IPL 2024

“PSL has a similar atmosphere like IPL” Jason Holder on his Pakistan Super League debut

by

Jason Holder had a man of the match performance in his Pakistan Super League debut to help Islamabad United open this year’s edition with an eight-wicket win over defending champions Lahore Qalandars at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Friday.

Holder, who went unsold in the IPL 2025 mega auction, took four wickets for United as he played a key role in the team’s eight-wicket win over Qalandars at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi.

The West Indies pacer displayed his variations extremely well as he posed troubles for the Qalandars batters. He struck as early as on his third ball, when he removed Mohammad Naeem caught-behind in the fifth over and keeping the others in check.

While Holder was off after the sixth over, Shadab Khan and others kept striking at regular intervals to keep the Shaheen Afridi-led side at bay. Abdullah Shafique, however, looked strong during his 38-ball 66-run knock. The right-handed batter was elegant in his strokes and kept ticking the scoreboard, but wickets at the other end made it difficult for the Qalandars to post a strong score.

Shafique had a brief stand of 35 with Sikandar Raza, but that was ended when Shabad got the Zimbabwean. Holder returned to pick three more, including two back-to-back wickets of Jahandad Khan and David Wiese. Shafique, who was looking set to take his team to a 150+ total, was caught off Naseem Shah in the 19th over as Qalandars were bowled out for 139.

“PSL has a similar atmosphere like IPL. The comparison is difficult but I look forward to play more PSL” said Jason Holder in the Press Conference

United didn’t get off to the quick start that they are known for as 38-year-old left-arm spinner Asif Afridi got Andries Gous in the second over. Sahibzada Farhan played with caution during his 24-ball 25 before Colin Munro took the initiative along with Salman Agha. The two put up an 80-run stand for the third wicket as the defending champions romped home without much of an issue in 17.4 overs with eight wickets in hand and started their title defence on a strong note.

“Sunil Narine prides himself on accuracy, his batting is an X factor” says Quinton de Kock after Sunil Narine stars as KKR thrash CSK by 8 wickets

by

Quinton de Kock praised Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine for the value they bring to the table. On Friday, Chakravarthy and Narine played a big part in Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) eight-wicket win over the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

Narine was the pick of the bowlers for KKR with figures of 4-0-13-3, while Chakravarthy rattled the opposition with figures of 4-0-22-2.

De Kock, who scored 23 runs off 16 balls, said that it’s hard to take the attack to Chakravarthy and Sunil since they are mostly accurate.

“The biggest value they bring is the variety in their bowling. Both are mystery spinners, so they’re constantly mixing it up. It’s really hard for batters to line them up because you never quite know what’s coming. Beyond that, they pride themselves on accuracy and are always working on their game,” de Kock said in the post-match press conference.

De Kock also lauded Narine for his aggressive batting. After CSK asked KKR to chase down 104, Narine took the Knights off to a flying start, scoring 44 runs off 18 balls, laced with two fours and five sixes.

“As for Narine’s batting, he brings the X factor. Every bowler knows he’s going to go hard from ball one. He works really hard at it, doesn’t miss practice—even optional ones. When it comes off, it sets the tone and gets us off to a flyer,” De Kock added.

Narine has been stupendous for KKR after he scored 125 runs at an average of 25 and picked up five wickets at an economy rate of 7.77 in IPL 2025.

Currently, placed third in the table, the Knight Riders will next be up against Shreyas Iyer’s Punjab Kings (PBKS) on April 15 at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur.

WATCH VIDEO: Nicholas Pooran faces fiery punishment after football defeat in practice session

by

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) star batter Nicholas Pooran faced a gruelling forfeit given by LSG head coach Justin Langer after losing football challenge. The explosive batter had to finally face the heat during the practice session despite being in red-hot form in the tournament.

There is no doubt that the 29-year-old Trinidadian is currently the best batter in the tournament so far and is the holder of the orange cap with 288 runs in the five games he has played at an average of 72 and a strike rate of 225.

Two of the three half centuries from Pooran might have come in the wins, but it seems like he had to face a loss while he was leading his team in an intra-squad football match during the practice session.

It was LSG coach Justin Langer who gave the forfeit that the losing team will have to have chillies where Pooran was seen struggling while trying to handle the spice.

“The losing team has to have some chillies. This is like being in jail; when we give you, you’ve got to eat it. You just can’t put it in there and then throw it in the bubble later,” Langer said in the dressing room upon wrapping up the practice session.

Check out the clip below:

Speaking of Pooran’s last performance, he was the Player of the match in the last game against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Pooran scored 87 off just 36 deliveries. His innings included seven fours and eight sixes in the innings and had a strike rate of 241.66.

He played a great role in getting the Lucknow franchise to a huge total of 238/3 in the match. The match turned out to be a thriller where the team finally edged out a four-run win in the end. This was another high scoring thriller which got the fans on their feet.

‘West Indies had to be ‘brave’ on pitch where ‘you are going to get out’ – Brathwaite proud of West Indies’ Test win in challenging conditions

by

West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite said that batters had to be brave and trust their plans to succeed on the difficult pitches in Multan, after they won the second of two Tests to level the series and also create a little bit of history. This 120-run victory was their first in Pakistan for 34 years.

Brathwaite led by example. After being part of a collapse that left West Indies 38 for 7 in the first innings, he chose a far more aggressive approach in the second.

In fact, he made his fastest fifty in Tests, consciously taking chances against the Pakistan spinners. This approach earned West Indies a lead of 254 and it proved plenty more than enough.

“Both Test matches the pitch was tough to bat on and we knew that so as I said I just wanted us to be brave, to do whatever plans we have, to go there and execute them as good as possible, because regardless of what there will be a ball with your with your name on it on this pitch,” Brathwaite told reporters after the second Test in Multan on Monday.

“I mean it was a difficult pitch to bat on so it was good to see the confidence we went about doing it and you know as I said very proud of this team.

“It was just for the batsmen to be brave you know. I mean as batsmen, as I said everyone’s going to have their plans. Be brave in whatever you want to do as batsmen,” Brathwaite said about West Indies’ strategy. “Bowling wise bring forward the batsmen as much as possible and there will be 20 balls that you will get 20 wickets because as I said the pitch is a difficult pitch so there’s no second guessing.

Brathwaite maintained that the pitch was “very, very difficult” but had no complaints about PCB preparing spinning tracks.

“I would say Pakistan could prepare the pitch how they want. What I’ll say is batsman will not be averaging high on these pitches. You would average 15-20 and obviously the spinners will do well. and as I said it’s a difficult Test pitch to score runs. You’re going to get out regardless, it’s just a matter of when. So you know as batters we had to come up with a plan of how we want to score and put runs on the board.”

Brathwaite also heaped praise on Jomel Warrican. The left-arm spinner finished the series with 19 wickets – the most by a visiting bowler in a two-Test series in Pakistan.

“Jomel was outstanding. To see how he went about his bowling and the pressure he built from from ball one, I mean it was amazing,” Brathwaite said.

Warrican also put in a crucial contribution with the bat, finishing unbeaten on 36 in the first innings, with his 68-run stand for the last wicket with Gudakesh Motie key in reviving West Indies from being 38 for 7 after they won the toss and chose to bat.

“With the bat you can’t count him out, I think he did a fantastic job with the bat as well. But bowling wise I know he’s worked hard over the years. He’s been in and out of the team but it’s good to see him get the chance and he grabbed it. very very proud of him uh he was outstanding.”

West Indies’ triumph in Multan came almost exactly a year after Gabba 2024, and Brathwaite said it showed their ability to adapt to different conditions.

“It’s a very important win for us it just shows that we can get it done in any conditions once we believe and always have a plan,” he said. “It’s right up there with some amazing Test wins because coming here, playing here in Pakistan, it’s never easy to win a test match you know so coming up with a win is fantastic.”

IPL 2025 Auction: Sherfane Rutherford Sold to GT for INR 2.6 Crore at Indian Premier

by

Gujarat Titans (GT) have signed West Indies batter Sherfane Rutherford for Rs 2.60 crore while Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) bagged Manish Pandey for Rs 75 lakh on the second day of the IPL 2025 Auction here at the Abadi Al Johar Arena in Jeddah on Monday.

In the accelerated auction, the bid for Rutherford started at Rs 1.5 crore from GT while Mumbai Indians also chipped in to raise the price beyond Rs 2.5 crore. Gujarat had the final say in the room sealing the deal for Rs 2.6 crore.

Rutherford’s T20 stats

In 153 matches, Rutherford owns 2,471 runs at 23.09. He has 12 fifties under his belt. Notably, 106 of his T20 runs have come in the IPL from 10 games. With the ball, Rutherford owns nine wickets in T20 cricket.

Meanwhile, Kolkata Knight Riders also made a wise move with the addition of experienced middle-order batter Manish Pandey in the squad. The defending champions bought the player at the base of Rs 75 lakh with no bidding to offer from other teams.

The other notable purchase in the accelerated auction was Tamil Nadu spinner M Siddharth, who was acquired by Lucknow Super Giants for Rs 75 lakh. Sunrisers Hyderabad secured the services of Uttar Pradesh legspinner Zeeshan Ansari for Rs 40 lakh after an early interest from Delhi Capitals.

Lucknow Super Giants also bagged offspinner Digvesh Singh at his base price of Rs 30 lakh.

International stars Finn Allen, Dewald Brevis and Ben Duckett remained unsold while domestic players Jhathavedh Subramanyan, Prashant Solanki, Rajan Kumar, Sakib Hussain and Vidwath Kaverappa also didn’t get the buyer in the accelerated auction.

The ten IPL franchises have submitted a shortlist of 143 players for the accelerated round. Notably, James Anderson, the oldest player in the auction pool, was not included. Glenn Phillips and Kane Williamson were the other notable omissions.

Among Indian players, prominent names like Prithvi Shaw, Shardul Thakur, Devdutt Padikkal and Ajinkya Rahane were absent from the accelerated round.

IPL 2024: “IPL getting boring now” says Rovman Powell – Explains why

by

With batsmen scoring runs for fun in the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Rajasthan Royals star Rovman Powell has stated that the lack of competition between bat and ball is making the IPL boring.

His comments came before the game between Lucknow Super Giants and Rajasthan Royals at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow on Saturday (April 27).

Earlier on Friday (April 26), the apparent lack of competition between bat and ball in IPL 2024 went to another level when Punjab Kings chased down a record 262 against Kolkata Knight Riders with utmost ease at the Eden Gardens. It took PBKS less than 19 overs to chase down the improbable target.

Batsmen score runs for fun:

The ongoing IPL 2024 has turned out to be a nightmare for the bowlers while the batsmen are hitting fours and sixes for fun. Eight of the top-10 scores in IPL history have come this season. In 44 games so far this season, 26 200-plus scores have been already scored and it would not be surprising if the 300-run mark is breached in the coming days.

What makes the season even more absurd is that eight aforementioned eight of the top-ten scores have all been over 250. Sunrisers Hyderabad started it all by smashing 277/3 against Mumbai Indians to break Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s decade-old record of the highest IPL total.

Since then, the teams have been going all out with the bat. SRH themselves went on to break their 277-run record as well by scoring 287 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

Here is a list of top ten highest totals in the IPL:

SRH 287/3 20 14.35 v RCB 15-04-2024
SRH 277/3 20 13.85 v MI 27-03-2024
KKR 272/7 20 13.6 v DC 03-04-2024
SRH 266/7 20 13.3 v DC 20-04-2024
RCB 263/5 20 13.15 v Warriors 23-04-2013

IPL getting boring:

While the fans have been enjoying the run-fest in IPL 2024, Rovman Powell is definitely not excited by what he has seen so far. The West Indies T20I captain made his feelings over the lack of competition between bat and ball as he said that it is getting boring.

“I think it is getting a bit boring now. It is getting boring in the sense there is not a lot of challenge between bat and ball, it is predominantly one-sided in favor of batters. Hopefully, through the competition it can become a bit even,” he said.

Reasons behind the lack of competition:

There are several reasons behind the lack of competition between bat and ball this season. The flat pitches and smaller boundaries are clearly not new reasons. The conditions and the rules are heavily tilted in the batsmen’s favour but one new rule that has made things worse for the bowlers is the impact player rule.

Introduced last year, the rule is fast becoming a big headache for the teams. Several high-profile names have already expressed their displeasure over the rule and have urged the officials to scrap it. Earlier this season, India captain Rohit Sharma pointed out that the rule is hampering the progress of the Indian allrounders.

Later, RCB pacer Mohammed Siraj called for the rule to be scrapped. There have been oppositions from other quarters as well.

IPL 2024, DC vs MI: McGurk, Shai Hope shine as Delhi Capitals beat Mumbai Indians by 10 runs in reverse fixture

by

Delhi Capitals defeated Mumbai Indians by 10 runs in the reverse fixture in the Indian Premier League 2024. The Capitals defended 257 runs to register their fourth win of the season. MI were restricted to 247/9 in 20 overs.

Earlier, Hardik Pandya won the toss and elected to bowl first, a decision that back-fired. Explosive knocks by Delhi Capitals (DC) batters Jake Fraser-McGurk, Tristan Stubbs, and Shai Hope guided the team to a mammoth total of 257/4 in 20 overs.

The hosts completed fifty runs in 2.4 overs as Fraser-McGurk slammed a boundary on the bowling of Nuwan Thushara.

Fraser-McGurk completed the third fifty of his IPL career as he smashed a six on the bowling of leg-spinner Piyush Chawla in the fourth over.

McGurk and Porel completed their 100-run partnership in just 6.4 overs as the latter hit a six on the bowling of Pandya.

Mumbai Indians took the first wicket in the eighth over as Chawla dismissed the young Australian batter. Fraser-McGurk was dismissed after he played a magnificent innings of 84 runs in just 27 balls which was laced with 11 boundaries and six maximums with a strike rate of 311.11.

After McGurk’s wicket, right-hand batter Shai Hope came to bat. The partnership lasted for just 13 runs as Porel was dismissed after scoring 36 runs in 27 balls with the help of three fours and a six.

After Porel’s dismissal, the Capitals skipper Rishabh Pant came out to bat with Hope. Both batters put on a partnership of 53 runs before Hope was sent back to the pavilion after he played a cameo of 41 from just 17 balls which included five sixes.

Tristan Stubbs came out to bat in the middle along with Pant. Both batters put a 35 runs before Pant was dismissed on 29.

Stubbs played an unbeaten knock of 48 runs with the help of six fours and two sixes.

For the visitors, one wicket each was snapped by Luke Wood, Jasprit Bumrah, Piyush Chawla, and Mohammad Nabi.

Later, tilak Varma tried to anchor the innings but failed to take MI across the line. Tilak Varma scored 63 runs while skipper Hardik Pandya scored 46 for MI. Apart from them, Suryakumar Yadav also scored 26. For DC,Khaleel Ahmed and Rasikh Dar Salam scalped three wickets each.

Shai Hope’s ‘great attitude’: Ricky Ponting reveals incredible DC dressing room chat

by

Ricky Ponting was delighted and pumped as he addressed the Delhi dressing room after their record-setting win against LSG in Lucknow on Friday, April 12.

The legendary Australian was thrilled as he handed out dressing room medals to heroes of their win, Kuldeep Yadav, Jake Fraser-McGurk and Rishabh Pant. However, the head coach made sure he acknowledged the contribution from Shai Hope during their 6-wicket win, only their second victory of the IPL 2024 season.

Ricky Ponting revealed Shai Hope, who was included in the starting XI for only the second time in the season, was slated to come in at No. 3. However, the head coach had to tell him to drop down the order on more than one occasion after Delhi raced to a strong start. Ponting lauded Hope for being the team man and taking the call to drop him down the order sportingly.

Shai Hope eventually walked out at No. 5 and scored a 10-ball 11 as the former finalists became the first team to chase down a target over 160 against LSG in the history of the IPL.

“This man was padded up for No. 3. I had to keep tapping on his shoulders and say ‘you have got to slide down, this is going to happen, we are going to do this’. At the break, I said, look we are going to send Jake out to try and break the game open. He said ‘you do whatever you need to do, I am here to do whatever the team needs me to do’. 

“That’s a great attitude to have. That’s what we are all about right? Somedays, it will be your day to go out and do. Somedays, it’s not,” Ricky Ponting said while addressing the dressing room.

DID YOUR JOB BLOODY WELL: PONTING TO MCGURK

Delhi made light work of a 168-run target as they got their campaign back on track with their 2nd win in 6 matches. Prithvi Shaw gave the much-needed boost at the top of the order with a 22-ball 32.

Debutant Jake-Fraser McGurk tore into the LSG bowling unit, smashing a 35-ball 55 on his debut, announcing his arrival in style. The 22-year-old hit 5 sixes, including 3 sixes in an over, as he cracked open the game for the Capitals, leaving coach Ponting impressed.

“You only know one way, but to go out and do that today… you had a job to do and did it bloody well. And the partnership with Rishabh of 77, by the time you were out, the game was done. That’s the impact that you can have on games. That’s what we have been talking about as a coaching group. Awesome, well done,” he added.

“Such a talented free hitter of the ball” – Matthew Hayden Highlighted Pooran’s versatility as a batter

by

Former Australian cricketer Matthew Hayden heaped praise on Nicholas Pooran, hailing him as the cleanest hitter in the world after his stunning batting for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the ongoing IPL 2024.

Hayden showed his admiration for Pooran’s batting prowess after the West Indies batter’s outstanding performance for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. He highlighted the crucial role played by Pooran in turning the match in favor of the LSG against the CSK in Chennai.

Despite coming during a challenging situation at the crease, Pooran’s explosive batting blitz provided much-needed momentum for LSG in their quest for a record chase of 211 runs against the CSK. Pooran (34 runs off 15 balls) added 70 runs off just 34 balls with Marcus Stoinis to bring the LSG back into the game against the CSK.

Nicholas Pooran is the cleanest hitter in the world: Matthew Hayden

Marcus Stoinis played a memorable unbeaten knock of 124 runs off just 63 balls to take the LSG over the line, with the tourists winning the game by 6 wickets against the CSK in Chennai. Meanwhile, Hayden highlighted Pooran’s versatility as a batter, saying the hard-hitting batter has a wide array of shots and is capable of handling any bowling attack.

The commentator said that Devdutt Padikkal’s innings of 13 runs off 19 balls put a lot of pressure on Marcus Stoinis, and his wicket favored LSG by bringing in Nicholas Pooran, whom he hailed as the cleanest hitter in the IPL.

The former Australian cricketer also highlighted the competitive dynamic between Ruturaj Gaikwad and Stoinis, describing it as a contest within a contest between stabilizers and finishers.

Hayden also lauded Shivam Dube (66 runs off 27 balls) and Pooran for their explosive batting performances, along with Deepak Hooda (17 runs off 6 balls) for his valuable contribution in the match.

Speaking on Star Sports, Matthew Hayden said: “Nicholas Pooran is the cleanest hitter in the world, I think, in this IPL. Such a talented free hitter of the ball.”

Matthew Hayden reveals his conversation with Justin Langer

Meanwhile, Hayden also revealed his conversation with LSG head coach Justin Langer regarding Pooran’s batting position in the ongoing IPL 2024.

Sharing two viewpoints on Pooran’s role in the LSG, the Aussie mentioned that they can utilize his ability by using him in the 5th or 6th position to finish games and win the matches.

Alternatively, Pooran could partner with Stoinis earlier in the innings, possibly at the 4th position, providing stability and batting depth, as he does in international cricket. Hayden admitted the LSG’s comfort with Pooran’s current role lower down the order but suggested using him tactically to go through tight situations and propel the team forward.

Hayden said, “Obviously, they’re still really comfortable in playing his role for LSG down the order. But there’s still, I think, room as the tournament gets a little tighter and scoreboard pressure becomes an option. You want an experienced international player there to take it forward for the team.”

[Watch] Dwayne Bravo Gives Secret Mantra To Shamar Joseph on how to become ‘Champion’ bowler – ‘Never finish training without’

by

Shamar Joseph had a pep talk with Dwayne Bravo ahead of LSG’s clash against CSK at the Ekana stadium in Lucknow on April 19. Shamar made his debut for LSG in their last game against KKR.

LSG’s Shamar Joseph had a quick pep talk with CSK bowling coach and IPL legend Dwayne Bravo ahead of both teams meeting at the Ekana stadium on April 19, Friday.

Shamar recently made his debut in the IPL during LSG’s loss to KKR, but he has been making waves in international cricket for his performances for West Indies during the series down under against Australia.

Shamar would be seen imitating Bravo’s ‘champion dance’ in the video before both men started talking. Bravo would provide some key advice to the youngster in the video.

The CSK bowling coach told Shamar to keep bowling more than what he would bowl in a game during training. Bravo also told Shamar to bowl at least 12 Yorkers in a session and always stay on top of the off stump.

“If you want to bowl, you have to get in the habit of bowling more than what you bowl in a game. If you want to get in the rhythm, never finish a training session without bowling 12 yorkers. Stay on top of the off stump, do your skills, do your pace,” said Bravo to Shamar.

How did Shamar perform in his debut match?

Shamar didn’t have the best of starts to his IPL career as he leaked runs in the match against KKR at the Eden Gardens. The West Indies pacer did show signs of his potential but would concede 22 runs in his very first over and struggled to find rhythm throughout the game.

Shamar didn’t take any wickets and ended up conceding 47 runs in 4 overs. Shamar was also unlucky as he had two catches dropped off his own bowling. KL Rahul backed the youngster after the game and expected him to comeback strong.

“Shamar was excited to bowl. He was a bit off with his lines but he bowled quick and got the ball to nip. He has to work on his consistency a bit,” said Rahul.

Shamar could get his chance to impress once again when LSG face CSK at the Ekana stadium on April 19.