Patna, June 7 (SocialNews.XYZ) Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) triumphed in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, showcasing a dominant all-round performance to defeat Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the final at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Every player from the KKR camp celebrated the victory with great fervour. Fast bowler Sakib Hussain also took part in the celebrations as he was seen lifting the coveted IPL trophy with his family. The young pace sensation from Bihar also clicked a picture with KKR co-owner Shah Rukh Khan following the win.

Sakib Hussain, who hails from Gopalganj in Bihar, was picked by KKR at a base price of 20 lakh. The young pacer has credited the Bihar Cricket Association (BCA) and the board president Rakesh Tiwari for his success. "First of all, I would like to thank Bihar Cricket that I reached here. It was the support of Rakesh Tiwari sir that helped me reach here. My stint with KKR was an enriching experience and it was a dream come true moment for me to share the dressing room with players like Mitchell Starc," Sakib Hussain said after reaching his home after the IPL win.

Having shared the dressing room with the likes of Mitchell Starc and other great players during the IPL 2024, Sakib Hussain feels his experience will help him perform better in the domestic tournament for Bihar. "My IPL experience will definitely help me in the upcoming domestic season. I've improved a lot in the last one-year and that is all because of the Bihar Cricket Association. BCA has supported me at every step," said the 19-year-old fast bowler.

The pacer was all praise for the BCA president Rakesh Tiwari and he just wants to repay the faith shown in him. "If Rakesh Tiwari sir wouldn't be there, I would have been playing gully cricket. He has helped me a lot and I want to repay for the faith shown in me," said Sakib.

In 2012, at the same ground, KKR clinched their maiden title, and on May 26, 2024, they scripted an encore to win their third title. Sakib shared his experience of meeting Shah Rukh Khan and his little chat with Starc. "Shah Rukh Khan sir is a very good man. He is very humble and I've never seen a more down-to-earth person than him. I called Starc my big bro. He saw my bowling action in the nets and praised me. Starc also asked fellow KKR players about my whereabouts and then he messaged me saying that he would help me in my cricket," said Sakib.

Speaking about the KKR mentor Gautam Gambhir, Sakib said, "I've never seen a coach and mentor like Gautam Gambhir. He was very supportive. His mindset was clear as he wanted to win each and every game for KKR."

Source: IANS

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Dubai, May 28 (SocialNews.XYZ) Former Australia skipper and Delhi Capitals (DC) head coach Ricky Ponting is hopeful of Indian wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant making a "huge impact" in the T20 World Cup at the USA and the West Indies, scheduled to commence on June 1.

Pant made his comeback to competitive cricket after a gap of more than 14 months in the recently-concluded IPL. He not only captained DC in the season but also donned the wicketkeeping gloves despite doubts over his fitness after recovering from multiple injuries sustained in a horrific car crash.

After being named in India's squad for the T20 World Cup, Ponting said his inclusion was evident following his "remarkable comeback". The veteran feels Pant will make a significant impact in the T20 showpiece.

“I was asked when I was over there what I thought about him. He'd been picked in the Indian squad, and I basically said he'd be one of the first players picked, and sure enough he was. So, great to see him back out there playing again. I've enjoyed every moment of working with him. Obviously, he's been the captain of the Delhi Capitals, and I've been the coach there," Ponting told The ICC Review.

“But it's been a remarkable comeback, and hopefully he has a huge impact on this World Cup," he added.

Pant, who missed the last edition of the IPL due to injuries, scored 446 runs - the highest for the franchise in the edition. He also scored three half-centuries and played with an impressive strike rate of 155.40.

Talking about his comeback, Ponting said it was a 'spectacular' show from the 26-year-old and credited the franchise for doing a great job.

“It's been nothing short of spectacular, to be honest. I spent a few months with him in the middle of the IPL last year, which was only sort of three or four months after his accident. And I had grave fears then that he would never play the game again. What he'd been through psychologically, but what he'd been through physically. At that stage, he still couldn't walk," he said.

“He was on crutches. And I remember saying to him, what do you think about next season? He just looked at me and said, don't worry, I'll be right. And he's looked after himself incredibly well. The Delhi Capitals franchise has done a great job looking after him. Patrick Farhart has been his physio. He's done a great job with him as well,” the three-time ODI World Cup winner added.

Apart from batting, Pant was phenomenal with his glove work behind the stumps, shutting the doubts over his agility following a long injury layoff.

Ponting said everyone was sceptical about his keeping in the tournament for 14 matches in a row but Pant proved them wrong.

“No one had real concerns about his batting, because of how good he is and how dynamic he is with the bat,” Ponting said.

“But with his wicket-keeping, and having to squat every ball for 14 games in a row, there were certainly some concerns there,” he added.

Pant was among the players who landed in New York on Monday ahead of their opening T20 World Cup match against Ireland on June 5 (IST). India are also scheduled to take on Bangladesh in the only warm-up game on June 1.

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, May 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) star Virat Kohli said he is happy with the way he performed for his side after bagging the Orange Cap for the IPL 2024 season.

Kohli finished the tournament as the highest run-getter with 741 runs in 15 matches including a century and five fifties. He scored at an average of 61.75 and with a strike rate of 154.69 as an opener along with captain Faf du Plessis.

"Extremely honoured to receive the orange cap for this season. It was a roller-coaster of a ride, I was really pleased with the way I performed for my team throughout the season but more importantly in the latter half where we needed to win every game to qualify," Kohli said in a recorded message after the final as Shreyas Iyer collected the accolade on his behalf in Chennai on Sunday.

The right-hand batter added that he is eager to replicate his form in the upcoming T20 World Cup for India in the USA and the West Indies.

"Something that I hope to replicate in the 2025 season of the IPL as well. Thank you everyone for your support," he said.

The 35-year-old became the first Indian to win the Orange Cap twice in IPL history.

Punjab Kings pacer Harshal Patel was awarded the Purple Cap for finishing the season with 24 wickets, the most in the tournament.

"Deeply honoured to be presented with the purple cap. It's been a very rewarding journey. I want to thank everyone who was part of my journey - my teammates, my coaches and especially my family, my wife and my son. Without their support, it wouldn't have been possible. I look forward to the 2025 season," he said.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) lifted their third IPL title after thrashing Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the final at MA Chidambaram Stadium.

Source: IANS

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Chennai, May 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) Australia fast-bowler Mitchell Starc hinted on his ODI retiement after lifting the IPL trophy with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The left-arm pacer said with a long wait before the next one-day World Cup, he might shift focus to more franchise cricket around the world.

Starc's return to the IPL has been nothing short of spectacular, culminating in a title win with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). After years of prioritising international cricket, Starc's decision to rejoin the cash-rich league paid off, and he now contemplates altering his cricketing commitments, potentially stepping away from ODIs.

Starc, who had largely stayed away from the IPL during his peak years to focus on his national duties and manage his workload, revealed his thoughts on this shift at a press conference following KKR's emphatic win over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the IPL 2024 final by eight wickets. KKR secured their third IPL title, with Starc playing a pivotal role.

"The last nine years, I've prioritised Australian cricket. I have given myself a chance to give my body a break and spend some time away from cricket with my wife as well, so that's certainly been where my head's been for the last nine years," Starc said at a press conference.

"Moving forward… look, I am certainly closer to the end of my career than the start. One format may drop off. There is long time before the next one-day World Cup and whether that format continues for me or not… it may open doors for more franchise cricket."

"I've thoroughly enjoyed this season," he said. "It's been great, it leads into the World Cup, that's the other side of the benefit of being here against some amazing players in an amazing tournament. It's a great lead-up to a World Cup.

"Next year - I don't know the schedule exactly - but I've enjoyed it, I look forward to being back next year and hopefully be seen in purple and gold [KKR's colours] again."

Starc's consideration of dropping ODIs from his cricketing calendar could mean more appearances in franchise cricket, including the IPL. Despite being the most expensive player in IPL auction history, fetched for Rs. 24.75 crore by KKR, Starc had a tough start to the season. He conceded 100 runs in his first two games without taking a wicket, but his performance dramatically improved as the tournament progressed.

Starc's match-winning figures of 3-34 and 2-14 in Qualifier 1 and the final, respectively, against SRH showcased his ability to perform under pressure. His efforts were instrumental in KKR's dominant campaign, ending with a resounding victory in the final.

"I've thoroughly enjoyed this season," Starc said. "It's been great, it leads into the World Cup, that's the other side of the benefit of being here against some amazing players in an amazing tournament. It's a great lead-up to a World Cup. Next year - I don't know the schedule exactly - but I've enjoyed it, I look forward to being back next year and hopefully be seen in purple and gold (KKR's colours) again," he said.

"I've played a lot of cricket, so I know how to manage myself. I haven't played a lot of T20 cricket in the last few years, so for me, it was trying to find that rhythm of [the] T20 format, and trying to stay ahead of batters," Starc concluded.

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, May 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) Former Australia cricketer Matthew Hayden opined that Mitchell Starc’s wicket of Abhishek Sharma ended the match for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the final against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at MA Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday.

The final saw KKR dominate from the outset, starting with Mitchell Starc's stunning dismissal of Abhishek Sharma with a ball that pitched on middle and leg and zipped past the outside edge to hit off stump. This wicket initiated a collapse; Vaibhav Arora removed Travis Head for a first-ball duck with an excellent away-swinger, and Starc struck again to dismiss Rahul Tripathi, leaving SRH at 21 for 3 inside five overs.

"The moment that ball bowled to Abhishek Sharma came out of Mitchell Starc's hands, it was game over. It was destined to be the best ball of the IPL, an absolute peach at a time when it was so important. We all talked about how crucial the power play would be for winning this IPL final and this tournament. And after that ball from Mitchell Starc, it just meant that KKR were on a roll," said Hayden to Star Sports Cricket live

The fast Aussie bowler came into the IPL season with a price tag of Rs 24.74 cr, the heftiest there has ever been in the history of the tournament. Many criticized the acquisition of the 2023 ODI World Cup winner throughout the tournament but the 34-year old’s experience proved to be the difference maker in the Playoffs with the pacer picking up five of his 17 wickets in the two playoff games against Hyderabad which earned him the man of the match accolade for both games.

"There are two schools of thought. You come to a ground, think about runs on the board, and aim for 180–200 runs. Then there is another school of thought that focuses on the 11 of us taking on those two in-form players. Because you can't really lose the game when you are out there as a collective fielding unit. And you saw that with KKR.

Mitchell Starc was averaging around 136-137 kmph during the majority of the season. But in the last two weeks, he has gone above 140 kmph, and that is his average. He is bowling fast. We never saw him swing the ball for the first seven, maybe even eight, weeks of this tournament. In the last few weeks, he has got his wrist in a good place and started to swing the ball back,” added former England skipper Kevin Pietersen.

Source: IANS

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Chennai, May 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) all-rounder Sunil Narine admitted that the freedom that he got from the mentor Gautam Gambhir to express himself with the bat made a huge difference to his performance in IPL 2024.

Narine played a crucial role in KKR's journey to third IPL title victory, finishing the season with 488 runs at a strike rate of 180.74 and 17 wickets, earning him the Most Valuabe Player award for a record third time.

"Getting the role to just go there and express myself, trying to get the team off to a flier, that's key," Narine said after the match. "The backing of the support staff, especially GG (Gambhir) just saying, 'go there and enjoy it, just try to win a few games for the team; I am not asking you to do the entire season, but just a few games.' That was very good advice."

For Narine, the third IPL title was a perfect birthday gift, as KKR clinched the trophy on his 36th birthday. Previously KKR managed to win in 2012 and 2014, and in both occasions Narine was part of the team.

"Coming into the ground today it felt like 2012, when the final was also played in Chennai. I think the feeling is overwhelming and I genuinely couldn't ask for a better birthday gift," he said. "I am enjoying my cricket at the moment, batting, bowling and fielding. What helps is when your team is winning. We have a great bunch of guys who put out a lot of work throughout the season and the fight we gave throughout the season is very good. It shows how good a team we are," he said.

The all-rounder also thanked KKR owner and bollywood star Shahrukh Khan for his immense love and support and also credited MS Dhoni and Chennai Super Kings for their support on their home ground.

"Thank you KKR & @iamsrk sir fans for your love and support. Special thanks to CSK & @msdhoni bhai fans for your support last night at Chepauk,” Sunil Narine wrote on 'X'.

Source: IANS

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Chennai, May 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) pacer Mitchell Starc believes "being more experienced and older" helped him bounce back from the pressure of price tag after having rough start in the league stage fixtures.

Starc was the most expensive player in the history of the IPL, going for Rs. 24.75 crore at the auction, held in December 2023. However, the start for the Australian quick was up to the mark as he went for 100 runs in first two matches but was pivotal for KKR in the playoffs. He became the first player in the history of IPL to clinch back-to-back Player of the match award in playoffs -- both against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).

"There have been plenty of jokes and what not made about the money," said Starc at the post-match press conference. "It's been a long time since I have played in the IPL. I am certainly an older and more experienced player now. It's probably helped with managing all the expectations or leading the attack or whatever it maybe. I am certainly glad I am a bit more experienced and older to deal with all of that.

"Personally, it has been a lot of fun, been great to learn and see how these guys go about it. Full credit to the whole squad of players and staff, it has made my life pretty easy," he added.

The final saw KKR dominate from the outset, starting with Starc's stunning dismissal of Abhishek Sharma with a ball that pitched on middle and leg and zipped past the outside edge to hit off stump. This wicket initiated a collapse; Vaibhav Arora removed Travis Head for a first-ball duck with an excellent away-swinger, and Starc struck again to dismiss Rahul Tripathi, leaving SRH at 21 for 3 inside five overs. In the playoffs Starc cliched five wickets for just 48 runs.

"It is a great night for KKR. What a game, what a series, what a season. It was an upward journey through from the start of the IPL to now, but we have a fantastic squad of bowlers and batters and our staff have been fantastic to get everyone peaking at the back end of the tournament. We have been such a consistent side. We haven't had one or two people standing out, it's been contributions from everyone. So, great to contribute personally but I think the fact that we've had everyone contribute throughout the year has been a big part of our success," he said.

KKR's bowlers, led by stellar spells from Andre Russell (3-19), Starc (2-14) & Harshit Rana (2-24), bowled out SRH for just 113, the lowest total in an IPL final. In reply, the batters, led by Venkatesh Iyer’s 52 not out off 26 balls, chased down the total in just 10.3 overs to make it the second time the side won an IPL title in Chennai.

Source: IANS

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Chennai, May 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) After tasting a maiden IPL glory, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batter Rinku Singh has set his goal high and aims to replicate the success in the upcoming T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA.

KKR thrashed Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by eight wickets in the summit clash at MA Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday to lift their third IPL title.

Rinku is part of the Indian team squad as a reserve along with Shubman Gill, Khaleel Ahmed and Avesh Khan for next month's tournament.

"I am headed to Noida first and then I will be going to the United States of America. You guys watch, I will also be lifting the World Cup," Rinku told JioCinema on Match Centre Live.

The 26-year-old swashbuckling batter received limited opportunities in the season and contributed 168 runs at a strike rate of 148.67. However, he stuck to his quickfire approach throughout the campaign.

Talking about their title-winning journey, Rinku credited the team effort behind their success in the tournament.

"You can't credit just one person because everyone has worked hard. Since GG (Gautam Gambhir) sir came, a lot of things have changed. Sending Sunil early, he batted so well. The batters played well, and the bowling was great. Venky (Venkatesh Iyer) has been batting really well for the last five-six matches, so overall, everyone has done really well," he said.

In the final, KKR's spirited bowling effort bundled Hyderabad for 113 as Andre Russell bagged three wickets while Mitchell Starc and Harshit Rana grabbed two scalps apiece.

Venkatesh Iyer's unbeaten 52* off 26 balls studded with four fours and three sixes while Rahmanullah Gurbaz scored 39 including five fours and two sixes as KKR chased the target in 10.3 overs.

"When you're a part of this squad, not playing or not involved in the field, but supporting the guys all the way, it's always a good feeling, but this is a special feeling. In the XI, playing a part in the Final, contributing as well through my leadership and everything, it's an exciting feeling. It's special," Russell said.

"I always enjoy playing here. Sometimes, you never know what to expect based on how the wicket looks but as professionals, we always have to be up to the task to play on whatever surface we get. At the end of the day, being professional is all about adapting to situations as quickly as possible. To win another trophy here in Chennai, happy days," he added.

On his batting technique, Russell said, "It's just me not clearing my front leg too much, standing as still as possible, and waiting as long as possible. Normally, this is my trigger movement, clearing my left leg, so I tried to keep it as still as possible. So, if the bowler bowls wide, I push straight and I have access because I am standing on the off-stump."

Source: IANS

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Chennai, May 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) skipper Shreyas Iyer lauded his side for playing "like invincibles throughout the season" after a comprehensive eight-wicket victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the IPL 2024 summit clash to lift their third title, ending a decade-long wait.

"This is what we demanded from the team and every individual, they stood up on the right occasion," Iyer said after the final. "It is hard to express how we are feeling right now. The wait was so long. We played like invincibles throughout the season. There is so much to cherish right now."

KKR's bowlers, led by stellar spells from Andre Russell (3-19), Mitchell Starc (2-14) & Harshit Rana (2-24), bowled out SRH for just 113, the lowest total in an IPL final. In reply, the batters, led by Venkatesh Iyer’s 52 not out off 26 balls, chased down the total in just 10.3 overs to make it the second time the side won an IPL title in Chennai.

KKR's 2024 campaign was one of the most dominant in IPL history, equaling the record for the fewest losses in a season, set by Shane Warne's Rajasthan Royals in 2008, with just three defeats. Topping the league table, KKR beat SRH in Qualifier 1 by eight wickets with 38 balls to spare, and upped their game in the final with another eight-wicket victory, this time with 57 balls remaining.

"It is pleasing and the performance has been flawless throughout. I am running out of words right now. We have been tremendous right from game one, and when we stepped [out], all we demanded from ourselves was to back each other no matter the situation," Iyer said of KKR's campaign.

"The game could have gone either way - they have been playing phenomenal cricket, SRH, throughout the season. Today, we were lucky enough to bowl first and, at the same time, every situation went in our favour. Thanks to SRH (for) the way they have played throughout the season. They have been simply phenomenal," he added.

The final saw KKR dominate from the outset, starting with Mitchell Starc's stunning dismissal of Abhishek Sharma with a ball that pitched on middle and leg and zipped past the outside edge to hit off stump. This wicket initiated a collapse; Vaibhav Arora removed Travis Head for a first-ball duck with an excellent away-swinger, and Starc struck again to dismiss Rahul Tripathi, leaving SRH at 21 for 3 inside five overs.

"That (big games) is when all the big players stand up," Iyer said of Starc. "It was a high-pressure game. He has been so good off the field. He has never shown any sort of complacency in his work ethic. Every time we used to go for the plunge pool, he used to be there... something for everyone to learn."

Starc's performance in the playoffs was pivotal. Despite a rough start to the season, where he conceded 100 runs in his first two games without taking a wicket, Starc rebounded to become the Player of the Match in both of KKR's playoff games, a first in IPL history.

Another standout performer was Andre Russell, who picked up 3 for 19 in 2.3 overs in the final, ending the season with his best wicket tally at the IPL. "He has got that magic wand, which he is hiding somewhere on the field. Russell has been lucky for us. Almost in a majority of the games, whenever he has bowled, he has picked up the wickets and he has given us the breakthrough," he said.

Source: IANS

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Chennai, May 26 (SocialNews.XYZ) Shortly after Kolkata Knight Riders clinched their third IPL title with an eight-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad, in-form all-rounder Sunil Narine lifted team mentor Gautam Gambhir in jubilation and the two-time IPL-winning captain returned the favour to him.

One of the major talking points for KKR ahead of IPL 2024 was how would they perform with Gambhir returning as the mentor, with an eye to end their decade-long trophy drought, something which he talked in his first team speech at the pre-season camp in Kolkata.

On Sunday, Gambhir stayed true to his words as KKR lifted its third IPL title and 12 years after their first won the championship in 2012. “I want to share one short story that when GG bhaiya was named the mentor, I sent him a long message as I was really happy. But he replied saying, "Thank you but I would be happy if we stand at the podium with the trophy in our hands." Today is that day and I will never forget that message,” revealed Nitish Rana in post-final chat with broadcasters.

The IPL 2024 triumph for KKR, shaped by their bowlers as they bowled out SRH for just 113, also left assistant coach and KKR academy head Abhishek Nayar joyful, after being called in to join by leg-spinner Varun Chakaravarthy.

“It means everything. I started playing IPL in the first season and it has taken me 16 years for the first title after two finals. I am really happy for the boys. I cannot express how happy I am. The big man (Andre Russell) turning up as usual. It is the most surreal feeling I have had in a long time.”

Similar emotions were echoed by Venkatesh Iyer, who top-scored in the chase of 114 with 52 not out off 26 balls. “Really happy with it. As Varun mentioned, Abhishek Nayar deserves all the credit in the world.”

“Some contributions go unnoticed, I want to make sure they don't. This guy deserves all the credit in the world for the way he has been working for this franchise. This win is for the fans who turned up year after year and waited for ten years.”

Speaking of Russell, last year, he had a rough time with KKR in the IPL, with certain fans calling for him to be ousted from the set-up. But this year, Russell turned out to be one of the vital cogs in KKR’s triumph, leaving the big-hitting all-rounder in tears.

“No words to describe. It means so much. I am happy that all of us were very disciplined and worked towards one goal. This franchise has done a lot for me. It's a big gift from all of us to them.”

Rinku Singh was at his jolly best over becoming an IPL-winning player with KKR. “Outstanding feeling right now. My dream of seven years is complete. Finally I will lift the trophy. I am proud of my whole team and GG sir. It was God's plan.”

Pacer Vaibhav Arora, who shined alongside Harshit Rana in the season, was happy to play his part in KKR’s spectacular triumph. “My role is to take wickets with the new ball. After that the spinners were doing their jobs. So today also the aim was to take wickets in the powerplay, which happened as well.”

Bowling coach Bharat Arun said it is a moment which the whole unit will savour to the fullest. “I think it was pretty tough, the last two years. It was touch and go - we didn't qualify. It needed a lot of introspection and now we can savour this moment. He (Harshit Rana) has been outstanding. It's about backing your strengths.”

He also thought Mitchell Starc’s inclusion was a huge boost for the side. “I think Mitch coming into the team boosted the confidence of other youngsters in the side. He is probably the best bowler in the world. Once he understood the Indian conditions, he was excellent.”

Arun also lauded the move to get Narine as an opener, which was proposed by Gambhir. “Spinners mature with age, and with Sunny and Varun bowling in tandem, it was superb. He (Narine) brought a totally different dimension to our batting. It was Gautam who insisted that he opened and it paid dividends. It's a great night and now it's time to celebrate.”

Opener-keeper Rahmanullah Gurbaz was a late entrant to KKR eleven due to Phil Salt’s stellar performance and had to go back home due to his mother’s health. Now he’s a two-time IPL winner after being part of Gujarat Titans side in 2022.

“My mom is watching from the home. She is feeling good now. I asked mom before the match if she wanted anything. She said just the win. When Salt was playing, I wasn't expecting to get a chance but I knew it's a long tournament and I needed to be ready. Once I got the chance, I was well prepared.”

For now, there’s a talk in the KKR camp about the celebrations, with Harshit Rana saying, “I cannot tell how happy I am.” Angkrish Raghuvanshi echoed the same sentiment. “It's yet to sink in yet. Maybe it will after the party at night.”

All-rounder Ramandeep Singh said he will be busy in selecting songs for the KKR party in Chennai. “I am really happy. We worked really hard for it, so feeling really happy. It's a great environment. Poora gaah payeya hoeya hai (We have had a ball). I am the DJ, I play the song people demand.”

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, May 26 (SocialNews.XYZ) Celebrations fueled around after Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) outplayed Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in all departments to clinch their third IPL championship with a comprehensive eight-wicket win in a relatively one-sided IPL 2024 title clash at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday.

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee wishing KKR for their IPL title victory wrote on ‘X’, “Kolkata Knight Riders' win has brought about an air of celebration all across Bengal. I would like to personally congratulate the players, the support staff and the franchise for their record breaking performance in this season of the IPL.

“Wishing for more such enchanting victories in the years to come!” she added.

KKR’s bowlers, led by stellar spells from Andre Russell (3-19), Mitchell Starc (2-14) & Harshit Rana (2-24), bowled out SRH for just 113, the lowest total in an IPL final. In reply, the batters, led by Venkatesh Iyer’s 52 not out off 26 balls, chased down the total in just 10.3 overs to make it the second time the side won an IPL title in Chennai.

Former Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh congratulating KKR wrote on 'X', "Congratulations to @KKRiders on being crowned @IPL 2024 champions. They've been the standout team all thru the season. Kudos to @SunRisers for a stellar run - but the better team prevailed today. Special shoutout to @GautamGambhir for his fearless mentorship, and to the King of Hearts, @iamsrk for his success in both cinema and cricket this year!".

Source: IANS

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Chennai, May 26 (SocialNews.XYZ) Kolkata Knight Riders outplayed Sunrisers Hyderabad in all departments to clinch their third IPL championship with a comprehensive eight-wicket win in a relatively one-sided IPL 2024 title clash at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday.

KKR’s bowlers, led by stellar spells from Andre Russell (3-19), Mitchell Starc (2-14) & Harshit Rana (2-24), bowled out SRH for just 113, the lowest total in an IPL final. In reply, the batters, led by Venkatesh Iyer’s 52 not out off 26 balls, chased down the total in just 10.3 overs to make it the second time the side won an IPL title in Chennai.

On a red-soil pitch, only winning the toss was the lone right thing for SRH as they never got any partnership or momentum to post the lowest total in an IPL final. Starc and Vaibhav Arora bowled consistently in the good length area, and had the ball swinging continuously, followed by others getting grip to leave SRH in tatters.

Such was the fantastic bowling show that every KKR bowler had at least one wicket against their names. Starc gave KKR a bright start from the word go when he hit Abhishek Sharma’s top of off-stump with a delivery which began from leg-stump and then nipped away sharply, reminding everyone of how he began 2015 Men’s ODI World Cup final.

In the next over, Arora’s seaming across delivery resulted in Travis Head nicking behind for a golden duck. After early movement, Starc bowled a short cross-seam delivery on which Rahul Tripathi tried to flick, but gave a massive top edge to mid-wicket fielder. Aiden Markram and Nitish Kumar Reddy looked to counter-attack with four quick boundaries.

But there was no stopping KKR as Harshit Rana bowled three slower balls, before bowling a nipping away seam-up delivery which took Reddy’s edge on the drive behind to keeper. Markram was next to fall, pulling to long-on off a short ball with extra bounce from Russell.

Wickets continued to crumble for SRH as Shahbaz Ahmed top-edged a sweep to short fine leg off Varun Chakaravarthy, followed by impact player Abdul Samad edging away from his body to keeper off Russell and Heinrich Klaasen played on to his stumps off a slower ball from Harshit.

A few boundaries from captain Pat Cummins, who top-scored with 24, took SRH past 100. But he and Jaydev Unadkat fell in quick succession as one of the most attacking batting line-ups of the tournament folded for 113.

Chasing 114, KKR lost Sunil Narine cheaply when he went too early in his flick off Pat Cummins and thick leading edge was caught by deep mid-wicket, after hitting a pulled six. Venkatesh launched a counter-attack by dancing down the pitch to smack Bhuvneshwar Kumar for two successive sixes, after glancing him for a four to take 20 runs off the third over.

From the other end, Rahmanullah Gurbaz brought out his cut and loft to take two fours, followed by outside edges giving him two more boundaries. Venkatesh cut and pulled fiercely off T Natrajan for consecutive fours, before flicking and swiping handsomely to take six and four respectively off the left-arm pacer, as KKR reached 72/1 at the end of power-play, also the highest total in a six-over phase of the IPL finals.

Gurbaz took over by sweeping Shahbaz Ahmed for six and lofting the left-arm spinner for another maximum, happening on the either side of pulling Jaydev Unadkat for four. But Shahbaz had the last laugh by trapping a sweeping Gurbaz lbw.

Shreyas Iyer opened his account by reverse-sweeping Shahbaz for four, followed by Venkatesh getting his fifty in 24 balls and he fittingly finished off the chase with a single to clinch third IPL title for KKR, undoubtedly the most consistent side in the competition.

It also the first time Shreyas becomes an IPL winning captain on his second attempt, something which will be a very sweet triumph for him after being excluded from the Indian Test team and BCCI central contracts earlier this year.

Brief Scores: Sunrisers Hyderabad 113 in 18.3 overs (Pat Cummins 24, Aiden Markram 20; Andre Russell 3-19, Mitchell Starc 2-14) lost to Kolkata Knight Riders 114/2 in 10.3 overs (Venkatesh Iyer 52 not out, Rahmanullah Gurbaz 39; Pat Cummins 1-18, Shahbaz Ahmed 1-22) by eight wickets.

Source: IANS

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Chennai, May 26 (SocialNews.XYZ) Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) outplayed Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in all departments to clinch their third IPL championship with a comprehensive eight-wicket win in a relatively one-sided IPL 2024 title clash at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday.

KKR’s bowlers, led by stellar spells from Andre Russell (3-19), Mitchell Starc (2-14) & Harshit Rana (2-24), bowled out SRH for just 113, the lowest total in an IPL final. In reply, the batters, led by Venkatesh Iyer’s 52 not out off 26 balls, chased down the total in just 10.3 overs to make it the second time the side won an IPL title in Chennai.

Chasing 114, KKR lost Sunil Narine cheaply when he went too early in his flick off Pat Cummins and thick leading edge was caught by deep mid-wicket, after hitting a pulled six. Venkatesh launched a counter-attack by dancing down the pitch to smack Bhuvneshwar Kumar for two successive sixes, after glancing him for a four to take 20 runs off the third over.

From the other end, Rahmanullah Gurbaz brought out his cut and loft to take two fours, followed by outside edges giving him two more boundaries. Venkatesh cut and pulled fiercely off T Natrajan for consecutive fours, before flicking and swiping handsomely to take six and four respectively off the left-arm pacer, as KKR reached 72/1 at the end of power-play, also the highest total in a six-over phase of the IPL finals.

Gurbaz took over by sweeping Shahbaz Ahmed for six and lofting the left-arm spinner for another maximum, happening on the either side of pulling Jaydev Unadkat for four. But Shahbaz had the last laugh by trapping a sweeping Gurbaz lbw.

Shreyas Iyer opened his account by reverse-sweeping Shahbaz for four, followed by Venkatesh getting his fifty in 24 balls and he fittingly finished off the chase with a single to clinch third IPL title for KKR. It also the first time Shreyas becomes an IPL winning captain on his second attempt, after being excluded from the Test team and BCCI central contracts earlier this year.

Brief Scores: Sunrisers Hyderabad 113 in 18.3 overs (Pat Cummins 24, Aiden Markram 20; Andre Russell 3-19, Mitchell Starc 2-14) lost to Kolkata Knight Riders 114/2 in 10.3 overs (Venkatesh Iyer 52 not out, Rahmanullah Gurbaz 39; Pat Cummins 1-18, Shahbaz Ahmed 1-22) by eight wickets.

Source: IANS

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Chennai, May 26 (SocialNews.XYZ) Andre Russell (3-19), Mitchell Starc (2-14) & Harshit Rana (2-24) shined in a stellar bowling show as Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) bowled out Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for just 113 in the IPL 2024 title clash at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday.

On a red-soil pitch, only winning the toss was the lone right thing for SRH as they never got any partnership or momentum to post the lowest total in an IPL final. Starc and Vaibhav Arora bowled consistently in the good length area, and had the ball swinging continuously, followed by others getting grip to leave SRH in tatters.

Such was the fantastic bowling show that every KKR bowler had at least one wicket against their names. KKR now need to chase down 114 to win their third IPL title. Starc gave KKR a bright start from the word go when he hit Abhishek Sharma’s top of off-stump with a delivery which began from leg-stump and then nipped away sharply.

In the next over, Arora’s seaming across delivery resulted in Travis Head nicking behind for a golden duck. After early movement, Starc bowled a short cross-seam delivery on which Rahul Tripathi tried to flick, but gave a massive top edge to mid-wicket fielder. Aiden Markram and Nitish Kumar Reddy looked to counter-attack with four quick boundaries.

But there was no stopping KKR as Harshit Rana bowled three slower balls, before bowling a nipping away seam-up delivery which took Reddy’s edge on the drive behind to keeper. Markram was next to fall, pulling to long-on off a short ball with extra bounce from Russell.

Wickets continued to crumble for SRH as Shahbaz Ahmed top-edged a sweep to short fine leg off Varun Chakaravarthy, followed by impact player Abdul Samad edging away from his body to keeper off Russell and Heinrich Klaasen played on to his stumps off a slower ball from Harshit.

A few boundaries from captain Pat Cummins, who top-scored with 24, took SRH past 100. But he and Jaydev Unadkat fell in quick succession as one of the most attacking batting line-ups of the tournament folded for 113.

Brief Scores: Sunrisers Hyderabad 113 in 18.3 overs (Pat Cummins 24, Aiden Markram 20; Andre Russell 3-19, Mitchell Starc 2-14) against Kolkata Knight Riders.

Source: IANS

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Chennai, May 26 (SocialNews.XYZ) Mitchell Starc, the fast-bowling spearhead of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), believes the power-play in both innings of IPL 2024 final will be a major factor in shaping the outcome of the title clash.

KKR is up against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2024 final at the MA Chidambaram Stadium and are eyeing to win their third IPL title after 2012 and 2014. KKR have beaten SRH twice already in this season of the IPL.

“Sunrisers played here a couple of nights ago but it is a different wicket, it will be about adapting with the bat and ball, I think powerplay in both innings is going to be what shapes the game, we were on the better side of that in Ahmedabad and hopefully it is the same here, but we know in T20 cricket anything can happen,” said Starc in a pre-game chat with broadcasters.

Asked about KKR’s preparation for the title clash, Starc said, “We had one (practice session) interrupted by rain last night. We all got warmed up and ready to go and then the rain came, so hopefully that's not the case tonight.”

“It was nice to get here early after our game in Ahmedabad, obviously we watched the other game (Qualifier 2) here last night unfold which resulted in us playing the Sunrisers, everyone is ready to go.”

After having a lean time in IPL 2024, Starc has been amongst the wickets, especially with his three-fer against SRH in Qualifier 1 playing a huge factor in KKR having an easy passage into the final. As of now, Starc has scalped 15 wickets in 13 games, averaging 28.66 at an economy rate of 11.07.

“I felt that my rhythm was building up being back into T20 cricket after a fair while, so thankfully that has been the case and got back into rhythm - the intensity and how quickly you need to adapt in T20 to conditions or how the batting team goes about it.”

“Our bowling unit has been fantastic throughout, the openers at the top order have been phenomenal as well and we have just gone about our business as a group, trying to improve game on game and find ourselves in the final. It has been nice personally to contribute to that and hopefully it is another successful night tonight,” he stated.

Middle-order batter Rinku Singh thinks KKR’s success in IPL 2024 has been shaped by the positive team environment. “Team atmosphere is superb. Whenever we enter the dressing room, Ramandeep Singh plays Punjabi songs and it changes the environment."

"GG (Gautam Gambhir) sir and Chandu (Chandrakant Pandit) sir have given us a lot of freedom. The thought process remains the same (for the final), playing according to the match situation.”

“It'll be a dream come true to win a senior trophy. I'll try to give my best. Hopefully we win the match. We have played a match here as well, so we know how the wicket plays. I never look too far ahead, I always stay in the present,” he concluded.

Source: IANS

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Chennai, May 26 (SocialNews.XYZ) Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) captain Pat Cummins has won the toss and elected to bat first against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL 2024 title clash at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday. It's the third time an IPL final is going to be played between top two teams in the points table.

Two-time champions KKR have beaten 2016 winners SRH twice in this IPL season – once in the league stage and in Qualifier 1 respectively. Sunday’s final is being played on a red-soil pitch, with 63m and 70m square boundaries, along with a straight boundary at 77m. It is the pitch where Punjab Kings beat Chennai Super Kings by seven wickets on May 1.

After winning the toss, Cummins said Shahbaz Ahmed takes Abdul Samad’s place in the playing eleven. “Looks like a good wicket, played on a different wicket the other night. There was no dew on the other night's game, but when it does, it's very damaging.”

“We've had now dew the other night, I don't feel there'll be any today, I want to have a crack with the bat first. We have a style that doesn't work always, but when it does work, it's very damaging. We have done well defending scores,” he said.

KKR skipper Shreyas Iyer, leading a side in an IPL final for the second time, said they have bowled first on winning the toss and his playing eleven is unchanged from their Qualifier 1 win over SRH in Ahmedabad earlier this week. KKR have been unbeaten while chasing in IPL 2024.

“We'll get a fair idea about how the pitch will play. It’s a red soil and we played our last game on a similar surface. We need to stay with the present, stick to the basics and execute all our plans. Every individual is taking responsibility, this is a big game, we've plenty of people who're playing in a final for the first time, nervous, but this is also a good chance,” he said.

Playing XIs:

Kolkata Knight Riders: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicketkeeper), Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer (captain), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Mitchell Starc, Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana and Varun Chakaravarthy

Substitutes: Anukul Roy, Manish Pandey, Nitish Rana, KS Bharat and Sherfane Rutherford

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram, Nitish Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen (wicketkeeper), Shahbaz Ahmed, Pat Cummins (captain), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat and T Natarajan

Substitutes: Umran Malik, Glenn Phillips, Mayank Markande, Abdul Samad and Washington Sundar

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, May 26 (SocialNews.XYZ) Former India spinner Anil Kumble and ex-Australian all-rounder Shane Watson have picked Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as favourites to lift the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 title against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the final at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday.

Kumble backed KKR for the blockbuster clash due to their firepower in both batting and bowling while Watson feels SRH will have an advantage of knowing the wicket without dew but Kolkata will head fresh into the summit clash and they are going to be very challenging on the field.

"It gives Sunrisers an edge for sure as they know how the wicket plays, especially when there is no dew. They will have to back-up, and regenerate their mental and physical energy quickly, but for me, KKR are the favourites. They are fresh as a daisy; they have got world-class players through their team, and they are going to be very hard to defeat," said Watson on JioCinema.

This season has proved to be a run-fest with a team total of 250 plus being achieved eight times, which is four times more than what was achieved in the history of IPL. This onslaught was led by the two teams playing the finals, with SRH crossing 250 in three games whereas KKR achieved the score on two such occasions.

"Both these teams have redefined how to go about in the powerplay, and we saw that. This is a surface that requires you to utilise the powerplay and we saw how SRH did that. Two teams that have done well throughout the tournament dictated the terms right from ball one consistently and no wonder they are playing the finals in Chennai on Sunday," said Kumble.

"KKR has been the all-round team, with the ball or with the bat. You name it, you have the players with Rinku Singh yet to chip in. When you have a side with explosive batters, a bowler like Starc who is coming into his form, we saw his impact in the last game and Shreyas Iyer. Even he has done exceptionally well as a captain, he has been calm and used his resources well. He got the best out of Andre Russell and they have the firepower with both the bat and ball," he added.

Menawhile, former India all-rounder Suresh Raina feels that eight overs of spin will be the deciding factor in the summit encounter and also highlighted Pat Cummins' leadership skills that handed Australia their sixth ODI World Cup last year.

"Sunrisers should back their batting first approach and put runs on the board, but the eight overs of spin will be crucial. With KKR having won an IPL in Chennai, the pressure will be different. The key point for SRH is Pat Cummins who has already won the World Cup, he knows how to keep the dressing room running. You follow the process, you are switched on for the finals, the players know their roles, and everything will be organised," Raina said.

KKR will be backing themselves to go to the Chepauk Stadium and lift their third IPL trophy and win the title after a 10-year long wait. Hyderabad, on the other hand, are playing the final for the first time in six seasons. They last reached the final in 2018 and lost the title to MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings.

KKR last clinched the IPL title in 2014 under the leadership of Gautam Gambhir, who is now the mentor of the franchise. Meanwhile, SRH secured the title in 2016 with David Warner as captain and, in 2024, they are once again being led by an Australian cricketer.

Source: IANS

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Chennai, May 26 (SocialNews.XYZ) Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will lock horns with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the summit clash of the IPL 2024 on Sunday.

KKR last clinched the IPL title in 2014 under the leadership of Gautam Gambhir, who is now the mentor of the franchise. Meanwhile, SRH secured the title in 2016 with David Warner as captain and, in 2024, are once again they being led by an Australian cricketer.

The two teams have met 27 times in the IPL with Kolkata holding advantage in the head-to-head matchup.

KKR v SRH head-to-head- 27

Kolkata Knight Riders: 18

Sunrisers Hyderabad: 9

KKR v SRH match time: The match starts at 7:30 PM IST (2:00 PM GMT) with the toss taking place half an hour before the match i.e., 7:00 PM (1:30 PM GMT)

KKR v SRH match venue: MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai

KKR v SRH Live broadcast on television in India: The KKR v SRH match will be broadcast live via Star Sports Network.

Live stream in India: The live streaming of KKR v SRH is available on JioCinema

Squads:

Kolkata Knight Riders: Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer(c), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Mitchell Starc, Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, Anukul Roy, Manish Pandey, Nitish Rana, Srikar Bharat, Sherfane Rutherford, Dushmantha Chameera, Chetan Sakariya, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Sakib Hussain, Suyash Sharma, Allah Ghazanfar

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram, Nitish Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen(w), Abdul Samad, Pat Cummins(c), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan, Jaydev Unadkat, Shahbaz Ahmed, Umran Malik, Sanvir Singh, Glenn Phillips, Mayank Markande, Mayank Agarwal, Washington Sundar, Anmolpreet Singh, Upendra Yadav, Jhatavedh Subramanyan, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Marco Jansen, Akash Maharaj Singh

Source: IANS

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Chennai, May 25 (SocialNews.XYZ) A victory in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 final for Sunrisers Hyderabad over Kolkata Knight Riders will add another feather to Pat Cummins’ cap of leadership glory in the last 12 months. Cummins has taken Australia to the World Test Championship and ODI World Cup triumphs last year, and an IPL 2024 trophy will continue his good run as a leader. Apart from being a leader who leads by example, Cummins has been someone who is known to use data a lot and mix it with his gut feeling.

But Cummins feels data is just a factor in facilitating the on-field planning and decision-making process.

"I think data and analytics are there as a tool to use, but it's just one factor in a decision-making process. We play a lot of T20 games, but the two games are not exactly the same. It's different wickets and opposition. So, data only takes you so far.”

“So, I think there's still a strong place for kind of gut feel and intuition. Data doesn't tell you that it's probably going to be successful. So, you need to balance between the objective data that you gather and what you are feeling out there," he said in the pre-final press conference.

Cummins also thinks his Midas touch as a leader may come to an end in future, considering he never captained a T20 team before and had a middling run in the format.

"It would be great (winning the title) but the run's going to stop at some point. It's been a great couple of years, but I haven't captained any T20 cricket team before this series. So, I'm not too sure what to expect. It's quite fast-paced," he said.

SRH were placed at the bottom of the points table last year and now are on the verge of completing a stunning run to potentially winning the championship. Cummins credited a nice mix of experienced and young players in the SRH setup clicking together to make the side a fearsome unit.

"It's been huge. We have quite an experienced bowling line-up, including (Jaydev) Unadkat and Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar Kumar). Also, so many youngsters have come through and have won us games by themselves, like Nitish (Reddy) and Abhishek (Sharma). We also have guys who have been away from the Indian setup, but they have been fantastic. So, that's been the story of our team."

Cummins signed off by emphasizing on ignoring the outside noise ahead of Sunday’s title clash. "There's so much pressure from obviously the number of fans that are watching, media, journalists, but also from their own teams back home or their own coaches and everything as well. So, you try and strip that all away.”

"When they all start, the youngsters always play with a lot of freedom, so you just want to keep encouraging that and giving them the freedom to play however they want. If it doesn't work out, you're kind of there to help them work through that rather than trying to scold them or tell them to change."

Source: IANS

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Chennai, May 25 (SocialNews.XYZ) Ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 final against Sunrisers Hyderabad, India batter and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Shreyas Iyer has revealed that he had raised a word about his struggles with a back injury post the 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup, but no one took a note of his concerns.

"I was definitely struggling after the World Cup in the longer format. When I raised my concern, no one was agreeing to it. But at the same time, the competition is with me. When the IPL was approaching all I wanted to see was that I've put my best foot forward.”

“Whatever planning and strategising we (KKR) did before it, basically if we could execute it to the best of our abilities, we would have been in a great spot - and that's where we are right now," said Iyer in the pre-final press conference.

Earlier this year, Iyer was left out of India’s squad for the remaining three games against England after amassing only 104 runs in the first two matches. He reportedly complained of back spasms after the second Test at Visakhapatnam.

Later, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) excluded him from annual retainers, after missing Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy quarterfinal match against Baroda, with Iyer reportedly attending a KKR pre-season camp to solve his back injury issues.

Iyer then returned to play the Ranji Trophy semifinal, in which he made 95 in the second innings against Baroda, and final for Mumbai, as the side won the title at home. Even during the Ranji Trophy final against Baroda, Iyer couldn’t field for two days due to his back issues resurfacing.

Through Sunday’s title clash between KKR and SRH, Iyer will be captaining an IPL team in a final for the second time after leading Delhi Capitals to a runners-up finish in IPL 2020. In IPL 2024, Iyer had a decent time, making 345 runs in 14 games, including two fifties, and wasn’t even in contention for the Indian team in the upcoming Men’s T20 World Cup.

"The transformation from red-ball cricket to white-ball, it's difficult as a batsman and as a bowler, I feel. It was kind of difficult at the start but once you get used to it, I think you pick up the pace and march on with the other players."

“It has been fantastic. We won the final. I was part of the team and I also contributed to the final. I stayed in the present and didn’t think about what was going to happen to me in terms of selection. I just wanted to come and participate and see to it that I play to the best of my abilities,” added Iyer on a roller-coaster first six months of 2024.

KKR will heavily bank on their spin-bowling duo of Varun Chakaravarthy and Sunil Narine to counter SRH’s power-packed batting line-up. “They are our wicket takers. They have been spot-on in executing our plans. When they bowl in the middle overs, they pick wickets and keep it tight. Hopefully, they’ll do it tomorrow.”

Iyer also thought the pitch for Sunday’s final would be different from the one used for the Qualifier 2 clash on Friday. “Looking at the wicket today, it’s completely different from Qualifier 2. It’s a red soil wicket. We don’t know how it’s going to play tomorrow. The dew factor didn’t play a role yesterday. Whatever decision we take hopefully will go in our favour,”

Iyer struck an unbeaten 24-ball 58 in Qualifier 1 against SRH in Ahmedabad, as KKR advanced easily to the final and are now on the verge of winning their third IPL title. With two-time IPL-winning captain Gautam Gambhir as KKR’s mentor this season, Iyer thinks his presence has been valuable.

“The hype is definitely created by you guys (media persons). Where I stand (as a skipper) is definitely on you (to decide). Gautam bhai has immense knowledge about how the game is played.”

“He has won two titles with KKR and his strategies have been spot on in terms of what execution has to be made against the opposition (teams). He adds a lot of cream to the team and hopefully, we keep continuing with the same momentum through his knowledge,” concluded Iyer.

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, May 25 (SocialNews.XYZ) Abhishek Sharma's surprise left-arm spin did wonders for the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) as they overpowered Rajasthan Royals by 36 runs in Qualifier 2 to set up a clash in the final against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.

Abhishek picked wickets of Rajasthan captain Sanju Samson (10) and Shimron Hetmyer (4) to give big jolts to the side while chasing 176. He returned with figures of 2-24 in four overs in the match. The 23-year-old said his father and former legendary all-rounder Yuvraj Singh would be happy to see his bowling performance.

“My father will be very happy, he was a left-arm spinner. He has been working really hard on my bowling. Somehow, I knew that if I kept on working on my bowling I could contribute to my team because I have that in myself,” Abhishek said in a video posted on IPL's official website.

Abhishek explained he had to convince SRH coaches and captain Pat Cummins to allow him to bowl. Before the clash against Rajasthan, Abhishek had only bowled three overs in the season.

“From the junior cricket, I have been bowling a lot. I was waiting for this opportunity. It was not easy, I had to convince my captain and coach because they had not seen me bowling much.”

“Whenever I had talks with Yuvi Paaji about my bowling, he used to say that I can be a better bowler than him, so that thing I had in my mind and he will be really happy with my performance,” he said.

Ahead of the final, Abhishek wants the fans to turn up in large numbers and support Hyderabad at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

"I've been playing IPL for quite a few years now and obviously as a youngster my dream was to play in the finals and finally we're playing this year. I know Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have a lot of fan following here. I would request all the CSK fans to come and support us in the final,” he said.

Abhishek was not the only left-arm spinner that had an imprint on Friday as Shehbaz Ahmed also scalped three wickets to pick Player of the Match accolade.

"Since the start of the campaign, we're very relaxed and we're still not very excited. Our main focus is to win the final. I'm happy and proud of my semi-final performance," said Ahmed. "When I was batting in the death overs, I felt the wicket was slow and the ball was coming slowly on the bat. In my first over of bowling, after getting Yashasvi Jaiswal's wicket, I was confident that left-arm spin would be tough for the right-handed batters," he added.

The final of the tournament will be played on Sunday.

Source: IANS

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Chennai, May 25 (SocialNews.XYZ) Kumar Sangakkara, the director of cricket at Rajasthan Royals, had words of praise for India fast-bowler Avesh Khan coming good for the side in his first season with them in IPL 2024.

Before the start of the season, Avesh was traded to RR from Lucknow Super Giants and he stepped up in the absence of Prasidh Krishna and Navdeep Saini to claim 19 wickets from 16 matches at an average of 27.68 and economy rate of 9.59.

Avesh also landed a spot in the traveling reserves for India in the upcoming Men’s T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA from June 1. In Qualifier 2, Avesh was spot-on in his execution of yorkers and slower balls to pick 3-27 against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Chennai, though it went in vain as RR lost by 36 runs.

"First of all it was a really good trade we did. We had the opportunity to trade DDP (Devdutt Padikkal to LSG). Padikkal was a great servant of RR. He did a great job for us but we needed a fast bowler and we traded for Avesh because we knew how good he was and he's shown that throughout this tournament.”

"And that's why he's a travelling reserve as well for the World Cup for India. He's got a great presence and good clarity, he's very good at finishing off in the death. And I think he's been phenomenal for RR. And we couldn't ask for a better trier. He bowls a lot in training, he's always up for a game. I thought again he was outstanding," said Sangakkara in the post-match press conference.

Coming to their season-ending defeat in Qualifier 2, Sangakkara admitted that not having opener Jos Buttler was a huge loss but wished for others to step up in his absence in the business end of the tournament.

In place of Buttler, who went back home to play in England’s T20Is against Pakistan with an eye to prepare for Men’s T20 World Cup, his country-mate Tom Kohler-Cadmore opened the batting alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal, but failed to get going.

"We always say that the best ability is availability and unfortunately, we lost Jos. He is a big loss, without a doubt. When you're in playoffs like this and you've got that start without Jos, we expect the other batters to also step up. All of us wanted to get over 45 runs in that powerplay minimum and we got 51."

"TKC couldn't really get going but Jaiswal made up for it in that Bhuvi over. Once you hit 51, it's just a case of batting and batting, and once you don't lose wickets, the pressure is always on the opposition - whether you've to chase 12 runs an over in the last five with wickets in hand, it is not difficult to do as we saw.”

“It was just a case of being smart and keeping our composure. Unfortunately, when you lose wickets in clusters, it becomes hard. Even in the RCB chase, if you lose wickets, it gets tense and close. Unfortunately, we needed a little bit more from our middle order," he elaborated.

Sangakkara signed off by saying experiences gained along the way will keep RR’s young and experienced players in good frame of mind for future challenges. "I think looking back at the season it was wonderful to see Riyan (Parag) and Sanju the way they batted and the way they held this side together.”

“Yashasvi Jaiswal on and off, Dhruv Jurel, I think he's going to be phenomenal in every format that he plays. Then of course (Ravichandran) Ashwin, what he did for us, (Yuzvendra) Chahal, (Trent) Boult was absolutely outstanding right throughout he was phenomenal, Sandeep Sharma, Avesh Khan, the list goes on.”

Source: IANS

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Chennai, May 25 (SocialNews.XYZ) After Sunrisers Hyderabad outclassed Rajasthan Royals by 36 runs in Qualifier 2 to enter IPL 2024 final, assistant coach Simon Helmot felt skipper Pat Cummins’ gut feel decision to introduce Shahbaz Ahmed and Abhishek Sharma in the bowling attack was a certain game changer in the match.

The spin duo of Shahbaz (3-23) and Abhishek (2-24) collectively bowled nine overs, conceding only 57 runs on a pitch that became dry, and with dew not there, the duo made merry to take five wickets collectively as RR suffered a batting meltdown, going from 65/2 to 92/6. Eventually, RR made 139/7, as SRH successfully defended 175/9 to enter their third IPL final.

“I think he decided at the time where he felt, given the conditions, we could use Shahbaz Ahmed. There were two right-handers in and he felt the unorthodox spinner would be a good option to work one end. And the Abhishek one, I haven’t asked Pat this.”

“But I dare say it may have been a gut feeling, and if that’s the case, what a wonderful decision it was because it certainly changed the complexion of the game,” said Helmot in the post-match press conference.

Further talking of Ahmed’s all-round utilities helping SRH after coming into the team post a pre-season trade from RCB, Helmot remarked, "Don't know the background about how it was done, but I do know he is a multi-skilled player, very experienced, bats at the top of the order, or the middle order, and can bowl nearly anywhere in the innings.”

"I think when the opportunity (to trade) was presented, the decision-makers were very wise in making that trade. He's played a lot of games for us and has been an important element, besides being a versatile one alongside Nitish Reddy, which makes it easier when it comes to squad balance."

“We probably had lost too many wickets, so we needed a batter to come in and we knew how skilled Shahbaz is with the ball as well. So we were getting a multi-skilled player in that position.”

“We needed to get another partnership or two at the back end to try and get a competitive total and he helped us out with that. What he did with the ball was fantastic, that was brilliant. He’s had his best day for the Sunrisers.”

In the previous IPL season, SRH finished at the bottom of the points table, but this year, under Cummins’ leadership, they are now in the title clash, where they face Kolkata Knight Riders at Chennai on Sunday.

“He’s a practical guy, very humble, very empathetic with his fellow teammates and coaching staff. He’s into the statistics, he gets the information he needs against a particular opposition in certain conditions. He doesn’t waste time in meetings.”

“We think our team meeting (before the game) went for 35 seconds, but a lot of information has already been spoken about. There’s a lot of one-on-one conversations, there’s a lot of one-on-one discussions. I suppose we try to limit the large group meetings, but we still have them and we need them,” concluded Helmot.

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, May 25 (SocialNews.XYZ) Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar is confident of winning the Indian Premier League (IPL) title as they gear up for the summit clash against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday.

SRH defeated Rajasthan Royals by 36 runs in Qualifier 2 on Friday to reach the final. However, they lost Qualifier 1 against KKR by eight wickets and were scheduled to play the encounter against Rajasthan for the final spot.

This is the first time in six seasons that Hyderabad are playing the final. They last reached the final in 2018 and lost the title to MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings.

In the last three seasons, they failed to reach the playoffs and in fact, finished at bottom in the previous edition of the IPL.

Bhuvaneshwar expressed his excitement to play the summit clash and is eager to lift the trophy.

"It's a different feeling because we hadn't played in the playoffs for the last three seasons. It's a great feeling. The way we were playing this season, we had a feeling we would reach the final, and then it was a one-match scenario. Everyone's happy with how everyone has contributed, it was fantastic teamwork... Winning the IPL title is really special and now that we have reached the final, we will definitely win the trophy," Bhuvaneshwar told Jiocinema.

Rahul Tripathi, who contributed 37 runs against Rajasthan, said he was waiting for his opportunity to showcase his talent. He played only five matches this season and scored 156 runs including a half-century.

"I had to wait for my opportunity, it was tough. Even when I wasn't playing, I was thinking about how I would help the team when the opportunity came my way and how I could put my best foot forward. That thinking helped me. My preparation was to contribute positively whenever I got an opportunity," he said.

Former India spinner Anil Kumble lauded Shabaz Ahmed's all-round performance that awarded him Player of the Match on Friday.

He scored 18 runs and also bagged three crucial wickets of Yashaasvi Jaiswal (42), Riyan Parag (6) and Ravichandran Ashwin (0) in his four-over spell to restrict Rajasthan for 139/7 in 20 overs.

"Even with his previous franchise, RCB, he had the cricket smarts. He came in a different position, and even today, he batted. Yes, he bowled really well and got the length right. On Chennai pitches, you need to get the length right and bowl stump-to-stump, that's all you need to do," Kumble said.

"You don't need to think about anything else. You have to try to spin the ball, hit the pitch, and bowl a good length where it's going to hit the stumps and that's exactly what Shabhaz did. With the bat, his partnership with Klaasen, he batted really well. They were losing wickets, and his job was to be there till Klaasen was there and then take a chance. He did that to good effect," he added.

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, May 25 (SocialNews.XYZ) Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) have set up the Indian Premier League (IPL) final against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) after crushing Rajasthan Royals (RR) by 36 runs in Qualifier 2 on Friday. Ahead of the title encounter, former Australia batter Matthew Hayden and former England batter Kevin Pietersen have backed KKR to win the title.

In Qualifier 1, KKR toppled SRH by eight wickets in Ahmedabad to progress to the summit clash. Both teams have started their IPL campaign against each other in which Kolkata won the battle by four runs.

Hayden feels that KKR's spin duo of Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy will make an impact in the match. The spinners share 36 wickets between them in the ongoing season for KKR.

"I'm very confident that KKR are going to win here, as having a few days off, having the ability to watch this match, and understanding what the strengths and weaknesses of Sunrisers Hyderabad are will be helpful. KKR, having defeated SRH, is going to have great momentum. I also just feel that the quality spin of Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy on the red clay is going to make a difference," Hayden said on Star Sports Cricket Live.

Pieterson added that Hyderabad's last defeat against Kolkata will also give the latter a lot of confidence in the final but feels happy for the Pat Cummins-led side to reach the title decider.

"I didn't like the way the Sunrisers threw in the towel the other evening in Ahmedabad, and I think it's going to put them on the back foot for the start on Sunday. The way they just finished that game off, Pat Cummins gave Travis Head the ball, and Shreyas Iyer just went bang, bang, bang. It'll give KKR a lot of confidence going into the finals knowing that they've already beaten SRH a couple of days ago," he said.

"So it's going to be really hard for the Sunrisers to get up, but I think they will because they won the SA20, so they know how to win. They've got a structure that knows how to win, and when you've got that belief within the franchise, that belief within the ownership, then momentum has its own way. I'm actually very, very happy that SRH got into the final just because of what they've done for the game of cricket in the last eight to nine weeks. I think it is absolutely right that the Sunrisers are in this final," Pietersen added.

Hayden further said that in the high-pressure final, the 'strong-hearted' team lifts the title.

“It's about just getting it right, really as simple as that. You've done all the hard work, traversed the country, been in and out of planes, buses, different hotels, and different beds. It's a really challenging, rigorous tournament, and only the strong-hearted get a chance to lift that trophy at the end. Luck will always play a little role in a sportsperson's life, no question, but more than anything, it's about making sure you're committed to your team on the day. What I saw from Rajasthan Royals was that while they were committed on one side of the match, they didn't fully believe when it came to batting. They felt the strain and tension, and they succumbed to it," the former opener said.

"On the other hand, Sunrisers Hyderabad bounced back. It's not easy to bounce back in big matches after a loss. We were just talking about that with India and Pakistan. Finals are not about retreating into your shell. Finals are about sticking your chest out, owning your space, understanding your role, and going for the jugular. That's the mentality you need in a final. It's a hunt, and you need to be in it to win it,” Hayden added.

The IPL 2024 final will be played at MA Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday.

Source: IANS

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Chennai, May 25 (SocialNews.XYZ) Following 36 runs victory over Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Qualifier 2 of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) captain Pat Cummins explained it was bowling coach Daniel Vettori’s choice to use left-arm spinners.

Shahbaz Ahmed (3-23) and Abhishek Sharma (2-24) collectively bowled nine overs, conceding only 57 runs on a pitch that became dry, and with dew not there, the duo made merry to take five wickets collectively and triggered an RR batting meltdown to beat them by 36 runs.

“That was Vettori's choice, he likes his left-arm spinners. (Using Sharma's four overs) I felt there was a bit of a grip. (Total felt enough at the break?),” said the Aussie all-rounder when asked about Shahbaz.

“You've seen that in the way we played. The finals was the goal and we've made it. We knew our strength was batting but we wouldn't underestimate the experience in the side like Nattu, Unadkat and Bhuvi,” said Cummins in the post match conference.

SRH clinched a spot in the IPL 2024 final, outmanoeuvring RR on a pitch that increasingly favoured the spinners in the second innings. The Royals, chasing a target of 176, fell short, managing only 139 for 7. This loss was attributed to their struggle against SRH's left-arm spinners on a dry pitch that offered more turn as the game progressed.

The win over the Royals means that SRH will now be playing their third IPL final against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and will be hoping to lift the trophy for the second time in the franchise’s history. The final will not be easy as they face very tough opposition in Kolkata Knight Riders who will be looking to lift the coveted trophy for the third time.

“For the whole franchise, there are 60-70 of us who are involved, it is really gratifying. Hopefully one more," concluded the skipper.

Source: IANS

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Chennai, May 25 (SocialNews.XYZ) Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson feels they were short of options in the middle overs which was the reason they lost Qualifier 2 against Sunrisers Hyderabad by 36 runs at MA Chidambaram Stadium.

SRH clinched a spot in the IPL 2024 final, outmanoeuvring RR on a pitch that increasingly favoured the spinners in the second innings. The Royals, chasing a target of 176, fell short, managing only 139 for 7. This loss was attributed to their struggle against SRH's left-arm spinners on a dry pitch that offered more turn as the game progressed.

Rajasthan Royals' captain Sanju Samson acknowledged the challenge posed by the pitch and the clever bowling by SRH. "I think we were found short of options in the middle overs against spin, and I think that's where we lost the game," Samson said after the game. "Against left-arm spin, we had three-four right-handers in the middle and the ball was stopping. But we could've tried a bit more [options] - reverse-sweep or use of the crease a bit more - and they [SRH] also bowled really well, actually.

"It's actually very hard to guess - when we can expect dew or not [in Chennai]. So, the wicket started behaving differently in the second innings. The ball started turning a bit and they used the advantage and bowled spin in the middle overs against our right-handers and that's where they were one-up against us."

The statistics supported Samson's assessment. The Chepauk pitch, which offered an average turn of 1.8 degrees in the first innings, became significantly more spin-friendly in the second innings, with an average turn of 3.3 degrees. SRH strategically left out their main spinners, opting instead for Shahbaz Ahmed, who was introduced as an Impact Player, and Abhishek Sharma. This duo delivered eight overs, taking five wickets for just 47 runs. Even Aiden Markram's single over yielded sharp turn, underlining the changing nature of the pitch.

The Royals had a bright start with Yashasvi Jaiswal, who showed intent by reverse-sweeping the first ball he faced from Shahbaz for a boundary. However, his dismissal for 42 off 21 balls marked a turning point. SRH capitalized on this by deploying their left-arm spinners effectively against RR's right-handers, causing the middle-order to falter.

Kumar Sangakkara, RR's director of cricket, echoed Samson's sentiments, highlighting the need for better game-awareness and intent. "Jaiswal getting out at that stage brought the left-arm spinners into the game, and after that, it was a little difficult," Sangakkara said. He praised Dhruv Jurel for showing intent and playing smart shots but acknowledged that the overall team performance fell short.

"I think we've got to be a lot more clinical in our chases and these games are not won quite easily," Sangakkara said at his post-match press conference. "Jaiswal getting out at that stage brought the left-arm spinners into the game and after that it was a little difficult, but it was a case of just hanging in there and getting the pace of the wicket again and getting the hang of the bowler. As Dhruv Jurel showed, if you show intent and if you play smart shots, you can chase a score, but, unfortunately, we weren't good enough on the day. I thought the Sunrisers held in, they batted deep, and their bowlers did a great job for them."

Despite the disappointing end to their campaign, both Samson and Sangakkara reflected positively on the season. RR had started strong, winning eight of their first nine games before a mid-season slump. They managed to reach the second qualifier despite significant challenges, including the departure of key player Jos Buttler for England duty and an injury to Shimron Hetmyer.

Sangakkara highlighted the emergence of young talents like Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel as a major positive. Parag ended the season with 573 runs at a strike rate just under 150, while Jurel played several crucial innings. "I think it was a great season for us," Sangakkara said. "We started really well and then we lost a close game to SRH in Hyderabad. And then in Delhi also we put ourselves in winning positions and sometimes you have streaks. RCB lost almost every game at the start and then caught up. That's how T20 goes.

"All we can do is to put ourselves in positions for playoffs and vying for finals, which we did. I think all the guys through the season played really phenomenal cricket and there was a little bit of fatigue, of course, at the back end. But it doesn't really matter when you're in games like this - you've got to turn up and perform."

On the bowling front, Sandeep Sharma's transformation into a reliable death bowler was a standout. He took crucial wickets in the second qualifier and maintained a tight economy.

"I think it's just a case of changing his role. We always knew that a lot of sides used him upfront but with his pace and skill, we identified that he will be very, very effective for us in the middle and at the back end," Sangakkara said. That's what we tasked him with.

"We didn't have the services of Prasidh Krishna again. Navdeep Saini was injured, and he was coming back from a big shoulder injury and came [in] halfway through the season. For two seasons now, Sandeep has been absolutely outstanding for us. He's just a mature cricketer and he knows exactly what he can do and can't do, and he sticks to the basics. He tries to swing the new ball and once he's out of it, he changes his pace and he's got incredible skill and we're just lucky to have him."

Source: IANS

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Chennai, May 25 (SocialNews.XYZ) Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) all-rounder Abhishek Sharma didn't know if he would bowl in Qualifier 2 for his team against Rajasthan Royals, but he was ready for the challenge. Despite having bowled only three overs in IPL 2024 before this crucial match, Abhishek delivered a match-winning spell of 2 for 24, propelling SRH into the IPL final.

"To be honest, I didn't know I will bowl this match but I was very much ready with my bowling because I've been working really hard on my bowling," Abhishek said post-match. "The last two years it's been really good with my batting so I wanted to work on my bowling with my dad. So special mention to my dad."

Shahbaz (3-23) and Abhishek (2-24) collectively bowled nine overs, conceding only 57 runs on a pitch that became dry, and with dew not there, the duo made merry to take five wickets collectively and triggered an RR batting meltdown to beat them by 36 runs.

“Patty (Pat Cummins) used the spinners really well. There was more turn in the second innings. (No dew, that's why more part-time spin) I think it's the pressure that I've put on our team in the practice session that's why maybe I got a chance (smiles). But Shahbaz and I did well. (IPL 2024 for him) It came from Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. We won the Trophy for Punjab and the momentum came from there. I had confidence for this season from the conversations in the meetings where the batters were given freedom." (Final) It is one of my dreams to play the IPL final, it is coming true this year."

While Abhishek had a stellar season with the bat, amassing 482 runs at a striking rate of 207.75 and hitting a record 42 sixes for an Indian batter in any IPL season, it was his left-arm spin that shone under the Chennai lights. Against RR's middle order, he took two crucial wickets, including Sanju Samson and Shimron Hetmyer, and did not concede a boundary in his first three overs.

Abhishek was the sixth bowler called upon by SRH as the Chennai pitch began to offer significant turn without the interference of dew. His success was foreshadowed by his performance in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where he bowled 20 overs in Punjab's victorious campaign.

"When I saw the starting XI, I knew he's [Abhishek] going to bowl today," Varun Aaron remarked on ESPNcricinfo's Time Out show. "He's a really good bowler. I've seen a lot of him in domestic cricket. He's one of those bowlers who tosses it up a little bit, more than the others. He bowls that carrom ball which comes out from the front of the hand, that was a really good ball."

Aaron highlighted Abhishek's enthusiasm and ability to adapt, noting that he consistently sought opportunities to bowl in domestic matches to stay involved in the game. This versatility makes him a valuable asset, especially since India lacks specialist batters who can also bowl in limited-overs cricket.

Tom Moody added, "He backs himself 100%. Yes, he doesn't bowl as much as he needs to bowl in domestic cricket for whatever reasons but for the future of Indian cricket he needs to be bowling because he is a serious package to be reckoned with. [Bats] at the top of the order, someone who can bowl left-arm spin whatever the format, he's going to be a real asset going forward."

Source: IANS

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Chennai, May 25 (SocialNews.XYZ) Rajasthan Royals cricketer Shimron Hetmyer has been fined 10 per cent of his match fees for breaching the IPL Code of Conduct during the Qualifier 2 against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Friday night.

“Hetmyer committed a Level 1 offence under Article 2.2 of the IPL Code of Conduct. He admitted to the offence and accepted the Match Referee’s sanction. For Level 1 breaches of the Code of Conduct, the Match Referee’s decision is final and binding,” said a IPL statement released on Saturday.

Meanwhile, all-round duo of Shahbaz Ahmed and Abhishek Sharma shared five wickets between themselves as Sunrisers Hyderabad set up the title clash with Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday after beating Rajasthan Royals by 36 runs.

Source: IANS

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Chennai, May 24 (SocialNews.XYZ) Left-arm spin all-round duo of Shahbaz Ahmed and Abhishek Sharma took five wickets between themselves as Sunrisers Hyderabad set up the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 title clash with Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday after beating Rajasthan Royals by 36 runs in the Qualifier 2 at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium here on Friday.

Shahbaz (3-23) and Abhishek (2-24) collectively bowled nine overs, conceding only 57 runs on a pitch that became dry, and with dew not there, the duo made merry to take five wickets collectively and triggered an RR batting meltdown.

Only Dhruv Jurel fought with an unbeaten 56 off 35 balls, but it wasn’t enough as RR ended at 139/7, ending their hopes of having a shot at winning the title. The result also means SRH entered an IPL final for the third time and their meeting with KKR on Sunday is their clash of this season against the two-time champions.

Chasing 176, Yashasvi Jaiswal was up and running with two boundaries off Bhuvneshwar Kumar. But Tom Kohler-Cadmore struggled from the other end, moving down the pitch and around the crease to break free. It was in vain though as SRH kept him quiet with tight lines and bounce, thus increasing the pressure on the England batter.

Kohler-Cadmore’s struggle came to an end for a 16-ball 10 when he skied to cover point off Pat Cummins. Jaiswal pushed the scoring rate when he dispatched a short-ball from Bhuvneshwar Kumar over long-on for a six, followed by driving down the ground and through extra cover to pick two fours in a 19-run over as RR reached 51/1 at the end of power-play.

Jaiswal’s knock ended on 42 in the eighth over when he horribly miscued a loft off Shahbaz and holed out to long-off. With a longer boundary to use against right-handed batters via pace-off deliveries, SRH clawed back in the game via the left-arm spin duo of Shahbaz and Abhishek.

Abhishek had Sanju Samson pulling straight to long-on, followed by Riyan Parag top-edging to deep mid-wicket and Ravichandran Ashwin nicking behind off Shahbaz. Abhishek came back to rattle Shimron Hetmyer’s stumps with a flat and quick delivery, while Rovman Powell pulled straight to mid-wicket off T Natarajan.

Jurel kept RR in the hunt with his reverse-sweep and inside-out drive fetching boundaries off Shahbaz, followed by driving twice off Abhishek for a brace of fours. He took a six off Cummins, before pulling him twice for fours to get a fighting fifty. But his late efforts went in vain as SRH stormed into their third IPL final in emphatic fashion.

Previously, Rahul Tripathi’s 37 and Heinrich Klaasen’s fighting fifty took SRH to a decent 175/9 after being inserted into batting first by RR, who had good bowling performances from Avesh Khan (3-27) and Trent Boult (3-45). RR’s seamers excelled by bowling cutters into the pitch, conceding only 25 runs in the last three overs, even as their spinners went wicketless in their combined eight overs.

Abhishek got going by pulling and driving Boult for exquisite boundaries before the pacer had the last laugh as the batter miscued a short ball to backward point. Tripathi was quick off the blocks by hitting seven boundaries, four of which came against Ravichandran Ashwin.

But Tripathi fell for 15-ball 37 when his attempt to ramp a rising slower short ball from Boult was caught by short third man. In the same over, Boult struck again as Aiden Markram threw his hands at a wide ball and the edge flew to the short third man’s hands.

Travis Head overcame a slow start by hitting four boundaries collectively off Avesh and Sandeep Sharma but was caught at short third man in an attempt to ramp a slower bouncer off the latter. Klassen tried to keep SRH innings afloat with his gigantic sixes off Chahal but didn’t get support from the other end.

Nitish Kumar Reddy reverse-swept to short third man off Avesh, who also rattled Abdul Samad’s off-stump. Klaasen continued his rearguard act by smacking Boult for a six down the ground, before reaching his fifty in 33 balls.

But Klaasen missed the very next ball he faced, as a yorker from Sandeep uprooted his leg-stump. Avesh’s impressive time in the match concluded with him having Shahbaz Ahmed heaving to long-on and inflicting a run-out of Jaydev Unadkat on the last ball of the innings.

Brief scores:

Sunrisers Hyderabad 175/9 in 20 overs (Heinrich Klaasen 50, Rahul Tripathi 37; Avesh Khan 3-27, Trent Boult 3-45) beat Rajasthan Royals 139/7 in 20 overs (Dhruv Jurel 56 not out, Yashasvi Jaiswal 42; Shahbaz Ahmed 3-23, Abhishek Sharma 2-24) by 36 runs

Source: IANS

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Chennai, May 24 (SocialNews.XYZ) Left-arm spin all-round duo of Shahbaz Ahmed and Abhishek Sharma took five wickets between themselves as Sunrisers Hyderabad set up the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 title clash with Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday after beating Rajasthan Royals by 36 runs in the Qualifier 2 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium here on Friday.

Shahbaz (3-23) and Abhishek (2-24) collectively bowled nine overs, conceding only 57 runs on a pitch that became dry, and with dew not there, the duo made merry to take five wickets collectively and triggered an RR batting meltdown.

Only Dhruv Jurel fought with an unbeaten 56 off 35 balls, but it wasn’t enough as RR ended at 139/7, ending their hopes of having a shot at winning the title. The result also means SRH entered an IPL final for the third time and their meeting with KKR on Sunday is their clash of this season against the two-time champions.

Chasing 176, Yashasvi Jaiswal was up and running with two boundaries off Bhuvneshwar Kumar. But Tom Kohler-Cadmore struggled from the other end, moving down the pitch and around the crease to break free. It was in vain though as SRH kept him quiet with tight lines and bounce, thus increasing the pressure on the England batter.

Kohler-Cadmore’s struggle came to an end on 16-ball 10 when he skied to cover point off Pat Cummins. Jaiswal pushed the scoring rate when he dispatched a short ball from Bhuvneshwar Kumar over long-on for a six, followed by driving down the ground and through extra cover to pick two fours in a 19-run over as RR reached 51/1 at the end of power-play.

Jaiswal’s knock ended on 42 in the eighth over when he horribly miscued a loft off Shahbaz and holed out to long-off. With a longer boundary to use against right-handed batters via pace-off deliveries, SRH clawed back in the game via the left-arm spin duo of Shahbaz and Abhishek.

Abhishek had Sanju Samson pulling straight to long-on, followed by Riyan Parag top-edging to deep mid-wicket and Ravichandran Ashwin nicking behind off Shahbaz. Abhishek came back to rattle Shimron Hetmyer’s stumps with a flat and quick delivery, while Rovman Powell pulled straight to mid-wicket off T. Natarajan.

Jurel kept RR in the hunt with his reverse-sweep and inside-out drive fetching boundaries off Shahbaz, followed by driving twice off Abhishek for a brace of fours. He took a six off Cummins, before pulling him twice for fours to get a fighting fifty. But his late efforts went in vain as SRH stormed into their third IPL final in emphatic fashion.

Brief scores:

Sunrisers Hyderabad 175/9 in 20 overs (Heinrich Klaasen 50, Rahul Tripathi 37; Avesh Khan 3-27, Trent Boult 3-45) beat Rajasthan Royals 139/7 in 20 overs (Dhurv Jurel 56 not out, Yashasvi Jaiswal 42; Shahbaz Ahmed 3-23, Abhishek Sharma 2-24) by 36 runs

Source: IANS

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Chennai, May 24 (SocialNews.XYZ) Trent Boult did the early damage by picking three wickets in Power-play, while Avesh Khan took a three-fer in the backend of the innings as Rajasthan Royals restricted a power-packed Sunrisers Hyderabad to 175/9 in Qualifier 2 of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium here on Friday.

On a fresh pitch, Avesh (3-27) and Boult (3-45) were spot-on with their execution to ensure SRH didn’t run way to amass a big total. RR’s seamers excelled by bowling cutters into the pitch, conceding only 25 runs in the last three overs, even as their spinners went wicketless in their combined eight overs.

For SRH, Rahul Tripathi’s 37 and Heinrich Klaasen’s fighting fifty took them to a decent total after being inserted into batting first by RR. Abhishek Sharma got going by pulling and driving Boult for exquisite boundaries before the pacer had the last laugh as the batter miscued a short ball to backward point. Tripathi was quick off the blocks by hitting seven boundaries, four of which came against Ravichandran Ashwin.

But Tripathi fell for 15-ball 37 when his attempt to ramp a rising slower short ball from Boult was caught by short third man. In the same over, Boult struck again as Aiden Markram threw his hands at a wide ball and the edge flew to the short third man’s hands.

Travis Head overcame a slow start by hitting four boundaries collectively off Avesh and Sandeep Sharma but was caught at short third man in an attempt to ramp a slower bouncer off the latter. Klassen tried to keep SRH innings afloat with his gigantic sixes off Chahal but didn’t get support from the other end.

Nitish Kumar Reddy reverse-swept to short third man off Avesh, who also rattled Abdul Samad’s off-stump. Klaasen continued his rearguard act by smacking Boult for a six down the ground, before reaching his fifty in 33 balls.

But Klaasen missed the very next ball he faced, as a yorker from Sandeep uprooted his leg-stump. Avesh’s impressive time in the match concluded with him having Shahbaz Ahmed heaving to long-on and inflicting the run-out of Jaydev Unadkat on the last ball of the innings.

Brief scores:

Sunrisers Hyderabad 175/9 in 20 overs (Heinrich Klaasen 50, Rahul Tripathi 37; Avesh Khan 3-27, Trent Boult 3-45) against Rajasthan Royals

Source: IANS

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Chennai, May 24 (SocialNews.XYZ) Sunrisers Hyderabad’s big-hitting batter Heinrich Klaasen said he is hopeful of rectifying the small errors that have entered his game and aims to have a big impact in the IPL 2024 Qualifier 2 clash against Rajasthan Royals at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.

In IPL 2024, Klassen scored 413 runs in 14 matches for SRH at an average of 41.30 and a strike rate of 180.34. “Little bit disappointed with how the middle phase of the tournament went. But for the last two games, I am quite pleased, small errors here and there, that are quite easy to fix. Hopefully, tonight I can rectify those small errors and make a big impact in the game,” he said in a pre-match chat with the broadcasters.

SRH came into Qualifier 2 after being outclassed by Kolkata Knight Riders by eight wickets in Qualifier 1 at Ahmedabad. Klaasen thinks SRH won’t alter its attacking style of play in Qualifier 2 at Chennai.

“It's a very humbling feeling, the crowd has been fantastic this season. Hopefully, it keeps on growing. If we win here tonight, they'll grow up more. I don't think the way we have played so far is going to change tonight at all.”

“It's a semifinal, a lot of big individuals need to step up and keep playing our type of brand. If we play our brand of cricket, we will put teams under pressure. It's a different wicket, boundary size does play a role here.”

“Straight is not too long, the one square boundary is sometimes a little bit bigger than you think it is. Still need to be clever in the way you do things. Hopefully, we can get over the line tonight and put on a better performance in the final,” he concluded.

Source: IANS

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Chennai, May 24 (SocialNews.XYZ) Rajasthan Royals won the toss and elected to bowl first against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Qualifier 2 at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium here on Friday. The winner of the match will face Kolkata Knight Riders in the final on Sunday.

RR entered Qualifier 2 after beating Royal Challengers Bengaluru by four wickets in the Eliminator at Ahmedabad, while SRH came into the crucial clash after suffering an eight-wicket defeat to KKR in Qualifier 1.

After winning the toss, RR skipper Sanju Samson said they are fielding the same line-up from the Eliminator clash in Qualifier 2. “Look to bowl first by looking at the conditions and what Chepauk offers in the second half. We are trying our best to recover (from a bug in the team), the doctors and physios are doing a great job.”

“We are doing much better. We played at 70% of our potential with batting on discussion with Sangakkara and we managed to cross the line. We'd like to be better. In each and every venue, the dimensions change. We are well equipped to play accordingly,” he said.

SRH skipper Pat Cummins said batter Aiden Markram and left-arm fast-bowler Jaydev Unadkat come into the playing eleven. “We would have bowled too. The guys will be aggressive, it's not going to work every time, and we are going to lose wickets sometimes.”

“We were well below our best a couple of days ago. Another chance tonight, much of the same. (Bowling) It's an ongoing discussion, this ground is a little bit bigger,” he said.

Friday’s Qualifier 2 is being played on pitch number seven in Chennai, with a huge difference in square boundaries of 61 metres and 72 metres respectively, while down the ground boundary dimensions are 77 meters.

Playing XIs:

Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Sanju Samson (c & wk), Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Rovman Powell, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Avesh Khan, Sandeep Sharma and Yuzvendra Chahal

Impact substitutes: Shimron Hetmyer, Nandre Burger, Shubham Dubey, Donovan Ferreira and Kuldeep Sen

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Reddy, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Abdul Samad, Pat Cummins (c), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat, T. Natarajan

Impact substitutes: Umran Malik, Sanvir Singh, Glenn Phillips, Mayank Markande and Shahbaz Ahmed

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, May 24 (SocialNews.XYZ) Talismanic India batter Virat Kohli has expressed immense gratitude to his Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) teammate Dinesh Karthik for helping him in his tough time, a phase where he struggled for confidence.

The veteran wicketkeeper-batter Karthik’s long playing career ended when RCB exited the IPL 2024 after a four-wicket loss to Rajasthan Royals in the Eliminator at Ahmedabad earlier this week. Karthik represented India in 26 Tests, 94 ODIs, and 60 T20Is since his international debut in 2004.

“Off the field, I have had some really nice and interesting conversations with Karthik. He is a wise man and has great knowledge about a lot of things, not just cricket. I have thoroughly enjoyed my conversations with him.”

“Even in that phase in 2022 when I did not have a great IPL season, I was really struggling for confidence, Karthik sat me down a couple of times and gave me a very honest explanation of how he is seeing things and maybe I am not able to see them myself,” said Kohli in a tribute video posted by the franchise on Friday.

Karthik played in every season of the Indian Premier League since 2008, and it was his second stint in RCB after the 2015 season.

“So, I just like his honesty and courage to go and speak to anyone about things that he feels dearly about. And that I think is the most special thing for me when it comes to Karthik and that’s one thing I have always cherished about him. That’s why we get along really, really well,” added Kohli.

The right-handed batter recalled his first meeting with Karthik in the national team set-up. “The first time I met DK, I remember we were playing in South Africa if I am not wrong in the Champions Trophy 2009. It was the first time I shared the changeroom with Dinesh and I found him to be very amusing, I would say hyperactive, confused person, most of the time he was moving all over the place, never stopping.”

“That was my first impression of Dinesh. Outstanding talent, brilliant batter to watch and my first impression and present-day impression are not far apart. Just that he has become wiser and calmed down a lot.”

“I always looked at Dinesh and felt like he was such a correct player technically that he could adapt to any kind of role that's been given to him, and I remember watching him in the 2013 season where he got 600 runs or something and he batted brilliantly at three.”

"I saw him play shots which were like 'wow'. I think he's done brilliantly to switch and become a renowned finisher. I wish him all the best for all his future endeavours moving forward because his expertise in cricket is priceless. I think he's of great value to this franchise.”

RCB fielding coach Malolan Rangarajan touched upon how Karthik is now a calmer figure after being at his lowest ebb in the 2010s. “What everybody is seeing now is a very, very subtle version. People need to understand that his situation, especially in the last four or five years, is high-intensity. So, it’s very difficult to just be sat on your seat, put your helmet on.”

“Very few people in the world can do that. So he gets himself, gets his heart rate up and going, runs like a maniac, up and down maybe 25, 30,000 times, and does about 200,000 push-ups before he goes in. I think he’s faced the most number of balls in training in the history of cricket off the field.”

Dipika Pallikal Karthik, the multiple-time squash medallist in the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games, lauded her husband for having a never-say-die attitude throughout his playing career. “One of the things I have really learned from him is that if he doesn’t do well, he is dropped from the team, it’s just two or three days when he is in a lull, and then he is back on his feet, thinking about what to do next.”

“I feel that if anyone else was in that position, a lot of people would have given up long back. Even me, though I am an athlete, seeing him in different positions in his career, if I were him, I would definitely have given up. But I think the do-or-die or never-give-up attitude has always been there.”

Dipika also credited Abhishek Nayar, the former India all-rounder who served as Karthik’s personal mentor, for helping him unearth a newer version of himself in his later cricketing career.

“There’s been different DKs. I feel over the last 10 years that we’ve been together. I think every two years, he tries to re-invent himself. I feel like, as a wife also, I see that difference in him. Over the last four to five years, he has really enjoyed the sport, since when he met Abhishek Nayar. Nayar played a big role, not just in his career, but building him as a person as well.”

Dipika signed off by saying it won’t be easy for Karthik to move on from his time as an active cricketer. “The first year with RCB opened up a lot of doors for him, the role he had got. This is his happy place. He has got all the right people around him. At the stage where DK is now, he is very content with what he has done, what he has achieved.”

“That’s the most important thing about any athlete. It’s not going to be easy moving away from the game because this is all he has done all his life. But he is a person who, as long as he is content, is ready to move on in life. So, he has done well for himself and his family, and he just has to be proud of it,” she concluded.

Meanwhile, Kohli has thanked the die-hard fans of Royal Challengers Bengaluru for their support that helped the team make a sensational comeback to storm into the Playoffs.

He said the fans' support made them feel loved and appreciated.

"Thank you once again to all the fans of RCB for making us feel loved and appreciated as always," Kohli wrote in a post on Instagram. The post was accompanied by a picture of the RCB team in a huddle during a match.

Source: IANS

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