IPL 2021 set to move Mumbai after bio-bubble breach in Delhi & Ahmedabad

SRH vs MI Preview | Match cancelled indefinitely after IPL suspends season

The 14th edition of the Indian Premier League received some serious threat when two of the Kolkata Knight Riders players Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier tested positive for COVID-19. To make matter worse, three CSK members including Balaji, the CEO and a bus driver also tested positive for the same. However, as of now, the tournament will go on with Mumbai Indians slated to lock horns against the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 31st match of the competition. While the defending champions have got their campaign back on track with back to back victories, the Sunrisers Hyderabad seems to a puzzled unit and need a miracle to turn their fortunes around. Handing over the captaincy to Kane Williamson midway through the tournament was a big call. David Warner who has been a consistent performer for SRH over the years was sacked and was also dropped from the XI. It was a huge call given the impact Warner had on the franchise. Williamson might have captained SRH brilliantly in the past, but his comeback to the role wasn’t a pleasant one as SRH was hammered by Rajasthan Royals by 55 runs. With several questions to be answered for the Orange Army, Mumbai Indians will come into the encounter high on confidence after chasing down a mammoth target set by CSK in the previous encounter. Riding on a Kieron Pollard special, MI chased down the target in the final delivery of the match to continue their domination against the Yellow brigade. There are several areas where Mumbai needs to work on. They have faltered especially in the field and their bowling and fielding haven’t been up to the mark. Despite not playing anywhere close to their potential, MI occupies the fourth position with four wins in seven matches. This gives a vivid idea about the strength that MI possess. They have relied on the match-ups quite a bit and the match against Hyderabad wouldn’t be any different. Nothing has gone SRH’s way this season so far. None of their star players has managed to make the match-winning contribution which has resulted in their decline match after match. With Warner being dropped from the XI, SRH decided to go for a foreign all-rounder which backfired in the match against RR. However, they have to back their decision and look for results in the upcoming matches. Can MI continue the winning run? A battle between two teams with contrasting performances in the tournament so far. Despite MI not being at their best, they have managed to pull out important victories which still gives them more than realistic chances of qualifying through to the playoffs. The opening duo of Quinton de Kock and Rohit Sharma has done wonders for the franchise over the last three years. However, their consistency has been an area of concern for the defending champions. While QDK has stormed back to form with some impressive knocks in the last two matches, we haven’t yet seen the best of Rohit Sharma in the tournament so far. Suryakumar Yadav despite looking in sublime touch in all the matches haven’t quite managed to convert his starts. Given the impact he had on this franchise, SKY getting back to form is the need of the hour for MI. The back end of the middle order hasn’t been tested much but the whirlwind display from Pollard the other day will surely give them huge confidence going into the rest of the tournament. While Hardik Pandya hasn’t bowled so far in the tournament, the rest of the bowlers has done a reasonable job. However, consistency has been an issue. Leggie Rahul Chahar has been the go-to bowler for Rohit Sharma in this edition so far and has always bagged important wickets at crucial junctures of the game. Jasprit Bumrah had a rare off-day against CSK conceding 57 runs in 4 overs which remains the worst spell in his IPL career. Trent Boult has been nowhere close to his best and has leaked runs in the death overs. The deadly duo needs to get their act right in the upcoming games if MI hopes of making a hat-trick of titles. Can SRH defy all the odds? With David Warner being left out of the XI, the opening combinations remains a real worry for the Orange Army. While Jonny Bairstow has got his side off to some blistering starts but hasn’t got enough support at the other end. Manish Pandey came out to open with Bairstow in the previous encounter and SRH might stick with this pair against Mumbai. However just to turn things around, they need two aggressive batsmen at the top who can take advantage of the powerplay. The middle-order has been found wanting against quality bowling line-ups. While there have been partnerships in the middle overs, the scoring rate has been questionable. It was due to the lack of intent in the middle overs that Manish Pandey was dropped from the XI. Even Warner’s struggle in the middle overs forced SRH to go for other options. Having some lusty hitters towards the back end of the innings, the middle order needs to provide a platform to the likes of Abdul Samad, Mohammad Nabi. Samad is a sensational striker of the ball and sending him up the order could also be a viable option. As far as the bowling line-up is concerned, none of the bowlers including Rashid Khan has managed to make a significant impact in the tournament. Rashid has bagged some wickets but hasn’t been match-winning spells. Bhuvneshwar Kumar hasn’t played all the matches and despite returning for the previous match he had a torrid day. Match Details Match: SRH vs MI, 31st Match, Indian Premier League 2021 Date: Tuesday, May 04, 2021 Time: 7:30 pm Venue: Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi Team News Sunrisers Hyderabad Mohammad Nabi was given a game against the Royals but Williamson found it difficult to give him the ball with Jos Buttler in full flow. He tends to dart in most of his deliveries and this ploy might backfire against the mighty MI batting-up. Jason Holder could replace Nabi for the foreign all-rounder’s slot. Sandeep Sharma who had a tough time with the ball against RR could also face the brunt. However, he has a good record against MI and might be given one more game. No injuries have been reported in the camp and the rest of the XI should remain the same. Probable XI: Jonny Bairstow (WK), Manish Pandey, Kane Williamson (C), Vijay Shankar, Kedar Jadhav, Jason Holder, Abdul Samad, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, Sandeep Sharma Mumbai Indians The defending champions might not change their winning combination but axing Ishan Kishan might not be the best move going forward. He has been a class act and was a prolific run-scorer in the last edition. He has been a sensation in the middle overs and should be brought back to the XI. Jimmy Neesham who got his first game the other day should retain his place. However, there are chances of Coulter-Nile coming back to the fold as well. Meanwhile, Dhawal Kulkarni might not retain his place in the XI. Probable XI- Quinton de Kock (WK), Rohit Sharma (C), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Hardik Pandya, Jimmy Neesham/Nathan Coulter-Nile, Rahul Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah Fantasy/Dream 11 Wicket-keeper- Jonny Bairstow, Quinton de Kock Batsmen- Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Kane Williamson, Abdul Samad All-rounders- Kieron Pollar, Krunal Pandya Bowlers- Rashid Khan, Jasprit Bumrah, Khaleel Ahmed

With increasing COVID cases BCCI to monitor situation

There has been no official confirmation on the fate of the ongoing Indian Premier League but it is understood that two KKR players and three CSK members testing positive has brought the upcoming future of the ongoing edition in serious jeopardy. Understanding that panic has crept in all the franchises, it is learnt that BCCI is monitoring the situation as of now and the franchises will be updated on the fate of the tournament in due course of time. The news was circulated to all the IPL franchises through internal mail. "In the light of recent developments that have happened over last 24 hours, please find below a media release that is being issued. We will keep monitoring the situation and provide further details and updates," IPL CEO Hemang Amin wrote to the franchises. It also included an attachment of the press statement on the KKR players who tested positive earlier in the day. Meanwhile, a few members among the CSK officials have tested positive including Lakshimpathy Balaji and the CEO of the yellow army. As per reports in the Cricbuzz, the Chennai Super Kings officials have told them that BCCI will make an announcement on the status of their team members. Meanwhile, it puts a certain doubt on tomorrow’s game between the Mumbai Indians and the Sunrisers Hyderabad which is slated to be played in Delhi. Balaji who was seen in the CSK dugout have returned positive reports and with several MI players seen mingling with the CSK players during their match in Delhi, it remains to be seen whether the match goes on as per schedule. Cricbuzz further states that there was letters written to the BCCI over these important issues. The match between the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Royal Challengers Bangalore had to be rescheduled after Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier tested COVID positive. The whole squad has been put under hard quarantine and only if everyone tests negative after five days, KKR can go on with their remaining matches. It must be noted that the Punjab Kings and the Royal Challengers Bangalore is scheduled to practice at the Gujarat College Ground while the Delhi Capitals is slated to train at the Motera in Ahmedabad. As per further reports in Cricbuzz, a meeting should be conducted in the evening time to decide on the future of the KKR-RCB match. Meanwhile, a DDCA official also denied reports of any of the groundsmen who were present at work yesterday having tested positive.

IPL 2021 | Mustafizur and Shakib might have to return early from IPL

Bangladesh players Shakib Al Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman who are plying their trade in the ongoing IPL might have to return home earlier than planned due to the stringent quarantine rules imposed by the health ministry. The news was confirmed by the Bangladesh Cricket Board Chief Nizamuddin Chowdhury on Monday. The new quarantine rules in place which came into effect from 1st May states that any foreign travellers coming from India or South Africa have to undergo a 14 day isolation period in order to resume their duties inside the country. If BCB wants any exemption of the rules then they need to get special permission from the Directorate General of Health Services. The BCB had earlier managed to reduce the quarantine rules for their foreign coaching staff and cricketers. However, with the second wave of COVID-19 creating a ruckus especially all over India, it is highly unlikely that relaxation will be there for people coming from either India or South Africa. The Bangladesh national team who is currently in Sri Lanka will return anytime soon and none of their players will have to follow the same quarantine rules. BCB chief Chowdhury further added that he had asked Shakib and Mustafizur about their plans for the next fifteen days. "We have asked them (Shakib and Mustafizur) to let us know what is their plan for the next 15 days while we have also asked the health ministry to know what kind of quarantine protocol the two players will need to follow,'' BCB chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz on Monday. Shakib and Mustafizur had earlier planned to leave India by 19th May and join the limited-overs team after completing a three day quarantine period. However, with India recording over 3,50,000 cases every day, strict rules have been put into place for people coming from India. "If the health ministry suggests that they will have to follow seven or 14 days quarantine, they will have to return earlier than scheduled from IPL. But before that, we have to know what rules will be in place for them. We are bound by the Bangladesh Government rules, and will take decisions according to the guideline provided by the government,” Chowdhury further added.

IPL 2021 | Tournament to continue as of now, KKR squad in hard quarantine for five days

The 14th edition of the Indian Premier League will continue as of now with the defending champions Mumbai Indians locking horns against the Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday (3 May). The development comes after two KKR players Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier tested positive for COVID-19. Meanwhile, three staff members of CSK which includes Lakshmipathi Balaji, the CEO of the franchise and a bus driver has also tested positive for the novel Coronavirus. However, their result in the rapid antigen test turned negative which makes the situation a little dicier. In a recent podcast by Boria Majumder, he clarified the fact that there was no bubble breach as far as the Kolkata Knight Riders are concerned and will be under hard quarantine for the next five days and if all the tests come out negative then only the match against RCB might be rescheduled on 7th May. Hard quarantine means none of the KKR players can go outside their rooms and will be served food in disposable cutleries which will be placed outside their respective rooms. As far as CSK is concerned, the situation can go out of control if the RT-PCR tests of the three aforementioned members come out positive. Balaji was present in the dugout and if his RT-PCR test comes out positive, it means that he might have exposed the virus to quite a few. However, if the results come out negative, the situation should be under control as told by Boria Majumder in his podcast. He also added the fact that none of the groundstaff members who were there yesterday for the match duties has tested positive after several media outlets reported that five to seven DDCA groundsmen who were present for match duties yesterday have tested positive.