IPL 2024 Emerging Player of the Year Nitish Kumar Reddy has said that he is preparing to perform in the “Hardik Pandya-role” for Team India in the near future. After amassing 303 runs in the IPL at a strike-rate of 142, Reddy was set to make his debut in India’s post-T20 World Cup tour to Zimbabwe, but had to pull out at the last minute due to an injury. However, the Sunrisers Hyderabad star is certain that he will make his India debut soon.

“There’s a chance I’ll get to play at no. 7 or no. 6, most likely a Hardik Pandya role. I’m flexible to bat wherever I’m asked to, but as of now I’m preparing for the role that Hardik Pandya is playing,” said Reddy.

Reddy has showcased his ability as both a batsman, and lately as a handy pace bowler, and recently became the most expensive player in the Andhra Premier League.

The 21-year-old showed maturity beyond his years, and was realistic about the chances he would get in the India setup.

“If you ask me to open, I’ll open as well. In the near future, I won’t be getting the chance at the top order because there are more experienced players,” said Reddy. “I have to adapt to whatever role I’ll get, and I’ve been prepared to adapt this way by domestic cricket,” he added.

Reddy was selected for the five-T20I Zimbabwe tour alongside a bunch of new faces, in a side that will be led by Shubman Gill.

“I’m happy that there is a progression for youngsters who are performing well. After Rohit bhai (Rohit Sharma), Virat bhai (Virat Kohli) and Jaddu bhai (Ravindra Jadeja)’s retirements, there will be opportunities for youngsters. We need to grab them,” said Reddy.

At just 21, Reddy already has the world at his feet, and expressed delight to become a brand ambassador for Puma, the same brand as his idol, Virat Kohli.

“My inspiration is Virat Kohli, so I’m really proud to be a part of Puma. Puma really supported me through the IPL, and the greatest thing is that they’re providing opportunities to youngsters like myself and Riyan Parag,” Reddy said.

Nitish Kumar Reddy is expected to be retained by Sunrisers Hyderabad ahead of next year’s mega auction, after a successful IPL 2024.

New Zealand bowler Lockie Ferguson praised the bowling conditions at Brian Lara Stadium after his historic spell of 4-4-0-3 against Papua New Guinea in the T20 World Cup amidst the disappointment of an early exit from the T20 World Cup. Ferguson’s performance was nothing short of magical as he registered the most economical bowling figures in the history of the ICC T20 World Cup, and became only the second bowler in T20Is to bowl 24 dot balls without conceding a run.

His sensational spell was instrumental in restricting PNG to a mere 78 runs, with every New Zealand bowler chipping in to take wickets.

Reflecting on the match, Ferguson appreciated the challenging nature of the wicket. “Yeah, no, no runs today. But yeah, look, obviously a tough wicket to bat on. Coming from the IPL, where there were a lot of runs being scored, it’s nice to have a wicket like that for a change,” he said in a video posted by the ICC on their social media.

The bowler acknowledged that such days are rare and cherished the opportunity to exploit the conditions. “It was just one of those days. You could see when our boys went on it as well. So I guess from a bowling point of view, nice to be able to bowl on wickets like that. But I can’t see it happening too many times.”

Despite his personal success, Ferguson was candid about the team’s premature exit from the tournament. He expressed his disappointment while also praising his teammate Trent Boult, who played his final T20 World Cup match.

“Look, I love playing for New Zealand. I’m just really disappointed we got knocked out the way we did. But at the same time, really enjoyed playing with this group of guys. Obviously, Boulty (Trent Boult) with his last game today. It’s going to be sad not having him with the group, but it’s been an incredible career and certainly been nice to sort of follow him in every game. So, I wish him all the best,” he said.

Ferguson’s sentiments reflected a bittersweet moment for the team as they bid farewell to Boult, a stalwart of New Zealand cricket. “It’s a tough one. Now we’re sort of going apart as a team for a few months. So, naturally, you’re gonna miss your good mates and look forward to touching base later in the year,” he said.

New Zealand chased down the modest target set by PNG with ease, reaching 79-3 within 13 overs.

The first batch of Indian cricketers, including skipper Rohit Sharma, on Saturday departed for United States ahead of the T20 World Cup beginning on June 2. Apart from Rohit, pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, top-ranked T20I batter Suryakumar Yadav, head coach Rahul Dravid and batting coach Vikram Rathour and few other players left from Mumbai airport. Other players in the travelling contingent include Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel among others.

VIDEO | Visuals of Indian cricket team leaving for USA from Mumbai for the upcoming T20I World Cup.

The T20I World Cup 2024 will be jointly hosted by the USA and the West Indies from June 2 to June 29. The Indian cricket team will begin its campaign against Ireland from June 5…. pic.twitter.com/h6vhK6OhS0

– Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 25, 2024

Few players, including star batter Virat Kohli, who are part of the IPL teams which reached the playoffs, are yet to leave for the T20 showpiece.

The wait is over.

We are back!

Let’s show your support for #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/yc69JiclP8

– BCCI (@BCCI) May 25, 2024

While Rajasthan Royals had beaten Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Eliminator on Wednesday, they suffered a loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad in Qualifier 2 on Friday night.

SRH will face Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday.

Thus, players like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson and Yuzvendra Chahal have not joined the team yet.

The T20 World Cup will be jointly hosted by the USA and the West Indies from June 2 to June 29.

The Indian cricket team will begin its campaign against Ireland on June 5 at the newly constructed Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York.

India will face Pakistan on June 9, followed by matches against co-hosts USA (June 12) and Canada (June 15) in their Group A matches.

India had won the inaugural edition way back in 2007 in South Africa.

Premier India batter Virat Kohli has paid tribute to Dinesh Karthik after his retirement at the end of RCB’s IPL campaign, describing the veteran wicketkeeper-batter as a wise and honest person who lifted his spirits during a phase of struggle in the league’s 2022 season. The 38-year-old, who joined Royal Challengers Bengaluru from Kolkata Knight Riders in 2022 for his second stint after 2015, played his last IPL match on Wednesday when RCB were eliminated by Rajasthan Royals in the playoffs.

“Off the field, I have had some really nice and interesting conversations with him. He is a wise man, and has great knowledge about a lot of things, not just cricket,” Kohli said in a special tribute video posted by RCB.

The little over 11-minute video features tributes from Karthik’s wife, Dipika Pallikal Karthik; his personal mentor, Abhishek Nayar; RCB assistant coach, Malolan Rangarajan; and fitness coach, Shanker Basu.

Kohli recalled the 2022 season when he averaged just 22.73 scoring 341 runs from 16 matches as they missed the final bus losing to Rajasthan Royals in the second qualifier.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed my conversations with him. Even in that phase in 2022 when I did not have a great IPL season, I was really struggling for confidence,” he recalled.

“He sat me down a couple of times and just gave me a very honest explanation of how he saw things and maybe I am not able to see them myself,” Kohli added.

A veteran campaigner in the IPL, Karthik has been involved in all the editions of the league since the inaugural 2008 season and has represented six franchises, including leading KKR to the playoffs in 2018.

He ended with 4,842 runs in 257 matches with 22 fifties.

“I just like his honesty, his courage to go and speak to anyone about things that he really feels about. And that, I think, is the most special thing for me when it comes to Dinesh.

“And that’s something that I’ve always cherished about him. And that’s why we get along really, really well.”

‘A correct player’

Kohli also hailed Karthik as a technically “correct” and versatile batter.

“I always looked at Dinesh and felt like he was such a correct player technically that he could adapt to any kind of role that’s been given to him, and I remember watching him in the 2013 season where he got 600 runs or something and he batted brilliantly at three.

“I saw him play shots which were like ‘wow’. I think he’s done brilliantly to switch and become a renowned finisher.

“…I wish him all the very best for all his future endeavours moving forward.” Kohli hoped that Karthik would stay connected to the RCB franchise in some capacity.

“…because his expertise when it comes to cricket is priceless. I think he’s of great value to this franchise,” he said.

‘Hyperactive, confused person’

Recalling his first meeting with Karthik during India’s tour of South Africa in 2009, Kohli said at first, he found him to be a hyperactive and confused person moving all over the place.

“The first time I met him, I remember we were playing in South Africa if I am not wrong in the Champions Trophy 2009. It was the first time I shared the change room with Dinesh, and I found him to be very amusing, very… I would say hyperactive, confused person.

“Most of the time, he was moving all over the place, never stopping. That was my first impression of Dinesh.

“He is an outstanding talent, brilliant batter to watch and my first impression and the present-day impression are not far apart — just that he has become wiser and calmed down a lot,” Kohli added.

Batting at a strike rate of 209.41 this IPL season, Abhishek Sharma on Sunday received the biggest compliment of his life when premier pacer Pat Cummins said he wouldn’t like to bowl at the explosive left-hander as “it’s scary”. In the ongoing edition of the league, Abhishek has put fear in the minds of bowlers, including Cummins, his skipper at Sunrisers Hyderabad. He blazed away to a 28-ball 66 in SRH’s four-wicket win over Punjab Kings. The young left-hander hit six sixes and five fours as SRH shot down Punjab Kings’ target of 215 with five balls to spare.

“He (Abhishek) is amazing. I wouldn’t want to bowl to him. It’s scary as he plays with freedom, not only against pacers but also against spinners,” the Australian fast bowler said at the post-match presentation.

The 23-year-old, who represents Punjab at domestic level, has been in phenomenal form this season, aggregating 467 runs from 13 matches at a strike rate of nearly 210 while hitting 39 sixes and 35 fours.

Cummins also hailed Nitish Reddy who made a crucial 25-ball 37 while batting at No 4.

“Nitish is a class player, matured beyond his age, seems to sum up the game really well, he is perfect for our top-order,” he said.

“It has been great and amazing. I didn’t know many guys coming into this season, but we have played great cricket and had some fun. Great bunch of guys,” Cummins added.

The win kept SRH on course for a top-two finish that will give them an extra opportunity to make the final.

“We have won five out of seven matches here, it has been great and amazing. It’s really satisfying and exciting. I haven’t played in finals before, we are playing some really good cricket, excited for what’s ahead,” Cummins said.

Lara’s batting tips helping me: Abhishek

Abhishek said he has benefitted a lot after working with batting great Brian Lara, who was involved with the franchise in the past.

“I have done some work with him, he’s in touch. That’s helping me now,” Abhishek said.

His fifty came off 21 balls, the slowest of the three half-centuries he has made this season, summing up his belligerence.

Abhishek’s previous two fifties came off 16 balls versus Mumbai Indians and 19 balls against Lucknow Super Giants.

“My days are going good so I should utilise it for my team. I wanted to contribute as the target was big today.

“I think I have told this before, during Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy I was clear how I was going to play and dominate in the IPL.

“I’m just waiting for the loose balls, I am going hard against them and trying to put them (bowlers) under pressure,” Abhishek added.

Punjab Kings (PBKS) pacer Harshal Patel levelled with Australian pacer Andrew Tye to become the player with the highest number of wickets for the franchise in a single Indian Premier League (IPL) edition on Sunday. Harshal accomplished this feat against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in their final league stage game. In the game, Harshal took 2/49 in four overs, at an economy rate of over 12. He took wickets of Rahul Tripathi and Nitish Kumar Reddy.

In the ongoing season, Harshal has taken 24 wickets at an average of 19.87 and an economy rate of 9.73, with the best bowling figures of 3/15. He is the leading wicket-taker this season, but he would not have any more opportunity to add to his tally since his team is not in the playoffs.

Andrew Tye (24 wickets in the 2018 edition), Kagiso Rabada (23 in the 2022 edition) and Shami (20 in the 2020 edition) have taken the joint-highest, second-highest and third-highest number of wickets in a single IPL for Punjab, respectively.

Coming to the match, PBKS won the toss and elected to bat first. A hard-hitting half-century from Prabhsimran Singh (71 in 45 balls, with seven fours and four sixes) and knocks from Rilee Rossouw (49 in 24 balls, with three fours and four sixes) and Atharva Taide (46 in 27 balls, with five fours and two sixes) set the tone for a big total, taking PBKS to 214/5 in their 20 overs.

T Natarajan (2/33) was the pick of the bowlers for SRH.

In the run-chase, after losing Travis Head for a duck, Abhishek Sharma (66 in 28 balls, with five fours and six sixes), Nitish Kumar Reddy (37 in 25 balls, with a four and three sixes) and Heinrich Klaasen (42 in 26 balls, with three fours and two sixes) played fiery knocks to propel SRH to 215/6 in 19.1 overs, winning the game with five balls left.

Arshdeep Singh (2/37) was the pick of the bowlers for PBKS.

Abhishek Sharma was the Player of the Match for his quickfire fifty.

SRH is at number two in the points table, with eight wins, five losses and a no result, with 17 points. PBKS is at the ninth spot with five wins, nine losses and 10 points.

File photo of MS Dhoni.© BCCI

File photo of MS Dhoni.© BCCI

Contrary to popular opinion, the much debated ‘Impact Player’ rule has proved to be a bigger nightmare for bowlers compared to the all-rounders, Sunrisers Hyderabad’s left-arm spinner Shahbaz Ahmed said on Friday. Shahbaz has played 12 games this season, scoring 186 runs at a strike-rate of 138 plus but his primary skill which is believed to be left-arm spin hasn’t provided rich dividends with only three wickets coming his way, that too at a below-par economy rate of 10.60.

“Now every team has in total 9 batters, an all-rounder and eight batters. Also the teams look for players, who can strike big from ball one and carry on the momentum till the end. The ‘Impact Player’ rule has affected bowlers more than all-rounders because this gives batters the cushion to play freely,” Shahbaz told PTI videos.

According to Shahbaz, the teams didn’t really understand how to use an ‘Impact Player’ during the inaugural season and as every team got a hang of it, even anchors during batting innings is starting to become obsolete.

“The teams didn’t know much about how to use it (Impact Player) last season. The all-rounders have a reduced role, which means they are getting lesser chance to bowl unlike earlier times when they used to bowl four overs.

“A lot of all-rounders are facing this. now they get to bowl one or two overs, this is true, this is visible to everyone, but I think, the batters who used to anchor games, has also gone down significantly.”

Cummins created pressure-free environment

The Bengal all-rounder was all praise for skipper Pat Cummins, who has been instrumental in keeping the SRH dressing-room stress free which has certainly shown on the on-field performance. SRH have already qualified for the last four stage with 15 points.

“If I talk about myself whenever Pat throws the ball to me, he always backs me. This sort of helps me to soak in pressure well and even if the ball goes to the boundary, he doesn’t say anything and keeps motivating all bowlers.

“He and the coach (Daniel Vettori) have created such an environment that no player in the camp ever feels that there’s any sort of pressure. The players are playing freely, we enjoy playing under his captaincy and that has what helped us to perform well”.

A lesser known fact about Shahbaz is that legendary Virat Kohli gifts him one of his bat every season.

“Virat’s bat is by far the best in terms of quality. His bat has the right balance and the ping is fabulous. In every IPL season, he has gifted me a willow. His bat really holds high value for me.”

Delhi Capitals skipper Rishabh Pant took to social media and shared a heartfelt message for the home fans on Friday as they were not able to qualify for the playoffs of the Indian Premier League 2024. Pant has been one of the main highlights of the ongoing 17th edition of the cash-rich league, as he returned to cricket after 14 months of recovery following his horrific car accident in December 2022. The 26-year-old scored 446 runs in 13 IPL matches this season. Pant’s batting prowess in the IPL 2024 has earned him a spot in India’s main 15-man squad for the impending 2024 T20 World Cup as one of their two wicketkeeper options.

“Felt amazing to be back on the pitch after so long! Cannot be grateful enough for everyone who played a part in this! None of this would be possible without the constant love and affection from the fans. The energy was unreal, and I’m thrilled to be doing what I love again. Excited for what’s ahead and looking forward to giving my best and making more memories,” Pant wrote on Instagram.

Delhi Capitals ended the league with seven wins and seven losses, winning their final league game against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). Though fifth in the points table, their final standing in the tournament depends on the results of the remaining fixtures.

Delhi Capitals Squad: David Warner, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Abishek Porel, Shai Hope, Rishabh Pant (wk/c), Kumar Kushagra, Axar Patel, Tristan Stubbs, Rasikh Dar Salam, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed, Praveen Dubey, Sumit Kumar, Ricky Bhui, Vicky Ostwal, Gulbadin Naib, Lalit Yadav, Prithvi Shaw, Lizaad Williams, Jhye Richardson, Anrich Nortje, Yash Dhull, Swastik Chikara.