IPL 2021: Graeme Swann feels that RCB have helped Maxwell find a different aspect of his game

Muttiah Muralitharan set to get discharged today after successful angioplasty

The leading wicket-taker in Test cricket and undoubtedly one of the pioneers of off-spin bowling, Muttiah Muralitharan is expected to be discharged from hospital on Monday after he underwent angioplasty following a cardiac arrest. He underwent successful coronary angioplasty and is expected to start normal life from today. "Former Sri Lankan cricket player was admitted for cardiac evaluation at Apollo Hospital, Greams Road, Chennai on 18.04.2021. He underwent successful coronary angioplasty with scents yesterday under the care of Dr. G Sengottuvelu," Apollo Hospital stated in their latest medical bulletin on Monday. "He will be discharged today and would resume his normal activities," it added. Muralitharan underwent angioplasty in Chennai on Sunday as he needed a stent to unblock his artery. The champion spinner who is the bowling coach of Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL is expected to resume his duties with the IPL franchise. He will rejoin the camp after he is discharged from the hospital. It has been a pretty mediocre start for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in Vivo IPL 2021. For the very first time in IPL history, SRH has lost all their first three games and needs to get their act right in the remainder of the games. They surrendered from winning positions on atleast a couple of occasions and they have a tall task ahead of them if they harbour hopes of making it to the playoffs. Kane Williamson who has been a great servant of the game and an integral part of the SRH set-up hasn’t got an opportunity so far in the tournament. Skipper David Warner feels that if Kane Williamson recovers he will definitely get a look in very soon. "Got to move forward, put some smiles on our faces. Have been speaking to the physio and Williamson is coming along nicely and I'm sure if he's ready to go he might get an opportunity," Warner said. SRH faces Punjab Kings on Wednesday and they will be looking to turn their fortunes around.

IPL 2021 | CSK vs RR: Super Kings, Royals searching consistency after confidence-lifting wins

When the Chennai Super Kings and the Rajasthan Royals will meet in Mumbai on Monday night, it will be a contest to establish the performance in the last game was not just a one-off. The Super Kings were as clinical as they used to be in their heydays while the Royals backed a punch to snatch the game from the firm grasp of the Delhi Capitals. Both teams have had one win each out of the two games this season, and it will another round of battle between an ageless captain and a newcomer on the bloc who is eager to rise the ladder of legacy. Super Kings bowling, Royals’ batting— great one day, dismal the other day The Super Kings had started their campaign on the worst possible note and Shikhar Dhawan along with Prithvi Shaw had made a mockery of their bowling attack. The situation could well have been messy for the Super Kings in the competition if not for a brilliant spell from Deepak Chahar to set off the preceding that would have brought a spark to the yellow camp. The Super Kings were playing true to their legacy in the game against the Punjab Kings with bowlers executing their plans and captain MS Dhoni carrying out his usually unusual tactics on the field. Going into the game against the Royals, the Super Kings would not like to see a dismal bowling performance following a brilliant one. The consistency was a key factor in the Super Kings become one of the team to beat in the past season and Dhoni needs his troops to pull up their socks. The Royals, too, have a fair share of problems inconsistency, but that has come largely from the batting department. After bashing around the Punjab bowlers in their first game of the season, the Royals were reduced to an absconder against the Delhi Capitlas bowling line up. None of their superstar batsmen in Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson fire with the bat and it took Chris Morris to repay some 10-20 per cent of his fees for this year to slog them to a win. What the Royals would be needing from their batting group will be batsmen who can provide consistency at the top of the order. They needed players such as Jos Buttler to fire all cylinders that too when they are missing the services of Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer. Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rahul Tewatia—one season wonders? There has been no stopping Rahul Tewatia since the game he hit Sheldon Cottrell for five sixes in an over in the last season. Now, having established his credentials on the big stage, the Royals must be expecting him to deliver consistently. However, that has not happened so far this season. He was found wanting against the short-pitched balling in the last game and his wicket led to a mini-collapse that almost knocked the Royals out of the game. His leg spin has not been fruitful either and has conceded a lot of runs in both games. The Royals need each of their component to be running at full potential if they have to stand any chance of making it into the top four. For the Super Kings, the opener Ruturaj Gaikwad, who rose to prominence with splendid knocks in the last half of the last season, has been abysmal with the bat. He has looked out of sorts against pace bowling and has also lacked timing. He was batting with amazing ease in the last season after the team management shifted him to the top of the order. However, all of that flair and timing have gone missing so far in this season. The Super Kings need him to come good with the bat at the top of the order or else the team will face such crest and trough days in the 14th edition of the IPL. Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan Royals: Match Details Match Number-11 Date and Time: April 19, 07:30 pm IST, 02: 00 pm GMT Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai Broadcast and Live Stream: Star Sports and Hotstar Pitch and Weather The pitches at the Wankhede Stadium have been flat and true in nature on most occasion, except for the last games both the Super Kings and the Royals played on this surface. In the game between the Royals and the Capitlas, the new ball bowlers from both sides made merry of the condition and the top order of with sides was a casualty. In the game between the Super Kings and the Punjab Kings, Deepak Chahar wreaked havoc on the Punjab batsmen. The pitch in the game to be played between the Super Kings and the Royals should be a belter where batsmen would be looking to get past the 200-run mark. In the game between the Capitals and the Punjab Kings just a day ahead of this game, the Kings posted 195 runs on the board and the Capitlas chased it down with 10 balls to spare. The weather condition in Mumbai is likely to be perfect for the game with no chance of rain and temperatures hovering in the range of 20 degrees. Team News Chennai Super Kings The Super Kings have not been known for making a lot of changes in their playing, that too so early in the season. However, if they are looking at problems with Ruturaj Gaikwad, Robbin Uthappa could come in as a like for like replacement at the top of the order. Moeen Ali has stone from strength to strength and is likely to secure his place as a batting all-rounder. There is a high chance the Super Kings will go with an unchanged playing XI as neither Lungi Ngidi and Jason Behrendroff being available in the camp. Strongest XI Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Moeen Ali, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Dwayne Bravo, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar Rajasthan Royals The Royals played as many as three left-arm seamers in the last game against the Delhi Capitlas and there is no reasoning that suggests they would not opt for a similar pace attack against the Super Kings. There will be a few doubts around the place for Shivam Dube who has not been able to repay the faith and hype built by the Royals management with big auction money and pre-tournament talks. The all-rounder is likely to retain his place for the next game however he will be the first one to admit his place is on thin ice. In the absence of Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer, other big-ticket players such as Chris Morris and Mustafizur put their hands up and it would have been a pleasing thing for the Royals management led by Kumar Sangakarra. The Royals too are likely to field an unchanged playing XI against the Super Kings. Strongest XI Manan Vohra, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson (c & wk), David Miller, Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Shivam Dube, Chris Morris, Chetan Sakariya, Jaydev Unadkat, Mustafizur Rahman CSK vs RR: Dream XI/fantasy XI Sanju Samson, Suresh Raina, Faf du Plessis, Manan Vohra, Chris Morris, Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar, Chetan Sakariya, Shardul Thakur Captain: Jos Buttler Vice-captain: Sam Curran

IPL 2021 | DC vs PBKS: Hits and Flops as DC stroll to six wicket victory

It proved to be a relatively easy run-chase for the Delhi Capitals as they won the 11th encounter of Vivo IPL 14 by 6 wickets to go second in the points table. The Punjab Kings bowlers were all over the place and never managed to hold their nerves against a brilliant knock from Shikhar Dhawan. The southpaw continued his stunning run in the IPL and his knock of 91 eventually proved to be the game-changer. Chasing a target of 196 was not going to be an easy task. DC required a flying start and that was provided by Prithvi Shaw and from there on it was Shikhar Dhawan who took the onus on himself to do the job for his team. Despite his dismissal towards the fag end of the match, Marcu Stoinis held his nerves and made sure DC reach the target with 10 deliveries to spare. Rishabh Pant’s decision to bowl first worked perfectly despite DC not being at their best. When your team is winning despite not performing to their best means the team is in really good stead and they have match-winners in their ranks. The 17th over from Mohammed Shami totally tilted the scales in favour of DC as he bowled two no-balls which cost Punjab dearly. After batting first, the Punjab Kings got off to a blazing start courtesy Mayank Agarwal. He had a disdainful approach against all the DC bowlers and while his partner Rahul was not looking at his fluent best, Mayank kept pounding the agony on the DC bowlers. His whirlwind knock of 67 of 36 deliveries included some delightful shots and set the tone for Punjab. KL Rahul could only muster 61 of 51 deliveries where he should have atleast scored 15 more facing that many deliveries. Towards the fag end of the innings, it was Deepak Hooda and Shahrukh Khan who gave a much-needed impetus which eventually got them to a score of 195. The position they were in, a score of 220 was always on the cards but some fine bowling by the DC bowlers prevented them from going past the 200 mark. Hits Mayank Agarwal Despite their defeat, Punjab Kings will gain heart from the fact that Mayank Agarwal played a stunning knock. He could have proved to be the game-changer had Punjab finished off well with the bat and had the bowlers held their nerves in crucial junctures. Agarwal was dropped from the Indian Test XI in Australia after two poor outings. His technique was questioned by the pundits and he needed to prove his worth in any team he plays. After having a sensational season with the bat last season, Mayank Agarwal finally made his presence felt in the 11th encounter of the competition. After being put in to bat, Punjab Kings got off to a flying start on the back of a special knock from Mayank Agarwal. He was quite magnificent in his strokeplay and some of his shots especially against the likes of Kagiso Rabada oozed class and confidence. His knock of 69 came in a mere 36 deliveries and was laced with 7 hits to the fence and four sixes. He was never troubled by any of the bowlers and looked like playing on a different pitch in comparison with Rahul. After a partnership of 122 runs in the 13th over, Mayank Agarwal had to depart but the start which he gave set the tone perfectly. However, Punjab Kings couldn’t capitalise and could only muster 195 at the end of their allotted 20 overs. Shikhar Dhawan Dhawan is making a strong case for himself for a comeback in the T20 national squad. The southpaw after having a sensational time with the bat in 2020 is now carrying on the rich vein of form even in this tournament. After some impressive knocks in the first two encounters, Dhawan finally made a match-winning impact as DC chased the stiff target of 196 down with 10 deliveries to spare. Chasing a target close of 200 is never easy in T20 cricket and for that to materialise, DC needed to get off to a brisk yet steady start. Both Prithvi Shaw and Dhawan looked in sublime touch as DC got off to a flying start. Shaw blazed his way to 32 of a mere 17 deliveries and the start proved to be just what the doctor had ordered for the Capitals. Dhawan never looked in any discomfort what so ever. His ferocious cuts and pulls consistently came from the centre of the bat and the Punjab Kings bowlers failed to contain the super knock from the southpaw. The last few innings have seen a huge array of shots from Dhawan and today was no different. Quite often Dhawan moved across the off stump and played the field to perfection and helped it around the fine leg region for boundaries. He never bludgeoned his way during his knock of 91 and played proper cricketing shots. Eventually, the shot which yielded him runs brought about his downfall as Jhye Richardson managed to sneak through his defence and disturb the timbers. Marcus Stoinis The Australian all-rounder turned out to be a utility player for the Capitals last season and once again he proved his worth as a finisher with a breezy knock of 27 of just 12 deliveries. It was a difficult pick especially given the fact Prithvi Shaw also played an important knock but in the end, Stoinis’ knock proved to be just a bit more impactful. When Shikhar Dhawan departed at the score of 152, Delhi Capitals still needed 44 more to win from 31 deliveries. Things could have got a bit tricky had Marcus Stoinis not stepped in. He was helped by some loose deliveries which he made full use of and in the end helped the Capitals chase the target down with 10 deliveries left. Stoinis stuck into Mohammed Shami in the 17th over where the fast bowler bowled two no-balls and Stoinis made full use of both the no-balls and the free hits. 19 runs came from that over and that was the final nail in the coffin for the Punjab Kings. Stonis eventually remained unbeaten on 27 of just 12 deliveries which included three fours and a six and got DC over the finishing line in the penultimate over. Flops KL Rahul It was not a straightforward pick to be honest but given how the match panned out, it is a fair assumption to include KL Rahul as a flop in the match. Despite scoring yet another half-century, Rahul’s knock lacked intent and eventually cost his team. Even last year, Rahul played the role of a sheet-anchor for Punjab and despite finishing as the leading run-getter of the tournament last year his strike rate was questionable at times. Even in this encounter against the Capitals, Rahul was not at his fluent best. Despite Mayank Agarwal getting off to a blazing start, Rahul could never get the boundaries on a consistent basis as Punjab Kings failed to capitalise on the start provided by the former. In T20 cricket, a set batsman should always get the job done for his team. Scoring 61 of 51 deliveries is just not good enough in the modern context of the game. A strike rate of 119 till the 51st delivery can only be justified if you press on the accelerator in the final few overs and get your side to a big total. But with Rahul that wasn’t the case as he perished after occupying the crease till the 16th over. He was dismissed by Kagiso Rabada in a bid to play a big shot. Mohammed Shami He is one of the finest fast bowlers from the current crop of Indian pacers but Shami will surely want to forget this day. The speedster had a torrid time as he was smashed all around the park by the Delhi Capitals batsmen. Right from the word go, Shami faltered in his line and lengths and was taken apart by both Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan. While he conceded 11 runs in his opening over, it was followed by a 14 runs over where Dhawan took him to the cleaners. He was brought back for the 14th over and that was the only over which proved to be tidy. He conceded just 8 runs and the captain trusted him by giving him the 17th over. However, he couldn’t justify his captain’s call and ended up conceding 19 runs which included two no-balls. Marcus Stoinis took him to the cleaners making full use of the freebies offered by Shami. Eventually, Shami ended up conceding 53 runs in his 4 overs spell. He also made a meal of a difficult catch in the 18th over and never looked in good space of mind. He needs to get his act right and come back stronger in the next encounter.

IPL 2021: What Experts said as DC makes light work of a stiff target

It proved to be a rather easy run-chase for the Delhi Capitals as they made light work of a stiff target of 196 and strolled home by 6 wickets and with 10 deliveries to spare. Riding on a sensational knock from Shikhar Dhawan, the Delhi Capitals never felt threatened by the big total and eventually coasted to the target. After a hiccup in the previous game, the Rishabh Pant led DC are well back on course. Chasing a target of 196 was going to be a tricky ask for the star-studded DC batting line-up. However at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, we have witnessed some big targets being chased down and it was no different today. Prithvi Shaw continued his purple patch and got his team off to a flying start in the powerplay. That set the tone for the rest of the innings and Shikhar Dhawan then took the onus on himself after Shaw’s dismissal. Dhawan was quite exceptional in his strokeplay and never allowed the Punjab Kings bowlers to get back in the game. The southpaw flayed his way to a 91 before perishing of a brilliant Jhye Richardson slower delivery. However, by then, the job was almost done. He never allowed the required rate to go up and found the boundaries on a consistent basis. Despite his dismissal, the Punjab Kings didn’t manage to sneak through. A horrible 17th over by Mohammed Shami totally tilted the scales in favour of the Capitals and there was no way back from there. Marcus Stoinis justified his position as a finisher and blazed his way to 27 of 12 deliveries. Some of them were freebies to be honest but still, you have to hit those. Eventually, a boundary from Lalit Yadav finished off proceedings with 10 deliveries left. Earlier in the day, it was Rishabh Pant who won the toss and opted to field. Punjab Kings blazed away to a rollicking start courtesy a sublime opening stand between Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul. Mayank Agarwal smashed his way to a breezy knock of 67 which came in just 36 deliveries. However his partner KL Rahul wasn’t at his fluent best and his strike-rate concerns from the previous seasons still linger. He scored 6 of 51 deliveries and just when his team needed him the most departed in an attempt to hit the big shot. Run scoring is important but the impact is more important and KL Rahul should look to find a way to get it right. Deepak Hooda smashed a few lusty blows towards the end and eventually the designated finisher, Shahrukh Khan did finish well as he remained unbeaten on 15 of just 5 deliveries. However, a substantial score of 195 didn’t prove to be enough in the end. Captain’s Viewpoints Punjab Kings skipper KL Rahul, the birthday boy was disappointed that he couldn’t get a victory on his birthday. However, he sounded optimistic with the fact that there are several games left and they can still make a comeback. He felt that a score of 180-190 would have been a difficult one to chase down but he lamented the fact that Dhawan made full use of the dew which backtracked the Punjab Kings bowlers. “Victory would've been sweet on my birthday. Slightly disappointing but we've still got a lot of games left. In the end, when you look at it, it does look 10-15 short. But I felt batting in the middle 196 was really good. In the first half, Mayank and I were saying the same, that we'd be good if we got 180-190. But obviously, at Wankhede, there's dew and credit to Dhawan. Dew did sway things, bowling second's always a challenge at Wankhede,” Rahul said. However, he said that the team prepares for such a situation but it really gets difficult against a quality batting line-up. “It does get difficult against these quality batters. I'm not saying that because I'm on the losing side. Bowlers try to bowl with the wet ball, but it's always difficult to do that. I asked the umpires to change the ball a couple of times (as it was wet), but the rule book doesn't allow that,” Rahul added. Meanwhile DC captain Rishabh Pant sounded confident after the victory and said that he has already started enjoying the captaincy tenure despite being under pressure for some part of the game. “I've already started enjoying the captaincy but we were under pressure at the start because the wicket was not doing much and they had a good start. Good job by our bowlers to keep them to 190,” Pant said. Pant also lauded the efforts of Shikhar Dhawan who has been an integral part of the DC outfit in the last few years. He was stunning at UAE and he is continuing his rich vein of form in IPL even this year. “There are many things you can talk to with Shikhar but at the end of the day what he's given to the team is commendable. I like to keep the environment light so that people enjoy their cricket and make the most of their opportunities,” Pant added. Experts Viewpoints Regarded as the Voice of Cricket, Harsha Bhogle was delighted to see Shikhar Dhawan take his game to a whole new level. The southpaw never bludgeoned his way to a 91 but played proper cricketing shots maintaining a wonderful strike rate. Meanwhile, he also added that Punjab has to find ways to defend big totals. Referring to the match against Rajasthan Royals where they sneaked through in a last ball-thriller, Bhogle said that the dew was not the only factor that resulted in the Punjab Kings going down yet again.