Big blow for CSK? Hazlewood skips IPL to spend quality time with family

ICC on lookout for WTC Final broadcasters after Star retains only subcontinent rights

The International Cricket Council would be looking to get broadcasters for the one-off Test, also arguably the biggest Test event on a global scale- the inaugural edition of the World Test Championship Final. Star India, the official broadcast partner of the international cricket governing body decided to retain its rights only for the subcontinent, selling the remaining back to ICC. "It made sense for Star not to worry about selling the rights of the one-off match in none-too major cricket markets where their team is not playing. Apart from India, Star will have the rights in Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, the biggest markets in world cricket," Cricbuzz quoted a source close to the deal between ICC and Star India. Even though New Zealand is a finalist in the event, it is going to be a heck of a challenge for ICC to sell the rights for the Kiwi nation broadcast. The main reason behind such a situation is the timing issue as during the final the New Zealanders would be having chilly winter nights back home, not considered well enough for wholesome Test match viewing conditions. In other nations, especially England, Australia and South Africa, ICC might find suitable buyers. Another interesting area of sale could be the UAE and US / Canada market as the Indian diaspora there might be interested in the Finals viewership. The WTC Final between India and New Zealand at Southampton, England, will be played between 18 and 22 June.

IPL 2021 | Team Preview: Riddled by Iyer injury, will Spiderman come to DC's rescue?

The DC universe had their Batman and he was good enough to lead them to the finals in the very third year of his skipper-ship. But little did they know that it would be a Spiderman within their ranks that would take up the mantle to try and steer them to what might be their best season (at least they would hope so) in the Big Bang called Indian Premier League (IPL). Rishabh Pant, the hottest property in the Delhi Capitals arsenal right now, especially because of his great showing in Australia and against England in India, has been given the reigns of the team due to the unfortunate absence of their first choice skipper Shreyas Iyer. The Mumbaikar suffered a shoulder injury in the ODI series against England which has now put him out for at least the next two months. The team which had its best-ever season last year, finishing second in the league stage and then reached finals for the first time in their IPL history, has suddenly been thrown under the rails due to the captaincy change. How would that change work, will it be a boost for both Rishabh and Delhi or will it squander their chances? IPL Mini Auctions: Delhi bought what they came to buy The Delhi Capitals went into the auction knowing fully that they needed a left-arm Indian pacer because they didn’t have one. For that matter, they didn’t have any left-arm pacer, be it Indian or otherwise. They bought Baroda’s Syed Mushtaq Ali superstar Lukman Meriwala - the southpaw who took 15 wickets in eight innings of the SMAT 2021. Having traded Daniel Sams and Harshal Patel, the DC team needed the crucial hole of an Indian and foreign fast bowler to be filled, who could cover for Chris Woakes and the two South African hunters in Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada. To fill in those spaces, they got back one of their early recruits, Umesh Yadav and also brought in Englishman Tom Curran, who was released by Rajasthan Royals last year. Another SMAT star they picked up in the auctions was Tamil Nadu’s left-arm spinner Manimaran Siddharth. Although his chances of playing are minimal because of the flexibility that Axar Patel gives, in 20 Lakhs, Siddharth is a crucial buy. Apart from that they also recruited Ripal Patel and Vishnu Vinod. DC IPL 2021 Squad Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant (c/wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Marcus Stoinis, Chris Woakes, R Ashwin, Axar Patel, Amit Mishra, Lalit Yadav, Pravin Dubey, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Ishant Sharma, Avesh Khan, Steve Smith, Umesh Yadav, Ripal Patel, Vishnu Vinod, Lukman Meriwala, M Siddarth, Tom Curran, Sam Billings DC Support Staff Ricky Ponting - Head Coach, Mohammad Kaif- Assistant Coach, Pravin Amre- Assistant Coach, Ajay Ratra- Assistant Coach, James Hopes- Fast Bowling Coach, Patrick Farhart- Physio, Rajinikanth Sivagnamam- Strength and Conditioning Coach, Sriram Somayajula- Analyst, Dr, Rizwan Khan- Team Doctor Rishabh Pant captaincy: A double-edged sword for DC? Pant, 23, hasn’t had the opportunity to captain any side at the international level (senior), although he has been vice-captain of the Capitals. The team has wealth of captaincy experience in terms of Ajinkya Rahane and Steve Smith. It also has the likes of Shikhar Dhawan and Ravichandran Ashwin who have previously captained IPL sides. Knowing the fact that Shreyas would anyhow be available to skipper the side next year, someone from the experienced lot might have been given the chance, especially Rahane, considering that the 32-year-old is coming off a successful Australia tour as a skipper. But the idea behind keeping Pant as the skipper is the future thinking of Delhi and it might be readying Pant for the role that he would have to play sooner rather than later. Another problem in not making Rahane the skipper is the lower probability of him making it to the playing XI in every game. But with Pant becoming the captain, the added pressure might affect his batting - as has been the case with his initial days in international cricket. But if he would have learnt anything from international cricket, then the pressure might just be the fodder to his fuel. Another predicament that DC face is what if Pant succeeds as a skipper? If the Capitals go on to win this season then Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy would come under threat, even if he gets fully fit. If Pant doesn’t succeed as skipper and it leads to a drop-down in his form as the wicket-keeper batsman then the team would be forced to change captains midway and that might cause problems. Fast bowlers hold the key to Delhi's success If there was anybody that could and should have got the credit of Delhi entering the Playoffs and then reaching their first IPL finals, it must be the pair of South African pacers Nortje and Rabada. The two of them together picked 52 wickets. Rabada even got the purple cap with 30 scalps this season. The next DC bowler on the list was Marcus Stoinis, a medium-pacer who scalped 13 to his name. In this season, there are three new additions in the seam bowling department, making it even more strong. With the inclusion of Yadav and Curran along with the full-time availability of Chris Woakes and add to that, a fully fit Ishant Sharma - it becomes a dangerous machine for the opposition. Thus the key to Delhi’s success would be how well the pacers perform through different stages of the tournament. Dhawan, Stoinis & Smith: Trio that could make or break it for DC Shikhar Dhawan was in phenomenal form last season, scoring 618 runs, only behind the Orange Cap holder KL Rahul. With that performance and the 98 in the recently concluded ODI series, Dhawan has set a bar for himself. Considering that the T20 World Cup is in the vicinity, IPL could be a great opportunity for the Gabbar to strike big and get back the numero uno position as India's opener. Along with Dhawan, the two other players that are likely to form the core of the Capitals batting are Aussies Smith and Stoinis. Stoinis, last season, was a freak with the bat, scoring runs whenever they were required. He not only scored runs but took wickets too, making him a priceless option in the XI with 352 runs and 13 wickets in the entire season making him was also the most valuable player for Delhi Capitals. Although he has not been in that great a form since then, scoring just one fifty and taking just three wickets in his last 10 games. Smith though is in red hot form with white-ball cricket ever since his awful time at the IPL. He has scored three hundred and one fifty in five games (List A and ODIs combined) while scoring a quickfire 40 in the T20Is as well. It is going to be these three batsmen who are going to take the DC ship out of the troubled waters. However, if they fail to fire, the onus will fall on young guns like Prithvi Shaw, skipper Pant and Shimron Hetmyer and it would be interesting to see how their contrasting styles work in tandem. Neutral venue a plus point The neutral venues feature would be a bonus for a side like Delhi which has got brilliant fast bowlers for tracks like Eden Gardens and Wankhede, where they play eight games combined, which is more than half their season. For two games at the MA Chidambaram, they have in stock the lethal spinning trio of Ravichandran Ashwin, Amit Mishra and Axar Patel as well. Both Patel and Ashwin showed their class in the recently concluded Test series against England, claiming 27 and 32 wickets in six and eight innings respectively. And who is not aware of the charms of the evergreen Mishraji, who is also the second-highest wicket-taker in IPL history with 160 scalps in 150 games. The remaining four games at Motera are anyways on batting-friendly tracks where they could play any combination they want. So in a way, the neutral venue system looks like a profitable business prospect for the Capitals. What are the chances this season? There could be none better a result than going one step further and claiming the title this time around. With almost all their stars in form, Delhi look like a team to beat. The only downside is the absence of Shreyas. But with Pant being given the reigns, the team can do wonders especially the way Spiderman has been weaving the success waves all around the world. Well, this might eventually turn out to be one DC classic where ‘Marvellous’ Spiderman behind the wickets, might turn out to be Captain Pantastic. Best XI for DC Shikhar Dhawan, Marcus Stoinis, Prithvi Shaw, Steve Smith, Rishabh Pant (C/WK), Lalit Yadav, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada, Umesh Yadav, Anrich Nortje

IPL 2021: Moeen Ali commends MS Dhoni's leadership, CSK's structure

One of the new entrants into the Chennai Super Kings Moeen Ali is all aware of the legacy of the franchise and commended the leadership of MS Dhoni for not creating a panicking atmosphere for players. Instead, he said, that the captain MSD takes responsibility and make life easier for the players with consistent policies. “It’s very important to have strong leadership and coaches who stay calm, who take the pressure off the players as much as they can and are consistent. We are very lucky we have that,” Moeen said to the CSK website. “I think what differentiates CSK from other teams is actually how they structure everything… from the squad they have to the way they do things. They look a very calm franchise that doesn’t panic.” Moeen said that he has had words with players who have played games and improved their games under the leadership of MS Dhoni. He added that players emphasized the clarity of roles MS Dhoni provides to his players which help them in shaping their gameplans. “I’ve spoken to players who have played under MS and they tell me how he improves their game. I believe a great captain does that,” he added. “I think it’s something on every player’s wish list to play under MS. I think it’s the confidence and the clarity he gives people. It’s exciting,” he concluded. However, Moeen Ali is not missing out on the main purpose of winning the IPL title in the upcoming seasons starting on April 9. Moeen Ali was bought by the Super Kings in the auction for Rs 7 crore for his all-around abilities. He is capable of providing them flourish with the bat both at the top and in the lower order as well as a bowling option with his accurate off-spin.

T20 Vitality Blast 2021: Leicestershire Foxes sign up Josh Inglis for upcoming edition

Australian batsman Josh Inglis, who impressed in the Big Bash League earlier this year has been signed up by the Leicestershire Foxes for England’s domestic tournament T20 Vitality Blast. Inglis played an instrumental role in helping his BBL side Perth Scorchers reaching the finals. He amassed 413 runs across 16 innings with an outstanding average-strike rate combination of 34.42 and 140 runs per 100 balls in the 10th edition of BBL. Inglis was born in Leeds in England and shared his excitement about getting an opportunity to play in England for the first time. "It will be my first time playing domestic cricket in England and I look forward to testing myself," he said. “Josh is a player who really fits the bill, a batsman who can slot into various positions, and somebody equally at home with the gloves or in the field. Foxes’ coach Paul Nixon outlined ‘traits’ such as ‘strokeplay, match-winning-ability and character’ behind the move to sign up the right-hander for the T20 competition. Nixon added that Inglis has shown his hunger for runs in domestic cricket by piling on the runs while for the Scorchers in the BBL, he has batted with ‘controlled aggression at the top of the order’ to set up games for his side. “He has showed his skill in making centuries batting at seven and eight in first-class cricket this year, and a player who looks equally comfortable batting higher up the order. In white ball cricket, Josh has batted at number four with a controlled aggression to take the game away from the opposition or get ahead in a run chase. “Josh also fits our mould in terms of being young, hungry and keen to keep developing his game. We have spoken to people who have worked with Josh and his strokeplay, match-winning ability and character are traits that have shone through.” The T20 Vitality blast will commence on June 9 at Canterbury while the Leicestershire Foxes will begin their campaign a day later at the Old Trafford in Manchester.