Vengsarkar Cricket Academy clinched the U-16 Dream 11 Cup at the Oval Maidan recently by beating Cricket Mantra Academy through an eight-wicket margin. Batting first, Cricket Mantra posted 183-5 in the allotted 35 overs with Shrihann Haridass (22), Samridh Bhat 20, Aayudh Mohanty (45) and Vansh Chumble (50) being the principal scorers. Alekh Singh claimed 2-41. Also Read: PCB to announce new head coach by end of April Later, Vengsarkar CA openers Yash Jagtap (26) and Ashmith Jha (37) put on 62 before Aayush Shinde (51 not out) and Harsh Gaikar (60 not out) batted superbly in an unbeaten 107-run partnership in just 78 balls to seal the victory. Harsh hit 11 fours in his 32-ball innings while Aayush smashed five fours in 55 balls. Harsh was adjudged player of the final. Vengsarkar and Dr Shailesh Shrikhande, Director of Tata Memorial Hospital, gave away the prizes.
20 April,2024 07:35 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentPakistan will announce new set of coaches for red and white ball formats for the national team by the end of this month, a Cricket Board (PCB) official said on Friday. The PCB also confirmed that besides South Africa’s Gary Kirsten and Australia’s Jason Gillespie, the board had received applications from a couple of reputed coaches by the April 15 deadline. Also Read: Can DC rise at home? The PCB official said that the new applicants are also in the fray. “The PCB chairman, Mohsin Naqvi has made it clear that the long-term appointments of coaches will be done through a due process and all commitments would be met by the board,” the source added. The last time PCB followed due process in appointing coaches was in 2019 when it named Misbah-ul-Haq as the head coach and chief selector of the national side. Another reliable source in the PCB said that this time, the board would only invite those candidates for interviews who apply for the coaching positions. “Even in Kirsten and Gillespie’s case though, the board has held direct negotiations with them, and they remain top candidates to be appointed head coaches, [but] they were also told to apply through due process by the deadline,” the source said. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
20 April,2024 07:30 AM IST | Lahore | PTIAn emotional homecoming awaits Rishabh Pant when he leads Delhi Capitals out at the Arun Jaitley Stadium here, hoping to halt the marauding run of Pat Cummins’s Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday and continue the resurgence which has come to define his life both on and off the field. The last time Pant was seen at the refurbished stadium, he needed crutches to walk but that now seems a distant memory given how remarkably well he has managed to come back both as a wicketkeeper and batter after enduring a life-threatening car accident in 2022. Mixed bag for Capitals Capitals have had a mixed season so far, but a couple of impressive wins against Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans have put them back in the mix. In all, they have three wins and four defeats in seven outings. Placed fourth in the IPL points table, Sunrisers Hyderabad have set a different template altogether with two of the highest-ever totals of 277-3 and 287-3, which will require a lot of heart and skill to counter. Also Read: IPL 2024: Dhoni's 28-run cameo propels CSK to 176 vs LSG Hence, Captain Pant will have to use his resources with extreme caution and guile on a track which will have good bounce and carry for a change. Travis Head (235 runs)—IPL’s foreign flavour of the season—will be keen to build on his 39-ball century and his partner Abhishek Sharma (211 runs) is no pushover either. Both have a penchant for taking the aerial route during Powerplay. Head and Abhishek’s intimidating strike rates of 199 and 197 respectively, will pose a serious challenge for the pace trio of Ishant Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed and Mukesh Kumar. Adding to the threat is Heinrich Klaasen, who is also striking at 199, and is one of the best finishers in international cricket with propensity to hit balls out of the stadium, which gives SRH’s batting a scary look. Kuldeep on song But Kuldeep Yadav’s (economy of 6.06) left-arm wrist spin could well prove to be a game-changer and in Tristan Stubbs, Pant has got an ideal third spin option alongside Axar Patel (6.75). Pant, who is himself getting back to the top of his game, wouldn’t mind if he can win the toss and opt to bat. But David Warner’s knuckle injury is a cause for concern for Pant and head coach Ricky Ponting although Jake Fraser-McGurk has impressed one and all in his first two matches. While SRH’s batting has been top-notch on belters, their bowlers have suffered a lot on those tracks with only skipper Cummins (7.87) having an economy rate of less than eight runs per over, which is considered good in T20. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
20 April,2024 07:25 AM IST | New Delhi | PTIYellow was the dominant colour at the Ekana Stadium, the home ground of Lucknow Super Giants. There was hardly any blue LSG jerseys visible in the stands as local fans, donning MS Dhoni’s No. 7, came out in full support of the legendary player and his team. The wish of the Lucknow fans was to see their idol in action even for a few deliveries and it was granted as Dhoni played the kind of cameo that he has become famous for. He faced just nine deliveries, off which he collected 28, hitting three fours and two sixes. His power-hitting made the 45,000 spectators go delirious and helped CSK notch up a fighting 176-6 in their 20 overs. Also Read: IPL 2024 | "Everyone’s nerves got tested": Pandya after PBKS clash But it was not all that rosy for CSK initially as their top-order struggled against some tight bowling by the home team. Left-arm seamer Mohsin Khan struck the biggest blow when he cleaned up in-form Rachin Ravindra first ball. Thereafter, CSK kept losing wickets. Barring Ajinkya Rahane (34 in 24 balls), the top-order struggled throughout with Shivam Dube and impact batter Sameer Rizvi failing to live up to the expectations. It required a superb innings from Ravindra Jadeja (unbeaten 57 off 40 balls) and cameos by Moeen Ali, who hit leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi for three sixes in three balls, and Dhoni to ensure CSK a fighting total on the red clay pitch, where getting runs at a fast clip is not easy. By and large, the LSG bowling was steady till Moeen and Dhoni tore into the home team’s bowling attack in the final three overs.
20 April,2024 07:20 AM IST | Lucknow | Santosh SuriMumbai Indians (MI) skipper Hardik Pandya heaved a huge sigh of relief with a close nine-run win over Punjab Kings, stating that every player’s nerves got tested in Thursday’s IPL game. Young batting sensation Ashutosh Sharma’s 28-ball 61 was not enough as Punjab Kings, while chasing 193, were bowled out for 183 in 19.1 overs. The five-time champions MI registered only their third win out of seven games this season. Also Read: IPL 2024: MI skipper Hardik Pandya fined for slow over rate during PBKS match ‘A very good game’ “[It was a] very good game. Everyone’s nerves got tested. We spoke that the characters will be checked in this game. But [it is] natural [that] you [would] think you are ahead, but IPL has a tendency to show that oppositions can come back and how,” Pandya said. The MI skipper was full of praise for Ashutosh’s whirlwind knock, which kept Punjab in the hunt till the end. “Unbelievable, playing the way he did and hitting the ball off the middle. [It is] great for his future. We did speak in the timeout about it, not about how we look, we will keep fighting and make sure [that] we don’t bowl the soft balls. Batsmen played good shots but we were soft in certain overs,” Pandya said. ‘Want to make an impact early on’ The player of the match Jasprit Bumrah, who bowled a brilliant spell of 3-21 said it was a much closer game than he anticipated. “[It was a] much closer game than what we thought. [I] want to make an impact early on. In this format, ball swings for two overs, and you want to make use of that,” he said. Bumrah said the T20 format is cruel for bowlers and is tilted in favour of batters. “This format is a little difficult for the bowlers because the batsmanship is going over, plus the time restrictions and the Impact Player rule. What you can do is prepare your best and back yourself,” he said. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
20 April,2024 07:10 AM IST | Mullanpur | PTIMumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya has been fined Rs 12 lakh for his team maintaining a slow over-rate during their thrilling nine-run victory over Punjab Kings. Also Read: KL's gritty knock and de Kock's fifty helps LSG successfully chase target vs CSK “As it was his team’s first offence of the season under the IPL’s Code of Conduct relating to minimum over-rate offences, Pandya was fined Rs 12 lakh,” said an IPL statement on Friday. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
20 April,2024 07:05 AM IST | Mullanpur | PTIAfter M.S Dhoni nailed the last bite by scoring 28 off nine deliveries, K.L Rahul (82) and Quinton de Kock's (54) masterclass during a 154-run opening wicket partnership helped Lucknow Super Giants beat Chennai Super Kings by eight wickets in the highest successful run chase at Ekana Cricket Stadium here on Friday. Dhoni was shadow-batting in the dressing room with three bats next to him with Chennai Super Kings struggling to put up a big score. After 15 overs, CSK were 113/5, and with two left-hand batters out there: Jadeja and Moeen. Until this game, CSK had scored at 11.26 in the death overs and if they could get anywhere closer to that, they would be more than happy, especially to post something around 160. Earlier, given the chance to bat first Chennai got off to a poor start as Mohsin Khan from the Media End struck on the very first ball. He bowled a scrambled seam delivery to Rachin Ravindra and disturbed the stumps to make the crowd roar for him. A first-ball duck for Rachin and Mohsin bowled pretty tight for the rest of the over too to concede just three runs. CSK had just started to pick up pace after being 7/1 in two overs and were 29/1 after four. K.L. Rahul then made a bowling change and brought on Yash Thakur for Matt Henry (2-0-17-0) and he struck with his second ball to have the CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad for 17. And much to everyone's surprise, out outwalked Ravindra Jadeja at No. 4. And as soon as the Power-play ended, Krunal Pandya came in the attack and he started with a quiet one, just six runs from the over. Ajinkya Rahane on the other end was going well for CSK at 26 off 16 after the Power-play, despite battling a niggle in the last game in Mumbai, with four fours and a six already. After a quiet first over, Krunal got the wicket of Rahane, who was setting up nicely with 36 off 23 before swinging across the line for a ball that wasn't so short. The in-form Shivam Dube came out at No.5 and considering his ability to attack against spinner, Rahul was bound to take his prime spinner Pandya out of attack. Just to highlight, Dube had never got out to either Pandya or Ravi Bishnoi in his entire IPL career. It was hard to say which team was in front, and that was because LSG had removed a set batter, Rahane, after the Power-play, and Jadeja was knocking them at 27 off 18 as Dube was taking his time to tick along. LSG then brought on a fast bowler from one end - Yash Thakur - probably to bowl some short and quick ones to Dube. Also Read: 'Injuries don't define you': Mohammed Shami shares rehab update After bowling back-to-back spinners' overs against Jadeja and Dube, Rahul brought on pace from both ends. As soon as Marcus Stoinis came in, he bowled an innocuous-looking short delivery at 125.4 km/h, Dube went for the pull and top-edged for a skier which Rahul settled under just in time next to the pitch. Dube got out after scoring three runs from eight deliveries. Sameer Rizvi the new man at No. 6, came in as an Impact Sub for Rahane, who won't field in the chase. CSK were slowing down after the 12 overs and scored 89/4, with the last five overs bringing only 32/2. CSK were crumbling with five down in 13 overs and a strange wicket fell on Pandya’s ball with Sameer Rizvi dancing miles down the ground for Rahul to effect a stumping. Rizvi lasted all of five balls for just one run and hasn't impressed at all in his maiden IPL season. Dhoni was shadow-batting in the dressing room with three bats next to him. Moeen Ali joined Jadeja who was making CSK tick along. He was on 33 off 24. CSK were 93/5 after 13 overs. After 15 overs, CSK were 113/5, and with two left-hand batters out there: Jadeja and Moeen. Until this game, CSK had scored at 11.26 in the death overs and if they could get anywhere closer to that, they would be more than happy, especially to post something around 160. Bishnoi came back to bowl his last over of the spell which he later ended with the figure of 1-44 was taken down by Moeen Ali for three back-to-back sixes in the 18th over. Two on the leg side and one over long-off before he holed out to deep midwicket. But he departed after scoring 30 from 20 deliveries. CSK were 142 for 6 after 18 overs. In came Dhoni and kicked off with a one-bounce four through extra cover, a most un-Dhoni-like six over the keeper's head after walking across the stumps as Mohsin was bowling very wide of the crease. CSK were 157 for 6 after 19, with 15 from the 19th over. The 19-run last over from Yash Thakur propelled CSK to 176 for 6 after Dhoni powered his way for 16 runs in the last four deliveries after just three runs came from the first two. Jadeja remained unbeaten on 57 in 40 deliveries with Dhoni scoring 28 in just nine deliveries. For LSG, Pandya struck twice and Mohsin, Yash, Ravi and Stoinis claimed a wicket each. Chasing a modest target of 177, Lucknow openers Rahul and de Kock gave a good start and added 32 runs in the first four overs. After Deepak Chahar’s three-run first over, Tushar Deshpande was smashed for nine in the second over and LSG raced away to 32 runs in four overs. With the talk around Rahul’s strike rate in T20s especially in IPL, the LSG skipper raced to 34 off 20 with some classy strokes and led his team to 54 for no loss in the Power-play, along with de Kock, for their joint second-best Power-play score of the season. LSG and Rahul would have gained loads of confidence with plenty of strokes that he scored playing the aggressive role in the chase. He has belted out his mighty pulls, classy drives, and perfectly-timed pick-up shots to set up the chase nicely. Rahul was nicely placed on 46 off 27 and de Kock scored 34 off 27 balls after the end of nine overs. LSG were 84 for no loss after nine -- their best opening stand this IPL -- and they needed 93 off 66. Rahul was dealing with boundaries. He first played a cut shot past Jadeja to reach his fifty, off 31 balls. It was his 35th half-century in the IPL. Next ball, he sliced it just wide of point for another four, and that brought up LSG's 100. As many as 14 runs came off Jadeja's third over and CSK’s eleventh. LSG were 103 after 11 and need 74 off 54. Until this match, CSK were the stranglers of the middle overs in this IPL, something that they showed in their last game against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede. Their economy rate of 7.03 in the middle overs before this match was well below the next best -- Delhi Capitals' 8.04, and CSK had also taken 21 wickets in this phase, only behind DC's 22. Pathirana had done a lot of work in the middle overs to make that happen but on Friday, like the rest of the bowling attack, the Sri Lankan was not as effective. Rahul and de Kock cruised along for nearly 15 overs and CSK finally got a breakthrough as De Kock edged an off-cutter from Mustafizur Rahman behind to MS Dhoni for 54 off 43 and LSG were 134 for 1 after 15 overs. LSG needed 43 from 30 and Nicholas Pooran joined his captain and straightaway sent his second ball for a maximum off Pathirana’s delivery. In the very next over he smoked Rahman for back-to-back boundaries and then Rahul ended the over with the third boundary of the over as Rahman gave away 15 runs in his last over of the spell. He ended his spell with figures of 1-43. With 16 needed out of 18 deliveries, Jadeja guiding the backward point pulled out a screamer dicing to his left with a single-handed catch to dismiss Rahul on 82 off Pathirana’s delivery. In came Marcus Stoinis at No. 4 and with the help of 15 runs of Tushar Deshpande’s last over of the spell, LSG won the match by eight wickets and six deliveries remaining. This was the highest successful chase at Ekana Cricket Stadium breaking the previous record of Delhi Capitals, who chased down a total of 168 runs against Lucknow Super Giants. Brief scores:Chennai Super Kings 176/6 in 20 overs (Ravindra Jadeja 57 not out, Ajinkya Rahane 36; Krunal Pandya 2-16, Marcus Stoinis 1-7) lost to Lucknow Super Giants 180/2 in 19 overs (K.L. Rahul 82, Quinton de Kock 54; Matheesa Pathirana 1-19, Mustafizur Rahman 1-43) by eight wickets. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
20 April,2024 07:00 AM IST | Lucknow | IANSVeteran Indian pacer Mohammed Shami on Friday shared the progress of his rehabilitation process post a surgery on his Achilles tendon, stressing his strong desire to return to the field at the earliest. Shami played through last year's ODI World Cup braving the pain, finishing the tournament as the highest wicket-taker with 24 scalps. But since the final against Australia, the 33-year-old has been completely sidelined with the injury. Eventually, he underwent the surgery in February. "Injuries don't define you, your comeback will. Can't wait to be back out there with my team!" Shami posted on his Instagram handle and it accompanied by a video which showed him in the midst of a procedure Since the World Cup, Shami has missed out playing against Australia in a T20I series, the tour to South Africa and home assignments against Afghanistan (T20I) and England (Test). Also Read: Big investments, disappointing returns The surgery on his ankle meant that Shami also could not feature in the IPL 2024 for Gujarat Titans for whom he has captured 48 wickets from 33 matches across 2022 and 2023. He missed the home T20I series against Australia following the ICC event, and he was ruled out of the entire South Africa tour. He also missed the Afghanistan series and is not participating in the ongoing Test series against England. The 33-year-old, who was not part of the Test series against England, last donned the Indian jersey in November 2023 during the ODI World Cup. With him missing the entire IPL, it's highly unlikely that Shami will feature in India's squad for the T20 World Cup in June. He was awarded the Arjuna Award for his exceptional show with the ball in the global showpiece. So far, the pacer has featured in 64 tests, 101 One-Day Internationals and 23 T20 International matches. (With agency inputs)
19 April,2024 08:40 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondentIndia and Mumbai Indians (MI) batter Tilak Varma, in a heartwarming gesture following his side's win against the Punjab Kings (PBKS), gifted his batting gloves to two young budding cricketers who had come to watch the game. MI defeated PBKS by nine runs in a thrilling contest at Punjab's Mullanpur Stadium on Thursday. PBKS batter Ashutosh Sharma threatened to steal Suryakumar Yadav's spotlight and the match itself with a resilient half-century following a top-order collapse, but a run out in the final over helped MI walk away with two points. MI's official X (formerly Twitter) handle posted a video of Tilak giving his gloves to two young cricketers. "Scored 34* (18), took an important catch and this... Gave two budding cricketers a reason to believe in their dreams. Tilak Varma, #MumbaiMeriJaan #MumbaiIndians #PBKSvMI | @TilakV9," tweeted MI. Scored 34* (18), took an important catch and this… Gave two budding cricketers a reason to believe in their dreams. Tilak Varma, 🙏👍🥹#MumbaiMeriJaan #MumbaiIndians #PBKSvMI | @TilakV9 pic.twitter.com/nZIifQAcZh — Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) April 19, 2024 In seven games, Tilak has scored 208 runs at an average of 41.60 and a strike rate of 154.07. He has scored one half-century this season, a knock of 64 against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). Also Read: 'If I could have played till the end...': KL Rahul on his 'regret' in WC final Coming to the match, fine knocks from Suryakumar Yadav (78), Rohit Sharma (36) and Tilak (34) took MI to 192/7 in their 20 overs. Harshal Patel (3/31) was the pick of the bowlers for PBKS. PBKS were 77/6 at one point, but Shashank Sharma (41), Ashutosh Sharma (64) and Harpreet Brar (21) threatened to steal the game from MI. However, they fell nine runs short and skittled out for 183. Jasprit Bumrah (3/21) was the pick of the bowlers for MI. MI are in seventh place with three wins and four losses in the points table and have six points. PBKS are in the ninth spot with two wins and five losses. (With agency inputs)
19 April,2024 07:31 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentEngland and Punjab Kings (PBKS) batter Jonny Bairstow revealed his top three T20 batters among the present crop in the world. Bairstow is currently representing PBKS in the ongoing IPL 2024, however, he has failed to showcase his top form in the tournament, scoring just 96 runs in six matches at an average of 16.00, with the best score of 42. Speaking in a video posted by ESPNCricinfo, Bairstow said that his current top three T20 batters are: Suryakumar Yadav (India and Mumbai Indians), Jos Buttler (England and Rajasthan Royals) and Heinrich Klaasen (South Africa and Sunrisers Hyderabad). Suryakumar has been the number one ranked T20I batter for quite a while. In 60 T20Is, he has scored 2,141 runs at an average of 45.55, with a strike rate of 171.55. He has scored four centuries and 17 fifties in T20Is. In the ongoing IPL, he has made 130 runs in four matches, with two half-centuries. Klaasen is also a highly sought-after player on the league cricket circuit. In six matches of the ongoing IPL season, he has scored 253 runs at an average of 63.25, with a strike rate of over 199. He has scored three half-centuries and is the seventh-highest run-getter in the season. Over last couple of years or so, he has replicated this form across various T20 leagues, like The Hundred in UK, SA20 in South Africa, Major League Cricket in the USA, etc, making him one of the best out there now. Also Read: 'If I could have played till the end...': KL Rahul on his 'regret' in WC final Buttler is in hot form during the IPL this season, having scored 250 runs in six matches at an average of 62.50, with two centuries. In 114 T20Is for England, he has made 2,927 runs at an average of 34.84, with a strike rate of 144.61, with a century and 22 fifties. In T20 cricket as a whole, Buttler has scored 11,396 runs in 409 matches at an average of 34.95, with eight centuries and 80 fifties. On the best bowlers he has faced in nets, he named South African legend Dale Steyn and current Indian pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah. Steyn is considered as one of the finest pacers of all time, having taken 699 wickets in 265 matches. On the other hand, Bumrah has taken 382 wickets in 187 international games. The India is also in top form during the ongoing IPL, sitting at the top of the wicket-taking charts with 13 scalps in seven games. Bairstow named his English teammate and pace spearhead, Jofra Archer, as someone he does not like facing in the nets. On the bowler who gave him sleepless nights, Bairstow mentioned Australian pace legend Mitchell Johnson, who has 590 wickets in 256 matches. Bairstow named Australian skipper Pat Cummins as a player who he wants to play for England during the Ashes, because of how he "bats, bowls and galvanises his team". Notably, Cummins managed to draw the Ashes series in the UK by 2-2 last year and retained the prestigious urn. On a spinner he would like to avoid facing, Bairstow wasted no time in naming Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, calling him "phenomenal.". Jadeja has taken 567 wickets in 335 international games. Currently, PBKS is in ninth place with two wins and five losses, giving them just four points. They will next play the Gujarat Titans (GT) at Mullanpur Stadium on Sunday. (With agency inputs)
19 April,2024 06:51 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondentKL Rahul on Friday opened up on one of the biggest regrets of his cricketing career and his time with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) franchise in IPL 2024. Speaking on a video on Ravichandran Ashwin's Youtube channel on Thursday, Rahul said that his regret was not being able to stick around on the crease for long and taking his team to a good score in the finals. "The World Cup final against Australia, I was stuck in the moment, whether to take down (Mitchell) Starc or just play him as it was reversing, bowling in tough angle - in that confusion, I ended up nicking it - if I could have played till the end, it could have been 30-plus runs & probably World Cup in our hands--that is what I regret.". Rahul said. In the final, India could score only 240 runs in their 50 overs after being put to bowl first by Australia, with KL (66), Virat Kohli (54) and Rohit Sharma (47) playing crucial innings. Australia was 47-3 at one point during the run-chase, but Travis Head's 137 took the Aussies to a six-wicket win in Ahmedabad. KL had a great tournament with the bat and gloves, though. His versatility while batting, glovework and DRS calls garnered him acclaim. In 10 innings, he scored 452 runs at an average of 75.33, with a century and two fifties. His best score was 102. KL also revealed to Ashwin what his conversations were with star batter Virat Kohli when he signed his IPL deal with RCB back in 2013. He said that playing for the franchise was always his dream, and it was a massive learning experience for him. "Virat was there (ITC Gardenia), coach Ray Jennings and other support staff were also there and Virat only said, 'Would you want to sign this contract and play for RCB?' I was like, 'Are you kidding? It was always my dream.' And then he said, 'I am just kidding. It is not an option, just sign this contract.' I signed and Virat said, 'It is going to be a crazy ride. You are going to enjoy a lot in the next couple of months.'" "The things that I learned (at RCB) in those two months--I mean, the amount of time it would have taken me to be the player by playing just Ranji Trophy would have probably taken it 7-8 seasons. During those two months in the IPL, I gained so much knowledge and experience and everything was fast-forwarded," he added. Also Read: Big investments, disappointing returns KL represented RCB in the 2013 and 2016 seasons, playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) from 2014-15, for Punjab Kings from 2018-2021 and for LSG from 2022 till now on. In 19 matches and 14 innings for RCB, he scored 468 runs at an average of 37.91, with a strike rate of 145.30. He scored four half-centuries, with the best score of 68*. The right-handed batter said that he would have liked to finish his IPL career with RCB after playing only for them, but the "beauty of IPL" took him to different teams. He also opened up on how excited he was to create a new team and culture with LSG when he was bought by the franchise in 2022. "I would have also loved to play for Bangalore. I had started there, I would have liked to finish there and that was there in my head. But the beauty of IPL is that you get to go into different teams with different players," said KL. "When the two new teams came in and I had an opportunity to go there, thats what excited me. To start a franchise from scratch. To create my own team, my own culture. It has been fun and hopefully I can finish there," he concluded. In 30 matches for LSG, KL has scored 1,094 runs at an average of 42.08, with two centuries and seven fifties. His best score is 103*. Currently, his team is at the fifth spot in the points table, with three wins, three losses and six points. (With agency inputs)
19 April,2024 05:26 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondentADVERTISEMENT
