The IPL 2024 has been concluded with its league stage matches and the tournament is all set to witness the Qualifie one. The match will be played between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders at the Narendra Modi Stadium at 7.30 PM. Also Read: IPL 2024 Qualifier 1, KKR Vs SRH: Road to the finals! Ahead of the IPL 2024 qualifier one, Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Pat Cummins shared a post on his official Instagram handle saying, "Another amazing night at Uppal. Thanks for the incredible support. Onto the finals we go! 💪 🧡". Taking to Instagram: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Pat Cummins (@patcummins30) Under Pat Cummins' captaincy, SRH has seen a successful campaign so far. They ended the league stage with eight victories out of 14 matches. With 17 points and a net run rate of +0.414, SRH sits in second place in the IPL 2024 points table. Coming to Cummins' Instagram post, the Orange army's skipper mentioned "Onto the finals we go!" in his caption, showing faith and confidence in his team to make it to the finals of the IPL 2024. The match between KKR and SRH will be played in Ahmedabad where Australians won the ODI World Cup 2023 title against India. Prior to the finals of the World Cup 2023, Cummins in a press conference said that he would silence the Ahmedabad crowd during the match. Later, the Aussies lifted the trophy by defeating the "Men in Blue" at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Today, in Ahmedabad, will Cummins be able to recreate his World Cup moment? So far in 13 IPL 2024 matches, Pat Cummins has managed to pick 15 wickets. His best bowling figures are three wickets for 43 runs.
21 May,2024 06:18 PM IST | Mumbai | Sujay ShivalkarPakistan Cricket Board ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024 is looking to get West Indies great Sir Vivian Richards as mentor of their national team. Richards has worked as a mentor for Quetta Gladiators in the Pakistan Super League since 2016 and as per PCB sources current chairman Mohsin Naqvi is keen on having a big name associated with the national team. Additionally, with the T20 World Cup 2024 being jointly hosted by the West Indies and the USA, Richards will be quite aware of the Caribbean tracks. For the T20 World Cup 2024 which is starting in June, Sir Richards has some media commitments but things are being worked on, the source said. Also Read: "Time uska kharab hota hai": Rinku Singh opens up on his poor performance He said if the deal gets successful, Richards will mentor the national team in the T20 World Cup 2024. Earlier, the role was taken over by former Australian opener Matthew Hayden in the last two T20 World Cups in which Pakistan reached the semi-final and final. A PCB source also informed that PCB Chairman Naqvi had also given orders for the appointment of a foreign chief curator and Australian curator Tony Hemmings is seen as a strong candidate for the position. Hemmings is presently employed with the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), where he started in July of last year under a two-year contract. He applied for the Chief Curator position with the PCB and is ready to come to Pakistan, he said. Tony Hemmings has served as an International Cricket Soil Advisor and Consultant for the Western Australia Cricket Association (WACA) in Perth and also as the Head Curator at the ICC Cricket Academy and the Dubai International Stadium. The PCB Chairman has given priority to improving the behaviour of pitches in the country before the start of the next domestic season so Hemmings has been short-listed, he said. (With PTI Inputs)
21 May,2024 05:32 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentThe upcoming IPL 2024 clash between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at Narendra Modi Stadium here promises to be a run-fest, with the match taking place between two trailblazers of the season, who made a habit of hitting fours and sixes, putting up huge totals for fun. KKR has finished at the top with nine wins, three losses and two no results, with a total of 20 points. They also finished with a net run rate of +1.428, the highest by any team in the IPL history. SRH is at the second spot, with eight wins, five losses and one no result, giving them 16 points. KKR and SRH have posted six 200-plus totals in this season, the most by any team. SRH has crossed the 250-run mark thrice, also making the highest IPL total over, 287/3 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) while the KKR has done it twice. What has worked for KKR in IPL 2024? KKR's batting in death overs: KKR leads the table in death overs hitting, smashing at a run-rate of 13.02 in the overs 17-20. KKR has scored 432 fours in 199 balls in death overs, with 32 and 29 sixes. KKR has played just 59 dots in this phase. Sunil Narine's success: Under the mentorship of former captain Gautam Gambhir, Narine is enjoying one of his greatest seasons as an all-rounder in IPL history. In 13 matches, he has scored 461 runs at an average of 38.41 and a strike rate of over 182, with a century and three half-centuries. His best score is 109. He has also taken 15 wickets at an average of 20.80, with an economy rate of 6.63. He is in contention for both Orange and Purple Caps and has led the side's strong campaign along with opener Phil Salt (435 runs at an average of 39.54, with a strike rate of 182.00 and four fifties). With Salt not available due to England's series against Pakistan, it would be interesting how Narine plays alongside Afghanistan's Rahmanullah Gurbaz. Gautam Gambhir's return: Gambhir's return to the side has done wonders for KKR. Having captained the team to 2012 and 2014 titles, his return has changed the side's fortunes, bringing them from the lower half of the points table in the past two seasons to the top this season. The team looks like a cohesive unit, united by the message of playing positive and attacking cricket and with their eyes on the trophy. Andre Russell's efficiency with the ball: Andre Russell is known for his hard-hitting batting and sixes that travel miles into the stands. But a very underrated aspect of his game is his pace bowling. Though he has scored 222 runs in nine innings at an average of over 31 and a strike rate above 185, Russell's bowling has outshined his batting. He has taken 15 wickets at an average of 17.40, with an economy rate of 10.30 and best figures of 3/25. Presence of an in-form finisher in Ramandeep: Though the team's designated finisher Rinku Singh has not hit much form this season, he can still land a few big blows. In his absence, big-hitting Ramandeep Singh has stood up as a finisher, with 125 runs in nine innings at an average of 31.25 and a strike rate of 201.61. He has smashed 12 sixes this season. Also Read: 'They did not look united': Harbhajan Singh dissects why MI fell apart in IPL Varun Chakravarthy, Narine making a killer spin duo: Varun Chakravarty (18 wickets in 13 games) and Narine (15 in 13 balls) are brilliant spin partners for KKR. Together, they have taken 33 wickets at an average of 20.57 and a strike rate of 16.54. What has worked against KKR? Absence of Phil Salt: Phil Salt and Narine's success has helped KKR the most, often pulling off stunning starts in the powerplay and making the job easy for KKR's middle-order. With Salt not around, Gurbaz will be Narine's partner at the top. Gurbaz has relatively weaker stats than Salt though he is a capable hard-hitter too. In 11 T20Is, he has made 227 runs at an average of 20.64 and a strike rate of 133.53, with two fifties. Poor form of Rinku Singh: With just 168 runs in 11 innings at an average of 18.66 and a best score of 26, Rinku's IPL 2024 has been a disappointment and can be due to either lack of form or lack of opportunities down the order. Rinku has a chance to redeem himself with a strong performance in the knockout games and let everyone know that the 'finisher' is not going anywhere. Mitchell Starc's erratic bowling: Starc is an Australian and a big-match player and fans will have huge expectations from him. But KKR's big buy at Rs 24.75 crore has been extremely erratic on his return to IPL. Though he has 12 wickets, his average is 33.00 and his economy rate a massive 11.36. His bowling stats are boosted by figures of 4/33 against MI.
21 May,2024 05:15 PM IST | Ahmedabad | mid-day online correspondentKolkata Knight Riders and Team India's middle-order batsman Rinku Singh said that it is his dream to win a big trophy for the Indian team and lift it with his own hands. Rinku is travelling with the Indian team as a reserve for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024. The global showpiece is all set to begin in June. After having an outstanding run in the previous IPL season, Rinku Singh has seen an unexpected downfall in the ongoing IPL 2024. With just 168 runs in 11 innings at an average of 18.66 and a best score of 26, Rinku's IPL 2024 has been a disappointment and can be due to either lack of form or lack of opportunities down the order due to good performances put up by the top order. But this lack of fine performances in the IPL 2024 and not being named in India's T20 World Cup 2024 main squad has not reduced Rinku's belief in himself. Rinku Singh who made his national debut in 2023 against Ireland has so far featured in 15 matches scoring 356 runs. He has a strike rate of 176.24 and an average of 89.00. The last time he represented India was during the Afghanistan series in January 2024. Also Read: "Nobody gives you discount for age": MS Dhoni "Since I have played cricket, I have won some trophies at junior level. But not at the senior level. I am going to the World Cup. I want to hold the WC trophy, I hope we win. My dream is to win a big trophy for my country and lift it in my hands," said Rinku in a video on the IPL website. Speaking on the idea of someone going through a bad phase, Rinku gave a very optimistic reply, saying, "Time kharab uska hota hai jiske haath pair nahi hote, hamare toh hain. Hamara time kharab nahi hai (Time is bad for someone who does not have his limbs, I have them. I am not going through a bad time). Reflecting on five successive sixes he hit against Gujarat Titans' in the final over bowled by Yash Dayal to guide KKR to a win in a tense run-chase, Rinku said that these sixes increased the value of his name. "I used to be wondering all the time if I would get to play further. I used to tell myself that I would do well in the next game and I should keep working hard. I kept working hard. After those five sixes, my life changed. I started getting ads. People started to recognise me. Now I cannot go out alone. It feels good when hoardings of my name are there, when people scream my name. I feel that I have done something in my life," he said. He jokingly added, "People ask me if Rinku is indeed my name or a name used by my loved ones at home. I tell them it is my real name. Many people tell me that girls have given this name." The batter said that he never thought that he would ever hit those five sixes, but life made it happen. "God is somewhere thinking better for you. I would say, God's plan!," he added. Rinku also opened up on his emotional side saying that he is not emotional, but some movies do bring out the tears from his eyes. He also said that he cried a lot while watching 12th Fail, a movie based on the journey of real-life Indian Police Officer Manoj Kumar Sharma to the post. "I am not that emotional. But when see movies, watch scenes that motivate me or that involve someone re-unite after a long time, I start crying. I cried a lot when I watched 12th Fail. I could relate to it since I had come from the bottom. When someone's son does well and a movie is made on them, it feels motivating to me," said Rinku. On playing as a finisher in the middle order, Rinku said, "I have been playing at this number for long (in the middle order at number five or six), I know what to do. The more you keep yourself calm, the more you just react to the ball, it will be easier." On Tuesday, Rinku Singh's KKR will lock horns with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for a direct spot in the IPL 2024 final during the Qualifier one at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The clash between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at Narendra Modi Stadium here promises to be a run-fest, with the match taking place between two trailblazers of the season, who made a habit of hitting fours and sixes, putting up huge totals for fun. KKR ended the IPL 2024 season at the top with nine wins, three losses and two no results, with a total of 20 points. In their last game, they beat Mumbai Indians by 18 runs on May 11. Their final two league-stage games against Gujarat Titans (GT) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) were abandoned due to rain. SRH is at the second spot, with eight wins, five losses and one no result, giving them 16 points. In their last league stage game on Sunday, they beat Punjab Kings by four wickets. (With ANI Inputs)
21 May,2024 05:06 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentFormer Indian and Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni said that there is no discount given for age when it comes to playing Indian Premier League. MS Dhoni played the IPL 2024 season under Ruturaj Gaikwad's captaincy. Gaikwad-led CSK got eliminated out of the IPL 2024 playoffs after facing a defeat against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Saturday. Chennai finished the league stage in the fifth spot with seven victories and seven losses. Due to poor run rate, the side was eliminated from the playoffs' race. Speaking in a video on Dubai Eye 103.8 YouTube channel on Monday, Dhoni said, "The toughest thing is... I am not playing cricket throughout the year. So I have to be fit. Once I come, you are competing against youngsters who are fit and playing international cricket. Professional sport is not easy, nobody gives you a discount for age. If you want to play, you have to be as fit as the other guy. Age does not really give that grace to you. So, eating habits, a bit of training and all those things are there. Social media, thankfully, I am not on social media, so there's less distraction." The 42-year-old also mentioned that during his peak cricketing career, he missed family time due to endorsements and continuous matches. He also revealed things that help him de-stress. Also Read: IPL 2024 Qualifier 1, KKR Vs SRH: Road to the finals! "Once I quit international cricket, I wanted to spend a bit more time with my family. But, at that same time, to be mentally active, to have that passion to stay focussed for me, I love farming, for me it is the motorbikes, I have started getting into vintage cars. These things de-stress me. If am stressed, I would maybe go to the garage, spend a couple of hours over there and I will just be fine, I would come back," he said. "I have always felt growing up with a pet, whether it is a cat or a dog... I prefer dogs though. They have unconditional love towards you. I have said this in a previous interview, even if I lose a game and come back, my dog greets me the same way," Dhoni further said. Following the knee surgery MS Dhoni underwent last year, CSK has been managing his workload accordingly in the IPL 2024. He came out to bat when a handful of deliveries were left. Yet he put up staggering figures in 14 matches. Dhoni amassed 161 runs at an average of 53.67 and a whopping strike rate of 220.55. After Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) sent CSK out of the race for IPL 2024 playoffs, bowling consultant Eric Simons heaped praise on the veteran power-hitter. "But I think anybody wants to speculate about his future, that is crazy. MS knows what he is going to do. I know that this year I have seen him hit the ball from the pre-tournament camp. So he is playing extremely well and he will make the decision. But he is a fantastic guy to be around. He has been fantastic to witness from the days I was with India and now with CSK. He is an incredible cricketer and an incredible individual in terms of his understanding of cricket and life. I think in many ways that what he passes on to guys is the incredible self-belief, never say die and a simple understanding of the game of cricket he can put it in simple words and I think that is one of the best things about him," Simons said in the post-match press conference. As of now uncertainty still revolves around the future of Dhoni and only he can tell if he would feature in the next edition. (With ANI Inputs)
21 May,2024 04:36 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentFormer Indian batter and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) mentor Gautam Gambhir joked that the reason why his franchise is near the bottom of the 'Fair Play' award is because he is present in the dugout. Speaking at spinner Ravichandran Ashwin's YouTube channel on Monday, Gambhir, known for being an aggressive, win-at-any-cost character while playing and mentoring his team, hilariously remarked that he thought KKR would have been at the top of the IPL 2024 table in Fair Play because of the hug he shared with star Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Virat Kohli, with who he has had some verbal spats on the field throughout his career. "Honestly, I will tell you, this year, I thought that we would be at the top of the Fair Play Award table because of what has happened in Chinnaswamy (hug between him and Virat). There is no even competition, irrespective of where we are on the points table, but we've got to be at the top of the fair play award but still, we are at the bottom," he said. "Someone sent me a message a couple of days back: KKR is where KKR is at the moment. I said, yeah. In the top, no. In fair play, at number 10 (currently number nine). Is there a trophy? I said, no. And I still do not understand. We played pretty fair. What wrong have we done in the last five games? I do not think so we have done anything wrong. And still we are number 10. Probably it is just because I am sitting in that dugout," Gambhir added. Also Read: 'If I get...': Harbhajan opens up on the possibility of coaching India in future Coming to IPL 2024, Gambhir-mentored KKR will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium on Tuesday. The clash between KKR and Sunrisers Hyderabad SRH at Narendra Modi Stadium here promises to be a run-fest, with the match taking place between two trailblazers of the season, who made a habit of hitting fours and sixes, putting up huge totals for fun. KKR finished at the top with nine wins, three losses and two no results, with a total of 20 points. In their last game, they had beat Mumbai Indians by 18 runs on May 11. Their final two league-stage games against Gujarat Titans (GT) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) were abandoned due to rain. SRH is at the second spot, with eight wins, five losses and one no result, giving them 16 points. In their last league stage game on Sunday, they beat Punjab Kings by four wickets. (With agency inputs)
21 May,2024 02:10 PM IST | Ahmedabad | mid-day online correspondentHinting at the possibility of taking a coaching role for Team India in future, former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh said that he would love to give back to the sport which gave him such an illustrious career if given a chance and added that coaching Men in Blue is all about team management. Harbhajan's statement comes a week after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) invited the applications for position of men's national team head coach, with the tenure starting from July 1 this year and concluding on December 31, 2027, which will the year when the next 50-over Cricket World Cup will take place. Speaking to ANI about coaching Indian team, Harbhajan said, "I do not know if I would apply. Coaching India is about man management, not about teaching players how to drive and pull. They know it very well. You can give some guidance to them. Cricket has given me so much and if I get a chance to give it back, I would be more than happy." After India could not lift the ICC Cricket World Cup at home last year in November after reaching finals, the current head coach Rahul Dravid was given an extension till June, which also marks the month during which the ICC T20 World Cup in West Indies and USA will take place from June 1 to 29. The deadline for application will be till May 27, 6 PM. "The BCCI on Monday invited applications for the position of Head Coach of the Senior Men's Team. Applications for the position should be submitted by 6PM IST on May 27, 2024," said a statement from BCCI. Also Read: Not Twitter, this is MS Dhoni's preferred social media platform The selection process will include a thorough review of applications, followed by personal interviews and assessments of shortlisted candidates. BCCI has put out the qualifications for a potential head coach as: "Should have played a minimum of 30 Test Matches or 50 ODI's or head coach of a full member Test playing nation, for a minimum period of 2 years; or the head coach of an Associate member/Indian Premier League (IPL) Team or equivalent international league/first class eams/national A teams, for a minimum period of 3 years; or Should have BCCI Level 3 Certification or equivalent; and should be below 60 years of age." India are placed in Group A of the T20 World Cup 2024 alongside arch-rivals Pakistan, Ireland, Canada and co-hosts USA. India will begin their T20 World Cup 2024 campaign against Ireland on June 5 at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York, followed by the marquee clash against Pakistan on June 9 at the same venue. India will then play the USA and Canada on June 12 and 15 respectively. India squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj Reserves: Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Khaleel Ahmed and Avesh Khan (With agency inputs)
21 May,2024 01:45 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentFormer Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh said that Mumbai Indians (MI) decision to bring back all-rounder Hardik Pandya to the franchise as a captain backfired and the team did not play cohesively as a unit. The ongoing IPL 2024 season was one to forget for five-time champions MI. They brought back Pandya after a two-year stint with Gujarat Titans (GT), which involved winning the title in their debut season in 2022, but replacing Rohit Sharma as a captain led to massive social media backlash for the all-rounder and franchise. Pandya was booed in stadiums all over India during his matches and the team finished at the bottom of the points table with four wins, 10 losses and eight points. Pandya, who had played a crucial role in the franchise's success from 2015-21, could not put on match-winning performances. Speaking to ANI about MI's decision to bring back Pandya, Harbhajan said that the decision backfired and led to a lack of unity in the team. He also felt that this decision could have been taken a year later. However, he said that Hardik is not at fault. "MI has a big team. I have played for it. The management is great and runs the team well. But this decision has backfired. Maybe the thinking was to look for the future. It seems that it did not sit well with the team as they did not look united. It was bound to happen. It pains me to see such a big team, an old team of mine face such poor results. Maybe the timing of the decision was not right. It could have been better had this decision been taken an year later. It is not Hardik's fault, he was captaining really well in GT. The duty of the senior players is to keep players united no matter who is the captain. Captains come and go. They did not play like a team," said Harbhajan to ANI. Also Read: Not Twitter, this is MS Dhoni's preferred social media platform In 14 matches, Pandya scored 216 runs at an average of 18.00 and a strike rate of 143.04, with the best score of 46. He also took 11 wickets at poor average of 35.18 and an economy rate of 10.75. However, fans will expect Pandya to turn up as a different player in India's blue jersey when ICC T20 World Cup starts in the West Indies and USA from June 1 onwards. Given the all-rounder's fine record in white-ball international cricket and tendency to bring his top game under pressure, vice-captain Pandya will be a crucial part of Team India's campaign, led by Rohit. India is placed in Group A of the ICC tournament alongside arch-rivals Pakistan, Ireland, Canada and co-hosts USA. (With agency inputs)
21 May,2024 01:19 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentFormer Indian and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) title-winning captain MS Dhoni opened up on his preferred social media platform and why he prefers to largely stay away from social media platforms. Dhoni played for CSK in the ongoing IPL 2024, under the leadership of Ruturaj Gaikwad, to whom he handed over the captaincy ahead of this season. His team crashed out of the playoffs race after a loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Saturday. CSK finished at the fifth spot with seven wins, seven losses and 14 points and crashed out of the IPL 2024 final four race due to an inferior net run rate. Speaking in a video on Dubai Eye 103.8 Youtube Channel on Monday, Dhoni said that he prefers Instagram over Twitter since he feels the former is less controversial while "nothing good has happened over Twitter". "I prefer Instagram over Twitter. Twitter, I believe that nothing good has happened over Twitter. You know, especially in India, there is always a controversy. Somebody will write something, and it turns into a controversy. I was like, you know, why do I need to be there? You know, it used to be 140 characters. You cannot elaborate. Imagine me putting something over there, and then it is left up to the people to read it, and they just interpret what they want to interpret," said Dhoni. Also Read: 'Not only magnitude of the contest...': Gambhir weighs in on KKR vs CSK rivalry Further adding, Dhoni said that he likes to stay very less active on Instagram since he feels fewer distractions in life are better but in between, he gives his fans a little update about his life with a social media post. "So, I'm like, no, no, that's not really for me. Instagram still, I like it because, you know, I could put up my picture or a video or something and just leave it. That is also changing now. So I still prefer Instagram, but I am not very active because, I don't know, I feel, you know, less distractions are better, but in between, on and off, I will put something for the fans, you know, so that they know, okay, I am somewhere good, you know, in good hands. So I am doing what I like," he added. Due to knee surgery last year, CSK have been managing Dhoni's workload throughout the ongoing season. He came out to bat when a handful of deliveries were left. Yet he put up staggering figures in 14 matches. Dhoni amassed 161 runs at an average of 53.67 and a whopping strike rate of 220.55. After Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) sent CSK out of the race for playoffs, bowling consultant Eric Simons heaped praise on the veteran power-hitter. "But I think anybody wants to speculate about his future, that is crazy. MS knows what he is going to do. I know that this year I have seen him hit the ball from the pre-tournament camp. So he is playing extremely well and he will make the decision. But he is a fantastic guy to be around. He has been fantastic to witness from the days I was with India and now with CSK. He is an incredible cricketer and an incredible individual in terms of his understanding of cricket and life. I think in many ways that what he passes on to guys is the incredible self-belief, never say die and a simple understanding of the game of cricket he can put it in simple words and I think that is one of the best things about him," Simons said in the post-match press conference. As of now uncertainty still revolves around the future of Dhoni and only he can tell if he would feature in the next edition. (With agency inputs)
21 May,2024 12:36 PM IST | Chennai | mid-day online correspondentKolkata Knight Riders mentor Gautam Gambhir spoke about the rivalry between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL during the conversation with Ravichandran Ashwin on his YouTube channel on Monday. Out of the 31 head-to-head meetings between the Knight Riders and the Super Kings in the IPL since 2008, CSK hold a significant advantage, clinching victory 19 times compared to KKR's 11 wins, with one match resulting in no result. The 42-year-old asserted that he has always felt that the Chennai and Kolkata side were very similar in approaching the game during his time. "It's not only the magnitude of the contest. When two good teams play against each other, it's going to be an exciting and hard-fought game. I always felt that CSK and KKR were very, very similar in the way they approached the game," Gambhir said on Ashwin's YouTube channel. The former left-hander further stated that the strategies of both sides were very similar. "The way MS Dhoni used the spinners and we had three quality spinners as well. CSK had three quality spinners and probably the conditions, whether it was in Chepauk or in Eden at that time, were very similar. Chepauk had bigger dimensions as compared to what Eden as a ground is. Our strategies were very similar to each other. That is the reason KKR had to be at our best from the tactical point of view to be able to beat CSK. That's the reason why I always felt that CSK and KKR during those times were very very similar teams," the former India opener added. Also Read: IPL Qualifier 1: Salt-less KKR take on Hyderabad in power-hitting slugfest Gambhir returned to the KKR side as a mentor last year in November. Before that, he was with Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL 2021 and 2022 where performed the same role. Talking about his IPL career, the southpaw has played for the Delhi Capitals and KKR. He has won two IPL titles as a skipper with the Knight Riders in 2012 and 2014. Talking about IPL 2024, KKR will play for a spot in the final when they take on Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Qualifier 1 on Tuesday at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Kolkata Knight Riders squad: Shreyas Iyer (c), Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Jason Roy, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Anukul Roy, Suyash Sharma, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy, Vaibhav Arora, KS Bharat, Chetan Sakariya, Mitchell Starc, Ramandeep Singh, Angrish Raghuvanshi, Sherfane Rutherford, Manish Pandey, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Gus Atkinson, Sakib Hussain. (With agency inputs)
21 May,2024 12:29 PM IST | Ahmedabad | mid-day online correspondentHigh-flying Kolkata Knight Riders and an unpredictable Sunrisers Hyderabad, teams that have built their IPL 2024 campaign on power-hitting, will look to outmuscle each other in IPL 2024 Qualifier 1 on Tuesday. If KKR were the first team to make IPL playoffs this year, SRH gave themselves a huge boost by inflicting a four-wicket loss on Punjab Kings on Sunday to eventually finish second with 17 points, ahead of Rajasthan Royals. While the two top teams from the 70-match league round have enjoyed some time off courtesy incessant rains during their respective clashes over last 10 days, the lack of turnaround time to compete in a high-intensity playoff game will also pose a unique challenge. KKR and SRH will get only a day's time to traverse thousands of kilometres and get here for the first half of the playoffs as they both featured on the final day of the league round on Sunday. SRH would feel they have hit their strides following a comprehensive win over PBKS and having also got recent game-time, which isn't the case for KKR whose last complete game was on May 11. Shreyas Iyer's KKR had won four games on the trot before rains washed away their last two league games and the two-time winners. Table-toppers KKR (19 points) will also have to fill in the huge void at the top with their second-highest run-scorer and wicketkeeper Phil Salt (435 runs) leaving the camp for national duties with England ahead of the T20 World Cup. Salt had forged a devastating partnership with Sunil Narine (461) at the top and KKR were immensely benefited by their ultra-aggressive approach with the bat, backed up well by a potent middle-order even though skipper Iyer (287) has not had a major impact yet. The washed out contest against RR in particular robbed KKR of an opportunity to give expected replacement Rahmanullah Gurbaz a go at the top with Narine, something that would have settled a few concerns certainly. Also Read: Of course Rohit has a point…definitely, says Michael Holding For KKR, the form of Nitish Rana adds more solidity to the middle-order while a fiery Andre Russell among the finishers promise them vital runs. In many ways, SRH match KKR's firepower on paper and that is what adds more to the lure of this contest. Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma have both got their runs at a strike rate exceeding 200 while inspiring their side to rewrite a few records. Australian southpaw Head has in many ways redefined aggressiveness with the bat while also remaining successful (533 runs with one century and four fifties). His fearlessness has also brought the best out of the young Indian batter Abhishek (467), who has clobbered an overall 41 sixes this IPL ¿ 10 more than his overall tally of 31 in the previous six seasons. SRH have also managed to find answers to a couple of questions which were lingering on for a while. At No 3, the 2016 winners have found a dependable option in Rahul Tripathi who can both accelerate as well as weather storms when bowlers are on-song. Additionally, Heinrich Klaasen has rediscovered his form after a dip in the middle of the tournament. With a crucial knock of 42 against PBKS, Klaasen has signalled having found his mojo back, which only makes SRH even more formidable. At Ahmedabad, as seen in the World Cup final last year, teams batting second have had more success, winning four out of six completed games while only twice the team which batted first could defend successfully. Also, against the style of play for both these teams ¿ to bury oppositions under mountains of runs ¿ this venue has had only two scores of 200 or above in 12 innings, which means the bowlers will also have their say. If KKR have a battery of spinners to back their fast bowlers led by Mitchell Starc, SRH's pace bowling attack led by skipper Pat Cummins has time and again produced unified efforts to make their mark. In their only meet earlier this season back in late March, KKR had pipped SRH by four runs in a high-scoring game. IPL 2024 Qualifier 1: Squads Kolkata Knight Riders: Shreyas Iyer (c), KS Bharat (wk), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Rinku Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Sherfane Rutherford, Manish Pandey, Andre Russell, Nitish Rana, Venkatesh Iyer, Anukul Roy, Ramandeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine, Vaibhav Arora, Chetan Sakariya, Harshit Rana, Suyash Sharma, Mitchell Starc, Dushmantha Chameera, Sakib Hussain, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Allah Ghazanfar. Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Aiden Markram, Abdul Samad, Nitish Reddy, Shahbaz Ahmed, Pat Cummins (c), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat, T Natarajan, Mayank Markande, Umran Malik, Anmolpreet Singh, Glenn Phillips (wk), Rahul Tripathi, Washington Sundar, Upendra Yadav (wk), Jhathavedh Subramanyan, Sanvir Singh, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Marco Jansen, Akash Maharaj Singh, Mayank Agarwal (With agency inputs)
21 May,2024 11:48 AM IST | Ahmedabad | mid-day online correspondentADVERTISEMENT
