Page 36 - Cricket

Women's Premier League: RCB SWOT analysis, schedule for WPL 2024

A batting-heavy team, RCB will enjoy their outing in front of their home crowd at the M Chinnswamy

What is the meaning of 'Akaay', the name of Virat-Anushka's second child?

The celebrity couple Virat-Anushka are welcoming a second child, Akaay. Virat Kohli shared the news through Instagram. Know what is the meaning of Akaay

IPL 2024 start date confirmed, entire tournament in India despite elections

IPL chairman Arun Dhumal confirmed that because of the general elections clashing with the IPL window, the schedule could be announced in two phases

Virat Kohli, Anushka Sharma announce birth of their second child 'Akaay'

Star India batter Virat Kohli on Tuesday announced that he and his actress wife Anushka Sharma were blessed with a baby boy on February 15. Kohli and Anushka are already proud parents of a three-year-old daughter Vamika. "With abundant happiness and our hearts full of love, we are pleased to inform everyone that on 15th February, we welcomed our baby boy Akaay & Vamika's little brother into this world!," Kohli informed in an instagram post. "We seek your blessings and good wishes in this beautiful time in our lives. We request you to kindly respect our privacy at this time." Kohli had opted out of the ongoing Test series against England, citing personal reasons. India are leading the five-match series 2-1.

Dhoni named skipper of IPL's all-time greatest team; Kohli chosen as opener

Iconic Indian cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni was on Sunday selected as the leader of IPL's all-time greatest team which was picked to celebrate the success of world's most-popular T20 league which was launched in 2008. The selection panel consisted of former cricketers Wasim Akram, Matthew Hayden, Tom Moody and Dale Steyn. About 70 journalists were also part of the selection process. Australia's fiery David Warner and India's batting main stay Virat Kohli were chosen as openers while 'Universe Boss' Chris Gayle was given the number three spot in batting order. The middle-order consisted of Suresh Raina, AB de Villiers, Suryakumar Yadav and Dhoni, while Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja and Kieron Pollard were the three all-rounders in the 15-member squad. Rashid Khan, wily Sunil Narine and Yuzvendra Chahal formed the spin attack while Lasith Malinga and Jasprit Bumrah were the unanimous choice for the fast bowlers' slots. The marquee tournament will complete 16 years of the first-eve

Jaiswal asuperstar in making, England deserve credit for inspiring: Duckett

England's Ben Duckett on Saturday called India's Yashasvi Jaiswal a "superstar in the making" but said his side deserves credit for inspiring players in the opposition camp to bat aggressively in Test cricket. Jaiswal dished out his own version of England's much talked-about 'Bazball' approach of run-making in Test cricket, cracking nine fours and five sixes in his 133-ball 104 before retiring hurt due to back spasms. The Indian opener shifted gears all of a sudden in the final session. Having reached 35 off 73 balls, he peppered the field with powerful strokes to bring up his second century of the series and third overall in his career. "When you see players from the opposition playing like that, it almost feels like we should take some credit that they're playing differently than how other people play Test cricket," Duckett told the media during a press conference here. "We saw it a bit in the summer and it's quite exciting to see other players and other teams are also playing th

Extraordinary milestone: PM Modi praises on Ashwin's 500 Test wickets feat

Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on Friday for the "extraordinary milestone" of taking 500 Test wickets. Ashwin became the second Indian bowler after Anil Kumble to take 500 Test wickets during the third Test against England in Rajkot on Friday. The prime minister said on X, "Congratulations to Ravichandran Ashwin on the extraordinary milestone of taking 500 Test wickets! His journey and accomplishments are testament to his skill and perseverance. My best wishes to him as he scales further peaks." Ashwin also became only the third off-spinner to achieve the feat and continues to be the second highest wicket-taker for India behind Kumble, who ended his career with 619 scalps.

WPL 2024: MI skipper Harmanpreet Kaur opens up on retaining title

Mumbai Indians skipper Harmanpreet Kaur feels adapting to different conditions will be vital to defending the title in the upcoming Women's Premier League, which is scheduled to be played in Bengaluru and New Delhi from February 23 till March 17. The inaugural edition last year was played in Mumbai and the hosts rode on familiar conditions and crowd support to clinch the title under Harmanpreet's leadership. "The conditions in Bengaluru will be different than Mumbai. I don't have much experience of playing in Delhi, so I don't have any idea how the wickets will fare in Delhi," Harmanpreet told PTI TV on the sidelines of WPL's pre-season media conference. "If we can just quickly adapt to these things, this will show how good we are as a team. These are the areas we have to keep in mind and accordingly change our game plan." The skipper said that though MI had a strong squad, the call on the playing eleven for a particular match will be taken based on conditions. "It is important fo

NCA not open to all: BCCI on trending fraudulent admission advertisements

The BCCI on Friday rubbished "fraudulent advertisements", promising admission into its National Cricket Academy in lieu of money and clarified that the entry into the elite facility in Bengaluru is a "merit-based process". The BCCI said in a statement that it has recently come across fraudulent advertisements promising aspiring cricketers admission into the NCA. "The BCCI wishes to clarify that it does not charge any money from cricketers to use its facility. The BCCI has its set of protocols, and entry into the NCA is a merit-based process," read a statement issued by the board's secretary Jay Shah. The cricket board made it clear that the facilities at NCA are not open for all. "The NCA is open to only BCCI's contracted players, players in the targeted group, and cricketers recommended by state associations. It is not open to any agency other than the ones mentioned above. "Cricketers, coaches and the public at large are advised to exercise caution and not fall prey to such fake

How 'Guru Gary' is using cricket to keep slum kids away from drugs

Notorious for drugs and crime and afflicted by large-scale poverty, the Khayelitsha township here is better known for being one of the biggest slums on the planet. But World Cup-winning coach Gary Kirsten is attempting to change the image for good through cricket. The idea struck him when he returned to his home here after guiding India to a World Cup title in 2011. "When I came back from India, I wanted to have a look at cricket in our poorest neighbourhoods in Cape Town," Kirsten recalled in an interview with PTI. He ended up touring Khayelitsha, situated 30km south-east of Cape Town and considered one of the most unsafe areas where a majority of the inhabitants still live in shacks. "I took a tour of the area with local school authorities and found that no cricket was happening which disappointed me a lot. I thought of this centre and we started with two concrete nets in two schools and then included three more schools," Kirsten said. What ultimately shaped up was the Catch Tru

SCA Stadium renamed after veteran cricket administrator Niranjan Shah

The Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium was on Wednesday renamed after veteran cricket administrator and former first-class cricketer Niranjan Shah. The ceremony, held on the eve of the third Test between India and England, was attended by India head coach Rahul Dravid, skipper Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Axar Patel, members of the coaching staff and chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar. On the occasion, India cricketers Cheteshwar Pujara, Jadeja and Jaydev Unadkat were also felicitated. Former India captains Anil Kumble and Sunil Gavaskar also felicitated players from Saurashtra who have achieved success in recent years. Gavaskar credited Niranjan Shah for playing a vital role in turning around the fortunes of Saurashtra, who are now two-time Ranji champions. Niranjan Shah, who played 12 first-class games from 1965 to 1975, is also a former BCCI secretary.

Australia wicketkeeper Carey equals record with 8 catches in an innings

Australia's test wicketkeeper Alex Carey has equalled an international record with his eight catches Wednesday in a domestic one-day cricket match. Carey held eight catches for South Australia state in a limited-overs win over Queensland in his first 50-over match since being replaced as Australia's first-choice white ball wicketkeeper at the World Cup in India last year. He took five catches off the bowling of Jordan Buckingham and equaled the List A world record with his eighth catch to dismiss Matt Kuhnemann. Two other wicketkeepers have taken eight catches in a List A innings, both in England. Derek Taylor set the record playing for Somerset in 1982 and Worcestershire's James Pipe matched it in 2021.

Yuvraj joins New York Strikers as captain and icon player for LCT season 2

Former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh was on Wednesday named New York Superstar Strikers captain and icon player for the upcoming Legends Cricket Trophy (LCT) Season 2. Yuvraj will lead the team comprising the likes of Babar Azam, Rashid Khan, Keiron Pollard, Imam Ul Haq, Naseem Shah, Matheesha Pathirana, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Asif Ali and Mohammad Amir. "Yuvraj's addition enriches the squad with a depth of expertise, skill, and leadership, fortifying New York Superstar Strikers' readiness to lead in the upcoming edition of the tournament," the franchise said in a statement. The tournament, to be played in a 90-ball format, will be held in Kandy, Sri Lanka from March 7-18. The first season, played in the 20-over format, was held in Ghaziabad from March 22 to 30 last year. Indore Knights and Guwahati Avengers were declared joint winners of the inaugural season after the final was washed out. In the LCT90BALLS format, five bowlers of each team can bowl three overs. The captain of the

WPL 2024: Original skipper Beth Mooney returns to captain Gujarat Giants

Australia's Beth Mooney will captain Gujarat Giants in the Women's Premier League beginning on February 23, the franchise announced on Wednesday. Mooney was named captain for the inaugural season as well but got injured after the first game and could not take further part in the competition. India all-rounder Sneh Rana had led the side in her absence. Rana has been named vice-captain for season two. Gujarat had finished last in the five-team competition in 2023. "They (Mooney and Rana) will be part of the leadership group with head coach Michael Klinger, mentor and advisor Mithali Raj, and assistant coach Nooshin Al Khadee," said the team in a statement. Gujarat Giants will open their campaign against Mumbai Indians in Bengaluru on February 25.

Infrastructure, BFSI companies among top advertisers for cricket in 2023

FMCG brands expect to remain one of the strongest advertisers in IPL 2024

U-19 World Cup: 3rd time in 12 months, India lose world title to Australia

The year changed from 2023 to 2024, but the fortunes of an Indian side facing Australia in the final of a world-level event in cricket did not as they lost yet another final

Important for leader to earn respect with deeds rather than words: MS Dhoni

MS Dhoni's captaincy and man management skills are part of cricket's urban legend, and the former India skipper on Friday said earning respect and loyalty of players with deeds formed the primary layer of leadership. Under Dhoni, India had won two World Cups and a Champions Trophy besides reaching the top of ICC Test rankings for the first time. Loyalty has a lot to do with the respect factor. When you talk about the dressing room, unless the support staff or players respect you, it is difficult to get that loyalty. "It is actually about what you are doing and not about what you are speaking. You may not actually speak anything but your conduct can earn that respect, said Dhoni in a function organised by Single.ID, a first-of-its-kind cross-reward programme identifier. Dhoni said the respect for a leader comes from his deeds rather than words. I always felt that earning respect (as a leader) is important as it does not come with the chair or rank. It comes with your conduct. Peopl

Secret to our performance is team bonding: India U19 captain Uday Saharan

The camaraderie in the dressing room has played a significant role in Indian team's dominant run in the U19 World Cup, skipper Uday Sharan said on Thursday and vowed to bring the trophy back home. Defending champions India have not lost a single match in the tournament. They have logged big-margin victories and were not tested till they bumped into hosts South Africa in the semifinals in which they scored a narrow two-wicket win. India have been a force to reckon with in the Under-19 World Cup, reaching the title clash seven times in last nine editions. "It is a dream for all of us to win this tournament. Everyone gets only one Under-19 World Cup and we want to repeat the history. We also want to register our names in history. We are focused on giving our best," Saharan told PTI-Bhasha in an interview. "I would like to tell the countrymen to continue supporting us like this. We promise to give everything to bring the Cup back." India's power-packed performance in the tournament wa

Zee's IL T20 gets 46% women viewers, 2nd most watched franchise tournament

With a reach of 161 million views, a staggering 46 per cent of which being women viewers, Zee Entertainment has announced that the DP World ILT20 league continues to be the world's second most watched franchise-based cricket competition. The tournament garnered an impressive reach of 161 million for its first 18 matches, 56 per cent of the audience being under the age of 30, according to data released by BARC INDIA 2+, TV+OOH, and LIVE+PPL. The company has reported an uptick of 12 per cent among 15+ urban audiences in India compared to the inaugural edition. The time spent on the league, which started on January 19 has surged by an impressive 33 per cent among viewers aged 15 and above in urban India. "This substantial increase in viewing duration emphasizes the league's ability to captivate and retain the attention of its audience, contributing to a more immersive and rewarding viewer experience," said league's media rights holder ZEE in a statement. The tournament with six teams

ICC U19 World Cup semis: PAK vs AUS playing 11, live match time, streaming

People in India can live stream the Pakistan U19 vs Australia U19 semifinal in the ICC U19 World Cup 2024 on Disney Plus Hotstar