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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, Test Cricket

NZ vs AUS: Nathan Lyon believes 24-year old left-handed batter will become a superstar

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NZ vs AUS: Nathan Lyon believes 24-year old left-handed batter will become a superstar Nathan Lyon waxed lyrical on the 24-year old Kiwi all-rounder Rachin Ravindra. The youngster burst onto the International stage only last year, as he took the 2023 ICC World Cup by storm. The southpaw scored 578 runs in 10 matches at an average of 64.22. He has also delivered strong performances in the recently concluded Test series against South Africa. Nathan Lyon believes that Rachin Rachindra is among the most promising names in International cricket at the moment, and expects him to become a superstar. The Australian spinner became the seventh highest wicket taker in Test cricket during the ongoing first Test match between Australia and New Zealand. Speaking to the reporters after the end of third day’s play in Wellington, Nathan Lyon said: “Give respect and credit where it is due. Rachin and Daryl batted superbly. Rachin is a good player and this is the first time I have bowled to him. I saw his performance performance in the ICC World Cup and he is going to be a superstar.” Australia are in a commanding position in the first Test against New Zealand after establishing a first innings lead of 204 runs. The hosts will resume the chase on Day 4, with 111 runs on the board for the loss of three wickets. The Kiwis still need to chase down 258 runs, which is a tall ask. Rachin Ravindra rescued the hosts, as the wickets kept tumbling in the second innings. His unbeaten knock of 56 runs has at least given New Zealand a glimmer of hope going into the fourth day.

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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