Shreyas Iyer raring to come back in IPL, downplays talks around Delhi Capitals captaincy

VVS Laxman urges Shikhar Dhawan to score heavily in Sri Lanka to regain opener position in T20Is

Former Indian batsman VVS Laxman has said that Shikhar Dhawan has to maximise the opportunities on the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka in order to stake claim for an opener slot in the Indian T20 side. Laxman said that the competition for the opening position is very stiff as prolific batsmen as Kohli, Rahul have either eyes on it and hence Dhawan will have to pile on big runs to secure his position in the side. “Shikhar Dhawan will be very clear that he has to use this opportunity – especially keeping in mind the T20 World Cup, there is so much stiff competition. So, while he is excited being the captain of the Indian team — and anyone will be proud to lead their country — but his focus will be to score runs and put his spot in a secure position,” Laxman said on Star Sports show Game Plan “There is Rohit Sharma and K.L. Rahul – who are established opening batsmen. Virat Kohli, very clearly mentioned that he wants to open in T20 formats. So, Shikhar Dhawan has to be amongst runs.” Notably, Dhawan was overlooked in the last four T20 of the series against England as the likes of KL Rahul and Virat Kohli took his positon along side Rohit Sharma at the top of the order. Dhawan has been a prolific opener for India in the ODIs but has not been able to replicate his success in the shortest format. The selection committee recognised his experience and consistency with the bat by promoting him as the leader of an Indian team without Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, but for the T20 World Cup scheduled for the end of this year, only thing that will matter will be runs from his bat.

Mitchell Starc gearing up to overcome quarantine hurdles, eyes all formats in busy year

ENG vs PAK | Haris Sohail yet to recover from leg injury, MRI scan on July 6 to decide fate

Pakistan middle-order batsman Harris Sohail has not recovered from his leg injury and continues to feel pain in his right leg, the Pakistan Cricket Board said in its injury update. The board also said that the left-hander will not take part in practice sessions scheduled on July 5 and 6 in Derby after missing out from the intra-squad game last week. However, he has not been ruled out of the first ODI of the series against England starting July 8 and any decision on his availability will be taken after the MRI scan scheduled to take place on July 6 in Cardiff. The members of the Pakistan squad have arrived in the UK for a three match-long ODI and T20 series under the leadership of Babar Azam. The remaining ODIs of the series will be played in London and Birmingham on July 10 and 13 respectively. The T20I series will follow the ODI series and will start on July 16 and conclude on July 20.

BCCI chalks out IPL expansion plans; fixes player retention to four, increases salary purse: Report

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has chalked out forward-looking plans for the Indian Premier League that includes the addition of two new franchises, provisions of player retentions and increment in their salaries and broadcasting rights among other things, as per a TOI report. The Board will release a formal tender in the period between August-September later this year and the bidding processes for the two more teams in the tournament will commence in October this year, the report further stated. The BCCI has also decided to increase the salary purse of each franchise by Rs 5 crore starting next season and the value will be increased incrementally every year from the next season. The current salary purse available to each franchise is 85 crore which will be increased to Rs 90 crore next year and up to Rs 100 crore leading up to the 2024 edition. The BCCI has also earmarked the provisions of retention of players by each franchise. All the eight currently existing franchisees will be mandated to retain a maximum of four players in two possible combinations such as either three Indian and one overseas player or two India and two overseas players. The report also indicated that the BCCI is looking to utilise the month of March to accommodate an increased number of matches with the number of franchises increasing to 10 and hence aiming for an increased value of broadcasting rights by up to 25 per cent. The BCCI came under stern pressure in hosting the 14th edition of the IPL in India while the country was grappling with a severe wave of Covid-19 pandemic and ultimately had to postpone the event for an indefinite period then. The IPL 14 will resume in the UAE in the month of September.