ICC releases official World T20 2021 anthem

IPL 2021 Preview: RCB look to move on from horrendous past show against accoutred CSK

The Royal Challengers Bangalore will be up against Chennai Super Kings in Sharjah on Friday. RCB are coming into this game after suffering a thumping defeat at the hands of Kolkata where they were first bundled out for 92 in 19 overs and then the Knight Riders chased down the target by 9 wickets. Andre Russell and Varun Chakravarthy were among the wickets for the side after they picked up a three-for apiece while Sunil Narine kept things in control with some economical bowling. Chennai Super Kings on the other hand, began the second half of the tournament in an impeccable manner with a convincing 20-run win over Mumbai Indians. The Super Kings had some early hiccups after they were reduced to 24/4 but Ruturaj Gaikwad’s responsible knock of 88* off 58 and a late surge from Dwayne Bravo who chipped in with an 8-ball 23 got the side back on track. Later, the bowlers did the job and restricted MI to 136/8 in 20 overs to etch a victory. CSK would be riding high on confidence especially after the way Gaikwad, Bravo and the bowlers performed in the last encounter. But the script doesn’t just end here. The MS Dhoni-led team thoroughly dominated RCB in the last respective clash between the two sides in IPL 2021 in Mumbai, courtesy some brilliant all-round show from Ravindra Jadeja. The left-hander first struck an unbeaten 62 off 28 and then picked three wickets at the cost of 13 runs in 4 overs. To add to RCB’s misery, Jadeja was involved in Dan Christain’s run out. RCB captain Kohli had then said, “One guy completely beat us.” The right-hander might have just laughed it off then but that dominating performance from Jadeja would still be fresh in his and the team’s mind. Match Details RCB vs CSK, IPL 2021, Match 35 Date and Time: 24th September 2021, 7:30 PM IST Venue: Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah Well equipped CSK The Chennai Super Kings are probably one of the most stable and equipped sides in the competition at the moment and an instance of this was visible in the match against MI where despite having a dismal start, the Super Kings got back on track and eventually won the game. Ruturaj Gaikwad showed his class with the bat while Ravindra Jadeja stayed at the crease with him and provided the much-needed resistance that the side needed in that particular phase. Later, Bravo scored some runs quickly and then returned with three wickets at a good and impressive economy rate. Moreover, CSK might feel that they have an upper hand against the likes of Glenn Maxwell and AB de Villiers who were cleaned up by Jadeja in the last fixture when the two sides met. If the bowlers are able to repeat the same feat against these two batters, it will certainly rip apart RCB’s middle-order. RCB’s horrors of the past The Royal Challengers Bangalore had roped in Glenn Maxwell ahead of this season’s IPL to strengthen the middle-order alongside AB de Villiers and he has been pretty successful in doing so barring a few occasions. But one of those “a few” instances came against CSK in the first half itself where the two batsmen failed to provide the resistance to the side. Moreover, Maxwell’s struggle against the spinner during the KKR match has been exposed where the right-hander was not able to score runs while also lost his wicket due to lack of patience. So, Jadeja who has the ability to continuously bowl wicket-to-wicket can once again trouble him. Apart from Maxwell, RCB need the skipper Kohli to go all guns blazing in this encounter. Sharjah might have something on offer for the batsmen in the later stage of the game and the captain has a great chance to get back in the groove. Pitch Report Sharjah has generally witnessed some high-scoring games in the past and another high-voltage drama can be expected when RCB will be up against CSK. Both the teams have some brutal strikers of the cricket ball. The swing bowlers might get some help in the initial part of the match. Nevertheless, the batsmen just need to get their eye in and then accelerate as the run-scoring would be easy as the batters can target the shorter boundaries. So, if you win the toss, elect to field first. Team News RCB: The Royal Challengers Bangalore would need to stick to basics and concentrate on stitching partnerships in the middle overs. In the last game too, Devdutt Padikkal and Srikar Bharat tried to steady the ship for the side despite suffering an early breakthrough. But Padikkal’s dismissal saw a flurry of wickets in quick succession. The middle-order especially Maxwell and ABD need to be among runs as they had done in the first leg to keep the momentum going for RCB. CSK: The Chennai Super Kings too have the same cause of concern and that is the middle-order. Just like RCB, the Super Kings’ middle order failed to fire when it needed the most. But Faf du Plessis is coming into this competition after having a decent run in the CPL recently while Moeen Ali, Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni also have the ability to chip in with a few quick runs as and when required. All-rounder Sam Curran missed the CSK-MI fixture as there were protocols that those coming from the UK have to stay in isolation for 6 days. The left-handed player might be available for this encounter against RCB. Interestingly, Curran was the one who scalped Kohli’s wicket in the last match when the two sides faced each other. Probable XI RCB: Virat Kohli (c), Devdutt Padikkal, KS Bharat (wk), AB de Villiers, Glenn Maxwell, Sachin Baby, Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Siraj and Kyle Jamieson CSK: Faf du Plessis, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Moeen Ali, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (c&wk), Ambati Rayudu, Sam Curran, Dwayne Bravo, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur and Ravindra Jadeja Fantasy XI AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Glenn Maxwell, Moeen Ali (VC), Sam Curran (C), Wanindu Hasaranga, Yuzvendra Chahal, Shardul Thakur and Mohammed Siraj

IPL 2021 | MI vs KKR: Gambhir regrets not playing Suryakumar at number three during his captaincy

Gautam Gambhir, the most successful captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders has regretted not playing Suryakumar Yadav at number three during his time at KKR. Surya, a young player at the time when he joined the KKR setup was played lower down the order and used as a finisher instead of an anchor that the Mumbai Indians have used him since his arrival at the Paltan in 2018. Speaking at Star Sports ahead of the start of the all-important KKR vs MI clash at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Gambhir said, “One of the biggest regrets in my captaincy career is not giving the number 3 position to Suryakumar Yadav in KKR.” KKR won two titles when both Surya and Gambhir were present in the side in 2012 and 2014. It is incidental that both Gambhir and Surya left the KKR setup in 2018 as well when the left-handed skipper went to Delhi Daredevils (Capitals), Surya was bought for Rs 3.2 crore by his home city side Mumbai Indians. Since his arrival at MI, Surya has scored more than 400 runs in all three seasons and in this season, he has already scored 176 runs in eight games. At KKR, the 30-year-old was not able to cross even the 200 run mark in any season.

Watch | KKR coach Brendon McCullum turns professor, imparts cricket lessons on Pool table

The Kolkata Knight Riders got off to a great start in the second leg of the Indian Premier League as they defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore by nine wickets in their very first match in UAE and are now aiming to get into the top four on the points table as they face Mumbai Indians in an all-important clash on Thursday Night in Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi. To prepare his players for the match, coach Brendon McCullum chose a pool game to give important cricketing lessons to the squad. McCullum made the pool table a battleground and chose the two best pool players from the squad in West Indian Sunil Narine and his Kiwi compatriot Lockie Ferguson for the demonstration. Throughout the pool game, the 39-year-old former New Zealand skipper made his players understand as tow how they don’t have to give up the game no matter how worse the situation might get, neither do they have to relax, no matter how ahead of the game they might get. It ain’t finish till it is was the mantra that McCullum imparted through this pool table experiment. If Knight Riders manage to win their September 23rd match against the Mumbai Indians, they would get to eight points from nine games and give their chances of qualification a great boost, which at one time during the India leg of the competition seemed too bleak.

IPL 2021 | MI vs KKR: We need to comeback strong & tick those small boxes, says Rohit Sharma

Mumbai Indians will be up against Kolkata Knight Riders on Thursday in Abu Dhabi. While MI had a disappointing start to the proceedings in the second half of the IPL 2021 after they suffered a defeat against CSK by 20 runs, KKR are coming into this game on the back of a scintillating 9-wicket win over RCB. In a video posted by Mumbai Indians on social media, captain Rohit Sharma discussed the game. “I honestly don’t believe in past records because T20 is a format which depends on what happens on that particular day. You have to do your best on that particular day,” Rohit said. The right-handed batsman also put his weight behind KKR and said that they are a pretty good opposition who play good cricket. “They are a good opposition and play good cricket as a team. They would be riding high on confidence especially after the last win. So, it’s not going to be a cakewalk for us,” he added. Mumbai Indians have won 22 clashes against KKR while the Knight Riders have tasted success only 6 times. Talking about the same, Sharma admitted that they do have a good record against KKR but also added that it’s important for the side to play good cricket on the match day. “I know we have a pretty handy record against them but it’s important that we turn up really well on that particular day,” Sharma pointed. The MI skipper lavished praise on Adam Milne and said that he is in good form especially after having a good run in the tournament in the UK recently. “Adam Milne is coming from a very good tournament in the UK. He is a good bowler and bowls really fast,” the opener said. MI started off the second leg in a dismal manner and Rohit did admit that the side needs to comeback in a very strong manner. “We need to comeback strong and tick those small boxes,” he said. Mumbai Indians are presently sitting at the fourth spot in the points table with four wins and as many defeats in the 8 matches that they have played.