IPL 2021 | Simon Katich leaves RCB, Mike Hesson to take dual responsibility

Former Australian cricketer Simon Katich has resigned from his post as the coach of the Royal Challengers Bangalore citing personal reasons. He will not take part in the second part of the tournament scheduled to start on September 19 in the UAE and Mike Hesson will take over the position of the head coach as well besides being the Director of Cricket at the franchise.

Katich was appointed as the head coach in August 2019 and he had also taken part in the auction for the 2020 auction held in December 2019. He was with the Royal Challengers in the last edition of the tournament where the Virat Kohli-led side had performed reasonably well to reach the playoffs.

The Royal Challengers have also roped in Sri Lanka all-rounder Wanindu Hassaranga, whose stocks as a leg spinner has gone up several notches after successful white-ball series against India earlier this year.

The side have made a couple of more changes by replacing New Zealander Fin Allen with Singaporean Tim David, and Australian Daniel Sams with Sri Lankan Dushmantha Chameera, whose raw pace and ability to extract bounce off the surface impressed many in the series against India.

The Royal Challengers Bangalore will restart their IPL 2021 campaign with the clash against the Kolkata Knight Riders on September 20 in Abu Dhabi.

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IPL 2021 | After Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, now Delhi Capitals leave for UAE

The Delhi Capitals have left India for the UAE where the second half of this year’s edition of the Indian Premier League is scheduled to be played. The side left the country on August 21 and will be joined by Shreyas Iyer, who had missed the first part of the tournament due to a shoulder injury in the UAE. The Capitals are at the top of the points table, having already played eight of their 14 matches scheduled this season and the team management will be looking to carry on their winning streak in the second part of the competition as well. Earlier, the Chennai Super Kings and the Mumbai Indians have already reached UAE to start their preparations for the IPL 2021. It will be a high-octane clash between these two sides on September 19 to kick off the second part of the tournament that was halted midway through as the number of Covid-19 cases started emerging in various franchises. The last edition of the tournament was also played in the UAE as India was reeling under the Covod-19 pandemic. However, the BCCI and the IPL Governing Council had decided to bring the competition back to India as there were relatively fewer cases in the country around February this year.

England tour win in 1971 put India on cricketing map: Farokh Engineer

Former cricketer Farokh Engineer went down memory lane while talking to TOI and said the series against England away from home in 1971 put India on the cricketing map. “Do people still remember that victory? I’d like to think that we put India on the cricketing map. 1971 was a great year for Indian cricket. Earlier that year, we beat the West Indies in their own den for the first time,” he said. India were in a spot of bother in the first innings of the third Test at Kennington Oval when Engineer and Eknath Solkar chipped in with an important partnership to help the visitors come out of a tricky position. While Farokh notched up a half-century, Solkar scored 44 during the course. Talking about the stand with Solkar, the former India cricketer explained how the two batsmen resisted against the English bowling attack. “What a series that was, especially that Oval Test. We had a great chance to win on the last day. I remember we were in trouble in the first innings before my partnership with Eki [Solkar] saw us through. I told Eki, let’s fight for every run and he responded brilliantly,” Engineer added. After the first two matches ended in a draw, India registered a win by 4 wickets in the third and final Test to clinch the series 1-0.

PCB puts national camp, squad selection on hold for Afghanistan series

The Pakistan Cricket Board had put a hold on the training camp and announcement of the squad for the Afghanistan series. The PCB is seeking a confirmation from the Afghanistan Cricket Board for the fixtures that are slated to take place in Sri Lanka. “Once they give us the complete series travel plans and itinerary we will have the camp and also release our squad,” the PCB has said. Afghanistan is facing the worst crisis in the last two decades after the Taliban took over the reigns but the ACB is in talks with the authorities and US troops who are controlling the flights in and out of Kabul. Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) CEO, Hamid Shinwari, has said that the team will play the three-match ODI series. "Cricket is doing very well. We are going to the office of the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB). The cricket team is preparing for the Pakistan series in Sri Lanka. It is confirmed. We are committed to sending a team to Sri Lanka as soon as possible," said Shinwari to ESPNcricinfo. If the series goes ahead as planned, Pakistan would be resting some of its key players which include the likes of Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and pacers, Hasan Ali and Shaheen Shah Afridi.

Parvez Rasool seeks BCCI's intervention to resolve tiff with JKCA over roller theft allegations

The tiff between Jammu & Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) and all-rounder Parvez Rasool has escalated and the 32-year-old cricket who is the lone player from the state to represent the country at the highest level now wants the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to intervene in the matter according to a report in The Indian Express. “I think BCCI should intervene now. Please see my work. I’m trying to promote cricket on my part. I had spent from my own pocket to build that ground and meet daily expenses. I don’t take any money, I help players,” Rasool said. Rasool also revealed that one of the officials had made a social media post where he wrote that the cricketer needed to be given a longer rope so that he could hang himself. However, the post was later deleted. “The official deleted it but I have the screenshot of it. Can anyone tell me what wrong I have done that I need to be hanged? If you have any doubts, they have my phone number, they can call me. It took mere seconds to clarify but it seems they wanted to victimize me,” he said. The controversy began after JKCA had issued a notice to Parvez asking him to return a cricket roller that had gone missing or face “police action”. The all-rounder, in his reply to the board denied possessing any roller and further asked the administrators, “Is this the way to treat an international cricketer who has given life and soul to J&K cricket?”.