Finn Allen replaces Josh Philippe in RCB squad for IPL 2021

Royal Challengers Bangalore have roped in uncapped Finn Allen as the replacement for Josh Philippe. Wicket-keeper batsman Allen who hails from New Zealand was picked at a base price for Rs 20 lakh. Philippe on the other hand had made himself unavailable for the IPL 2021 citing personal reasons.

Philippe played five games in the 2020 edition of the IPL and scored 78 runs for the RCB. Allen has played 13 T20s so far and has scored 537 runs at a strike-rate of 183.3.

RCB will begin the IPL 2021 campaign against defending champions Mumbai Indians in Chennai on April 9. The Bangalore franchise has reached the final of the IPL thrice but have never lifted the trophy.

In the recently concluded IPL 2021 mini auctions, RCB bought Glenn Maxwell, Kyle Jamieson and Daniel Christian as the three overseas players while also picked Sachin Baby, Rajat Patidar, Mohammed Azharuddeen, Suyash Prabhudessai and KS Bharat.

Maxwell and Jamieson were bought for Rs. 14.25 Cr and Rs 15 Cr respectively while Christian was snapped Rs. 4.8 Cr. Sachin Baby, Rajat Patidar, Mohammed Azharuddeen, Suyash Prabhudessai, KS Bharat were bought by the franchise for Rs 20 lakh.

Captain Virat Kohli expressed his delight after the auctions and said that the franchise was pretty happy with whatever they got.

"Very very happy with our buys and the results we had in the auction. We got what we wanted for the balance and strength of our squad. We had a really good season last year and we believe that the new additions are going to propel us in the right direction going forward," said Kohli in a video posted on the official Twitter handle of RCB.

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I feel I belong to international cricket now: Liam Livingstone

England player Liam Livingstone is back in the side for the T20I series against India. Livingstone is back in the T20I setup four years after making his debut for the team. He earned himself a recall on the basis of his performance in the BBL where he notched up 426 runs in 14 matches. "I am a very different player and a very different person since then (2017). The experience that you get by playing franchise cricket around the world is pretty valuable when you come back to playing international cricket.” "For the first time in my carrier I feel like I belong in this environment. I was pretty immature back then. I am back to enjoying my cricket," said Livingstone in a media interaction on Wednesday. The five-match T20I series between the two teams begins on Friday in Ahmedabad. Livingstone was bought back by the Rajasthan Royals in the recent IPL 2021 mini auctions held in Chennai. Talking about playing in different leagues, Livingstone suggested that he had gathered a lot of experience through the process. "I have spent time in the IPL, two Big Bashes as well as Pakistan Super League. Playing with different players around the world, how they go about their stuff is quite an experience. Franchise cricket is a great way to learn," he said. England earlier lost the four-match Test series 1-3 and will now lock horns with the Men in Blue in the T20Is which would be followed by a three-match ODI series in Pune.

Suryakumar Yadav dons Indian jersey

Mumbai Indians batsman Suryakumar Yadav finally got his maiden India call-up after he produced some brilliant and consistent performances with the bat both in the IPL as well as at the domestic level. Yadav was called up for the T20Is fixtures against England slated to begin on Friday in Ahmedabad. SKY took to social media and posted a picture of himself donning the Indian jersey. The team management and the selectors faced some heat on social media after the right-handed batsman was not picked for the Australia tour. India head coach Ravi Shastri then explained the reason behind SKY’s snub and suggested that the team was “packed” with talent and experience. “That’s why we say to these youngsters - be patient. Like Suryakumar there are 3-4 other players on the fringe but when you have a team that is packed with talent and experience it becomes very difficult to get in,” Shastri said. “I remember period in my career when 1-6 in the Indian batting line-up everyone was certain of their places and it was difficult for anyone to penetrate that middle-order and yet you had some people who were scoring tons of runs in domestic cricket and knocking at the door,” he added. India had some successful series in the longer format against Australia and England. They first defeated the Aussies 2-1 in a four-match Test series away from home and then followed it with a 3-1 win over England on the home soil. The Indian team will now play five T20Is against England in Ahmedabad which will be followed by three ODIs scheduled to take place in Pune.

CSK's brand value sees a sharp dip, MI ruling the charts

The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) side has suffered a dip in the brand value due to the COVID-19 outburst and the team’s dismal show in the last edition of IPL. While CSK has seen a dip of 16.5% with the value going down Rs 611 crore from Rs 732 crore, KKR’s brand value went down to Rs 543 crore from Rs 629 crore which is 13.75% as per Duffs and Phelps' annual IPL Brand Valuation Report. Mumbai Indians who won the IPL 2020 are the most valued team in the IPL presently. They did see a hit of 5.9% from last year and are valued at 761 Crore. Punjab Kings also saw a dip of over 11% in its brand value. The IPL suffered a dip of 3.6% in 2020. “Similar to the impact on other businesses and the overall economy, the pandemic led to a decline in the IPL ecosystem value. However, with people forced to spend time at home, there was an increase in IPL television viewership. The 2020 edition was a huge success for broadcasters as it broke viewership and advertising revenue records. Despite the challenging year, this momentum is indicative of how strong the IPL brand has become,” said Santosh N, External Advisor, Duff & Phelps India Pvt. Ltd. The IPL 2021 is slated to begin from April 9 when the league’s most successful side MI will lock horns with three-time finalists RCB in Chennai in the opening match.

It felt like going into a war: Shubman Gill on making debut against Australia

India opener Shubman Gill who made his Test debut against Australia away from home revealed that it felt like he was “going into a war”. Gill scored 45 and 35* in his first assignment for India against the Aussies. “As long as the fielding lasted, I was pretty normal. But when we finally batted, and I was taking a walk down from the dressing room to the pitch with the crowd cheering (backing the Aussies, nevertheless), it was an experience of a kind! It felt like going into a war!” he told his IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders’ official website. The right-handed batsman played an important role in India’s 2-1 win against Australia in the four-match series after he notched up 259 runs during the course. Gill explained what he felt when he first received the Test cap. “It’s inexplicable. At times you go through a sea of emotions which just make you go numb. It was that kind of a moment. Ravi Shastri gave a speech in the huddle and then I received the cap from him. After that we won the toss and elected to field first,” he recalled. “It was a different kind of fun to watch Brett Lee bowl or Sachin sir (Tendulkar) bat. All of a sudden, I was playing in that team and Australians were bowling at me,” he added. India have tasted success in Australia and against England at home. After beating Australia, India thumped England 3-1 at home to march into the finals of the World Test Championship slated to take place in Southampton in June.