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A solid opener RCB released their three preferred openers from IPL 2018, Brendon McCullum, Quinton de Kock and Mandeep Singh. The only available opening slot available with them is Parthiv Patel considering Virat Kohli bats at number 3. With their shallow top order, RCB should definitely eye for at least 2 openers in their squad. Looking at the options they have, they can target the likes of Aaron Finch, D’Arcy Short, Jason Roy or the new comer, Shimron Hetmyer....

The IPL is being moved up to start on March 29 because of the Cricket World Cup, which begins in England on May 30. Cricket Australia’s interim team performance manager Belinda Clark is getting on the front foot in the week after being appointed to replace Pat Howard. The former national women’s team captain said all Australian players who hope to play in the IPL will need a “No Objection Certificate” from the sport’s national governing body....

CSK have had a very poor IPL 2020 season by their standards as they have lost eight out of thirteen games and are out of contention for a place in the IPL 2020 playoffs. Many have criticized the CSK team management for backing too many players who are on the wrong side of 30. However, Nehra, who himself played professional cricket till the age of 39, believes that apart from Shane Watson, CSK would not look to change their squad too much....

RCB have made the IPL playoffs for the first time since 2016, and they will go up against the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator on November 6 in Abu Dhabi. Interestingly, SRH got the better of the Virat Kohli-led side in the IPL 2016 final - the only time SRH have won the tournament. Also read - IPL 2020: Playoffs schedule, venue, match timings, telecast and live streaming details...

Aakash Chopra termed the clash between the Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings as the El Clasico of the IPL, considering that they have been the two most dominant teams in the history of the league. The reputed commentator observed that the Mumbai Indians have had the wood over the Chennai Super Kings and have probably figured out a secret formula to get the better of them. Aakash Chopra, who turns 43 today, pointed out that the Mumbai Indians are the only franchise to have a favourable share of the exchanges against the Chennai-based team....

With run-scoring becoming increasingly fast-paced, cricketers like Andre Russell and Sunil Narine have revolutionised batting with their incredible hitting. These two players are placed at #1 and #2 respectively on the list of the highest strike rates in IPL history, and will be vital parts of the Kolkata Knight Riders side this year. However, at the other end of the spectrum are batsmen who haven’t quite been able to get a move on....

The Kolkata Knight Riders will be optimistic heading into this IPL 2020 fixture because they defeated the Royals by 37 runs at this venue last month. However, the Eoin Morgan-led franchise have been inconsistent in this competition, and their defeat against the Chennai Super Kings highlighted their flaws. Meanwhile, the Rajasthan Royals have played exceptionally well in their last two matches in IPL 2020. They have chased down a couple of 180+ scores quite comfortably and have the momentum on their side heading into this contest....

RR go into the contest having stunned defending champions Mumbai Indians in their previous encounter. With 10 points from 12 matches, they must win their remaining two games to stay in contention to qualify for IPL 2020 playoffs. KXIP’s bowling, which has been their weak link in IPL 2020, has suddenly come good in the last two games, which makes them an even more dangerous side. On the other hand, Rajasthan’s bowling remains a concern, even after their victory over Mumbai....

The 71-year-old is of the opinion that even if RCB post a score of 200 on the board, he isn’t sure whether the bowlers will be able to defend it. Speaking to Sports Tak, Sunil Gavaskar said: How RCB will make use of Shivam Dube in IPL 2020 will be very crucial: Sunil Gavaskar Sunil Gavaskar also spoke about Shivam Dube and believes he can play a big role as a finisher in RCB’s lower middle-order....

The Delhi Capitals beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by eight wickets in yesterday’s match (Match 33). The Capitals restricted Hyderabad to an average total of 134 runs, courtesy of some wonderful bowling performances. Deep Dasgupta shared a video on YouTube, where he reviewed yesterday’s game between DC and SRH. While talking about Pant’s shrewd decisions from behind the wicket, Dasgupta said: He added: Stitching a match-winning partnership with Shreyas Iyer, Pant scored 35 runs at an impressive strike rate of 167....

Since the inception of the IPL, which revolutionized the sport, only 38 batters have managed to score centuries over the last 14 years. Chris Gayle (6) has the most number of centuries in the T20 league, followed by Virat Kohli, who has five tons under his belt. However, there are many legendary cricketers, who have not managed to score a century in the IPL. On that note, let’s take a look at three such big names, who don’t have a hundred under their belt....

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are the second-most successful team in the IPL. MS Dhoni has inspired CSK to three title triumphs, doing so in 2010, 2011 and 2018. The 2018 win was special, as it came after CSK’s two-year suspension from the league. Apart from MI and CSK, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have won the IPL twice - 2012 and 2014. Both times, Gautam Gambhir was their captain. No other franchise has won the IPL title more than once....

Ponting also revealed that 31-year-old is hungry to do well after being released by the Rajasthan Royals ahead of the IPL 2021 auction. Steve Smith led the Royals last season when they finished rock bottom in the points table. The Royals have now appointed Sanju Samson as their new captain. Ricky Ponting believes Smith will be eager to do well in the forthcoming IPL. Steve Smith might find it hard to break into the playing XI given the success of overseas stars Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada and Marcus Stoinis last year....

The clip, which was captioned in Tamil, translates to: In the video, the Mumbai Indians team can be seen checking in at the hotel with their family members, while Rohit Sharma and his other MI teammates share messages in Tamil. Rohit Sharma had a subpar IPL 2020 campaign, scoring 332 runs in 12 games at an average of 27.66, while his strike rate read 127.6.But the Mumbai Indians still won their fifth title....

A few days after giving up India’s T20I captaincy, Kohli took everyone by surprise on Sunday night when he announced he would not lead the Royal Challengers from next season. Speaking on YouTube channel Khelneeti, Karim reckoned that Virat may have come to terms with the fact that if he leaves the captaincy and spearheads the batting unit, then it may lead to the Bengaluru franchise winning the elusive title....

CSK retained MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja from their 2015 squad, and had a budget of ₹ 47 crores going to the mega-auction. CSK were criticized heavily for their auction strategy; one which saw them buy a whole host of players who are at the fag end of their careers such as Shane Watson, Harbhajan Singh, Imran Tahir etc. A look at the CSK squad makes it that clear that a reboot would be required in a couple of years, but it would be foolhardy to write CSK off in this year’s competition....

It is a contest that hinges on RCB’s explosive batting and SRH’s bowling attack, which has proven to be the team’s biggest strength in the tournament so far. It is going to be a game to remember and the ultimate result of the game is going to depend on some of the individual battles that will take place tonight in Bengaluru. Here is a look at the 5 most important individual battles that will have a big say in the game....

Williamson won the toss and opted to bat first. Sunrisers started off slowly but gathered momentum in the middle overs courtesy an excellent partnership between Alex Hales and Williamson. However, some excellent death bowling from the Royals ensured that Hyderabad were restricted to a score of 151. In reply, Rajasthan got off to a cautious start but lost three quick wickets in the middle overs. In the end, a fifty by Rahane was not enough for the Royals as they fell short by 11 runs....

#4 Riyan Parag (Rajasthan Royals) 160 runs from seven matches with a strike rate of 127 might not be the best stat a player would have, but this 17-year-old youngster from Assam has impressed many cricket pundits with his great composure and temperament. His half century against the Delhi Capitals after coming out to bat at 30/4 in the sixth over was highly praiseworthy. He also showed decent skills with the bowl in hand, scalping two wickets as well....

The bunch of pacers that were being referred to are the trio of Shivam Mavi, Ishaan Porel and most importantly, Kamlesh Nagarkoti. The young pacer hailing from Rajasthan grabbed the attention of the entire cricketing fraternity that day and there were enough reasons to believe that he would hog the limelight for some time to come. Though the tournament was being held in New Zealand in 2018, in conditions that were alien to the subcontinent players, the Indian seamers bowled brilliantly....