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Jaydev Unadkat set to return to county cricket

Left-arm pacer Jaydev Unadkat will return to Sussex club for the five games of the County Championship campaign. Unadkat who represented India in four tests has played three of the four County matches for Sussex. In those matches, he bagged 11 wickets at 24.18 helping the side finish in third place in Division 2. Unadkat, who last represented India in the two-Test away series against the West Indies in 2023, came up with his best performance against Leicestershire on Sussex's home ground, taking six second-inning wickets to guide the countryside to a 15-run win. Also Read: Sachin Tendulkar meets young athletes from the Mann Deshi Champions programme Jaydev Unadkat, who captained Saurashtra to their maiden Ranji Trophy title in the 2019-20 season, said he cannot wait to get back to Hove. "It was at Hove last season when we won a last-day thriller against Leicestershire, that gave me a sense of belongingness to county cricket, and to Sussex as my home," said Unadkat in a statement. "When (head coach) Farby (Paul Farbrace) offered me a contract this season for the last leg of the championship, I was sure I wanted to come back and hopefully win games with the guys. "While my first county season was good, I can't wait to be back and push for that promotion this summer which everyone at Hove is rooting for!" he added. Sussex head coach Farbrace said Unadkat had shown his class during the last season and hoped the Indian would continue in the same vein this season. "We are all delighted that Jaydev is returning to The 1st Central County Ground for the final five championship matches of the coming season. "Jaydev lived up to the expectation that not only would he show his class on the field, but he would also be a fantastic person and be part of what we are all trying to achieve. Jaydev is a lovely guy who did everything he could to help our players and share his fantastic knowledge," said Farbrace. Ahead of the IPL 2024, the Indian pacer will represent Sunrisers Hyderabad following which he will be available for county stint. (With PTI Inputs)

19 March,2024 12:06 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Representational image. Pic/iStock

Group Satellite CC clinch Insurance Shield title

Group Satellite CC emerged champions by registering a comfortable 20-run victory over United Patni Industries CC in the Plate Division final of the 13th Insurance Shield T20 Inter-Office Cricket Tournament organised by Oriental Insurance Company under the aegis of the Mumbai Cricket Association at Cross Maidan on Saturday. Also Read: "To get fluency in batting is little tough": Gavaskar on Pant ahead of IPL 2024

19 March,2024 07:30 AM IST | Mumbai | A Correspondent
Sunil Gavaskar. Pic/AFP

"To get fluency in batting is little tough": Gavaskar on Pant ahead of IPL 2024

Rishabh Pant will find it “very difficult” to be at his fluent best at the beginning of the IPL but Sunil Gavaskar expects that his knees will react better once he starts batting more and more in match situations. Having survived a horrific car crash in December 2022, Pant will make a comeback to competitive cricket after more than 14 months as Delhi Capitals captain after an extensive rehabilitation programme. Also Read: DC head coach rues falling short after great start “It’ll be very difficult. But the good thing is he [Pant] has played some cricket. So he has got some practice. To get fluency in batting is a little tough,” Gavaskar told Star Sports. “When you talk of a knee injury, the pivoting that takes place. Wicket-keeping is difficult as well, but even in batting, the knee is quite important. So, maybe, in the beginning, we won’t see the real Rishabh Pant that we are used to,” the maestro 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

19 March,2024 07:25 AM IST | New Delhi | PTI
DC head coach Jonathan Batty. Pic/AFP

DC head coach rues falling short after great start

After becoming runners-up in WPL for the second straight time after losing Sunday’s final to the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Delhi Capitals (DC) head coach Jonathan Batty admitted that his team fell a few runs short after a blistering start to their innings, resulting in them being bowled out for 113. DC had a blazing start by making 61 runs in the powerplay, also the joint-highest score in the first six overs of this WPL season and looked set to make a big total. But once the spinners came in, DC crumbled like nine pins, mainly due to their poor shot selection, falling from 64-0 in seven overs to losing their all ten wickets in just 49 runs. Also Read: Michael Vaughan believes RCB's men too can win the IPL title this year At the same time, Batty backed the aggressive mode of cricket adopted by DC batters. “We didn’t do ourselves justice with the bat [in the final]. We left ourselves a few runs short of where we probably should have been after that fantastic start. As a fielding unit, full credit to our players, they were amazing. I don’t think we should have done anything differently. “We back our batters to play really aggressive and positive cricket as we have done all tournament. The margins are so small. Those batters who got out in the middle phase in the innings, they get a bat on one of those and it goes for four runs, we get 160 or 180 and it’s a completely different game. “Like I said earlier, they have been fantastic all tournament, I think we have been one of the standout teams through that to finish at the top of the table, and our batters have been absolutely amazing,” he said in the post-match press conference. 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

19 March,2024 07:20 AM IST | New Delhi | IANS
Michael Vaughan

Michael Vaughan believes RCB's men too can win the IPL title this year

Following RCB’s maiden title win in the WPL final, former England captain Michael Vaughan voiced his belief that 2024 could be the year for a double celebration for the franchise. Also Read: WPL 2024 | "I need to keep trusting myself": Mandhana after winning the title Vaughan took to X to congratulate the team and went on to share his interesting prediction ahead of the upcoming IPL 2024 season. “Fantastic tournament... Well deserved win for RCB !! Now can the Men do the double!!! This could be the year” said Vaughan on X. 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

19 March,2024 07:15 AM IST | New Delhi | IANS
Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Smriti Mandhana receives the Women’s Premier League Trophy from BCCI chief Roger Binny (right) and secretary Jay Shah at New Delhi on Sunday. Pic/PTI

WPL 2024 | "I need to keep trusting myself": Mandhana after winning the title

Smriti Mandhana’s self-belief wavered in pressure situations last year, but this season she was able to conquer the demons in her mind when pushed against the wall, helping Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) land their first major title in franchise cricket. Speaking to media after RCB beat Delhi Capitals (DC) in a low-scoring WPL final, Mandhana said she has matured as a captain and player since last season. “One thing that I have learned is to believe in yourself. That was something which lacked in me last year when it did go wrong. ‘I doubted a few things’ “I doubted a few things in myself, but that was the real conversation with my mind, I need to keep trusting myself and I think that was the biggest learning for me,” said Mandhana on Sunday night. Also Read: IPL 2024 | “We are awaiting updates on Suryakumar from the BCCI": Mark Boucher The second season saw Mandhana getting her hands on the trophy while Harmanpreet Kaur had led Mumbai Indians (MI) to the title in the inaugural edition. That only shows the depth of Indian cricket, said Mandhana. “Last year when MI and DC were playing in the final, somewhere deep down I hoped that Harman lifts it because [it was] the first edition of WPL and for an Indian captain to win, if not me it has to be Harman. So, I was really happy for Harman and the whole MI team,” Mandhana said. “Second season I became the second Indian captain to win. That really shows the kind of depth Indian cricket has and it’s just the start, we still have a long way to go.” ‘Shreyanka’s just brilliant’ Mandhana particularly reserved high praise for young Shreyanka Patil, who took four wickets in the final. “Shreyanka has just been brilliant. “I think she is the most complete player to come to international cricket in the last two years. She feels she belongs to international cricket,” she 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

19 March,2024 07:10 AM IST | New Delhi | PTI
MI head coach Mark Boucher addresses the media yesterday. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

IPL 2024 | “We are awaiting updates on Suryakumar from the BCCI": Mark Boucher

It is still not clear whether Mumbai Indians’s key attacking batsman Suryakumar Yadav will recover in time for their first IPL 2024 game against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad on March 24. “We are awaiting updates on Suryakumar from the BCCI. We have always been under a cloud of fitness issues, but we have a world-class medical team. We may lose one or two [players] in terms of fitness, but we have to move on,” MI head coach Mark Boucher told reporters on Monday. Also Read: IPL 2024 | "Rohit will be there if to help out": Hardik Pandya ahead of the league Mumbai boy Suryakumar last played for India at Johannesburg in December 2023, when he scored a 56-ball 100 against South Africa. He sustained an ankle injury and underwent surgery earlier this year. “As coach of Mumbai Indians, I am going to be a little bit biased and [say that I] hope to see my best players in all games. I have a soft spot for my players and I do understand that they might have niggles. That’s when I will fall back on my medical team and work with them accordingly,” said the South African. Meanwhile, Boucher remarked that he will be there to support the team’s new captain, Hardik Pandya. “I will be trying to help him [Hardik] out as much as I can and get everyone going in the right direction. I’m going to support the captain as much as possible,” said Boucher, adding that he is satisfied with the team’s preparation for this edition of the T20 extravaganza.

19 March,2024 07:05 AM IST | Mumbai | Subodh Mayure
MI’s Hardik Pandya (left) and Rohit Sharma celebrate the wicket of RCB’s Parthiv Patel at Wankhede in 2019. Pic/AFP

IPL 2024 | "Rohit will be there if to help out": Pandya ahead of the league

Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya, who will be shouldering the leadership responsibility in the franchise for the first time, has revealed that he is yet to speak with former MI captain Rohit Sharma, who helped the team clinch the IPL trophy a record five time times. Yet to meet Rohit “He [Rohit] has been travelling and playing [with the Indian team]. We haven’t seen each other for the last couple of months. We are all professionals and by the time the team come together and once he comes in, we will definitely have a chat,” Pandya remarked at MI’s pre-season press conference on Monday. The India all-rounder made his IPL debut with MI in the 2015 edition. He then led Gujarat Titans to a triumph in 2022. Also Read: WPL 2024 | Royal Challengers Banglore: Women turn it to "Ee Sala Cup Namdu!" Hardik Pandya Ahead of the IPL 2024 auction, Pandya returned to his former team in a new role, replacing Rohit as MI captain. Fit-again Pandya, who injured his ankle during the ODI World Cup game against Bangladesh in Pune last October, remarked that he will utilise Rohit’s expertise during the T20 tournament, starting on March 22. “It won’t be any different, because he [Rohit] will be there to help out if I need his help. He is the captain of the Indian team, which helps me because what this team have achieved, it has achieved under him. From now, it will be about carrying forward what he has achieved. ‘It won’t be awkward’ “It won’t be awkward or anything different. It will be a nice experience. I have played all my career under his captaincy. I know he is going to have a hand on my shoulder always, throughout the season,” Pandya explained. MI will start their campaign against Hardik’s former team, Gujarat Titans (led by Shubman Gill) in Ahmedabad on March 24. Going by Pandya’s words, Mumbai Indians’s opponents had better watch out. “First of all, it is good to be back. It’s a surreal feeling for me knowing that my whole life changed after I made my debut in 2015 and [I am] playing on my favourite ground [Wankhede Stadium]. I will be an all-rounder and will be bowling this season, trying to finish as many games as possible,” Pandya remarked. Hardik said he is excited to have speedster Jasprit Bumrah in the MI camp again: “Jassi [Jasprit] has been our No. 1 bowler and has been a champion cricketer. Last year, they [MI] did miss him. I’m excited to have him back full throttle and him guiding the youngsters in the camp.”

19 March,2024 07:00 AM IST | Mumbai | Subodh Mayure
KL Rahul (Pic: AFP)

KL Rahul may not keep initially, Pooran or De Kock to don keeping gloves

Lucknow Super Giants skipper KL Rahul is all set to play for his franchise from the opening IPL 2024 game after getting all clear from the National Cricket Academy but he has been advised against wicket-keeping in the first few games. Rahul had once again suffered a strain in his quadriceps during the first Test against England in Hyderabad and even though he was expected to join the team by the third game, the stylish right-hander felt a tightness in his muscles and skipped all the remaining games. Rahul posted a short video of his batting, basic keeping drills and outfielding practice at the NCA. "The NCA has given him clearance and he will join his mates in Lucknow on Thursday (March 20) before they travel to Jaipur for the opening game against Rajasthan Royals on March 24. It is understood that he has been told to avoid squatting initially and he can don the big gloves in coming days. For first few games, he will only play as pure batter," a BCCI source tracking the developments of LSG told PTI on conditions of anonymity. Also Read: Kohli joins RCB training camp, spotted playing football with Maxwell: Watch It is understood that even the franchise isn't losing its sleep over Rahul's keeping as they have two quality short-format glovesmen in former Proteas star Quinton de Kock and West Indies' Nicholas Pooran, who is also vice-captain for IPL 2024. However for Rahul, keeping will be an important aspect of his game if he has to stake claim for a spot in the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies in June. "Rahul will not be considered for a top three slot in the Indian T20 team considering his previous performances. He can be that keeper-batter at Nos 5 or 6 if he has a decent IPL. But if he plays purely as a batter, you have a far better option in Rinku Singh, apart from Rishabh Pant, who might just stake a claim with some power-packed performances," a BCCI source privy to developments, said. (With agency inputs)

18 March,2024 10:27 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondent
RCB crowned champions (Pic: @rcbtweets/X

Mid-Day Premium Sheroes who dared to dream!

Just what could have been on Royal Challengers Bangalore’s wishlist before the Kotla final? Win a toss on a slow pitch, build an opening partnership of 50+ runs, and remove two in-form batters for a duck. They got all that. Bangalore produced a near-perfect game on Sunday and mauled Delhi Capitals in their own backyard to lift their maiden WPL trophy. The headlining performance came from ‘crowd favourite’ Ellyse Perry as RCB prised the WPL trophy out of DC’s hands. Perry, who has the best bowling innings of 6/15 against Mumbai Indians this season, made a mockery of Capitals’ bowling abilities to play a jack-in-the-box innings ensuring the hosts finish runners-up for a second consecutive time. Also Read: Mumbai’s might against Bangalore’s brilliance It was the ease with which the runs flowed and the calm manner in which they were accumulated by RCB women that caught the most attention. There were several impressive shots on display but nearly all of them stuck to conventional areas. Given the low-scoring thriller, the reaction of the likes of Smriti Mandhana, Sophie Devine, Richa Ghosh, and Perry reflected their awareness of the need to keep adrenalin in check.  “We would have batted first as well, but I think it doesn't really go well, we will have to bowl well, stick to our plans and play some good cricket. We've had a lot of ups and downs so far, but we need to be at our best tonight. This is the fourth match on the same wicket, the last game, it played slow,” Mandhana said at the toss. Perhaps, all three swore by their skipper’s dictum. For instance, take the pair of Mandhana-Devine into account. How beautifully they complemented each other with contrasting approaches! While Devine punctuated her bunts, chips and drives with the occasional medium to a big hit, Mandhana went the other way. The skipper punctuated her flamboyant on-the-up hits with subtle punches for mostly singles and twos. They both ran between the wickets hard and fast and the scoring rate never flagged until Devine fell, while being trapped in front by veteran pacer Shikha Pandey. However, RCB, by then, had already laid a great platform. And Mandhana was still at the crease. Also Read: Twice the brilliance? But Perry, who appeared to be destined for big things in the red-black jersey, held the innings together, with Mandhana on the other side, going from strength to strength. However, the left-hander had only herself to blame after a rash shot in the 13th over forced her out of the field. Then came Richa, who along with Perry, unleashed a series of lofted extra cover drives to dent the embittered hosts. The title looked headed Capitals' way before the start of the match, but cricket has always been notorious for its unpredictable rhythm. “We will bat tonight, feel that's the best chance to win the game. The pitch looks good and we'll have to bat well. What has happened before is irrelevant, we're up against a great team and we need to play well,” said Meg Lanning at the toss.  Things just didn't go right for Delhi and everything went according to script for Bangalore. What Virat Kohli’s RCB could not do in 16 years, the red and gold women brigade took no more than two years to accomplish. Remember the RCB slogan ‘Ee Saala Cup Namde’ (translating to ‘The Cup will be ours this year’)? Perhaps, it’s time to change that to ‘The Cup is ours this year’!

18 March,2024 08:20 PM IST | Mumbai | Srijanee Majumdar
Virat Kohli (Pic: AFP)

Kohli joins RCB training camp, spotted playing football with Maxwell: Watch

Talisman Virat Kohli on Monday made his first appearance in the training session of his franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore ahead of the IPL 2024 beginning March 22. Kohli, who was out of the country for the birth of his second child, arrived in India on Sunday. The former India and RCB captain was seen taking rounds of the Chinnaswamy Stadium as part of his warm-up. Skipper Faf du Plessis also attended the session. Virat Kohli playing Football with Glen Maxwell in RCB camp, Bengaluru #RCBUnboxpic.twitter.com/DhF8fMITUD — Lokesh Saini🚩 (@LokeshVirat18K) March 18, 2024 RCB, who have never won the IPL, begin their campaign against reigning champions Chennai Super Kings in Chennai on Friday. Kohli's performance in the lucrative T20 league will be closely tracked as the event precedes the T20 World Cup in the USA and Caribbean. The 35-year-old played his first T20 since the 2022 World Cup back in January against Afghanistan. Skipper Rohit Sharma also made a comeback in that series and is expected to lead India in the T20 World Cup beginning June 1. Kohli also missed the five-match home Test series against England due to his family commitments. The batting great had a memorable IPL last year, aggregating 639 runs including two hundreds and six half-centuries. RCB, on Monday, took to Instagram to announce the arrival of Kohli and captioned it, "Too much happening too quickly and we're not slowing down. Is he here?" On Sunday night, he was spotted at the Mumbai airport as he had to catch a flight to Bangalore to join his team for the upcoming match of IPL 2024. He was seen donning his cool white T-shirt, which featured a huge illustration of a cute cartoon character and had the word 'Dad' written on it. Kohli who missed India's 4-1 Test series triumph over England was recently blessed with a baby boy, Akaay. In 237 appearances for RCB in the IPL, Kohli has amassed 7,263 runs at an average of 37.2 and a strike rate of 130.0 and is the leading run-scorer in the history of the competition. His best score of 113 came against Punjab Kings in 2016 which propelled RCB to a massive score of 211/3. Kohli is yet to lift an IPL trophy with RCB in the past 16 seasons and he will be looking to secure the maiden title in the IPL 2024. Also Read: Sheroes who dared to dream! RCB strengthened their squad in the IPL 2024 auction by acquiring the services of foreign and Indian talent which includes Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal, Tom Curran, Lockie Ferguson, Swapnil Singh and Saurav Chauhan. RCB will kick off their campaign in the season opener clash against Chennai Super Kings on Friday at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. RCB IPL 2024 squad: Faf du Plessis (c), Glenn Maxwell, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Anuj Rawat, Dinesh Karthik, Suyash Prabhudessai, Will Jacks, Mahipal Lomror, Karn Sharma, Manoj Bhandage, Mayank Dagar, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, Reece Topley, Himanshu Sharma, Rajan Kumar, Cameron Green, Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal, Tom Curran, Lockie Ferguson, Swapnil Singh, Saurav Chauhan. (With agency inputs)

18 March,2024 04:54 PM IST | Bengaluru | mid-day online correspondent
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