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‘RRR’ seal the deal for Kolkata

The win took KKR to fifth on the table and got a new life to their challenge for a playoff spot. On the other hand, will be deflated with that loss and it is a big blow to their chances of making it through to the playoffs…reports Asian Lite News

After Nitish Rana’s half-century and blitz in the final two overs by Andre Russell and Rinku Singh guided Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to a 5-wicket win over Punjab Kings at the Eden Gardens, here on Monday.

The win took KKR to fifth on the table and got a new life to their challenge for a playoff spot. On the other hand, will be deflated with that loss and it is a big blow to their chances of making it through to the playoffs.

After Shikhar Dhawan’s fifty, Shahrukh Khan and Harpreet Brar’s blitz in the final two overs powered Punjab Kings (PBKS) to 179/7.

In reply, KKR opening duo Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Jason Roy came out with intent and the latter just blew away the opposition bowlers. After Rana’s 51 off 38 and Russell’s quickfire (42 off 23), Rinku (21 off 10) provided a fine finish with a boundary to clinch a thriller.

Chasing 180, KKR had a steady start with just 10 runs in the first two overs. The shackles were broken when both Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Jason Roy hammered Arshdeep Singh for 16 runs off the fourth over.

The slower one from Nathan Ellis does the trick in the next over as he produced a back-of-the-hand slower ball to get rid of Gurbaz. Skipper Nitish Rana and Roy took the Power-play total to 52/1.

Roy hit consecutive boundaries at the end of the seventh over. He looked to continue with his momentum but Harpreet Brar made an instant impact as he got rid of the English batter, who was looking to be in incredible form.

Roy went for a big sweep to deep mid-wicket but did not get the desired distance on it and Shahrukh Khan in the deep completed an easy catch. Kolkata was going along nicely but has lost a couple of quick wickets and this has handed the advantage to Punjab.

After two quiet overs, Rana hit the paddle and smashed two boundaries and a maximum to pace up the run-chase. The KKR skipper started continued hitting boundaries. Venkatesh looked to break the shackles but it doesn’t come off ad Rahul Chahar trapped him on a slower ball.

Rana completed his fifth with a double but could not complete the job for his side as he holed out on the next after making his half-century. He played a reverse sweep taking the aerial route but miscued it towards deep covers where Liam Livingstone took a stunning sliding catch.

With needed 51 off 24, the onus shifted on Andre Russell and Rinku Singh to take KKR over the line. Russell hit a boundary on the first of the 17th over then Rinku smoked it over the square leg fence for a six, taking 15 off the over.

With two boundaries coming off the 18th over, the equation reached 26 needed in two overs. Russell smacked back-to-back maximums in the penultimate over. After a dot ball, he went for another six and finished the over with a single, leaving 6 runs for the final over to win.

Arshdeep Singh started well in the final over with a dot and a couple of singles followed by a double and two were needed in two balls.

The drama continued as Russell tried to steal a bye and Jitesh Sharma was smart to lob it over the stumps to Arshdeep, who waited, then throw it at the nonstriker’s end and the batter had to return back to the hut.

Then, Rinku yet again finished things off and took KKR over the line with a boundary off the final ball.

Earlier, opting to bat first, PBKS were off to a strong start with opening duo Prabhsimran Singh and Dhawan collecting runs through boundaries. Harshit Rana struck early in the second over to dismiss Prabhsimran.

Harshit trapped his second victim in the form of Bhanuka Rajapaksa, who played an aggressive cover drive on the front foot but edged it behind and Gurbaz was quick to pouch it safely as Punjab were reduced to 32/2.

Then, Livingstone took Andre Russell to the cleaners, smashing him for four boundaries before falling in the next over off the bowling of Chakravarthy.

KKR spin trio of Sunil Narine (1-7), Suyash Sharma (1-26) and Varun Chakaravarthy (3-26) did extremely well to keep things under control in the middle overs. They even put a lid over the run rate. Nitish Rana then surprised everyone, when he got himself into the attack and got rid of the opposition skipper at a crucial juncture of the game.

The PBKS skipper hammered two successive boundaries, taking 11 runs off the over. Chakravarthy struck again in the 13th over to get rid of Jitesh for 21, breaking the 53-run stand and PBKS were four down.

Rana did the trick for his side. The Kolkata skipper put his hand up this time and has the final laugh and got rid of the Punjab captain.

After Shikhar Dhawan’s dismissal, Rishi Dhawan was playing a bit of a blinder to add crucial runs on the board but Chakravarthy got him in the last over of his spell to claim his third. In the next over, Suyash removed Sam Curran cheaply for 4.

Then, the duo of Harpreet Brar and Shahrukh Khan racked up 36 runs off the last two over to take PBKS to 179/7.

Brief scores:

Punjab Kings 179/7 in 20 overs (Shikhar Dhawan 57, Shahrukh Khan 21 not out; Varun Chakaravarthy 3-26, Harshit Rana 2-33) beat Punjab Kings 179/7 in 20 overs (Shikhar Dhawan 57, Shahrukh Khan 21 not out; Varun Chakaravarthy 3-26, Harshit Rana 2-33) by 5 wickets.

ALSO READ: SRH clinch thrilling win over RR

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David’s late blitz rescues Mumbai Indians

Mumbai : MI's Tim David celebrates after Mumbai Indians win the IPL 2023 match against Rajasthan Royals at Wankhede Stadium, in Mumbai, on Sunday, April 30, 2023. (Photo:IANS)

Mumbai didn’t have a great start to chasing 213 as captain Rohit Sharma was castled by a knuckleball from Sandeep Sharma in the second over…reports Asian Lite News

Yashasvi Jaiswal’s magnificent 124 went in vain as Suryakumar Yadav (55) and Tim David (45 not out) carried five-time champions Mumbai Indians to a six-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals in the 1000th match of Indian Premier League (IPL) in a run-fest at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.

Mumbai looked in trouble when they were 104/3 in 12 overs in their IPL 2023 clash. But Suryakumar smashed 20 runs off the 13th over from Kuldeep Sen and from there on, he never looked back, hitting eight fours and two sixes while David was brilliant in smacking two fours and five humongous sixes for Mumbai to go to seventh place in the points table with the highest successful chase in IPL at the venue.

Mumbai didn’t have a great start to chasing 213 as captain Rohit Sharma was castled by a knuckleball from Sandeep Sharma in the second over. Cameron Green walked in and smashed Trent Boult for three fours through mid-off, mid-on and point, before slog-sweeping Ravichandran Ashwin over deep backward square leg for six and slamming Yuzvendra Chahal down the ground for another maximum.

After Ishan Kishan sliced to deep point off Ravichandran Ashwin, Suryakumar launched his first ball for six over backward square leg. He then slammed Jason Holder for a hat-trick of fours through the wristy flick, whip and a jaw-dropping ramp. Though Green holed out to the deep off Ashwin, Suryakumar ensured the tempo didn’t drop.

The crowd roared more in the 13th over when Suryakumar nonchalantly flicked Kuldeep Sen for six into the second tier of deep backward square leg, followed by three consecutive fours – a cut through deep point was followed by driving in the gap between mid-off and extra cover and dabbing over short third-man.

Yuzvendra Chahal came in for thrashing in the next over as Suryakumar pierced the gap between short third man and backward point for four, followed by Tilak Varma reverse-sweeping for four and unfurling lofted drive over long-off for six. After Suryakumar reached his fifty in 24 balls, he drove o’er Holder’s head with a straight bat for four.

But in a bid to ramp off Trent Boult in the 16th over, Suryakumar fell as Sandeep ran backwards from short fine leg and made a full-stretched dive to complete a fantastic catch with both hands. Tilak Varma and David hit a four and six each off Holder in the 17th over, before taking a four each off Boult in the next over.

David smashed Sandeep over long-on for six and launched a drive through cover for four, before swiping thrice over the leg-side fence for a hat-trick of sixes in the first three balls of the final over, ironically all full tosses, to seal a dramatic win for Mumbai coming just ten minutes before Sunday got over.

Earlier, Jaiswal smashed the highest score by an uncapped Indian batter in the IPL through his stunning 124 off 62 balls and propelled Rajasthan Royals to a massive 212/7, while also the joint-highest individual score ‘n the franchise’s history.

Jaiswal shone the brightest by mixing solidity in technique and power in shots which were conventional and innovative while using the crease well in hitting 16 fours and eight sixes at a strike rate of 200 in an innings where the next best score was just 18.

He made 41 runs off 23 balls in Power-play and amassed 44 runs off 25 balls in the middle overs, before smacking 39 runs off 14 balls in the death overs in a scintillating show of batsmanship.

Jaiswal continued from where he left in Jaipur, hooking off Green and Jofra Archer for sixes. He tore into Riley Meredith for four boundaries in the fifth over – a loft over mid-on was followed by driving through cover, slicing behind point and slamming one down the ground. Post power-play, Mumbai had success when Jos Buttler miscued a loft to long-on off Piyush Chawla.

Sanju Samson began with a scintillating six dispatched high over long-on off Chawla before scooping a good length ball from Kumar Kartikeya Singh over fine leg for four. But his promising run came to an end when he chipped tamely to deep mid-wicket off Arshad Khan.

Jaiswal marched on to reach his fifty in 32 balls in the 11th over with a drive on a full toss from Chawla. But two balls later, the veteran leg-spinner bounced back by castling Devdutt Padikkal with a googly beating the outside edge and crashing into the stumps.

A cut-off Meredith for four was followed by Jaiswal staying low to scoop over short fine leg in the 12th over. In the next over, Jaiswal produced the shot of the innings by nailing a reverse sweep for six over point off Chawla and followed it up by smashing down the ground for four.

He made great use of width from Green in slashing over backward point for four and followed it up by heaving Meredith over long-on for six. But Jaiswal was losing support from the other end as Jason Holder, Shimron Hetmyer and Dhruv Jurel holed out to fielders in the deep.

Jaiswal maintained his tempo by walking across and pulling Arshad over fine leg for six. He then slammed Meredith for a hat-trick of fours in the 18th over – flicking a full toss through fine leg was followed by pulling through mid-wicket, which fetched him his century in 53 balls and ended with a slice through backward point.

Jaiswal then backed away against Archer to slap over long-off and hammer over deep mid-wicket for back-to-back sixes in the 19th over. He produced a crisp cover drive and steered a wide yorker past short third man for back-to-back fours, before being dismissed for 124 in a caught and bowled dismissal by Arshad.

Brief Scores: Rajasthan Royals 212/7 in 20 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 124; Arshad Khan 3/39, Piyush Chawla 2/34) lost to Mumbai Indians 214/4 in 19.3 overs (Suryakumar Yadav 55, Tim David 45 not out; Ravichandran Ashwin 2/27, Sandeep Sharma 1/35) by six wickets

ALSO READ: Marsh’s all-round show in vain as SRH beat Delhi Capitals

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Must-visit locales for IPL screening in Mumbai

Must visit place for IPL screening in Mumbai.(photo:IANSLIFE)

Sports bars are relatively foreign to India, but Bar Stock Exchange gets close and has the sports-crazy atmosphere you’re searching for…reports Asian Lite News

Mumbai is the city of passionate people or passionate for the shows they watch, for the food they eat, for the places they visit, for the festivals they celebrate, for songs, for Bollywood etc. But these passionate people become extra passionate in a field which separates love and passion from the rest of the things, it is cricket. IPL Screening At Mumbai Restaurants:

Hitchki

The start of the cricket season is quickly approaching, and if you want to watch matches live while eating your favourite dish for a reasonable price, Hitchki is the place to go. Get bowled over by Hitchki this cricket season as they serve you the ideal Indian flavours. Enjoy a “stadium-like experience” at Hitchki while watching every game and eating your favourite platters.

Someplace Else, BKC

This year, Someplace Else is the ideal place to watch the IPL live broadcast because it feels like a home away from home. It’s a lively location with uplifting appeal and a haven for some alone time or your pals. Additionally, this location is unlike any other and will completely blow you away with its exclusive deals for the Indian Premier League.

Must visit place for IPL screening in Mumbai.(photo:IANSLIFE)

145 Cafe And Bar

The actual atmosphere during sports screenings is at 145. With flavours like magic masala potato skins, Kejirwal toasts, and flavoured popcorn, they have some of the best bar snacks and entrees to get the game going. Make the most of the season’s final game by making your booking, inviting your friends to play, and doing so.

Bar Stock Exchange

Sports bars are relatively foreign to India, but Bar Stock Exchange gets close and has the sports-crazy atmosphere you’re searching for. Block your seats and enter with your family to take advantage of a Sunday full of excitement and boisterous cheers from cricket fans.

Must visit place for IPL screening in Mumbai.(photo:IANSLIFE)

Lord Of The Drinks

An enjoyable dungeon is Lord of the Drinks! They have a reputation for throwing the wildest parties, but this time it’s a matching gig and match days are characterised by grit, tenacity, and a great deal of enthusiasm. And Lord of the Drinks will deliver the wild night you were hoping for!

ALSO READ-Samson blitz rescues Rajasthan Royals

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High price tags! Are they boon or bane?

Value for money will definitely be the buzzword in IPL 2023 after the costliest auction…writes B. Shrikant

Every year in the Indian Premier League (IPL), some players receive a lot of attention in the auction with big monies splurged on them.

The high price tag brings along with it huge expectations and many a times the players have failed to fire, thus leaving the franchises ruing their decision to spend so much money on them.

Take the case of current England Test captain and all-rounder Ben Stokes, who was the Most Valuable Player of the 2017 auction for the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiants and was bought by Rajasthan Royals for Rs 12.50 crore in the 2018 auction.

Stokes had a disappointing run in IPL 2018 as he could manage only 198 runs and bag eight wickets in 13 matches in that season.

In the 2019 auction, Rajasthan Royals secured the services of Indian pacer Jaydev Unadkat for Rs 8.4 crore, making him the joint most expensive player. But Unadkat, who was also picked by Royals in the 2018 edition, failed to fire in the 2019 season too as he claimed 10 wickets in 11 matches.

Australia’s current Test captain Pat Cummins was the costliest player in the 2020 auction with a price tag of Rs 15.5 crore splurged on him by the Kolkata Knight Riders.

Cummins achieved moderate success in that season, claiming 12 wickets in 14 matches and scoring 146 runs at an average of 20.85. But the franchise expected much more from him considering the amount it spent on securing his services.

Though Cummins is giving IPL 2023 a miss to keep himself fresh for the Ashes and the 50-over World Cup scheduled later this year, some players have been bought for big monies in one of the big-spending auctions and will therefore have to shoulder high expectations commensurate with the high price tag.

Sam Curran: Top buy, higher expectations

England all-rounder and white-ball expert Sam Curran turned out to be the costliest buy in the history of IPL when Punjab Kings signed him up for a whopping Rs 18.5 crore.

Named Player of the Final and Tournament at the 2022 T20 World Cup, Curran will be under the spotlight throughout IPL 2023, starting March 31, and his performance in every match will be scrutinised and the astronomical price tag will be bandied about in case he fails to fire.

The Punjab Kings splurged a huge amount on Sam Curran considering his value and the skillsets he brings to the team as a fast bowler and an explosive batter.

With the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) refusing to give Jonny Bairstow the NOC to turn out for Punjab Kings (PBKS) and with Liam Livingstone returning from the knee and ankle injury he suffered during England’s tour of Pakistan in December 2022, Curran will be under a lot of pressure to not only take wickets, but also act as the finisher in the team.

Cameron Green: All-round show expected

Mumbai Indians spent Rs 17.5 crore to sign the young Australian all-rounder Cameron Green, who has taken the cricket world by storm by excelling in both red-ball and white-ball cricket. He was Australia’s top performer in the T20 series in India last year, when he made 118 runs, including two half-centuries, after being promoted to open the innings.

Though he returned from an injury only before the fourth and final Test of the recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy, he landed on his feet running as he scored his maiden Test century in the Ahmedabad Test.

Green gives Mumbai Indians multiple options as a batter as he can open the innings or operate in the middle-order and also add value to the side as a bowler.

Mumbai Indians will be hoping that he continues with his superb touch and help the team succeed in IPL 2023 after their nightmarish season in 2022.

Melbourne, Nov 13 (ANI): England’s Ben Stokes celebrates during the presentation ceremony after winning the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 final match against Pakistan, at Melbourne Cricket Ground, in Melbourne on Sunday. (ANI Photo)

Ben Stokes: CSK’s big hope

Normally a thrifty operator in IPL auctions, the Chennai Super Kings spent Rs 16.25 crore to sign up Ben Stokes as the England all-rounder is considered a future captaincy material when M.S. Dhoni bids goodbye to IPL.

With his skillsets and leadership qualities in mind, CSK have splurged big on Stokes, and now it is to be seen how successful their investment proves. Stokes has got permission from the ECB to participate in the IPL, but the England captain is expected to leave early to prepare for the Ashes.

Mayank Agarwal: Sunrisers’ big hope

India’s out-of-favour batter Mayank Agarwal was released by Punjab Kings, for whom he played since 2018 and led them in the 2022 edition.

Sunrisers Hyderabad, looking for a captaincy option, bought him for Rs 8.25 crore, making him one of the top Indian buys in the 2023 auction. Agarwal has scored 2,331 runs at a strike rate of 134.51 in IPL so far, but he will be under pressure as he will be under the constant scrutiny considering his previous success in the league.

Though SRH has picked Aiden Markram as the new captain, Agarwal was in contention till the last minute before the vote went in favour of Markram, who led the Sunrisers Eastern Cape to the SA20 title in January 2023.

SRH will be hoping that Markram, who captained South Africa U-19 to a World Cup triumph, will lead them to their third title in IPL.

Hardik Pandya takes a knee during the match against Rajasthan Royals.

Hardik Pandya: Expectations of another title

Besides players with high price tags, there will be huge expectations from other big stars who were retained by their respective franchises. Take the case of Hardik Pandya, who will have to shoulder tremendous pressure as everyone will be expecting him to lead the Gujarat Titans to another title and prove that their victory in their debut season last year was no fluke.

Pandya has done well as captain of the India T20I team and is the vice-captain of India’s ODI team. He has now started bowling regularly after recovering from an injury that had kept him out of the Indian team for many matches, and therefore he will have to shoulder a lot of workload in both batting and bowling departments.

Only time will tell if Pandya, just like the costliest players of the auction, will be able to live up to the expectations and fulfil the demands of a vigorous tournament like the IPL. But this much is sure, after every match in the IPL, there will be people sitting with their calculators working out whether the players that have attracted big monies in the auction have lived up to their price tags.

Value for money will definitely be the buzzword in IPL 2023 after the costliest auction.

ALSO READ: Sciver-Brunt powers Mumbai Indians to WPL title

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Bumrah set to miss IPL, WTC final

The medical staff of the BCCI is treating Bumrah’s case urgently and suggested him to undergo surgery..reports Asian Lite News

Indian pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is set to miss the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 after being given the option of undergoing back surgery, reported ESPNCricinfo on Tuesday.

He could also possibly miss the ICC World Test Championship (if India qualifies for it), which will be played from June 7 onwards at The Oval. He is yet to recover from the back injury that ruled him out of the ICC T20 World Cup last year. The medical staff of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru is treating Bumrah’s case urgently and suggested him to undergo surgery after facing recurring niggles in his lower back which surfaced originally in form of stress reaction last August.

A final decision on the next step is expected to be taken soon by BCCI in coordination with the NCA and Bumrah, keeping in mind the ICC Cricket World Cup, which is set to take place in India from October-November this year.

It has been a frustrating wait for Bumrah, who has attempted to make a comeback more than once since suffering a back injury in August which ruled him out of the Asia Cup. Initially, the injury did not seem serious as he was named in India’s T20 World Cup squad in September and even played the last two T20Is against Australia on September 23 and 25.

Three days later, Bumrah did not play the first T20I against South Africa and it was learnt that he was taken for scans, which revealed a stress-related injury in his back. He was rushed to NCA and the scans there confirmed that the injury was serious. It ruled him out of the T20 World Cup, in which India achieved a semifinal finish.

Bumrah resumed his rehab in November and started to bowl in mid-December. His progress seemed to be positive as he was added in the white-ball series played in January more than a week after the original squad was picked up.

Bumrah had performed the match simulation exercises in the NCA, but discomfort resurfaced while taking up higher workloads during fitness drills in January. Scans revealed the development of a fresh niggle, which ruled him out of the Sri Lanka series and Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia.

Indian team management and skipper Rohit Sharma want Bumrah to return back to the side only after gaining full fitness, with Rohit warning against rushing the pacer back into the team. (ANI)

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Hitman completes 12 years with Mumbai Indians

Has been an extremely exciting and emotional journey: Rohit Sharma on 12 years with Mumbai Indians

India captain Rohit Sharma is also the highest-capped player for Mumbai and has the second-most number of wins in the IPL as captain…reports Asian Lite News

India captain Rohit Sharma reflected on completing 12 years with Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL), saying that the journey has been an extremely exciting and emotional one for him.

On January 8, 2011, at the first IPL mega auction in Bengaluru, Mumbai, Punjab Kings and Deccan Chargers, Rohit’s previous team in the IPL from 2008-10 were in a three-way fight to get the services of the right-handed opener.

Eventually, Mumbai got him in and since then, Rohit has been their talismanic batter who has captained them to five IPL triumphs (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020) and two trophies in the now-defunct Champions League T20 (2011 and 2013).

“I can’t believe it’s been 12 years at Mumbai Indians. It has been an extremely exciting and emotional journey for me. We’ve achieved so much together with stalwarts, youngsters and our Paltan.”

“Mumbai Indians is my family and I want to thank my fellow players, fans and management for all the love. Looking forward to creating many more memories and spreading more smiles for our Paltan,” said Sharma in an official statement by the franchise.

Rohit also won the Player of the Match award in the 2015 IPL final with a 26-ball half-century to propel the side towards a massive total against Chennai Super Kings. He is also MI’s highest run-scorer with 4982 runs (IPL + CL T20 statistics combined).

He is also the highest-capped player for Mumbai and has the second-most number of wins in the IPL as captain (81 wins out of 143 games). But after missing the playoffs in 2021, Mumbai had a disappointing last-place finish in the 10-team event in IPL 2022, winning just four out of 14 matches in the league stage.

On the international front, Rohit’s first appearance of 2023 as the skipper of the Indian team will come in the upcoming ODI series against Sri Lanka, when the first match will be played on January 10 in Guwahati, followed by games in Kolkata and Thiruvananthapuram on January 12 and 15 respectively.

ALSO READ: SKY, bowlers shine as India seal series win over Lanka

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Titans win IPL 2022 title in debut season

The left-hander took two boundaries off Krishna’s final over, a pull swivelled over fine leg followed by a thick edge through third man…reports Asian Lite News

A determined Gujarat Titans made their maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) season an unforgettable one by lifting the 2022 title with a seven-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals in front of a roaring home crowd of 1,04,859 at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday.

By finishing off a chase of 131 with 11 balls remaining and defeating Rajasthan for the third time in IPL 2022 after losing the toss, Gujarat have capped off a season where they exceeded everyone’s pre-tournament expectations to become champions in their debut season of the competition.

Chasing 131 wasn’t going to be easy for Gujarat on a slow, dry pitch with variable bounce, where Hardik Pandya had taken a fantastic 3/17 in the first innings. But with a below-par total to chase down, Gujarat paced their chase in a clinical manner to clinch the trophy.

Wriddhiman Saha was clean bowled by a quick inswinger from Prasidh Krishna while Matthew Wade flicked straight to mid-wicket off Trent Boult. After Gujarat could amass just 31/2 from power-play, Rajasthan’s bowling continued to be incisive from both ends as Shubman Gill and Hardik Pandya struggled to break free despite some boundaries here and there.

Gill, who was dropped on fourth ball of the innings, earned another reprieve in the eighth over when a hoick down the pitch wasn’t caught by a diving extra cover. But the introduction of Ravichandran Ashwin brought Pandya the chance to find his groove, taking the off-spinner for a four with a thick outer edge past the keeper and followed it up with a six over wide long-on.

The 63-run stand off 53 balls between Pandya and Gill ended when Yuzvendra Chahal took out the former with the one turning away and taking the outer edge, giving a catch to slip. It seemed like Pandya’s dismissal would leave Gujarat in a spot of bother.

David Miller, one of their key players in the season, began by driving Obed McCoy through extra cover for a boundary and then dispatched an overpitched ball from Ashwin over long-on to make the equation 22 runs off the last four overs.

The left-hander took two boundaries off Krishna’s final over, a pull swivelled over fine leg followed by a thick edge through third man. Gill finished off the innings in style with a swivelled six off McCoy over deep square leg to make Gujarat IPL 2022 champions.

Earlier, Pandya recorded his best IPL bowling figures to restrict Rajasthan to a low total in the title clash. With the crowd firmly behind him, Pandya took out Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler and Shimron Hetmyer in a tight bowling display by the bowling unit.

Yashasvi Jaiswal began by playing seven dots before clearing Mohammed Shami over mid-off for a boundary, followed by an emphatic lofted drive over cover for six. He went on to hook Yash Dayal for a six over long leg, but the left-arm pacer struck on the very next ball, cramping the left-hander for room and miscuing the pull to deep square leg.

Despite the Jaiswal blitz, Gujarat kept Rajasthan on a tight leash in power-play, with Lockie Ferguson bowling the fastest ball of the tournament with a wide yorker going past a circumspect Buttler’s bat. After Rashid Khan didn’t leak any boundary in his first two overs, including getting turn from his googly, Buttler made full use of the width from Ferguson to smash back-to-back boundaries.

Samson tried to up the ante but miscued the pull off the outer edge to backward point off Pandya. He was nailing his hard lengths against Devdutt Padikkal, which eventually forced the left-hander to end his misery by cutting to short third man off Khan. Pandya’s seam up delivery on back of the length worked again when Buttler nicked behind to Saha.

Hetmyer carted Pandya for boundaries through off-side in the 15th over. But the Gujarat skipper had the last laugh when the left-hander defended too early on a back of the length ball and popped a simple return catch back to the bowler, effectively breaking the back of Rajasthan’s innings.

With R Sai Kishore taking out Ravichandran Ashwin and Trent Boult, Riyan Parag and Obed McCoy produced a boundary each to take Rajasthan to 130 before being dismissed in the final over, paving the way for Gujarat to take the trophy.

Brief Scores: Rajasthan Royals 130/9 in 20 overs (Jos Buttler 39, Yashasvi Jaiswal 22; Hardik Pandya 3/17, R Sai Kishore 2/20) lost to Gujarat Titans 133/3 in 18.1 overs (Shubman Gill 45 not out, Hardik Pandya 34; Trent Boult 1/14, Yuzvendra Chahal 1/20) by seven wickets

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‘SUPER’novas win Women’s T20 Challenge 2022

Captain Deepti Sharma, Kate Cross and Simran Bahadur took two wickets apiece, while Ayabonga Khaka got one for Velocity…reports Asian Lite News

West Indian all-rounder Deandra Dottin’s impressive performance with both bat and ball powered Supernovas to the 2022 Women’s T20 Challenge title with a four-run win over Velocity in a thrilling final at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, here on Saturday.

It was the third title for Harmanpreet Kaur led Supernovas, who had earlier won the first two editions of the tournament in 2018 and 2019 before losing to Trailblazers in the final in 2020. The tournament was not held last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dottin’s attacking fifty (62 off 44) guided Supernovas to 165-7 in 20 overs after being put in to bat. With the ball, she took two wickets for 28 runs in her four overs to play a crucial role in restricting Velocity to 161 for eight.

Chasing a target of 166 runs for victory, Shafali Verma and Yastika Bhatia got Velocity off to a brisk start in the chase. However, Shafali had to depart for an 8-ball 15 in the third over bowled by Dottin.

Bhatia scored a boundary off Ecclestone but she handed a catch back to the bowler soon after. Kiran Navgire, who played a match-winning knock in her last game, couldn’t do anything as she was bowled by Ecclestone for a 13-ball duck.

After a couple of quiet overs, South African batter Laura Wolvaardt eased the pressure a bit by scoring two boundaries off Vastrakar in the ninth over. But Chantham was out lbw in the same over and by the time the 11th was completed, Velocity had lost half their side with their captain Deepti also making it back to the hut in King’s first over.

Velocity went without a boundary for 22 deliveries before Rana played a sweep off King for a four in the 13th over. But Velocity were still playing catch-up, with as many as 91 required off the last seven overs.

Wolvaardt and Rana tried to keep up, scoring some much-needed boundaries, but Alana King bagged the wickets of both Rana and Radha in the same over while Dottin picked up her second by sending Kate Cross (13 off 7) back after being hit for two fours, to further dent Velocity’s chances.

However, Wolvaardt (65 not out off 40) and Simran Bahadur (20 not out off 10) struck a six apiece off King in the 18th over, which brought the equation to 34 off the last two overs.

Vastrakar, who bowled the penultimate over, gave 17 runs as Wolvaardt and Simran hit crucial boundaries. Velocity needed 17 runs from the final over but left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone (2/28), the No. 1 ranked T20I and ODI bowler, conceded just 12 runs to win the match despite Wolvaardt hitting a six off the first ball.

Earlier, Dottin stitched 73 runs for the opening wicket with Priya Punia (28) and added 58 for the second wicket with in-form captain Harmanpreet Kaur (43 off 29 balls).

Despite Dottin getting out to Deepti, bowled by the Velocity captain, the Supernovas were well-placed to finish in the vicinity of 180, having reached 131/2 at the end of the 15th over.But a collective bowling effort by the opposition bowlers in the last five overs dented their innings and Supernovas finished with 165-7 on the board.

Captain Deepti Sharma, Kate Cross and Simran Bahadur took two wickets apiece, while Ayabonga Khaka got one for Velocity.

Brief scores: Supernovas 165/7 in 20 overs (Deandra Dottin 62, Harmanpreet Kaur 43; Deepti Sharma 2-20, Kate Cross 2-29) beat Velocity 161/8 in 20 overs (Laura Wolvaardt 65 not out, Simran Bahadur 20 not out; Alana King 3-32, Sophie Ecclestone 2-28, Deandra Dottin 2-28) by 4 runs.

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IPL 2022: RCB defeat LSG by 14 runs

Rahul opened up by taking two sixes and a boundary off Siraj in the final over of power-play. With Deepak Hooda playing some shots and fetching boundaries, Lucknow were kept in the hunt…reports Asian Lite News

Rajat Patidar produced a knock for the ages, slamming a 49-ball century while Josh Hazlewood picked three wickets in powering Royal Challengers Bangalore to Qualifier 2 of IPL 2022, defeating Lucknow Super Giants by 14 runs in the Eliminator at the Eden Gardens on Wednesday.

After rain delayed proceedings by an hour and ten minutes, Patidar slammed 12 boundaries and seven sixes for scoring an unbeaten 112 off just 54 balls, taking Lucknow’s bowling attack to cleaners. Patidar was brutal in the last five overs, which brought a whopping 84 runs with Dinesh Karthik provided finishing fireworks in an unconquered 37 as Bangalore posted a mammoth 207/4.

In reply, Lucknow were kept in the hunt, thanks to a 96-run stand between KL Rahul (79 off 58 balls) and Deepak Hooda (45 off 26 balls). But with Hazlewood making three strikes and Harshal Patel conceding just 1/25 in his four overs apart from superb fielding display, Lucknow could make only 193/6. The win means that Bangalore will face Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier 2 at Ahmedabad on Friday.

Quinton de Kock opened the innings with a nonchalant flick for six off Mohammed Siraj. But on the very next ball, Siraj had the last laugh as de Kock mistimed loft to mid-on. Manan Vohra survived a stumping chance and hit Hazlewood for consecutive boundaries, but the pacer rushed the right-hander on the pull and diving midwicket caught the catch.

Rahul opened up by taking two sixes and a boundary off Siraj in the final over of power-play. With Deepak Hooda playing some shots and fetching boundaries, Lucknow were kept in the hunt. But Bangalore succeeded in containing the run-flow and with some sharp fielding, especially from Wanindu Hasaranga on the third ball of tenth over, they were able to have a good grip on the proceedings.

With 99 needed off last seven overs, Rahul cleared his front leg to smack Hazlewood for six over deep midwicket to bring up his half-century in 43 balls. Hooda also hit Hazlewood for a six over long-on before clubbing Hasaranga for a brace of sixes over the same region. But the leg-spinner had the last laugh, going past Hooda’s attempted slog-sweep to rattle the stumps.

Marcus Stoinis ended the over by slog-sweeping Hasaranga over wide long-on for third six of the over. In the leg-spinner’s next over, Rahul shuffled across to slog-sweep Hasaranga for a six over fine leg followed by another sweep for a boundary through the same region.

The budding 36-run stand off 17 balls between Rahul and Stoinis ended when the latter was caught by Patidar at deep cover off Harshal. Bangalore pulled things back as Patel conceded just eight runs despite leaking six runs in extras.

Hazlewood produced the telling blows in the 19th over when Rahul moved across to scoop, only to be caught by a leaping fine leg. He followed it up by catching Krunal Pandya for a golden duck off his own bowling, enough to seal the match in Bangalore’s favour.

Brief Scores: Royal Challengers Bangalore 207/4 in 20 overs (Rajat Patidar 112 not out, Dinesh Karthik 37 not out; Mohsin Khan 1/25, Krunal Pandya 1/39) beat Lucknow Super Giants (KL Rahul 79, Deepak Hooda 45; Josh Hazlewood 3/43, Harshal Patel 1/16)

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BCCI’s women IPL draws praise

Harmanpreet Kaur, India’s T20I captain, who will be leading Supernovas in their first match against reigning champions Trailblazers on Monday, felt that the legacy of this event will be in giving the young Indian cricketers a platform…reports Asian Lite News

Since the news of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) proposed to start a full-fledged six-team women’s Indian Premier League (IPL) from next year, many in the cricketing world welcomed the possibility of it.

With the upcoming women’s T20 Challenge, starting at MCA Stadium from Monday, more or less it is believed that this will be the final time of the three-team event, which began as an exhibition match in 2018 before being upgraded to current format in 2019.

Harmanpreet Kaur, India’s T20I captain, who will be leading Supernovas in their first match against reigning champions Trailblazers on Monday, felt that the legacy of this event will be in giving the young Indian cricketers a platform to showcase their skills and establish themselves firmly in the Indian team.

“If we look at the three years that we’ve played these matches, we got very good players like Shafali (Verma), Richa (Ghosh), and even Pooja (Vastrakar) tried to prove herself through this tournament. We get quality games and the domestic players get a lot of chances to perform,” said Harmanpreet in the pre-match virtual press conference.

“Maybe this will be the last edition (of T20 Challenge) and next year we’re looking positively at the IPL and that will give more opportunities for the girls to perform. In the last two-three years, if we talk about the advantages of this tournament, the performance of the girls in the T20 team and the improvement in their performances, it is because of these games. This tournament has helped us,” added the right-hander.

With each team getting just two matches, Harmanpreet admitted that achieving a balance between giving chances to youngsters and forming a combination to have a crack at winning games will be a tough task.

“It’s a small tournament and there are many players looking for opportunities. It’s really difficult, you have only two important games and you have to win, and you have to give chances to young players also. So that’s been my discussion with the coach, deciding on the best eleven.”

“You try to balance things, and that’s what we are trying to do as it is a short tournament. Firstly, try to balance our playing eleven, and if there is a scope to do some changes in the next game then we will do. The priority is to go out and win and whatever combination is best for that, we will try to do for achieving that.”

The scheduling is such that Supernovas will play an evening game against Trailblazers on Monday and will play their next game against Deepti Sharma-led Velocity on Tuesday afternoon. Harmanpreet revealed that the side has been planning meticulously to have ample recovery time in the gap between back-to-back games.

“When we got our schedule here, we realised that there will be back-to-back matches. We had discussed this (with our trainers) on the first day that how we have to manage ourselves due to back-to-back matches. We planned long sessions, then took a break and with the consecutive matches, today’s practice session will be less, then try to get into recovery and be ready for the next game.”

But is the women’s IPL which is the obvious crucial stepping stone for women’s cricket in the country. “If we talk about women’s IPL, I think for us right now it is important to get the tournament. It is totally in BCCI’s hands on how it should be organised as they have always thought of our best interests and it’s totally dependent on them. For us, it is important that we get that tournament,” concluded Harmanpreet.

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