BCCI announces player contracts for 2020-21 season; Kohli, Rohit, Bumrah awarded Grade A+ contracts

Delhi Capitals sign up Anirudha Joshi, Shams Mulani as replacements for Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel

Karanataka all-rounder Anirudha Joshi has replaced an injured Shreyas Iyer from the Delhi Capitals squad in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League. Joshi was in top-notch form with the bat in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy held earlier this year. The Capitals will be his third association with an IPL franchise after previous stints with the Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore in the past. Shreyas Iyer was ruled out of the current edition of the IPL following right shoulder subluxation in the first ODI of the series against England just before the IPL 2021. The Capitals have also roped in a short-term replacement for the all-rounder Axar Patel, who has tested positive for the novel Coronavirus infection and set to be on the sidelines for a long period of time. They have signed up Shams Mulani, a left-handed batsman and a slow left-arm orthodox bowler from Mumbai for the time till Axar comes back in the biosecure bubble of the Capitals. Meanwhile, the Capitals would be elated to have Kagiso Rabada back in the team after missing him and Anrich Nortje in their last game. However, Nortje, too, tested positive for the Covid-19 infection and hence his comeback has been delayed.

IPL 2021 | PBKS vs CSK: Old horses come face to face against new challengers on the block

Both the Chennai Super Kings and the Punjab Kings have returned as improved teams after the last edition of the IPL where they could not make it into the final four. However, only the Kings could rule the conditions and a high-scoring game in Mumbai, while the Super Kings were dethroned by magnificent pair of Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan. When KL Rahul and MS Dhoni would walk down the pitch for the toss, there will be a mix bag of emotions for the team that who have been asked tough questions in their last game. As a welcome sign, the Super Kings were batting more freely in the middle phase of the game, which was a walk away from the tactics of the last IPL. Batsmen were buoyant in a revamped batting approach although they were rocked fairly early against the new ball. Punjab, too, batted with fresh energy in the middle phase of the game and assigned the task of taking the game to an enraged Deepak Hooda, who batted like a man on the mission to destroy the opposition bowling attack. As worrying factors, both Rahul and MS Dhoni would be precarious of their bowlers lacking in accuracy and dimensions of the ground. The Wankhede Stadium has appeared like a graveyard for all bowling attacks and both Rahul and Dhoni have had the tough task of enduring every bit of assault on their bowlers from behind the wicket. Contrasting bowling attack: Who will emerge victoriously? The Kings stacked their bowling attack with the rapid Australian duo of Jhye Richardson and Riley Meredith in the last game while on the other hand, the Super Kings had Shardul Thakur as their fastest bowler on the park. The result, however, was not any different as both Richardson and Meredith were taken to the cleaners by the Royals batsmen especially Sanju Samson and Jos Buttler, while Super Kings bowlers were driven, swept and demolished by the pair of Dhawan and Shaw. The game between the sides is likely to be another high-scoring one and it is inevitable that one bowling attack will have the last laugh over the other in Mumbai. Super Kings against the pace of Richardson, Meredith The Super Kings batting effort was resurrected by Suresh Raina and Moeen Ali in the last game against the Capitals, but missing the point that Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje was out of action would be an unfair assessment. Both Moeen Ali and Raina’s vulnerabilities against express pacers are known worldwide and along with the pace and bounce being offered by the pitch at Wankhede, the Kings will have a perfect arsenal in the form of Richardson and Meredith to exploit the number four and most successful batsman from the Super Kings line up. If the Super Kings have to go past the Kings bowling attack, the Ali-Raina pair will have to come on top of the Australian duo. Whether they can do it, or otherwise, the contest is shaping to be a riveting one on a Friday night. CSK’s conundrum on pace bowler CSK coach Stephen Fleming readily accepted the fact that the Super Kings missed a pace bowler in the last game against the Delhi Capitals. With not too many options left on the bench after Josh Hazlewood’s pull out, the Super Kings will have to recall South African pacer Lungi Ngidi for his pace and skills with the new ball. However, another option Dhoni-Fleming could ponder upon is the inclusion of Imran Tahir, who can bring a lot of variations in the bowling department and can prove to be the crucial factor in the middle phase of the game. If Dhoni decides to take either of them into the playing XI, he would have to take a big call on choosing one among Faf du Plessis and Dwayne Bravo. Both have been stalwarts for the Super Kings in their glorious past, and hence the call will be a tremendous one for Dhoni to take. A lot of money but no place for Gowtham The Super Kings won a three-way intense bidding war against the Kolkata Knight Riders, and the Sunrisers Hyderabad to bring Krishnappa Gowtham in the side for a whopping Rs 9.25 crore. The big purchase hinted that the Super Kings were in desperate need of having an off-spinner after missing Harbhajan Singh in the last season. However, Gowtham could not find a place in the playing XI in the first game of the season and the move established the talks that his inclusion was based on Super Kings playing half of their matches on slower and lower pitches in Chennai. Out of two off-spinning all-rounders, Moeen Ali was preferred over Gowtham and he repaid the faith bestowed upon him by the team management. The trend is likely to continue for at least the next few matches as Dhoni has not been known as a captain who likes to make too many changes in the playing XI. Punjab Kings vs Chennai Super Kings: Match Details Match Number-08 Date and Time: April 16, 07:30 pm IST, 02: 00 pm GMT Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai Broadcast and Live Stream: Star Sports and Hotstar Pitch and weather The two matches played in the It is set to be another belter of a pitch at the Wankhede Stadium and both the skippers will have to rely on batsmen to utilise it to their maximum impact. There hasn’t been any help for the bowlers except for in the early half an hour phase of the game before dew sets in and batsmen will have the option of eyeing bigger targets while watching cautiously in the first half of the first innings. Teams chasing have found themselves at the advantage of having a pitch that plays true to the full 20 overs, and bowing first has been the mantra for the team so far in the matches that have been played in Mumbai this season. Team News Punjab Kings The Kings opted to change their last year tactic of delaying Chris Gayle’s entry in the IPL and the move paid off with the hard-hitting Jamaican taking the game to the Royals camp and setting the game up for the likes of Hooda to take off. The Kings were bullish in their selection of the bowlers and picked a five-man attack comprising of four pacers and a solitary spinner in the form of Murugan Ashwin. The Kings will be weary of Super Kings’ batting against spinners and hence the decision of playing a pace-heavy bowling attack is likely to be continued at least for the next game. There should be no change in the batting department either except for some last-minute hiccups. Strongest XI KL Rahul (c & wk), Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Deepak Hooda, Nicholas Pooran, Shahrukh Khan, Jhye Richardson, Murugan Ashwin, Riley Meredith, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh Chennai Super Kings Lungi Ngidi should be ready to go in the game against the Kings but Dhoni will have to take a tough call so early in the tournament if he wants to add some pace in the bowling department that was demoralised by the Capitals in the last game. In the batting department, Suresh Raina was held back to the number four position in order to provide Moeen Ali with a perfect platform to start his onslaught, and the tactical move will be persisted with in the next game as well. Super Kings did not play a specialist spinner with the luxury of having the variety in the spin department from the likes of Ravindra Jadeja and Moeen Ali and hence, spinners such as Karn Sharma will have to wait a little longer to get back in the reckoning. Strongest XI Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Moeen Ali, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Lungi Ngidi, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar PBKS vs CSK: Dream XI/fantasy XI Nicholas Pooran, Mayank Agarwal, Deepak Hooda, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Deepak Chahar, Jhye Richardson, Riley Meredith Captain: KL Rahul Vice-captain: Moeen Ali

IPL 2021: Riyan Parag reveals the impact of MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli in his cricketing journey

A rising star in IPL, Riyan Parag has been a revelation for the Rajasthan Royals in the competition in the last two years. He hasn’t scored a truckload of runs but the manner in which it comes and the impact it does to the context of a match is big. He has played some amazing cameos from difficult situations and even in the previous encounter against the Punjab Kings, Parag’s quickfire knock of 25 of 11 deliveries almost made the difference. His rise to top-level cricket has been steady and he aspires to play for India in the middle order one day. In an exclusive interview with Cricbuzz, Parag revealed his aspirations in life and what the IPL has done to him and many more. He also spoke on the impact of MS Dhoni in his life and his exposure of rubbing shoulders with some of the best named in international cricket. Speaking on the impact IPL had in his life, Riyan Parag said that mentality wise its IPL has benefited him because unlike in domestic cricket teams have to wait to face a good team if they qualify for the quarter-final but in IPL getting the chance to rub shoulders with Steve Smith, Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer has really been a learning curve for Parag. “Mentality wise IPL a big positive impact. When you get to play for your state you will some great players but when you play in the IPL and share the dressing room with players like Steve Smith, Ben Stokes, Ajinkya Rahane, Jos Buttler, Jofra Archer. These are top top players at the international level." Parag said. "And then when you come up against people like Virat Kohli or MS Dhoni, it makes you mentally very strong. When you play the IPL, you obviously have the skill level, but what gives you the extra edge is that mental aspect. So when you play in front of big crowds on a platform like this, it gives you immense mental strength. Secondly, about life, it feels good when so many people start recognising me. That wasn't the case in Under-19 cricket, however, it's a different story and that has changed my life,” Parag added on the matter. A couple of years back a picture of a very young Riyan Parag along with MS Dhoni went viral and Parag says that he doesn't even remember when that he had taken a photograph with Dhoni as he was too young and he only recalled it when the picture went viral. “When I was small I don’t even remember taking a picture with him but when I saw it I realised that it was a long journey but then it’s very inspiring. After the match, he came up to me and said you are doing well and never let the fun aspect going away from you," Parag reminisced. He also recalled the fact that Indian skipper Virat Kohli once told him that he won’t win the orange cap and should rather concentrate on scoring the quick 20’s and 30’s for the team and make sure that it helps the team in winning the match. "No, it doesn't actually [if not getting a lot of chances to bat matters to him]. I had a chat with Virat Kohli during the last IPL," Parag said. "He specifically told me that 'you are not going to get the Orange Cap. You bat No. 5 or No. 6 so there is no point in you thinking about the Orange Cap. You just think about how you can get those crucial 20 or 30 runs and when you get the chance to go in at a crucial phase, just think how you can get the team through'," he added. Here is the full interview

Babar Azam recalls Virat Kohli's advice which helped him improve his game

Pakistan skipper across formats, Babar Azam on Wednesday became the fourth Pakistani batsman to secure the top spot in ICC Rankings for batsmen in ODI cricket. He leapfrogged Virat Kohli to occupy the numero uno position. Babar Azam has been one of the finest young cricketers of the modern generation and time and again experts and fans have compared Babar with Indian skipper Virat Kohli. With the sort of rivalry, India and Pakistan share both on and off the field, comparisons are bound to come but whenever Babar has been compared with Kohli the former has always said he looks up to Kohli and he has a lot more to achieve which Kohli already has in his international career. After becoming the No 1 ODI batsman in world cricket, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) released a video where Babar can be seen indulging in an interactive session with his teammate Imam-ul-Haq. During that brief interaction, Babar Azam revealed that how a piece of advice from Virat Kohli helped him in his own batting. “Previously, I used to play at nets with a casual mind but slowly I overcame this. I understood that If I am not taking my sessions seriously, how can I perform in matches?,” Babar said. “In this regard, I once talked to Virat Kohli and he told me to take net sessions as seriously as matches. If you get out and play rash shots in nets, subsequently you will do the same in a match,” he added. Babar Azam whose ultimate dream is to become the No 1 batsman in Test cricket said that Kohli’s advice helped him a lot and that has helped him bat with more intensity in the nets. “His advice helped me and now I don’t get satisfied with my batting at nets. If my net session doesn’t go well, I am disturbed throughout the day,” Babar said. Babar Azam looked in sublime touch during the recently concluded ODI series against the Proteas. He began the series with a brilliant century and followed it up with a match-winning 94 of 82 deliveries in the series decider. His consistent run helped him get eight points clear of the Indian skipper Virat Kohli. Meanwhile he also smashed a match-winning century in the 3rd T20I which helped Pakistan chase down a mammoth target of 205 with utmost ease. His knock of 122 came in just 59 deliveries as Pakistan chased the target down with two overs to spare.