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MS Dhoni. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) After suffering a five-wicket defeat against Gujarat Titans in the opening game of the Indian Premier League 2023 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Chennai Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni stated that the middle order had let them down in the match. Notably, opener Ruturaj Gaikwad played some brilliant cricket, scoring 92 off just 50 deliveries to give CSK a perfect start but unfortunately, the middle-order batters couldn’t capitalize as the team posted 178 runs on the board after 20 overs. Following the conclusion of the match, the skipper lauded Ruturaj and also stated that the Pune-born cricketer was a pleasure to watch. The 41-year-old was also impressed with the youngster Rajvardhan Hangargekar, who picked up three wickets in the match.  Commenting on his bowling choices, Dhoni also stated that he had felt going with two left farmers would be a better option. “We all knew there will be dew. We could have done a bit more with the bats

Tim Southee and Kane Williamson. (Photo Source: Twitter) Dion Nash, former New Zealand pacer, has praised Kane Williamson and claimed that he is now on par with Martin Crowe and Richard Hadlee. Nash is generally pleased with Williamson's performance following his resignation as New Zealand's captain. Particularly, Hadlee and Crowe were considered New Zealand's elite players. The former fast bowler claimed that Williamson had enhanced his performance after losing the captaincy. He added that the former Kiwis captain was now playing like cricket greats Hadlee and Crowe. Tim Southee, the Black Caps' current captain, should be grateful to have the 32-year-old in the team, he continued. “Williamson has taken it to the next level. You look at Richard Hadlee and Martin Crowe. Kane is now in that echelon of cricketers. He’s given up the captaincy – given it up or had it taken away, either way, it doesn’t matter – but he’s doubled down on his performance, which speaks vol

Josh Hazlewood (Photo Source: Twitter) Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood is set to miss the first seven matches of his team as he is still recovering from his Achilles injury. The Australian pacer, who is currently in Australia, is likely to join the RCB camp in mid-April and won't be available for selection until the third week of the month.  RCB's IPL 2023 campaign is under threat after a series of injury concerns to their star players. Initially, it was Will Jacks, who was ruled out of the upcoming edition of the tournament, followed by injury issues to star pacer Josh Hazlewood and last year's breakout star Rajat Patidar.  Hazlewood, who sustained an Achilles injury earlier this year and missed the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, has given a time frame for his return to action. The Australian pacer revealed that he will be travelling to India for IPL 2023 on April 14 and is hoping to take the field by the third week of April. “Everythin

MS Dhoni and Ben Stokes (Photo Source: Twitter) Ahead of Chennai Super Kings’ clash against Gujarat Titans on March 31, at Narendra Modi Stadium, veteran India batter Ajinkya Rahane stated that he was not quite sure what Ben Stokes’ role will be in the season  opener. Notably, the franchise spent INR 16.25 crore to sign the England international and it is expected that the all-rounder will play a key role for CSK in the tournament. However, ahead of the big match, Stokes suffered an injury to his left knee and his participation against Gujarat Titans was in doubt. Nevertheless, the 31-year-old is expected to play the game but may not bowl at all. CSK batting coach, Mike Hussey, recently confirmed the same and also mentioned that a call on his bowling will be taken later in the tournament. Thus, Stokes’ role is still not clarified as he can bat anywhere between one and five. Speaking about the same, Rahane mentioned that CSK skipper MS Dhoni has everything sorted in his mind as h

Ricky Ponting. (Photo Source: Delhi Capitals/IPL) Ahead of the 16th edition of the Indian Premier League , Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting stated Rajasthan Royals have built a brilliant squad and will be among the favourites to lift the trophy this year. Notably, the Sanju Samson-led team qualified for the finals of the competition in 2022 but unfortunately suffered a seven-wicket defeat at the hands of the Gujarat Titans. Meanwhile, talking about the defending champions, the former Australia skipper lauded the Hardik Pandya-led side for having a terrific season last time around. However, coming back to the Royals, the 48-year-old stated that it is difficult to predict at the moment who will finish well but he believes that Rajasthan will be one of the top teams. “It's a tough question…as very rarely does a team dominate the IPL from the start to the finish. Obviously, Gujarat (Titans) last year were amazing, a brand new team and were able to win the tournament. The o

Dinesh Karthik. (Photo Source: Twitter) Veteran India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has announced that he is set to return as a commentator during the  2023 Ashes . The five-match series is scheduled in June and July with Edgbaston, Lord's, Headingley, Old Trafford, and The Oval set to host matches. Australia are the current holders of the Ashes, having won the 2021-22 series 4-0. The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) keeper-batter Karthik has been included in the Sky Sports commentary panel for the Ashes 2023. The 37-year-old is one of the prominent names in the commentary team, which includes the likes of Michael Atherton, Nasser Hussain, Kevin Pietersen, Eoin Morgan, Mel Jones ,  Kumar Sangakkara, Mark Taylor, Mark Butcher, Ricky Ponting, Ian Ward, and Andrew Strauss among others. Karthik took to Twitter and shared his excitement to be part of the 2023 Ashes panel. “One MASSIVE announcement before the IPL as a player starts... So proud to be amongst these legends. Sur

Michael Vaughan. (Photo Source: Twitter) Former England skipper Michael Vaughan has made a massive prediction ahead of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL). The 16th edition of the tournament is set to begin on March 31, with the clash between Gujarat Titans (GT) and Chennai Super Kings, at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Meanwhile, the cash-rich league will conclude on May 28. The 48-year-old said that he was looking forward to the start of the IPL 2023. Moreover, he also predicted that the last year’s runner-up Rajasthan Royals (RR) will be the champions this season. Notably, RR was defeated by the newly formed franchise Gujarat Titans in the 2022 IPL final.      Vaughan took to Twitter to make a massive prediction regarding the winner of the upcoming edition of the IPL. “I think it’s going to be @rajasthanroyals year.. they will be lifting the trophy in late May .. #OnOn #IPL2023," he tweeted. Rajasthan Royals will play Sunrisers Hyderabad in their IPL 2023 opener

MSD and Steve Smith RPS (Photo Source: Twitter) Steve Smith recalled the 2017 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) season where he captained the Rising Pune Supergiant, a team that also consisted of India great Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The Australian is making a return to the IPL 2023 as a commentator. The 16th edition of the IPL will begin on March 31 with Gujarat Titans (GT) taking on Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. In a recent conversation, Smith opened up about his experiences of captaining Rising Pune Supergiant. He said that it was daunting for him when he was named the captain of a team that had Dhoni as a member. He added that Dhoni's performance had been outstanding in that season and it was a great experience for him to captain a legend like him. During an interaction with Star Sports ahead of the IPL 2023, Smith said: "Of course, you know he's been able to achieve so much over such a long period of time, he's g

Gujarat Titans. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) The 16th edition of the Indian Premier League is all set to begin on Friday, March 31 with defending champions Gujarat Titans taking on Chennai Super Kings in the opening match at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Having rebuilt their squad, the MS Dhoni-led side will aim for a win, especially after finishing ninth last year, while Gujarat will hope to win their first home game in order to keep the momentum going from last year. Meanwhile, the new season will also see the return of Ben Stokes and Sam Curran, who missed last year’s IPL because of their respective injuries. This year, many franchises showed interest in order to sign these two English cricketers, as Sam Curran eventually emerged as the costliest player in the history of the competition. Punjab Kings signed the youngster for INR 18.50 crore while Stokes was sold to Chennai Super Kings for INR 16.25 crore. The tournament will also see multiple new captains this year. Notabl

Bat and Ball. (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images) Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) has decided to build a new international cricket stadium in Noida. As per reports, the Noida authority wanted to build a stadium for over two decades and now UPCA has finally given the green light. As things stand, the work will soon begin after the governing body in Noida approves the layout plan, which is already in process. It is reported that the stadium will be built at Sector 150, along the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway. It is located on the outskirt of the city but the transportation is really good, especially with the metro service available. Notably, after the completion of the project, the stadium will also be eligible to host Indian Premier League (IPL) matches. As reported, UPCA passed this proposal on March 17, 2023. Other than having a world-class cricket stadium, Noida authority will also develop a golf course, tennis courts, and other such sports facilities in the same a

Glenn McGrath with Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad (Photo Source: Twitter) Ahead of this year's highly anticipated Ashes, legendary Australian pacer Glenn McGrath has showered praise on England's veteran fast-bowling duo James Anderson and Stuart Broad. The former Aussie quick reckoned that the records set by Anderson and Broad wouldn't be beaten anytime soon, remembering his partnership with the iconic Shane Warne.  England's veteran fast bowling duo of James Anderson and Stuart Broad are showing no signs of slowing as they recently became the most successful pair in Test cricket, surpassing Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne's previous record of 1001 wickets in the longest format of the game. McGrath praised the duo for their longevity and acknowledged their greatness, along with a sly dig at the fast-bowling duo. "They are setting records that will never be beaten. Warnie and I had a great career together. We marked the anniversary of his passing recently a

Aakash Chopra anad Ruturaj Gaikwad. (Photo Source: Instagram) After a disappointing season last time around, Chennai Super Kings will eye to make a comeback in the 16th edition of the IPL and once again challenge for the prestigious title. In order to do so, they have signed some top-quality players like Ben Stokes, Ajinkya Rahane, and Sisanda Magala, among many others, in the IPL auction, but former India cricketer Aakash Chopra has his doubts regarding CSK’s tactics for the forthcoming season. The 45-year-old pointed out that Stokes often takes his time to settle down, and thus, the franchise should have signed an attacking player. He believes that Ruturaj Gaikwad plays a similar brand of cricket, and thus, the team could have looked for other options. However, since the signings are done, and the plans are ready, Chopra wants Ruturaj to play an aggressive brand of cricket, just like Robin Uthappa used to do in the past. “As we saw in the World Cup as well, he (Stokes) likes t

Prithvi Shaw and Sourav Ganguly. (Photo Source: Twitter) Former India skipper and BCCI chief, Sourav Ganguly, believes that the former Indian opener, Prithvi Shaw is ready to play for the Indian senior team yet again. With the ODI World Cup in India just six months away, all including the Team India selectors will be focusing more on the forthcoming Indian Premier League (IPL). The 16th edition of the IPL will begin on March 31, with the clash between defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Apart from the domestic circuit, the selection of the players in the remaining ODIs ahead of the 50-over World Cup will also factor in the players’ performances in the IPL as well. Former Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president and current director of cricket for Delhi Capitals (DC), Ganguly opined that having rhythm is vital once a player like Shaw is in his rhythm and ready to explode at the bigger stage. Ganguly reckoned that Prithvi Shaw is re

Run-out at Non Strikers end. (Photo Source: Twitter) The Mankading is an act of dismissing a non-striker batter before a ball is delivered while the bowler is still completing his bowling action and the batter is found out of the crease. However, the act remains in the grey shade despite the  International Cricket Council (ICC) making amendments to the playing rules back in October 2022. As per the coveted governing body, this form of run-out will not be deemed unfair and referred to as 'Mankad' anymore. Notably, ICC moved this dismissal from the 'Unfair Play' section to the 'Run out' section to indicate that it is now termed as a regular run-out. Albeit, interestingly enough, the non-striker's run-out dismissal has hit the headlines yet again. An Australian cricketer from Tasmania got dismissed at the non-striker’s end. The incident happened during the SCA Grand final between the New Norfolk Cricket Club and the Claremont Cricket Club. The Claremont b

Hardik Pandya (Photo Source: Twitter) Former India skipper Sourav Ganguly reckons that Hardik Pandya should make his return to Test cricket. The star all-rounder made a comeback from injury in 2022 and has since then been an important part of India’s white-ball squads. However, he has not returned to the longest format of the game yet.  As per Ganguly, Hardik is an asset in Test cricket. The 50-year-old also said that he is a specialist in the 50-over format and T20 format. However, he added that he should come back to Test cricket, billing him as a special cricketer.   "There will be specialists in T20s. There's Hardik Pandya although I still feel he is an asset in Test cricket also and he should come back to Test cricket because that's what he will be remembered for. He is a specialist in ODIs and T20Is. But he is a very special cricketer," Ganguly told the Times of India. Pandya last played a Test match during India’s tour of England in 2018. He then suffe

Peter Moores. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images) After a horrid Big Bash League (BBL) 12 campaign, Melbourne Stars have finally opted for a change in their coaching set-up as they have appointed former England head coach Peter Moores as their new head coach for the next two editions of the BBL. Stars had a season to forget during the latest edition of the tournament. The side finished in last place in the competition standings with just six points in 14 matches. The franchise will hope that the change in coaching will bring about some good luck for them and potentially guide them to their first BBL title. Peter Moores brings a plethora of experience with him. He also became the only coach to have led three county sides to various trophy finishes. Guiding Sussex to their championship title in 2003, won Lancashire their first County Championship title in 2011, and has won many trophies with Nottinghamshire as well. Apart from his record in domestic cricket, Peter Moores has al

Shoaib Akhtar. (Photo Source: Shoaib Akhtar / Twitter) Former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar has congratulated Afghanistan after they defeated Pakistan in the T20I series for the first time. Afghanistan beat Pakistan by seven wickets in the second T20I and have clinched the three-match series 2-0. Meanwhile, the third and final T20I will be played on Monday, March 27 in Sharjah.  While speaking on his YouTube channel, Akhtar said that Pathans and Bengalis have extremism. He also said that if they can channelise their extremism positively they can become the world's best side. He also said that he felt happy that Afghanistan won the series.  “I am very happy. If Pathans and Bengalis channelise their energy, they can become world’s leading communities. Because both have extremism in them. If extremism can be channelised positively, with maturity, they can become world’s best. I am very happy that our Pathan brothers have won,” Akhtar said. The Rawalpindi Express lauded Afgh

Shadab Khan. (Photo Source: PCB/Twitter) Following the T20I series loss to  Afghanistan , Pakistan's stand-in skipper Shadab Khan has admitted that the team thought that the youngsters would play with a better strike and hence were included in the side. He believes that plenty of positives will come in the future. Afghanistan beat Pakistan by seven wickets in the second T20I   and took an unassailable lead of 2-0 in the three-match series in Sharjah. Shadab said that Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan will be welcomed when they return to the national set-up. The star duo has been rested for the ongoing three-match series against Afghanistan in Sharjah. Instead of them, the team decided to give players with less experience a chance but unfortunately the punt hasn't paid off yet. "People criticise Babar and Rizwan regardless of whether they perform or not. There is always a sword hanging over them of strike rate. As a nation, we wanted youngsters to come in international c

KL Rahul vs KKR. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) KL Rahul is a well-known name in international cricket and the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL) .  The veteran has displayed his excellence with the bat a lot of times in his vast league career. Starting his journey from Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in 2013, the talented right-handed batter got only five matches from his franchise. In his first IPL season, he batted in a couple of innings for his team and scored only 20 runs.  After his debut season, he became part of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the 2014 IPL auction. Playing alongside renowned international names such as Shikhar Dhawan, David Warner, and Aaron Finch, he remained lacklustre with his bat for SRH in the 2014 and 2015 seasons, respectively. Scoring only 308 runs in 20 matches at a strike rate of 106.20, he failed to convince SRH to hold him for the 2016 season. However, his horrendous figures in SRH came out as a blessing in disguise for KL Rahul , as his old franc

LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 25: Shikhar Dhawan of India walks off after being dismissed by Trent Boult of New Zealand during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 Warm Up match between India and New Zealand at The Kia Oval on May 25, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images) Veteran Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan, who will lead the Punjab Kings in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League, shared an intriguing detail about his personal life in a latest interview. The southpaw, who dons several tattoos on his body, revealed going for an HIV test due to the fear of the needle that was used for one of his tattoos. The Indian batting ace revealed that his family did not approve of his tattoos, and he was also beaten by his father after he got to know about the tattoo. Dhawan admitted that he was scared about the needle that was used to make one of his tattoos, prompting him to go for an HIV test, which turned out to be negative.  “When I was 14-15 years old, I had

Shikhar Dhawan and Aesha Mukerji (Photo Source: Twitter) Veteran India batter Shikhar Dhawan is widely revered as one of the best openers of modern-day cricket. The 37-year-old formed a formidable opening pair with skipper Rohit Sharma for quite a few years. In the 167 ODIs that he has played for India, Dhawan has accumulated 6793 runs to his name, making him one of the most dangerous batters in world cricket. Apart from being a formidable force with the bat, Dhawan is quite active across social media. The 37-year-old regularly makes headlines, and the same was the case once again as he opened up about his failed marriage with amateur kickboxer Aesha Mukerji. Dhawan married her back in 2012, and the couple parted ways in September 2021. "I failed because the final decision is the person’s own. I don’t point fingers at others. I failed because I was not aware of that field. The things I talk about cricket today, I wouldn’t have been aware of the same 20 years back. It comes w

Suryakumar Yadav. (Photo Source: BCCI) The Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023 saw India retain the coveted trophy after they won the four-match Test series 2-1. One of the talking points of the series was the debut of star Indian batter Suryakumar Kumar and his induction into the Test squad. The world’s number one T20I batter had all eyes on him as he made his Test debut. But he couldn't have a dream debut, as he only managed to score eight runs in the Nagpur Test. Following his disappointing showing, many questioned the decision to hand Surya his Test debut. However, the veteran Indian batter  Shikhar Dhawan has come forward to defend Surya and opined that giving him time to learn will prove to be beneficial for India. "Suryakumar Yadav has performed really well. He has consistently performed in the last couple of years. (He hasn’t done well) in a couple of series, which is very natural," Dhawan said in an interview with Aaj Tak. "If we talk about the Test match,

Nitish Rana. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have been handed another blow as reports suggest that batter Nitish Rana suffered an ankle injury during a practice session at the Eden Gardens on Thursday, March 23. This is the third prominent injury in the KKR camp following injuries to pacer Lockie Ferguson and skipper Shreyas Iyer ahead of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) season. Ferguson is currently nursing a hamstring injury and is likely to be sidelined for the first week of the IPL. Iyer, on the other hand, might miss the first half of the tournament owing to a recurring lower back issue. Before getting injured, Rana had already batted in two separate nets and faced KKR’s spinners and net bowlers. While batting, one of the balls struck him on the left ankle which forced him to stop practising. However, Sportskeeda approached him and he said that it wasn’t anything major.  The batter winced in pain as he removed his shoes and socks for treatment of h

Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. (Photo Source: Alex Davidson/Getty Images) The Hundred's draft on Thursday, March 23 saw numerous big names going unsold and teams going actively for domestic players. The international stars that went unsold included the likes of Pakistan skipper Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Andre Russell, Kieron Pollard, Trent Boult among others. The draft saw as many as 30 men's cricketers getting picked across eight teams. Welsh Fire's newly appointed coach Michael Hussey roped in Tom Abell and the team made quite lot of addition to strenghten itself. Although Babar and Rizwan turned out to be fairly unlucky, two of their teammates managed to secure a team. Pakistan's pace spearhead Shaheen Afridi and tearaway pacer Haris Rauf were picked up by Welsh Fire as it clearly showed that it came as an attempt to strenghten themselves ahead of the upcoming season. The Hundred @thehundred 👀 The Hundred men's squad list after #TheHundredD

The Hundred 2022 (Photo Source: Philip Brown/Popperfoto/Popperfoto via Getty Images) England’s very own conceptualized competition, The Hundred is all set to make its return for its third edition and is slated to begin on August 1, 2023. Now, ahead of the marquee event, the all-important players draft took place on March 23 as players like Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur, Grace Harris, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Tim David, Adil Rashid, Rashid Khan among many others were brought by different franchises. Notably, some of the high-profile names in the cricketing world will be missing the tournament in its third edition. Australia pacer Mitchell Starc pulled out from the draft at the last moment while players like Anrich Nortje, Aiden Markram, and Jhye Richardson, too decided to opt out of the competition. When it comes to the women’s side, Australia skipper Meg Lanning along with some of her teammates in the form of Ashleigh Gardner and Tahlia McGrath will miss the upcoming season. How