WATCH: Team India's new T20 jersey launched ahead of World Cup | Cricket News

WATCH: Team India’s new T20 jersey launched ahead of World Cup | Cricket News

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Rohit Sharma gets eye-catching mention from Preity Zinta days after quashing fake news about wanting him as PBKS captain

Rohit Sharma gets eye-catching mention from Preity Zinta days after quashing fake news about wanting him as PBKS captain

A little over two weeks after Preity Zinta dismissed reports of wanting Rohit Sharma as captain of the Punjab Kings, the PBKS owner took to social media platform X to describe the former Mumbai Indians skipper. Taking questions from her fans, Zinta called Rohit ‘a powerhouse of talent’, indicating that if she ever were to seek him as leader of PBKS, it wouldn’t be a bad call after all. Preity Zinta had nothing but praise for Rohit Sharma (Agencies) Rohit, captain of the Indian team, is a bonafide legend of Indian cricket. The only batter in history to score three ODI double-centuries and a winner of six Indian Premier League titles, Rohit has taken Indian cricket to great heights and then some since taking over as captain. In the IPL, despite being tied with MS Dhoni for the most trophies – five – Rohit is the most successful captain for winning them in a span of 10 years. A proven behemoth of modern-day cricket, one can’t help but wonder if there can even be a more perfect term to sum up Rohit than how Zinta described him. Unlock exclusive access to the latest news on India’s general elections, only on the HT App. Download Now! Download Now! Speculations are rife about Rohit’s future at MI. In December, the franchise removed him as captain and replaced him with the returning Hardik Pandya. And as it turned out, the move has backfired immensely. MI are languishing at the bottom of the IPL 2024 points table and on the verge of being the first team officially get eliminated from the race to the Playoffs. Rohit’s own form has been a bit of a letdown as well. With 326 runs from 11 matches, including a century, Rohit has an average of 32.6 and a strike rate of 154.5. While he may be set to better his previous season, Rohit is still not on par with the standard he has set for himself and cricket fans all over the world. When asked if she would entertain having MS Dhoni aboard Punjab Kings, Zinta also spoke about her love and admiration towards the CSK captain. Reflecting on Sunday’s game, the actor revealed she underwent a bittersweet emotion as PBKS emerged second best in the return match-up. “Everyone wants him, and everyone is his fan, including me. Yesterday was bittersweet. I wanted us to win and him to hit some big sixes, but we lost, and he got out. The only bright spot was that our bowlers did so well in restricting them, but eventually, it was not enough,” she added. Zinta’s PBKS is one of the original eight franchises to have never won an IPL title – Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru being the other two. In 16 years, PBKS have qualified for the Playoffs just twice, with their best show coming in 2015, where they finished runner-up to Kolkata Knight Riders. The wait to land an elusive IPL title can be painstakingly long, but Zinta manages to keep her spirits high. “Trust me, no one wants to know that more than I do, but I believe we will win it one day… Hopefully sooner than later,” she wrote.

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Will former MI captain play as impact player again vs SRH? – India TV

Will former MI captain play as impact player again vs SRH? – India TV

Image Source : PTI Rohit Sharma Mumbai Indians are set to face Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the 55th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) today on May 6 (Monday) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The five-time champions are virtually out of the playoffs race but they can certainly spoil the party for the Pat Cummins-led SRH side. Meanwhile, MI’s former captain Rohit Sharma played the previous game against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as an impact player due to back spasms. Will he be part of the playing XI for the clash against SRH? Well, the latest update coming from the MI camp is that Rohit is ‘fit and fine’ but it remains to be seen if the management takes precautionary measure keeping in mind the upcoming T20 World Cup. In the pre-match press confernce on Sunday (May 5), Naman Dhir confirmed that the opening batter is fit. Moreover, Rohit Sharma also batted in the nets on Saturday and Sunday and didn’t seem to be in any visible discomfort. If he is fully fit, then the 37-year-old should make it back to the playing XI. Having said that, it also remains to be seen if Jasprit Bumrah, the purple cap holder of IPL 2024, is rested keeping his workload in mind given that MI are only mathematically in race to make it to top four. Interestingly, Hardik Pandya and his men fielded only three overseas players against KKR and even then, they couldn’t make full use of Mohammad Nabi. Squads Sunrisers Hyderabad Squad: Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Anmolpreet Singh, Nitish Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen(w), Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed, Marco Jansen, Pat Cummins(c), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan, Jaydev Unadkat, Umran Malik, Mayank Markande, Aiden Markram, Sanvir Singh, Washington Sundar, Glenn Phillips, Rahul Tripathi, Mayank Agarwal, Upendra Yadav, Jhatavedh Subramanyan, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Akash Maharaj Singh Mumbai Indians Squad: Ishan Kishan(w), Rohit Sharma, Naman Dhir, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Nehal Wadhera, Hardik Pandya(c), Tim David, Gerald Coetzee, Piyush Chawla, Jasprit Bumrah, Nuwan Thushara, Shams Mulani, Shivalik Sharma, Dewald Brevis, Romario Shepherd, Mohammad Nabi, Kumar Kartikeya, Luke Wood, Shreyas Gopal, Harvik Desai, Arjun Tendulkar, Anshul Kamboj, Akash Madhwal, Kwena Maphaka

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IPL: Rohit Sharma's form a concern for India and Mumbai Indians ahead of Sunrisers Hyderabad clash | Cricket News

IPL: Rohit Sharma’s form a concern for India and Mumbai Indians ahead of Sunrisers Hyderabad clash | Cricket News

MUMBAI: In an IPL where arguments and counterarguments about Virat Kohli’s strike rate have hogged the limelight, the patchy form of Team India captain Rohit Sharma has flown under the radar.Going into the T20 World Cup next month, Rohit is aware that he could do with some runs and time in the middle under his belt, starting with Monday night’s tie for the Mumbai Indians against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Wankhede Stadium.When he was removed from MI captaincy before this season, head coach Mark Boucher had hoped that the decision would allow Rohit, who was in fine touch going into IPL, to “play more freely and take his team to the playoffs.”However, things haven’t exactly panned out the same way for the man who led MI to five IPL titles, but whose IPL form has been a concern for a few years now owing to his tendency to be over-aggressive from ball one. Since he slammed a century (105 not out off 63 balls) — his first in the IPL in more than a decade — against the Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede Stadium on April 14 in a 20-run defeat — Rohit’s scores have been 36, 6, 8, 4 and 11. Before that, his sequence of scores in the tournament read 43, 26, 0, 49 & 38. Overall, the 37-year-old has managed 326 runs in 11 [email protected] so far in IPL-2024.In his last match against Kolkata Knight Riders, Rohit didn’t even field due to a mild back issue and only came to bat as an ‘Impact Player.’There is a fair chance that given that the T20 World Cup is around the corner, the veteran opener would again turn out for MI as an ‘Impact Player’- ironic since he himself has been critical of the rule!At the selection presser, India’s chief selector Ajit Agarkar had made it clear that his committee pitched in for “experience” while picking the World Cup-bound squad, but Rohit’s poor IPL form does present a concern. If Rohit finds his form, it will help MI, down and knocked out of the competition, salvage some of their battered pride. Although they lost their first eight matches on the trot in 2022, this somehow feels the worst season for MI in their history. Having suffered as many as eight defeats — four on the trot going into this game — in 11 matches, they languish at the last spot in the 10-team tournament.While rumours and talk of their dressing room not being a happy place refuse to die, their big guns, barring pace ace Jasprit Bumrah (17 wickets in 11 [email protected]) have failed to fire right through.Placed far better at No 4 with 12 points in 10 matches (six wins and four defeats), the Sunrisers will eye another win which strengthens their playoff hopes.For perhaps the first time since they reached the final in 2018, SRH, the 2016 IPL winners, are looking impressive.Led astutely by Pat Cummins, they possess the tournament’s most dangerous batting line-up in openers Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma, followed by Heinrich Klaasen and Nitish Kumar Reddy (smashed 76 not out off just 42 balls in the last match). Head’s contest with Bumrah has the potential to light up this game. Between them, Klaasen (31) and Abhishek (28) have smashed as many as 59 sixes in IPL-2024 so far-the maximum by anyone in the competition so far.

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Phil Salt-Sunil Narine ahead of Virat Kohli-Faf Du Plessis and Rohit Sharma-Ishan Kishan | Cricket News

Phil Salt-Sunil Narine ahead of Virat Kohli-Faf Du Plessis and Rohit Sharma-Ishan Kishan | Cricket News

NEW DELHI: They come, they see the ball, and launch it over the park – that’s how Kolkata Knight Riders openers Sunil Narine and Phil Salt have been wreaking havoc on opposition bowling attacks in the ongoing IPL 2024. KKR, the two-time champions, currently sit second in the points table with seven wins in 10 matches, largely thanks to the solid foundations provided by Salt and Narine.These two have been instrumental in establishing strong starts for KKR. In the match against Lucknow Super Giants, Salt, and Narine sent bowlers to all corners of the field. They formed a 61-run partnership for the opening wicket.Salt and Narine have now stitched together six 50-run partnerships in IPL 2024, leading the way among opening pairs. They outperformed Mumbai Indians’ Ishan Kishan and Rohit Sharma, who have achieved four 50-plus opening stands, and RCB’s Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis, who have managed the feat three times this season.Most 50+ opening partnerships in IPL 20246 – Phil Salt and Sunil Narine*4 – Ishan Kishan and Rohit Sharma3 – Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis

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'Shreyas Iyer was groomed as India captain after Rohit Sharma, not Hardik Pandya or Jadeja': Ex-BCCI chief selector

‘Shreyas Iyer was groomed as India captain after Rohit Sharma, not Hardik Pandya or Jadeja’: Ex-BCCI chief selector

Shreyas Iyer was being groomed as the next Indian captain after Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, said former BCCI chief selector MSK Prasad. Iyer, a regular in all three formats not too long ago, is going through a challenging phase after losing his central contract for 2024-25 for not playing in the Ranji Trophy despite the board’s orders. The talented right-hander has not been at his absolute best with the bat in IPL 2024 either, having scored 257 runs in 10 matches. But his captaincy has been superb. Kolkata Knight Riders sit at No.2 in the IPL points table with seven wins in 10 matches and stand a good chance of qualifying for the playoffs. Kolkata Knight Riders’ captain Shreyas Iyer(AFP) Prasad said Iyer was groomed for the leadership role, unlike Hardik Pandya or Ravindra Jadeja. He has a better chance of succeeding at the highest level when he gets the opportunity. Unlock exclusive access to the latest news on India’s general elections, only on the HT App. Download Now! Download Now! “Shreyas Iyer, unlike Hardik Pandya or Ravindra Jadeja has been groomed (as a captain). He has come through a system,” Prasad told Rev Sports. The former India keeper-batter said Iyer was ahead of Rishabh Pant when the selection committee looked at options to prepare for the post-Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma era. Prasad said Iyer had a pretty good record while captaining India A. “If you go back to the stats, in the last two years, when we were at the helm, Shreyas Iyer led the side (India A). I think out of 10 series that India A played, we won 8. In the majority of those series, Shreyas led the side. He has been in and around as captain. He has been groomed for that particular slot. We felt that post Virat, post Rohit Sharma, you needed someone to lead the side that’s when we started thinking about Shreyas Iyer or Rishabh Pant. But even ahead of Pant was Iyer as a captain,” he added. Iyer first big leadership exposure came in 2018 when Gautam Gambhir quit as the Delhi Capitals captain midway through the season and handed over the reins to a young Iyer. Prasad said Iyer was fortunate to start his leadership career under Ricky Ponting, who was the head coach of DC. “He was fortunate enough to get to lead Delhi Capitals under Ricky Ponting. The grooming process began there. It was unfortunate that DC could not hang on to Iyer as Rishabh stepped into his shoes and did reasonably well. The best part was that he moved away from DC so that KKR could give him captaincy responsibility.” After a shoulder injury in early 2021, the right-hander couldn’t take part in the first leg of IPL 2021 and eventually lost the captaincy to Rishabh Pant for the whole season. He was released and picked up by KKR in the mega auction ahead of IPL 2022. Prasad said Iyer has shown signs of maturing into a very good leader. “He is slowly maturing into a very good leader. It’s very important at the start of your captaincy career to have a good team management. That’s what he’s getting from KKR. He is young, and they are going to invest in him. In the next two or three years, we will see Shreyas evolve into a wonderful captain.”

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In IPL wins, Virat Kohli becomes the first player to score... | Cricket News

In IPL wins, Virat Kohli becomes the first player to score… | Cricket News

NEW DELHI: Virat Kohli has once again made headlines by setting a new record in the Indian Premier League history. Royal Challengers Bengaluru‘s star batter continues to impress fans with his exceptional performance on the field. Kohli’s latest achievement adds to his long list of accolades in the sport.The former RCB captain now became the first player to score 4000 runs in IPL wins.He achieved the milestone during RCB’s four-wicket victory over Gujarat Titans on Saturday. He has amassed an impressive total of 4039 runs so far.Kohli achieved another milestone by becoming the first Indian batter to reach 12,500 runs in T20 cricket. He was just six runs shy of this mark and reached it with a massive hit off Mohit Sharma on the second ball of the chase.Following closely behind is the left-handed batsman Shikhar Dhawan, with a tally of 3945 runs. Dhawan’s ability to score quickly and steadily has made him a valuable player in the IPL.Most runs in IPL wins Virat Kohli (4039 runs) Shikhar Dhawan (3945 runs) Rohit Sharma (3918 runs) David Warner (3710 runs) Suresh Raina (3559 runs) The third position is held by former Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma, who has scored 3918 runs. Rohit’s leadership and batting contributions have been pivotal to his team’s performance in the league.Australian cricketer David Warner, known for his aggressive batting style, has made 3710 runs in the IPL wins. Warner’s role as an opener has often given his team a solid start in matches.Suresh Raina, with 3559 runs, rounds off the top five run-scorers in the IPL. Raina’s consistency and experience have been his strong suits throughout his IPL career.

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Rohit Sharma's hug to young Rinku Singh wins hearts following KKR's victory - WATCH | Cricket News

Rohit Sharma’s hug to young Rinku Singh wins hearts following KKR’s victory – WATCH | Cricket News

NEW DELHI: Venkatesh Iyer’s impressive half-century outshone a similar effort from Suryakumar Yadav, as Mitchell Starc’s four-wicket haul helped Kolkata Knight Riders defeat Mumbai Indians by 24 runs in a low-scoring IPL 2024 match. This victory marked KKR’s first win at the Wankhede Stadium since 2012 and their second ever at the iconic venue.In a match that was largely dictated by bowlers, Iyer saved KKR from a challenging 57/5 with his gritty 70 off 52 balls, guiding them to a modest total of 169. In response, Starc’s four-wicket burst, coupled with the two wickets each from KKR’s spin duo Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy, secured a historic win for the two-time champions. Following the game, Mumbai Indians’ star batsman Rohit Sharma was seen giving a hug to KKR’s batting sensation Rinku Singh. Though Rinku did not make India’s main 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA, he has been named as a reserve player. India’s T20 World Cup journey kicks off against Ireland on June 5 at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York.Mumbai Indians’ social media account shared a video capturing the moment of Rohit’s embrace after the match. Despite his impressive record of 356 runs at an average of 89 and a strike rate of 176.24 in T20Is for India, Rinku’s exclusion has sparked significant debate since the Indian team’s announcement and has created a stir on social media.

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Why did Rohit Sharma play as Impact Player against Kolkata Knight Riders? Piyush Chawla reveals reason – India TV

Why did Rohit Sharma play as Impact Player against Kolkata Knight Riders? Piyush Chawla reveals reason – India TV

Image Source : PTI Rohit Sharma alongside Jasprit Bumrah and Ishan Kishan. Rohit Sharma’s absence from Mumbai Indians’ playing XI in the 51st game of the Indian Premier League (IPL) season 17 raised many eyebrows and opened up room for speculation. The absence of “The Hitman” left many fans bemused as Mumbai Indians won the toss and elected to field first against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on their home turf (Wankhede Stadium) in Mumbai. However, the anxiety of fans came to a pleasant end as the former Mumbai Indians skipper made his way to the wicket alongside his opening partner Ishan Kishan to get the chase underway for the hosts. Though Rohit didn’t last long and got out to Sunil Narine while attempting a pull, his arrival at the crease brought assurance to the hearts of the apprehensive fans. Mumbai lost the clash by 24 runs but are still alive in the race to the playoffs, barely though. With the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 fast approaching, Team India can’t afford to lose Rohit to injury and hence the apprehension of fans is understandable. However, Mumbai’s veteran leg-spinner Piyush Chawla revealed that there are no major concerns with Rohit’s fitness and his inclusion in the game as an Impact Sub was just a precautionary measure. “Rohit had a mild back stiffness. So, just as a precaution he was brought in as an Impact Player,” Chawla revealed during the post-match presentation Chawla’s statement has allayed the fears of the Indian cricket fans who want to see Rohit lead the team from the front at ICC’s marquee tournament. The winners of the inaugural edition of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup have been placed in Group A alongside the co-hosts USA, arch-rivals Pakistan, Canada and Ireland. India begin their campaign against Ireland at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York on June 5.  

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IPL 2024: Why Rohit Sharma played as an impact sub in Mumbai Indians-Kolkata Knight Riders clash | Cricket News

IPL 2024: Why Rohit Sharma played as an impact sub in Mumbai Indians-Kolkata Knight Riders clash | Cricket News

NEW DELHI: Leg-spinner Piyush Chawla stated that India captain and Mumbai Indians opener Rohit Sharma was compelled to play as an impact substitute in the IPL match against Kolkata Knight Riders because of a “mild back stiffness”.IPL ORANGE CAP | IPL PURPLE CAP | IPL POINTS TABLETheir 24-run defeat against KKR, in which Rohit was an impact substitute, saw him score just 11 runs in 12 balls in the second innings. This loss almost saw the five-time winners eliminated from the IPL this year.“He just had a mild back stiffness so it was just a precautionary thing,” Chawla told the media after the match here at the Wankhede Stadium.Mumbai’s eighth loss in 11 games has put an end to the Hardik Pandya-led team, and Chawla also acknowledged that their only remaining motivation is “pride”. “For the pride and the reputation, because sometimes when you enter on the field, you don’t think whether you are going to qualify or you are not going to qualify,” he said.“You have to play for your name and that’s what we are playing for,” he added.MI’s lack of momentum throughout this IPL season, according to Chawla, is the cause of their subpar play.“You must have often heard about that T20 is all about momentum and just that we didn’t get that momentum going this season and it can happen to any team,” he said. “It’s not like it’s happening to us for the first time or any other team for the second time. It can happen to anyone and it’s just that that momentum was not our way.”On Friday, the 35-year-old Chawla overtook Dwayne Bravo to claim 184 wickets, becoming him the second-highest wicket-taker in the IPL.“It has been a beautiful journey because IPL started 17 years back and at that time nobody gave that much preference to the spinners, but now if you see that in top few wicket takers in India, especially all the spinners, Ashwin, Yuzhi, myself (are there), so it’s a good feeling,” he said. In addition, Chawla commended Manish Pandey for his performance in his first game of the season despite being under pressure. As KKR scored 169 all out in 19.5 overs, Pandey (42) and Venkatesh Iyer (70) shared 83 runs for the sixth wicket.“It was a good partnership and credit has to go to them because they batted beautifully. Well, T20 is something in which experience plays a big role, (which is) what we saw today.“When Manish walked in, maybe if somebody walks in who must have played few games, he would have panicked that runs are not coming.“But he read the situation and the way he handled the situation because if you see in starting, he was hardly going at run a ball. But later on, he knew that he has to stand there with Venky.” (With PTI inputs)

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