‘Karun Nair gets 100, KL Rahul requests BCCI to…’: Gambhir handed ‘two gems’ ahead of England series

‘Karun Nair gets 100, KL Rahul requests BCCI to…’: Gambhir handed ‘two gems’ ahead of England series

Former England captain Kevin Pietersen, who mentored Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, is mighty impressed with Karun Nair and KL Rahul ahead of the upcoming five-match Test series against England. Pietersen, who worked with both these batters at close quarters in the T20 competition, lauded the way both are preparing for the upcoming series, beginning June 20. Kevin Pietersen, who mentored Delhi Capitals in IPL 2025, is mighty impressed with Karun Nair and KL Rahul(PTI) Karun Nair vindicated the selectors’ call to include him in the main squad as he hit a century in the ongoing first unofficial Test between India A and England Lions in Canterbury. The right-handed batter, 33, made full use of some below-par bowling on a green surface, which offered some initial assistance for the pacers. Karun remained unbeaten on 186 on Day 1 of the first unofficial Test as he made a strong case for his inclusion in the playing XI for the first match of the five-Test series against England in Headingley. The right-hander was involved in an 181-run stand for the third wicket with Sarfaraz Khan. The latter missed out on a well-deserved century, but Karun piled the misery, and he found support in Dhruv Jurel. According to reports, KL Rahul has also requested that the BCCI fly him to the UK next week so that he can play the second Test between India A and England Lions. Also Read: Karun Nair makes dream start to England tour with century for India A Pietersen labelled Nair and Rahul as “two gems” of Indian cricket as he appreciated their efforts to prepare for the England tour. “Karun gets a 100 yesterday, and KL has asked BCCI to travel early to the UK to get extra practice in before Tests – 2 gems,” Pietersen wrote on X (formerly Twitter). KL Rahul to leave for the UK on Monday According to a report in the Times of India, KL Rahul will leave for the UK on Monday after being granted permission by the BCCI. Rahul was originally slated to leave alongside the rest of the Indian team on June 6. However, he decided to play the second India A Test against the England Lions after rain spoilt his preparation in Mumbai. KL Rahul had also played for India A before the start of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. The opening batter will now be required to shoulder the responsibility of the batting order after the Test retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Rahul was one of India’s best batters in the series against Australia, which India lost 1-3. India will be led by Shubman Gill against England while Rishabh Pant will serve as his deputy. India squad: Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant, Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.

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IPL 2025: Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill show Delhi Capitals what they have been missing this season | Cricket News

IPL 2025: Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill show Delhi Capitals what they have been missing this season | Cricket News

Gujarat Titans’ captain Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan being congratulated by Delhi Capitals’ KL Rahul (PTI Photo) NEW DELHI: KL Rahul did much of the heavy-lifting for Delhi Capitals as they batted first against Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday evening. During his 60-ball century, and eventual 112* from 65 balls, he ticked plenty of boxes in an effortless knock which took DC to 199 runs, their biggest total at this venue in IPL 2025.While playing 65 balls (the most by a batter this IPL season), he pocketed numerous milestones along the way as well: fastest Indian to 8000 T20 runs, fourth on the list of most centurions in IPL history, joint-third in the list of most centuries by Indians in T20s.His innings was stupendously paced as well. In his first 20 balls, he scored 25 runs. In the next 20 balls each he scored 38 and 39 runs, respectively. The last five balls fetched 10 runs. As far as pacing an innings in a T20 is concerned, this was template stuff. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!And this was the plan all along as DC moved KL Rahul to top of the order. Having tried multiple combinations with none of them proving fruitful, the franchise rolled the dice again. And again, it didn’t work out. Faf du Plessis fell for 5 after a laboured start, producing an opening stand of just 16 runs.But it allowed KL Rahul more time to get settled before going into the attacking mode, which saw 14 fours and four sixes. Except, it wasn’t enough — by a long margin. Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill showed what DC have been missing all this season — a set pair to open the innings. The pairing collected their seventh 50-plus stand for the first wicket in IPL 2025. And when they crossed the 100-run mark without much of a fuss, it was their seventh in IPL history.As the score ticked to 158 runs, the records just became harsh on DC, as it was the highest opening stand against them.Not long after, Sudharsan, fittingly, got the job done with a six. The manner of the result was also duly appropriate. Half-tracker outside off by Vipraj Nigam, Sudharsan went on the back foot and pulled well over long-on. Six and Gujarat Titans had earned themselves a 10-wicket win and a place in the playoffs. Well, themselves and Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings as well.The maximum to close the match out was the 11th six of the GT innings, which coupled with the 15 fours, meant 126 of the 205 runs that GT scored came in boundaries or 61.46%. Sudharsan’s 108 from 61 balls and Gill’s 93 from 53 balls were laden with boundaries, yet there was little risk involved. Where Gill controlled 82% of his shots, Sudharsan was on 85% on that metric. Bombay Sport Exchange Ep 5: Shane Watson on how IPL gave him a lifeline & his tribute to Phil Hughes “We’ve batted and played really well throughout, going into the playoffs is a reward for how well we’ve done. Openers play low-risk cricket, still they have the ability to hit down the ground and find boundaries. The fours they hit during the game, especially. They know their game, they put a lot of work in strengthening their basics which shows,” said GT assistant coach Parthiv Patel after the win.“Opening pair is about chemistry and knowing each other’s games wel,l which they do,” he added.On the eve of the match, Parthiv had stressed on looking at the glass-half-full with their batting, suggesting he was focused on the top order doing the job for them. And on Sunday, that glass just got a bit fuller. Get IPL 2025 match schedules, squads, points table, and live scores for CSK, MI, RCB, KKR, SRH, LSG, DC, GT, PBKS, and RR. Check the latest IPL Orange Cap and Purple Cap standings.

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KL Rahul says 'poor performance overall' after succumbing to heavy defeat against KKR | Cricket News

KL Rahul says ‘poor performance overall’ after succumbing to heavy defeat against KKR | Cricket News

NEW DELHI: Lucknow Super Giants bowlers first leaked 235 in a historic first at the Ekana Stadium and batters then had a disappointing run, collapsing under the scoreboard pressure as KL Rahul and Co. succumbed to a heavy 98-run defeat at the hands of Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday.Smashing the LSG bowlers left, right and centre, Sunil Narine hit a sparkling 81 which was followed by a collective effort by the bowlers as KKR restricted the hosts to 137 all out and moved to the top of the table.Skipper Rahul after the embarrassing defeat blamed an overall poor performance for the horror show in their final home game of the season.“Lot of runs. Poor performance overall. It was a big total. Like I said, It’s a poor performance with both bat and ball. Narine in powerplay puts a lot of pressure. Our bowlers couldn’t handle the pressure,” Rahul said at the post-match presentation.While the Ekana surface produced its first ever 200-plus T20 score, Rahul did not blame the pitch and conditions and said it stayed true throughout the game.“Wicket is very good. There is a bit of bounce if you bowl hard length. It wasn’t a bad pitch. 235 was 20-30 runs were above par. Our batting was poor,” Rahul added.With their fifth defeat of the season in 11 games, Lucknow were pushed to the fifth spot on the points table but Rahul said that team will look to bounce back quickly and will look to make it three out of three going ahead and finish inside top four.“Once we go back to dressing room, we move on from this game and see where we went wrong. Last home game, we are on the road for the next few games, we need to be little bit more fearless,” Rahul said.The win, on the other hand, brought KKR closer to the playoffs.Shreyas Iyer and Co. now have 8 wins in 11 matches.

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Narine, Chakravarthy shine as Kolkata go top in points table with big win over Lucknow – India TV

Narine, Chakravarthy shine as Kolkata go top in points table with big win over Lucknow – India TV

Image Source : BCCI/IPL Kolkata Knight Riders players at LSG vs KKR IPL 2024 game in Lucknow on May 5, 2024 Kolkata Knight Riders registered a huge 98-run win over Lucknow Super Giants in the 54th match of the Indian Premier League 2024 on Sunday. A win boosted Shreyas Iyer’s KKR to the top of the points table and an inch closer to a playoff qualification at Ekana Cricket Stadium. Sunil Narine continued his red-hot form by smashing 81 runs off just 39 balls as Kolkata Knight Riders posted 235/6, the highest-ever total in Lucknow in IPL history. Then Varun Chakravarthy and Andre Russell picked a combined five wickets to bowl out KL Rahul’s LSG to 137 in 16.1 overs. With 16 points in the first 11 matches, Shreyas Iyer-led Kolkata all but secured a spot in the points table. Lucknow slipped to fifth position with six wins in eleven matches but remain in contention to make playoffs for the third consecutive season. After being forced to bat first, Kolkata enjoyed a sensation start with in-form openers Phil Salt and Sunil Narine adding 61 runs in just 26 balls. Naveen-ul-Haq gave Lucknow a breakthrough with Salt’s big wicket in the fifth over but Narine kept Kolkata on track with his fourth fifty-plus innings this season. Bishnoi ended Narine’s explosive innings in the 12th over and then Kolkata struggled to carry the momentum. Naveen bagged valuable wickets of Andre Russell and Rinku Singh’s in the middle overs but Kolkata managed to post a big total of 235 with Ramandeep Singh smashing 25* off just 6 balls. Naveen picked three wickets for 49 for Lucknow but all bowlers went expensive at Ekana Cricket Stadium. Chasing a mammoth target, Lucknow lost young opener Arshin Kulkarni in the second over with Ramandeep Singh pulling off a sensational catch on Mitchell Starc’s delivery. In-form KL Rahul and Marcus Stoinis kept Lucknow alive in the chase by adding 50 runs for the second wicket. Returning pacer Harshit Rana gave Kolkata a breakthrough to dismiss KL Rahul in the eighth over and then Lucknow’s innings suffered an embarrassing collapse. Stoinis top-scored with 36 runs off just 21 balls but none of his teammates managed to reach the 30-run mark.  Harshit Rana and Varun Chakravarthy picked three wickets each and Russell claimed two big wickets as Lucknow’s inning collapsed to 137. Narine bagged the Player of the Match award for scoring 81 runs and taking a wicket. Lucknow Super Giants Playing XI: KL Rahul (c & wk), Marcus Stoinis, Deepak Hooda, Nicholas Pooran, Ashton Turner, Ayush Badoni, Krunal Pandya, Ravi Bishnoi, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mohsin Khan (substituted by Yudhvir Singh), Yash Thakur (substituted by Arshin Kulkarni). Kolkata Knight Riders Playing XI: Philip Salt (wk), Sunil Narine, Angkrish Raghuvanshi (substituted by Vaibhav Arora), Shreyas Iyer (c), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Mitchell Starc, Varun Chakaravarthy, Harshit Rana.

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KL Rahul's striking U-turn on his 'overrated' strike rate remark amid Sunil Gavaskar-Virat Kohli row

KL Rahul’s striking U-turn on his ‘overrated’ strike rate remark amid Sunil Gavaskar-Virat Kohli row

‘Strike rate’ has become the new hot topic in Indian cricket after former India captain Sunil Gavaskar ripped apart Royal Challengers Bengaluru batter Virat Kohli on Saturday for hitting back at critics in an explosive interview last week during IPL 2024 over criticism on his sluggish scoring rate in T20. Amid the row, Lucknow Super Giants captain KL Rahul took a major U-turn on his old comment on strike rate when asked about his new approach in the ongoing season. Lucknow Super Giants’ skipper KL Rahul plays a shot during the match against Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League 2024, at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow (ANI ) Rahul’s tempered-down approach in T20 cricket has often been subject to criticism, but the India batter has always reckoned that the metric of strike rate in the shortest format is an “overrated” topic. “Look, I think strike rate is very, very overrated. For me, it’s only about how I can win games for my team,” Rahul, who was then the skipper of Kings XI Punjab, said in 2020. Unlock exclusive access to the latest news on India’s general elections, only on the HT App. Download Now! Download Now! Three years later, he reiterated the same ahead of the start of the 2023 IPL season for Lucknow Super Giants, where he added that: “Strike rate depends upon the demand, like if you chase 140 – you don’t need to go with 200 strike rate – it depends upon the current situation.” However, on Sunday, on being asked about his new approach this season for LSG as an opener, Rahul accepted that amid the changing dynamics of the game, where 220 is becoming almost a norm, strike rate has emerged to become an important factor. “There’s been a lot of talk about strike-rates and the format is changing. Even 220 is now safe. It is evolving,” said Rahul after LSG won the toss and opted to bowl first. In the IPL 2024 season, Rahul has scored 406 runs so far for Lucknow in 10 matches at a strike-rate of 142.96. What is Sunil Gavaskar vs Virat Kohli strike-rate row? Earlier on Saturday, Gavaskar was left fuming at Kohli, who had blasted his critics over his strike rate against spinners after scoring 70 not out of 44 balls against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad last week. The former India opener, speaking live on-air, said that the commentators only criticised him when he would get out before the slog overs after registering a strike rate of below 120. “Commentators questioned only when the strike rate was 118. I’m not too sure. I don’t watch too many matches, so I don’t know what the other commentators have said otherwise. But if you have a strike of 118 and then you get out in the 14th or the 15th with a strike-rate of 118, I mean, if you want applause for that, that’s a little bit different. That’s different,” he told Star Sports. Gavaskar also lashed out at Kohli for responding to “outside noise” amid cricketers constantly mentioning that they care less about what critics say about their game. “All these guys talk about, oh we don’t care about outside noise. Then why are you replying to any outside noise or whatever it is. We all played a bit of cricket, not a lot of cricket. We don’t have agendas. We speak about what we see. We don’t necessarily have any likes and dislikes. Even if we have likes and dislikes, we actually speak on what is happening,” added Gavaskar.

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Lucknow Super Giants vs Kolkata Knight Riders free streaming, match updates, highlights – India TV

Lucknow Super Giants vs Kolkata Knight Riders free streaming, match updates, highlights – India TV

Image Source : INDIA TV LSG vs KKR IPL 2024 Live Score LSG vs KKR IPL 2024 Live Score, Match Updates and Highlights Kolkata Knight Riders will target their third successive win and a shot at the top place in the points table when they take on in-form Lucknow Super Giants in the 54th match of the IPL 2024 at Ekana Cricket Stadium on Sunday evening. Both teams are entering this mega encounter with good form on backs and bidding for the playoff spots without much trouble this season. Kolkata registered an impressive wight-wicket win in the first-leg fixture against Lucknow this season and are favourites going into the reverse clash as well. Live Scorecard  

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IPL 2024: Guarded Lucknow Super Giants look to subdue dominant Kolkata Knight Riders | Cricket News

IPL 2024: Guarded Lucknow Super Giants look to subdue dominant Kolkata Knight Riders | Cricket News

Coach Langer confirms Mayank unlikely to play in rest of seasonLUCKNOW: Playing their last match on home turf, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) will have to give it their best shot to edge past Kolkata Knight Riders at the Ekana cricket stadium on Sunday. KKR are a step away from a berth in the Playoffs with 14 spots.IPL ORANGE CAP | IPL PURPLE CAP | IPL POINTS TABLEIn their previous match against Mumbai Indians, LSG were far from convincing as they had to toil hard to chase the modest 145-run target.On the batting side, LSG skipper KL Rahul is in form up the order and has played some fine knocks, smashing fifties against Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings.Allrounder Marcus Stoinis also played well against MI, scoring 62 runs, and had also played a spectacular match-winning innings against CSK. Deepak Hooda has also played some decent knocks. Wicketkeeper-batter Nicholas Pooran has not been able to make his mark in the last 2-3 matches and it is time for him to put his best foot forward. Top-order batter Quinton de Kock missed the last match against MI and he was back early to the pavilion against Rajasthan Royals. On the bowling side, LSG’s bowlers will also face a harsh test with none of them making a real dent with individual brilliance. In the last match, Mohsin Khan, Marcus Stoinis, Naveen-ul-Haq and Mayank Yadav did well against MI. LSG will now have to go without pace sensation Mayank, who had walked out of the last match against MI due to his side strain acting up.Mayank is unlikely to play in the remainder of the IPL. LSG head coach Justin Langer said, “We’ll be praying that he can play hopefully in the play-offs but I am a realist as well. It will probably be difficult for him to get up for the back end of the tournament. He’s (Mayank) had a scan. He’s got a small tear in a similar area to where his last one (injury) was. So, it’s very unfortunate. We saw the impact he had when he came back into the game.” As for KKR, their bowlers were in excellent form against MI on Friday. All the bowlers, especially spinners Varun Chakaravarthy and Sunil Narine.

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'Everyone loves range hitting': KL Rahul after Lucknow Super Giants' loss to Rajasthan Royals

‘Everyone loves range hitting’: KL Rahul after Lucknow Super Giants’ loss to Rajasthan Royals

NEW DELHI: Captain Sanju Samson led the Rajasthan Royals with an unbeaten 33-ball 71, while Dhruv Jurel contributed 52 not out off 34 balls, as they secured a seven-wicket victory over the Lucknow Super Giants in their IPL 2024 match at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Saturday.Put in to bat first, Lucknow Super Giants posted a respectable 196 for five against the Rajasthan Royals, thanks to skipper KL Rahul‘s 76 off 48 balls and Deepak Hooda’s 50 off 31 balls.Chasing 197, Sanju and Jurel formed an unbroken partnership of 121 runs for the fourth wicket to reach the target in 19 overs.After LSG lost the match, skipper KL Rahul rued the team’s poor start and said that his team fell short of 20 runs. “I think we left about 20 runs behind. We didn’t get an ideal start but with the partnership me and Hooda had was great. In these sorts of games, the set batter had to score close to a hundred after getting to 50-60. I think we were 150 after about 15 overs, should have capitalized on it a bit more. I think it is clear the team with more sixes ends up winning. We do try to hit our sixes but today we had to change our approach after those two early wickets. If Hooda pushed on and scored 20 more, and I got 20 more then we’d finish around 220. That would have been the difference, that’s the 20 runs we left behind,” KL said after the match. LSG, who are fourth in the points tally with 5 wins in 9 matches, will next face Mumbai Indians on Tuesday. “We’re seeing with every game how important it is to give the bowlers that extra cushion because they are under the pump. Everyone loves range hitting and hitting it all over the park, we are no different. It is part of the prep. Our big hitters are Stoin and Pooran who can hit those big shots. The other guys like us try to pick our areas and time the shots better,” he said.“(On Mishra and Bishnoi) There is a bit of chat before the game with the numbers and how opposition players match up. Mishra is an experienced player and today was a day we knew he could be useful with how slow he bowls and with the larger boundaries. Once the runs kept flowing, they put pressure on our bowlers. There were 2-3 overs when Krunal bowled really well and squeezed them but then they attacked the fast bowlers. I couldn’t get a good time to get Bishnoi, wanted to keep him for the backend when Rovman and Hetmyer came out to bat because we know he can bowl well to them,” the LSG captain said.

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Ravindra Jadeja turns Superman to pull off a one-handed blinder, leaves skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad in total disbelief. Watch | Cricket News

Ravindra Jadeja turns Superman to pull off a one-handed blinder, leaves skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad in total disbelief. Watch | Cricket News

NEW DELHI: Chennai Super Kings all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja pulled off a miraculous one-handed stunner to send Lucknow Super Giants skipper KL Rahul packing for 82 in Lucknow in Indian Premier League match on Friday.Often regarded as a live wire on the field and one of the greatest fielders of his time, Jadeja showcased sensational hand-eye co-ordination to pluck a blinder out of thin air.The incident took place on the first ball of the 18th over when Matheesha Pathirana threw a back of length delivery wide outside off. As Rahul saw room, he threw his bat at it middled. The ball flew straight to backward-point, close to where Jadeja was positioned. As the ball travelled to him in a blink of an eye, Jadeja leaped to his left, putting out his hand and the ball just stuck. Seeing the superhuman effort, a stunned CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad could only manage to put his hand on the mouth. “Ohh! What a catch. Is that the catch of the IPL? Wow! That (ball) was flying like a tracer bullet and he has just plucked it out of thin air as if its nothing,” said a highly excited Ravi Shastri on-air. Despite Jadeja blinder that ended Rahul’s knock, his 53-ball 82 powered Lucknow to a solid eight-wicket win over CSK.Chasing a tricky 177, Rahul and Quinton de Kock (54) smashed superb fifties as LSG crossed the finish line with 6 balls to spare. With the comfortable victory, Lucknow returned to winning ways after suffering two back-to-back defeats.

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IPL-17 | Not panicking, but we will have difficult conversations: K.L. Rahul

IPL-17 | Not panicking, but we will have difficult conversations: K.L. Rahul

LSG wicketkeeper and captain KL Rahul during the IPL match against KKR at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on April 14, 2024. | Photo Credit: AFP Lucknow Super Giants skipper K.L. Rahul on Sunday said panic has not set within his team after two successive defeats, but stressed on the need to have some tough conversations within the group. LSG went down by eight wickets against Kolkata Knight Riders here, as the side is now placed fifth on the points table with six points from as many matches. “Not panicking, but you can’t put your feet up and hope results will go your way. We have to figure out where you are going wrong. We will have a few difficult conversations,” said Rahul during the post-match presentation. “The last couple of games, we have not been able to get more than 160, and that is something to think about, and see how we can get to the 180-200 run mark.” Being asked to bat first, LSG were limited to 161 and KKR chased down the target in just 15.4 overs. Analysing their batting, Rahul rued losing too many wickets upfront. “I think it was the other way round. The ball started nipping around a lot more after the lights came on. I can’t say we played bad shots, but the shots we played, we did not execute well,” he offered. “We kept losing wickets in bunches, and we left about 30 runs out there. If we kept wickets in our hand and had one of our top three-four batters through, we could have got a lot more runs. We got a few wickets but leaked too many boundaries.” The character of bowlers showed: Shreyas ============================== Meanwhile, KKR captain Shreyas Iyer credited the bowlers for the win. The triumph has allowed the two-time champions to maintain the second spot on the table with eight points from five matches. “The way we played, it was a comprehensive victory. We bowled well under pressure, and then, finishing off the game, it was the icing on the cake,” said Iyer. “It was important to bowl as many slower balls as possible. With the heat coming in, the wicket was a little dry, and we wanted to minimise the half-volleys, and we wanted the batters to use their power and clear the ropes. “That is what we were focusing on, and I feel we executed it phenomenally well. The character and attitude bowlers showed were exceptional.” The unbeaten partnership of 120 runs between Iyer (38 runs, 38b) and Phil Salt (89 off 47b) played a pivotal role in KKR’s success. Salt lauded Iyer for his support. “Shreyas was good in the middle and kept me on task. Good to have Shreyas back (in form).” The Englishman also credited the Eden Gardens wicket for making him feel at home. “Before the lights came on, I felt it was a little slower. When they came on, there was a bit more moisture to allow the ball to slide on, so it got a bit better for our innings. “In India, this (pitch) is probably the most similar to home (in England). The ball bounces a bit more, and you can aim squarer.”

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