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Ind Vs Aus Up To 30000 Fans To Be Allowed In Stadiums Says Cricket Australia

Ind vs Aus: Up to 30,000 fans to be allowed in stadiums, says Cricket Australia

International cricket is set to return to how it was during the pre-covid phase as Cricket Australia has decided to allow spectators inside the ground in the upcoming series against India. However, the number of fans to be allowed in stadiums have been capped as per the guidelines of the local health administration.

The iconic Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) which has been selected by the board to host two ODIs and two T20Is along with the Pink Test scheduled from January 7, 2021, will host up to 30, 000 spectators which is roughly 50 per cent of its seating capacity. Manuka Oval in capitals Canberra, which will host an ODI and T20I each has been mandated to host only 6,000 spectators for the limited-overs matches.

The Adelaide Oval where a highly-anticipated series will begin with a Day-Night Test has been restricted to seat up to 50 per cent of its capacity which is up to 27,000 cricket fans. Cricket Australia is expecting fans to be much more interested in the Adelaide Test, as the Indian skipper Virat Kohli is set to return home after completion of this test to see his wife who will be expecting the couple’s first child.

For the historical Boxing Day Test which starts on December 26 every year, the Victorian government has mandated for the presence of only 25,000 audiences per day. However, Cricket Australia has expressed optimism that they will be allowed to host more fans in the stadium with the improvement in the coronavirus situation in Melbourne.

Another Test venue to host the last Test match of the series - Gabba in Brisbane has been allowed to host 30,000 fans in the stands which is roughly 75 per cent of the current seating capacity of the ground.

Cricket Australia’s Interim CEO Nick Hockley has said that he expects an ‘unexpected demand for tickets of the series against India. The Indian team will start their campaign with One-Day format on November 27 at the SCG.

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DC cool it off with Bhangra before first ever finale in their history

Having made it to the finals for the first time ever in their history of the Indian Premier League (IPL) Delhi Capitals (DC) are upbeat and are enjoying this success with a lot of off the field activities to cool down the pressure before the big match against defending champions Mumbai Indians. Showing one such activity, a video was posted by the official Tw2itter handle of the Delhi Capitals in which skipper Shreyas Iyer could be seen doing the Bhangra with senior pro and probably the most energetic man in the team Shikhar Dhawan and all-rounder Marcus Stoinis, who is seen copying the moves of the two Indian boys. "When you realize you'll be playing Delhi's maiden @IPL final tomorrow #YehHaiNayiDilli #Dream11IPL #MIvDC @Address_Hotels @ShreyasIyer15 @SDhawan25 @MStoinis," the team captioned the video. But this is not the first time that Bhangra has been the taste of the town as far as Delhi Capitals are concerned, neither is this the only time that they are in the jolly mood. Even after losing the qualifier and one day before the second qualifier, the boys from Delhi were in the best of their spirits with once again captain Iyer taking the lead by imitating Marcus Stoinis. Now all eyes would be on the final in Dubai and Delhi, which has lost the previous three games against Mumbai, would be looking to have the last laugh, while on the other hand, Mumbai would look to put the last nail in the coffin and seal a historic 5th title and become the first-ever team to defend a title in the IPL.

Ponting praises Dhawan-Stoinis, backs them to win trophy for Capitals

Former Australia captain and Delhi Capitals coach Ricky Ponting praised Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis and Indian opener, Shikhar Dhawan, for their brilliant showing in this season’s IPL and especially for the way they batted in the second qualifier against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Stoinis scored a fiery 38 in the match against Sunrisers and was a prime reason for giving Delhi the flying start they were always looking for. Saying that he always wanted an opportunity to bat up in the order, Ponting said that Stoinis really utilized the opportunity given to him. “Marcus has been dying for an opportunity to bat further up the order but our team balance didn’t allow it in the first part of the tournament. With Prithvi and Jinx (Ajinkya Rahane) both being there, it was difficult to give Stoinis opportunity up the order,” he said. “But every time he got the opportunity he played really well. He is a vastly improved player than he was 12 months ago. He was craving for that opportunity,” added the 45-year-old. Talking about Dhawan, Ponting said that he is probably having the best season of his IPL career and must cash it in for Delhi’s success in the finals in Dubai. “Shikhar is probably having his best season and that’s really very good signs for us,” said Ponting. Both these players have actually been the top performers for Delhi. While Stoinis has scored 352 runs and taken 12 wickets in the series so far, Dhawan is also the second-highest run-scorer with 603 runs from 16 games, just 67 runs behind KL Rahul in the race for the Orange Cap.

IPL 2020: Trent Boult recovers from injury ahead of the final

Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma is confident that ace speedster Trent Boult would play in the finals against Delhi Capitals which would be held in Dubai. "Trent looks pretty good. He is going to have a session with us today and then we will see how he goes. He pulled up pretty well in the last few days, so fingers crossed. Hopefully, he plays," Rohit told the press on the eve of the final. Boult, who has been phenomenal alongside Jasprit Bumrah for the MI, got injured in the first qualifier against Delhi and was taken off the field after completing only his two overs. Praising the Kiwi quick, Rohit said that the team was always looking to have someone like Boult in their squad. "We wanted someone who could bowl with the new ball and get those wickets in the Powerplay. Trent is the best with the new ball when it comes to swinging the ball back to the batsman. He has not disappointed," Rohit said. He also said that Boult has been impressive even in the middle overs and also in death. "He has bowled well in the middle overs and also at the backend a few times. He is an asset for the squad and let's hope he can do for more time for us," the skipper added. It has been an amazing season for Boult who has picked up 22 wickets from 14 games. The fact that he has taken 14 wickets in the power plays and struck an unbelievable seven times in the first over itself, makes his role even more important.

IPL 2020: Ricky Ponting warns MI, says best of Delhi yet to come

Delhi Capitals coach Ricky Ponting has warned his opponents in the finals- Mumbai Indians saying that Delhi’s best is yet to come. “It didn’t matter that we lost games,” he said. “Each team won a couple, lost a couple but all of our losses came in a group and it was hard to change the momentum, but the boys did it and we find ourselves in the final and I think our best cricket is yet to come,” added the former Australia captain. Ponting said that he was happy with the results and it has been a good season for the team despite the tumble in the middle. “Looking back now we are happy, it’s been a good season but we are here to win the IPL and we will give it our best shot,” Ponting said in the pre-match conference. “We got off to a good start but were a bit shaky towards the end but the boys have managed to really play two very good games out of three, and hopefully, we can play our best game in the final,” he added. Talking about the pressure of the final game, Ponting was confident that his team would not crumble under pressure and rather enjoy it. “Thankfully, I have coached one before and I was a part of another team as captain, so I know what it’s like to be,” he said. “The most important thing in big games like this is not to try hard, it’s just another game. We need to enjoy that, try to embrace the extra nerves that come with the final. All we have is given ourselves the right to play in the final, and now got to go and win that final,” Ponting added. Playing against Mumbai has really been a problem this season for the Capitals and acknowledging that, the 45-year-old said, “We have been long away from the best we have played against Mumbai so far. We will try and address some of the areas that we haven’t played against Mumbai in the past -- Powerplay batting, death bowling are some.” Along with it, he said that if they play to their best potential, there is no reason why they can’t win the final in Dubai.