PSL 6: Abu Dhabi leg full schedule out; Lahore Qalandars to face Islamabad United in the opener

IPL 2021 | Australia white-ball skipper Aaron Finch hints at players' availability

Australian limited overs captain Aaron Finch has said that Cricket Australia will decide the availability of national players in the remainder of the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League on a ‘case-by-case basis.’ “I would imagine it would be conducted on a case-by-case basis by Cricket Australia,” Finch said on whether Australian superstars such as Pat Cummins and Glenn Maxwell will be available for the IPL likely to be scheduled in September this year. When asked if players were looking to take a bit of a rest from international cricket, the right hander rejected the idea but said that given the size of the squad in the post covid era, player rotations could be a viable option. “I don’t think the players themselves like resting from international cricket. But definitely, with the increased squad sizes due to Covid bubbles, there are a lot of players on tours, so we will need to look at options to ensure these players are playing games." Finch said. The 14th edition of the IPL was postponed indefinitely in the aftermath of the outbreak of COVID-19 in various franchises. Australian players, in particular, had to wait for significantly longer before they were allowed to get back in the country and their homes.

PSL 6: Andre Russell feels bubble life has taken a toll; grateful to be still playing

West Indian T20 superstar who would soon be turning out for Quetta Gladiators in Pakistan Super League’s sixth edition, feels that bubble life is taking a toll on him. The Jamaican has been jumping bio-bubbles while travelling ever since cricket started post-pandemic. "I think it's taking a toll on myself," Russell said in an interview to Geo TV from his hotel quarantine in UAE. "I can't talk for any other player, or coaches or anyone that goes through this whole quarantine stuff. But it's definitely taken a toll on me mentally because from bubble to bubble, in a room locked in, you can't go out for a walk, you can't go certain places, you can't socialise, it's different,” added the 33-year-old. Having represented the Kolkata Knight Riders in the recently postponed Indian Premier League 2021, the Jamaican is back for PSL and would go back to play international cricket for his team in July and August before playing the Caribbean Premier League. Russell would then once again return for the IPL’s UAE leg in September. Several players across the world have pulled out of tournaments citing bubble fatigue, but Russell on the other hand says that he is rather grateful. "But at the end of the day, I'm not being ungrateful, I'm grateful that we're still playing, we're still doing our job. So it's tough for us. But even though we prepared for it, it still takes a toll," Russell said. One of the most travelled T20 players and in the elite list of all-rounders with 6000 runs and three hundred T20 wickets, the right-hander is not new to the heat of UAE. Yet he is worried about playing this time because the situation is different. "I have played in hot conditions before. But I was in competition, playing games, having proper net sessions and back and forth, getting used to the condition and fully acclimatised," he said. "However, in this case, it's going to be a bit different where we are in quarantine and then we just gonna get out and have a few practice sessions and then go straight into the games,” added Russell who has previously represented Islamabad United and Multan Sultans in the competition. Even after such difficulties, the Caribbean spirit of entertaining people is still intact in Russels as he concluded saying, “We are professionals, so we have to condition our minds to deal with the heat and the weather." The PSL’s Abu Dhabi league scheduled to be played in Sheikh Zayed Stadium begins on June 9.

PSL 6 UAE leg to begin from June 9, six doubleheaders in the offing

The Pakistan Super League finally has a start date as the Pakistan Cricket Board confirmed that the tournament would begin on June 9 at the Shiekh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. The final of the tournament will be played on June 24 as the national team is slated to depart for its UK tour on June 25. The board also confirmed that there would be six doubleheaders, which mean that out of the 20 games to be played, 12 would be on doubleheaders day. And this also means that out of the 15 days dedicated to the tournament, there would be only two non-match days. “The remaining matches of the PSL 6 will be played from June 9-24 in Abu Dhabi. There will be a total of six double-headers including one in the play-off stages,” Geo TV quoted a PCB spokesperson as saying. Talking about the timings of the game, the spokesperson said that the timings for regular and doubleheaders day would be different. “Matches on the usual days will start at 9:00 pm PST while in the case of double-headers, the first match will start at 6:00 pm PST and the second match will be played at 11:00 pm PST,” he stated. Originally slated to be held in February- March this year and entirely in Pakistan, the sixth edition of the PSL was postponed after several Covid-19 cases in the tournament Bio-bubble. Only 14 of the original 34 games could be completed then. It was then shifted to begin from June 1 at National Stadium in Karachi. However, the PSL franchise owners wanted the tournament in UAE so that there was no compromise on Covid-19. Due to various visa and flight delays, the scheduled start from June 5 could not be completed and hence the June 9 start was decided upon. The full schedule would be released by the PCB soon.

David Saker returns to Big Bash League as Melbourne Renegades coach

The Melbourne Renegades have appointed David Saker as their head coach for the next season of the Big Bash League in the hope to turn things around after finishing last on the points table in the last season. The Renegades were champions in the 2018-19 season but things turned upside down quickly and they managed to win only seven out of 28 games in the last two seasons. This will be Saker’s second stint with the Renegades after coaching the side in the 2015-16 BBL season and he would be eager to use all his international experience while coaching the sides such as England, Australia and Sri Lanka to turn Renegades’ fortunes around in the BBL. He has also backed the available pool of players to come good in the next season. "We've got a talented squad with some class and power at the top of the order, complemented by a strong bowling attack and some exciting young talent. We'll be looking to add to this group over the next few months to ensure we've got plenty of options when the season gets underway,” Saker said. "The Big Bash has continued to grow since my last involvement and it's more competitive than ever on the field so I'm looking forward to working with the playing group to ensure we give ourselves every chance of success."