Devdutt Padikkal joins RCB camp after testing negative for COVID-19

TNCA staff vaccinated ahead of IPL 2021

The staff members of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) have been vaccinated ahead of the start of IPL 2021. The IPL is slated to begin on April 9 in Chennai when RCB lock horns with defending Mumbai Indians in the opener. “Even before the IPL venues and dates were announced, we got all our 80 staff members, including groundsmen, curators, and officials, vaccinated after getting the permission from the government and corporation. Even after getting vaccinated, we are ensuring they get tested every 10 days. We have also prepared a list of possible touchpoints,” a top TNCA official told Times of India (TOI). Chennai is scheduled to host ten IPL matches in this season. The COVID-19 has become a major cause of concern after a number of players and ground staff in Mumbai have tested positive for COVID-19. RCB’s Daniel Sams is the new addition to the list of players who have tested positive. Apart from Sams, RCB opener Devdutt Padikkal, KKR batsman Nitish Rana, MI’s scout and wicketkeeping consultant Kiran More, DC’s Axar Patel had also tested positive for COVID-19. Rana though later recovered and had joined the team back. In a latest update from the RCB, Padikkal has now tested negative and has also joined the side. RCB in a statement said that Devdutt has joined the team on April 7 with negative reports for COVID-19 as per BCCI protocols.

RCB's Daniel Sams tests positive for COVID-19

RCB bowling all-rounder Daniel Sams has tested positive for COVID-19. Sams is the second RCB cricketer after opener Devdutt Padikkal to have tested positive for the disease. According to an official statement from the franchise, the left-arm pacer had tested negative first when he arrived on April 3 at the team hotel but his second test has come out to ve positive. “Daniel Sams checked into the team hotel in Chennai on April 3rd, with a negative COVID report on arrival. His report from the 2nd test on 7th April came positive. Sams is currently asymptomatic and he is currently in isolation at a designated medical facility,” RCB said in an official statement. Sams was earlier traded to RCB from Delhi Capitals ahead of the mini auctions that were held in Chennai in February. He played three matches for DC in the last edition but didn’t pick any wickets during the course. With just a couple of days left in the beginning of the IPL 2021, the COVID-19 has become a major issue. Apart from Padikkal and Sams, KKR batsman Nitish Rana, MI’s scout and wicketkeeping consultant Kiran More, DC’s Axar Patel had also tested positive for COVID-19. The left-handed KKR batsman though recovered later to join the team. RCB are slated to begin the IPL campaign against defending champions Mumbai Indians on April 9 in Chennai.

Brazil creates history; becomes first associate to fully contract Women’s team before Men’s

In a glass breaking move, Cricket Brasil, the governing body of cricket in the biggest South American country provided its female cricket team with central contracts. The move became historic in a way that a team that has had very little exposure at the world level in cricket, was awarded central contracts even before its male counterparts were and that too at a time when the country is going through one of the worst economical phases, courtesy Pandemic. Cricket Brazil awarded 14 professional central contracts to the women’s national team. This move would also go on to raise the status of the game in Brazil and benefit 2000 girls who aspire to play the game at the highest level. The International Cricket Council (ICC) awarded Cricket Brasil with the ‘100% Female Cricket Initiative of the Year’ award. The ICC on the occasion of the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace on April 6, announced various awards to recognise the positive role that sport plays in people’s lives. The awards recognise the efforts of the Associate Members in the categories of ‘Development Initiative of the Year’, ‘100% Cricket Female Cricket Initiative of the Year’, ‘Digital Fan Engagement of the Year’ and ‘Cricket 4 Good Social Impact Initiative of the Year’, with one winner from each of the five regions Africa, Americas, Asia, East-Asia Pacific, Europe in each category. While Brazil won the award from the Americas region, Denmark (Europe), Samoa (East-Asia Pacific), Nigeria (Africa) and Malaysia (Asia) were the other winners in this category. While Cricket Brasil’s efforts are glass breaking no doubt, what other associations did was equally important and empowering for women in their societies. In Malaysia, players were ambassadors for #GirlsForGoals and #Cricket4WomensAid, helping in fundraising for survivors of domestic abuse. Samoa International Cricket Association started a ‘Healthy Nanas’ programme in association with the Australian Government to offer women and girls a platform to participate in sport and at the same time ensure a healthy lifestyle. They could talk to fellow women about an issue that impacts them while being on the field. The Danish Cricket Federation wanted to raise the number of girls taking up the sport and thus introduced a campaign to invite many girls and women to join the game by speaking to them in their own language. To do that they contacted young female micro-influencers on Instagram. It worked in their favour as it helped revitalize the ecosystem, with 50 women attending the first kick-off cricket session. While in most nations, it was the cricket board taking up the initiative, in Nigeria, Ijeoma Okigbo, a female journalist cum cricketer started the Girls Aspire initiative. Through this, she utilised all her lessons learnt at the ‘introduction to cricket’ course to a school in Gauraka, Niger State, to coach junior girls from underprivileged backgrounds and stop them from being forced to march on the roads. The 50 girls, who have gained confidence and respect, have become part of a cricket community.

Project rebuild: Can the revolutionary Captain Morgan turn a broken team around in IPL 14?

Arguably the most glamorous team in the competition ever since the inception of the Indian Premier League in 2008, the two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders have their task cut out ahead of the 14th season of the extravaganza. If you look back at the history of Kolkata Knight Riders, the franchise has come a long way from its controversy-stricken days to the era of Gautam Gambhir, under whose leadership, Kolkata were a ruthless machine. Under his leadership, KKR won two titles in 2012 and 2014. During the launch of the mega-event back in 2008, Sourav Ganguly was named the icon captain of the team but despite his leadership prowess in national colours, KKR didn’t manage to make it to the semi-finals in any of the first three seasons. The Shahrukh Khan owned franchise had to let go of the services of “The Prince of Kolkata” but what transpired in the next few seasons made the decision a bold and correct one. Under the leadership of Gautam Gambhir, KKR qualified for the playoffs for the first time in 2011 and then went onto win two titles in 2012 and 2014 respectively. The aggressive leadership quality gelled well with the team and the results were there for everyone to see. However, after Gambhir’s departure, KKR’s tale in the IPL has been “so near yet so far”. Dinesh Karthik was handed over the captaincy reigns ahead of the 2018 season and KKR played some good cricket in patches but they always lacked that killer instinct. However, the emergence of some young sensations really set the tone for the former champions. The emergence of Shubman Gill and fast bowlers Shivam Mavi, Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Prasidh Krishna has benefited India in the long run. Youngsters kept chipping in with vital performances in the upcoming seasons but the Midas touch was missing. In the last season, KKR didn’t have the best of times. The Kolkata based side was marred by controversies around captaincy, inability to figure out a settled batting line-up and a string of poor performances by their top players. Despite winning their final group game handsomely, they were put in a position where they had to wait for other results to qualify into the playoffs. However, the result didn’t go their way and they had to bow out of the tournament. Ahead of the 14th season, they seem to be a balanced unit having batsmen mixed with caution and aggression and bowlers with enormous variety. They have bought some big names in the mini-auction in the likes of Shakib Al Hasan, Harbhajan Singh and Ben Cutting. Players bought by KKR in IPL Auction 2021 Shakib Al Hasan (3.2 crores), Harbhajan Singh (2 crores), Ben Cutting (75 lakhs), Karun Nair (50 lakhs), Pawan Negi (50 lakhs), Venkatesh Iyer (20 lakhs), Sheldon Jackson (20 lakhs), Vaibhav Arora (20 lakhs) Full squad Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Tim Seifert (wk), Rahul Tripathi, Rinku Singh, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Eoin Morgan (c), Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Varun CV, Kuldeep Yadav, Pat Cummins, Lockie Ferguson, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shivam Mavi, Sandeep Warrier, Prasidh Krishna, Shakib Al Hasan, Sheldon Jackson, Vaibhav Arora, Karun Nair, Harbhajan Singh, Ben Cutting, Venkatesh Iyer, Pawan Negi Is Shubman Gill’s strike rate a concern at the top of the order? There is certainly no doubt about the fact that Gill is one of the most promising young Indian batsmen going around. After making his name in Purple and Gold colours, Gill has also gone onto establish himself in the national set-up. His performances Down-Under have been commendable but when it comes to the shortest format does Gill’s relatively low strike rate becomes a concern for KKR? During a recent interview, Gill had said that strike rate for him is a bit overrated and he is not bothered at all. However, looking at the larger picture Gill must try to up his ante in the upcoming season. A sheath anchor in any team is of utmost importance but consuming a lot of deliveries against teams studded with power hitters might go onto backfire quite a bit. His strike rate of 117. 96 in the previous edition had put some undue pressure on the other batsmen and KKR might look to tinker with that strategically. Have the bowlers found an idea to stop the Muscle Russell? Russell’s enigmatic personality definitely gives KKR the edge on several occasions. However, in the last season, Russell was found out on several occasions with opponents figuring out how to deal with the mighty blows. The last season proved to the most lacklustre one for Russell by far. He had a torrid time and scored just 117 runs in 10 matches at a below-par average of 13. Russell won quite a few matches for KKR almost single-handedly in the 2019 season and fireworks were expected from him even in the last edition as well. However, he seemed rusty struggling with his back or his knee for almost all of the season. His form with the bat was a huge difference in the 2019 edition for the two-time champions. If KKR harbour hopes of winning the third title in 2021, Russell has to fire all cylinders. Captain Morgan Midway through the last season, Dinesh Karthik handed over the captaincy reigns to Eoin Morgan to concentrate on his batting. Regarded as one of the most revolutionary leaders of the white ball game, the English World Cup-winning skipper will definitely look to make a difference this time around especially given the fact that he has got the mantle of the team from the start. Who would question Morgan’s leadership abilities? The way he transformed England into the best team in the world after the 2015 World Cup debacle is quite commendable. He is a sensational batsman to have in the middle order and even holds the record for hitting the most number of sixes in a single game in the ODI format. His form will also be very crucial for KKR to do well in the upcoming IPL. The formidable bowling line-up The bowling department has all its bases covered. Starting from attacking fast bowlers who consistently click high speeds to having mystery spinners who can bamboozle any batsmen on their day, KKR seems to have one of the best bowling line-ups in the competition. Led by Pat Cummins, the fast bowling cartel also comprises Indian youngsters Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shivam Mavi and Prasidh Krishna. The presence of Lockie Ferguson who made a substantial impact for KKR last season will also come in handy when given the opportunities. When it comes to spinners, KKR will be bolstered by the return of Shakib Al Hasan. He is a world-class spinner and his addition to the team will surely lend an ideal balance to the team. However given such a big pool of quality foreign players, it will be difficult for the skipper and the team management to pick the XI. Varun Chakravarthy was a revelation for KKR last season and weaved his magic quite consistently. However, KKR will be a tad worried about Kuldeep Yadav’s form. He might not be a certainty in the XI just what transpired last season. Strongest Possible XI Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana, Eoin Morgan (c), Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Shakib Al Hasan, Kuldeep Yadav, Pat Cummins, Prasidh Krishna, Varun Chakravarthy