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KL Rahul was one of the biggest absentees in the T20 World Cup squad that was named by the BCCI on Tuesday. The veteran wicketkeeper-batter was not even named in the reserves list for the marquee event. Despite being an IPL captain and the first wicketkeeper-batter in IPL 2024 to complete 400 runs, Rahul was ignored. After the decision, Rahul found a voice of support from a popular Bollywood actor, Riteish Deshmukh. He wrote on X: "KL Rahul should have been there in the #T20WorldCup squad." KL Rahul should have been there in the #T20WorldCup squad. — Riteish Deshmukh (@Riteishd) April 30, 2024 Rahul's team LSG beat MI on Tuesday. Marcus Stoinis once again rescued a win as Lucknow Super Giants emerged triumphant with a four-wicket win against Mumbai Indians at the Ekana Cricket Stadium on Tuesday in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. LSG struggled in the opening and suffered a middle order collapse, but Stoinis played an influential knock, which ensured ...

Marcus Stoinis made a composed fifty to complement the splendid effort of the bowlers as Lucknow Super Giants strengthened their chances of a play-off berth with a nervy four-wicket win over Mumbai Indians in the IPL on Tuesday. Mumbai Indians' top-order came a cropper as they stuttered to a below-par 144 for seven, riding on contributions from Nehal Wadhera (46), Ishan Kishan (32) and Tim David (35 not out). In reply, Stoinis scored a 45-ball 62, studded with seven hits to the fence and two maximums but once he was gone LSG survived some anxious moments before getting home with four balls to spare. With their sixth win in 10 games, LSG climbed to the third spot in the IPL standings. MI, on the other hand, slumped to their seventh loss in 10 games. LSG made a watchful start to their chase after Nuwan Thushara struck with his fourth ball to remove impact sub Arshin Kulkarni for a duck on his IPL debut. Stoinis cracked two back-to-back boundaries off Gerald Coetzee, who ended up con...

Former Australian cricket team star Tom Moody was not impressed by Ravindra Jadeja 's batting for Chennai Super Kings in the ongoing IPL 2024 and he said that although the all-rounder is a top spin option, he is not 'good enough' to bat at No. 7 for India in the T20 World Cup 2024. Jadeja is being considered as one of the sure-shot picks for the World Cup squad but the decision taken by CSK to promote him up the order has not worked out for them till now. He has scored 157 runs in 9 matches till now and his strike rate of 131.93 has not helped his case. “I'd be taking Jadeja purely because I'm looking for the best left-arm spinning option. He's the best left-arm spinner in the country. In my eleven, he's not batting at No.7. I don't think he's good enough to bat seven in a World Cup side. He's proven that with his strike rate. You need an impact-type player batting at seven,” he told Star Sports. Former India star Irfan Pathan , who was a part...

Kolkata Knight Riders took a massive step towards booking their spot in the IPL 2024 playoffs with a seven-wicket victory over Delhi Capitals on Monday. Phil Salt played a blinder to make short work of the run chase after brilliant bowling performances from Varun Chakaravarthy and Vaibhav Arora . The win means that KKR have 12 points from 9 matches with a Net Run Rate of 1.096 - the best in the competition till now. They are second in the IPL 2024 points table and on the other hand, Delhi Capitals are sixth with 10 points from 11 matches with a NRR of -0.442. Kolkata Knight Riders notched up a comfortable seven-wicket win over Delhi Capitals. Opting to bat first, Delhi Capitals were stopped at 153/9 by KKR's disciplined bowlers. The home team completed the chase of 154 with 21 balls to spare. While batting, KKR raced to 79 for no loss in the power play with Phil Salt (68 off 33 balls) taking the DC bowling attack to the cleaners. Earlier, Delhi Capitals scored 67 runs in t...

Chennai Super Kings bounced back in the IPL 2024 playoffs race by defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad by 78 runs in their IPL 2024 match on Sunday. It was their first win after two consecutive losses in the competition and it took them to the third spot from sixth in the IPL 2024 points table. Veteran wicket-keeper batter MS Dhoni 's wife Sakshi Dhoni was in attendance at the M Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai and her Instagram story during the game has gone viral. "Please finish the game fast today @chennaiipl baby is on the way...contractions have begun Request from - to be Bua," she wrote. Coming to the match, Ruturaj Gaikwad scored a brilliant 98 and fast bowler Tushar Deshpande took a four-wicket haul to guide CSK to a comprehensive victory. With the win, CSK put themselves back in the top 4, boosting their playoffs chances while SRH suffered their second successive defeat of the campaign. "Feeling pretty good. Tough to play in such wet conditions, and to be able to...

Royal Challengers Bengaluru keep their IPL 2024 playoff dreams alive with a massive nine-wicket victory over Gujarat Titans while Chennai Super Kings moved up to third in the points table with a win over Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday. RCB rode brilliant knocks from Virat Kohli and Will Jacks to register their second victory on the trot. They remain at the bottom of the IPL 2024 points table even after the win but they can still qualify for the playoffs if they win all of their remaining matches. On the other hand, CSK moved up to the third spot with 10 points from 9 matches while Sunrisers Hyderabad fell to fourth with 10 points from 9 matches as well but an inferior Net Run Rate (NRR). Skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad missed his second successive IPL century by a whisker, while pacers Tushar Deshpande and Matheesha Pathirana decimated the Sunrisers Hyderabad batting as Chennai Super Kings won their IPL 2024 home game by 78 runs. After Gaikwad scored a 54-ball 98 and shared a 107-run par...

Mumbai Indians wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan was on Saturday reprimanded and fined 10 per cent of his match fees for breaching the IPL Code of Conduct during a match against Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. "Kishan committed a Level 1 offence under Article 2.2 of the IPL's Code of Conduct. He admitted to the offence and accepted the Match Referee's sanction," an IPL statement read. "For Level 1 breaches of the Code of Conduct, the Match Referee's decision is final and binding." Article 2.2 includes any action(s) outside the course of normal cricket actions, such as hitting or kicking the wickets and any action(s) which deliberately (i.e. intentionally), recklessly or negligently (in either case even if accidental) results in damage to the advertising boards, boundary fences, dressing room doors, mirrors, windows and other fixtures and fittings. It also includes abuse of cricket equipment or clothing, ground equipment or fixtures and fitt...

Sanju Samson scored five runs less than his opposite number KL Rahul but his unbeaten 71 off 33 balls had five times more impact compared to Rahul's relatively sedate 48-ball-76 as Rajasthan Royals took a giant leap towards IPL play-offs by comfortably beating Lucknow Super Giants by seven wickets at Ekana Cricket Stadium on Saturday. While Rahul still is favourite to become Rishabh Pant 's understudy as the second glovesman at the T20 World Cup, Samson did hit four classy sixes, including the winning one in a chase of 197, to keep himself in the discussion for that US bound flight. Samson and Jurel came together after the Royals had stumbled from a brisk start to hand the advantage to the home side, putting on a robust stand of 121 runs in just 62 balls stand for the unconquered fourth wicket to take their side over the line. Chasing a tricky 197 with LSG deploying seven bowlers including two leg-spinners, Rajasthan finished at 199 for three to win with an over to spare. O...

"Cricket is turning into baseball," Punjab Kings skipper Sam Curran aptly summed up his team's T20 world record run chase of 262 against Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL here on Friday. Led by Jonny Bairstow 's incredible hundred, Punjab Kings set the new world record for the highest run chase in the history of T20 cricket as they went past KKR's 261/6 with eight wickets and eight balls to spare. "Very pleasing. Most importantly the win, cricket has turned to baseball isn't it? We're delighted with the two points," Curran said at the post-match presentation ceremony. "We had a tough few weeks as a team. Forget about the scores, we deserved this victory."  Asked about the massive scores being put up by teams this IPL season, Curran said, "Loads of different things, guys can hit balls for long periods of time, the coaches, training, the dew, dot balls become wide after reviews and you get the extra ball. "Stats are going ou...

The cricket world was in shock as Punjab Kings set a new world record on Friday. Led by Jonny Bairstow 's incredible hundred, Punjab Kings set a new world record for the highest run chase in the history of T20 cricket as they overhauled the 262-run target set by Kolkata Knight Riders with eight wickets to spare in the IPL on Friday. PBKS bettered South Africa's 259/4 against West Indies in March last year. In the IPL, Rajasthan Royals held the previous record for chasing down 224 against KKR at Eden Gardens recently, equalling the record they had set against then Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) in 2020 in Sharjah. Highest targets successfully chased in Men's T20 cricket 262 - Punjab Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders, Kolkata, IPL 2024 259 - South Africa vs West Indies, Centurion, 2023 253 - Middlesex vs Surrey, The Oval, T20 Blast 2023 244 - Australia vs New Zealand, Auckland, 2018 243 - Bulgaria vs Serbia, Sofia, 2022 243 - Multan Sultans vs Peshawar Zalmi, Rawalpin...

Tim Robinson's blitz with the bat and William O'Rourke's remarkable spell put New Zealand ahead in the series following a four-run win against Pakistan in the 4th T20I at the Gaddafi Stadium on Thursday. A nail-biting thriller that kept the fans on the edge of their seats at scenic Gaddafi Stadium witnessed the Kiwis take an unassailable lead in the series. The inexperienced quick made early inroads by dismissing skipper Babar Azam in the second over. Saim Ayub showed promise on the other end but O'Rourke got the better of him. With Pakistan reduced to 79/4 in the 10th over, Fakhar Zaman raised hopes of a win. He took on the opposition bowlers to keep the required rate in Pakistan's reach. Iftikhar Ahmed (23) and Imad Wasim (22*) backed Fakhar as he tried to pull off a win for the Men in Green. Fakhar got Pakistan close to the finish line, but Ben Sears proved to be the game-changer as he removed the left-handed batter in the 18th over. With 28 runs needed in th...

Rajat Patidar's explosive fifty and a collective effort from the spinners set up Royal Challengers Bengaluru's 35-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2024 game on Thursday, bringing an end to their six-match losing streak. Patidar's 50 off 20 balls stood in stark contrast to Virat Kohli's measured 51 off 43 balls as RCB put up 206 for seven after opting to bat. For a team that has breached the 250-run mark thrice season, the target was very gettable but the in-form SRH batting line-up could not deliver on this occasion and ended at 171 for eight in 20 overs. It was a much-needed result for RCB, who lost seven of their first eight games. The loss was SRH's third in eight matches. Considering the effectiveness of the spinners in the first innings, RCB opened the bowling with part-time off-spinner Will Jacks. The English man had the destructive Travis Head (1 off 3) caught at third man to give RCB a massive boost. Head's opening partner Abhishek Sharma (...

The Impact Player has a bit of role to play in making the matches high scoring as he provides the extra cushion for batters to keep going hard at the bowlers, feels Gujarat Titans skipper Shubman Gill . The ongoing IPL season saw its 12th 200 plus score as Delhi Capitals piled on 224 for 4 against Gujarat Titans on Wednesday. "I think impact player has a bit of a role (in making the matches high scoring), even if you lose extra wickets, extra cushion is there for the batters to keep going and it gives the license for the batters to keep going till the end," Gill said after GT's four-run loss. "I think we played some really good cricket, disappointing to lose in the end, but great character shown by everyone. Great fight till the end and we never thought we were out of the game at any point. When you're chasing 224, there's no point in talking about plans, just go out and score runs." Despite starting strong, GT bowlers allowed DC to make a comeback as ...

Rishabh Pant virtually sealed his spot as India's first choice wicketkeeper for the T20 World Cup with a belligerent unbeaten half-century in Delhi Capitals' narrow four-run win over Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League at Arun Jaitley Stadium on Wednesday. Skipper Pant and Axar Patel forged a blistering stand of 113 runs off 68 balls en route to quickfire individual half-centuries to power DC to 224 for 4 in their must-win game. In reply, Sai Sudarshan (65 off 29 ) and David Miller (55 off 23) scored fifties, while Rashid Khan hit a 11-ball 21 not out but still couldn't take GT over the line, finishing at 220 for 8 in their 20 overs. The win helped DC jump two spots in the points table to reach the number 6 spot. Meanwhile, Gujarat Titans and Mumbai Indians slipped a place each to move to the 7th and 8th positions, respectively. Rest of the table remained unchanged. Here is the updated IPL 2024 points table - Virat Kohli continues to hold the Orange Cap by top...

Lucknow Super Giants skipper KL Rahul was all praise for Marcus Stoinis ' match-winning 63-ball-124 not out against Chennai Super Kings as he felt that the home team's score of 210 for 4 was at least 30 runs above-par on that particular Chepauk track. Stoinis' special effort overshadowed a classy century by CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad in their IPL match on Tuesday as LSG won by six wickets. Meanwhile, CSK skipper Gaikwad, whose century went in vain felt that dew played a big role towards the latter half of the match. “Tough pill to swallow but LSG played a good game at the end. We had the game in hand around the 13th over, but hats off to Stoinis. “There was a huge part that the dew played. It took the spinners away from the game. We could have taken the game deeper. But it is a part of the game, you can't control the uncontrollable.” Player of the match Stoinis said: “It is not just a go go. It was ebb and flow. There were some bowlers we targeted, some against who...

Chennai Super Kings dropped to the fifth spot in the IPL 2024 points table after suffering a six-wicket loss against Lucknow Super Giants on Tuesday. Ruturaj Gaikwad 's century went in vain as Marcus Stoinis slammed an unbeaten 124 to guide LSG to victory. CSK have 8 points in 8 matches right now with a healthy Net Run Rate of 0.415. On the other hand, LSG moved up to fourth with 10 points from 8 matches but their NRR is not better than CSK's. Rajasthan Royals are at the top of the table with 14 points followed by Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad (both with 10 points). KL Rahul was all praise for Marcus Stoinis' match-winning 63-ball-124 not out against Chennai Super Kings as he felt that the home team's score of 210 for 4 was at least 30 runs above-par on that particular Chepauk track. Stoinis' special effort overshadowed a classy century by CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad in their IPL match on Tuesday as LSG won by six wickets. Rahul, who once said s...

Marcus Stoinis made a bustling unbeaten hundred, a perfect anti-thesis to Ruturaj Gaikwad's classy century to shepherd Lucknow Super Giants to a stunning six-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings in their IPL match on Tuesday. Stoinis (124, 63b, 13x4, 6x6) helped the Super Giants to mount the highest chase – 211 – at the Chepauk in IPL, ending up at 213 for four. Gaikwad (108, 60b, 12x4, 3x6) and Shivam Dube (66, 27b, 3x4, 7x6) added 104 runs for the fourth-wicket stand to power the Super Kings to a competitive 210 for four. Thus, LSG also scored a rare back-to-back home and away win over Chennai as they had won the match at Ekana Stadium a few days back. Stoinis' innings was in direct contrast to the silken smooth knock of Gaikwad. The Australian's 6'1 inch frame is a storehouse of power and he made no effort to hide it too, crunching some fours and sixes, and nothing was more special than his maximum off pacer Mustafizur Rahman, who had earlier consumed LSG skipper KL...

The Indian cricket team's provisional squad for the T20 World Cup 2024 is going to be picked at the end of April. Needless to say, while some names are automatic picks, their form in the IPL 2024 shows a probable picture about their likely form at the T20 World Cup. Keeping that in mind, the first four weeks of the IPL 2024 has raised some concerns. On top of the list is Hardik Pandya 's form. As India's no. 1 fast bowling allrounder, Pandya is almost indispensable in the Indian limited over side.  However, the Mumbai Indians captain's display at the IPL 2024 has been far from satisfactory. Pandya has so far scored only 151 in eight matches at a strike-rate of 142.45. For a middle-order batter like Pandya, those numbers in T20s don't augur well at all. With the ball also he has taken only four wickets in eight matches. Former Indian cricket team star Irfan Pathan , member of the 2007 T20 World Cup, raised several  "Hardik Pandya's hitting ability is goin...

Yashasvi Jaiswal roared back to form with a terrific hundred after Sandeep Sharma's maiden five-for as a rampaging Rajasthan Royals hammered Mumbai Indians by nine wickets in the Indian Premier League on Monday. After Sandeep returned 4-0-18-5 to record the best bowling figures this IPL, Jaiswal found form at last in Rajasthan's final home game at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, flaying the Mumbai Indians attack during his 104 not out off 60 balls. Despite a rain intervention delaying the proceedings, Rajasthan did not face much challenge in overhauling a 180-run target set by Mumbai Indians, reaching 183/1 in 18.4 overs. The contest also witnessed India and RR spinner Yuzvendra Chahal entering history books with 200 dismissals. After Jaiswal put on 79 runs for the opening wicket with Jos Buttler (35, 25 balls, 6x4s), he added another unbeaten 109 for the second wicket with Sanju Samson (38 not out). Jaiswal, who came into this IPL after an immensely successful five-Test series a...

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) survived a late charge by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), registering a one-run win in their IPL 2024 match at the Eden Gardens. However, KKR's win was overshadowed by Virat Kohli 's controversial dismissal. Kohli, who made a seven-ball 18, mistimed a slower full toss and fell caught and bowled off Harshit Rana . However, the former RCB captain was confident that the high full-toss was above his waist as the umpires checked for a no-ball. Third umpire Michael Gough declared it out after technology suggested that Kohli was ahead of the popping crease and the ball had dipped due to the lack of pace on the delivery. The decision sparked an angry outburst from Kohli, who was furious after exchanging words with the on-field officials. Former RCB batter AB de Villiers and ex-India all-rounder Irfan Pathan shared their views on Kohli's controversial dismissal. De Villiers and Pathan gave contrasting views on the same. The former South Africa cap...

R Sai Kishore shone with figures of 4 for 33 in four overs as Gujarat Titans eased past Punjab Kings by three wickets for their fourth win in the 2024 IPL in Mullanpur on Sunday. It was a dominant day for the spinners as the trio of Sai Kishore, Rashid Khan (1/15) and Noor Ahmed (2/20) exposed an ill-equipped Punjab Kings with their guile to dismiss them for a below-par 142. Liam Livingstone, who juggles between leg-break and off-spin, struck twice in the middle overs to keep Punjab Kings alive in the game. However, he did not get much support from fellow spinner Harpreet Brar, who leaked 35 in his four overs in a low-scoring affair. With 42 runs to get off 30 balls, Titans eventually recorded a comfortable win in 19.1 overs courtesy a pressure releasing cameo from Rahul Tewatia (36 not out off 16). It was Gujarat Titans' fourth win in eight games while Punjab Kings suffered their sixth loss in eight matches. The victory helped GT move to the sixth spot with Mumbai Indians and D...

Rishabh Pant's emotional homecoming didn't pan out into a dream script as Sunrisers Hyderabad adhered to their season's template by out-batting Delhi Capitals in a 67-run win in an IPL 2024 match at Arun Jaitley Stadium to consolidate their position in the league table on Saturday. It was Travis Head's 32-ball-89 and his carnage in unison with Abhishek Sharma (46 off 12 balls) that ensured another match-winning total of 266 for 7 for SRH in their 20 overs. A record Powerplay score of 125/0 gave SRH the base and at one point, the first-ever 300-plus total in IPL looked a distinct possibility. In reply, Jake-Fraser McGurk's equally aggressive and attractive 18-ball-65 raised visions of an improbable win as he added 84 runs for the third wicket along with Abhishek Porel (42 off 22 balls) in just five overs. Once Fraser-McGurk was gone, DC went off the boil and they were all-out for 199 in 19.1 overs. T Natarajan's superb use of slower bouncers and figures of 4 f...

Former India batter and Kolkata Knight Riders mentor Gautam Gambhir is widely popular for his contributions in both international cricket and IPL. However, he is also popular for having a no-nonsense approach and giving blunt replies during media interactions. Few months ago, Gambhir was asked to choose his favourite football player between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. However, former KKR skipper did not choose any of the two and named Marcus Rashford. This answer by Gambhir became a viral meme on social media. Recently, Gambhir opened up about this incident in a video shared by KKR and stated that he was asked to choose his "favourite" player and none of the two players are his favourites. "If someone asks me 'which is your favourite team? Liverpool or Arsenal?' If you are asking me to choose my favourite team, then you can't give me an option," Gambhir told actor Cyrus Broacha in an episode of Knights Dugout. "Messi or Ronaldo, who...

MS Dhoni fans on Friday got treated with a vintage innings from the Chennai Super Kings former captain. Facing Lucknow Super Giants in Lucknow and with his team down by six wickets, MS Dhoni came at the crease late and made an instant impact. The World Cup-winning captain hit two sixes and three fours to score a nine-ball 28*. The late cameo was crucial in CSK scoring 176/6 in 20 overs. The short but entertaining knock had the Lucknow crowd on its feet. Though the match was played in Lucknow, the support was immense for CSK and especially Dhoni. LSG star opener Quinton de Kock 's wife Sasha was at the stands where the crowd at the Ekana Stadium burst into a loud cheer for MS Dhoni as decibel levels rose.   Sasha posted an image on Instagram stories with the captain, "When MS Dhoni comes out to bat." Along with the caption she posted an image of a notification on her smartwatch saying, "Loud environment - Sound level hits 95 decibels. Just 10 minutes at this level ...

Openers KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock, who made classy fifties on a slow pitch, produced a chasing masterclass to power Lucknow Super Giants to a comfortable eight-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings in their IPL 2024 match at Ekana Cricket Stadium on Friday. Asked to bat first, Ravindra Jadeja came up with a solid unbeaten 57 before Mooen Ali (30 off 20) and MS Dhoni (28 off 9) went on a six-hitting spree to take CSK to a fighting 176 for six. In reply, Rahul (82) and De Kock (54) batted with authority during their match-winning alliance of 134, the highest partnership for any wicket at the Ekana Stadium, as LSG scored 180 for 2 in 19 overs to recover from back-to-back loss and consolidate their position in the table. CSK, who came into the match with twin wins, on the other hand, slumped to their third loss in this IPL. Guilty of not capitalising on his starts, Rahul finally lived up to the expectations, smashing nine fours and three sixes in 53 balls, while De Kock overcame a scra...

Young fast bowler Mayank Yadav has been a revelation for Lucknow Super Giants in the ongoing IPL 2024 as he produced a sensational match-winning performance on his debut. Mayank, who bowled the fastest delivery of this year's competition at 156.7 Kmph, followed it up with another three-wicket haul that guided his team to victory against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. However, a side strain during the game against Gujarat Titans came as a big blow to the youngster and since then, he has not featured in the competition till now. Ahead of LSG's game against Chennai Super Kings, LSG assistant coach Lance Klusener provided a massive fitness update on Mayank and when he can potentially make his return. “I am not sure regarding his participation in tomorrow's match against Chennai. He has been bowling in the nets but his fitness is our priority. But can't say anything regarding his participation,” Klusener said. Earlier, LSG took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to post a vi...

Punjab Kings batter Ashutosh Sharma slammed a sensational 28-ball-61 but it ended up in the losing effort during the IPL 2024 match against Mumbai Indians on Thursday. It was a valiant effort from the 25-year-old who has shown glimpses of brilliance in the competition this year and his knock took PBKS extremely close to victory despite losing four wickets early. His knock comprised of 2 fours and 7 sixes at an impressive strike rate of 217.86 which took his tournament tally to 156 runs in 4 matches. This was the not first time that he played an explosive knock as he stitched together a brilliant partnership with Shashank Singh to complete a brilliant victory over Gujarat Titans in IPL 2024. This was a huge moment for a cricketer who went through a tough phase in his life from 2020 to 2022 when he was not clear about where his career was headed. "There was a time when I wasn't even allowed to get a feel of the cricket ground," Ashutosh revealed during that period of time...