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Showing posts from 2018

Chennai beats Mumbai and clinch thriller

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It is not just about coming back. It is about the impact you make in the process. And Chennai team knows how to with a bang.  The Chennai team beat the home team by one wicket in what was an absolute sit-at-the-end-of-the-chair thriller. It was one of the best chases the tournament has seen and it most definitely won't be the last. The player who made the difference in the end - Jadhav - literally came back from the dead after retiring hurt to take his team to the finish line by hitting the ball in style with a six and a four.  Batting on one leg and playing an absolutely unbelievable shot, this player leveled the scores first with a six and finished the match with a four. 
Key Points  MI has never won their opener since 2013.This was Chennai's first win against MI in an opener of this T20 League DRS used in the league for the first time Bravo: It was a great team effort. I want to dedicate this win to the CSK fan, they have waited long for it. I came very early. I …
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Key Players: West Indies - Pakistan

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Pakistan is back with a lot of cricket action. Post the PSL, which was a phenomenal game not just for the locals who saw international players in the field, but also for Pakistan cricket itself; West Indies is now visiting the country. International cricket returns after 9 years. Pitch: Hard. Weather alright. Sun is out. A pleasure for batsmen.
Teams: Windies: Chadwick Walton, Andre Fletcher, Marlon Samuels, Rovman Powell, Jason Mohammed(c), Denesh Ramdin(w), Rayad Emrit, Kesrick Williams, Samuel Badree, Keemo Paul, Odean Smith, Andre McCarthy, Veerasammy Permaul Pakistan: Ahmed Shehzad, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Sarfraz Ahmed(w/c), Faheem Ashraf, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Amir, Hasan Ali, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Nawaz, Rahat Ali, Usman Khan, Shaheen Afridi
Pakistan The players are in form. They are the favourites against what seems to be an inexperienced West Indies side. Pakistan as a cricket loving country is looking to have games as part of its normal routine now …
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Key Players: India - England

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When there is nothing left, you will play for pride. That is what India has to do tomorrow. Considering the fact that the match is taking place in Mumbai. Do it for them. Do it for us.  England and Australia will meet each other at the finals on 31st March. India and England are more than likely to go in with the same playing eleven.
India Terribly low on morale, the team will now have to give it their all. They need to know that they are much better than this.
Key players Smriti Mandhana H Kaur Jhulan Goswami J Rodrigues Pooja Vastrakar
England The team has been doing really well since day one. They will now consider this as a practice match. But they will want to win and go to the finals with confidence. They were thumped by Australia earlier in what can be called as a one-sided game. They want to win this tomorrow.
Key Players Danielle Wyatt Nat Sciver Jenny Gunn Tammy B Tash Farrant
Indu

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Editor’s Pick (Nidahas T20): India - Bangladesh

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The tournament has reached a point that we all love. An exciting point where we still do not know who the finalists are. With just two matches to go and berth still wide open; the rest of the Nidahas tournament looks to be just as thrilling.
If India wins, India books a seat in the finals. If Bangladesh wins, the team takes the second place on the points table (or the first depending on the NRR) So while India should aim to win, an eye should be kept on the run rate at all times. Weather looks dicey as well. It might rain. D&L are prepared as well. Let’s also be. Picking a lineup at a rainy time is crucial. I would pick five batsmen to support a good score and a high run rate. With the batsmen of both teams playing rather well, you will have to pick carefully. Pick the more consistent ones. Bangladesh The team is on a high after the wins. The top five batsmen have clicked taking the team to a whole new level. The bowlers need to keep up with a more consistent line and length. India W…
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Editor’s Pick (PSL T20): Multan Sultans - Islamabad United

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PSL 25
Multan Sultans would now wonder what on earth happened. They are still doing well. They are still only one point short of the team that is on top of the table. They are still fourth on the table. With a bad run rate of -0.004. They need to get back on top. Islamabad United, on the other hand, is second on the table and quite pleased with themselves. Defending Champions are second to last on the table and have no idea what happened either. They probably do. Lahore Qalandars are showing signs of life now having won the second match by taking it to the super over level. (Lahore Qalandars defeated Karachi Kings). That was really something. Goes to show that we can neither sign off a team until the last minute nor guarantee that the defending champions are a shoo-in for the next round.
Today’s match is between Multan Sultans and Islamabad United. With some brilliant performances being displayed by both teams, this match will be a good clash to watch. The venue moves to Sharjah.
Multan…
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Editor’s Pick (Nidahas T20): India - Sri Lanka

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The table is currently in a very surprising situation. Most expected Sri Lanka to show Bangladesh the door. But here they are still standing up and shining. The tournament is wide open. Today’s match is between India and Sri Lanka. The stakes are much higher now that Bangladesh is more feared than before. The teams would not want to risk anything at this point. Earlier I had said that they might experiment with the lineup and give everyone a chance. Now it will be more than giving people a chance. They will strategize. The Indian team will be open to experimentation, but not at the cost of results.

The untested ones are Deepak Hooda, KL Rahul, and Axar Patel. India has lost to Sri Lanka in their first encounter of this tournament. They will want to be wary because another defeat could cost them the tournament itself. So, not all the new players will see the light today.
A lot depends on Rohit Sharma today. Shikhar Dhawan, Suresh Raina, Manish Pandey and Dinesh Karthik will chip in too.…
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Blog Time: Bangladesh Beats Sri Lanka

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Bangladesh defeated Sri Lanka in their own den. The Lions losing to India was somewhat alright. I mean it is India. And the current team is one of the best teams in the world. They also defeated South Africa in South Africa. But Sri Lanka losing to Bangladesh in Sri Lanka will be extremely hard to digest. A lot of people were surprised. Now I have the habit of rooting for the underdogs and I had a feeling that Bangladesh had it in them. It was nice to be able to tell others, “I told you that Bangladesh could win”.

What did happen? Sri Lanka came in to bat first and hit a solid 214 runs in 20 overs. It was a very good score indeed. Perera’s 74 along with Kusal Mendis’s 57 took the runs to a competitive level. It seemed like a sure-fire win for the lions. A very fair assumption to make too. And then came in Bangladesh. From the word go, they were on the track to victory. The first wicket fell at 74. Second at 100. Third at 151. By the time the fifth wicket fell, the contributions made by…
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Editor’s Pick (PSL T20): Karachi Kings - Lahore Qalandars

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PSL 24
The table has seen a lot of changes over the weekend. Multan Sultans, who were on top of the table has become fourth. Lahore Qalandars are still at the bottom of the table despite a win. Quetta Gladiators and Islamabad United take the top two places, replacing Karachi Kings as well.
Today’s match is between Karachi Kings and Lahore Qalandars. Both teams are on a good path and are not likely to change their lineup. I did have a hard time picking a lineup because the players that are consistent, I cannot have them all because of the points constraint. I had to drop Brendon McCullum because his salary is 11. I decided to keep two top players than one top-notch and one below average (no player who costs seven can be in your lineup in this match. Look at his performance. You will agree).
Lahore Qalandars: Brendon McCullum (c), Sohail Khan, Sunil Narine, Mitchell McClenaghan, Yasir Shah, Anton Devcich, Agha Salman, Fakhar Zaman, Shaheen Afridi, Sohail Akhtar, Gulraiz Sadaf (wk) Karachi…
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Editor’s Pick (PSL T20): Peshawar Zalmi - Islamabad United

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After a slow start, Islamabad United has picked up and shown some caliber. They have won four out of six matches. Luke Ronchi took the team’s performance up a notch with his 37-ball 71 runs. It was good enough to break Karachi King’s unbeaten run. JP Duminy’s 43 and Ronchi’s 71 took the team past the victory line. The bowlers chipped in quite a bit as well. Faheem Ashraf with three wickets stole the show. Sami and Talat one each.
Peshawar Zalmi. Defending champions. They had their confidence handed over to them on a plate. Second last on the table with three losses from six matches, this team has had a rude shock. They will play hard in this match. They have everything to lose. Reputation especially. Whatever is left of it.
The fact of the matter is that both teams look beautiful on paper. It will be a tough contest if both teams play to their potential.
Team news.Andre Russell has been ruled out for the rest of the tournament thanks to an injury in his right hamstring. Darren Sammy al…
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Editor’s Pick (PSL T20): Multan Sultans - Lahore Qalandars

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Having won four out of seven matches, Multan Sultans are on top of the table with 9 points (one abandoned match too). They meet Lahore Qalandars today. Who has played and lost all six matches. Need I even say more about the two teams.
Multan Sultans No big changes expected. And rightly so. If you have won good points in matches played by Multan Sultans, you might as well stick to the same players. Watch out for Tanvir and Irfan. They might be rested.
Lahore Qalandars Where do we begin? For one, Umar Akmal might come back. So will Mitchell McClenaghan. Keep Fakhar Zaman and Sunil Narine. And M Rahman. Brendon McCullum.
EXPECTED11: Lahore Qalandars:
Brendon McCullum (c), Fakhar Zaman, Anton Devcich, Agha Salman, Umar Akmal (wk), Sunil Narine, Mcclenaghan, Aamer Yamin, Yasir Shah, Sohail Khan, Imran Khan jnr
Multan Sultans:
Ahmed Shehzad, Kumar Sangakkara, Shoaib Malik, Kieron Pollard, Ross Whiteley, Sohaib Maqsood, Saif Badar, Sohail Tanvir, Mohammad Irfan/Junaid Khan, Umar Gull, Imran Tahir…
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