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Earlier, Brett Lee picked up 3 for 18 to restrict Maharajas to a sub-par total

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Mar-2023Chris Gayle’s 46-ball 57 made light work of World Giants’ chase of 137 after Brett Lee (3 for 18) bowled a game-changing penultimate over against India Maharajas on Wednesday. World Giants completed the chase with eight balls to spare to complete a routine win in Doha.Gayle was clear about his intent from the start of the innings. He smashed six boundaries in the first three overs to pile misery on Maharajas’ bowlers, and was particularly harsh on Ashok Dinda. In the sixth over, he hit him for 4, 6, 4 and 4 off consecutive deliveries.Shane Watson added to the momentum with some vintage shots in his quickfire cameo. After taking two fours off Pravin Tambe in the seventh over, he smashed stand-in India Maharajas captain Harbhajan Singh for two consecutive boundaries in the next.Tambe temporarily stalled Giants’ cruise, bowling a dream delivery to dismiss Watson as the ball beat him on the outside edge and dislodged the off bail.That dismissal, along with a few wickets as the innings progressed, forced Gayle to take a cautious approach in the chase. Having reached his half-century in 26 balls, he managed only seven in the next 20. His innings was cut short by Suresh Raina, who surprised him with a length ball that didn’t bounce much and trapped him right in front.Even though World Giants continued to lose wickets after that dismissal, cameos from Samit Patel and Morne van Wyk carried them over the line.Earlier, in the absence of their regular captain and in-form opener Gautam Gambhir, India Maharajas were desperate for a strong start. Robin Uthappa, coming off a spectacular fifty on Tuesday, did not look in control against Samit even though he had found a boundary off his second delivery. Two balls later, Samit dismissed him with an arm ball, with the batter mis-hitting it to Aaron Finch at midwicket.Raina tried to increase the scoring rate, hitting Monty Panesar for two back-to-back sixes in the eighth over. First, he picked up a back-of-a-length delivery and pulled it over deep midwicket and then stepped out to smash the next over the bowler’s head.However, Maharajas’ innings followed the pattern of solid partnerships followed by quick wickets throughout. After a 60-run stand between Raina and Manvinder Bisla, they lost Yusuf Pathan and Stuart Binny off consecutive deliveries.Irfan Pathan’s cameo of 25 off 20 balls carried them for a while but Lee’s two wickets in the 19th over restricted them to a sub-par total.

Bumrah named vice-captain as most of the regulars who missed the Sri Lanka tour in July return

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Dec-20211:18

Chetan Sharma: ‘KL Rahul has proved his leadership qualities’

Rohit Sharma has failed to recover from the hamstring injury that kept him out of the Test series in South Africa. In his absence, KL Rahul will lead India in the three-match ODI series in South Africa. Jasprit Bumrah has been named the vice-captain of the squad.This was supposed to be India’s first ODI assignment since Rohit was named full-time captain for the format, but Rohit’s recurring hamstring injury has emerged as a bit of a concern. Chairman of selectors Chetan Sharma said the decision to not send Rohit to South Africa was taken keeping that frequent injury and important events in mind, including the T20 World Cup and the ODI World Cup in the coming two years.”This is the only reason why we have decided to let him work on his rehab, work on his fitness, work on his muscles,” Chetan said. “Nobody gets injured on purpose. This is precisely why we didn’t send him to South Africa because we want him to go back to 100% fitness because there are important events and World Cups coming. That is the reason why he is not going to South Africa, and KL Rahul is the captain.”ESPNcricinfo Ltd

India’s 18-man squad welcomed back R Ashwin, who last played an ODI in 2017 but made his comeback into the T20I side earlier in 2021. Venkatesh Iyer received a maiden ODI call-up. As with T20Is, Venkatesh might bat in the middle order and bowl a few overs, a vacancy created by Hardik Pandya’s inability to bowl because of fitness issues.The other allrounder in the squad is Washington Sundar, who missed the T20 World Cup with injury but proved his fitness in the recent Vijay Hazare Trophy. Also coming back from injury was Shreyas Iyer, who has since made a successful Test debut too. The other potential allrounders, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel, are yet to recover from injuries sustained during the Test series against New Zealand.That Rahul would lead in Rohit’s absence was expected, seeing that he is the ODI vice-captain, but Chetan said that Rahul was being groomed as a future leader. “We are looking at KL Rahul as a three-format player, and he has got good experience of captaincy,” he said in an online press interaction. “He has proved his leadership qualities. That is what all selectors think. When Rohit is not fit, we thought KL is the best one to handle the side. We have good confidence in him, and we are grooming him.”From India’s last full-strength ODI squad that played England in March, the selectors omitted Kuldeep Yadav, the Pandya brothers Hardik and Krunal, T Natarajan (injured) and Shubman Gill. Deepak Chahar and Ishan Kishan found their way in.KL Rahul has been handed the reins of the ODI squad•Getty Images

Between the England series and this one, India played an ODI series in Sri Lanka too, but it was a second-string side because the main squad was in England to play the World Test Championship final and the Test series against England. Shikhar Dhawan captained that side in Sri Lanka and retained his place, but Prithvi Shaw didn’t. Ruturaj Gaikwad, who was part of that squad but didn’t get to play, was retained for the South Africa series.”He’s getting the chance at the right time,” Chetan said of Gaikwad. “He was picked in the T20s and now he’s in ODI squad. Wherever this is space for him, he’s getting picked and selectors are hoping he will do wonders for the country. We have selected him, now it’s up to the management when he plays in the XI and when he’s required in the combinations. He’s doing well and he’s been rewarded for that.”On some of the major names missing, Chetan said, “Mohammed Shami, we are resting him looking at the load management of our faster bowlers. He will definitely be playing the coming series. Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja, both are not fit, that’s the reason they are not in South Africa.”Also discussed in the selection meeting, Chetan said, were Ravi Bishnoi, Rishi Dhawan, Shahrukh Khan, Harshal Patel and Avesh Khan: “These guys will definitely get their chances in coming times.”ODI squad: KL Rahul (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Venkatesh Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Yuzvendra Chahal, R Ashwin, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah (vice-capt), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Prasidh Krishna, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj

He is disappointed with Apex Council members Gaekwad and Rangaswamy for not doing their bit

Shamya Dasgupta20-Jul-2020Ashok Malhotra, the president of the Indian Cricketers’ Association (ICA), has expressed his disappointment with Aunshuman Gaekwad and Shanta Rangaswamy, the association members who are also part of the BCCI’s Apex Council, for not addressing the ICA’s demands.Malhotra, who made his displeasure public with a Facebook video a few days back, said that “unfortunately” the body is dependent on the board to get its work done, and it was the “duty of the Apex Council to deliver” on their obligations.The demands from the ICA are (a) pension for former players who have played less than 25 first-class games, (b) pension for widows of former cricketers, (c) increase in medical insurance from Rs 5 lakh ($6674 approx.] to Rs 10 lakh [$13,348 approx.], and (d) release of the money from the benevolent fund to Manoj Prabhakar, whose ban for match-fixing ended in 2005.”We are answerable to our stakeholders in the ICA, and the Apex Council members are answerable to the ICA,” Malhotra told ESPNcricinfo. “Three Apex Council meetings have been conducted, and these issues are not even in the minutes of those meetings. You talk about IPL, you talk about (administration of the) Bihar Cricket Association, domestic calendar, the FTP… I have nothing to do with it; it’s for the BCCI to do something.”I have been told by my Apex Council colleagues that they did speak to the BCCI president, but outside the meeting, not in the meeting. Outside the meeting counts for nothing. Because it’s not in the agenda. It’s almost ten months, and nothing has been done so far.”Lots of cricketers are 70, 80, they are on the last leg (of their lives), how long can they wait? Anyway, the pension that is given to cricketers amounts to .54% of the overall BCCI expenditure for a year. Even if you double it, it’s 1.08%. We are not asking for much. Of the five [ICA members – Hitesh Majmudar, V Krishnaswamy, Yajurvindra Singh and Rajesh Nayyar are the others] at least listen to one, for god’s sake.”Malhotra made his grievance known to the wider world via the video, where he stressed that “unluckily”, the ICA has been dependent on the BCCI and the Apex Council, which hasn’t worked out too well for it. And that – the public expression of his disenchantment – ended up irking the four other members of the ICA, some of whom have since spoken to sections of the media asking for issues to be dealt with internally.In the video, Malhotra had said, “Last meeting of Apex Council was held long way back and because of coronavirus, yes, they are having difficulties – conference calls, Zoom, whatever – but the fact is that BCCI will have to take a call. It is not in the hands of ICA. ICA can only request and plead, and Apex Council is the one which will have to take the decision. Although there are two ICA members who are Apex Council members, they are in Apex Council because of ICA. And it little bit becomes their responsibility.”I know BCCI has a lot of things on their agenda, like Bihar Cricket Association, they are talking about domestic cricket, a whole lot of things. [But], I as ICA president, ICA as a whole, we are not really concerned about it. We are more concerned about what we are asked to do. And that is the duty of Apex Council, to deliver. I am saying again and again because we are getting a lot of questions, we are answerable to the stakeholders. We are really, really answerable. And ICA members, who are Apex Council members, are answerable to ICA. So it is a chain reaction. If nothing happens, they have every reason to be disappointed with the ICA. And ICA in turn might be disappointed with their Apex Council members. It’s a fact.”Shanta Rangaswamy and Aunshuman Gaekwad are the ICA members in the BCCI Apex Council•Getty Images

According to Malhotra, he has received messages from his four colleagues since then, and they have also sent him an email asking him to “follow the process”. Majmudar has also been quoted by the as saying, “We don’t want to take on anybody. We want to work for the benefit of cricketers, but we need to follow the process.””After the video, all hell broke loose. Four directors started writing… one of them wrote to me saying we can’t fight a big organisation like the BCCI, look at what happened to Lalit Modi. I said where is the question of fighting? Where is the comparison between us and Lalit Modi,” Malhotra said. “Then the four of them got together and fired an email to me. On top of that, one of the directors, I don’t know who, released the email to the press. I was being outvoted on everything, but I was keeping quiet. But now they are saying don’t go public, but they are leaking emails to the media.”Then they sent an apology to the BCCI without consulting me. For that video. I just wanted to know if you have sent an apology why didn’t you inform me? Am I not a board member? I am the president. If the four of you discuss and decide, it’s not done, it’s taking things too far. So I have now gone public too. It’s a democratic set-up, we are answerable to our stakeholders. What is the role of the president? Am I the president or the (servant)?”Malhotra said that he would next take his point of view to the stakeholders, the former cricketers who fall under the ICA’s umbrella. “The Supreme Court ordered the BCCI to have an ICA, it was compulsory, and it was compulsory for them to give us funds, which they have done – they have given Rs 2 crore,” he said. “We have Rs 1.35 crore in our account. No problem there. But it’s become very dirty. Once you go public, you open the Pandora’s Box. Hopefully we come to a compromise.””We have been shoved down the BCCI’s throat. But whether they love us or hate us, we are here to stay. Whether anybody likes it or not, whether we can do our work or not, whether I am there or someone else, we are not under BCCI, we are not in conflict with BCCI. We are an independent entity.”

ECB Reporters Network04-May-2019Lancashire missed out on a chance to secure qualification from the Royal London Cup group stage following a five-wicket Duckworth-Lewis-Stern defeat to Warwickshire. The Red Rose, having finished their campaign, need other results to go their way on Monday after the home side chased down a DLS target of 255 in 45 overs with two balls to spare.Lancashire amassed 277 for 7 thanks to skipper Dane Vilas’s 83 from 79 ball, supported by a series of small contributions. Alex Thomson continued his fine tournament with List A-best figures of 10-1-27-3, including a burst of three wickets in 12 balls.The home side then recovered from a superb opening spell of 8-2-15-3 from James Anderson to time their pursuit to perfection to the delight of a bumper Community Fun Day crowd at Edgbaston. Liam Banks struck 61 before Sam Hain saw the job through with consummate skill, his unbeaten 84, raising further his remarkable List A career-average of 58.Put in, Lancashire lost Haseeb Hameed to the eighth ball of the innings, lbw to an Olly Hannon-Dalby inswinger. But after a slow start, just six runs from the first five overs, they accelerated through a succession of solid partnerships.Keaton Jennings and Steven Croft added 56 in 12 overs and, after Jennings was bowled by Jeetan Patel, Croft and Vilas added 40 in seven before Croft played on to George Panayi.Vilas and Jake Lehmann kept the scoreboard ticking over with 80 in 15 overs but Thomson applied a brake with two wickets in three balls. Lehmann drove to mid-off and Rob Jones reverse-swept his second ball to gully. When Vilas missed a cut at Thomson and was bowled, Lancashire were 192 for 6 and in danger of coming in short, but Josh Bohannon and Saqib Mahmood added 83 in 12 overs to get the total up around par.Warwickshire’s reply started briskly but was pegged back by a high-class spell from Anderson. He bowled Dominic Sibley off an inside edge then produced perfect offcutters to force fatal edges to wicketkeeper Vilas from Ed Pollock and Will Rhodes.Hain and Banks retrenched with a stand, twice interrupted by rain, of 111 in 22 overs. They posted their half-centuries from successive deliveries, from 73 and 59 balls respectively, Hain achieving the unusual feat of reaching 50 without hitting a four.After another rain break altered the target again, Warwickshire resumed needing 96 from 11 overs and soon lost Banks who lifted Graham Onions to deep extra cover. But Hain, now batting with a runner after hurting a knee scrambling for a single, added 40 in five overs with Woakes and then Alex Mellor arrived to inject the required impetus with two sixes in a Matt Parkinson over.

The Afghanistan legspinner had last week become the top-ranked ODI bowler, alongside India’s Jasprit Bumrah

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Feb-2018Afghanistan legspinner Rashid Khan has risen to the top of the ICC’s rankings for T20I bowlers, to go with his joint No. 1 status in the ODI charts.Rashid claimed top spot in the T20 lists after taking five wickets at an average of 8.40 and economy of 5.25 in two matches against Zimbabwe in Sharjah. New Zealand legspinner Ish Sodhi is in second place, 59 points behind Rashid’s tally of 759.There were changes at the top of the charts for T20I batsmen and allrounders as well. New Zealand’s Colin Munro became the top ranked T20I batsman once again, after scoring 176 runs at a strike rate of nearly 210 in the Trans-Tasman Tri-nation Series against Australia and England. Australia’s Glenn Maxwell became the No. 1 T20I allrounder for the third time after scoring 233 runs and taking three wickets in the same tournament.

South Africa’s Test captain has confirmed he will go ahead with his appeal against his ball-tampering charge, even though he risks a match ban if found guilty by the judicial commissioner

Firdose Moonda14-Dec-2016Faf du Plessis has confirmed he will go ahead with his appeal against his ball-tampering charge, even though he risks a match ban if found guilty by the judicial commissioner. Du Plessis, who was fined 100% of his match fee of the Hobart Test last month, was confirmed as South Africa’s permanent Test captain on Tuesday, but told the media his new job will not stand in the way of his attempt to clear his name.”(Withdrawing) it sounds like the logical thing to do but it’s purely from a non-cricket perspective,” he said at Newlands on Wednesday. “I didn’t agree with the way it was handled, how it happened and unfolded and the hearing that took place and how everything works when it comes to those hearings. Even if it meant the decision came out the way that I didn’t want it to, for me its the principle of standing up to something that you don’t agree with and that’s what a captain is all about – making sure you stand your ground and fight for whatever the cause is.”Video footage from the match showed du Plessis shining the ball with saliva that had also come into contact with a mint that was clearly visible in his mouth. It was in violation of Law 42.2 which states that no artificial substance should be used to change the conditions of the ball. The ICC laid charges, as the images appeared after the window for the umpires to report it had passed and du Plessis had pleaded not guilty. He admitted to having the mint in his mouth and even said he was not trying to hide it. He claimed that sugar from sweets was in every players’ mouth and it didn’t amount to contravening the code of conduct.Several current and former players agreed – Australian captain Steve Smith was among them – and CSA called on the ICC to clarify the term “artificial.” Du Plessis was found guilty nonetheless, fined the maximum match fee and earned three demerit points. He immediately announced his decision to appeal, which CSA later supported. They also remained hopeful the ICC would use this as a test case to re-look at the law.However, the chances of that happening seem slim after the MCC Committee meeting in Mumbai during which their head of cricket John Stephenson said du Plessis, “flagrantly contravened the law.” Should Michael Beloff, who is set to hear the appeal, agree with Stephenson, he could choose to sanction du Plessis further and hand him a one-match ban.That would mean du Plessis would have to sit out the Boxing Day Test against Sri Lanka, due to be his first as permanent Test captain. With AB de Villiers unavailable because of injury, South Africa will be in a tricky position to pick a replacement leader. Beloff could also uphold the verdict as it stands or rescind it altogether, which what du Plessis is aiming for.The three demerit points against him also put him at risk of missing matches because all he needs is one more – and he could that get that for any Level Two offence including dissent – to be forced to sit out a game. Having those demerit points off his record may also be on du Plessis’ mind as he goes into his appeal hearing next Monday – December 19 – a week before the first Sri Lanka Test.

A round-up of all the Ranji Trophy Group A matches on October 15, 2015

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Oct-2015
ScorecardFile photo: Krishna Das followed up his 10-wicket haul against Rajasthan with 4 for 5 against Odisha•PTI

Fifteen wickets tumbled in Cuttack, as neither Assam nor Odisha managed to take control on the first day of their Ranji clash at the Barabati Stadium. Assam, after being inserted, were bundled out for 92 inside 53 overs, but Odisha failed to capitalise, falling to 52 for 5 by stumps in their reply. Medium-pacer Basant Mohanty was the pick of Odisha’s bowlers, taking 5 for 24 to wreck Assam’s innings, where only four batsmen managed double-digit scores. Assam’s Krishna Das, who picked up 10 wickets in the previous round against Rajasthan, was the team’s chief wicket taker again, removing four Odisha batsmen before the day drew to a close.
ScorecardPersistent showers in Kolkata meant that only 43.2 overs of play were possible in the match between Bengal and Rajasthan. The visitors, opting to bat, lost two early wickets, but recovered through a 55-run partnership for the third wicket between Ashok Menaria (40) and Vineet Saxena (31 not out). The pair took Rajasthan past the 100-run mark, but the stand came to an soon after as Menaria was bowled by Pragyan Ojha towards the end of the day.Karnataka v Vidarbha – Karnataka stumble after Pandey hundredDelhi v Haryana – Sehwag flatters to deceive as Delhi zoom ahead

Australia’s selectors are expected to name Brad Haddin as Michael Clarke’s vice-captain and No. 1 gloveman for the tour of England, reverting to the leadership duo that delivered a 4-0 hiding of India on home soil two summers ago

Daniel Brettig23-Apr-2013Australia’s selectors are expected to name Brad Haddin as Michael Clarke’s vice-captain and No. 1 gloveman for the tour of England, reverting to the leadership duo that delivered a 4-0 hiding of India on home soil two summers ago.An Ashes squad of 16 is set to be revealed on Wednesday in Sydney, with Haddin’s return to a post he has held sporadically in the past forcing a change in the wicketkeeping hierarchy. The younger keeper Matthew Wade will again be held in reserve after a year in the Test side, though both will be in the tour party. Wade has the chance to force his way into the XI as a batsman.The former Test No. 3 Shaun Marsh is also looming as a surprise inclusion, his unarguable talent believed to have won the selectors over despite a poorly recent record. Not since his Test debut in Sri Lanka in 2011 has Marsh made a first-class century, and during the 2012-13 Australian summer he cobbled 152 runs at 19 in four Sheffield Shield matches.Nevertheless, Marsh showed improved results from the moment the former Australia batting coach Justin Langer took over as coach of Western Australia in mid-season, excelling in the Big Bash League and then making a century for Australia A against the England Lions in Hobart before suffering a serious hamstring tear that he has only just recovered from.Marsh’s selection would be a blow to the international claims of numerous other batsmen, including the longtime reserve Usman Khawaja, the Twenty20 captain and ODI regular George Bailey, and the prolific top-order batsman Chris Rogers.Among the bowlers, the young left-arm spinner Ashton Agar and the allrounder James Faulkner are thought to be vying for the final spot. Still a teenager, Agar turned plenty of heads for his composure and skill with the ball and the bat during his limited appearances for Western Australia during the summer, and went to India as an intern in the early part of a sorry tour.Shaun Marsh has emerged as a surprise contender for a recall to the Test squad•AFP

Faulkner’s allround skill and fiery temperament are admired by the selectors, and will be afforded extra experience of English conditions by the Australia A tour that precedes the Ashes. By naming 16, the selectors may leave themselves room to make an addition to the Test squad after glimpsing the Australia A tourists.They are also keeping one eye on the diplomatic progress of the Pakistan-raised legspinner Fawad Ahmed, who is now unlikely to be granted a passport in time for the start of the England tour but may become eligible soon after. It is not inconceivable that he may be added to the Ashes squad following the second Test of the series at Lord’s.Mitchell Johnson is not expected to be chosen after a poor tour of India, in which he was one of the four players suspended, and four years on from a nightmarish 2009 Ashes series he began as the world’s top-rated bowler but ended as the enigma he has remained to this day.Haddin’s expected appointment as vice-captain, only days after Shane Watson relinquished the post, is an acknowledgement of the leadership vacuum that opened up in the Australian Test side in India after the retirements of Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey.An ankle sprain to Wade during the tour forced Haddin to be flown over as a replacement, and he then became the acting captain in the field during the third Test in Mohali when Clarke suffered from the back trouble that would rule him out of the fourth match. Haddin’s presence on tour was welcomed, providing the sort of experience, wisdom and discipline lacking earlier in the trip, as demonstrated by the suspension of four players for failing to complete basic tasks.Clarke and Haddin have been close friends and tactical confidantes for many years, ever since the wicketkeeper captained a young Clarke with New South Wales in the years before his Test debut in India in 2004. They formed a successful leadership axis during the home Tests against India in 2011-12, when Watson was absent due to injury.Possible Ashes squad Michael Clarke (capt), Brad Haddin (vice-capt, wk), David Warner, Ed Cowan, Phillip Hughes, Shane Watson, Steve Smith, Shaun Marsh, Matthew Wade (wk), Ryan Harris, Peter Siddle, James Pattinson, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Ashton Agar, Jackson Bird.

ESPNcricinfo previews the IPL game between Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore in Jaipur

The Preview by Devashish Fuloria22-Apr-2012

Match facts

Monday, April 23, Jaipur
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)AB de Villiers has played a lot of unorthodox shots this season•Associated Press

Big picture

A week ago, Rajasthan Royals played Royal Challengers Bangalore at Chinnaswamy Stadium as underdogs, but Ajinkya Rahane’s century and Siddharth Trivedi’s four wickets gave them an easy 59-run victory. Most things have remained unchanged since then. Royals’ batting has consistently fired to give them a chance in every game while Royal Challengers’ bowling has struggled to stem the flow of runs. Virat Kohli’s indifferent form in this IPL has fetched him just 113 runs, putting extra pressure on Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers.One thing has changed in the last week though – Gayle storms have become frequent. His last two innings have been 81 and 87 and have included 12 sixes. Royals would be wary of Gayle but if they can get past him, their task becomes considerably easier.Jaipur has been a fortress for the Royals and Rahul Dravid would hope for a strong batting performance again. Brad Hodge, second on the leading Twenty20 run-scorer list, hasn’t had many chances as the top order has been consistent. But he can be a dangerous batsman in this format and there is a case for him to come ahead of Ashok Menaria.

Form guide

Rajasthan Royals LWWLL

Royal Challengers Bangalore WWLLL

Players to watch

Kevon Cooper is Royals’ leading wicket taker this season with ten wickets. With the kind of luck that he has enjoyed, Dravid might want to pit him against Gayle early.AB de Villiers has scored a few boundaries and sixes in the reverse ‘V’. By his own admission, he has struggled to hit the ball in front of the wicket and therefore, has cleverly used the pace of the bowlers. Royal Challengers’ would hope him he fires again as he is one of the two in-form batsmen.

Stats and trivia

• Royals have scored their runs at 8.56 per over, the best this season. Royal Challengers are next with 8.15
• For batsmen who have scored more than 100 runs in the tournament, Hodge has the second best strike rate of 157.31, only 0.38 behind Gayle
  

  Quotes

  “Probably, we have been playing well till three-quarters of the past few editions to keep ourselves in the hunt but have slipped in the last quarter.”

The IPL closely following the World Cup has meant that the franchises’ squads have not had much time to prepare as a unit, but that, says Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming, means the players can hit the ground running

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Apr-2011The IPL closely following the World Cup has meant that the franchises’ squads have not had much time to prepare as a unit, but Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming said that it also means the players can hit the ground running.”With most of our players being in action during the World Cup, lack of match practice will not be an issue,” he said. “Playing the best teams in the world and on our home grounds is the best build-up any player could hope for. We are quietly confident of our prospects. Our core team remains the same, so we look forward to another successful run [Chennai are the defending champions].”Captain MS Dhoni also said he is pleased with the team composition, but a lot will depend on players’ fitness, with key players like Doug Bollinger and Dwayne Bravo currently on the injured list. “The new team is very good. But I have always maintained it’s not about how good the team looks on paper, but how we’re doing on the field. If everyone is fit and all 24 players are available for selection, it’s a very good side.”Chennai retained Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Albie Morkel and M Vijay from the first three seasons’ squad and bought back Michael Hussey, Bollinger, R Ashwin and S Badrinath, among others, during January’s auction. New players in the squad include Faf du Plessis, Bravo, Suraj Randiv, Ben Hilfenhaus, Scott Styris and Tim Southee, while the biggest loss remains Muttiah Muralitharan who will play for Kochi this season.”We have Vijay to start off, and Badri, me, Raina, Albie, Du Plessis … Scott Styris is an allrounder. Michael Hussey [who is in Bangladesh with the Australia team] will also be joining us shortly,” Dhoni said. “So I think we have quite a few players who can get runs when it matters. Murali is a great cricketer, a very good influence in the dressing room, with plenty of ideas. We’ll definitely miss him. We’ll also miss Balaji [who was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders in the auction].”One player they bought at the auction who will not be available is Australian fast bowler Ben Hilfenhaus, who is out of the tournament with injury, according to the team’s website. Tim Southee, who was added to the team after the auction, following his strong show in the World Cup, will take Hilfenhaus’ spot in the side.Chennai play Kolkata in the opening IPL match on April 8 at home.