IPL 2020: Mahela Jayawardene reveals the key reason behind Mumbai Indians' good show in UAE

Defending champions Mumbai Indians are currently at the second spot in the IPL points table and have looked dominating after their first inaugural loss against CSK. Head coach Mahela Jayawardene believes one of the key reasons for the consistent show is the ability to adapt to conditions quickly. Mumbai have won five games out of their seven outings so far.

At the press conference ahead of their clash against Kolkata Knight Riders, Jayawardene stated that the players are in good touch and they are executing the plans well.

“Trying to get them to understand the conditions quickly enough and adapt so, I think that is where we came back strongly after that first few games where we learned quickly how to play in Abu Dhabi which is going to be our main venue, having to play eight games there. That has been the key, players understanding how they need to adapt change and their role identification as well. So far, I’m very happy with the way the guys have responded to that,” Jayawardene told news agency ANI.

On the bench strength in the Mumbai Indians squad, Jayawardene said that players who aren't getting opportunities are an important part of the team as they keep others on their toes. He concluded by saying that Mumbai have got some very strong bench strength and that it will help them as the tournament moves to the business end gradually.

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Tributes pour in as legendary journalist Kishore Bhimani passes away at 80

Veteran sports journalist and one of the mainstays in Doordarshan era cricket, Kishore Bhimani passed away on Thursday morning, 15 October at Kolkata. The Woodlands Multispeciality Hospital where he was admitted since September due to multiple health complications provided a press release today informing his sad demise. The release read that Bhimani had died at 6:25 am following a sudden cardiac arrest. He was 80 years old. Tributes poured in from the cricketing community for the legendary journalist of the typewriter era who shared fond memories of his measured voice and impeccable reading of the game. Many fondly remembered the famous incident of him calling the 1986 tied Test match between India and Australia in Chennai. Someone also noted Bhimani's comment on Dean Jones during the 1986 Test and reminded how harsh 2020 has been. Senior journalist and editor Gaurav Kalra in his tribute provided a glimpse of the gem Bhimani was and reminisced the memories that they shared. Kishore Bhimani is survived by his son, cricket commentator Gautam Bhiman who lives in Mumbai and is expected to be at Kolkata tomorrow.

India's tour of Australia is set to begin with white-ball series

The much anticipated India’s tour of Australia, which is set to take place at the end of the year, will begin in white-ball series instead of the traditional 4-match Test series. "The tour will commence with a white-ball component before the four-Test series, at this stage, begins in Adelaide on December 17-21. Other venues include Melbourne (December 26-30), Sydney (January 7-11) and Brisbane (January 15-19)," says a report in The Australian. CA chief Earl Eddings has also recently stated that he is in constant touch with BCCI President Sourav Ganguly. Furthermore, he added that the Indian team will be coming to the tour and there are no questions about that. According to the report, Virat Kohli and Co. will land in Brisbane instead of Perth or Adelaide as earlier reported. The tourists are not going to face strictness in terms of quarantine protocols. Meanwhile, Australia Test skipper Tim Paine has shrugged off apprehension that Steven Smith and Pat Cummins would be under-cooked for the Test series due to their workload in the IPL. The likes of Smith, Cummins, James Pattinson, David Warner and Josh Hazlewood are taking part in the money-spinning event.

IPL 2020: I haven't got a whole lot of opportunities so far - Glenn Maxwell

Kings XI Punjab batsman Glenn Maxwell responded to the criticism that he has been facing due to his poor string of scores in the ongoing Indian Premier League 2020. The hard-hitting batsman said that he hasn’t spent much time at the crease this season. Maxwell's failure has played a major part in KXIP’s slump in this year’s IPL. The batter has registered scores of 10*, 7, 11, 13*, 5 and 1. A total of 58 runs in seven innings. "If you look at our batting order, three of the guys batting ahead of me are among the top-10 run-scorers in the tournament. It doesn’t leave a whole lot of runs for the guys batting below.” he told Hindustan Times. Maxwell isn’t sweating much as he believes that a good knock is around the corner. He also added that in certain situations, his role was to provide strike to the well-set batsman during the slog overs. "I have been not out three times. Probably it shows how little amount of balls I am getting at the end of the innings. I am still trying to do the best I can. I am still batting well. Lot of the time I am trying to get the player who has been batting longer on strike.” he added. "Yeah, I haven’t got a whole lot of opportunities so far and people will look at the amount of runs I have scored. With the limited opportunities I have got, I still feel I am hitting the ball really well," the Australian cricketer opined. Maxwell also shed light on KXIP’s poor show in the tournament. He said that fortunes would turn in the second half of the league. Punjab will face Royal Challengers Bangalore in Sharjah on Thursday. They will have to win at least six off the remaining seven games in order to make a bid for a place in the playoffs.

IPL 2020: Sairaj Bahutule laments lack of partnerships in Royals' chase

Rajasthan Royals erred in their chase against Delhi Capitals, resulting in yet another loss - their fifth of the season. In pursuit of 162, the side got off to a quick start and at one stage they brought the equation down to 39 needing off last five overs. However, indecisive running between the wicket and poor shot making bottled up their chances of grabbing two vital points. Royals’ spin-bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule stated that the team frittered away from a dominating position by losing too many wickets in the chase. He said that the lack of partnerships led to the defeat. "I think partnerships were very important. I don't think we needed to lose that many wickets after the start Buttler and Stokes gave us and especially that run out." The former India cricketer added that Ben Stokes’ wicket and Riyan Parag’s run-out derailed their chase and it hurt them bad. "I think the most important part was Stokes' wicket and I think the run out also was very crucial, which we probably could have avoided." The coach defended the move to send Stokes as an opener. He opined that both Steve Smith and the England all-rounder are fine players and hence they should bat at the top. According to him, a good start at the top will help the middle-order breathe easy. The Royals currently sit at the seventh spot with five defeats and three wins. They carry the same number of points as Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad but with an inferior net run-rate.