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Hardik Pandya and Tilak Varma
Cricket, IPL

“I completely back him, not an issue,” Hardik Pandya defends Tilak Varma for debatable single call

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“I completely back him, not an issue,” Hardik Pandya defends Tilak Varma for debatable single call Mumbai Indians’ long wait to start their IPL season on a winning note will continue just a little further, as they succumbed to a six-run defeat against Gujarat Titans. The last time the five-time champions won their IPL opener was back in 2012, when they defeated Chennai Super Kings. From there on, every passing year has thrown up a similar story in one way or the other. Mumbai Indians seemed in cruise control during the run-chase, needing just 43 runs off the final five overs with seven wickets in hand. The collapse started with Dewald Brevis’ wicket in the 16th over. Tilak Varma has come under some scrutiny, as he refused to take a single off the third ball of Rashid Khan’s final over with Tim David on the other end. Mumbai Indians’ new skipper Hardik Pandya certainly did not have a good welcome back to his former franchises’ home ground on Sunday. The Indian all-rounder defended the southpaw for refusing a single, and stated that there would be some rationale behind his thought process. “I think Tilak felt that that was a better idea at that point of time, I completely back him, not an issue, 13 games to go,” Hardik on Tilak’s decision in the post-match press conference. “It feels good to be back” : Hardik Pandya on returning to Ahmedabad Hardik Pandya was the main man in focus during Sunday’s clash between Mumbai and Gujarat. The stylish all-rounder made his transfer from Gujarat to Mumbai a couple of months ago, replacing Rohit Sharma at the helm. He led the Titans to their first IPL title in their inaugural edition, followed by a runners-up finish last year. Hardik Pandya stated that it was great to be back in Ahmedabad, and praised the fans for turning out in big numbers once again. “Obviously we backed ourselves to chase those 42 runs but it was one of those days when we see the score quite less compared to what it could have been in five overs, I think we lost little bit of momentum there. It feels good to be back because this is one stadium where you can enjoy and feel the atmosphere quite lively and obviously the crowd was full and they got a good game as well,” he added. Hardik Pandya’s Mumbai Indians will next face Sunrisers Hyderabad in Hyderabad on Wednesday. Both teams are coming on the back of losses in their opening matches, with the Sunrisers almost pulling off a last-gasp miracle against Kolkata Knight Riders. Also Read: “Two of India’s Greatest ever to play the game,” Faf du Plessis expects box-office start to IPL 2024

Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni
Cricket, IPL

“Two of India’s Greatest ever to play the game,” Faf du Plessis expects box-office start to IPL 2024

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“Two of India’s Greatest ever to play the game,” Faf du Plessis expects box-office start to IPL 2024 Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Chennai Super Kings will lock horns against each other in the IPL 2024 opener on Friday. The fixture will be played in the home of the reigning champions in Chennai. This battle will pit two cricketing icons, Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni against each other for probably the final time. RCB skipper Faf du Plessis is all sets for a box-office start to IPL 2024, with two of the most popular teams in the league kickstarting the 17th edition of the tournament. Virat Kohli joined the RCB camp earlier this week, after missing the entire five-match Test series against England, on account of the birth of his second child. “Two of India’s Greatest ever to play the game, MS Dhoni & Virat Kohli – two Iconic teams so it’s going to be proper Box-office start to IPL 2024,” said Faf du Plessis. Royal Challengers Bengaluru hope to double their trophy count this season Royal Challengers Bengaluru ended their 16-year wait for their first IPL title, as the women’s team were crowned WPL champions last Sunday. The men’s team are motivated as ever to double their trophy count this season. Chennai Super Kings are the reigning champions, having claimed the title on two occasions in the last three editions. The Men in Yellow have assembled a solid squad, with some great picks at the auction. The likes of Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell will provide useful batting options, whereas, the addition of Shardul Thakur has strengthened their bowling department. MS Dhoni stepped down from his captaincy duties at CSK on the eve of IPL 2024. Ruturaj Gaikwad has been appointed as MS Dhoni’s successor, and as such, he will have big shoes to fill into. The rivalry between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings, popularly known as the ‘Southern Derby,’ has given us some epic battles in the past. We hope to see more of this on Friday, which could well set the stage for the rest of the tournament. Also Read: “MS is the best judge and he felt the time was right,” Stephen Fleming on CSK captain change

MS Dhoni
Cricket, IPL

“MS is the best judge and he felt the time was right,” Stephen Fleming on CSK captain change

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“MS is the best judge and he felt the time was right,” Stephen Fleming on CSK captain change MS Dhoni’s decision to step down from the helm at Chennai Super Kings has come as a huge surprise. There have been a lot of questions around his decision to hand over the captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad, just a day before IPL 2024 commences in Chennai. CSK Head Coach, Stephen Fleming has cleared the air surrounding the former Indian captain’s decision. The Kiwi coach has clarified that it was MS Dhoni’s decision to step aside from captaincy, in view of building a clear path for the future. “It was MS [Dhoni’s decision] with a lot of consideration and one view to the future on the back of a good season last year. The timing was good. Behind the scenes, Ruturaj and others have been on a, say, a captaincy-grooming process, looking forward to days like this and the opportunities come up, but MS is the best judge and he felt the time was right,” Fleming said, as quoted by CricInfo. This is for the second time in the last three seasons that Chennai Super Kings have named a new skipper just on the eve of IPL. In 2022, Ravindra Jadeja was handed over the captaincy, after MS Dhoni decided to step down. However, the change did not last long, as Dhoni was back in charge after Chennai suffered six losses in their first eight matches. “A couple of years ago we probably weren’t ready for MS to move aside” : Stephen Fleming Stephen Fleming acknowledged the fact that in 2022, the franchise was not ready for MS Dhoni to step aside from captaincy. Now that the ‘Men in Yellow’ claimed their fifth title last year, and with the mega auction coming up next season, the franchise is better placed to handle such a big change at the helm. “Well, the big thing about a couple of years ago was that we probably weren’t ready for MS to move aside. And what that did was probably shake us as a leadership group or coaches into looking at the possibility when he does go. And up until that stage, it was almost unthinkable, but it sowed the seed. So, we’ve worked pretty hard on making sure that any mistakes that were made during then aren’t made again. And that the leadership isn’t a secret,” Fleming added. Stephen Fleming has also confirmed that there would be ongoing mentorship on field from MS Dhoni. Moreover, the senior players in the team in the form of Ajinkya Rahane and Ravindra Jadeja will help Ruturaj Gaikwad ease into his new role. Chennai Super Kings kickstart their title defence against Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Chepauk Stadium on March 22nd. The five-time champions are one of the strongest teams on paper, as they made some valuable additions to their squad in the auction. Shardul Thakur would return to his former franchise, whereas, the likes of Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell will provide options in the batting order. Also Read: IPL 2024: Chennai Super Kings Squad and Predicted XI

Cricket, Featured, IPL

IPL 2024: Chennai Super Kings Squad and Predicted XI

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IPL 2024: Chennai Super Kings Squad and Predicted XI Chennai Super Kings are the joint most successful team in the Indian Premier League, alongside Mumbai Indians. MS Dhoni guided the Men in Yellow to their fifth title last season, after they defeated Gujarat Titans in an epic finale. The Super Kings will now start their title defence on March 22nd, as the 17th edition of the IPL gets underway. The reigning champions will face Royal Challengers Bangalore in the tournament opener in their home stadium in Chennai. Chennai Super Kings had a successful auction in December last year, where they made a couple of interesting signings. They signed the duo of Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell to strengthen their batting department. Let us have a look at the CSK squad for the 2024 season: CSK Squad: Ajinkya Rahane, Shaik Rasheed, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sameer Rizvi, Daryl Mitchell, Nishant Sindhu, Moeen Ali, Rachin Ravindra, Shivam Dube, Mitchell Santner, Ravindra Jadeja, Aravelly Avinash, Devon Conway, MS Dhoni (wk), RS Hangargekar, Deepak Chahar, Ajay Mandal, Tushar Deshpande, Matheesha Pathirana, Shardul Thakur, Mustafizur Rahman, Prashant Solanki, Simarjeet Singh, Maheesh Theekshana, Mukesh Choudhary Chennai Super Kings have assembled a pretty strong squad, with reinforcements in their fast bowling department. They are more than capable of defending their title this season. Now, let us take a look at their predicted lineup. CSK Playing XI Ruturaj Gaikwad Devon Conway Ajinkya Rahane Daryl Mitchell Shivam Dube Ravindra Jadeja MS Dhoni (c and wk) Maheesh Theekshana Shardul Thakur Deepak Chahar Matheesha Pathirana It should be a toss up between Daryl Mitchell and Rachin Ravindra for a place in the middle order. However, the former is expected to get the nod, given that he is more accustomed to playing at number four or five for New Zealand. Shardul Thakur and Deepak Chahar will be accompanied by Matheesha Pathirana in the fast bowling department. Mustafizur Rahman was another crucial addition to the CSK squad, as he might come in handy during the latter stages of the tournament.

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