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Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) kick off their campaign against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Match 2 of the Indian Premier League on Saturday at the IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali. With captain Shreyas Iyer out for the tournament due to a back injury, stand-in skipper Nitish Rana will have a point or two to prove as he looks to take his team to the playoffs against all odds. While the job won't be an easy one, head coach Chandrakant Pandit's presence could be beneficial for the franchise. Ahead of their first game of the season, here's what we think could be KKR's playing XI against PBKS: Rahmanullah Gurbaz : After being drafted to the team from Gujarat Titans, the Afghanistan wicketkeeper-batter will look to get opportunities this time around. Despite hardly played last season, Gurbaz can help KKR in sorting out their top-order issues. Venkatesh Iyer : Keeping in mind the left-right combination, Venkatesh is likely to open the innings, alongside Gurbaz. After enjoying a breakt

Under the leadership of new captain Shikhar Dhawan , Punjab Kings are all set to begin their campaign for the upcoming edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) against Kolkata Knight Riders on Saturday. Led by the veteran opening batter Dhawan, the Kings will be guided by World Cup-winning coach Trevor Bayliss, as they eye their maiden IPL title. PBKS will also keep high hopes from England all-rounder Sam Curran , who became the costliest buy with a sum of Rs 18.50 crore at IPL auctions 2023. The team will miss the service of star pacer Kagiso Rabada in the first game as he is on national duty. In his absence, Arshdeep Singh will have more responsibilities on his shoulders. However, PBKS are likely to rope in Nathan Ellis in the playing XI to fill the void of Rabada. PBKS will also be missing Liam Livingstone in their first game and this might see their new recruit Sikandar Raza getting a chance to feature in the playing XI. He was bought for Rs 50 lakh at IPL auctions 2023. Bhanu

Chennai Super Kings skipper M S Dhoni felt their middle overs batting let them down in their IPL opener against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad on Friday. With Ruturaj Gaikwad going strong, CSK looked on course for a 200 plus total before Titans stemmed the flow of runs in the middle overs. CSK eventually managed 178 for seven which Titans chased down with four balls to spare and five wickets in hand. "We all knew there will be dew. We could have done a bit more with the batsman-ship. Ruturaj (Gaikwad) was brilliant, he times the ball well and he's a pleasure to watch. The way he picks his options, it is pleasing to watch. I think it's important for the youngsters to step in," said Dhoni referring to Gaikwad's 92 off 50 balls. Dhoni, however, praised IPL debutant Rajvardhan Hangargekar who took three wickets. "I think Raj (Hangargekar) has pace and he will get better with time. Think the bowlers will get better, a no-ball is something that's in your contr

MS Dhoni is one of the most-loved cricketers in the world and star singer Arijit Singh is also a fan of the veteran wicket-keeper batsman. The duo shared a heartwarming moment during the opening ceremony of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday and the picture has already gone viral. In the picture doing the rounds, Arijit could be seen touching Dhoni's feet as the two of them met after the performances. Arijit thrilled the fans with his hit songs during the opening ceremony and he was joined by actresses Rashmika Mandanna and Tamannah Bhatia.  Arijit Singh touched MS Dhoni's feet during IPL 2023 opening ceremony. pic.twitter.com/8DeX3mRb9N — Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) March 31, 2023 Shubman Gill eclipsed Ruturaj Gaikwad's high-quality knock with a dazzling half-century as Gujarat Titans began their title defence with a convincing five-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings.  Gaikwad was all class in his 92 off 50

Shubman Gill eclipsed Ruturaj Gaikwad 's high-quality knock with a dazzling half-century as Gujarat Titans began their title defence with a convincing five-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings in the IPL opener in Ahmedabad on Friday. Gaikwad was all class in his 92 off 50 balls before Titans pulled things back in the middle overs to limit Chennai Super Kings to 178 for seven after opting to bowl first in front of a near capacity crowd at the world's largest cricket stadium. In the form of his life over the past three months, Gill played some jaw-dropping strokes in his 63 off 36 balls to set up a fine win for the home team. Titans got home in 19.2 overs. Gill's opening partner Wriddhiman Saha showed he has still got it as he smashed a couple of sixes and as many fours in his 16-ball 25 that got the Titans going in the run chase. Gill's best shot of the innings was the back foot punch off CSK's impact player Tushar Deshpande and he followed with a pick up shot o

Set to miss at least first leg of the IPL due to an Achilles (heel) problem, Royal Challengers Bangalore's Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood would reach India by April 14 but would take another week to be match-fit. While Hazlewood will miss at least seven IPL games, his Australian teammate Glenn Maxwell is doubtful for RCB's opening match against Mumbai Indians on April 2 in Bengaluru as he is yet to fully regain strength post leg fracture. "Everything is ticking along according to plan, so I'll be heading over on the 14th (of April) depending on how the next two weeks go," Hazlewood was quoted as saying by The Age. "I probably won't be quite ready to go right then, but (after) another week in India to touch things up skills wise I should be ready to go hopefully." Hazlewood, who had to opt out of Border-Gavaskar Trophy in India, is hoping to get ready for the Ashes via the IPL. "You don't need a lot of workload for T20. It's more

Former Pakistan cricket team skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed recalled a hilarious moment involving Virat Kohli where he was left stunned by an answer given by the Indian star batsman. During the pre-tournament press conference ahead of the 2019 World Cup, all the captains were invited to interact with the media and Sarfaraz was seated next to Kohli. The Pakistan wicket-keeper batsman remembered the interaction between the two players where Kohli gave a long answer, but he responded with just six words. "When we asked about the hype surrounding an India vs Pakistan match and how we react when people ask us for tickets, I said you can ask Virat first. I told him brother, why don't you answer first? And Virat just started and went on. The PC was in England. I looked at him and it was like 'Bhai kab rukega? (When will he stop?'). He kept using long words in English and all I could think of at that moment was 'Who is going to translate all of this?'. I kept listening and

Chennai Super Kings will try to wipe away the demons of the last IPL season with the 2023 edition that kicks off with their match against defending champions Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on March 31. A lot of drama took place last year in the CSK camp as MS Dhoni passed the captaincy baton to Ravindra Jadeja ahead of the season. Midway through IPL 2022, Jadeja relinquished the post only to see Dhoni coming back in the role. The captaincy fiasco added by poor performance of the team saw the four-time champions finish at the second-last spot in the table with only 4 wins from 14 matches. Speculations are rife that this will be the last season of Dhoni. Anyway, the 'captain cool' would look to guide his side to a record-equaling fifth IPL title. But, a small injury issue on the eve of the incident saw question marks being raised over Dhoni's availability. According to the franchise's CEO, the 'Thala' will be available for the opener. T

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 is set to begin on Friday at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The good-old home-away format returns, with all 10 franchises getting to host games at their venues. While the 'IPL of old' is returning after a gap of three years, a few 'firsts' will be witnessed this season, with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) deciding to add some new features like 'Impact Player', while making a few other rule changes in the league. Playing XIs After Toss: The 16th edition of the league would now see the playing XIs being named after the toss. Earlier, the trend was that the captains of both teams give their team sheets to the match referee before the toss. This would not happen anymore. Impact Player: The 'Impact Player' rule would now see the teams being allowed to substitute a player into the playing XI at any point in the game. The substitute player can bat, bowl and field but would not be able to lead t

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 is set to kick off with a grand opening ceremony on Friday at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad. While the cricketing focus is on the match between Chennai Super Kings and defending champions Gujarat Titans, the curtain-raiser event is also going to be mesmerising, considering a drone show will be conducted, together with some celebrity performances. Ahead of the opening ceremony, a video emerged on social media, showing a glimpse of the drone show that will be held on Friday. As per reports, around 1,500 drones will be used at the opening ceremony, creating a unique light show that has not been seen in the IPL before. The drones will form different shapes in the sky, one of them being the IPL trophy. The rehearsals for the drone show have reportedly been going on for a couple of days. Here's a glimpse: This is simply magnificent - the drone show tonight will be mesmerizing. pic.twitter.com/43XmTMNczd — Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra)

With the 2023 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) around the corner, the excitement among fans has been growing with each passing day. Gujarat Titans (GT) will kick off their title defense on Friday when they take on four-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Narendra Modi Stadium. GT lifted the title in their first season in the tournament after beating Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the final last year. Ahead of the start of the new season, former England captain Michael Vaughan has issued a bold statement regarding the winner of IPL 2023. Vaughan has backed the Sanju Samson -led RR, who were beaten in the final last year, to go all the way this time around. "Can't wait for the IPL to start .. Looking forward to being part of the @cricbuzz team .. I thinks it's going to be @rajasthanroyals year .. they will be lifting the trophy in late May," Vaughan tweeted. Can't wait for the IPL to start .. Looking forward to being part of the @cricbuzz team

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka, 3rd Odi Live Updates:  Keeping an eye at securing automatic qualification for the World Cup, Sri Lanka will look to win the third ODI against New Zealand and hope for some other results to go in their favour. Their hopes took a major blow on Tuesday when heavy rain and gusting winds forced the second ODI against New Zealand to be abandoned without a ball being bowled. Having also lost the first ODI in the three-match series, Sri Lanka are now ninth in the Super League table with 82 points, six points behind West Indies. (LIVE SCORECARD) source https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/new-zealand-vs-sri-lanka-3rd-odi-live-cricket-score-updates-3907656

'Workload management' is an important contributor to players' performances. With the gruelling 2-month-long Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season set to start on March 31, many are worried about the Indian players' workload, especially keeping the World Test Championship final against Australia in mind. Rohit Sharma , who is the captain of both the Indian team and Mumbai Indians, was asked about taking 'rest' from IPL during the course of the season. His didn't just dodge the bullet himself but put head coach Mark Boucher in the spotlight. In an interaction for Mumbai Indians ahead of the start of the new season, Rohit was asked about sitting out from a few matches.  He said: "I think Mark will give you an answer to that." Boucher, who is the new MI head coach, said: "Do you want to rest? He is the captain," said, before adding "Hopefully, he (Rohit) gets into some good form and hopefully, he doesn't want to rest. We will a

Star India batter Virat Kohli on Thursday shared a photo of his Class 10th marksheet. Kohli, who ended his Test century drought in the recently-concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy, is gearing up for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League. The 34-year-old will be part of Royal Challengers Bangalore's squad for the 16th straight season, having joined them as an 19-year-old in 2008. Taking to Koo, Kohli shared a photo of his Class 10th marksheet, with a quirky caption. "It's funny how the things that add the least to your marksheet, add the most to your character," Kohli posted. Koo App It's funny how the things that add the least to your marksheet, add the most to your character. #LetThereBeSport View attached media content - Virat Kohli (@virat.kohli) 30 Mar 2023 RCB will start their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season with a match against Mumbai Indians (MI) at their home arena, M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. Last year, RCB qualified

Social media is a place where people are free to express their views. However, on occasions, incidents are seen where banter between a few people gets ugly. Such was the instance in two sets of fans on social media. The fans of Indian cricket icon Virat Kohli and Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan went loggerheads with each other on Twitter, arguing over who is better than the other. Comparisons between cricketers or two actors are often seen among fans on social media, but one between a cricketer and an actor was certainly new. "Who is a bigger personality and achiever globally?" a Twitter user asked on March 28 through a poll on the micro-blogging website. The options were: a) Shah Rukh Khan and b) Virat Kohli. This was the start of a crazy fan war on social media. Who is a bigger personality and achiever globally ? — Slog Sweep-189 (@SloggSweep) March 27, 2023 Fans highlighted random facts to draw inferences that would leave the neutrals scratching their heads. Her

Starting from Sunday, when Royal Challengers Bangalore gets down to action in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 with a match against the Rohit Sharma -led Mumbai Indians, all eyes will be on Virat Kohli and whether he can fly gets his hands on the trophy. RCB is one of the four teams that has not won the IPL. Kohli, former RCB skipper, despite some terrific performances with the bat could not lead the team to the title. However, with a great from leading up to the franchise leagues, RCB fans can hope big things from the batting great. Ahead of the two month long tournament, Kohli had a fun interaction, a video of which has been uploaded on RCB's social media handles.   "Is there any impulsive buys that you hardly use?" the presenter asked on RCB Bold Diaries.  "Most of the cars I owned. They were all impulsive buys. I ended up hardly driving them or actually travelling in them. Beyond a point I felt that is is actually pointless. ended up selling most of them.

Afghanistan's milestone victory against Pakistan echoed throughout the world of cricket. It was the first time Afghanistan had beaten Pakistan in a bilateral T20I series and star spinner Rashid Khan was the main beneficiary as he overtook Sri Lankan spinner Wanindu Hasaranga to again become the top ranked T20I bowler in the world once again. The right-arm bowler collected a wicket in each of the three matches against Pakistan in Sharjah, with his miserly economy rate in both of Afghanistan's victories during the first two games of the series being a standout. Rashid's teammate Fazalhaq Farooqi was the standout pacer during the series with a total of five wickets and an economy rate of just 4.75 and the left-armer shot up an eye-catching 12 spots to third overall in the latest rankings update. It means Afghanistan now have three players inside the top 10 of the T20I category for bowlers, with spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman , part of the talented trio, at the eighth spot follow

The reports of MS Dhoni 's possible retirement from the Indian Premier League (IPL) have been making headlines for quite some time. While Dhoni is busy practicing with Chennai Super Kings ahead of IPL 2023, various experts have already said that he will not be playing in the competition after this year. In a recent interaction, Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma weighed in on the issue and the star India opener said that Dhoni looks fit enough to play in the IPL for the next 2-3 seasons.  "I've been hearing for the last 2-3 years that this is going to be MS Dhoni's last season. I think he is fit enough to play a few more seasons," Rohit said in MI's pre-season press conference.  Recently, Rajasthan Royals' Riyan Parag said that Dhoni has mastered the role of a finisher, and nobody comes anywhere close to the former India captain.  The 21-year-old from Guwahati, who will be playing his fifth IPL this year, added that while he is happy donning the role

Indian cricket team legend Anil Kumble is no stranger to the Indian Premier League. The spinner was a part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore team as a player and later, he also coached the Punjab Kings franchise. While he had the chance of watching hundreds of players – both domestic and international – perform at the competition, he picked West Indies star Chris Gayle as the G.O.A.T (Greatest Of All Time) in IPL history. Kumble praised his destructive style of batting and how he could change any game.  "There are plenty of them; it's difficult to pick just one. I can certainly look back and say probably Chris Gayle, someone who is larger than life. The way he came across as a player! What he brought to RCB and the way he sorts of changed the whole powerplay and the power he brought to batting," Kumble said during a Q&A session on JioCinema ahead of the new season of the IPL.  Earlier, in an episode of 'My Time with Virat', available on Jio Cinema, Chris

Former Indian cricket team opener Aakash Chopra had a warning for Chennai Super Kings ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 opener against Gujarat Titans. Ruturaj Gaikwad is a crucial member of the MS Dhoni -led side with many experts considering him the future caption of the franchise. However, Chopra was not impressed by his approach towards building the innings slowly and the ex-cricketer made it clear that he will have to “hit the ground running” in order to benefit his side more.  “It is possible that Ruturaj Gaikwad hits the ground up and running. Right now, he starts slowly and picks pace as he builds the innings. But the days of diesel engines are over, we have EVs now. Ruturaj has to become an electric vehicle,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.  Chopra was also not convinced by the inclusion of England international Ben Stokes in the CSK ranks as he believes that the all-rounder's style of play may not help the side. Stokes was bought for a massive Rs 16.25

The 16th edition of Indian Premier League will kick-start from Friday with defending champions Gujarat Titans taking on four-time winners Chennai Super Kings, at the Narendra Modi Stadium. With new season, Royal Challengers Bangalore will be in search of their first-ever title, as they take on Mumbai Indians in the opening match. The Faf du Plessis -led side had a decent outing in the previous season, where they won eight out of 14 matches. RCB entered the playoffs and defeated Lucknow Super Giants by 14 runs in the Eliminator. However, their happiness could not last long as they faced a seven-wicket defeat against Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier 2 and lost another big opportunity of claiming the coveted trophy.  The major strength of RCB in the previous season was their skipper du Plessis, who smashed a whopping total of 468 runs in 16 matches, laced with three half-centuries and a highest score of 96. Apart from him, Sri Lanka spinner Wanindu Hasaranga turned out to be the biggest po

Indian cricket team has had some extraordinary batters over the years. If one is to pick the name that sits atop the list, most would arguably go with Sachin Tendulkar . However, former Pakistan all-rounder Abdul Razzaq has revealed that it wasn't Tendulkar the Pakistan cricket team most feared while playing against India during his time as an active cricketer. It was Virender Sehwag that the Pakistan team considered the 'most dangerous', with Tendulkar occupying the second spot in the list. "Virender Sehwag was the most dangerous player. After that Sachin Tendulkar. Pakistan used to plan against Sehwag and Tendulkar. Our plan used to be like - if we get these two wickets - Sehwag and Tendulkar - we will win the match. In bowling, our batsmen used to plan against Zaheer Khan . Irfan Pathan was there too for some time. Harbhajan Singh was there. These were the big names who played big matches and performed for their country," Razzaq revealed in a chat with the

Australia's Steve Smith will debut as a commentator at the upcoming Indian Premier League, the tournament's broadcaster said Tuesday, ending the mystery about his return to the event. The 16th edition of the cash-rich Twenty20 extravaganza begins Friday in Ahmedabad, with 10 teams and a host of global stars in attendance for the eight-week tournament. "Steve Smith has joined the expert panel for the marquee tournament. Smith will be making his broadcast debut with Star Sports, adding his invaluable insights and expertise to Star Sports' already impressive roster of panelists," the broadcaster said in a statement. Smith, 33, announced his return to the tournament on Twitter on Monday, saying in a teaser video: "Namaste, India. I've got some exciting news for you: I'm joining IPL 2023." That post sparked speculation he might return to the tournament as a player. The video drew considerable mirth on social media for Smith's robot-like performa

Former Pakistan all-rounder Abdul Razzaq can be called controversy's "favourite child". Razzaq stays in the limelight with his harsh comments on players and teams. The 43-year-old cricketer, who played his last match for Pakistan in 2013, invited a lot of criticism after he stated that the India all-rounder Hardik Pandya is nowhere near Kapil Dev . However, Razzaq has made headlines once again but this time he opened up on his statement regarding Pandya and claimed that his words were wrongly portrayed by the critics. In a recent interview with the Times of India , Razzaq said, "My earlier statement on Hardik Pandya was taken the wrong way. I didn't mean it. As a cricketer, I just said there is scope for improvement in him (Pandya). I didn't comment on a player who is from India, England, or Australia. I just said things as a cricketer. If Kapil Dev says that he wants to give advice to Abdul Razzaq, I will take this statement positively." “He can wor

India opener Shikhar Dhawan has defended Suryakumar Yadav after the latter's disappointing run in the recently concluded Test series against Australia by making the case that SKY has been extremely consistent when it comes to white-ball cricket. Suryakumar became the first Indian batsman to score three consecutive golden ducks in a three-match ODI series and that prompted extreme criticism from experts who asked the team management to look for another No 4 ahead of the World Cup. In a recent interaction, Dhawan was asked about Suryakumar's situation, and he said that failures can occur in the course of one's career and backed the batter to bounce back strongly in the future.  "Suryakumar Yadav has performed really well. He has consistently performed in the last couple of years. (He hasn't done well) in a couple of series, which is very natural. If we talk about the Test match, the wickets are very different in a Test; that is the biggest challenge. When we play

The 16th season of the Indian Premier League is all set to kick off, but Delhi Capitals' hunt for a maiden title continues. The side was earlier known as Delhi Daredevils before the owners of the franchise decided to change its name to Delhi Capitals ahead of IPL 2019. After that, the team has shown a noticeable improvement but the title keeps eluding them. They have played the final only once. It happened in the year 2020 when Mumbai Indians got better of them. Comes another IPL season and DC will once again hope to win their first-ever title. However, this is definitely not an ideal start for the side. Their skipper Rishabh Pant has been ruled out of the season as he continues to recover from a horrific car crash he met with in December last year. David Warner will be leading the side in Pant's absence. Star opener Prithvi Shaw will again be a key batter for the side, while Mitchell Marsh will provide power to the middle order. What would worry DC is the fact that Pant

New Zealand and Sri Lanka square off in the second match of the ODI series in Christchurch on Tuesday. The Kiwis went 1-0 up in the series after a comprehensive 198-run victory in the first match on Saturday. After New Zealand put a total of 274 runs on the board, the Lankans were bowled out for just 76 runs. Henry Shipley was the pick of the bowlers for the hosts, picking up 5 wickets for just 31 runs in the match. Rain has delayed the start of the second ODI in Christchurch. ( LIVE Scorecard ) Here are the LIVE updates of the New Zealand vs Sri Lanka 2nd ODI from Christchurch: source https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/new-zealand-vs-sri-lanka-2nd-odi-live-cricket-score-updates-3898670

Veteran opening batter Shikhar Dhawan has dropped down in the pecking order due to the rise of youngsters, Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan , as far as the Indian team is concerned. Dhawan, who was a mainstay in the team for nearly seven years, was dropped from the side following a lean patch with the bat. Sharing his views on the sudden axing, Dhawan said that since he was only playing ODIs, Gill's heroics across formats were too good to be ignored. The 37-year-old suggested that while he had the backing of head coach Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma , Kishan's double hundred against Bangladesh in December last year made him realise that he could lose his spot in the Indian team. "When Rohit took over the captaincy he along with Rahul Dravid backed me enough. They told me they wanted me to focus on my cricket and that my vision should be the next World Cup. 2022 was very good for me, I was consistent in ODIs. But there is this young guy who has been doing well in two forma