on June 1. Pollard said as a batting coach the most difficult aspect of coaching an all-round batter like Suryakumar is to curb his attacking instinct. “He’s one, who, by nature, instinctively, is very aggressive. He wants to take the bowler’s on more often than not. At times it’s just a matter of understanding the situation and respecting the new ball when it’s moving around,” Pollard said. “If the conditions are not suitable for a certain amount of shot making, having that discipline in order to be there for a period of time and they’ll get into your work. “I think that would be the hardest thing — to try to curb the attacking instinct. But it’s not something you want to curb too much and get them in a defensive frame of mind because of the direction the sport is heading now in terms of the amount of runs being scored.” SRH’s assistant coach Helmot doffs his hat to Suryakumar SRH’s assistant coach Simon Helmot said Suryakumar played an exceptional innings to take the game away from his side and the world No 1 T20I batter will have a lot of influence in the T20 World Cup. “On some days you just have to take your hat off and say well played and well played to him. He’s an exceptional cricketer and he’s always going to demand a spot in the Indian team and I’m sure he’ll have an influence in the World Cup,” he said. “It’s very difficult (to bowl at Suryakumar) and you guys have seen him close up for many years as I have. He’s a very difficult batsman to match up with when he’s in that sort of frame of mind, that sort of mood.” Helmot said the conditions assisted swing bowling with the new ball in both the innings which forced the batters to adjust their game. “Travis (Head) has been one of our best players this season at the top of the order. But even he found it difficult at times to time the ball out in the middle on this particular track and that will happen at different times during the season,” he said. Helmot said not losing their fourth spot in the IPL points table was the biggest positive for SRH in a resounding defeat. “The positives are that we’re still fourth in the ladder. It’s a really tight competition; one of the tightest competitions we’ve had in IPL for years that I can remember,” he said. “For us, we’ve got our very first fly tomorrow (Tuesday) and then play the next day against Lucknow (on Wednesday). For us, it’s (about) very quickly get through over this game,” he added.