Hurt to read Taslima Nasreen's vile remark against my son: Moeen Ali's father

IPL 2021: Glenn Maxwell looking forward to sharing the dressing room with Kohli and De Villiers

Swashbuckling Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell spilt beans on the life confined to the bio-bubbles and stated that it can become a “nightmare” in the days to come and the cricketers are actually leading a very difficult lifestyle in order to ensure there are no hiccups while they continue to be part of the Indian Premier League. In the past, Maxwell had shared his mental health stories and how mental fatigue affected him. Reacting to the current situation, Maxwell further added that adjusting to such a life amidst the pandemic is certainly taking a heavy toll on the players all across the world. “It’s very difficult (to move from one bubble to other)…you being sheltered from people outside your bio-secure bubble and you get stuck into this never-ending nightmare where you are living the same day over and over again,” he said in an interview posted by his IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore on its youtube channel. “You almost tend to forget how to have a normal conversation with the outside world. That can be very hard mentally and is a massive challenge. But it’s great to be back playing and to be able to do our jobs and entertain people. But it’s still a difficult lifestyle at the moment,” he said. “It does put a strain on a lot of relationships as well. You need your support networks to get you through those tough times,” Maxwell further added. Maxwell will be finally realising his dream of representing the same team alongside Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. He further added that it doesn’t bother him that he was bought for such a hefty price in the auctions despite below-par performances in the past few seasons. This has been the case with Maxwell for several years. Despite being one of the most inconsistent star players in IPL, Maxwell continues to attract the other teams and yet again he went for a whopping Rs 14.25 crores for his services to the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the upcoming edition of the IPL. “It’s been a long time (dream of playing alongside Kohli and de Villiers). Obviously having known them very well off the field, played against them fair bit but finally, I got to play in the same team,” Maxwell further added during the interview. Maxwell wasn’t really surprised after getting a hefty sum in the auctions and said he thought that some of the teams were looking for a batting off-spinner and he is glad that RCB managed to bag his services for the upcoming season. “Not really. I thought that there might be a little bit of interest. A lot of teams have brought that middle-order overseas player but I knew a couple of teams were looking at a batting off-spinner and I am glad that two teams went harder and RCB got hold of me.” Royal Challengers Bangalore who is yet to win the IPL will start their campaign in the 14th edition against the Mumbai Indians on 9th April. Despite his indifferent returns in the IPL, Maxwell has always been a champion player for Australia whenever the team has travelled here and he feels that his vast experience of playing in the subcontinent might augur well with RCB who aims to win their maiden IPL season. “I think my performances will take care of themselves. I want to have a positive influence of everything I do, be it attitude, helping out around the team, leadership wise helping out Virat when he needs it. I suppose with my experience, I think it’s my 22nd trip to India… so with that sort of experience you have got to help out the rest of the group,” Maxwell said. Maxwell said having spent the entire lockdown period with his fiancee at his Melbourne home, he is feeling fresh now and can’t wait to take the field for his new IPL side. I was so excited to get going. A new team, a new tournament we are back in India after Dubai last year, I was so excited. Happy to be outside of quarantine. It was nice to see some friendly faces, meet a few new people, get out and run around. Hopefully, that lifts other people as well when they see you happy running around. It can be infectious, it can spread through the group pretty quickly as much as a negative reaction can,” Maxwell concluded.

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

RCB opener Devdutt Padikkal has tested negative for COVID-19 and has joined the team, the franchise said in a statement. "We are pleased to inform that Royal Challengers Bangalore, left-handed batsman Devdutt Padikkal, has joined the team on 7th April 2021 with negative reports for Covid-19 as per BCCI protocols," the franchise said in a statement. "RCB medical team was in constant touch with Devdutt to ensure his safety and well-being." The left-handed batsman had earlier tested positive for COVID-19 on March 22 and had been quarantining at home since. Apart from Padikkal, Daniel Sams was the second player from the RCB team who had tested positive for the disease. The COVID-19 has become a major concern after a number of players and ground staff have tested positive. DC’s Axar Patel, KKR’s Nitish Rana and MI’s scout and wicket-keeping consultant Kiran More are the others in this list. Padikkal was one of the cricketers who was retained by the franchise ahead of the mini auctions that were held in Chennai in February. The Virat Kohl-led side is slated to begin the IPL 2021 campaign against defending champions Mumbai Indians on April 9 in Chennai. RCB have never lifted the IPL trophy despite reaching the final thrice in the past editions. RCB Squad: Virat Kohli (c), AB de Villiers, Devdutt Padikkal, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Siraj, Kane Richardson, Washington Sundar, Pavan Deshpande, Finn Allen, Shahbaz Ahamad, Navdeep Saini, Adam Zampa, Kyle Jamieson, Glenn Maxwell, Rajat Patidar, Sachin Baby, Mohammed Azharuddeen, Daniel Christian, KS Bharat, Suyash Prabhudessai, Daniel Sams, Harshal Patel

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.