T20 World Cup | AFG vs SCO: GAME! SET! MATCH! Afghanistan destroy Scotland in all departments

You don't invest hundreds of crores for passion: Sanjiv Goenka explains why he bought Lucknow franchise

Sanjeev Goenka owned RPSG Group bagged the rights of Lucknow-based franchise which will be one of the two new IPL teams after making a bid of Rs 7,090 crores. The price sent ripples throughout the sporting ecosystem and fans were left staggered as to how did Sanjiv Goenka arrive at that valuation. In an interaction with India Today, the industrialist expressed his delight and said that it’s a calculated move, one that involves more maths rather than the passion for the game. "You invest a few crores for passion. You don't invest hundreds of crores for passion. Secondly, what I have to pay to the BCCI eventually is the difference between what I get from the BCCI by way of broadcast rights etcetera and what I have to pay to them by way of license fees,” he said. He added that the net difference according to him would be close to half of 7000 crore, which he feels is a great deal considered over a period of 10 years. "I am quite excited about this. UP is the biggest state of the country. The most populous state. We do believe there is a huge population in the state who is waiting to have a team. We do have operations there. We are fairly excited about it and it will be a furtherance of a business in UP which we are very keen on," Goenka added. On the other side, CVC Capitals Partners made a bid for the Ahmedabad franchise for Rs 5,625 crores. The number of teams in the IPL has now risen to 10 with two new teams set to join the existing eight. BCCI will be hosting a total of 74 matches this season. Each team will play seven home and seven away matches during the tournament.

IPL 2022 to host 74 matches; each team to play seven home & 7 away games

The 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will see a total of 74 fixtures being played after there was an addition of two new sides on Monday. The tally of the franchises has now risen up to 10 while every team will play 7 home and as many away matches during the course of the tournament. “The new franchises will participate in IPL from 2022 season onwards subject to the bidders completing the post-bid formalities as specified in the ITT document. The IPL 2022 season will comprise ten teams and will have 74 matches, wherein each team will play 7 home and 7 away matches,” the BCCI said in a statement. How does the format work? The format was earlier used in the 2011 season. In that season, teams were divided in two groups of 5. Teams played 2 games (home & away) against members of their own group and then play 1 game each against 4 teams of the other group. With that adding up to a total of 12 matches per team, the said franchise plays their last two matches (home & away) against one member of their opposite group, making it a total of 14 matches. With that format making it 70 matches total, there will be 4 games allocated to the play offs stages as usual. Who are the teams? The two sides are going to be based out of Lucknow and Ahmedabad respectively. RPSG Ventures Ltd will own the Lucknow team after they made a bid for INR 7090 Cr, Irelia Company Pte Ltd. will own the Ahmedabad side as they a bid of INR 5625 crores.

T20 World Cup | PAK vs NZ: Newest rivalry in town to unleash as Pakistan face New Zealand

The Pakistan team was in a different zone when they faced India on Sunday in Dubai. First Shaheen Afridi rattled the Indian top order and later captain Babar Azam and wicket-keeper batsman Mohammad Rizwan made a mockery of the chase as they clinched a victory by 10 wickets to send the records for a toss. This was the first time when Pakistan had defeated India in a World Cup fixture. The way Babar and Rizwan batted, it seemed as if they had come out in the middle to prove a point. Well, that’s how an India-Pakistan rivalry has been for ages. But the Asian side will now be up against New Zealand. This could have been just another World Cup encounter where both the sides would have fought for valuable points. But it would be much more than that now as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Rameez Raja had earlier said that apart from India, the Pakistan team will target New Zealand and England now after they abandoned their respective tours of Pakistan citing security concerns. "We go in the World Cup now and where we had one team in our target - our neighbours India, they now add two more teams - New Zealand and England. So pick up the strength and develop a mindset that we are not going to lose because you didn't do right by us with us and we will avenge that in the ground," ESPNcricinfo quoted Raja as saying. For now, the Babar Azam-side has responded well to what the PCB chairman had said but it’s still a long way to go. They are in good form and should rather focus on continuing that in the next match. New Zealand on the other side, will be coming into this match after losing both the warm up matches against Australia and England respectively. Nevertheless, the Blackcaps will now begin the tournament against Pakistan in Sharjah on Tuesday. Match Details Match: PAK vs NZ, 19th Match, Super 12 Group 2, ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021 Date: Tuesday, October 26, 2021 Time: 7:30 PM Venue: Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah Telecast: Star Sports Network, Disney+ Hotstar Pitch Report The track in Sharjah had something on offer for the batters during the game between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh while Afghanistan also dominated the Scotland bowling unit in their respective clash at the venue. But the key will be to get the eye in and then accelerate for the batsmen. The spinners can play some role in the middle overs as well. So, if you win the toss, elect to bowl first. Babar Azam & Rizwan: Partners in run-scoring The two batsmen were on a roll during the match against India on Sunday. The duo put up an unbeaten stand of over 150 runs and thrashed the Indian bowling line up to win the match by 10 wickets. While Babar took a bit of time to settle in, Rizwan punished the bad deliveries that came his way. The Pakistan team management would expect these two to continue from where they left in the last encounter. While Babar can play the anchor’s role, Rizwan has some innovative strokes in his armour that can come handy against a formidable New Zealand bowling attack. Shaheen Afridi’s role The left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi had said that he would like to scalp the wickets of India’s top-order ahead of the match and HE DID. Shaheen certainly walked the talk as he got rid of Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and later Virat Kohli during the course of the match. Now, Pakistan would want him to replicate the kind of performance he unleashed in the last game when he took the centre stage against the Kiwis. New Zealand comprises some of the finest batsmen in their unit such as the likes of Kane Williamson, Martin Guptill, Devon Conway who have the ability to turn around a game on its head single-handedly. Pakistan would need to pick up early wickets just like they did against India to prevent New Zealand from putting up a big total. Kane Williamson holds the key New Zealand batsman Kane Williamson would play a key role against a bowling line up that Pakistan possesses. The right-handed batsman can negotiate this ruthless bowling unit with his patience and should look towards staying at the crease as much as he can just like India captain Virat Kohli did. Though, Kohli fell short of partners at the other end and India were were restricted to a lesser total. Probable XI New Zealand: Tim Seifert (wk), Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson (c), Devon Conway, Glenn Phillips, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult, Ish Sodhi Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi CE fantasy XI Mohammad Rizwan, Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Shoaib Malik (C), Mitchell Santner, Mohammad Hafeez, Trent Boult, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi (VC)

T20 World Cup | SA vs WI: Bruised defending champions seek redemption against inconsistent Proteas

The buildup There was a huge sense of anticipation and build-up for the game between West Indies and England as they were the finalists of the last edition of the tournament and having lost that game, England were extra motivated to defeat the Windies. There were quite a bit of familiar scenes with the Windies batting lineup in the first over as their openers first struggled to rotate the strike and then one of them struck a big six to remind Nasser Hussain that the phase of play was a “classic” West Indies. However, there was another familiar characteristic on display and sadly that sink the men in maroon on their first night of the tournament. They struggled to find glue in the batting order and found everyone playing glory shots and getting out in the process. Maybe, they needed not a classic West Indies batsman, but a classical batsman who could steady the ship from one end. They made an inauspicious start to the tournament and are up against South Africa in their next game to keep themselves relevant in the tournament. Notably, both they and South Africa find themselves in what experts have deemed “group of death” with as many as four contenders of the title and having lost one game each, none of them could afford to lose this game with any sort of comfort. While the Windies were annihilated by England, South Africa were brilliant in patches and ordinary against an Australian side who did just more enough to beat them in a close encounter. Their batsmen struggled against the Test match lengths of Josh Hazlewood and innocuous off-spin of Glenn Maxwell while the pace attack became too predictable against the firepower of Marcus Stoinis. Make no mistake, West Indies came into the tournament with one of the four favourites to qualify for the semi-finals and even to lift the trophy while the Proteas entered the stage as an underdog. Considering the expectations and hoopla around them, it’s West Indies who have more at stake in the upcoming game while it’s a massive opportunity for the South Africans to make a mark in the tournament and change their course on the world stage. Match Details South Africa vs West Indies Match no.: 18, Super 12 Group 1 Date & Time: Oct 26, 02:00 PM LOCAL, 03:30 PM IST, 10:00 AM GMT Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai Pitch conditions Both the games of the Super 12 have been tough for the batsmen, except for Pakistan’s openers, but the role of dew can’t also be excluded. As this game is to be played in day’s time, there will no respite in the form of dew and batsmen will have their tasks cut out against bowlers who are masters of changing the pace of the delivery. All of Rashid Khan, Moeen Ali, Shadab Khan and Akeal Hosein have enjoyed purchase off the wicket at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium and both sides will banking their spinners to come on the top of the opposition. One should not expect a high-scoring affair and hitting boundaries, especially gours will be a tough ask and it will be interesting to see the approach of the West Indies batting unit. Contests within contest Tabraiz Shamsi vs Chris Gayle Tabraiz Shamsi is the highest-ranked T20 bowler in international cricket and Chris Gayle is the undisputed king of this format of the game. Gayle has been shunted to number three in the recent past and unless another collapse loads up for the defending champions, there is a high chance they will come up against each other. Left-handers are believed to have an advantage over left-arm spinners but Shamsi is a wrist spinner who will turn the ball if there is any, away from Gayle and the champion batsman will have to bank on his muscle and power to punish the spinner and put Windies on the top. On a larger scale, it’s not only Gayle who will come in the way of Shamsi as Windies have a lot of left-handers who are equally potent to hit spinners out of the ground and how he goes in his four-over spell will go on to set the stage of South Africa’s good or bad state in the game. Russell vs Rabada There has been a history between Andre Russell and Kagiso Rabada in the Indian Premier League and most likely they will be up against each other once again in a crucial last few overs of the game. Rabada has enjoyed quite a bit of success against the flamboyant right-hander but the pacer has not been at his best in recent times. Russell, too, got out for a two-ball duck against England will be itching to hit a few shots out of the ground in order to feel free after a long layoff with injury. Rabada, along with Anrich Nortje, will take the responsibility of bowling the all-important end overs of the game and if they succeed in executing their plans which caters all sorts of challenges for a batsman such as searing yorker, rapid bouncer and disguised slower ball, the Proteas could well emerge o the top. A slight error in execution and they will travel distance and so will be the aspirations of the Proteas away from the dreams of going far in the tournament. Team News South Africa South Africa may be tempted to bring one more bowling option in the mix but their options are limited and will have to rely on the off-spin of Aiden Markram to chip in as cover for a five-man bowling attack. There is unlikely to be any change in the batting lineup and the Proteas will hope the batsmen would come after learning their lessons the hard way. Quinton de Kock is an instrumental figure in the South Africa batting unit and his form with the bat will dictate how the Proteas will shape up against the defending champions. The Proteas are unlikely to change their playing XI from the last game. Probable XI Quinton de Kock (WK), Temba Bavuma (C), Aiden Markram, Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen, Dwaine Pretorius, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi West Indies The defending champions were rocked by England and it’s them who have to dwell over more issues than the Proteas before their next game. Lendl Simmons was preferred over Roston Chase despite his horrible run of form with the bat and also, Chase’s absence made the Windies batting lineup a pretty one-dimensional unit that was not up to the task of soaking up the pressure and stabilising the innings. Simmons selection for the first game hinted at the brand of cricket they are intending to play in the tournament but will the heavy defeat compel them to think a bit differently. If yes, Chase can be brought at the top of the order or to number three that will push Gayle to his long-standing opening position, and in the right-hander, Windies will get someone who can play an innings such as Virat Kohli played against Pakistan that ensured they were not out of the game in the first half itself. Rest, there is a high chance of playing the same team that played against England. Probable XI Evin Lewis, Lendl Simmons/Roston Chase, Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer, Nicholas Pooran (WK), Kieron Pollard (C), Andre Russell, Dwayne Bravo, Akeal Hosein, Obed McCoy, Ravi Rampaul CE Fantasy XI Aiden Markram, Evin Lewis, Rassie van der-Dussen, Dwayne Bravo, Andre Russell, Kieron Pollard, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Akeal Hosein Captain: Quinton de Kock Vice-captain: Shimron Hetmyer