2024/04/02

2024/03/31

IPL 2024 Points Table: LSG Register Big Win Against PBKS, Move Up To...

Lucknow Super Giants moved up to the fifth spot in the IPL 2024 points table with their first victory in this year's competition. Quinton De Kock, Pandya">Krunal Pandya and with the ball as LSG comprehensively defeated Punjab Kings by 21 runs. As a result of the defeat, PBKS are currently sixth with 2 points from 3 matches. Chennai Super Kings are the leaders followed by Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad.

India unearthed a new fast-bowling star in Mayank Yadav (3/27) who stole the limelight with his searing pace amid the usual flurry of monstrous hits as Lucknow Super Giants humbled Punjab Kings by 21 runs in the IPL here on Saturday.

Asked to bat first, floater Krunal Pandya's late blitz powered LSG to a competitive 199/8.

Opener Quinton de Kock top-scored for LSG with a 38-ball 54 but it was stand-in skipper Nicholas Pooran's 21-ball 42, which infused life into his team's innings in the middle overs.

On the back of two sixes and four boundaries, Krunal then scored at a strike rate of 200 to finish on a 22-ball 43 and give his side extra cushion.

That total proved to be enough for LSG, who registered their first win of this IPL thanks to Mayank's exploits. Punjab, who ended at 178/5, missed

In the 12th over of Punjab's innings, Mayank bowled the tournament's fastest ball at 155.8 kmph.

It was Mayank's extra pace that rattled and led to their downfall. He consistently clocked 150 and above on the speedometer during his four-over spell, emerging as the night's hero.

This was after the dashing opening combo of Shikhar Dhawan (70 off 50 balls) and Bairstow (42 off 29 balls) quickly got the measure of what looked like a very good surface for batting, both getting a few boundaries to set the ball rolling.

PBKS skipper Dhawan made a statement of sorts when he reverse-swept M Siddharth over backward point.

Thanks to their attacking approach, PBKS raced to 61 for no loss in the power play and continued in the same vein with Dhawan bringing up his fifty with a maximum off Ravi Bishnoi.

Bairstow was equally marauding and struck Krunal Pandya for two successive sixes as the visitors crossed 100 in the 11th over.

Bishnoi put the brakes on PBKS' scoring with a tight 11th over, giving away just three runs, and that forced Bairstow to go after Mayank but the batter miscued and ended up throwing away his wicket. It was the fast bowler's maiden IPL wicket.

Prabhsimran blazed away to a seven-ball 19 before becoming Mayank's second victim.

Dhawan tried hard to keep his team in the game, but PBKS could not keep up with the asking rate and soon, the Punjab captain too succumbed to the pressure and Jitesh failed to tackle Mayank's extra pace.

Earlier, De Kock got the LSG innings underway with a splendid drive through mid-off for a boundary.

Playing the game as 'impact player' having handed over the leadership responsibility to Nicholas Pooran, KL Rahul didn't look convincing as he tried to flick Kagiso Rabada behind square on the leg-side.

Running in from a long way, a diving Harshal Patel made a valiant attempt to latch on to the ball but Rahul was lucky as the fielder could not pull off what would have been a blinder.

At the other end, De Kock was in his elements as he flayed Rabada over point for a four in the first delivery he faced from the South African speedster.

Next ball de Kock did one better, as he opened the face of the bat to whack Rabada over the backward point boundary for a six.

Rahul drove Arshdeep Singh down the ground for a maximum, and then, smashed another delivery in a similar fashion, but that fetched him a four.

Arshdeep, however, exacted his revenged when the left-arm seamer had the LSG batter caught by Jonny Bairstow at backward point for a nine-ball 15.

Devdutt Padikkal got himself two boundaries before being dismissed by Sam Curran (3/28).

Marcus Stoinis (19) hit two sixes before being bowled by Rahul Chahar as he looked to hoick the spinner on the on-side.

That brought Pooran into the middle and the West Indian quickly got into the groove, hitting Chahar for two sixes and a four for a 20-run over, which gave LSG's run rate a much-needed impetus.

Meanwhile, De Kock brought up his half century in 34 balls but a strategic timeout broke LSG's momentum as the left-handed South African batter top-edged a short Arshdeep delivery for wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma to complete an easy catch.

Pooran kept the scoreboard moving at a good rate until he dragged a Rabada delivery onto the stumps, a big blow for LSG at a crucial juncture.

New man Krunal Pandya did not waste any time to settle down, brilliantly dispatching a short Rabada delivery over midwicket for a maximum. Curran bowled a tight 17th over to halt LSG's charge, but Krunal got a flurry of boundaries to prop up LSG.

(With PTI inputs)



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2024/03/30

"Gambhir, Senior Guy...": What Led To The Hug With Kohli - Revealed

Apart from the match, there was an on-field incident during the Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Kolkata Knight Riders game. During one of the strategic timeout in the RCB innings, shook hands with They also hugged. For the uninitiated, Kohli and Gambhir have had a troubled past. The two stars were involved in a highly-publicised on-field spat that also involved rts.ndtv.com/cricket/players/107680-naveen-ul-haq-playerprofile" title="Naveen-ul-Haq">Naveen-ul-Haq at the IPL 2024. However, when Kohli and Gambhir came face-to-face on Friday, a different scene played out at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. 

Former Indian cricket team star Irfan Pathan, who has played with both of Gambhir and Kohli, commented on the incident.  

"Gautam Gambhir, the senior guy, actually came forward. Sometimes you cross the line but as soon as that thing has gone past, when you meet in the future, when you meet now, you meet nicely. This is what we saw," Irfan Pathan said on Star Sports.

Talking about the game, With a scintillating batting display, the Kolkata Knight Riders became the first team to win away from home in this IPL following their comprehensive seven-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Friday at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. The tone of the game was set on the second ball of the first over when Philip Salt smoked the ball for a six over midwicket. In the next ball, within a blink of an eye, the ball was dispatched for a four. Salt struck another six to put the RCB on the backfoot. who bowled the first over of the inning, conceded 18 runs while defending 183.

500th T20 game, joined the party and both batters stiched up an opening stand of 86 runs.

After the opening pair was dimissed, and skipper drove KKR's innings with some excaeptional stroke play.

Venkatesh completed his 50 in 29 balls but ended up losing his wicket on the next ball. Iyer and stayed till the end to ensure RCB got across the finishing line with more than three overs to spare.

Earlier in the innings, put to bat, RCB batters and Virat Kohli came out to the crease to open the innings.

Both batters put on a partnership of 17 runs and skipper Du Plessis was sent back to the pavillion after scoring eight runs.

After the skipper's dismissal, right-hand batter came to bat. The side completed their 50 on the fourth ball of the sixth over as Green slammed a boundary on the bowling of Sunil Narine.

Kohli and Green completed their 50-run partnership.

The Australian all-rounder was dismissed by on the last ball of the ninth over when the team score was 82 after, having scored 33 runs off 21 balls with the help of four boundaries and two sixes.

Green's dismissal saw the arrival of power hitter

Kohli completed his 50 in the 11th over as he took a single on the bowling of Varun Chakravarthy. In the same over, the Bengaluru franchise crossed the 100-run mark as Maxwell smashed a boundary on the penultimate ball of the over.

Maxwell was dismissed after scoring 28 runs on 19 balls with three fours and a six. The right-hand batter was dismissed by Narine.

After Maxwell's wicket, came to bat. He was dismissed when the team score was 144. The right-hand batter scored just three runs before going back to the dressing room.

After Patider's departure, wicketkeeper-batter came to bat. He was able to score only three runs before getting dismissed in the 18th over with a score of 151.

In the end, played a quicfire cameo of 20 runs from just eight balls with the help of three maximums and Kohli finished his innings with an unbeaten 83 runs in 59 balls, which was laced with four boundaries and four sxes.

For KKR, two wickets each were grabbed by and Russell One wicket was bagged by Sunil Narine.

With ANI inputs


IPL: Venkatesh's Fifty, Narine's Cameo Carry KKR To 7-Wicket Win Over RCB

A ruthless fifty by worked as the catalyst for Kolkata Knight Riders' smooth seven-wicket victory over Royal Challengers Bengaluru in their IPL match at M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Friday. Venkatesh's 50 of 30 balls (3x4, 4x6) and stunning blitzes by openers (47, 22b, 2x4, 5x6) and < propelled the Knight Riders past the 183-run target that the RCB set for them, which was built around skilful unbeaten 83. The KKR batters never got bogged down either by a slow pitch or RCB bowlers as they hunted down the target in just 16.5 overs.

Their approach on the night was best exemplified by Venkatesh, who is trying hard to regain his relevance in white ball formats, who added 75 runs for the third wicket with skipper Shreyas Iyer (39 not out).

The left-hander found his range from the word go, as pacer Alzarri Joseph suffered the brunt of his aggressive intentions.

He biffed the West Indian quick for 20 runs in an over that contained two sixes over cover and mid-wicket and a steered four to third man, besides a leg-bye boundary.

Shreyas, who was dropped on five by off highly impressive local pacer Vysakh Vijayakumar (1/23), just had the supporting role on this night.

But for that crisp win, the KKR should profusely thank Narine and Salt, who subjugated RCB bowlers in the Power Play with astonishing power-hitting.

The visitors' chase began frenetically as Narine and Salt added 86 runs in just 6.3 overs through an array of dazzling shots.

Salt started the carnage, smoking pacer for 18 runs in the very first over, finding two sixes and a four.

Narine followed suit. After smashing Joseph for two sixes in the third over, the left-hander vandalised the figures of left-arm pacer Dayal, clobbering him for 21 runs, including a four and two sixes in three consecutive balls in the sixth over.

There was a hint of sluggishness in the Chinnaswamy surface but there was hardly any effort by the RCB bowlers to exploit it with slower balls like their Knight Riders counterparts.

It required a yorker from left-arm spinner to break the opening wicket partnership as Narine failed to block the full-length delivery on the off-stump.

But by then, he had done his job.

Earlier, Kohli's skilful unbeaten fifty formed the foundation of RCB's competitive 182 for six.

Kohli (83, 59b, 4x4, 4x6) and (33 off 21b) milked 65 runs off 42 balls for the second wicket, the primary alliance in RCB innings, as the home side produced a two-faced effort on a track that was on the slower side.

An archetypal cameo (20, 8b, 3x6) added gravitas to the RCB total as usual towards the end.

Skipper departed early as the Royal Challengers captain's attempt to scoop pacer ended in the hands of inside the circle.

But a period of stability followed as Kohli and Green kept RCB on the track with a busy stand that saw them reach 61 for 1 in the Power Play segment.

Kohli dished out drives and lofts over covers, a new addition to his batting, sweeps and slog-sweep to fetch his runs, but the shot of the night was a swat-flick off Starc that sailed for a six.

In fact, no other shot really encapsulates Kohli's batting like the swat-flick - a child of his desire to find newer ways to sustain the domination of bowlers.

A simple snap of wrists and power emanating from a strong bottom hand can turn this traditionally gentle shot into a malevolent run-making option.

Kohli brought his fifty in 36 balls whereas other batters, except Green, struggled for timing.

But Green wasn't really bothered about such technical angles, as his batting was all about brute power.

Narine, who was playing his 500th T20 match, was given a hammering as Green took 15 runs off the spinner's first over that included a sequence of 4, 4, 6 - a sweep, slap past cover and a hoick over long-on.

However, the burgeoning alliance was snapped when Green's effort to play a pull off saw the ball crashing onto his stumps.

who was dropped twice on 11 and 21, en route a 19-ball 28 could not exploit the largesse of KKR fielders as his luck finally ran out against Narine.

A slash off the West Indian spinner ended in the hands of at deep point, and Maxwell had to depart after adding 42 runs for the third wicket with Kohli.

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


2024/03/29

"Sometimes I Wonder If IPL Is Even Cricket": R Ashwin's Massive Remark

Premier India spinner R Ashwin reckons the IPL has grown so "huge" that at times cricket itself takes a backseat with players finding it hard to juggle between training and advertisement shoots. Ashwin spoke about the meteoric rise of the IPL since its inception in 2008 and how tough life on the road for a player can be over the course of the two-month long competition. "As a youngster coming into the IPL, I was only looking to learn from the big stars, I did not think about how the IPL would look 10 years down the line. I can say that, having been in the IPL for so many seasons, the IPL is huge," he said on Club Prairie Fire podcast. "Sometimes I wonder if IPL is even cricket, because sport takes a backstage (during IPL). It's so huge. We do end up practising in advertisement shoots and sets! That's where the IPL has gotten to," said Ashwin, who is an important member of the Rajasthan Royals squad.

The 37-year-old, who recently completed 500 Test wickets, started his IPL career with Chennai Super Kings and that led to him wearing the coveted India cap across formats.

Back in 2022, the IPL media rights were sold for a whopping Rs 48,390 crore for a five-year cycle, making it the second biggest league in the sporting world in terms of per match value after NFL, leaving behind the likes of English Premier League, NBA and Major League Baseball.

Ashwin spoke about his early days in the IPL and how the event exceeded all expectations.

"No one envisaged the kind of growth that the IPL has had. I still remember a conversation I had with Scott Styris when we were both at CSK. He told me that when he was playing for the Deccan Chargers in the initial seasons of IPL, he did not think the IPL would last for more than two-three years.

"Initially, there was a big influx of money," Ashwin said on the podcast hosted by former England captain Michael Vaughan and Australian great Adam Gilchrist.

Players bagging astronomical deals at the auction has also added significantly to the profile of the IPL. At the latest auction, Australian pacer Mitchell Starc fetched a record Rs 24.74 crore deal from Kolkata Knight Riders.

"Look, over the years you'd think that the IPL is one tournament that is largely won at the auctions. I believe the auctions are a very important facet of this league, but the beauty of the IPL is that franchises have evolved into getting their teams right.

"There's no one way to skin a cat. No one player is bigger than the team. No one slot is bigger than others. The teams invest wisely," said Ashwin who has also represented Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals in the IPL.

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


Suryakumar Yadav's "Little Correction Mate" Comment For An X User Is Viral

Mumbai Indians continue to miss their star batter who is currently sidelined due to injury. Things have not gone well for MI in the absence of Suryakumar as they have lost their first two games in IPL 2024. Ahead of MI's second game, which was against Sunrisers Hyderabad at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Wednesday, a fan pointed out how getting to face the -led side early in the tournament was good for SRH. "Important match today especially for SunRisers Hyderabad at home. Might be the best time to play Mumbai Indians this early. Players like Kishan look currently under cooked  for game time form & no Suryakumar Yadav yet , still  has ankle problem," wrote the user on X.

"Little correction mate. Ankle plus I got operated for sports hernia," wrote Suryakumar. The comment has gone viral on social media.

Little correction mate. Ankle plus I got operated for sports hernia

— Surya Kumar Yadav (@surya_14kumar)

Suryakumar is yet to get fitness clearance from the National Cricket Academy (NCA). The world number 1 T20I batter Suryakumar has been stationed at the NCA in Bengaluru for his recovery and rehabilitation following a surgery for sports hernia. He has been out of action since December last year.

He had undergone a groin surgery in February. This was the second surgery he had in recent months after the one for an ankle injury.

"I want to thank everyone for their concerns and well wishes for my health, and I am happy to tell you all that I will be back very soon," he had said in a post on X after the surgery.

Suryakumar led the Indian T20I team for the three-match series in South Africa in and Hardik Pandya's absence. He scored 56 off 36 balls in the second T20I in Gqeberha and 100 off 56 balls in the third T20I in Johannesburg.

He was not part of India's ODI squad for the three-match series in South Africa. Yadav was also unavailable for selection for home series at home against Afghanistan due to injury.

(With agency inputs)

2024/03/28

"Bowlers Were Good": Hardik Pandya Says After MI Concede 277 vs SRH

"Insane" was the only word that Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper could think of to sum up the six-hitting slugfest against Mumbai Indians in the IPL on Wednesday. It was a game of many firsts as SRH smashed 277 for three, the highest total in IPL history. Mumbai Indians kept themselves in the game before ending at 246 for five. For the first time, 500 runs were scored in a game, including a record 38 sixes.

"That was insane. The ball was really pinging around. Not until we bowled, it got a bit too close for comfort. They found a boundary whenever they needed it, but we finished it off well," said Cummins at the post-match presentation.

It was a batting beauty but Cummins did not envisage such a big total.

"You never play for 270, but we wanted to be positive and be aggressive, take the game on. It was a good wicket, so we have to suck it up knowing we would go for a few boundaries.

"What's important is to have clear plans with the ball. There was amazing atmosphere in the ground, enjoyed playing here, was incredibly loud," said the skipper after SRH's first win of the season.

Opposition skipp could only doff his hat to the opposition batters though his team also put up a spirited fight with the bat.

"Wicket was good, 277 no matter how bad or good you bowl, if the opposition has to score that much, they have batted well," said Pandya.

Barring all Mumbai bowlers leaked more than 10 runs per over. 17-year-old debutant conceded 66 runs in his four overs.

"The wicket was good but 277, no matter how good or bad you bowl, if the opposition get 277 that means they batted very well. [Bowlers] were good. It was tough out there," Hardik Pandya. 

"Close to 500 runs were scored so the wicket was helping the batters. We could have tried a few different things, but we have a young bowling attack and I liked what I saw today. If the ball goes this much in the crowd, it's definitely different to run around and complete the overs in time. Everyone batted really well, counting Tilak, Ro, Ishan. There are just few things we need to do right and we'll be alright."

He backed Maphaka to come good in the next game.

"He (Kwena Maphaka) was fantastic, coming into his first game and getting overwhelmed, he was alright and backed his skillset, just needs some game time," added the Mumbai Indians skipper.
 


IPL 2024 Points Table: SRH Rise To Third Spot, MI Slip To...

Sunrisers Hyderabad posted 277-3 for the highest-ever Indian Premier League total and went on to beat Mumbai Indians by 31 runs in a six-hitting festival on Wednesday. Australia's Travis Head made a 24-ball 62 to lead the assault after Hyderabad batted first and went past the previous IPL best of 263-5 by Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2013. Mumbai replied strongly in the match which witnessed 38 sixes for another IPL record, bettering the 33 hits over the fence clubbed three times in earlier seasons.

Left-handed Tilak Varma stood out with his 64 in 34 balls for Mumbai but the effort was not enough on a batting-friendly pitch in veteran batsman Rohit Sharma's 200th IPL match.

Rohit smashed a 12-ball 26 and fellow opener Ishan Kishan made 34 to give Mumbai a flying start but the innings lost momentum after 10 overs due to the ever-increasing asking rate.

Tim David smashed an unbeaten 42 in a late charge but the chase was beyond reach as Mumbai ended on 246-5 -- the team's highest IPL total.

After the victory in the game, SRH rose to the third spot in the points table while MI slipped to the ninth spot in the standings.

Have a look at updated IPL 2024 points table here:

Latest and Breaking News on NDTV

It was records galore as the match also featured the highest run aggregate of 523 runs in 17 years of the IPL.

Hyderabad skipper Pat Cummins was the best of the bowlers with 2-35 in his four overs of pace, leading his side to their first win of the season.

Earlier the left-handed Head, dropped on five by David off skipper Hardik Pandya, reached his fifty in 18 balls and after his departure Abhishek Sharma reached his half-century off just 16.

The team's 100 came up in only seven overs and Hyderabad posted the tournament's highest ever total in the first 10 overs of 148-2.

Abhishek fell for 63 off 23 balls but there was no respite for the bowlers who were at the receiving end of some punishing batting.

It was raining boundaries in Hyderabad's innings with 18 sixes and 19 fours as the South African pair of Heinrich Klaasen (80 not out in 34 balls) and Aiden Markram, who hit 42, posted an unbeaten stand of 116.

Mumbai's South African import Kwena Maphaka had a bruising introduction to IPL when the 17-year-old left-arm quick went for 66 runs in his four overs.

Five-time winners Mumbai, who had a change in captaincy after Pandya took over from the experienced Rohit, and Hyderabad started this edition with a loss each.

(With AFP Inputs)



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2024/03/27

"A Dwarf Is A Dwarf": Sidhu's Epic Take On Hardik-Rohit MI Captaincy Row

Former Indian cricket team batter Navjot Singh Sidhu had his say about Rohit Sharma playing under the captaincy of Hardik Pandya in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 after the much-talked-about change in captaincy. Hardik, who completed a sensational trade move from Gujarat Titans to Mumbai Indians, replaced Rohit as the skipper ahead of IPL 2024 and the move has led to massive conversations among fans and experts. In a recent interaction, Sidhu said that Dhoni and Rohit are great players in their own right, and playing in a franchise team under another captain does not diminish their position.

"I have played in an Indian team where five captains used to pay together. Kapil Dev, Dilip Vengsarkar, Sunil Gavaskar, Krishnamachari Srikkanth and Ravi Shastri. Pick up a brick and you will find a captain both above and below it. There were no issues because they were playing for their nation. The motivation was to play for your country. So, playing under Hardik does not make Rohit smaller." 

Dhoni has passed the baton already and that could have happened in Mumbai Indians as well. But this is a franchise and they look at the performances. They gave it three years and when it did not work, they got a new person for the job. You need to accept it. But Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni are great players. A dwarf is a dwarf even if he is standing at the top of a mountain and a God is a God even if they are standing at the bottom of a well," Sidhu said during the analysis on Star Sports.

Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians' batting coach Kieron Pollard backed Hardik Pandya's move to open the bowling instead of Jasprit Bumrah and also said the skipper batting at number seven in their IPL opener against Gujarat Titans was a "collective decision".

An inexplicable batting strategy saw MI lose their opener by six runs here on Sunday after they looked on course for victory.

Mumbai Indians won the toss and opted to bowl first and surprisingly, Hardik opened the bowling against his former side.

"You have to plan and decide what you want to do as a team. Hardik (Pandya) has also bowled with the new ball for Gujarat over the last couple of years. He swung the new ball and bowled it well, which was nothing new to us.

"We tried to use the advantage of the new ball swinging along. When I look at the decision made, there is nothing wrong with it, and we move on," Pollard said at the post-match press conference.

(With PTI inputs)



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IPL 2024: CSK Stamp Authority, Defeat Gujarat Titans By 63 Runs

Chennai Super Kings batters dazzled before the bowlers ran riot to choke Gujarat Titans in a comprehensive 63-run victory in their second IPL match on Tuesday. Ruturaj Gaikwad's team has covered all its bases and it was evident as Rachin Ravindra prepared a platform with 20-ball-46 allowing Shivam Dube to unlock his beast mode with a 23-ball-51. In between, Gaikwad himself maintained the balance with 36-ball-46 as Chennai's 206 for 6 was a Herculean total in every sense. Titans in reply could manage only 143/8 as Chahar (2/28 in 4 overs), Mustafizur Rahman (2/30 in 4 overs), Tushar Deshpande (2/21) and Matheesha Pathirana (1/29 in 4 overs) one by one tightened the noose on Titans batting unit.

If Gujarat needed to make a match of it, Shubman Gill needed to fire but his poor shot selection of a Deepak Chahar delivery, which wasn't as short as expected for a pull-shot, brought about his downfall.

Once Shubman was gone, Gujarat didn't even have a chance in hell with players like Wriddhiman Saha (21 off 17 balls) and B Sai Sudharsan (37, 31 balls), players, who on most days are pillion riders, playing second fiddle to perfection.

As it was the case, finishers like David Miller (21) and Rahul Tewatia (1) didn't have enough on the board to go for the improbable chase and the inevitable happened. Put into bat, Rachin's slam-bang approach and Dube's final flourish got CSK past 200-run mark.

Rachin made full use of Powerplay, racing to 46 off 20 balls while Dube, a nightmare for spinners then used his long levers to whack 51 in only 23 deliveries to increase the challenge of GT batters by manifold. Dube's innings had as many as five sixes.In between, skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad's chiselled 46 off 36 balls also was a significant contribution in another impactful batting performance on a hard bouncy track that was on offer. Not to forget CSK's Rs 7.60 crore recruit Sameer Rizvi (14 off 6 balls), who pummeled Rashid Khan (2/49 in 4 overs) for two sixes to mark a memorable IPL debut.

It was Rachin, who has already become a darling of the CSK fans, enthralled all and sundry with his audacious stroke-play. While he missed out again on a half-century but team's 'spiritual skipper' Mahendra Singh Dhoni would be all smiles knowing that his choice was perfect to the T. The three sixes -- a flick behind the square and one over long-on off the normally profligate Umesh Yadav and one off Azmatullah Omarzai were hit with so much disdain that it did put Gujarat Titans in a spot. There were some crunchy cover drives as Ravindra let his skipper Gaikwad breathe a little easy at the other end.

Finally, it was GT's 'Go-To' bowler Rashid, who drew the first blood but more because of smart work from Wriddhiman Saha, who removed the bails in a flash after the Black Caps opener lost his balance moved out of his crease trying to whip the delivery.

Saha's next stumping was way easier as Sai Kishore shortened the length and drew him out of his crease for an indiscreet loft. The ball deviated enough and the keeper completed mere formality.

Gaikwad wasn't as fluent as Ravindra to begin with but in his five boundaries and a six, he oozed class before becoming Saha's third victim with the gloves trying to pull Spencer Johnson, only to end up edging one behind the stumps.

After that it was Dube, who just plonked his front-foot and bludgeoned Sai Kishore for two monstrous sixes and also sent Johnson's delivery soaring for a maximum. Dube had the composed Daryl Mitchell for company, who also chipped in with an unbeaten 20-ball-24 in a stand of 57 runs for the fourth wicket in 5.5 overs. 



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