Page 29 - T20 Cricket

IPL 2025 starts on March 22, KKR vs RCB to kick-start Indian Premier League

Hyderabad will host Qualifier 1 and the Eliminator, while Qualifier 2 and the grand final will take place in Kolkata, according to media reports

Graeme Smith believes SA20 is the second most competitive league after IPL

Smith said that the bonus point system keeps the league competitive throughout the group stage

MI Cape Town thrash Sunrisers Eastern Cape to win maiden SA20 title

Pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada produced an inspired bowling performance to lead MI Cape Town to their maiden SA20 title with a comfortable 76 runs win over two-time champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the final at the Wanderers here. After finishing last in the previous two seasons, the Rashid Khan-led MI Cape Town hardly put any foot wrong in the third season. Rabada on Saturday night claimed 4/25 in 3.4 overs to dismiss Sunrisers Eastern Cape for just 105 in response to MI Cape Town's 181 for 8 -- the second-highest score in a SA20 final. Rabada was ably supported by player-of-the-match Trent Boult, who took two wickets for just nine runs from his four overs, spin twins George Linde (2/20) and skipper Rashid (1/19). Chasing 182, the Aiden Markram-led Sunrisers, which had registered consecutive wins over Joburg Super Kings and Paarl Royals in the last two matches, could not maintain the momentum and except Tom Abell and Tony de Zorzi, no other batter could live upto the ...

IPL leads franchise cricket; we can only learn from them: SA20's Smith

SA20 commissioner Graeme Smith has pledged to make it the second best league in the world after admitting that the IPL remains the leader of franchise cricket, from where they can "only learn" to get better. The third season of SA20 is currently underway across venues in South Africa. "BCCI and IPL have been amazing in supporting us and guiding us in every decision we have made. IPL is the leader in franchise cricket by far and we can only learn from them," Smith told PTI Bhasha in an exclusive interview here. IPL veteran Dinesh Karthik this year became the first Indian player to feature in SA20 by appearing for Paarl Royals, who lost the second qualifier against two-time champion Sunrisers Eastern Cape in Centurion on Thursday. When asked about the possibility of having more Indian players in future, Smith said they would love to have them if they were available, but nothing of that sort is in the pipeline as of now. "We always said that we have worked with the BCCI to see what t

Sunrisers on course for SA20 title hattrick after win in Eliminator

Aiden Markram led from the front once again, smashing a 40-ball 63 as defending champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape kept their dream of a third consecutive SA20 title alive with a 32-run win over Joburg Super Kings in the Eliminator. The two-time champions will now face Paarl Royals in Qualifier 2 at SuperSport Park on Thursday, with the winners taking on in-form MI Cape Town in the final at Wanderers on Saturday. Put in, Sunrisers posted 184 for 6, thanks to Markram's captain's knock, a brisk start by young opener David Bedingham (27 off 14), and a late flourish from Marco Jansen (23 off 12). In response, Joburg Super Kings could only manage 152 for 7 in their 20 overs. Bedingham set the tone early, hammering two boundaries off Lutho Sipamla in the first over. He continued his aggressive approach, smashing a four and a six in Sipamla's second over, with Tony de Zorzi also joining in. Markram and Jansen later dismantled the same bowler, plundering 29 runs in his third over. The Por

Pietersen gives thumbs up to IPL owners' investment in English teams

Former England captain Kevin Pietersen on Tuesday welcomed the investments made by IPL team owners in English domestic cricket, terming it as "amazing for English and world cricket." After Mumbai Indians bought a 49 per cent stake in the Oval Invincibles in The Hundred competition, Lucknow Super Giants bought a similar share in the Manchester Originals franchise which they will run along with Lancashire. "At the end of the day, you are an absolute idiot if you don't think India runs the world of cricket and anyone arguing against that clearly is deluded," Pietersen told the media on the sidelines of the launch of Dram Bell Scotch Whisky. "So actually when you see what India is doing for global cricket, the amount of cash that's being injected into now this last couple of weeks, the English cricket game, it's amazing for world cricket. "I know the guys at the ECB and also my buddies were the one that took Lord's and the amount of money that they're spending just on Lords is it's ...

SA20: Markram not relying on old records in eliminator against Super Kings

Sunrisers Eastern Cape will look to keep their title dream alive with a win in the eliminator against Joburg Super Kings, who wish to change their playoff fate on Wednesday

SA20 eliminator Sunrisers vs Super Kings Playing 11, timing, live streaming

The live streaming of the SA20 eliminator match between SEC and JSK will be available on the Disney+ Hotstar app and website in India.

MI Cape Town beat Royals to storm into their first-ever SA20 final

MI Cape Town's bowlers kept the pressure on, with skipper Rashid Khan adding a historic milestone to the night

Rashid Khan replaces Dwayne Bravo on T20's top wicket-taker throne

Rashid achieved this historic milestone while playing for MI Cape Town in Qualifier 1 of SA20 against Paarl Royals

WPL 2025: Full schedule, timing (IST), format, venues and live streaming

Jio Cinema will live stream all 22 WPL 2025 matches in India

SA20 playoffs full schedule, match time (IST), venue, live streaming

The playoff matches of SA20 will be available to live stream on Disney+ Hotstar in India

Ashwin asks Samson to take responsive action to counter short ball struggle

Former India spinner R Ashwin has expressed concern at T20 batting star Sanju Samson's lack of form, saying his mind will start "playing tricks" with him if he does not find a way out of the current rut. The 30-year-old Samson, who will be out of action for a month due to a fracture in his right index finger, endured a terrible series against England's express pace and short balls. He managed a mere 51 runs in the five-match contest that India won 4-1. "...if Sanju keeps getting dismissed like this, as a batter, the mind will be playing tricks," Ashwin said. "(It will force you to think) the bowler is bowling a certain way and I am getting dismissed like this, is the bowler bowling well or do I have a shortcoming? Will I be able to adapt? Once so many questions arises, then it becomes difficult," he explained. Ashwin also advised out-of-from skipper Suryakumar Yadav to change his approach to come out of the form slump that he is also enduring right now. Suryakumar could only manag

South Africa's SA20 confirms official window for next three seasons

SA20 and Cricket South Africa on Monday formalised the window of the lucrative franchise-based tournament for the next three years in order to "bring certainty" to stakeholders and also help the national team plan its international calendar in advance. As per the schedule, Season 4 will get underway on December 26, 2025 and run through to January 26, 2026. The season will lead up to the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka in February next year. Season 5 will return to its original slot, running from January 9 to February 14, 2027, while Season 6 will be held from January 9 to February 13, 2028. "Confirming the SA20 window for a three-year period allows the league to bring certainty to all stakeholders and assists in securing our place when planning the global calendar," said former South Africa skipper the League Commissioner Graeme Smith. "We know fans respond particularly well to weekend and holiday fixtures and with the ICC T20 World Cup in early February next year, our Season

International Masters League 2025 to feature Gayle, Ntini and Panesar

Former cricketers Chris Gayle, Makhaya Ntini and Monty Panesar will line up to compete in the upcoming inaugural edition of the International Masters League, which gets underway on February 22. Gayle, Ntini and Panesar will compete for West Indies, South Africa and England Masters respectively. The competition will be held in Navi Mumbai, Rajkot and Raipur from February 22 to March 16. The IML is a fantastic platform to relive those big moments and share the stage with some of the best in the game. I'm ready to bring the Universe Boss energy to this league, Gayle said in a statement. I can assure you that this reunion is going to be memorable. The cricket we produce will be hard, unrelenting and breathtaking. Cricket fans are in for a treat, Ntini said. India great Yuvraj Singh had earlier confirmed his availability for the tournament which will feature six teams including India, Sri Lanka, West Indies, South Africa, Australia and England.

WPL 2025: UP Warriorz and RCB announce replacements for injured Healy, Kate

UP Warriorz skipper Alyssa Healy has been ruled out of WPL 2025 due to a foot injury

SA20: Table toppers MI Cape Town thrash Pretoria Capitals by 95 runs

MI Cape Town underlined their status as the SA20 table-toppers with a comprehensive bonus-point victory over the Pretoria Capitals to complete a perfect record at the Newlands. Robin Peterson's team followed in the Paarl Royals' footsteps by becoming the second side to preserve an unbeaten home record with five victories here. MI Cape Town finished on 35 points - a record points tally after the league phase. The home team dominated the contest from the outset, putting up 201/5 before bundling out the Capitals for 106 to register a 95-run win. The new opening pair of Sediqullah Atal and Connor Esterhuizen displayed MI Cape Town's formidable depth with a stunning 133-run stand for the first wicket. Left-hander Sediqullah royally entertained the Newlands crowd with a dashing 46-ball 77 (4x6, 6x6), while Esterhuizen also pummelled 69 off 43 balls (6x4, 3x6). Delano Potgieter added the extras with a 15-ball 26 to power MI to the highest total at Newlands this season. The momentum flo

IND vs ENG: Gambhir defends India's high-risk, high-reward approach in T20s

India head coach Gautam Gambhir said the team is ready to push the barriers in T20 Internationals with the adoption of a fresh "high-risk, high-reward" approach, and the target is now "to get 250-260 regularly in the format. That shift in mindset was evident in India's 4-1 mauling of England in the just-concluded five-match series. In the fourth T20I at Pune, India kept attacking England despite losing wickets to eventually set a match-winning 181 for 9, and at Mumbai on Sunday, the hosts raced to 247 for 9, their fourth highest total in this format. "That's the kind of T20 cricket we want to play. We don't want to fear losing a game of cricket. We want to play high-risk, high-reward cricket. And these guys have adopted that ideology really well, Gambhir told the host broadcaster after the match on Sunday. Gambhir said they are looking to post tall totals in the vicinity of 250 in every game, and he doesn't mind getting out for a low score in some matches while attempting to achiev

IND vs ENG: Abhishek opens up about Yuvraj effect in his batting approach

Abhishek Sharma lit up Mumbai's sky during the 5th T20 against England with his 135-run innings

IND vs ENG: Abhishek powers India to highest powerplay score in T20s

Abhishek Sharma also scored the second-fastest 50 by an Indian batter in T20Is in Mumbai