CRICKET NEWS

The 16th edition of the Indian Premier League ended on Monday with Chennai Super Kings becoming the crowned champions for the fifth time. This season many uncapped players like Jitesh Sharma , Rinku Singh , Suyash Sharma , etc became stars with their exceptional performances. However, one player who became the talk of the town and utterly impressed everyone was Rajasthan Royals opener Yashasvi Jaiswal . The 21-year-old batter smashed 625 runs in just 14 matches and bagged the 'Emerging Player' award.  Jaiswal's IPL heroics has rewarded him completely as he earned a Team India call-up as a stand-by player for the World Test Championship final against Australia. The RR opener got this opportunity in the place of Ruturaj Gaikwad , who opted out due to his wedding on June 3.  The WTC final will be played from June 7 at The Oval and Jaiswal has arrived along with other players in UK. Taking to Instagram, ICC posted a video where Jaiswal was seen hitting the nets and practicing...

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 final between Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans was a nail-biter with the former clinching the summit clash to win their fifth title. Attending the match were 'Zara Hatke Zara Bachke' stars Vicky Kaushal and Sara Ali Khan . The actors posted a video in Instagram from the time at the stadium. In it, the actors can be seen giving each other a hi-five after CSK's win. The jubilant mood of the co-stars clearly reflects in the video. Vicky Kaushal captioned his post, " Badle tere Mahi, leke jo koi saari, duniya bhi dede agar, to kise duniya chahiye . Mahi for the win. Jaadu you rockstar! What a match! GT... the best team through the tournament. Clearly the game was the real winner. #ipl2023 #iplfinal (sic)." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Vicky Kaushal (@vickykaushal09) The two actors were also asked about their experience in the IPL final. "I have never seen a...

Ahead of the much-anticipated ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final between India and Australia, former England skipper Nasser Hussain has picked only one specialist spinner in his combined Test XI he would select from the two teams set to meet in the World Test Championship final. Prior to their match in the ICC World Test Championship final in London, Hussain could only find room for one spinner in a combined Test XI, despite the fact that spin was king when India and Australia clashed earlier this year. As India successfully defended the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at home, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja combined for 47 wickets. Australia's Nathan Lyon and Todd Murphy, both spinners, also posed a threat with 36 each. Lyon (81) and Ashwin (61) were also among the leading wicket-takers across the WTC cycle, but only one spinner from the two teams could earn a spot in the former England skipper's combined Test XI. "If the World Test Championship Final was in the s...

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 final turned out to a sporting spectacle, with Ravindra Jadeja scoring 10 runs off the final 2 balls against Mohit Sharma of Gujarat Titans to earn his team 5th title. While it was pure ecstasy for the Super Kings, the Titans unit was in complete despair after failing to defend the title with the narrowest of margins. Mohit Sharma, who conceded a six and a four on the final two balls of the match to Jadeja, admitted that he couldn't sleep that night, thinking what he could've done differently. In a chat with The Indian Express, Mohit spoke about his plans and preparation for the final over, which went as planned until the final two balls. "My mind was very clear in what I wanted to do. In the nets, I had practiced such situations and I have been in such scenarios before too. So I said let me bowl all balls yorkers and was backing my instinct," the Haryana speedster said. "They wanted to know what will be plan of action. I ...

Batting legend Ricky Ponting feels that India should have picked Hardik Pandya in their squad for the World Test Championships final against Australia in London, saying his all-round abilities could have turned out to be the deciding factor in the one-off game. Pandya has not played a Test since 2018 and he has opted sit out of the five-day format due to ongoing fitness concerns. But Ponting felt Pandya could have played in the winner-takes all clash at The Oval from June 7-11. Primarily because he has bowled in more or less every game in the just-concluded IPL for Gujarat Titans which he captains. "...I thought about the other day for India in this game is how valuable someone like Hardik Pandya could be in a one-off Test match," Ponting wrote for the ICC Review. "I know he is on record saying that the Test match game is probably a little bit hard on his body. But for a one-off game... he's been bowling every game through this IPL and he's bowling quick."...

Chennai Super Kings' middle-order batter Ambati Rayudu on Monday said he can afford to smile for the rest of his life after a "fairytale finish" to his cricketing career. Rayudu, who had announced his decision to stop playing IPL just before the final against Gujarat Titans, said his hard work for the last 30 years has paid rich dividends. "It's a fairytale finish. I couldn't have asked for more. I'm fortunate to have played in really great sides. I can smile for the rest of my life. All the hard work I've done in the last 30 years, I'm happy I got to finish on this note. "I would really like to thank my family, my father. Without them this wouldn't have been possible," said Rayudu after CSK beat Gujarat Titans by five wickets in the IPL final. Ambati Rayudu Crying pic.twitter.com/5NvClKNPhE — CS Rishabh (Professor) (@ProfesorSahab) May 30, 2023 CSK all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who hit a six and four in the last two balls to se...

Chennai Super Kings' middle-order batter Ambati Rayudu on Monday said he can afford to smile for the rest of his life after a "fairytale finish" to his cricketing career. Rayudu, who had announced his decision to stop playing IPL just before the final against Gujarat Titans, said his hard work for the last 30 years has paid rich dividends. "It's a fairytale finish. I couldn't have asked for more. I'm fortunate to have played in really great sides. I can smile for the rest of my life. All the hard work I've done in the last 30 years, I'm happy I got to finish on this note. "I would really like to thank my family, my father. Without them this wouldn't have been possible," said Rayudu after CSK beat Gujarat Titans by five wickets in the IPL final. Ambati Rayudu Crying pic.twitter.com/5NvClKNPhE — CS Rishabh (Professor) (@ProfesorSahab) May 30, 2023 CSK all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who hit a six and four in the last two balls to se...

The International Cricket Council (ICC) chairman and CEO are in Lahore to seek guarantees from the PCB that it will not push for implementing a hybrid model for its matches in the ODI World Cup in India later this year. Insiders confirmed to PTI that ICC chairman Greg Barclay and CEO Geoff Allardice have specifically come to Lahore to get some assurances from the Pakistan Cricket Board on the national team's participation in the World Cup in October-November. The development comes after PCB chief Najam Sethi made it clear that the team will not travel for the World Cup in India if the Rohit Sharma-led side doesn't visit Pakistan for the preceding Asia Cup. “The ICC and World Cup hosts, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) are concerned with the hybrid model being pushed by Najam Sethi who heads the cricket management committee of the PCB. “Although the hybrid model has been suggested by Sethi for the Asia Cup which precedes the ICC event, the concern remains that ...

Mahendra Singh Dhoni was numb. He didn't raise his head even as Ravindra Jadeja had started sprinting towards the dugout and his mates in canary yellow responding in kind. Maybe Dhoni was trying to process it all after a gruelling two months. Moeen Ali hugged him and the contours of his face were devoid of any emotion. Maybe there was a storm brewing in his mind during those last six balls and it was the calm after-effect. Dhoni has just guided CSK to a fifth IPL trophy in 11 final appearances and he remained unfazed. Job done, what's the fuss about. He couldn't suppress his wide grin as an ecstatic Jadeja jumped on to his lap and engaged in a bear hug. There were conjectures about their relationship deteriorating after Jadeja had to relinquish CSK captaincy mid-season in 2022, but as they say in Hindi, "anth bhala toh sab bhala" (all's well that ends well). If Dhoni is involved, one would never know what actually transpired. Because what happens in 'Dho...

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season concluded on a thrilling note, with MS Dhoni 's Chennai Super Kings lifting the title for the 5th time, equalling Mumbai Indians' tally. While CSK went ahead and claimed glory, defending champions Gujarat Titans could only conclude the season as the runners-up despite having the Orange Cap holder Shubman Gill and Purple Cap winner Mohammed Shami in their side. For Gill and Shami, who were at their absolute best throughout the tournament, it was a bitter end to the campaign, with both of them ending on the losing side. Gill couldn't hit his 4th ton of the season, scoring 39 runs off 20 balls in the final. But, Gujarat still managed to put 214 runs on the board, thanks to Sai Sudharsan 's 96 off 47 balls. As for Shami, the purple cap holder, he couldn't add another wicket to his tally of 28 scalps in the match, conceding 29 runs in 3 overs in the final without any success. After the conclusion of the final, the names of a...

The MS Dhoni -led Chennai Super Kings made history in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 final as they defeated defending champions Gujarat Titans in a last-ball thriller to lift the title for the 'record-equalling' 5th time. It was an emotional moment for fans all across the world as they saw Dhoni lead CSK all the way in what was seen as his last match in the tournament's history. In an emotional video shared by the IPL on Tuesday morning, Dhoni could be seen lifting Ravindra Jadeja in celebration while also acknowledging GT skipper Hardik Pandya for his side's effort. Later, daughter Ziva came and gave Dhoni a big hug, congratulating on the title. After clinching the title, Dhoni's daughter Ziva was seen lifting the IPL trophy with CSK players, celebrating the gigantic triumph at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Here's the beautiful video, summing up the emotional moments after Ravindra Jadeja's match-winning four.  We are not crying, you ar...

At last, it was worth the wait. The IPL 2023 final which was supposed to end on May 28, finally finished on May 30 (IST) and MS Dhoni 's Chennai Super Kings clinched a thriller for a record-equalling fifth IPL title. CSK completed the task in the last ball against defending champions Gujarat Titans at a packed Narendra Modi Stadium in what could turn out to be the legendary Mahendra Singh Dhoni's final outing in the T20 league. Ravindra Jadeja struck a six and a four off Mohit Sharma in the final two balls to win it for CSK. This moment is #IPL2023Final #CSKvGT #WhistlePodu #Yellove pic.twitter.com/6BCgehszxy — Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) May 29, 2023 B Sai Sudharsan slammed 96 in 47 balls as Gujarat Titans posted 214 for four after being asked to bat first. Set a revised target of 171 in 15 overs after rain interrupted play at the start of the second innings of a final that was pushed to the reserve day owing to heavy downpour, CSK kept their calm till the end...

Batting mainstay Virat Kohli joined the national team's training session on Monday at the picturesque Arundel Castle Cricket Club along with left-arm seamer Jaydev Unadkat, who seemed to have recovered from left shoulder injury. India will play Australia at the Oval in the one-off Test from June 7 to 11. The BCCI on Monday shared pictures of the members of the team, including Kohli, pace duo of Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Siraj on their official twitter handle. "Team India members begin their preparations for the WTC23 at Arundel Castle Cricket Club," BCCI said in a tweet. While Kohli, Umesh and Siraj were seen jogging in their new training kit, off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin could be seen rolling his arm over at the nets. Unadkat was also engaged in a discussion with head coach Rahul Dravid and bowling coach Paras Mhambrey. Cheteshwar Pujara, who has been playing for Sussex in the English county circuit to prepare for the final, also was seen arriving in the training gro...

Australia pacer Josh Hazlewood has been included in the 15-member squad for the World Test Championship (WTC) final against India beginning at The Oval on June 7. The 32-year-old had flown back home from the Indian Premier League before his side Royal Challangers Bangalore's must-win game against Gujarat Titans due to a side soreness. He has, however, been included in the squad alongside fellow pacers, Test skipper Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland. The inclusion of Hazlewood, a veteran of 59 Tests and 222 wickets, means the selectors no longer need to bring in all-rounders Michael Neser or Sean Abbott into the squad as cover. Both Neser and Abbott are playing country cricket and Australian chief coach Andrew McDonald had said recently they could be drafted into the squad if anyone in the touring party got injured. Hazlewood, though, has struggled with injuries of late. He joined the RCB camp late as he was recovering from an Achilles injury. He has played just four T...

Mumbai Indians star batter Tilak Varma made his IPL debut in 2022. In the first season, he scored 397 runs across 14 matches at an average of 36.09 and a strike rate of 131.02. In IPL 2023, Varma improved his performance by scoring 343 runs across 11 matches at an average of 42.88 and an impressive strike rate of 164.11. The batter gave a scare to Gujarat Titans during Mumbai Indians' mammoth chase of 234 runs in the Qualifier 2 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday. The southpaw scored 43 runs off 13 balls before Rashid Khan dismissed him to keep GT in the driving seat. Former India opener Virender Sehwag was impressed by the performance of Varma and shared a piece of advice for how he can keep improving his game. Sehwag recalled his international debut he made way back in 1999 and said what helped him do better.   "He should focus on 2 things; improve his fitness, and identify the skills that he can work on, as well as the mindset. It often happens when you...

The 16th edition of the Indian Premier League couldn't crown a winner on Sunday, with excessive rain preventing a single ball from being bowled in the Chennai Super Kings vs Gujarat Titans decider at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The match was pushed to Reserve Day (Monday), with the authorities and fans hoping that a full 40-over contest will be possible. After rain prevented a single ball from being bowled on Sunday, fans have their sights set on the weather forecast on Monday at Motera, Gujarat. There simply isn't the worst sight than seeing cricketing action being suspended due to rain. Thankfully, there was a Reserve Day in place for the IPL 2023 final. As far as the forecast goes, a full 40-over contest seems quite likely at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Monday. Accuweather suggests that the skies would mostly remain clear throughout the day, with their being only a 3% chance of rain at night. Even if the hourly weather forecast is looked at, ...

The final of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 headed into the Reserve Day after play could not be possible on Sunday due to persistent rain at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Fans turned up in numbers hoping to see MS Dhoni lift the IPL trophy for the 5th time in his career with the Chennai Super Kings but had to return home disappointed. Though Dhoni's men are scheduled to take on Gujarat Titans on Monday, the prospect of Dhoni playing on a 'Reserve Day' brought back some horrible memories. It was the semi-final of the 2019 ICC ODI World Cup between India and New Zealand when the match had to be shifted to the 'Reserve Day' because of rain on the scheduled day. New Zealand pacers, particularly Matt Henry , ran riot in overcast conditions to put India on the backfoot early on. The match also saw Dhoni, the last hope of the Indian team, being run-out by Martin Guptill , helping the Kiwis secure an 18-run win. The match turned out to be Dhoni's last...

Legendary Indian cricket team batter Sachin Tendulkar showered praises on Gujarat Titans star Shubman Gill following his match-winning knock against Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 Qualifier 2. Gill was in sublime form as he scored 129 off just 60 deliveries with the help of 7 fours and 10 sixes. Sachin said that the knock was nothing short of unforgettable and the legend went on to laud the youngster for his temperament and unwavering calmness on the field. “Shubman Gill's performance this season has been nothing short of unforgettable, marked by two centuries that left an indelible impact. One century ignited @mipaltan's hopes, while the other dealt them a crushing blow. Such is the unpredictable nature of cricket! What truly impressed me about Shubman's batting was his remarkable temperament, unwavering calmness, hunger for runs and astute running between the wickets,” Tendulkar said. Shubman Gill's performance this season has been nothing...

Australian wicketkeeper Matthew Wade, Moises Henriques and Adam Zampa have become the latest Australia players who are set to feature in the inaugural edition of the United States T20 tournament. Henriques will take up the captaincy role for the Washington Freedom franchise. The 36-year-old has led the Big Bash League franchise the Sixers to back-to-back titles in 2019-20 and 2020-21. He could still be joined by two more BBL teammates as opening batter Josh Philippe and fast bowler Ben Dwarshuis are also being linked to the Washington franchise for the July tournament. On the other hand, Australia's star white-ball spinner Adam Zampa is also set to join the Kolkata Knight Riders-owned franchise, Los Angeles Knight Riders. While Matthew Wade is another to have signed with an MLC club. Zampa and Wade who have spent the past two months in the Indian Premier League outfits Rajasthan Royals and Gujarat Titans respectively. Zampa has claimed eight wickets in six matches for the Royals...

Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans will be squaring off against each other in the much-awaited final match of IPL 2023 on Sunday, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The MS Dhoni -led team will be coming to this clash after defeating GT in the Qualifier 1 by 15 runs. On the other hand, the defending champions thrashed Mumbai Indians by 62 runs in the Qualifier 2. It will be interesting to see whether CSK will be able to clinch their fifth title or will Gujarat emerge as the winners for the second time.  Mahendra Singh Dhoni wouldn't mind a 'Farewell to Remember' but a young Shubman Gill , oozing grace, would do everything under his control to prevent Chennai Super Kings from beating Gujarat Titans. In this CSK set-up, he could afford to bat at No. 8 in most games but entering the finals with a bowling line-up that missed Deepak Chahar for the better part of fist half and had to turn a profligate Tushar Deshpande into a dependable wicket-taker. Turning an inc...

Unarguably the finest batter of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season, Shubman Gill has been ruling the roost for Gujarat Titans. Having already notched up 851 runs this season, Gill will arguably pose the biggest threat to Chennai Super Kings as MS Dhoni 's men look to claim the title for the 5th time. Gill has already decimated the teams of Virat Kohli (RCB) and Rohit Sharma (MI), scoring centuries against both. Former India cricketer Atul Wassan feels MS Dhoni (CSK) is next. In a chat on ABP news , Wassan said that he feels Gill will 'swallow' the iconic trio of Kohli, Rohit and Dhoni as he grows as a cricketer. " Mujhe to lag raha hai ye tridev ko ye Gill nigal jayega jis tarah se ye batting kar raha hai (I think Gill will swallow this legendary trio the way he has been batting)," Wassan said on ABP news when talking about Gill and his success against the likes of Kohli and Rohit in recent matches. Wassan also said that MS Dhoni is the next in lin...

Team India have begun its preparations for the upcoming World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia, starting June 7 at the Oval in London. Some members of the Indian team have already reached the venue, ahead of the summitt clash, after their respective teams failed to qualify for the Indian Premier League (IPL) playoffs. The likes of Axar Patel , Umesh Yadav , Shardul Thakur , among others arrived in London earlier this week and were accompanied by Team India's support staff, including head coach Rahul Dravid . Earlier this week, BCCI secretary Jay Shah announced a multi-year deal with German sportswear giant Adidas as Team India's kit sponsor. Taking to Twitter, BCCI also unveiled India's new training kits, which were donned by some players and the support staff. In one of the pictures, a fan spotted England pacer Jimmy Anderson's look-alike. Anderson's look-alike was none other than India's strength and conditioning coach Soham Desai.  "Gr...

Former U19 World Cup winners for India in 2018, Shubman Gill and Prithvi Shaw have had two contrasting journies since winning the coveted trophy as teenagers. While Gill has gone on to become a pillar in the Indian team across all three formats, Shaw is struggling to even be a part of the national squad in any of the three formats. Launching a scathing attack on Shaw's attitude, Gill's childhood coach claimed that the Delhi Capitals opener thinks he is already a star and can't be touched by anyone. "They were in the same team that won the U-19 World Cup in 2018, right? Today where is Prithvi Shaw and where is Shubman Gill? They are in two different categories," Karsan Ghavri was quoted as saying by The Indian Express . "Shaw thinks he is a star and nobody can touch him. But he needs to understand that at the international level, irrespective of whether you are playing T20, 50 over or the Test match or even the Ranji Trophy, it takes only one delivery to g...

IPL 2019 was a breakthrough year for Chennai Super Kings' star pacer Deepak Chahar . He was bought by CSK in IPL 2018 and the next season saw him picking up a total of 22 wickets across 17 matches at an economy of 7.47. While Chahar ended the season well in terms of his individual performance, an incident during the edition also saw him getting almost scared by MS Dhoni . It was CSK's match against Punjab Kings at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. With PBKS needing 39 runs in 12 balls, Dhoni handed the ball to Chahar, who bowled two back-to-back beamers at the start of the over and got to face the wrath of the CSK captain. During a recent interview, Chahar recalled the moment where Dhoni scolded him and later acknowledged his comeback in the over. "Sarfaraz (Khan) was batting and I was bowling in the death for the first time. There was (Dwayne) Bravo and Shardul (Thakur) as they can't bowl with the new ball. He (Dhoni) didn't used to bowl me in the death over beca...

Chennai Super Kings head coach Stephen Fleming on Saturday said that the four-time winners are better prepared for the IPL final against Gujarat Titans than any other time in the past, when conditions affected their performance. Fleming said CSK's win-loss ratio remained around 50 per cent because they would usually build and prepare their squads keeping the conditions and pitches at the home venue at Chepauk in mind, but that is not the case anymore. He said the team would be ready for any conditions -- there are rains expected during the final here on Sunday -- and that they have erred in reading conditions and pitches in the past. “We geared ourselves up so well for Chennai that we did struggle with conditions at times in away games, so the finals were always a little bit of a challenge, and our record is about 50 per cent of winning the final," Fleming said during the pre-match press conference. "It is maybe due to the style of the game we created — a victim of bein...

Mahendra Singh Dhoni is a "magician" who can turn someone else's "trash into treasure" says the great Matthew Hayden, who also reckons that the former India captain's unmatched contribution to the CSK success story makes his playing future with the franchise "almost irrelevant". Dhoni's tactical genius has played a big part in CSK reaching their 10th IPL final. He did not have the best of bowling attacks at his disposal at the start of the tournament but he has been able to bring the best out of it. How he has used Ajinkya Rahane and Shivam Dube in the batting department has also been praised widely. Dhoni, who has played with a knee injury throughout the tournament, has given himself 8-9 months to decide on his playing future. Hayden, however, feels the World Cup winning captain will not be around for the next IPL. "MS is a magician. He takes someone else's trash and makes them treasure. He is a very skilful and positive captain. H...

Shubman Gill took the cricketing fraternity by storm after he smashed his third century of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season to fire Gujarat Titans to their second final in as many years. Gill's 60-ball 129 fired Gujarat to 233-3, a total they defended by bowling out five-time winners Mumbai for 171 in 18.2 overs in the final playoff which started late due to rain in Ahmedabad. The 23-year-old struck 10 sixes and put on a second-wicket stand of 138 with Sai Sudharsan , who made 43, to tear into the opposition attack at the world's biggest cricket stadium. After the match, Gill was seen having a chat with batting great Sachin Tendulkar , who is the mentor of MI, in the dugout. The interaction between Gill and Tendulkar has gone viral on social media. Here's how Twitter reacted: Shubman Gill with Sachin Tendulkar. Best picture on internet today pic.twitter.com/QUv9OIE9jN — Shubman Gang (@ShubmanGang) May 26, 2023 Shubman Gill with Sachin Tendulkar. pic....