Ipl 2018 letest updates

Ahmedabad: Demoted in the list of central contracts as he is no longer a permanent feature in the national team's playing XI, beleaguered leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal got the backing of Royal Challengers Bangalore's coach Simon Katich, who said that his place in the side is "not under scanner".

Chahal, who has been out of form for quite some time, has already been pushed down to the lowest grade of BCCI's central contract after a poor last season. With only four wickets in seven games at an economy rate of 8.26, it will be difficult for RCB to persist with him for far too long.

"We won't say his spot is under the scanner," Katich said after Chahal conceded 34 runs in 4 overs on a Motera track where Punjab Kings legs-pinner Ravi Bishnoi picked 2 for 17 and left-arm spinner Harpreet Brar had 3/19, including wickets of Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and Glenn Maxwell.

Katich reasoned that Punjab spinners got a track that became slower while Chahal's undoing was a bad first over in which Chris Gayle hit him for two sixes.

"Obviously, their spinners bowled a much better length than we did. I guess how the wicket played, it got slower and slower and they assessed it well and bowled a very good length," Katich explained after his side lost to Punjab Kings by 34 runs.

"We were off our lengths a little bit. Yuzi fought back well but got off to a slow start in that first over, it's never easy to play catch up when you have been hit in your first over. I thought Shahbaz (Ahmed) bowled well in trying to claw things back but in the end but 180 was too many on that wicket," he said.

RCB have now lost two games and both pretty comprehensively while batting second which is a cause of concern with the net run-rate taking a hit.

"Look, net run-rate got a hit today. Punjab played the conditions better. They assessed pretty well with the bat and got to a good total and we lost our way through the middle and probably left our run a little bit too late. So they deserved a win today," the former Australia batsman said.

He was all praise for rival skipper KL Rahul who was unbeaten on 91.

"Obviously, KL Rahul was outstanding, marshalling them to a 180 score which in the end on that track was well over par. The wicket (that was) given was second time used. It was used last night as well," Katich said.

But he is hopeful that things will turn for the better against Kolkata Knight Riders in their next game.

"It was a disappointing day for us but one thing this group is good at is bouncing back. Expect a good showing from us when we play KKR in a couple of days."

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Ahmedabad: Harpreet Brar's aim was to contain AB de Villiers but a perfect execution of strategy led to the South African's dismissal as the young left-arm spinner's dream spell sealed an easy 34-run win for Punjab Kings in an IPL game against Royal Challengers Bangalore.

It's not every day that one gets to dismiss Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell and De Villiers in one go and the 25-year-old man from Punjab's Moga is feeling "blessed".

Brar clean-bowled Kohli and Maxwell and then set up an off-side trap to force De Villiers into trying a lofted shot without any success.

"My plan against De Villiers was to bowl a touch wider outside off-stump and out of his slot since the ball was gripping a bit. That's why I brought in a slip and had covers to come up slightly. I wanted to bowl a dot but also managed to get a wicket. I am blessed," Brar said after his match-winning spell of 3/19 in 4 overs.

In case of Kohli, he actually shortened the length after realising that the frustrated RCB skipper was trying to give him the charge.

"My strategy was to hit the right length and not worry even if he hits me for a boundary. If the batsman charges down the track then you alter the length," Brar said.

What worked for the former India U-23 spinner is playing with a free mind and not thinking too much about the result.

"I just wanted to play bindaas (carefree) cricket come what may. I didn't want to take too much stress and play my natural game," he said.

Brar had played three games in the past two seasons but this is the first time that he got wickets in IPL and that too the opposition's top three players.

"It's not that I hadn't played with pressure earlier. I had, but when you don't perform under pressure, you tend to be over burdened with more pressure. I had this in mind that once I get a chance, I will try and win a match for my franchise," he concluded.

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Day 2 report: Wicketkeeper-batsman Niroshan Dickwella hit a run-a-ball 64 not out in the second test to help Sri Lanka reach 469-6 at stumps on the second day against Bangladesh on Friday.

Sri Lanka had lost two wickets in successive overs with its first-innings score on 382 but Dickwella’s knock wrestled back the initiative.

Dickwella, an aggressive left-handed batter, displayed unconventional strokes and Bangladesh captain Mominul Haque was running out of ideas to contain him.

The 27-year-old Dickwella was particularly harsh on the spinners. He swept the first ball he faced — from Mehidy Hasan — to the square leg boundary and continued to relish playing sweep and slog-sweep shots along with some elegant drives.

Dickwella’s adventures continued against pace as well as he frequently played the ramp shot to the vacant third man boundary, much to the frustration of the opposition.

Soon after tea, Dickwella was given out leg before wicket to Taijul Islam when on 32 but he successfully reviewed the decision and reached his 18th half-century in just 48 balls.

Together with rookie Ramesh Mendis, Dickwella added 87 runs so far for the seventh wicket as Sri Lanka edged closer to the 500 mark.

Dickwella is chasing his first test hundred, having been dismissed twice this year in the 90s. Mendis, who was dropped on 12 at second slip, was 22 not out as play was called off early due to bad light.

Oshada Fernando steadied the Sri Lankan innings in the morning session, adding 104 runs for the second wicket with Lahiru Thirimanne (140).

Fernando was dismissed when wicketkeeper Liton Das moved across and completed the catch after the ball hit the pad and deflected off the back of Fernando's bat. His 81 came off 221 balls with eight boundaries.

"It is very important to convert your fifties into hundreds,” said Fernando. “I think by tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, there will be some turn on this surface.”

Sri Lanka is in the best position with the wicket offering much more turn and bounce for the spinners than the drawn first test.

Only 65.5 overs were possible on Friday and 98 overs are scheduled to be bowled on Saturday to catch up for lost time.

“Not every ball is turning so it is tough to know how the wicket will behave later in the game,” Taijul said. “I am hoping that it won’t be too bad. We need to bat well on this wicket."

With inputs from AP

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Cricket must now proceed without government intervention, sports minister Nathi Mthethwa said as he announced the withdrawal of a proclamation that would have put the national teams and their tours in jeopardy.

“We have learnt a lot and we now have to start packing our bags as government and move aside, so that sport works continuously, unhindered,” Mthethwa said at a joint media briefing with Cricket South Africa (CSA) on Friday.

“For posterity, people should know that for any good thing to come about there has to be struggle,” Mthethwa said, defending the government intervention in the affairs of squabbling CSA.

Mthethwa had appointed an Interim Board (IB) last year with the express provision that it resolves a long-standing crisis at the CSA regarding the implementation of new corporate governance proposals.

The entire previous board had either resigned or been dismissed.

Following an impasse between the IB and the Member’s Council, representing its affiliates, about accepting the new governance rules, Mthethwa had on Thursday invoked his powers in terms of the National Sport and Recreation Act to effectively leave South Africa with no cricketing authority.

This would have put in doubt the status of the national squads and all incoming and outgoing tours. Hundreds of jobs were also at stake.

However, barely hours after the proclamation, Mthethwa announced that he had instructed his Department to initiate the process of withdrawing it.

He said this was done after he received a letter from the CSA.

“As the sole purpose of my intervention into the affairs of CSA was to facilitate a negotiated solution in respect of governance best practice, I have, based on the confirmation from CSA’s Acting President (Rihan Richards) and IB Chairperson (Stavros Nicolaou), instructed my Department to immediately initiate the requisite process to withdraw the notice,” Mthethwa said.

Nicolaou said the new governance framework which involves independent directors would not only inspire confidence in CSA but would also go a long way towards fixing the failures and mishaps that previously existed in the cricket board.

“I think this will shift the focus and attention away from the boardroom to the players and the fans, where it should be”, Nicolaou said.

The new board of the CSA will consist of 15 directors, which will be reduced to 13 after two years. Eight will be independent directors, nominated from an independent panel, while the Members’ Council will select five non-independent directors.

The chairperson of the CSA board will be one of the eight independent directors.

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IPL 2021: Virat Kohli appreciated Harpreet Brar after Punjab Kings' left-arm spinner produced a match-winning spell against Royal Challengers Bangalore.

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If Friday’s performance is anything to go by, then Harpreet Brar will have a long and outstanding IPL career. Yet, even if he were there for, say, another 15 years and played another 200 or so matches, he might never affect a game as much as he did the encounter with the high-flying Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).

And that would be okay. Because in two overs he broke the spine of RCB’s batting, effectively putting an end to whatever prospects they had of completing a successful run chase.

The target was 180, and with RCB’s line-up that is a total well within their reach. Steady bowling by seamers Riley Meredith and Mohammed Shami ensured they never got off to a flying start. Still, there was little cause for them to worry, even when Devdutt Padikkal was bowled by Meredith in the third over with the score on 19.

Brar joined the action to send down the seventh over, and was immediately greeted by a six back over his head off the bat of Virat Kohli. Only four more came from the remainder of that over and seven from the one he bowled after that.

Being tied down somewhat, Kohli ventured down the pitch attempting to hit to the leg side and was bowled on the first ball of Brar’s third over. This was a huge first wicket for the 25-year-old who was playing just his fourth IPL game, his first this season, despite being in his third year in the league.

Next ball he snared another gigantic prey when he spun a delivery past Glen Maxwell’s outside edge to strike the top of his off stump. And with the first ball of his fourth over he induced AB de Villiers to loft a catch to the fielder at extra-cover.

One question heard over and over in the aftermath of Brar’s exploits was this: are there three bigger wickets available to any bowler in the IPL? And to think that Brar captured them during a span of seven deliveries with them having accumulated only 38 runs.

In the end, he had bowing figures of 3/19 off four overs. Considering 17 runs were taken from his first two overs, his third and fourth could well be two of the most consequential overs in the history of the league, in terms of determining the outcome of a game. Not that RCB had no chance after the exit of their big three. But Brar’s monumental strikes would have left Kohli’s team utterly deflated, while the Kings would have been buoyed no end.

Brar had a sidekick. Legbreak and googly specialist Ravi Bishnoi was even more frugal, ending the game with figures of 2/17 off his four overs. Together they spun a web of deceit around the powerful RCB batting unit. In fact, introduced the over before Brar he drew the leash imposed by the opening seamers on Kohli and Patidar even tighter, thereby helping to pave the way for the heroic deeds of his comrade-in-arms.

For sure, Kings’ clinical bowling display would not have been possible had they not set a challenging total for RCB to chase. For that they have to thank captain KL Rahul and the mighty Chris Gayle.

The tall Jamaican went to the crease with the score on 19 during the fourth over, and by the time he faced Kyle Jamieson for the sixth he was two from two balls. When the over ended he was 22, having sent the first four deliveries, along with the sixth, screaming to the boundary. There had been a few murmurs that he was past his best and should probably be dropped. He had, after all, only two decent scores in six games. This innings, therefore, was likely meant to be a riposte to the naysayers from a very proud man.

When on 46, Gayle appeared to be late on a pull shot from a short ball from Daniel Sams. De Villiers was only too happy to accept the catch when the ball was deflected from Gayle’s gloves. The Kings were then 99/2 with two balls left to complete the 11th over.

In the meantime KL Rahul was striking the ball as elegantly and as effortlessly as ever. Early in the piece there was one delivery from Mohammed Siraj on off stump. A gentle flick of the wrist sent it rocketing down the ground to the right of the umpire. He carried on in like manner, batting right through the innings for 91, made off 57 balls with seven fours and five sixes. He is a player of high class and is currently the league’s top run-scorer.

The Kings were pegged back somewhat after the dismissal of Gayle. But so sturdy had been the foundation constructed by Gayle and Rahul that they still managed to reach a challenging total in the end.

Friday’s performance by the Kings was a highly commendable one. They are currently fifth in the standings and have had their troubles this season. But this win, against one of the top outfits in the league, should serve as notice to every other team that the Punjab Kings are not to be trifled with.

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Ahmedabad: Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli on Friday rued that they could not execute plans and leaked too many runs against Punjab Kings in the IPL.

Put into bat, KL Rahul (91) and Chris Gayle (46) shared 80 runs for the second wicket but Punjab were soon in a spot of bother as they were reduced to 118 for five.

However, Rahul and Harmeet Brar (25) ensured Punjab put on board a competitive 179 for five in the end.

"They got off to a good start but we pulled things back somewhat after five down. Should have been chasing 160, when they were 116/5, but we gave away 25-odd runs in the end," Kohli said during the post-match presentation.

"Focused too much on what the batters were doing. We got away from our plans. We gave too many bad balls for boundaries," he said.

Chasing the total, RCB found the going tough as they could score only 36 runs from the Powerplay overs.

Brar (3/19) and Ravi Bishnoi (2/17) then smothered them with their spin as RCB ended at 145 for 8.

"As batsmen, we could have tried different things early on. It was tough to hit through the line. It was all about trying to get a partnership and have a strike rate of more than 110. We were not able to do that as a batting unit," said Kohli, who top-scored with 35.

"Just a few little tweaks we need to address going forward. There are areas we need to improve."

Asked why Glenn Maxwell or AB de Villiers don't bat higher up the order, Kohli said: "The composition of our team is such that we give him (Patidar) the freedom to play at number 3. It's (batting order) situational, this is a good balance for our batting lineup.

"Rajat is a quality player, just that tonight wasn't his night. In the end, we gave away 25 runs too many. One wicket there and we could have squeezed them. We couldn't execute our plans."

Winning captain Rahul was effusive in his praise for 25-year-old Brar.

"We were preparing Brar. On a pitch like this, we felt like we needed a finger spinner who could hit hard lengths. He did exactly that and batted really well in the end as well," he said.

"I am young myself, but I have been trying to speak to the boys and pass on whatever experience I have of IPL and international cricket.

"They are blessed with enormous talent and we have to prepare them for the situations and the pressures they'd face in the middle."

His 57-ball knock was the cornerstone of Punjab's innings and Rahul said "it was important for me to lead from the front".

"...that's what I try to do every game. When I have the opportunity to put pressure on bowlers and set targets, I try to do it to the best of my ability. It came off well today," he said.

Talking about Gayle, Rahul said: "There is a lot written about Gayle, about his age and whether he should be playing. But I know as a captain, just his impact he has when he walks out is huge."

"I have played with him for 7-8 years and he keeps getting better and better. He is batting at three, something he hasn't done ever in his career, but he'll do that for the team. That is man Chris is. He takes pressure off me at the top."

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New Delhi: Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) head into the match after identical seven-wicket wins over Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad respectively and both teams would be keen to continue their winning streak.

The biggest positive for Mumbai has been the return to form of opener Quinton de Kock (117 runs), who made a blistering, unbeaten 70 against Rajasthan here.

The faltering Mumbai middle-order also clicked in the previous game, on a comparatively easy batting track compared to the one at the Chepauk.

Suryakumar (170 runs) would need to convert his starts while Krunal Pandya (68 runs) played a useful cameo, which would have bolstered his confidence. He would be keen to take it forward from where he left.

Kieron Pollard (81 runs) also displayed his hard-hitting skills on Thursday and would be raring to go once again, and so would fellow all-rounder Hardik Pandya (36 runs).

Pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult have been exceptional, particularly at the death, and would need to perform again to contain the in-form CSK batters.

Leggie Rahul Chahar, with 11 scalps, has been MI''s leading wicket-taker. He would, however, need support from Krunal and the seasoned off-spinner Jayant Yadav, who was a tad expensive in the last game.

It remains to be seen whether Mumbai persist with Nathan Coulter-Nile or get Ishan Kishan back in the playing XI, which could mean that Pollard would have to chip in with the ball if needed.

Meanwhile, table-toppers CSK have been a force to reckon with this season, having won five of their six games.

Openers du Plessis (270 runs) and Ruturaj (192 runs) have been in top form and would be keen to provide the team with another strong start.

Their middle-order has also been among runs. Moeen Ali (148 runs) has adjusted well to the role of pinch-hitter, while the presence of the ever-reliable Suresh Raina (121 runs) gives the team a huge cushion.

Then there are Ambati Rayadu (64 runs) and Ravindra Jadeja (109 runs), who has improved as a batsman and can plunder sixes at will, apart from skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (37 runs), who appears content to playing second fiddle these days. Add Englishman Sam Curran and CSK can take any attack apart when in form.

CSK bowlers led by Deepak Chahar (8 wickets) and Curran (6 wickets) have done a splendid job, while Shardul Thakur, with four scalps, could be decisive in breaking partnerships.

Jadeja has also shone with the ball, taking five wickets while Moeen has four and all of them would be hoping to be at their best against Mumbai.

Teams (From):

Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (c), Adam Milne, Aditya Tare, Anmolpreet Singh, Anukul Roy, Arjun Tendulkar, Chris Lynn, Dhawal Kulkarni, Hardik Pandya, Ishan Kishan, James Neesham, Jasprit Bumrah, Jayant Yadav, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Marco Jansen, Mohsin Khan, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Piyush Chawla, Quinton De Kock (wk), Rahul Chahar, Saurabh Tiwary, Suryakumar Yadav, Trent Boult, Yudhvir Singh.

Chennai Super Kings: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (c), Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, KM Asif, Deepak Chahar, Dwayne Bravo, Faf du Plessis, Imran Tahir, N Jagadeesan, Karn Sharma, Lungi Ngidi, Mitchell Santner, Ravindra Jadeja, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shardul Thakur, Sam Curran, R Sai Kishore, Moeen Ali, K Gowtham, Cheteshwar Pujra, Harishankar Reddy, Bhagath Varma, C Hari Nishaanth.

Match starts at 7.30 PM.

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PBKS vs RCB, IPL 2021: Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore have manpower to win anything coming their way but the fortunes of war seem to vary.

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PBKS vs RCB, IPL 2021: Punjab Kings find themselves in the unhappy half of the IPL 2021 Points Table and will need to get their act together double quick if they don't want to see the leaders, including their next rivals Royal Challengers Bangalore, disappear.

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Punjab Kings batsman Nicholas Pooran took to social media to announce that he will be donating a portion of his IPL salary to help India in the fight against COVID-19.

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IPL 2021: Mumbai Indians are up against the in-form Chennai Super Kings in New Delhi on Saturday.

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As Rohit Sharma turned 34, his Indian teammate shared the funniest post for the birthday boy.

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IPL 2021: Glenn Maxwell hoped that a solution to get home would be reached soon and hinted at the possibility of the Indian, Australian, New Zealand and England players flying to UK after the ongoing IPL.

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Ace cricketer Rohit Sharma celebrates his 34th birthday on Thursday. The Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper celebrated his special day after his team won over Rajasthan Royals (RR) by seven wickets in an Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 game on Wednesday.

Post the match, images of Rohit celebrating his birthday went viral on social media after which fans and cricket celebrities started wishing him.

Among the many wishes, Mumbai Indians shared a post on their official Twitter handle. They tweeted, “Setting the stage on fire whenever and wherever he walks in —the name is Ro-HIT Sharma. Happy Birthday, Captain”.

Setting the stage on fire whenever and wherever he walks in - the name is Ro-HIT Sharma

Happy Birthday, Captain #OneFamily #MumbaiIndians #HappyBirthdayRohit #HitmanDay @ImRo45 pic.twitter.com/ALOmyZ6NnE

— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) April 29, 2021

️ "He's my favourite player in the world to watch bat." #OneFamily lavish praise on the Hitman on his birthday and relive some of his famous #MI knocks #MumbaiIndians #IPL2021 #HitmanDay #KhelTakaTak @ImRo45 pic.twitter.com/BTyGKXoYO7

— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) April 30, 2021

Even, the International Cricket Council (ICC) took to Twitter and posted a special video. In the video, Rohit’s best pull shots are captured. “Could watch this all day Happy birthday to the master of the pull shot, @ImRo45,” ICC captioned the video.

Could watch this all day

Happy birthday to the master of the pull shot, @ImRo45 pic.twitter.com/RsihxBvnmL

— ICC (@ICC) April 30, 2021

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) wished Rohit by highlighting some of his records in international cricket.

Only batsman to hit 3⃣ ODI double tons
Member of #TeamIndia's 2007 World T20 & 2013 ICC Champions Trophy triumphs
1⃣4⃣,6⃣8⃣4⃣ intl runs & going strong

Here's wishing @ImRo45 a very happy birthday.

Sit back & enjoy HITMAN's superb knock vs Australia

— BCCI (@BCCI) April 30, 2021

Below are few more heartening wishes to Rohit:

Wish you a very Happy Birthday Brotherman @ImRo45 .. Wish you good health, happiness, and loads of success in the coming year & always. pic.twitter.com/wpmpmdq3MG

— Suresh Raina (@ImRaina) April 30, 2021

Your extraordinary connection between bat and ball is something that everyone loves and enjoys to watch while you are playing at the ground. Play and create many more records . Happy birthday brother @ImRo45 #HappyBirthdayRohitSharma #HappyBirthdayRohit #HitmanDay pic.twitter.com/k6VcDizSgz

— Khaleel Ahmed (@imK_Ahmed13) April 30, 2021

Many happy returns of the day brotherman. May you continue to enjoy yourself and have all the happiness! @ImRo45 pic.twitter.com/8Ya61wp4fJ

— Pragyan Ojha (@pragyanojha) April 30, 2021

Here’s wishing India’s very own HitMan, @ImRo45, a very very Happy Birthday! #PlayBold #HappyBirthdayRohit pic.twitter.com/qfktaTkOoz

— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) April 30, 2021

: Rohit Sharma
- : Hitman
:
: More than we can count
: Just a number

Wishing the purest striker in the game a very happy birthday! #HappyBirthdayRohit #HappyBirthdayHitman pic.twitter.com/wkwov8tAPy

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) April 29, 2021

Rohit has played 38 Tests, 227 ODIs, and 111 T20Is for India. Being in the longest format of the game, he has scored 2,615 runs to his name. To date, in ODIs, Rohit has scored 9,205 runs and has also hit 29 hundreds in the 50-over format. When he was part of India’s 2007 T20 World Cup-winning squad, Rohit made four centuries in the shortest format of the game.

Currently, Rohit is heading the Mumbai Indians in the ongoing IPL 2021. The defending champions are fourth on the points table with three wins from six matches so far.

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Day 1 report: Pakistan bowled out Zimbabwe for 176 and magnified the advantage by reaching 103 without loss in reply after the first day of the first Test on Thursday.

Seamers Hasan Ali and Shaheen Shah Afridi took four wickets each, then opener Abid Ali was 56 not out and partner Imran Butt 43 not out.

Hasan Ali and Afridi bowled with discipline, while the host side didn’t apply itself well enough on a good batting pitch and was guilty of soft dismissals.

Hasan Ali, who varied his deliveries admirably, set the tone for Pakistan before lunch by making Zimbabwe opener Kevin Kasuza play onto his stumps on 14, and stand-in skipper Brendan Taylor edge to the slips on five while chasing a wide delivery. Reduced to 30-4, Zimbabwe limped to lunch on 59-4.

After lunch, debutant Roy Kaia fell for 48 when Hasan Ali trapped him with a yorker after bombarding the newcomer with short-pitched balls. The other Zimbabwe batsman making his debut, Milton Shumba, was run out for 27. The newcomers combined for a team-best 59-run stand.

Regis Chakabva was Hasan Ali's fourth wicket when he edged a full delivery on 19 to third slip.

The much quicker Afridi removed the other opener, Prince Masvaure, to a catch in the slips, and wiped out the tail clean-bowling the last three — Tendai Chisoro (9), Blessing Muzarabani (14), and Richard Ngarava (1) just before tea.

Afridi had 4-43 and Hasan Ali 4-53.

Zimbabwe, already missing three experienced players for the two-Test series, had its woes compounded further when captain Sean Williams failed to recover from a soft-tissue injury on the eve of the Test.

The team also gave a debut to left-arm seam bowler Ngarava who, like his fellow bowlers, couldn't put a dent in Butt and Abid Ali.

Pakistan handed a debut to bowling allrounder Sajid Khan at Harare Sports Club.

With inputs from The Associated Press 

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Ahmedabad: Star Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell says that he, along with other cricketers of his country, wouldn't mind being on the same chartered flight that would take India, New Zealand and England players to the United Kingdom after the IPL.

A senior BCCI official agreed that the option could be explored looking at the international travel guidelines during the last week of May as all commercial flights from India to Australia are banned at the moment due to sky-rocketing cases of COVID-19 in India.

"We just want to find a way to go home. The BCCI, both governments can work a solution. If we have to wait bit longer, so be it but there is a way to get home at some stage," Maxwell told The Final Word Podcast conducted by journalists Geoff Lemon and Adam Collins.

"India and England are going to play in England. Worst comes to worst, we have to wait in England and try and find a way out in that chartered (flight) and get out of India. I am sure a lot of guys will try and put their hand up in trying to do that as well," Maxwell said.

India and New Zealand are set to fight it out in the World Test Championship final from 18 June and will fly to England for that after the IPL ends. England players in the ongoing league are expected to accompany them in the same flight.

BCCI treasurer Arun Dhumal said the idea could be explored as BCCI looks at several options for all the overseas players' safe passage back to their respective countries in times of travel restrictions.

"Travelling to England and going to Australia from there could be an option that can be explored. There will be various options and obviously BCCI will try and take the safest one which doesn't compromise any of the players' health and security," Dhumal told PTI.

For Maxwell, it's about figuring the safest route that they can avail once the IPL is over as the bio-bubble is expected to break after that. There are 14 Australian players still remaining in the league after three pullouts.

"Once IPL finishes and potentially the bubble will be broken, you don't want to be stuck here, just try and look for the safest way to move on," the 'Big Show' said.

"It's something I floated to Vinnie (fiancée), if things go extremely south, a whole lot worse, what are we actually supposed to do if there is no help? I am sure there will be help from BCCI to accommodate the overseas players at the moment," he added.

While Maxwell acknowledged that the health situation in India with above three lakh positive cases everyday, is grim, the BCCI has managed to create a "solid bio-bubble."

"It's changed pretty fast in India but we have been sheltered well in the bubble. We are not really exposed too much (to the outside world). We straight move into the hotel, trying to stick to franchise's business as usual, that is playing your sport..."

Maxwell said that while he kept in touch with Kane Richardson and Adam Zampa, who left fearing a lockdown after travel restrictions were in place, he thought it was prudent to stay back and wait for things to improve.

"That's probably a situation I will be wary about, making one of these decisions and sort of being stuck. Obviously, the government said that they are going to shut borders from India and that's pretty scary if you are stuck over here.

"We are just hoping, come 15 May, hopefully things improve and there's a lot of work to do, here in India. You see countless people stuck in hospitals needing that extra support, long way to go before it gets better."

Australian PM Scott Morrison said that since all the Australians participating in the IPL has gone their on their own, they won't get preferential treatment in assistance to return.

"There are 5000 Aussies in India at the moment. We are not asking for preferential treatment, we are just hopeful that things can start to take an upside in India and we can hopefully find a way to get home safely."

"We knew it was getting bad when we came here.... We do turn TV on, news channels showing 24x7...It is hard to swallow. We had at one point, 700 cases in Australia. It's nothing compared to what's happened here," he said.

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Rohit Sharma, who turned 34 on Friday, received a loving birthday wish from wife Ritika Sajdeh.

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Ahmedabad: Star Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell says that he, along with other cricketers of his country, wouldn't mind being on the same chartered flight that would take India, New Zealand and England players to the United Kingdom after the IPL.

A senior BCCI official agreed that the option could be explored looking at the international travel guidelines during the last week of May as all commercial flights from India to Australia are banned at the moment due to sky-rocketing cases of COVID-19 in India.

"We just want to find a way to go home. The BCCI, both governments can work a solution. If we have to wait bit longer, so be it but there is a way to get home at some stage," Maxwell told The Final Word Podcast conducted by journalists Geoff Lemon and Adam Collins.

"India and England are going to play in England. Worst comes to worst, we have to wait in England and try and find a way out in that chartered (flight) and get out of India. I am sure a lot of guys will try and put their hand up in trying to do that as well," Maxwell said.

India and New Zealand are set to fight it out in the World Test Championship final from 18 June and will fly to England for that after the IPL ends. England players in the ongoing league are expected to accompany them in the same flight.

BCCI treasurer Arun Dhumal said the idea could be explored as BCCI looks at several options for all the overseas players' safe passage back to their respective countries in times of travel restrictions.

"Travelling to England and going to Australia from there could be an option that can be explored. There will be various options and obviously BCCI will try and take the safest one which doesn't compromise any of the players' health and security," Dhumal told PTI.

For Maxwell, it's about figuring the safest route that they can avail once the IPL is over as the bio-bubble is expected to break after that. There are 14 Australian players still remaining in the league after three pullouts.

"Once IPL finishes and potentially the bubble will be broken, you don't want to be stuck here, just try and look for the safest way to move on," the 'Big Show' said.

"It's something I floated to Vinnie (fiancée), if things go extremely south, a whole lot worse, what are we actually supposed to do if there is no help? I am sure there will be help from BCCI to accommodate the overseas players at the moment," he added.

While Maxwell acknowledged that the health situation in India with above three lakh positive cases everyday, is grim, the BCCI has managed to create a "solid bio-bubble."

"It's changed pretty fast in India but we have been sheltered well in the bubble. We are not really exposed too much (to the outside world). We straight move into the hotel, trying to stick to franchise's business as usual, that is playing your sport..."

Maxwell said that while he kept in touch with Kane Richardson and Adam Zampa, who left fearing a lockdown after travel restrictions were in place, he thought it was prudent to stay back and wait for things to improve.

"That's probably a situation I will be wary about, making one of these decisions and sort of being stuck. Obviously, the government said that they are going to shut borders from India and that's pretty scary if you are stuck over here.

"We are just hoping, come 15 May, hopefully things improve and there's a lot of work to do, here in India. You see countless people stuck in hospitals needing that extra support, long way to go before it gets better."

Australian PM Scott Morrison said that since all the Australians participating in the IPL has gone their on their own, they won't get preferential treatment in assistance to return.

"There are 5000 Aussies in India at the moment. We are not asking for preferential treatment, we are just hopeful that things can start to take an upside in India and we can hopefully find a way to get home safely."

"We knew it was getting bad when we came here.... We do turn TV on, news channels showing 24x7...It is hard to swallow. We had at one point, 700 cases in Australia. It's nothing compared to what's happened here," he said.

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With the 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL) almost nearing the halfway mark, the stage will be set for ‘El Clasico’ of the tournament when defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) take on MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Match 27 at New Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium on Saturday.

CSK seem to be back at their vintage best after a disappointing campaign in 2020, finding themselves on top of the points table with five wins and a loss in six matches (10 points).

Rohit Sharma’s MI, meanwhile, have had a mixed outing so far with three wins and as many losses. They began their campaign with a two-wicket defeat at the hands of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the season-opener before registering wins against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). Their latest victory against Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Thursday came following consecutive defeats to Delhi Capitals (DC) and Punjab Kings (PBKS).

Skipper Rohit Sharma has been their top batsman with 215 runs, while Suryakumar Yadav, known for his aggressive approach which helps the team post big scores, has looked patchy over the last few matches

Even since a knock of 56 against KKR in MI’s second game, Suryakumar has endured scores of 10, 24, 33 and 16 in the four matches that followed.

In their bowling department, Rahul Chahar is the team’s leading wicket-taker this season with 11 scalps, while Trent Boult and Jasprit Bumrah have scalped seven and five wickets respectively.

For CSK, Faf du Plessis (270 runs) and Ruturaj Gaikwad (192) have been explosive at the top of the batting line-up while all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja remains a major threat to the opposition.

Jadeja’s most notable performance this season came against RCB, when he slammed a  28-ball 62 and took three wickets to decimate Virat Kohli and Co and hand their first defeat of the season.

Time and again, Jadeja has proven to be a game-changer and match-winner, and his match-up against MI, especially if he bats against Boult and Bumrah in the death overs, seems to be one to watch out for.

Here’s all you need to know about the match between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings:

When will the 27th match of the IPL between MI and CSK take place?

The 27th match of the IPL between MI and CSK will take place on 1 May, 2021.

What is the venue for the match?

The match will take place at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.

What time will the match start?

The match will begin at 7.30 pm IST. The toss will take place at 7 pm IST.

Which TV channels will broadcast the match?

The match will telecast on the Star Sports Network. The live streaming of the match will also available on Disney+ Hotstar. Firstpost.com will have live updates and over-by-over commentary.

Squads:

Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma, Adam Milne, Aditya Tare, Anmolpreet Singh, Anukul Roy, Arjun Tendulkar, Chris Lynn, Dhawal Kulkarni, Hardik Pandya, Ishan Kishan, James Neesham, Jasprit Bumrah, Jayant Yadav, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Marco Jansen, Mohsin Khan, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Piyush Chawla, Quinton De Kock (WK), Rahul Chahar, Saurabh Tiwary, Suryakumar Yadav, Trent Boult, Yudhvir Singh.

Chennai Super Kings: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (c & wk), Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, KM Asif, Deepak Chahar, Dwayne Bravo, Faf du Plessis, Imran Tahir, N Jagadeesan, Karn Sharma, Lungi Ngidi, Mitchell Santner, Ravindra Jadeja, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shardul Thakur, Sam Curran, R Sai Kishore, Moeen Ali, K Gowtham, Cheteshwar Pujara, Harishankar Reddy, Bhagath Varma, C Hari Nishaanth.

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PBKS vs RCB, IPL 2021: Royal Challengers Bangalore will go to the top of the IPL 2021 points table if they can manage to get past Punjab Kings on Friday.

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IPL 2021: A livid Kolkata Knight Riders coach Brendon McCullum came down heavily on his team's top-order batsmen for not showing enough "intent and aggression" in the ongoing IPL

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Ahmedabad: A livid Kolkata Knight Riders coach Brendon McCullum came down heavily on his team's top-order batsmen for not showing enough "intent and aggression" in the ongoing IPL after demanding "loyalty" from him during team selection.

McCullum didn't name anyone but rising India superstar Shubman Gill is among those who have looked completely out of sorts. As an opener in all seven games, he has scored only 132 runs at an average of less than 19 and strike-rate of below 120.

"It's very, very disappointing. I think as a player, you ask to be given freedom and confidence and loyalty when it comes to selection, to go out there and take the game on and try and be aggressive... and to try and make things happen for your team," McCullum said at the post-match conference after the team slumped to its fifth defeat against the Delhi Capitals.

"That's the style of play which both myself and the captain (Eoin Morgan) have asked of our players. But unfortunately we're not quite getting that. We're certainly not getting it in the abundance that we need," McCullum said after another below par batting effort.

A target of 154 was cakewalk for DC as as Prithvi Shaw smashed six boundaries in the opening over from Shivam Mavi. His 82 off 41 balls sealed the issue.

"What we saw from Prithvi Shaw tonight was the perfect template of how we want to play. You're not always going to be able to hit every ball for four or six, but you can have the intent to do so, particularly when you're given a free licence.

"It's very difficult if you don't play shots to score runs, and unfortunately tonight we didn't play enough shots. It's become a bit of a theme," McCullum's statement was crystal clear as he was talking about Gill and fellow opener Nitish Rana.

Rana also has scored only 201 runs at a sub-par strike-rate of 122.56 and McCullum indicated that a change is on the cards.

"A saying that I've used throughout my career is that 'If you can't change a man, change the man.' So we'll probably have to make some changes and try and bring in some fresh personnel who will hopefully take the game on a bit more."

What has irritated McCullum is that on slow surfaces, powerplay overs become way more important as it becomes harder to up the ante during middle and back-end overs.

"Look, on a slow surface you've really got to maximise the new ball and the fielding restrictions. One thing we have to get our heads around is that in T20 cricket, you've got to part from the old-school mentality of trying to find a boundary and then get a one.

"If you get a boundary, then look for another, and then look for another one. If you're able to do that, then the opposition bowler is under an immense amount of pressure and normally what happens then is they don't execute," the former Kiwi captain elaborated what he wanted from Gill and Rana.

"It's incredibly disappointing because I've asked time and time again for us to be more aggressive and more expressive and take the game on, and we continue to not do it. So we're going to have to make some changes for sure."

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Ahmedabad: His six fours in the very first over set up Delhi Capitals' easy win over Kolkata Knight Riders in an IPL match in Ahmedabad on Thursday and Prithvi Shaw said he knew where pacer Shivam Mavi would bowl and was prepared for it.

Shaw sent all the six legal deliveries from opening bowler Mavi to the boundary and went on to score 82 off just 41 deliveries to help DC beat KKR by seven wickets.

"I wasn't thinking anything to be honest. I was just waiting for the loose balls. I knew where Shivam will bowl, we've played (in age-group)  together for four-five years," Shaw said at the post-match presentation.

"The first four-five balls he bowled were half-volleys, so I was prepared for the short ball but he didn't bowl."

He scored most of the runs on the off-side and asked about it, Shaw said, "On this wicket especially when the spinner is bowling it wasn't coming very nicely onto the bat. It was stopping a little.

"So, I was waiting for them to bowl at me on off stump or outside so I can free my hands.

"When I'm in there, I keep playing and don't think about the score. Don't think about myself, just want the team to win," said the 21-year-old who was named Man of the Match.

Asked about the ups and downs he has faced recently. Shaw said, "My dad has supported very well. After getting back from Australia, I wasn't happy with myself. My dad just asked me to play my natural game.

"All these words set a target on me and I worked hard. In cricket the graphs are going to go up and down, a lot of failures are going to come my way."

Asked if he has ever spoken to former India opener Virender Sehwag, with whom he has similarities in batting approach, Shaw said, "No, I haven't spoken yet but if I get a chance I'd like to because he's the one who likes to score off the first ball."

Delhi Capitals captain Rishabh Pant said Shaw is a talented player and he can do wonders if he is confident about himself.

"I was only telling him to play the normal game. In this kind of match we can afford to think of run rate. Only thing we talk with youngsters is to just enjoy cricket, do your best," Pant said.

Asked how he is managing the ups and downs as a captain, Pant said, "Last match we only lost by one run, so as a team we talk about we don't have to change anything. Definitely enjoying captaincy."

A disappointed KKR captain Eoin Morgan said his side were slow off the blocks with the bat and then lost wickets in the middle period before Andre Russell took them past 150.

"Shaw played brilliantly, nothing much we could do. Also shows how good the surface was. We weren't good enough with all departments," Morgan said.

"Cummins is part of our new ball plans. Mavi bowled four on the trot last game and bowled well. Just didn't go to plan today.

"Hopefully we can turn things around. There is a huge amount of talent in our squad but talent alone doesn't get you far. It's about execution."

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After a few overs, one could sense the Mumbai Indians felt more comfortable in Delhi than in Chennai. Since the start of the IPL, the reigning champions have played their opening five matches on the slow Chennai pitches. The surfaces have not been ideal for batting and the free flowing Mumbai batsman had not been able to chalk up the runs like previous seasons.

But on Thursday afternoon at the Feroz Shah Kotla, Mumbai looked like the dominant force that had won the previous two IPLs. A large factor was due to the nature of the track. By no means does Kotla have the bounce and pace like the Wankhede Stadium, but it was certainly more conducive to batting and pace bowling than Chennai.

Also the fact it was only the second game to be played in Delhi meant there was decent carry at the start of the match, allowing Jasprit Burmah and Trent Boult to set the tone. Tactically, for the first time this season, Mumbai had Bumrah bowl two overs up front. The first four overs laid the foundation as Rajasthan Royals could only conjure 20 runs.

The Royals batsman did cash in through the middle overs, but one could sense Mumbai never panicked. It was like they felt at home on this ground and on this pitch. They knew even a total of 190 could be chased down and their batsmen will prosper.

Eventually the Royals could only salvage 171, thanks to some brilliant death bowling by Boult and Burmah. They're arguably the best death overs pairing largely due to their ability to execute yorkers under pressure. Hence on more placid batting tracks the two become more effective in restricting the run flow. On Thursday afternoon, Rajasthan could only manage 31 off the last four overs.

The initial four overs and the last four had curtailed Rajasthan from reaching a score in excess of 190, a total that would have been at par on a small ground and placid pitch. It was evident that on flat pitches, Mumbai is the best bowling line-up in the competition. Their defensive skills are among the elite and the move to Delhi had assisted the team in playing the brand of cricket that had brought them plenty of success.

Quinton de Kock certainly felt more at home with the ball skidding on to his willow. The left-hander had his best outing in the tournament scoring a breezy 70 off 50 balls. The pitch allowed him to hit the ball on the rise through the offside, flick balls off the stumps through the leg-side and unleash his powerful pull shot. De Kock’s rapid starts have been an integral part of Mumbai’s success and with the Royals stocked up with fast bowlers, it only made his life easier.

Once Mumbai got off to rapid start it was always going to be difficult to rail them in. De Kock knew that this was a pitch where spinners weren’t going to trouble him and he could continue to loft the ball with ease. Krunal Pandya, promoted to No 4, didn’t have to muscle the ball, just had to rely on timing. Once the runs started to flow it was the old confident Mumbai.

Kieron Pollard’s finishing touches was another indication they were delighted to be playing on a good batting surface. The short boundaries also favoured the Mumbai Indians. In the previous two seasons they had hit more sixes that any other team. A large part of their success has been built around the power-hitting and with players able to hit through the line, their batting looked even more formidable.

It was a crunch match for Mumbai, they had to start winning matches and no doubt the pitch had assisted them in feeling more at home. “Playing the conditions is very important. We knew that we’re going to play on good pitches after Chennai. This was a good pitch,” said Rohit Sharma after the win.

De Kock was named the Man of the Match for his blistering knock, but it was the smile and what he said at the presentation that summed up the mood in the Mumbai Indians camp. “To be totally honest, this is a much better wicket in general than Chennai.” It is clear Mumbai are happy to be in the capital and if the surface remains true then the 2020 champions are likely to discover their almighty form.

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Rashid Khan took to Twitter on Friday to post a moving video and said that everyone in Afghanistan is with India in its fight against COVID-19.

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Rohit Sharma turned 34 on Friday with wishes pouring in for India opening batsman on social media.

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Day 1 report: Openers Dimuth Karunaratne and Lahiru Thirimanne posted hundreds and a double century stand as Sri Lanka reached 291-1 against Bangladesh on an ominous first day of the second Test on Thursday.

Captain Karunaratne scored 118 for his 12th Test century, then Thirimanne hammered his third century and second this year. He was 131 not out at stumps in tandem with Oshada Fernando, 40 not out.

“It’s the first time I have scored back-to-back hundreds, and (I am) really pleased with that," said Karunaratne, happy to win the toss. “Great to see Thirimanne getting a hundred, too. He’s been very good for us this year but he has not gone on to covert his 50s into hundreds. Good to see him getting there.”

The Bangladesh bowlers had little chance against the in-form batsmen on another flat pitch, next to the block on which both sides scored more than 600 runs without being bowled out in the drawn first Test which finished on Sunday.

“There was not much for the bowlers on day one, but ... the spinners were getting some turn towards the end of the day,” Karunarate said. "I think this wicket will deteriorate and we need to put up something like 600 runs and then put them under pressure.”

Karunaratne was watchful in the first hour, settling in before cutting loose once the ball got older. On 28, he was dropped at first slip and that proved to be costly.

Fresh from his career-best 244 last week, the skipper played some elegant strokes forcing the bowlers to go in defensive mode. Against the spinners, there was clever use of the feet, rotating the strike, and putting the bad balls away.

For some reason, Bangladesh held back its most experienced bowler, Taijul Islam, until after lunch. The left-arm spinner was introduced only in the 38th over but by then both batsmen were well set. Together with off-spinner Mehidy Hasan, Taijul shared the bulk of the bowling. The duo sent down 41 overs.

While the captain was free-flowing, Thirimanne was more sedate. In and out of the side since he made his Test debut in Southampton 10 years ago, Thirimanne is having a brilliant 2021 after some technical adjustments to his game and cutting down some risky strokes. The discipline has paid rich dividends in the last two series and, at 131 not out, he's on his second highest score.

The batsmen had to commit a mistake to get out, rather than be bowled, and Karunaratne threw away his wicket flashing at a delivery and attempting to send it square on the offside. The ball was too close to his body and he was caught behind on 209-1 after facing 190 deliveries and hitting 15 boundaries.

He became 19-year-old medium-pacer Shoriful Islam’s maiden test wicket.

In the last over before stumps, it looked as if Shoriful had a second as Thirimanne was given out leg before wicket. However, the decision was overturned after the batsman reviewed.

Fernando, after a disappointing first test, was looking good unbeaten on 40. He and Thirimanne have a partnership of 82 runs.

“It seems like Sri Lanka will get a big score," Bangladesh batting coach Jon Lewis said. "We will spend at least another couple of sessions in the field, and it is something we have to deal with.

“The pitch still looks good at the moment. We have some batsmen with good form behind them after the first Test.”

With inputs from The Associated Press

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The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) began their Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign on 11 April by defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad by 10 runs. They then lost, rather straightforwardly, four games in a row before easily disposing off Punjab Kings by five wickets with 20 balls to spare. On Thursday, they returned to their usual habits by losing to the Delhi Capitals. Their opponents were hardly required to work up a sweat.

As things stand, KKR are fifth in the table with four points. Sitting below them are the two teams they defeated along with the Rajasthan Royals, who are sitting at second from last. All the other teams, apart from the Capitals, have played a game fewer.

Given the make-up of their team and the way they have gone about their campaign, there should be no complaints about the position they find themselves in. Indeed, KKR could conceivably fall even lower after the teams below them play their next round of games.

It’s not that they have had a run of bad luck, nor have they been hounded by injuries. They are where they are simply because they have not played well enough to be placed any higher. And that should be of concern to the team management.

After setting the Delhi Capitals 155 to win in Thursday’s match, KKR would have been startled by Prithvi Shaw’s first-over assault on seamer Shivam Mavi. The Delhi opener stroked a remarkable six fours from the over. Mavi, who had impressive figures of 1/13 off four overs in his previous outing against Punjab Kings was banished from the attack for remainder of the innings.

Thereafter, KKR appeared shell-shocked. They seemed out of ideas and Capitals were untroubled in romping to victory in 16.3 overs. Pundits were pulling their hair out, surprised that nary a short ball was attempted. Pat Cummins is KKR’s quickest and best seamer, yet he was not called upon until the sixth over. By that time, Shaw had raced to 48 off 15 balls and both openers were well set. Interestingly, Cummins finished with figures of 3/24 in four overs.

Still, it is the batting that ought to be KKR’s major worry. Opener Nitish Rana is their leading run scorer with 201 runs at an inadequate 28.71 average. Importantly his strike rate is rather pedestrian at 122.56.

The other opener is a young batsman of obvious class, who has impressed everyone fortunate enough to lay eyes on him. Shubman Gill is potentially a great player but his seven outings so far have yielded only 132 runs at 18.85. Gill’s strike rate of 117.85 is even lower than Rana’s. Whatever runs they get at the top of the order, therefore, are made at a less than rapid rate. This, in turn, exerts undue pressure on the batsmen that follow, who then have to try, often from the very beginning, to increase the flow of runs.

Captain Eoin Morgan has played a number of match-winning T20 innings. This IPL season, however, he has accumulated only 92 runs at 15.33 so far. That level of returns for one of KKR’s main players is worrisome and does not bode well for a successful campaign, unless, of course, the rest of the batting is firing well.

Except it isn’t. Rahul Tripathi, who bats at three, has just 187 runs from seven innings. Andre Russell is one of the game’s elite players, one of the most sought after in the world. But he only has 163 runs so far. Not that many for a man who is usually a miracle worker; a man whose blade has reduced many an attack to rubble.

One issue that should be addressed is that of the powerful Jamaican batting at six or seven in the order. Why should the one player capable of creating absolute mayhem appear so low in the order? Logic would seem to dictate that he should always face as many deliveries as possible in order for his team to reach its best possible score.

Also, why should Sunil Narine bat ahead of him, or ahead of Morgan or Dinesh Karthik for that matter. Narine is simply not a good enough batter to be placed at four or five. I understand, to a degree, him being asked to open the batting. With the power play in force and the ball hard and new he could well get off a few big hits to get his team off to a rollicking start. Otherwise he should be relegated to the lower order where he could still play a useful batting role if required.

All this suggests that KKR’s batting needs to be rearranged. There will not be, at this stage, an injection of personnel to improve the overall quality. But some shuffling could well result in increased production. It is worth a try.

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Ahmedabad: Punjab Kings will have to play out of their skins to get their stuttering campaign back on track when they face a high-flying Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League in Ahmedabad on Friday.

Smarting from a five-wicket defeat at the hands of Kolkata Knight Riders, it will not be an easy task for a struggling Punjab side to stand up to the challenge thrown by an RCB team, which has been firing on all cylinders.

Following four losses and two wins, Punjab are currently placed sixth in the league table with four points, whereas RCB are second with 10 points from five wins, only behind Chennai Super Kings on net run rate.

Apart from the sole loss against CSK, RCB have emerged as strong contenders for a maiden IPL title, with many of their players striking form as the tournament progresses.

Punjab's inconsistent batting has been a letdown so far. In their six games, the KL Rahul-led side have gone on to make the three low totals batting first 106, 120 and 123.

While Rahul, who has scored 91, 5, 61, 4, 60 not out and 19 so far, has been their most successful batsman this season. He will once again be expected to provide his side with a solid start with the willow.

Mayank Agrawal has been guilty of wasting his starts barring one game while Chris Gayle has made only two good scores in six outings.

The dynamic Nicholas Pooran is having a woeful season to say the least. The swashbuckling West Indian has managed just 28 runs in the five innings which includes three ducks. His highest was 19 against KKR. The team could replace him with the premier T20 batsman in the world, England's Dawid Malan.

With not enough runs on the board against KKR, the Punjab bowlers could not do much. But the bowling unit has lacked aggression. The bowlers were unable to defend 195 against Delhi Capitals and almost conceded the game to Rajasthan Royals while defending 221, pulling out a four-run victory in the end.

On the other hand, RCB will be high on confidence after they held their nerves to pip Delhi Capitals by one-run. While it was Ab de Villiers who delivered once again with the bat, the bowlers put up a collective effort to give RCB their fifth win of the season.

The RCB batting is top heavy and reliant on the performances of Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, de Villiers and Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell. It augers well for the team that all four players have performed well.

Rajat Patidar showed what he is capable of in the previous match while Kyle Jamieson can also hit a few down the order.

The RCB bowling department has been impressive led by pacers Harshal Patel, the Purple Cap holder, and Mohammed Siraj. The latter did well to defend 14 of the final over against DC, with the dangerous Rishabh Pant and Shimron Hetmyer in the middle.

Teams (from):

Punjab Kings: KL Rahul (c/wk), Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Mandeep Singh, Prabsimran Singh, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Sarfaraz Khan, Deepak Hooda, Murugan Ashwin, Ravi Bishnoi, Harpreet Brar, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ishan Porel, Darshan Nalkande, Chris Jordan, Dawid Malan, Jhye Richardson, Shahrukh Khan, Riley Meredith, Moises Henriques, Jalaj Saxena, Utkarsh Singh, Fabian Allen, Saurabh Kumar.

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli (C), AB de Villiers (W), Devdutt Padikkal, Mohammed Siraj, Navdeep Saini, Pavan Deshpande, Shahbaz Ahmed, MS Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Daniel Sams, Harshal Patel, Glenn Maxwell, Sachin Baby, Rajat Patidar, Mohammed Azharuddeen, Kyle Jamieson, Dan Christian, Suyash Prabhudessai, K S Bharat, Finn Allen.

Match starts at 7.30 pm.

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Rajasthan Royals announced a contribution of Rs 7.5 crore to help those impacted by COVID-19 in India.

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DC vs KKR, IPL 2021: Delhi Capitals will have their task cut out as they take on an upbeat Kolkata Knight Riders outfit in Ahmedabad on Thursday.

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Sydney: Two Australian cricketers arrived back home Thursday after withdrawing from the Indian Premier League and fleeing the COVID-stricken country, circumventing a ban on flights by travelling via the Middle East.

Kane Richardson and Adam Zampa flew into Melbourne from Doha and are currently undergoing quarantine, according to cricket.com.au.

Earlier this week, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a temporary ban on arrivals from India due to the worsening coronavirus outbreak, leaving thousands of Australians - including high-profile cricketers - stranded.

Zampa, Richardson, and Andrew Tye then left the IPL, the world's richest Twenty20 tournament, which is taking place in biosecure conditions behind closed doors in six cities until the end of May.

Fourteen of their compatriots remain in India with the league's eight teams, including David Warner, Steve Smith, Pat Cummins, and Glenn Maxwell.

Morrison has so far rejected calls for charter flights to bring Australians home, with the ban set to remain in place until at least 15 May.

Australian national broadcaster ABC reported the pair had not been given special permission to fly and had booked their flights to Doha within the existing rules.

Their return follows Tye's arrival back in Australia earlier this week.

The Australians' exit comes as India's daily death toll from Covid-19 climbed above 3,600, while the daily infection number hit a global record at more than 379,000. 

The Board of Control for Cricket in India has said all players remaining in the country, who are isolated in biosecure bubbles, are "totally safe".

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Kolkata: The Cricket Association of Bengal will inoculate COVID-19 vaccine to its committee members, staff and the groundsmen at Eden Gardens on Friday ahead of hosting the IPL matches in Kolkata from 9 May.

The State Government has accorded its permission to the application made by CAB and AMRI Hospitals after proper evaluation process, including a site visit as it hopes to give the first jab to everyone at CAB in the 45-plus age group.

"The site has been found to be suitable for the conduct of vaccination with all necessary HR and logistical support from AMRI Hospitals Ltd," joint secretary, urban development and municipal affairs department Joly Chaudhuri said in a letter to the CAB.

"COVID-19 vaccine is our best defence against this virus at the moment."

The letter further said "the CAB and its COVID Task Force are making proper arrangements at Eden Gardens with support from AMRI Hospital to ensure 100 percent of eligible committee members, staffs and CAB groundsmen are able to get vaccinated at the first instance on Friday since IPL matches are scheduled to be held here shortly."

Eden Gardens will host 10 matches of the IPL beginning with a clash between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad on 9 May.

The 14th edition of the IPL is being held in a caravan format this time with none of the eight teams playing at their home venues.

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Live Updates of Today Match between Mumbai Indians vs Rajasthan Royals from Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi. Check commentary and full scoreboard of the match.

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IPL 2021, MI vs RR live score: Mumbai Indians will be eager to bounce back after suffering a nine-wicket loss in their previous fixture.

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IPL 2021, LIVE Cricket Score, MI vs RR (Mumbai Indians vs Rajasthan Royals): Catch all the latest updates from Match 24 of IPL 2021 on Firstpost.com's LIVE blog!

Preview: Reigning IPL champions Mumbai Indians will take on the Rajasthan Royals in Match 24 of IPL 2020 in Delhi.

Having lost their previous two matches, against the Punjab Kings and the Delhi Capitals, Rohit Sharma's MI side will be looking to get back to winning ways. The Rajasthan Royals meanwhile, will be trying to maintain their winning form after having beaten the Kolkata Knight Riders in their previous fixture.

The biggest worry for MI so far in the league has been the lack of runs from its middle-order. They did not even manage to cross the 140-run mark in their last two matches despite batting first on both occasions. The slow nature of the Chennai pitch kind of neutralised the MI's attacking style of play. However, they are now in Delhi which has so far hosted just one match. On a fresh pitch, Rohit and Co will be looking to rediscover their batting form.

RR defeated KKR in their last match with an all-round performance. Chris Morris was the pick of the bowlers with four wickets while Samson scored a sensible knock of 42 off 41 in a successful chase. The challenge for them will be to quickly adapt to the new conditions in Delhi. All their matches so far in IPL 2021 were held in Mumbai.

Despite having suffered back-to-back defeats in recent outings, the Mumbai Indians aren't too far down in the table, and are currently occupying the fourth and final play-off spot, thanks to a net run rate that's just a shade on the wrong side of zero. Rajasthan Royals are a further three places down in seventh place, but Sanju Samson won't be worrying too much about it just yet, seeing as they're tied on four points with this afternoon's opponents.

Squads:

Mumbai Indians: Quinton de Kock(w), Rohit Sharma(c), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Rahul Chahar, Adam Milne, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult, Piyush Chawla, Dhawal Kulkarni, Saurabh Tiwary, Aditya Tare, Chris Lynn, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Jayant Yadav, James Neesham, Anmolpreet Singh, Anukul Roy, Mohsin Khan, Arjun Tendulkar, Marco Jansen, Yudhvir Singh

Rajasthan Royals: Jos Buttler, Manan Vohra, Sanju Samson(w/c), David Miller, Shivam Dube, Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Chris Morris, Shreyas Gopal, Chetan Sakariya, Mustafizur Rahman, Jaydev Unadkat, Andrew Tye, Liam Livingstone, KC Cariappa, Mahipal Lomror, Mayank Markande, Anuj Rawat, Kartik Tyagi, Kuldip Yadav, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Akash Singh

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London: Australian batsman Marnus Labuschagne has admitted that being overlooked at the IPL auction turned out to be a "blessing in disguise" in the light of the rising COVID-19 cases in India.

The 26-year-old, who found no buyers at the IPL auctions in February, expressed concern for his compatriots featuring in the ongoing lucrative league in India.

"It certainly looks like it (missing out on the IPL) was a blessing in disguise," Labuschagne was quoted as saying by PA Media.

"I would love to have played in the IPL, it's a great tournament. But there are always two sides to the coin. If I was in the IPL, I would have been away and to win a Shield is something that doesn't come around often.

"Secondly, you look at the conditions in India now and it's not looking great," Labuschagne, who has linked up with county cricket club Glamorgan, added.

India are reeling under the second wave of the pandemic with cases rising by over 3 lakh everyday, a crisis compounded by shortage of some crucial medicines and oxygen supplies.

The Australian government has suspended all direct passenger flights from India until 15 May due to the spike in COVID-19 cases in India.

The IPL league matches will end on 23 May, followed by the qualifiers (25 and 28 May) and Eliminator (26 May) and the final (30 May) - all scheduled to be held in Ahmedabad.

Labuschagne also revealed that a majority of Australian players aren't feeling unsafe in the IPL bio-bubble but are concerned about returning.

"You obviously feel for them. But I haven't spoken to too many guys that are feeling unsafe.

"It's more about getting back into Australia and what does that look like. I just hope that they stay safe and get back to Australia safely whenever they do," he added.

The fear of being locked out of their own nation drove the likes of bowlers Andrew Tye, Kane Richardson, and Adam Zampa to take an early flight back to Australia.

However, Australian umpire Paul Reiffel's attempts at leaving hit a dead-end owing to his country's suspension of air travel with India.

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IPL 2021: Mohammed Siraj asked two of his teammates about their mindset as he marked his run-up to bowl the final over against Delhi Capitals.

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IPL 2021: CSK opener Ruturaj Gaikwad feels MS Dhoni-led side is more "aggressive and fearless" in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) as compared to how the team fared last year.

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Toss news: Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor won the toss and opted to bat first in the first Test against Pakistan, which will be played at the Harare Sports Club.

The series consists of two matches and both teams played a three-match T20I series before it. Pakistan won the T20I contest but Zimbabwe were able to make the third match of the series a decider by winning by the second match. The hosts have shown that they are well capable of springing some surprises.

Off-spinner Sajid Khan is making his debut for Pakistan today. Richard Ngarava, Roy Kaia and Milton Shumba are making debut for Zimbabwe.

Usually, pace-friendly in nature, the pitches in Harare were a bit on the slower side in the T20I series and we can expect similar conditions for the first Test.

Pakistan were 2-0 victorious in their last Test series against South Africa while Zimbabwe drew 1-1 against Afghanistan in the series which was played at UAE.

Teams:

Pakistan playing XI: Imran Butt, Abid Ali, Azhar Ali, Babar Azam (c), Fawad Alam, Mohammad Rizwan (w), Faheem Ashraf, Nauman Ali, Hasan Ali, Sajid Khan, Shaheen Afridi

Zimbabwe playing XI: Prince Masvaure, Kevin Kasuza, Tarisai Musakanda, Brendan Taylor (c), Milton Shumba, Roy Kaia, Regis Chakabva (w), Donald Tiripano, Tendai Chisoro, Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava

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Mumbai: The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) on Thursday decided to defer the third edition of their T20 league in the wake of rising COVID-19 cases in the country.

"In view of the current COVID-19 pandemic situation in the country and keeping in mind the safety and interests of all the stakeholders involved, the Mumbai Cricket Association has decided to defer the conduct of the third edition of the T20 Mumbai League till further notice," MCA said in a media release.

T20 Mumbai League Governing Council chairman Milind Narvekar in a separate tweet stated that the decision was taken to reduce the load on the authorities.

"Given the current situation, President Vijay Patil Ji and I, in my capacity as the Chairman, have decided not to conduct the T20 Mumbai League till further notice.

"This is our way to reduce the load on the machinery and also making sure everyone is safe," tweeted Narvekar.

The first and second edition of the T20 Mumbai League was successfully conducted, while the event did not take place in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Ahmedabad: In the IPL nets, Virat Kohli is literally using every trick in the bag to prepare for the World Test Championship final against New Zealand but is not getting much help from current teammate and Black Caps pacer Kyle Jamieson.

RCB all-rounder Dan Christian has revealed that Jamieson, who is playing his first IPL after being bought for Rs 15 crore, is carrying a couple of Dukes balls, which will be used in the WTC final in Southampton from 18 June between India and New Zealand.

However, when his RCB skipper Kohli asked Jamieson to bowl with the Dukes to him in the nets, the New Zealander did not fall for that trick.

"Pretty cagey from Virat actually, right in the first week we were here. The three of us were sitting down after the nets and these two were talking about Test cricket.

"Virat said: 'So Jamie (Kyle Jamieson) have you bowled much with the Dukes ball?' and they are talking about that stuff.

"Jamie says: 'Yeah, I have a couple of them here, I will have a bowl leading in before I go over there' and Virat says 'Oh, if you want to have a bowl against me in the nets, I am more than happy to face'.

"Jamie was like, 'No chance I am going to ball at you!' He would have looked at his release point and everything that he does with the Dukes ball! (chuckles)," Christian said on The Grade Cricketer's YouTube channel.

Jamieson had troubled the Indian batsmen, including Kohli, when they toured New Zealand early last year and it was the main reason why the lanky pacer attracted a huge bid at the IPL auction.

When it comes to off-the-field activities in the RCB camp, Christian said Kohli is not as involved as other stars like AB de Villiers and Glenn Maxwell.

"You don't see Virat a lot off the field, you see a little bit. He will, maybe, come to half of the things but he has his family here too from the start so we might see more of him now.

"So AB (de Villiers) is the happiest, most humble... never got a bad word to say about anybody, will be there from start to finish. Maxi (Glenn Maxwell) is there from start to finish as well," said Christian.

RCB, who are aiming to win their maiden IPL title, have started well this season.

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New Delhi: Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming says a change in attitude brought with it a change of fortunes for his franchise, which endured a forgettable IPL last year, and its focus this season has been on playing a faster brand of cricket.

CSK have been on a roll this year losing just one match out of its six so far, which has taken them to the top of the points table. Their fifth consecutive triumph came last night against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

"It was tough in the UAE (the last IPL's venue). We had a pretty bad run. A lot of things went against us, which we didn't make too much of at the time," Fleming said.

"We made some changes around our attitude towards what we were doing, and then we were really sure what style we wanted to play going into this year's IPL," he added.

"We needed to play a faster game, we needed to keep evolving if we were not in Chennai. And that's what we are trying to do; we are not the finished product by any means, but we're playing well at the moment."

Fleming said the last season had its share of lessons for the franchise, which failed to make the playoffs for the first time since the league's inception.

"...in the off season we just looked at players that could fit in and do a job - not just in Chennai but in conditions that were still a bit foreign. The attitude change as well," he pointed out.

Fleming lavished praise on all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who came into the IPL after missing months of cricket following an injury in Australia, and said he was close to attaining the peak of his powers.

"We don't have a leadership group. He is a key member of the side. He is without doubt close to the peak of his powers. He's still working very hard," he added.

"Our doubts were around his lack of cricket coming into the tournament, so we had to work really hard to get him up to speed. He did that through hitting a lot of balls and training very hard and he got up to speed really quickly," Fleming revealed.

The CSK coach described Jadeja as one of the most versatile players in the world.

"We're lucky to have him right now in his prime and he forms the core of the middle-order and allows a lot of options within the team with his skill-set," Fleming added.

The CSK coach said Ruturaj Gaikwad has come up as a fine Indian talent and established himself.

"We have rated him (Ruturaj) highly for a long time. One of the setbacks he was having with COVID last year created a little bit of delay in introducing him at the right spot.

"But now, he is there and has established himself. He is a fine Indian talent. We are really excited about having him and what he is doing for us."

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