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Venkatesh Iyer Umran Malik Likely To Be Called Up For New Zealand T20is

Venkatesh Iyer, Umran Malik likely to be called-up for New Zealand T20Is

The disappointing performance from the Indian team in the ongoing T20 World Cup has attracted a lot of criticism over the last week. The Board of Control for Cricket in India, players and the selectors have faced backlashes from the fans and one of the major criticisms has come around the fatigue that the Indian players face in their packed calendar. With absolutely zero turnaround time between the World Cup and the New Zealand series, the selectors might have to play a fresh Indian squad in their first home tournament.

As per a PTI report, Kolkata Knight Riders’ Venkatesh Iyer and SRH’s Umran Malik might find a place for themselves in the squad while Ruturaj Gaikwad who was in top-form during the IPL is also being considered. Apart from this all-rounder Hardik Pandya and seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar are likely to be dropped.

"First things first, the squads for New Zealand series need to be decided. Rohit hasn't yet said that he doesn't want to lead in the T20 Internationals against New Zealand. And why would he not want to lead? It's his first series as full-time T20 captain," a senior BCCI official told the news agency.

India have suffered defeats in the first two matches against Pakistan and New Zealand respectively and are on a verge of making an early exit from the tournament.

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T20 World Cup | SA vs BAN: Kagiso Rabada's fiery spell in powerplay pushes Bangladesh on backfoot

South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada’s fiery spell in the power play pushed Bangladesh on the backfoot in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. Rabada who bowled three overs in the first spell troubled the batsmen with his swing and bounce and scalped three wickets for 14 runs. The right-arm bowler first removed opener Mohammad Naim who was caught at mid-wicket region for 9 off 11. Rabada then trapped Soumya Sarkar on the first delivery that he faced on a fuller delivery that slightly came into the batsman. The on-field umpire had turned down the appeal initially but the Proteas went for the DRS and the ball tracking showed it as “hitting the stumps” and the decision was overturned. The pacer returned in the sixth over and it took him three deliveries to scalp Mushfiqur Rahim’s wicket after he was caught in the slips by Hendricks for a three-ball duck on a back of the length ball. The Bangla Tigers have been struggling to get any momentum in the competition as they have lost all three matches in the competition so far. South Africa on the other side have had a decent run as they have won a couple of games out of the three they featured in.

Virat Kohli might lose ODI captaincy if India fail to make it to T20 World Cup semis: Sources

The Indian team has been facing a lot of criticism after suffering defeats in the first two matches of the T20 World Cup against Pakistan and New Zealand respectively. Now as per a News18 report, skipper Virat Kohli who will step down from the post after the conclusion of the tournament might also lose his captaincy in the ODI format if India are not able to make it to the semi-final. “The board is unhappy. And there is serious doubt over his (Virat) ODI captaincy now as well. But three games still left and if India, by any chance, manage to qualify and fight back in the tournament then the scenario could change. But, right now, if you ask me or anybody, Virat is doubtful as ODI captain," a source said. Opener Rohit Sharma who is Virat’s deputy in white-ball cricket could be the first-choice for the position but the source added that it would be an early call to name anybody. “It is too early to name anybody, let the T20 World Cup get over. Rahul Dravid may also join the team as head coach soon. He will be discussed as well. Rohit or anybody else, or Virat continues, everything will be done afterwards. There are chances that India get one captain for T20 and ODI formats and one (Virat) for Tests," he added. The Indian team hasn’t lifted any ICC trophy since 2013 despite making it to the semi-finals and finals on a number of occasions. Under Kohli’s captaincy, India lost the Champions Trophy final to Pakistan in 2017 and then suffered a defeat in the title clash of the inaugural World Test Championship against New Zealand earlier this year.

T20 World Cup | ENG vs SL: Tymal Mills leaves field after hurting quad

England suffered an injury scare during the T20 World Cup fixture against Sri Lanka on Monday in Sharjah after left-arm pacer Tymal Mills limped off the ground holding his right quad. Mills, who had given 19 runs in 1.3 overs left the field during his second over and was then replaced by Sam Billings. The Eoin Morgan-led side later won the encounter by 26 runs to continue the brilliant run in the competition. Chasing 165 in 20 overs, the Lankan lions had a disappointing start to the proceedings and were left struggling at 76/5 before Dasun Shanaka and Wanindu Hasaranga chipped in with a 53-run stand. But their efforts weren’t really enough as the English bowlers picked up wickets in quick intervals in the later phase to wrap up the innings in 19 overs. Earlier, in the day, England too had a struggling start to the game after they lost three quick wickets but Jos Buttler took the onus on himself and struck a fine century to help his side post 163/4 in 20 overs. Buttler remained unbeaten at 101 off 67 while captain Morgan struck a 36-ball 40 during the course. Sri Lanka will now play West Indies on Thursday in Abu Dhabi while England will be up against South Africa on Saturday in Sharjah.

Sony to collaborate with Amazon Prime for IPL broadcasting rights: Report

The auctions for the Indian Premier League broadcasting rights for the next five years will take place later this year and as per some reports, Sony Pictures Network India are looking to collaborate with Amazon’s video streaming platform Prime Videos. “Prime Video has been looking to get into this space for a long time now and Sony wants to win the rights back. It looks like both may join hands for the same,” the report in Hindu Business Line quoted a source as saying. Sony had held the broadcasting rights for ten years from 2008 to 2017 before Star India took over the reign for the 2018-22 period. They did so with a staggering bid of Rs 16,347.50 crores, that raised questions at the time. However, Star made big profits out of the deal and it is expected that the rights might skyrocket over Rs 35,000 crores for the next five-year cycle. Earlier, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had added two new franchises to the cash-rich league making it a 10-team tournament. The two sides which will be based out of Lucknow and Ahmedabad will be a part of the 2022 edition of the IPL. While Sanjiv Goenka’s RPSG secured the bid for the Lucknow franchise (Rs 7090 crores), CVC Capital will have the ownership of the Ahmedabad team (Rs 5625 crores). “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 release.