India

“Picture Of The Year”: MS Dhoni Re-United With World Cup At The Venue Of 2011 Triumph. Internet On Overdrive

MS Dhoni is one iconic cricket captain. Recently, a video of Gautam Gambhir went viral where he said that Dhoni would remain the most successful Indian cricket team captain. The former star had every reason to say so. No other captain has won the ODI World Cup, T20 World Cup, Champions Trophy and also taken the team to No. 1 ranking in Tests. From 2007, MS Dhoni’s charisma on the field meant that Indian cricket team was an indomitable force. Read here: IPL 2024 points table While MS Dhoni won many accolades, the one ever-lasting image that the great produced was in the final of the 2011 ODI World Cup at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai when he hit Sri Lanka’s Nuwan Kulasekara for a six to win the marquee event for India. He stayed unbeaten on 91 as India clinched their second-ever ODI World Cup title. That was the last time India won the ODI World Cup. MS DHoni is back at the Wankhede Stadium. This time he will be playing for Chennai Super Kings against Mumbai Indians in an IPL 2024 match. Ahead of the match, MS Dhoni came fact to face with the 2011 World Cup trophy on Saturday and the image has gone viral. Some are referring to it as the ‘picture of the year.’ Dream of many captains MS Dhoni with iconic 2011 World Cup Trophy – Picture of the year. pic.twitter.com/cszhlEjy4j — (@AloneSoul_ABU) April 13, 2024 91K likes needed for this picture. MS Dhoni pic.twitter.com/uhurOHjOuH — Sexy Cricket Shots (IPL’24) (@sexycricketshot) April 13, 2024 MS Dhoni World Cup Trophy Made for each other#MSDhoni #IPL2024 pic.twitter.com/snvG6Ok9gM — Jetharam Godara (@Jethara39738387) April 13, 2024 The IPL 2024 season started with Dhoni stepping down from CSK captaincy just ahead of the tournament and Ruturaj Gaikwad assuming the role. Ravindra Jadeja had earlier tried and failed to replace Dhoni as the CSK captain in 2022 but the support from fans and team management made one thing very clear – Gaikwad is the choice for the future and the entire ‘Yellow Army’ was behind him this time. However, what did not stop was the chatter on how much influence Dhoni will have on the pitch. Hailed as one of the master tacticians of the game, Dhoni had proven in the past that he is capable of changing any game just by his acumen. As a result, the conversations never stopped and it even led to some experts wondering out loud about how much Gaikwad will be able to exercise his control over the team. Topics mentioned in this article

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Why Is Shikhar Dhawan Not Leading Punjab Kings Against Rajasthan Royals In IPL 2024 Game? Sam Curran Reveals

Why Is Shikhar Dhawan Not Leading Punjab Kings Against Rajasthan Royals In IPL 2024 Game? Sam Curran Reveals

It came in as a surprise as Punjab Kings’ regular skipper Shikhar Dhawan didn’t come out for the toss for their match against Rajasthan Royals at Mullanpur, Chandigarh on Saturday. Star PBKS all-rounder Sam Curran was the one, who came in for the toss with RR’s Sanju Samson in the absence of Dhawan. The toss went in favour of RR with the side opting to bowl first. And after this, Curran revealed the reason behind the absence of Dhawan. Speaking after the toss, Curran revealed that Dhawan missed out due to a minor injury. “Shikhar (Dhawan) picked up a niggle, that’s why I’m here,” said Curran. “We would have bowled first as well, but we’ll now have to put the runs on the board. The balance has been good, we’d have liked to win a few more games, but the middle-order looks good, especially Shashank (Singh) and Ashutosh (Sharma). We’ve got exciting players and plenty of quality. We’ve Atharva Taide coming in for Shikhar tonight, (Liam) Livingstone is back as well,” he added. For Rajasthan Royals, Jos Buttler and Ravichandran Ashwin missed out, informed captain Sanju Samson at the toss. After winning the toss, Samson said, “We’ll bowl first, it looks like a decent wicket to bowl first. We’ve made a target to not think about the goal, focus on the process, work on building the team and we’re doing well. A lot of challenges outside as well, we’ve many players missing from tonight’s game. 90% of the game was good – Jos (Buttler) isn’t 100%, Ash (R Ashwin) bhai is having a niggle, so Rovman (Powell) and (Tanush) Kotian come into the XI.” Toss Update Rajasthan Royals win the toss and elect to bowl against Punjab Kings. Follow the Match https://t.co/OBQBB75GgU#TATAIPL | #PBKSvRR pic.twitter.com/szFn2mFyel — IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 13, 2024 Here are the playing XIs of both the sides – Rajasthan Royals (Playing XI): Sanju Samson(w/c), Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Tanush Kotian, Keshav Maharaj, Trent Boult, Avesh Khan, Kuldeep Sen, Yuzvendra Chahal Punjab Kings (Playing XI): Jonny Bairstow, Atharva Taide, Prabhsimran Singh, Sam Curran(c), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma(w), Shashank Singh, Harpreet Brar, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Kagiso Rabada Topics mentioned in this article

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

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

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…

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"MS Dhoni Blames IPL Parties For T20 World Cup Exit": RCB's Old Post Resurfaces, Internet Puzzled

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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