Category: SPORTS

Australian big-hitter Glenn Maxwell has attributed his inconsistent run in the IPL over eight seasons to frequent changes in his role, something that is very clear to him when playing for his country. The 31-year-old Kings XI Punjab batsman came to the IPL on the back of a successful tour of England, where he smashed a 90-ball 108 batting at number seven to script a memorable series-winning run chase alongside Alex Carey. Speaking to PTI from Dubai, the Victorian explained why he has realised his potential while playing for Australia…

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Mumbai Indians’ all-rounder Krunal Pandya credited the team’s bowling unit for the five-wicket IPL win over Delhi Capitals, saying that taking wickets in the powerplay and not conceding too many runs at the death overs proved crucial. Defending champions Mumbai Indians dished out a clinical performance as they first restricted Delhi Capitals to 162 for four and then returned to overhaul the target, scoring 166 for 5, in 19.4 overs on Sunday night. “We bowled really well as a unit, especially in the powerplay, we got the early breakthrough,” Krunal,…

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Newly-appointed East Bengal head coach Robbie Fowler on Saturday said they would aim to create a team which dominates ball possession and where all players are treated equally regardless of their stature. With a late inclusion to the top-flight Indian Super League, East Bengal appointed the former English International and Liverpool legend with less than two months left for the scheduled start of the tournament. “We have been working very hard to bring in not only good players but great players. As far as I’m concerned, we have got a…

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The legendary Sunil Gavaskar believes that T20 cricket doesn’t need much tinkering as it is in “pink of health” but custodians of the game can consider allowing two bouncers per over, moving ahead. The shortest format, over the years, has witnessed dominance of batsmen across the globe with bowlers having little to play for on flat decks with short boundaries. Does he foresee see a rule change to ease the pressure off bowlers? “The T20 game is doing very well and there’s no need to tinker with it,” Gavaskar told…

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Under-fire Kolkata Knight Riders captain Dinesh Karthik will have to figure out urgent fixes for his star-studded team’s faltering performances when it takes on a resurgent Chennai Super Kings in the IPL here on Wednesday. KKR acquired England’s World Cup-winning skipper Eoin Morgan but the management reposed confidence in Karthik and asked him to lead the side. However, a few of his baffling decisions apart from his own poor run with the bat — 37 runs from four matches — has put the Indian wicketkeeper-batsman in the line of fire.…

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Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said doing the “small things right” shaped their emphatic 10-wicket win over Kings XI Punjab, here on Sunday. Veteran batsmen Shane Watson (83) and Faf du Plessis (87) remained unbeaten to help CSK chase down the target of 179 with ease. “I think we did the small things right. That’s what was important to us. The kind of start we got in batting, that’s what we needed. Hopefully we’ll be able to replicate this in the coming games,” Dhoni said after the match.…

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Two-time IPL winning Kolkata Knight Riders captain Gautam Gambhir believes current skipper Dinesh Karthik should bat after Eoin Morgan and Andre Russell and also wants Sunil Narine to be be dropped from the top of the order. Apart from a 23-ball 30 coming at no 3 against Mumbai Indians, Karthik has failed to produce any significant score despite batting ahead of Morgan so far in the tournament. The wicket-keeper batsman scored 6 after coming on to bat at no 5 against Delhi Capitals on Saturday even as Morgan (44 off…

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Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju is hopeful that the country will be able to conduct sporting competitions by early next year. Sporting action in India was halted in March, when camps were shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the past few months, the athletes have resumed training gradually. “Initially I thought in the month of October some sporting activity could have taken place but it couldn’t happen because COVID cases are rising,” Rijiju said during SportCom’s Annual General Meeting on Saturday. “Though we have no sporting competitions now…

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“We know sky is the limit in the last four overs,” said Mumbai Indians all-rounder Kieron Pollard after adding 67 runs in 23 balls with Hardik Pandya in their IPL game against Kings XI Punjab here. After skipper Rohit Sharma laid the foundation with a 45-ball 70, Pollard and Pandya smashed fours and sixes at will, lifting MI to 191 for four from 83 for three in the 14th over. In reply, Kings XI Punjab were stopped at 143 for eight. Pollard, who was adjudged the Man of the Match,…

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Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Dinesh Karthik finds it heartening that his team’s young guns have raised the bar with match-winning IPL performances but does not want to “get carried away” and put extra burden on the talented bunch as the tournament progresses. Rising opener Shubman Gill performed well in both of KKR’s wins against Sunrisers Hyderabad (70 not out) and Rajasthan Royals (47) while his U-19 India teammates Shivam Mavi and Kamlesh Nagarkoti ran through Royals’ line-up. The KKR skipper praised the trio but with a note of caution. “Definitely,…

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