Ricky Ponting picks 7 players in his 'players to watch out for' in IPL 2021

WATCH: Rahul Dravid breaks mirror in road rage

Former India skipper Rahul Dravid is probably the most calm and composed cricketer that the world has seen. He is someone who has never really been involved in a controversy or in a heated situation during his playing days. But in one of the video clip from an advertisement has shown a totally opposite side of the former batsman where he is seen showing aggression. The advertisement left India and RCB captain in splits and he in fact tweeted, “Never seen this side of Rahul bhai.” Dravid had been an integral part of the Indian team during his playing days especially in the longer format of the game. He played 164 Tests for India scoring 13288 runs at an average of over 52 in his career including 36 centuries. Apart from Tests, the right-handed batsman was capped 344 times in ODIs and amassed over 10000 runs during the course. Dravid also represented India in one T20I where he scored 31 runs. The right-hander was handed over the captaincy during the ODI World Cup in 2007 but Dravid and his troops had a forgettable time in that edition after the team had to bow out in the group stage itself. They lost to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in the group stage and only managed to win against Bermuda. Dravid might have failed to lead India to a World Cup win but has played an instrumental role in nurturing young talents at the U19 and India A level. He was the coach of the U19 and ‘A’ teams between 2016 and 2019 before becoming the Director of Cricket Operations at the NCA. Under Dravid’s coaching, India U19 team ended up as the runners up in 2016 World Cup while lifting the trophy in 2018.

IPL 2021: Steve Smith and Marcus Stoinis attend first training session with Delhi Capitals

Australian players Steve Smith and Marcus Stoinis attended their first practice session with the Delhi Capitals after completing their mandatory quarantine period on Friday, 9 April. The former Australian and Rajasthan Royals skipper Steve Smith will be looking forward to his time with the Capitals as this will be his first season the new team. On the other hand, Stoinis was part of the DC outfit in the last season and did a commendable all-round job for them. As per reports from the Delhi Capitals, it is learnt that the duo played an intra-squad practice game with the rest of the DC team ahead of the tournament. Meanwhile, it must be noted that the runners-up from the previous edition have been training at the Cricket Club of India in Mumbai. Delhi Capitals will lock horns against the Chennai Super Kings in their first encounter on 10th April. DC have named Rishabh Pant as their interim skipper for the season after Shreyas Iyer was ruled out for the tournament after dislocating his shoulder in the India vs England series. Steve Smith was part of the Rajasthan Royals squad last time around and also led the franchise. However, his poor returns with the bat and his underwhelming captaincy forced RR to release him ahead of the mini-auctions and he was snapped up by the Capitals for a pretty low price. Meanwhile, head coach Ricky Ponting is optimistic of his team’s chances in the upcoming season especially given the sort of players they have in their arsenal. "I am thrilled with the players that we've got here, and I think we can win the IPL. Might as well go on record and say it now because that's what I am here for and that's what the players are here for," he said. "We've had our chat and it's all about winning and how we can go one step further from last year. But the other important thing for me is that we've got a very different group from the one we had last year. What happened last year doesn't matter. We've got to work out a way to win enough games to qualify and then win the final," he further added.

MX Takatak partners with 7 IPL teams to show behind-the-scenes content

MX Takatak has partnered with seven teams who are featuring in the IPL 2021 to show their content from net practice to all the behind-the-scenes moments. MX Takatak is owned by the Times Group. The teams that have partnered with the app are Delhi Capitals, Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians, Punjab Kings, Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad and will have their official handles on it. Delhi Capitals chief executive officer Vinod Bisht in a statement has said that this will provide an opportunity to the franchise to have an interaction with the fans. “This association (with MX TakaTak) provides us yet another way to engage with our fans by giving them the opportunity to express themselves in new and creative ways," Bisht said in a statement. Chandni Malhotra, general manager, strategic partnerships and alliances, Rajasthan Royals, said that this partnership will enhance and expand the mediums of providing more entertainment to the fans of the franchises. “This specially curated partnership with MX TakaTak is a step in the direction of expanding our mediums of providing that entertainment to our fans directly on to their mobile phones," she said. Karan Bedi, CEO - MX Player and MX TakaTak has expressed delight on providing entertainment to the diverse fan base. “We’re thrilled to be celebrating India’s national obsession on our platform as the official short video partner of the 7 teams. Our aim has always been to entertain our diverse user base and through this innovative association,” he said. The IPL 2021 begins on Friday with RCB locking horns against MI in Chennai in the opener.

IPL 2021: MI skipper Rohit Sharma optimistic of making a hat-trick of titles

With the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) set to commence in a few hours time, Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma is confident of their chances ahead of the extravaganza and said that the feeling in the camp is absolutely electric and all the players are upbeat and raring to go in a bid to win their 6th IPL title and a make a hattrick of IPL trophies. "The feeling in the camp is absolutely electric and upbeat. It is the start of the new season, we all know that. The guys are very excited to get going. We've got some new faces in the squad as well which is exciting. IPL is always an exciting time and coming off from playing a lot of cricket as well. So, looking forward to get going. I think it is going to be a good one this year as well. Hopefully, we can do the right things. We can continue from where we left in Dubai," Rohit was quoted as saying during a video interview for the Mumbai Indians which was posted on Twitter. Mumbai Indians had a dream run in the 2020 edition where they dominated like kings and were way ahead of any other teams all through the tournament. They played some exceptional brand of all-round cricket and eventually managed to seal their 5th IPL title and second on a trot. Trent Boult alongside Jasprit Bumrah proved to be a match-winning combo with the ball in hand. MI have two more players from New Zealand this time around in the form of Adam Milne and Jimmy Neesham. Speaking on the New Zealand trio of Boult, Milne and Neesham who recently got out of quarantine after landing in India last week, Rohit Sharma said that both Milne and Neesham are great additions to the squad and is expecting the same things from Boult this season. "I'm pretty sure they all are excited to just get out on the park. They have been in quarantine for seven days and I know how it feels when you come out the first day. It is nice just to get to breathe fresh air and get to be on the park and do what you love. So. I'm sure those three guys are feeling the same. It is good to have Jimmy Neesham for the first time in the MI squad and Adam Milne, who's been part of the MI before. Good to have him back as well. Of course, Trent who played a big part last season for us, we expect nothing less from him this year as well," Rohit said. Veteran leg-spinner Piyush Chawla was snapped up by the Mumbai Indians in the auctions and Rohit feels that the induction of Piyush Chawla will give his side the variety which they are looking for. Chawla has been around the IPL circuit ever since its inception and it will be interesting to see how he shapes up in MI colours. "He is quite experienced in terms of playing IPL games. He has been around for a number of years now and knows exactly what this team expects him to do. I'm pretty sure that he is going to able to live by that because of his experience and the number of wickets he has taken in the IPL. He brings the variety in our squad which were looking for. I've played with him since my U-19 days so I know him pretty well, he knows me well. It is going to be good camaraderie between both of us on the field," he concluded.