Tag: IPL

  • PSL seven to be played in January-February 2022 to avoid clash with IPL

    PSL seven to be played in January-February 2022 to avoid clash with IPL

    The seventh edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) will be played in Pakistan from January-February next year, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has confirmed after consulting the six franchises. The tournament is expected to start in early January and continue till the third week of February.

    As per the press release issued by PCB, the schedule has been drawn up despite a date clash with the Big Bash League (BBL) in Australia.

    Lahore and Karachi will host 17 matches each, with the final to be played at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

    The regular PSL window, since 2016, has been in February-March, but in 2022, Pakistan is hoping to host Australia. That forced PCB to work a window either before the series against Australia or after, and neither window was without its share of clashes. April-May clashes with the IPL, and that affects the broadcasting and commercial arrangements. It is also likely to affect player availability. That window will also overlap with the month of Ramzan.

    The January-February period isn’t free either, because the BBL takes place then, and a number of premier T20 players are expected to be occupied there. There is also the issue of the weather in the Punjab province of Pakistan, which tends to be foggy in winter. To deal with the weather, the PCB has decided to start the PSL in Karachi, which is in the Sindh province, in January, and then travel to Lahore, in Punjab, in February, when it is likely to be more conducive.

    The Covid-19 pandemic has hampered the PSL schedule for the past two seasons, as it has the cricket calendar around the world. The fifth and sixth editions of the tournament were both played in two chunks. The 2021 edition started in February in Pakistan but was postponed after 14 matches and completed in June in Abu Dhabi. In 2020, the tournament started on time in February, but though the league stage was completed by March, the playoffs could only be held in November.

    The seventh edition of the PSL will also have fresh broadcast and commercial partners after the previous deals concluded this year after a three-year run. The PCB has confirmed that it is presently working at a framework for the evaluation of the rights and their subsequent sale. The PCB is expected to hire an independent consultant to evaluate the value of the brand. In the last cycle, the PCB had secured a 358% rise in the broadcast deal, worth approximately USD 36 million.

  • IPL match rescheduled after two KKR players test positive for COVID-19

    IPL match rescheduled after two KKR players test positive for COVID-19

    The Indian Premier League (IPL) match between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), scheduled to take place today (Monday) has been postponed after two players tested positive for COVID-19.

    According to details, spinner Varun Chakravarthy and seamer Sandeep Warrier from the Kolkata squad tested positive for the virus. Meanwhile, the rest of the KKR squad has tested negative but are currently in isolation.

    Chakravarthy had recently left the IPL bio-bubble for a shoulder scan, which could have led to him being exposed to the virus.

    The event is currently being played behind closed doors and is due to end in late May.

    Read more – Pat Cummins donates $50k for COVID-hit India

    India on Monday reported more than 300,000 new coronavirus cases for a 12th straight day, taking its overall caseload to almost 20 million, as scientists predict a peak in infections in the coming days.

    With 368,147 new cases over the past 24 hours, India’s total infections stand at 19.93 million, while total fatalities rose by 3,417 to 218,959, according to data released by the health ministry.

    Medical experts say real numbers across the country of 1.35 billion may be five to 10 times higher than the official tally.

    Meanwhile, BCCI has also confirmed the rescheduling of the match.

    “IPL reschedules KKR-RCB match slated for May 3, 2021, after 2 KKR players test positive. Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier were found to be positive in the third round of testing in the last four days. All other team members have tested negative for COVID -19,” states a release. 

    “The Medical Team is also determining the close and casual contacts of the two positive cases during the 48 hours prior to collection of the sample that returned the positive test results.  The BCCI and the Kolkata Knight Riders prioritise the health and safety of everyone involved and all measures are being taken in that endeavour,” it adds.

    Later it was reported, three members of the Chennai Super Kings’ IPL contingent – chief executive officer K Viswanathan, bowling coach L Balaji and a bus cleaner – have also tested positive for COVID-19. It is understood that the rest of the group, which is currently in Delhi, has tested negative. The results emerged after the latest round of testing on Sunday.

    It must be noted that the ICC T20 World Cup is also scheduled to take place in India later this year.

  • ‘My apologies’: Dale Steyn clarifies stance on IPL controversy

    ‘My apologies’: Dale Steyn clarifies stance on IPL controversy

    Dale Steyn has issued a clarification over his comments on the Indian Premier League (IPL). The South African great, in an interview had said that “cricket kind of gets forgotten” in the money talks in IPL, adding that Lanka Premier League (LPL) and the Pakistan Super League (PSL) focus more on cricket compared to the IPL.

    “I found that playing in those other leagues was slightly more rewarding as a player,” Steyn had said while talking about his IPL experience. “I think when you go to the IPL there are such big squads and so many big names and so much emphasis on the amount of money that the players earn that somewhere along the line the cricket kind of gets forgotten. When you come to the PSL or the LPL, there’s an importance on the cricket.”

    Steyn’s comments had stirred up a storm in India with Indians incensed at the fact that he praised the PSL over the IPL.

    Following the backlash, the bowler clarified him stance on the matter saying that “IPL has been nothing short of amazing in my career”.

    Steyn said that he had not intended to degrade, insult or compare any of the cricket leagues.

    “Social media and words out of context can often do that. My apologies if this has upset anyone. Much love,” he tweeted.

    The South African pacer has had an impressive record as far as the IPL is concerned. The highest auction price for the fast bowler came in consecutive seasons in 2014 and 2015, when Sunrisers Hyderabad snapped him up for INR 9.5 crore (approx. USD 1.3 million today). He has taken 97 IPL wickets at 6.91, making him one of the most economical bowlers of the cricket league.

    Meanwhile reaction from most Indian IPL fans on Twitter was quite aggressive, with some hurling personal insults at Steyn.

    https://twitter.com/not_ritx/status/1366682769472901123?s=20

    On the other hand, Pakistani fast bowler Hassan Ali has some other remarks about the South African player. Taking to Twitter, Hassan shared a picture with Steyn, teaching him some bowling techniques. “Dale, you are my favorite. That’s it, that’s the tweet,” he wrote.

  • Dale Steyn says PSL is ‘more rewarding’ than IPL

    Dale Steyn says PSL is ‘more rewarding’ than IPL

    Former South African pacer Dale Steyn, who is playing for Quetta Gladiators in the ongoing sixth edition of Pakistan Super League (PSL), believes that the Indian Premier League (IPL) is less rewarding compared to other leagues in the world.

    Speaking to an online publication, Steyn said that cricket gets forgotten, amid money talks, in the IPL which is why he decided to skip the last season.

    “I wanted some time off. I found that playing in these other leagues was slightly more rewarding as a player. I think when you go to IPL, there are such big squads and so many big names and so much emphasis on maybe the amount of money players earn and everything like that, so sometimes, somewhere down the line, cricket gets forgotten,” said Steyn.

    “When you come to like a PSL or the Sri Lankan Premier League (SPL), for that matter, there is an importance on the cricket. I have only been here for a couple of days and I have had people in and out of my room, just wanting to know about where I have played and how I went about it. Whereas, when I go to something like IPL that gets forgotten and the main topic is how much money did you go for in this IPL?”

    “That’s just me being brutally honest,” he added.

    “I wanted to stay away from that and really put more emphasis on playing and bringing good vibes to good cricket teams and tournaments I feel are worth it,” said the cricket star.

    Read more – Daren Sammy recalls being called ‘kalu’ by Indian cricketers during IPL

    Steyn also praised the “breeding machine” of Pakistan’s fast bowlers and called Babar Azam “a wonderful player”.

    “There is a breeding machine of fast bowlers here in Pakistan, which is great to see because the wickets are not conducive to fast bowlers,” said the South African great. “I had a chat with Shaheen [Afridi] last year – I think he broke his thumb. He was down but he was amazing. At Melbourne Stars, I had Haris Rauf with me, and I was really impressed by him. Not long after that, he played for Pakistan.”

    “Babar is a great player and it would be a great opportunity to get him out or bowl against him. But you never know, I might not get to bowl against him because it’s only four overs or he might get out for a duck. But he’s been fantastic [in] the last couple of years,” said Steyn.

    Meanwhile, Indians are not happy with Steyn’s statement and are criticising him on social media.

    https://twitter.com/jokn17611521/status/1366721056812113922?s=20

    https://twitter.com/svnvdr08/status/1366720983667597316?s=20

    https://twitter.com/karthik_jammy/status/1366654766630137868?s=20

    According to Cricinfo, Steyn’s “career trajectory has coincided with the rise of the IPL and has seen him become one of the more prized assets for any IPL franchise, and has consistently seen heavy competition for his signature. The highest auction price for the fast bowler came in consecutive seasons in 2014 and 2015, when Sunrisers Hyderabad snapped him up for INR 9.5 crore (approx. USD 1.3 million today). He has taken 97 IPL wickets at 6.91, making him, by some distance, the most economical fast bowler among players with over 50 wickets in the league.”

  • Are IPL’s Mumbai Indians the greatest domestic T20 side ever?

    Are IPL’s Mumbai Indians the greatest domestic T20 side ever?

    Mumbai Indians on Tuesday defeated Delhi Capitals in the final of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 becoming the most successful IPL team in history. The defending champions lifted the trophy of IPL for the fifth time, following which the International Cricket Council (ICC) asked their followers if the team was “the greatest domestic T20 side ever.”

    Soon after the post by ICC, a debate erupted in which some Twitter users pointed out that the council is forgetting Sialkot Stallions, the most successful Pakistani domestic team, which under Imran Nazir and Shoaib Malik’s captaincy has six National T20 Cup wins in Pakistan. This record is jointly held by Pakistan’s Sialkot Stallions and South Africa’s Titans.

    Many teams have registered pretty long winning streaks in recent times but have fallen a long way behind the biggest winning streak ever recorded in Twenty20 cricket but Stallions hold the record as they won 25 consecutive matches in the T20 format which they played across six domestic competitions. The dream run came to a tragic end in October 2010 when Sialkot fell 14 runs short of a 198-run chase against Rawalpindi Rams.

    Mumbai now needs only one more title to equal the aforementioned record. Though Mumbai has two Titles of Champions trophy, it does not fall under the domestic radar. Hence, it is premature to announce them the greatest domestic T20 side ever.

    Meanwhile, check out some arguments on Twitter below:

  • Pandya takes a knee in IPL to support ‘Black Lives Matter’

    Pandya takes a knee in IPL to support ‘Black Lives Matter’

    Mumbai Indians all-rounder Hardik Pandya has become the first player in the ongoing Indian Premier League to take a knee in support of the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement.

    Pandya’s gesture came during the game against Rajasthan Royals here on Sunday.

    The all-rounder smashed 60 run from just 21 balls. After reaching his half century in the 19th over, he went down on a knee with his right arm raised to show solidarity with the movement against racism.

    West Indies all-rounder and Mumbai’s stand-in skipper Kieron Pollard responded by raising his right fist.

    After the match Pandya even tweeted a picture of himself with the caption “#BlackLivesMatter”.

    Last week, West Indies Test skipper Jason Holder, who plays for the Sunrisers Hyderabad, had expressed his disappointment over none of the IPL teams taking a knee in solidarity with the movement, which, he felt, went unnoticed in the league.

    “To be honest, I haven’t had one conversation up here around it (BLM). Sometimes it seems it has gone unnoticed, which is a sad thing. I guess it’s for us to re-highlight the importance of it, for people to understand what is happening in the world,” Holder had said.

    The “taking a knee” gesture started in the West Indies’ Test series in England this summer in protest against racism after African-American George Floyd was killed by an on-duty white police officer in Minneapolis.

    But the gesture was later discontinued for the subsequent tours of Pakistan and Australia. 

  • [VIDEO] IPL 2020: Umpire ‘changes decision after Dhoni’s angry stare’

    The clash between Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) saw the latter winning by 20 runs at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium as Chennai kept their ‘#10YearChallenge’ of replicating their 2010 campaign alive.

    While it was a needed win for CSK, there was a moment in the match that got netizens questioning the umpire and former Indian skipper Mahinder Singh Dhoni. In the 19th over, Shardul Thakur bowled another yorker outside the tramline.

    Umpire Paul Reiffel was about to stretch his arms wide, but Dhoni was spotted getting angry and staring at him. The umpire did not give it a wide and now netizens are questioning this decision.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    https://twitter.com/Kourageous__/status/1316073486884966400

    The controversial decision might not have played a big part in the outcome of the match but it does raise questions on how MS Dhoni’s “intimidatory” tactics against the umpire have come out to the fore again in IPL.

    The result saw CSK go to the sixth spot in the points table and they will be hoping to sustain their momentum as they bid for the play-off spot. Sunrisers Hyderabad, on the other hand, have suffered yet another loss and it puts them in danger of not qualifying for the knockouts as the race for the top four spots intensifies.

  • ‘Anushka Sharma is Afghan cricketer Rashid Khan’s wife,’ Google says

    Afghan cricketer Rashid Khan was mistakenly referred to as Bollywood star Anushka Sharma’s husband on a Google search that has left fans in fits.

    Social media surely had a field day after the little gaffe on the search engine that seemingly stems from the cricket champ’s crush on her and Preity Zinta.

    As per a few media reports, Rashid was recently asked in an interview to name his favourite woman actors. Rashid said he loved to watch Anushka and Preity. That is all his fans needed to ship Rashid and Anushka.

    The many mentions all over the internet might have caused the Google search engine to goof up the same way United States (US) President Donald Trump’s pictures show up if one searches for “idiot”.

    The B-Town diva is actually married to Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli, and the two are also expecting their first child together.

    Anushka also attended Saturday’s Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Chennai Super Kings match of the ongoing season of Indian Premier League (IPL). She even blew Virat a kiss from the visitors’ area, which caught everyone’s attention. Virat, who scored an unbeaten 90 in the match, even gestured towards his wife after his half-century.

    Rashid, on the other hand, says he will “get engaged and married once Afghanistan wins the cricket World Cup”.

  • Dhoni’s 5-year-old daughter gets rape threats

    Dhoni’s 5-year-old daughter gets rape threats

    In a disturbing development, Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s five-year-old daughter has received rape threats from social media trolls following Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) loss to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Tuesday night match of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

    CSK failed to chase a 168-run target, losing the game by 10 runs. Dhoni’s wife, Sakshi, got the threats on her Instagram account.

    The threats created an outrage on social media, especially from women, as support poured in for the Dhonis, especially little Ziva.

    Actor-turned-politician Nagma tweeted, “Where are we headed as a Nation? It’s disgusting Dhoni’s 5-Year-Old Daughter Ziva is Getting Rape Threats after CSK Lost IPL Match to KKR. Mr #PM what is this happening In our country?? [sic]”

    Sowmya Reddy, member of the legislative assembly (MLA) from Karnataka, said, “This is just nasty! What’s happening to our country? Where are we heading?”

    Rajya Sabha [upper house of the bicameral Indian parliament] lawmaker Priyanka Chaturvedi tweeted, “This has to be the most disgusting example of how social media platforms are being misused.”

    Fans have often taken out their ire on the players. In earlier days, they have even pelted stones at players’ homes, burnt posters and shouted abuses.

    However, targeting the daughter of a player in such a way has been unheard of before.

  • Australian cricket legend and PSL champ Dean Jones passes away in Mumbai

    Australian cricket legend and Pakistan Super League (PSL) champ Dean Jones passed away from a heart attack on Thursday.

    Jones, 59, was in India for the coverage of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the time of his demise. 

    He was a two-time winner of the PSL with Islamabad United in 2016 and 2018. The last position he held in the league was the head coach of Karachi Kings in PSL 2020.

    He was looking forward to visiting Pakistan for the remainder of the PSL 2020 and even said that all of his side’s foreign players were ready to do the same.

    Jones played 52 Tests and 164 ODIs for Australia in a career that began in 1984 (coincidentally against Pakistan) and ended in 1994.  

    He averaged 44.61 in ODIs – a number unheard of in those times, and is widely thought of as one of Australia’s greatest batsmen in the 50-over format.

    In 2019, he was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame.