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The IPL 2023 is finally done and dusted, and now the focus shifts to the much-awaited finals of the World Test Championship , where India will meet Australia’s cricket team at The Oval on June 7. This is the second time India has qualified for the Test Championship final and has a golden opportunity to end their trophy drought at multiple ICC events. Reflecting on the hard work and form that Rahane has displayed on the domestic circuit, former captain of the Indian cricket team Sunil Gavaskar considers him to be an important member of India’s batting line-up. He also expects a good show from the right-handed batsman, saying “he has a point to prove” after being dropped from the team. On the show Star Sports Follow the Blues, Gavaskar said that “he’s got a lot of experience having played in England and having scored runs in England. So, yes, I think he is going to be crucial down at number 5. And yes, I do believe he has a point to prove. I still feel he has plenty of cricket left in hi...

The captain of the Indian cricket team, Rohit Sharma, has reached England and has joined the rest of his teammates who were already in the country as the players adjust to the conditions before the finals of the World Test Championship against Australia. The one-off Test, which will decide the winner of the 2021/23 World Test Championship cycle, will be held at The Oval and start on June 7. Rohit travelled with Yashasvi Jaiswal, who is part of the reserves for the squad. Earlier, Jaiswal had posted a selfie of him along with Rohit on his Instagram handle with the caption, “Off to England for the World Test Championship Final with the one and only Rohit Sharma. I trust and I believe.” The BCCI and Rohit himself said on Tuesday that he had now joined the Indian team. Other players with the pair were Rohit’s Mumbai Indians teammates, Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav. They joined Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, Axar Patel, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat, and Shardul Thakur. With the excepti...

Batting star Virat Kohli joined the national team training session on Monday for the WTC Finals against Australia at the picturesque Arundel Castle Cricket Club along with left-arm seamer Jaydev Unadkat, who seemed to have recovered from a left shoulder injury. Team India will take on Australia at the Oval from June 7 to 11. On Monday, the BCCI shared pictures on their official Twitter handle of the members of the team, including Kohli and the pace duo of Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Siraj. Rohit Sharma was absent from the pictures, as it is expected that he is going to join training on Tuesday. The BCCI said in a tweet, “Team India members begin their preparations for the WTC23 at Arundel Castle Cricket Club.” While Kohli, Umesh, and Siraj were seen jogging in their new training kit, off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin could be seen rolling his arm over at the nets. Unadkat was also engaged in a discussion with head coach Rahul Dravid and bowling coach Paras Mhambrey. Cheteshwar Pujara, who ...

MS Dhoni gave a major update about his potential retirement after the Chennai Super Kings won their fifth Indian Premier League title by defeating the Gujarat Titans by five wickets at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Tuesday. The CSK captain, who equaled Rohit Sharma as the captain with the most IPL titles, said that announcing his retirement will be the “easy thing,” but he wants to train for the next nine months and try to play in the next season as a “gift” for his fans. He said at the post-match presentation, “Looking for an answer? Obviously, if you see, this is the best time for me to announce my retirement. But the amount of love and affection that I have been shown wherever I have been this year… I think the easy thing for me to say would be “Thank you very much’, but the tough thing for me would be to work hard for nine months and come back and play at least one more season of the IPL. But a lot depends on the body. It would take 6–7 months to decide. It will be mor...

The cricket legend of Pakistan’s cricket team, Wasim Akram, has given his prediction for the finals of the IPL 2023, which are going to be played in Ahmedabad, in favour of the Chennai Super Kings led by MS Dhoni. In the inaugural match of the season, CSK and GT faced each other, and the defending champions won the match by five wickets. Whereas in qualifier 1, which was again played between GT and CSK, CSK won the match and made it to their 10th IPL final . After this, in qualifier 2, the Gujarat Titans defeated the Mumbai Indians by 62 runs and made it to the finals. Wasim Akram was asked about his prediction for the finals of the IPL 2023, and in response, the former captain of the Pakistan cricket team said that the Gujarat Titans are relying on their captain Hardik Pandya and their star player Shubman Gill, while the Chennai Super Kings have qualified for the final 10 times. Akram also said that Chennai knows how to make a comeback even if they lose. We get calm and remain calm in...

The great Matthew Hayden says, “Mahendra Singh Dhoni is a “magician” who can turn someone else’s “trash into treasure.” He also reckons that the unmatched contribution of the former captain of the Indian Cricket Team to the CSK success story makes his playing future with the franchise “almost irrelevant”. The tactical genius of Dhoni has played a big part in  CSK  reaching their 10th IPL final. He did not have the best of bowling attacks at the start of the tournament, but he has been able to bring the best out of them.   The way he has used Ajinkya Rahane and Shivam Dube in the batting department has also been praised widely. Dhoni, who has played with a knee injury throughout the tournament, has given himself 8–9 months to decide on his playing future. However, Australian cricket legend Hayden feels that the World Cup-winning captain will not be around for the next IPL. Hayden said, “MS is a magician. He takes someone else’s trash and makes it treasure. He is a very ski...

There is a big question mark over the future of the India-Afghanistan series. This series was part of the preparation for the World Cup in 2023 for both teams. However, with India's tour of the West Indies and the   Asia Cup   coming up, the BCCI is thinking of pulling the plug on the limited overs series. BCCI officials and the chief of ACB, Mirwais Ashraf, are going to discuss the future of this bilateral series during the ACC meeting in Ahmedabad. According to reports, India and Afghanistan's cricket teams were set to play a 3-game ODI series between the World Test Championship finals and India's tour of the West Indies. But there is only a one-month gap between the two tournaments; hence, the BCCI is concerned about the workload of the players. The Indian cricket team is also going to participate in the Asia Cup schedule, which is to be announced soon, and the World Cup in 2023 is also not far away.

Mumbai Indians young bowler Akash Madhwal helped the team beat Lucknow Super giants in the Eliminator at the Chepauk as he took five wickets and turned the match into a one-sided encounter. The Mumbai Indians bested the Lucknow Super giants by 81 runs on Wednesday. From captain Rohit Sharma to mentor Sachin Tendulkar, the entire Mumbai Indians camp was in joyful  celebration  after the victory of the Mumbai Indians over the Lucknow Super giants. Watch the  video  here. While batting first, Rohit Sharma and his team posted a challenging target of 182 runs at the loss of 8 wickets in 20 overs. In response, the Lucknow Super giants got dismissed for 101 runs in 16.3 overs, the credit for which goes to the five wicket haul of MI pacer Madhwal. Now MI will meet GT in qualifier 2 of the IPL 2023 at Narendra Modi Stadium on Friday.

On Tuesday evening, MS Dhoni added another milestone to his legacy as he guided the Chennai Super Kings to their 10th IPL final. The four-time IPL winners defeated defending champions Gujarat Titans by 15 runs. However, the journey is not yet over for the titles; they are going to get another chance to meet CSK at the finals if they manage to defeat the winners of the eliminator match between Lucknow Super giants and Mumbai Indians in their next encounter, i.e., Qualifier 2. MS Dhoni, as usual, was spot on with most of his on-field decisions, but there was one particular incident that did not go well with the fans and also with the batting legend Sunil Gavaskar, who had taken the autograph of Dhoni on his shirt a few days earlier. The incident took place before the 15th over of the Gujarat chase, when Dhoni was seen engaged in a discussion with the umpire. Although it was not very clear at the start, later on it was pointed out by many that it was a deliberate time-wasting strategy by...

MS Dhoni , often known as ‘Captain Cool’ by his supporters, is a man who is frequently viewed as someone who keeps his emotions under check. Dhoni seldom loses his cool on the pitch, no matter how stressful the situation is. Dhoni’s emotionally impermeable nature makes him a difficult player to predict on the pitch as well. However, Dhoni’s former India and Chennai Super Kings colleague Harbhajan Singh has stated that there was one instance when Dhoni sobbed while surrounded by his CSK teammates. Harbhajan claimed in a video published by Star Sports that the incident occurred in 2018, when CSK was making their return to the IPL after being suspended for two seasons for their suspected role in the IPL betting scam. Former CSK spinner Imran Tahir joined Harbhajan and confirmed the account, claiming it was at that point that he realised how close the team was to Dhoni.”I have a story I’d like to tell you. There was a team dinner in 2018 when CSK returned to this league after a two-year ab...

Australia batsman David Warner has disclosed how former captain Ricky Ponting taught him a lesson after he played a prank on him. Warner, who has made his Australia debut under the captaincy of Ponting, revealed an unheard story from his first overseas tour in 2010. Notably, Warner is the captain of the Delhi Capitals in the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League, with Ponting as the head coach of the franchise. Warner recalled that he once put "vegemite" on the keyhole of Ponting's hotel room. Warner told Gaurav Kapoor in the latest episode of 'Breakfast with Champions that, "During my first away series, which was in South Africa in 2010, Ricky Ponting's room was next to me. I thought it would be smart to put Vaseline on his door handle. I also put vegemite on his keyhole. I was looking through my peephole and saw that he was trying to open his door. He went on to put the key in, but it didn't open. He had to get help from the reception. Someone mu...

It doesn’t happen very often that the century of King Kohli gets overshadowed by someone else in the match, but that is exactly what happened as star player   Shubman Gill   of Gujarat Titans scored an amazing century to knock out Royal Challengers Bangalore from the race for the playoff spot. While chasing the target of 198 runs, Gill displayed some dazzling shots as he kept GT going despite losing a few wickets towards the end. Shubhman completed his century in 52 balls with a six down the ground that also led his team to victory. With the last league match done and dusted, the top four teams that will compete in the playoffs have been decided. While the Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings have secured the top 2 spots, the Lucknow Super Giants and Mumbai Indians have secured the 3rd and 4th spots, respectively, in the IPL 2023 playoffs. Watch the  video  here. The top-notch inning of Gill was laced with five fours and eight sixes. The opener didn’t look in any t...

  Virat Kohli   amazed everyone with his amazing knock to take Royal Challengers Bangalore closer to the playoff qualification race in the Indian Premier League 2023 on Thursday. The star batter of RCB slammed his sixth IPL century as RCB went on to defeat Sunrisers Hyderabad comprehensively by eight wickets. It was a special knock from Kohli, who lorded over all the SRH bowlers and stitched together another 100-run partnership with the captain of RCB, Faf du Plessis. Bollywood actress and Kohli’s wife Anushka Sharma, who was not present at the venue, had a special message for him on social media. Anushka posted shots from Kohli’s innings on Instagram with a short but sweet caption that read, “He is (dynamite emoji). What an inning,” along with a ‘heart’ and a ‘100’ emoji. After the victory, RCB climbed to the fourth spot due to their better net run rate, although they are tied with the Mumbai Indians on 14 points. They will, however, have to win their next match to stay in th...

Virat Kohli   enjoys a huge fan following within the cricketing folklore, as he is regarded by many as the greatest batter of his generation. Not only because of his performances on the field but also because his aggression and strong mindset also separate him from his peers. However, his jersey number, 18, is one of the prime parameters of his association with his fervent followers. Before the match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and SunRisers Hyderabad, Kohli explained the importance of number 18 in his life. Kohli revealed that initially, 18 was just a number that was given to him, but over the years, the number has developed a "cosmic connection" with his life. Kohli said in a video that, "To be honest, 18 started off as just a number that was given to me when I first opened that India U-19 jersey with my name and number on the back. But it ended up becoming a very important number in my life. I made my Indian debut on August 18. My father also died on December ...

On one side, the cricket governing bodies of both nations have banned their teams from travelling across international borders for the Asia Cup and the ICC ODI World Cup 2023, but the situation is different for other sports. With the PCB and BCCI making their stance clear, other sports like hockey and football continue to flourish as bridges between the two bitter rivals. Next month, the Pakistan football team will be visiting Bengaluru for the South Asian Football Federation Championship. This news was confirmed by the All India Football Federation on Wednesday. This is because the two countries were placed in the same group. Assuming they could raise the necessary funds, the Pakistani hockey team had just announced that they intended to attend the Asian Champions Trophy in Chennai in August. And to top it all, the Indian bridge team had recently visited Lahore, too, at the height of the most recent political unrest in Pakistan, where the players claimed they were “treated like royal...

Steve Smith did not hold back when a tweet stated that he was “terrorised by the fast bowler of the England cricket team, Jofra Archer,” in the wake of news that Jofra Archer was ruled out of the Ashes 2023, which are going to get started on June 16. A tweet by ‘Code Cricket’ stated that “England paceman   Jofra Archer   terrorised Australia’s batsmen four years ago. But Steve Smith and Co. can breathe a huge sigh of relief after an update from England’s medical staff this evening.” In response to this tweet, Smith gave the user a piece of his mind by throwing some hard-hitting facts at them. Steve said, “Terrorised? Remind me when I was dismissed by him. Former captain of the Australia cricket team, Steve Smith, was hailed for his swag and ‘owning England’ off the field. Smith has a phenomenal Ashes record against England, scoring 3044 runs against Australia’s oldest rivals at an average of 59.68, which includes 11 centuries. Even in the Ashes of 2019 alone, Smith gathered 74...

On Tuesday, Marcus Stoinis, who is the player of the Krunal Pandya-led Lucknow Super Giants, gave a boost to the team with an unbeaten 89 against the Mumbai Indians in an IPL 2023 match in Lucknow. While Stoinis was making some brilliant shots, Pandya also looked solid as he played the anchor role. He was batting 49 off 42 balls at the end of the 16th over when he could be seen hobbling, and before the start of the next over, he left the field. Although according to the rules, a batsman can be retired out after declaring himself out anytime during his innings, in the case of  Krunal Pandya , there was confusion about whether he was retired hurt or retired out. Later on, he came on to the field to lead the side during LSG's bowling. Even the star spinner of the Indian Cricket Team, R Ashwin, tweeted: "Retired out? #LSGvsMI #KrunalPandya" This tweet from R Ashwin had a sharp reply from one of the users, saying, "Utterly cheating." To which Ashwin commented, "...

Mohammed Siraj's   hard work has certainly paid dividends, and the Hyderabad pacer, who is called "Miyan bhai’ by his teammates, has evolved into a leading figure in the national team. He made his first international appearance back in the year 2017, and although it took some time for Siraj to rise, his stature as a fast bowler has since elevated, especially after the India cricket team's tour of Australia in the year 2020–21, where he also made his Test debut.  In a freewheeling chat with Gaurav Kapoor in his show "Breakfast With Champions", the fast bowler narrated an incident involving KL Rahul when he was on the receiving end. The incident took place when Siraj was yet to make his IPL debut and was a net bowler. He was bowling to KL Rahul, who used to play for RCB. Siraj said, "I had performed with the Under-23 team. I had played one match in the Ranji Trophy. I had taken a wicket, but then I was dropped for the next two matches, and I was out of the tea...

The precision with which  Chennai Super Kings  selected players who would benefit from their circumstances at MA Chidambaram Stadium has been one of their best points during the player auction. The Super Kings often keep things straightforward in a competition where statistics and data frequently play a significant role in debates, particularly when it comes to selecting the team. Every auction, they typically announce the starting lineup for the game in Chepauk, where, if all goes according to plan, they can easily secure a playoff spot. Through the years, their maths and template have remained straightforward. If you win at least six games at home and three more away from home, you'll undoubtedly finish up with 18 points, which would put you in the top two.   They choose their team so that they would have the advantage over other teams to perform well in settings that are the simplest to adjust, which is why they continue to be a team that primarily relies on home advan...

MS Dhoni   completed a special lap of honour at his home field in Chepauk, where he will most likely play his final season of the Indian Premier League in 2023. He thanked all of his followers for their unwavering support of him and the club throughout the years. Although CSK lost against KKR, skipper Dhoni smiled as he walked around the stadium, thanking supporters for their support and shaking hands with security officials, presumably hinting at what the future holds for him. Though CSK will return to Chepauk if they make the playoffs, reaching that point of the season is far from guaranteed. Dhoni was even seen holding a racquet in one hand and smashing balls into the crowd before tossing a few shirts that way. Such actions suggest that his time in the CSK shirt may be coming to an end. View the video here. The police officers at the event too had their moments, shaking hands with Dhoni and obtaining his autographs. Even as the crowd erupted at witnessing their beloved player le...

  The standout feature of that amazing knock of  Surya Kumar Yadav  was the shot that he pulled off against Mohammed Shami, which had the internet talking about it. It was in the penultimate over of the inning when Shami pitched it up around off and in the slot. Sky, with an open face of the bat, looked to play it over cover, but it ended up being a slice over the third-man area for a six.  The stuff of genius, surely! But the major reason behind the shot going viral was Sachin Tendulkar's reaction to it. The mentor of the Mumbai Indians was caught trying to understand what led to that shot with his hand gesture as he explained it to Piyush Chawla, who was sitting next to him in the dressing room of the Mumbai Indians. Watch the video here. Surya Kumar Yadav, while explaining that ridiculous shot after collecting the player of the match, said, "There was a lot of dew on the ground and I knew what shots to play; I was not thinking about going straight; I had two shots...

In the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League 2023, a lot of uncapped Indian players are stepping up with their strong performances. Many players like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Nehal Wadhera, and Ayush Badoni are among those who have been giving impressive performances this season, and Punjab Kings Jitesh Sharma is also one of them. He has batted largely in the middle and lower middle order and has scored 260 runs in 11 matches at a strike rate of 160.49. Suresh Raina , who is also an IPL expert, said while talking about Jitesh Sharma that "he's playing brilliantly in the middle order so far. He's made some important cameos. He's an aggressive player; he's already been a part of the Indian team, but yes, he can be a great middle-order player. His wicket keeping skills are good. He's really impressed everyone with the way he's batting. I'm sure the selectors would look at him again. His hitting abilities are really good, and you will see him a lot more in t...

The Men's 50 Over World Cup will begin and end in Ahmedabad in 2023. The first match is expected to be between   England and New Zealand   on October 5, with the final taking place on November 19 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Motera. According to reputable sources, India's first match would be against Australia, most likely in Chennai. The game against Pakistan will be played on October 15, which is a Sunday, much like the final on November 19. After receiving formal clearance from all parties, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is anticipated to release the schedule soon, most likely after the current Indian Premier League (IPL). The BCCI, as the host, has the final word on the dates and sites. In other developments, sources can reveal that Pakistan has agreed to travel India for the World Cup, despite the ongoing impasse and uncertainty surrounding the Asia Cup, but it is thought to have expressed some reservations. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is reporte...