"Must Have Come As A Shock": Harbhajan's Massive Take On MI Captaincy Saga

Former Indian cricket team spinner Harbhajan Singh believes that the change in captaincy at Mumbai Indians would have come as a shock for Rohit Sharma. Hardik Pandya, who completed a sensational move from Gujarat Titans ahead of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, was appointed captain and it meant the end of a ten-year tenure for Rohit. While Harbhajan pointed out that he hopes that the decision is for the "betterment" of MI going forward, the decision would have been quite sudden for Rohit.

"I hope it's for the betterment of the Mumbai Indians going forward. You know, Rohit has been a true leader and a champion player for Mumbai Indians and India as well. Knowing him, after winning so many trophies for MI and done so well at the international level, it must have come as a shock to him to suddenly not be part of the leadership group," Harbhajan said on the IPL Daily Show on Star Sports.

"I'm sure he is going to be involved in some way or the other but we have seen Rohit growing as a player and captain and winning those five trophies. That speaks volumes about his captaincy. I don't know; the management has taken the decision and I hope everyone takes it in the right spirit and Mumbai Indians plays like a champion side," the former Indian cricket team spinner added.

Harbhajan was all praise for Hardik as a captain and said that the proof of the all-rounder's leadership skills comes from the fact that led GT to the title back in 2022.

"He is someone who thrives on challenges; he has done well for GT, winning the title in the first year and runners-up the next. This goes to show that he is a leader; he is now very quiet; operates well. So I feel that he has got all the qualities of a leader," concluded the former Mumbai Indians player.

source https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/must-have-come-as-a-shock-harbhajan-singhs-massive-take-on-mumbai-indians-captaincy-saga-5245079

"Does This Regularly": Akram On England Star After Ugly Spat With Iftikhar

England batter Jason Roy and Pakistan all-rounder Iftikhar Ahmed were involved in an ugly spat during a Pakistan Super League (PSL) match between Quetta Gladiators and Multan Sultans on Tuesday. The incident took place during the second ball of the third over of Gladiators' run-chase after David Willey trapped Roy LBW. As Roy walked towards his opening partner Saud Shakeel to discuss a possible review, he got tangled in an altercation with Iftikhar Ahmed.

Before the matter could escalate, both players were separated by Shakeel and Iftikhar's teammates. Roy was fuming over the incident as he threw his bat and helmet in anger after reaching the dugout.

heat moments between iftikhar chachu and jason roy pic.twitter.com/S4crrtBz1t

— Babarfied (@THORthayaar) March 12, 2024

Reacting to the ugly war of words between Roy and Iftikhar, former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram slammed the English batter for his "useless anger".

Akram said that Roy must not forget that he is playing in Pakistan, adding that the England opener has a knack of getting himself into such fights on a regular basis. 

"Just gets angry unnecessarily. Jason Roy must know he is in Pakistan. He has to respect our players and our culture. Why was he angry after getting out? It was his own mistake, and his anger was useless. He does this regularly," Akram said on A Sports.

Meanwhile, Roy recently pulled himself out of the upcoming season of the T20 tournament due to "personal reasons".

Roy had joined KKR ahead of last season after Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan had confirmed his unavailability for the season.

As his replacement, KKR have roped in another Englishman in Phil Salt, who was released by Delhi Capitals ahead of the IPL 2024 auction.

"Kolkata Knight Riders have named Phil Salt as a replacement for Jason Roy after the latter pulled out of the upcoming IPL 2024 owing to personal reasons. Having remained unsold in the auction after representing the Delhi Capitals last year, this will be Salt's second season in the IPL."

KKR bagged Salt for his reserve price of Rs 1.5 crore.

"Bought at his reserve price of INR 1.5 crore, the aggressive wicket-keeper batter from England scored two consecutive T20I centuries against the West Indies in December last year. His 48-ball century in the 4th T20I at Trinidad is also the joint-fastest for England," it added.

source https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/does-this-regularly-wasim-akram-slams-england-star-after-heated-exchange-with-iftikhar-ahmed-in-psl-5230410

"BCCI Ko Dhamkana Chahiye": Ex-Star Slams Hardik, Asks "Is He From Moon?"

Former India pacer Praveen Kumar lashed out at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), demanding equality in rules for all the players. While announcing the central contracts in February, the country's apex cricket board made it clear that the players who are fit and not on national duty need to be available for their respective domestic teams. Several speculations suggested that Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan were axed from the player retention list of BCCI as they were unavailable for their respective domestic teams despite being away from India matches.

Iyer did play for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy semi-final and final matches but both the games took place only after his ouster from the BCCI contract list. On the other hand, Kishan failed to appear in any of the games for Jharkhand in the tournament.

Another player who came under the scrutiny of several critics was Hardik Pandya. The premium all-rounder was retained in the 'A' category of the central contracts but many questioned his availability in domestic cricket when he is off national duty.

"Hardik Pandya chaand se thodi utar ke aaya hai? Khelna padega isko bhi. Kyun iske liye alag niyam hai? Isko bhi board ko dhamkana chahiye. (Has Hardik Pandya descended from the moon? He has to play too. Why are there different rules for him? The BCCI should threaten him)," said Kumar on Shubhankar Mishra's YouTube channel.

Hardik has been out of the international circuit ever since he was ruled out of the Cricket World Cup 2023 due to an ankle injury. He recovered recently and played in the DY Patil T20 Cup in lead-up to the Indian Premier League 2024.

"Why would you play just the domestic T20 tournament? Play all three formats. Or have you played 60-70 Test matches that you will just play T20. The country needs you. If you don't want to play Test cricket, give it in writing," said Kumar.

"Maybe Pandya has been informed that he would not be picked for Tests. I don't have any clear information," he added.

Hardik is set to lead Mumbai Indians in IPL 2024. He will be replacing Rohit Sharma in the role.

In November last year, Pandya moved back from Gujarat Titans (GT) to his former franchise as part of a trade between both franchises.

The star all-rounder spent two momentous years with GT, spearheading their campaign in the cash-rich league with aplomb. In GT's debut season in 2022, Hardik got them off to a fairytale start, with the team lifting the coveted trophy.

(With ANI Inputs)

source https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/bcci-ko-dhamkana-chahiye-ex-india-star-slams-hardik-pandya-says-has-he-come-from-moon-5239966

WPL Eliminator: Defending Champions Mumbai Indians Eye Another Final

Defending champions Mumbai Indians will look to their captain Harmanpreet Kaur for inspiration when they take on a plucky Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Women's Premier League Eliminator in New Delhi on Friday. Mumbai head to the match on the back of five wins and three losses including the seven-wicket loss RCB inflicted on them earlier this week. However, the holders are counting it as a rare off day. "I have seen consistency. If we make an exception for the last match, all the other games that we won. Yes. the performance was not good in the last match, but that's okay.

"We are prepared for the next game. And this happened before the Eliminators so we are taking this as a good sign," MI batting coach Devika Palshikaar said on the eve of the game.

Last year, UP Warriorz dented MI's playoff chances by defeating them in the league stage. Harmanpreet and Co then went on to win a one-sided Elimnator before claiming the title.

"Don't you think that history is repeating. We went through this last year as well, just before the Eliminators there were little ups and downs, but we bounced back in the Eliminator and played one-sided against them.

"So, we are taking this as a 'good luck' sign hoping that we are going to repeat the same history this year with the same results as last year,"Palshikaar added.

Harmanpreet bailed MI out with a whirlwind 95 not out against Gujarat Giants and the skipper will be key with the bat come Friday.

RCB have improved vastly from last year but Smriti Mandhana and Co. have qualified for their maiden knockouts on the back of an inconsistent run. They have won four games and lost four.

The positives for RCB include Mandhana returning to form, and the big-hitting Richa Ghosh and all-rounder Ellyse Perry being among runs.

The bowling unit comprising Sophie Devine, Sophie Molineux, Asha Sobhana, Shreyanka Patil and Perry have also done reasonably well but will have to be razor sharp againt MI.

"We're really excited to qualify for the playoffs. To be able to do that, we've needed different contributors at different times. Except, we haven't been anywhere near perfect," RCB head coach Luke Williams said. "We've had performances we thought we can improve on. We're primed to play some good cricket hopefully on Friday and if we're good enough on Sunday as well," he added.

MI enjoy a 3-1 head to head against RCB.

The winner of the clash will take on Delhi Capitals in the final on Sunday.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

source https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/wpl-eliminator-defending-champions-mumbai-indians-eye-another-final-5239341

On ENG Star's Bizarre "We Should Take Credit" Take, Jaiswal's Blunt Reply

India's batting sensation Yashasvi Jaiswal has reacted to the comments made on him by Ben Duckett. Talking about the youngster's aggressive batting during England's recent five-match Test series against India, Duckett asserted that Jaiswal played in that style of cricket as a result of England's much-discussed Bazball approach in the game's purest form. Duckett remarked that England deserve "some credit" for the way Jaiswal adopted an attacking brand of cricket in Tests.

"When you see players from the opposition playing like that, it almost feels like we should take some credit that they're playing differently than how other people play Test cricket," Duckett had said while commenting on Jaiswal's batting at the end of play on Day 3 in Rajkot Test.

When asked to comment on it, Jaiswal refrained from speaking much on the topic.

"I don't want to say anything about it. I just need to try and do whatever I can do on the ground that says the best I can do," Jaiswal told The Indian Express.

Jaiswal's attacking approach yielded runs in tons for him and he bagged the Player of the Series award. He scored 712 runs across five matches.

Meanwhile, 29-year-old England batter Deckett faced plenty of backlash for his comment.

The opening batsman's opinion did not sit well with ex-England captain Hussain, who chastised Duckett for his statements and urged England players to "self-reflect" when it comes to supporting 'Bazball'.

"He's not learnt from you. He's learnt from his upbringing, all the hard yards he had to put in growing up. If anything, lads, look at him and learn from him. I hope there's a little bit of self-introspection going on. Otherwise it becomes a cult - and, at times, Bazball and this regime has been described as such, where you cannot criticise within or externally," Hussain told Sky Sports.

(With ANI Inputs)

source https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/yashasvi-jaiswal-finally-breaks-silence-on-england-stars-we-should-take-credit-quip-5233699

Delhi Capitals Qualify For WPL Final With Win Over Gujarat Giants

The big-hitting Shafali Verma led the way with a blazing 37-ball 71 as a dominant Delhi Capitals secured direct qualification into the final of the Women's Premier League with a seven-wicket hammering of Gujarat Giants in New Delhi on Wednesday. Table-toppers Delhi Capitals entered the game looking to bag a direct spot in the final and once their bowlers restricted Giants to 126 for nine with a disciplined show at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, the hosts inched closer to realising their goal.

In the final on Sunday, the Capitals will play the winner of the eliminator between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore.

As she is wont to, Shafali launched into a furry of boundaries, including hitting as many as five sixes and seven fours, to help her side complete the chase of 127 without much ado.

DC finished the game with as many as 41 balls remaining.

Shafali reached her fifty in just 28 balls. She got to the landmark with a four over extra cover off Mannat Kashyap.

The duo of Shafali and Jemimah Rodrigues (38 not out) then bludgeoned Meghna Singh for 20 runs, and Ashleigh Gardner was also carted for 28 runs in two overs.

Earlier, Delhi Capitals' bowlers produced a fine effort to restrict Gujarat Giants to a modest total.

If it was not for Bharati Fulmali's 36-ball 42 and Kathryn Bryce's unbeaten 28, the Giants would have finished with a much lower total.

South African veteran Marizanne Kapp led the way with fine figures of 2/17 in four overs, bowling beautifully in the powerplay, while there were also two wickets apiece for Shikha Pandey and Minnu Mani.

Gugarat Giants' decision to bat first on winning the toss backfired as they found themselves in a spot of bother at 12/2 in the fourth over, including losing the big wicket of skipper Beth Mooney for a duck to South African all-rounder Kapp in the match's very first over.

Mooney shaped up to flick a length delivery on the leg stump but the ball brushed past her thigh pad before going on to disturb the leg and middle stump.

Dayalan Hemalatha (4) was the next batter to depart, bowled by Jess Jonassen as Delhi Capitals rejoiced the early success.

Another setback awaited the Giants as they lost Laura Wolvaardt (7), the successful bowler being Kapp again as the visitors slumped to 16 for three in the beginning of the fifth over.

Unable to force the pace, Wolvaardt was under pressure and succumbed in the face of some disciplined bowling by Kapp.

Experienced Australian player Ashleigh Gardner (12) and Phoebe Litchfield (21) looked to steady the innings but having added 23 runs for the fourth wicket, the former perished to a lovely flighted delivery from off-spinner Mani.

The Giants were tottering at 39 for four in the ninth over and the situation became worse for them when Radha Yadav pulled off a nice catch to send back Litchfield off the bowling of Mani.

At 48 for five in the 11th over, the Giants were in a hopeless situation but Fulmali and Kathryn Bryce put on 68 runs to help the side cross 120 and give their bowlers something to defend.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

source https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/delhi-capitals-secure-direct-qualification-into-wpl-final-5233096

Watch: Is It Ishan Kishan? Arjun Tendulkar Yorker Drops MI Star To Ground

The Mumbai Indians started their training camp, roughly two weeks before the start of the Indian Premier League. The likes of Hardik Pandya, Arjun Tendulkar. etc. could be spotted in the training camp, mesmerising fans with their practice sessions. The Mumbai franchise shared a video of Arjun bowling in full rhythm to a left-handed batter. Up against Arjun in the nets, the batter was bamboozled by a toe-crushing yorker that saw him lose balance and drop to the ground. Many social media users thought that the batter was Ishan Kishan. The India star has been in the headlines for a while because of his intriguing red-ball cricket stance.

However, Mumbai Indians released a list of players who attended the practice and Ishan Kishan's name was missing.

"Mumbai Indians team started their first practice session with a grilling session in the nets, Captain Hardik Pandya, Gerald Coetzee, Shreyas Gopal, Nehal Wadhera, Akash Madhwal, Arjun Tendulkar, Vishnu Vinod, Shivalik Sharma, Naman Dhir, Anshul Kamboj were amongst the other players who trained at the CCI grounds," MI said in a release. 

Ishan getting flashbacks pic.twitter.com/zIBcxj6cTi

— Dhanush.A.R (@DhanushAR19) March 12, 2024

Ishan wah kya acting Kar raha hai

— Dipanjan Chatterjee (@I_am_DipCh) March 12, 2024

pic.twitter.com/vF1ddxr5Q2

— Aniket Bose (@ABnormalConnect) March 12, 2024

Arjun was roped in by the Mumbai franchise in 2021 but it took him two years to make his debut. In the IPL 2023 season, Arjun featured in a total of 4 matches for the franchise. Looking at his performance in the nets, Arjun could be in for a longer haul in the playing XI this time.

Just Arjun doing things #OneFamily #MumbaiIndians pic.twitter.com/Sv7eObeFSO

— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) March 12, 2024

The 17th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will start from March 22, with defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) set to clash with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in a South Indian derby at their home arena--MA Chidambaram Stadium.

Last year's runners-up Gujarat Titans and five-time champions Mumbai Indians will square off against each other in a mouth-watering clash on March 24 at Ahmedabad. The fixture has gained a lot of hype because of star all-rounder Pandya's move to his former franchise MI following two great seasons with GT. Shubman Gill has taken over the captaincy of GT.

Mumbai Indians (MI) IPL 2024 squad: Rohit Sharma, Dewald Brevis, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Verma, Tim David, Vishnu Vinod, Arjun Tendulkar, Shams Mulani, Nehal Wadhera

Jasprit Bumrah, Kumar Kartikeya, Piyush Chawla, Akash Madhwal, Jason Behrendorff, Hardik Pandya (traded from GT), Romario Shepherd (traded from LSG), Gerald Coetzee, Dilshan Madushanka, Shreyas Gopal, Nuwan Thushara, Naman Dhir, Anshul Kamboj, Mohammad Nabi, Shivalik Sharma.

With ANI inputs

source https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/arjun-tendulkar-drops-mi-batter-on-ground-with-yorker-fans-wonder-if-its-ishan-kishan-watch-5224063

Don't Play For India, State And Get In IPL Directly: Ex-MI Star On Pandya

The new Indian Premier League (IPL) season beckons and one of the most intriguing aspects of it will be the change of guard in Mumbai Indians. The five-time champions will have a new skipper at the helm in Hardik Pandya, with previous captain Rohit Sharma featuring just as a batter. The move to change captaincy has been one of the most debated topics in the buildup to the IPL 2024. Whether Hardik Pandya can lead his old franchise with success is the question.   

In a video, which has been widely shared on social media, former Indian cricket team player Praveen Kumar can be seen being asked this tough question on Mumbai Indians' change in captaincy. 

"Did MI take a hurried decision? Or, the decision to make Hardik Pandya captain was the right one?" Praveen Kumar, who has played for Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kings XI Punjab,  was asked. 

"You don't play two months before, you get injured two months before the IPL, you don't play for the country, you don't play for your state in domestic cricket, and just directly play in the IPL. That's not how things work. It's okay to earn money, who is stopping you? There's nothing wrong with that. But you have to play for state and country and now people only give importance to the IPL", Praveen replied.

Former cricketer Praveen Kumar talking about Hardik Pandya how he's fit only for IPL but not for nation or domestic. He also feels Rohit Sharma could have captained 3-4 more years in MI colour pic.twitter.com/2I6Hljvf88

— Immy|| ?? (@TotallyImro45) March 12, 2024

The former pacer advised young players to prioritise international cricket over the Indian Premier League (IPL) and try to balance both things in their careers.

"I have been saying this for long. Paisa kamao, kaun mana kar rha hai? Paisa kamane chahiye lekin aise bhi nahi hona chahiye ki aap domestic nahi khel rahe, country ko importance nahi de rahe. (Earn money, who is stopping you? But it shouldn't be like you are not playing for the country or domestic cricket). This thing is now firmly in the mind of players. Mai ek mahine pehle rest kar lunga, fir IPL khel lunga. Ye mentally hota hai, ki mai itne paise kaise chodun (Will rest for a month before the IPL and then play. This happens because mentally you are not willing to let go of that money). But this is not fair at all. A player needs to balance things. Money is important, but this (giving franchise cricket the priority) is wrong," Praveen had told Times of India

source https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/you-dont-play-for-india-state-and-get-in-ipl-directly-angry-ex-mi-star-blasts-hardik-pandya-5226857

'Aggressive Leadership Faltered': AUS Great's Scathing Verdict On Stokes

Legendary Australia cricketer Ian Chappell launched a scathing attack on Ben Stokes' captaincy after England were beaten 4-1 in the recently concluded five-match Test series against India. England won the first Test match in Hyderabad but ended up losing the next four matches. Chappell cited the example of the fourth Test match in Ranchi and said that Stokes' aggressive captaincy faltered in that situation resulting in India clinched the match rather easily and taking an unassailable lead.

"Rohit Sharma and Ben Stokes have waged an intriguing captaincy battle in their Test series. However Stokes' aggressive leadership faltered at a crucial time and India - well led by Rohit - claimed the series with a resounding victory in the fourth Test in Ranchi," wrote Chappell in his column for ESPNCricinfo.

“On the third evening Stokes desperately needed to start India's chase with his best two bowlers and try to claim at least one wicket. Incredibly, he gave the ball to a part-timer, Joe Root, and ignored the experienced, probing bowling of Jimmy Anderson. India took full advantage and scored an invaluable 40 runs off just eight overs."

“Stokes missed a trick in Ranchi. He then compounded his error by allowing too many easy singles on the final day by resorting to some cautious field placings. At a time when Stokes needed to be extremely brave as captain and hope he got lucky, he was abnormally conservative,” he added.

Chappell explained that Stokes was not up to the mark in his captaincy during a demanding chase and asked him to take inspiration from Pakistan legend Javed Miandad.

"India probably would still have won but at least by going on the attack, Stokes would have given England their best chance of an upset victory. Stokes could improve his captaincy in demanding chases if he took the example of the leadership master in those situations - Pakistan's Javed Miandad."

"Rohit proceeded to take full advantage of the tentative field placings with a thoughtful innings and India's solid opening partnership helped seal victory," Chappell concluded.

source https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/aggressive-leadership-faltered-australia-greats-scathing-verdict-on-ben-stokes-5217934

Ellyse Perry's All-Round Heroics Takes RCB To WPL 2024 Playoffs

Ellyse Perry came up with an allround show as she snapped a record six-wicket haul and then smashed an unbeaten 40 to set up Royal Challengers Bangalore's dominating seven-wicket win over Mumbai Indians and seal their play-off berth in the Women's Premier League on Tuesday. The star Australian allrounder, who had gone wicketless so far in the tournament, had a night to remember as she registered the best-ever bowling figures in the history of Women's Premier League, snapping six for 15 runs as RCB dismissed MI for 113, their second lowest score in WPL, after opting to bowl first.

Chasing 114 to win, RCB were 39 for 3 in the seventh over. It could have been worse had Nat Sciver-Brunt held on to two catches off Shabnim Ismail.

However, the 33-year-old Perry slammed a 38-ball 40, sharing an unbroken 76-run stand with Richa Ghosh (36 off 28) to take RCB across the finish line in 15 overs.

With the win, RCB finished their league engagements at third position with eight points, while MI (10) stayed at the second spot behind Delhi Capitals (10) in the table.

Needing a win to seal their top-three position, Perry got the ball to nip back from the crease consistently to clean up four batters and trap two in front of the wicket to drain the life out of defending champions, leaving them tottering at 82 for 7 in 13 overs.

Sent in to bat, Hayley Matthews (26) and Sajeevan Sajana (30), who was promoted up the order, provided a blistering start to MI, adding 43 off 35 balls.

Matthew was the aggressor at the start, using her slog shots to blast two fours and two sixes. While Renuka Singh was on the line for Matthews in the third over, Sajana picked Sophie Molineux in the fifth over for special treatment.

However, Sophie Devine ended the powerplay dismissing Matthews, who holed out to Perry as MI were 43 for one in six overs.

Sajana then took over the reins and smashed Devine for a four and a six before Perry brought RCB back into the game.

Perry bowled outside off length deliveries and both Sajana and Harmanpreet Kaur fell for the trap as the ball rattled their stumps to leave MI at 65 for 3 in 9 overs.

Sajana hit five boundaries and a six in her 21-ball knock.

Perry continued to wreak havoc with the ball as she returned to trap Amelia Kerr (2) in front before cleaning up Amanjot Kaur (4) in the 11th over.

Completing her bowling quota of four overs on the trot, the Australian then flattened the off stumps of Pooja Vastrakar (6) first and then deceived Nat Sciver-Brunt (10) with another inward seam delivery in her final over to grab a record six-wicket haul.

It was a sensational show from Perry, who took the six wickets off her last 15 balls. Asha Sobhana (1/12), Molineux (1/26) and Shreyanka Patil (1/3) were also among the wickets.

Priyanka Bala, who replaced Yastika Bhatia in the XI, tried her bit smashing two sixes in her 18-ball 19 before MI folded up for a small total in 19 overs. It was only the second time that MI have been bowled out in WPL.

source https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/ellyse-perrys-all-round-heroics-takes-rcb-to-wpl-2024-playoffs-5226795