MS Dhoni is the most successful captain in the history of Indian cricket. Under his leadership, India won the inaugural T20 World Cup 2007, ODI World Cup 2011 and the 2013 Champions Trophy. The 39-year-old has also performed exceptionally well in the Indian Premier League (IPL), helping his side – Chennai Super Kings (CSK) – win the reputed tournament thrice.

However, a remark by the Ranchi-lad in IPL 2020 panned all eyes. After a loss to Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Match 37, Dhoni asserted that the youngsters of his team weren’t competent enough to deserve a chance in the playing XI.

“There were few chances given to the youngsters. Maybe we didn’t see the kind of spark that they could’ve given us to say, okay you know, push the experienced guys and make space for them,” Dh??oni had?? said in the post-match press conference.

CSK wicket-keeper batter N Jagadeesan, who made his IPL debut last season, in a recent interview defended Dhoni and argued that the media outlets misunderstood the latter’s comments.

“What he [Dhoni] actually said was completely misunderstood by the press,” Jagadeesan told Sportseekda.

Expounding his statement, Jagadeesan enunciated that Dhoni’s opinion was a way to boost the senior players to perform better as they couldn’t be pinpointed owing to their stature in the team.

“It was not about the youngsters, Rutu and I did well, to be honest. What people don’t get is that he’s someone who’s trying to boost the entire team, the seniors as well. When you have such legends in the team, you can’t pinpoint each of them. There needs to be a way where the seniors are backed up. For them to be backed up, something had to be done. And after his comment, we did well and the team did really well,” the Coimbatore-born adumbrated.

Though CSK couldn’t qualify for the play-offs, the comment did work as they went onto win three games out of the last four matches, with youngster Ruturaj Gaikwad even smashing three consecutive half-centuries.

Meanwhile, in IPL 2021,  CSK are positioned?? at the second spot with five wins in seven matches and pitted as one?????????????????????????? of the c??hief contenders to clinch the trophy.

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Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) skipper Virat Kohli is known for his fierce attitude on the field. Kohli and Mumbai Indians (MI) star batsman Suryakumar Yadav were involved in an on-field duel against each other during the 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Recalling the incident during a live chat on social media, Yadav stated he was happy and delighted when Kohli sledged him. The RCB captain was s?potted firing a few words at the Mumbaikar.

Yadav maintained his cool throughout the innings and did not reacted to Kohli’s words.

In the 48th match of IPL 2020, RCB scored 164, giving t?he target of 165 to MI. Having lost a few early wickets, Yadav came on to bat and looked in sublime touch. The 30-year-old did not lose his concentration and had the last laugh scoring 79 runs and taking his side home.

“It’s not just me, he goes hard at any batsman batting against him. I was happy that he sledged me. It means even Kohli knew that if I bat on, we will win the match, and if they get my wicket, then maybe they could slow us down and create a chance to win,” Yadav said.

“I am a cool and calm customer on the pitch, so I don’t get into these rivalries. But there was that moment in Abu Dhabi, so I guess that can go down as one,” the right-hander further asserted.

However, this incident has not affected the relationship of the duo. Yadav made his international debut earlier this year against England. He is also expected to be a part of India squad for the forthcoming tour of Sri Lanka, consis?ting of 3 One-Day Internationals (ODI) and?? as many T20Is.

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Defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) have released as many as seven names which include Sri Lankan veteran Lasith Malinga, New Zealand pacer Mitchell McClenaghan and Australian all-rounder Nathan Coulter-Nile from their squad for the 2020 edition of the Indian Pr??emier League (IPL).

Having taken 170 scalps, the 37-year-old Malinga is the IPL’s highest wicket-taker but didn’t travel to the UAE to play in IPL 2020. According to reports, he might join the Mumbai camp as a mentor.

Kiwi quick Trent Boult, who was traded by MI from Delhi Capitals (DC) ahead of the 2020 IPL auctions, has retained his place. ?The left-armer impressed one and all with his scintillating opening spells in the last edition.

Boult was also adjudged the ‘Player of the Match’ in the IPL 2021 final after he bagged a three-wicket haul to help his side swept aside DC by five wickets at the Dubai International Stadium.

Retained players:

Rohi??t Sharma, Quinton de Kock (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan (wk), C??hris Lynn, Anmolpreet Singh, Saurabh Tiwary, Aditya Tare (wk), Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Anukul Roy, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult, Rahul Chahar, Jayant Yadav, Dhawal Kulkarni, Mohsin Khan

Released players:

Lasith Malinga, Mi?tch McClenaghan, James Pattinson, Nathan Coulter-Nile?, Sherfane Rutherford, Prince Balwant Rai, Digivijay Deshmukh.

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Australia opening batsman David Warner has heaped praises on his Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) teammate T Natarajan after latter’s impressive show in the recently concluded ODI and T20I series against the hosts. In the white-ball fixtures, first Australia sealed the three-match ODI series 2-1, and then India finished victorious in the T20I series 2-1.

Top-rated performers like skipper Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, and Hardik Pandya shined for the visiting side in the limited-overs series. Natrajan also marked his grand arrival wit?h a perfect ODI as well as T20I debut.

The left-arm pacer, who had an excellent season for SRH in IPL 2020, was picked as a net bowler to travel to Australia. But, was included in the T20I squad after Varun Chakravarthy suffered ??an injury and was later also?? included in the ODI team.

Natarajan made his international debut in the third match of the 50-over series and picked up two wickets. He continued the g??ood run in the T20I leg and was the highest wicket-taker with six scalps to his name.

Warner congratulated Natarajan for a successful Australia tour

Warner was happy for Natarajan as he shared a heartfelt note for his IPL teammate. He congratulated the Tamil Nadu pacer for his a??ccomplishments on his maiden Australi??a tour.

“Win, lose or draw we respect each other on and off the field. Despite losing the series, I couldn’t not be any happier for this guy @natarajan_jayaprakash such a nice guy and just loves the game so much. From being on the tour as a net bowler to debuting ODI/T20i for India what an achievement buddy well done!” Warner wrote on his official Instagram handle.

It was Warner’s captaincy under which Natarajan groomed into a top-quality bowler in IPL 2020. In the thirteenth season of the cash-rich league, the 29-year-old picked up 16 wickets in as many matches.

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Young Ruturaj Gaikwad, who scored back to back half-centuries in the last three matches for Chennai Super Kings (CSK), has broken his silence on captain MS Dhoni’s “no spark in youngsters” comment.

Dhoni’s words in one of the post-match interviews grabbed the headlines during CSK’s poor run in IPL 2020. Reacting to the same, Gaikwad said that he was more focussed on his job as a player and did not read much about Dhoni’s remarks.

“I didn’t read much into what MS had said and I never felt he intended that way,” Ruturaj was quoted as saying by Telegraph.

“He must have thought of something and said, but people took it the other way. What he said didn’t matter to me or didn’t even get to my head,” he added.

Gaikwad also revealed that Dhoni always helped him in the nets and used to advise him by saying: “Just make sure your process is right and don’t worry about the results.”

Touted to be a player to watch out for in the IPL, Gaikwad didn’t have the best of starts as he managed to score just five runs in the first three games.

He was dropped from the final XI and got another opportunity only after CSK’s exit from the play-offs race. Gaikwad went on to grab the second chance with both hands and showed his batting prowess for the first time against Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).

FIFTY!

A well made maiden IPL half-century for Ruturaj Gaikwad.#Dream11IPL pic.twitter.com/dIypPUCiIz

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) October 25, 2020

His unbeaten 65 vs RCB was followed by a 72-run knock against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and 62 not out vs Kings XI Punjab (KXIP).

A very well deserved Man of the Match award for Ruturaj Gaikwad 👏👏#Dream11IPL pic.twitter.com/RXwOadMmM8

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) October 29, 2020

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Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has picked his best XI from the recently concluded T20 competitions – the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the Pakistan Super League (PSL) – and compared the players between the two teams.

Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai Indians (MI) clinched their fifth IPL title ??by defeating the fir?st time-finalists Delhi Capitals (DC) by five wickets in Dubai on November 10. On the other hand, Imad Wasim’s Ka?rachi Kings won their maiden PSL title by outclassing Lahore Qalandars in the final wh?ich was played at the Karachi National Stadium last week.

“When it comes to openers, I think it is difficult to separate Rahul and Babar as they played extremely well during the tournament. While Dhawan is clearly ahead of Fakhar,” said Chopra ??on his YouTube channel while comparing the openers??.

“Hales and Yadav were equally good. There is no comparison between Hafeez and De Villiers despite the professor’s great run of form. Dunk and Kishan is also fifty-fifty and maybe slightly tilted towards Dunk. Tewatia and Imad is also a close call,” the cricketer-turned commentator added.

“Between Archer and Wiese, I would 100 per cent go with Jofra. I have no doubt about Rashid Khan, Chahal and Bumrah over Imran Tahir, Haris Rauf and Mohammad Hasnain as well. Shaheen has been outstanding but we are talking about Kagiso Rabada who is clearly ahead of him,” Chopra said while selecting his bowlers.

PSL 2020 Best XI: Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Alex Hales, Mohammad Hafeez, Ben Dunk, Imad ??Wasim, David Wiese, Imran Tahir, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Shaheen Afridi

IPL 2020 Best XI: KL R??ahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Suryakumar Yadav, AB de Villiers, Ishan Kishan, Rahul Tewatia, Jofra Archer, Rashid Khan, Yuzvend??ra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Kagiso Rabada.

Finally, Chopra opined that the best XI from IPL 2020 would beat PSL 2020 XI if the match between the two teams t?akes place.

“In all fairness, this match will never take place but my IPL XI has defeated my PSL XI. But an important thing to note here is that the IPL XI won because of its bowling despite Pakistan holding the edge in bowling department in the past,” he concluded.

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The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 concluded on November 10 in United Arab Emirates (UAE) with Mumbai Indians (MI) lifting the coveted trophy ??for?? the record fifth time. Undoubtedly, it was one of the most competitive and entertaining sea?sons in the history of the cash-rich league.

Just like previous editions, the thirteenth season also witnessed quite a few youngsters leaving an impact with some top-quality performances. To name a few, the likes of Devdutt Padikkal, Rahul Tewatia, Varun Chakravarthy and T Natarajan ?were some players who impressed everyone with their high-sta?ndard cricket.

Even former India captain Kapil Dev is happy with the way IPL 2020 produced the young talent. Recently, the legendary cricketer named one youngster who was able to grab his attention with a power-packed performance.

Kapil picked Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) pacer, Natarajan, as his ‘Hero of the Tournament’ and lauded Natarajan’s ability to bowl yorkers at consistent basis. The left-armer was truly ex?traordinary with the ball for SRH, especially in the death overs.

“Natarajan was my hero of the IPL. The young boy was fearless and bowled so many yorkers. The yorker is the best ball, not only today but even in the last 100 years,” said Kapil as quoted by Hindustan Times.

Natarajan gets a maiden call in the national side

Natarajan’s supreme quality of bowling yorkers impressed Indian selectors too as they selected him in India’s T20I squad for the upcoming series against Australia. Though the 29-year-old was first picked as a net bowler but when Chakravarthy got injured, BCCI replaced the T??amil?? Nadu spinner with Natarajan.

During his stint with SRH for IPL 2020, Natarajan picked up 16 wickets in 16 games. He played a vital? role in helping David Warner &?? Co reach the playoffs.

The left-arm seamer first came in the limelight when he rocked the charts in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) in 2017. After, which he was picked by Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) for Rs 3 crore in the auctions.

However, Natarajan had a below-average outing as he only managed to grab two wickets in 6 games and was released by the franchise. Then, he got another chance this year after being roped in by SRH. Natarajan cashed in his opportunities and earned his maiden national call-up.

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During the IPL 2020 match between Mumbai Indians (MI) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on October 28, Virat Kohli’s ultra-competitive gesture came out yet again. Keen to get the important wicket of Suryakumar Yadav, he fielded the ball at cover and walked up to the batsman. This time, Kohli tried to shake Surya’s composure by attempting to sledge him. But Surya just gave RCB captain a stare back without uttering a single word.

A vid??eo clip of the inci?dent soon went viral on social media as it happened just a day after Surya’s red-hot form in domestic and List-A cricket was once again ignored by Team India selectors, who had picked the squads for Australia tour.

Now, opening up ?on the famous stare-off for the first time, Surya has revealed that Kohli was impressed with his knock and e?ven encouraged him after the game.

“It was in the heat of the moment, there was nothing going on between me and him from before that we brought into that game. Even I was surprised with how that incident got highlighted after the game. But it was really nice to have that game against him,” Surya told Sports Tak.

“I have always seen him (Virat Kohli) as energetic in every game it wasn’t like that game against MI was an exception. Even when he plays for Team India or against any team in the IPL, his aggression and energy are always spot on. It was an important game for RCB as well because they also had the chance to go into top-2 if they had won.

“After the match, he was just normal. He said, ‘well played’ to everybody afterwards. It was just in that moment (his staring incident with Virat Kohli). He also knew at that situation who was the key player in the opposition.”

Surya finish?ed the 165-run chase on 7??9 not out after facing 43 balls with the help of 3 sixes ??and 10 fours as MI won the match by five wickets.

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Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) did not have a pleasing season in the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020. For the sixth consecutive edition, KXIP failed to qualify for the playoffs in the cash-rich?? league.

The KL Rahul-led side only registered 6 victories from 14 matches. Even the new coaching staff couldn’t change fortunes for Punjab. Interestingly, It was for the third running year that KXIP had a new coaching staff in IPL.

Now, considering KXIP’s history of chopping and changing, fans would hope that the owners might change the coaching staff once again. However, that will not be happening this time as Ness Wadia, the co-owner of KXIP has revealed that they have registered a three-year plan with Director of Cricket, Anil Kumble.

According to the above mentioned 3-year strategic plan, Kumble will stay with Punjab for another two seasons, and Rahul shall also continue as captain.

“We have a charted a three-year strategy with Anil. We revamped this season and finished sixth and lost (the playoff spot) only by one game. KL has been with us for three years, and there was a reason why we went after him so aggressively. He has proved us right,” said Wadia as quoted by Times Now.

We don’t want to repeat history: Wadia

Nadia made it clear that he wants to change the stance of KXIP switching coaching staff in every season. He mentioned that in IPL 2020, the top-order performed well, and they just have to concentrate on improving the middle-order and death bowling.

“It is tough for the top order when your middle order is not performing. The good thing is that we have an established core now (Rahul, Agarwal, Pooran, Gayle and Shami) and we need to plug the gaps which are quite apparent (middle-order and death bowling). KXIP’s record of making too many changes in captaincy and coaching is something which we want to correct,” added Nadia.

KXIP is one of the few sides in IPL that haven’t won the trophy yet. They have made only one final appearance which came way back in 2014. During that contest, KXIP lost the battle to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

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