IPL 2021 | MI vs RCB: Virat Kohli becomes first Indian to reach 10k runs in T20 cricket

IPL 2021 | SRH vs RR: With similar woes, distinguished aspirations, Hyderabad lock horns with Rajasthan

This game is cruel. This is a prominent saying that explains how the game of cricket plays a balancing act. And this is what has happened with Sunrisers Hyderabad. The team that didn’t fail to register a place in the playoffs since 2016 is striving to get a second win in the 2021 edition. They have been already knocked out of the tournament after suffering eight defeats in the nine matches that they have played so far in the competition. SRH have failed in certainly all the departments. If the batters were among the runs, the bowlers failed to leave a mark and on the other side, if the bowlers produced a good performance, the batsmen didn’t compliment them with an equal effort. A big instance of this was visible during their match against Punjab Kings on Saturday where the batsmen failed to chase down a paltry total of 126. Though, the pitch didn’t really have much on offer for the batsmen but you are expected to chase down this kind of a target when you have the likes of David Warner and Kane Williamson in the line up. Well, the Hyderabad side did have something to take away from this match and that was Jason Holder’s all-round show where he first picked up three wickets and then struck an unbeaten 47 off 29. The bowlers too did their job pretty well during the course of the match. Rajasthan Royals on the other side, are also coming into this game after losing their last respective encounter against Delhi Capitals by a heavy margin. RR faced the similar issue after their batsmen failed to help the side go over the line while chasing a target of 155 in 20 overs. Captain Sanju Samson though remained not out for 70 but his efforts went in vain as he didn’t really get much help from the other end. The Royals need to get back to the winning ways as quickly as they in order to stay in contention for a playoff spot. RR will be up against SRH in Dubai and this would be the second time when the two sides will be facing each other. They locked horns with each other in the first leg in Delhi where Jos Buttler who is not a part of the Royals setup for the second phase unleashed a brutal assault against the SRH bowlers and hammered a 64-ball 125 to help his side post 220/3 in 20 overs. Later, SRH were restricted to 165/8 as RR won the match by 55 runs. Match Details Match: SRH vs RR, 40th Match, Indian Premier League 2021 Date: Monday, September 27, 2021 Time: 7:30 PM Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium , Dubai Telecast: Star Sports Network and Disney Hotstar Pitch Report The track might have something on offer for the batsmen. The batters would need to get their eye in and then look to accelerate. So, if you win the toss, elect to bat first and post a big total on the board. Batting woes If the last respective matches of both the teams are taken into consideration, the two sides have struggled to be among runs. Barring one batsman from each side, the others found it pretty difficult to score runs. Sunrisers Hyderabad might be thinking to make few changes in the line especially in the batting department. Opener David Warner who has been out of form might be replaced by Jason Roy in the top-order. Apart from this, SRH’s middle-order too has had a lean patch. Now, if the franchise wants to finish the tournament on a positive note, the middle-order will play a massive role in it. The script is pretty similar for the Royals too. They are still in contention for a spot in the play offs and if they want to go through, the middle-order needs to go all guns blazing. Bowling vs Bowling Sunrisers have Sandeep Sharma, Jason Holder, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Rashid Khan in the bowling department. While Sandeep and Bhuvi can unsettle the batsmen with their swing, Holder showed his ability in the last match with the ball as well. He didn’t just pick up wickets but also kept the opposition’s scoring-rate under control. Apart from these three, Rashid Khan can prove to be a trump card for SRH especially when he gets his wrong-un into play. For Rajasthan Royals, Chetan Sakariya, Mustafizur Rahman and Kartik Tyagi have done a decent job. While Mustafizur has used his slower, back of the hand balls quite efficiently not just in IPL but also at the highest level, Tyagi unveiled a great temperament while he was bowling the last over against Punjab Kings where the right-arm pacer defended 4 runs. Team News SRH: The Sunrisers Hyderabad can make a few changes in the XI and test the other players as well. The bowling attack seems to be a stable one at the moment for them but the batsmen need to get back in the groove if the side wants to conclude the tournament on a high. RR: Rajasthan Royals included Tabraiz Shamsi in the last match. The left-arm spinner has been in some form for quite sometime and can create some problems against a struggling SRH middle-order. Probable XI SRH: Kane Williamson (c), Jason Roy, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Manish Pandey, Abhishek Sharma, Abdul Samad, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jagadish Suchith and Basil Thampi. RR: Sanju Samson (c & wk), Evin Lewis, Yashasvi Jaiswal, David Miller, Liam Livingstone, Rahul Tewatia, Mahipal Lomror, Shreyas Gopal, Kartik Tyagi, Mustafizur Rahman and Chetan Sakariya. Fantasy XI Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Liam Livingstone, Mahipal Lomror, Abdul Samad, Kane Williamson, Jason Holder (VC), Tabraiz Shamsi (C), Mustafizur Rahman, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar

PCB likely to announce another T20 World Cup 2021 squad, claims Shahid Afridi

Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has claimed that the Pakistan Cricket Board is going to make certain changes in its T20 World Cup squad soon. The all-rounder, who is currently playing the Everest Premier League in Nepal for the Kathmandu Kings XI, also said that he was surprised by a few of the selections. “I have received some information and PCB is very likely to announce another squad for the upcoming World Cup with some changes,” Cricket Pakistan quoted Afridi as saying. “I am definitely surprised by the selection. I don’t understand the selection of two to three players in the squad. I also don’t understand how we could have left a couple of names out of the squad either,” added the 41-year-old. PCB Chief Selector Mohammad Wasim had also indicated that some changes might be made in the squad by saying that all cricketing boards are allowed to make changes to their initial squad till October 10 “Under special circumstances and in exceptional cases, we can make the necessary changes if required,” said Wasim. Afridi, who represented Pakistan in record 524 international matches were also disappointed by former coaches Misbah-Ul-Haq and Waqar Younis’ resignation in the build-up to the World Cup. “If they [Misbahul Haq and Waqar Younis] resigned on their own then they have seriously hurt the Pakistan cricket team and should definitely have waited till the World Cup was over,” said the leg spinner. “I don’t think Matthew Hayden and Vernon Philander are going to make much of an impact due to shortage of time,” Afridi further added about the newly appointed Pakistan head coach and bowling coach.

Watch: Stella Campbell sheds tears of joy on receiving her Australia Women’s debut cap

It is not always that you get debut for your national team and have your captain read the message from your parents while presenting that most wanted national cap for you. But Australia Women’s pacer Stella Campbell got all that which is considered desirable for anyone’s debut. Presenting the cap to Campbell, Aussie Women skipper Meg Lanning tried to lighten the mood for an emotional 19-year-old saying, “I know your folks are not here, and there are just a few of us in the circle who know James, your dad. James is a bit of a penchant for dressing up in Stella’s playing kit because they are roughly the same size.” “I know they are (Stella’s parents) on FaceTime now,” Lanning said adding that she was going to read a message from her to Stella. “Every girl who plays cricket dreams of playing for Australia one day and you have worked incredibly hard to make your dream come true. We wish we could be there with you today, but we know you’ll rip in and try your best as usual,” Lanning read Campbell’s parents’ message. And just as she read, a lump seemed to be forming in the tall teenager’s throat. Lanning further said that she and the entire team expects Stella to do so as her parents wished for her in her first game and completed the ceremony with, “That smile is infectious mate and you are going to do great things.” After the emotional ceremony, Campbell did quite well in her first game and picked up the crucial wicket of Yastika Bhatia to keep Aussies in the game which India eventually won by two wickets to end the ODI series at 1-2.

Aiden Markram pleasantly surprised by Ravi Bishnoi's skill set at such young age

South Africa young star batsman Aiden Markram, who has made his IPL debut in the ongoing edition for the Punjab Kings has showered praise on the leg spinner Ravi Bishnoi for possessing too much of a skill set for a young bowler. He made the remarks after Kings’w vital win over the Sunrisers Hyderabad where Bishnoi was at the top of his game and picked up three wickets of Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav and Abdul Samad. The Kings batting including Markram himself struggled to get the ball off the square on a slow and sticky pitch at the Sharjah and could manage only 125 runs on the board. Those runs were not beyond the Sunriser’s reach and hence Markram said that the start by bowlers lead by Mohammed Shami set the tone for the defence. “Incredible. It is amazing how he (Bishnoi) is still so young and yet his skill set is just on another level. I really think he is just going to go from strength to strength. If you look at the bowling unit as a whole, they were brilliant. Shami started off with wickets in the powerplay, which is always crucial in defending a low score. And then for the two spinners - Brar and Bish (Ravi Bishnoi) - to bowl the way they did was amazing," “It is not always easy going to a surface where, to an extent, you are expected to do well as spinner or need to do well for your team to win. But for them to deliver the goods, under pressure like it was tonight, in a must-win game, was important for us going forward. We can take a lot of confidence too as a team,” Markram asserted. The Kings kept their campaign alive by earning an avital two points albeit after failing to put up a big score on the board. Markram said that the win over the Sunrisers will lift their confidence and they will take a lot of heart from this game going forward in the tournament.