File picture of Royal Challengers Bangalore players Virat Kohli and Dinesh Karthik
| Photo Credit: Sportzpics for IPL

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.

File picture of Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s Dinesh Karthik acknowledging the crowd during an IPL game.
| Photo Credit: AP

Royal Challengers Benglauru’s star finisher Dinesh Karthik might well have had played his last game in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The 38-year-old wicketkeeper-batter was given a guard of honour by his teammates after RCB’s fairytale run ended in disappointment when the side crashed out of the tournament in the second eliminator on May 22.

After Rajasthan Royals inflicted a four-wicket defeat on Bengaluru in the Eliminator at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Karthik took off his gloves and acknowledged the fans who were on their feet to applaud the veteran for his contributions throughout the season.

ALSO READ | People don’t think commentators can be good cricketers, but I’ve done what I have done, says Dinesh Karthik

Soon a moment to savour for the RCB fans unfolded, as the franchise’s marquee star and modern-day cricketing icon Virat Kohli embraced Karthik as he struggled to fight back his emotions.

While Karthik hasn’t yet officially announced his retirement from the IPL, he dropped hints during the tournament that the current season could be his last.

As he walked back towards the dressing room, Karthik received a guard of honour from the RCB players. He was a crucial figure for RCB, especially in the death overs in a turbulent season. His influential cameos at the end played a role in inspiring the team to an unprecedented spot in the playoffs.

If this season ends up as the last one for Karthik, he will finish his IPL career with 4,842 runs in 257 matches, studded with a whopping 22 fifties.

In his illustrious IPL career that spanned over 17 years, Karthik featured for six franchises. He made his debut in the inaugural season in 2008 with the Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals). He made a switch to Punjab in 2011 and, thereafter, went on to play for the Mumbai Indians, Gujarat Lions, Kolkata Knight Riders and the RCB.

He ended the 2024 season with 326 runs in 15 matches at an average of 36.22 and a strike rate of 187.36.

File picture of Lucknow Super Giants coach Justin Langer
| Photo Credit: PTI

Justin Langer is unlikely to apply for India’s head coach job despite having quite an impressive resume in international cricket.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is on the lookout for a new head coach with incumbent Rahul Dravid deciding to step down at the end of India’s T20 World Cup campaign in June.

While there have been several names doing the rounds — including that of Gautam Gambhir — there was speculation that Langer might also throw his hat in the fray.

However, the Australian coach indicated on Friday that he may not be in the race.

Biggest job

“It would almost be the biggest job in cricket being the head coach of the Indian cricket team because of the huge volume of cricket, the huge expectation. It would be a great challenge, it would be great fun. It would be a wonderful opportunity to win ICC titles, but with all these things, the timing has gotta be right,” Langer said.

“I did four or so years with the Australian cricket team. It’s all-encompassing. It is exhausting and I think someone else like Rahul Dravid will probably tell you the same thing, Ravi Shastri will tell you the same thing.

“The pressure on winning for the Indian team is massive.

“So. I’m sure the next person who gets the job will be really looking forward to the project,” Langer, who coached Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL this year, said.

It would be a great challenge, it would be great fun… the pressure on winning for the Indian team is massive.

Lance Klusener responded to the Goenka-Rahul video, saying he did not see “any problem with some robust discussion between two cricket lovers”
| Photo Credit: JioCinema screengrab

Lucknow Super Giants assistant coach Lance Klusener on Monday played down team owner Sanjiv Goenka’s public outburst on their skipper K.L. Rahul, terming it “storm in a tea cup” and said he didn’t find any issue in a “robust discussion between two cricket lovers”.

Social media has been abuzz after Goenka was seen having an animated chat, purportedly reprimanding Rahul after LSG’s record demolition at the hands of Sunrisers Hyderabad, last Wednesday.

There have been speculations about Rahul’s future as LSG skipper also, but Klusener said there has been “certainly no discussions around” the matter.

“I don’t see any problem with some robust discussion between two cricket lovers. So for us, I guess it’s just a storm in a teacup. We love a robust discussion. I think that’s how teams get better. So, it’s not a big thing for us,” the South African said during the pre-match press conference.

“This IPL has been tough for Rahul”

Opening the batting, Rahul has scored 460 runs but his strike-rate reads 136.09, and it has put pressure on the LSG middle-order comprising Marcus Stoinis and Nicholas Pooran.

Klusener, however, backed the senior batter.

“KL has got his own unique style which has made him a fantastic player and respected around the world. I think this IPL has been exceptionally tough for him because we’ve kept losing wickets at stages which hasn’t allowed him to kick on where he likes. He probably feels like he’s always having to rebuild.

“I think as a batting unit around KL, we haven’t been as good as we should. It’s just been extremely tough conditions for him. That’s something we’ve chatted about as well — we’ve just kept losing wickets at tough times.”

However, Klusener said a big knock from Rahul was just around the corner.

“Then batters coming in, seem to have to be rebuilding the whole time and not just coming into a platform. So, I think by KL’s standards, he probably would have liked to have kicked on in a few more games.

“Probably (he) would have liked to have at least one or two hundreds that haven’t worked out for him. But there’s still a couple of games left. He’s in a good space. So, we’ve got our fingers crossed again for him,” he said.

LSG bowling unit was at the receiving end of a brutal onslaught from SRH openers Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma, who racked up a record 167 in 9.4 overs.

“By the bowling unit’s high standards, they didn’t execute as well as they would have liked to on that surface and then you mix in two players who played absolutely beautifully and quite often that ends in a poor result for the team that doesn’t bring their best skills,” Klusener said.

“It was just a mix of some exceptionally hard batting and I don’t think we executed our skills as well as we should have and you mix that together, it doesn’t normally end well.”

LSG are currently at the seventh spot with 12 points, making the remaining two games a must-win contest to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.

“I think we’ve been just a little bit inconsistent by our own high standards. We just need to deal with the fact of where we are now and make sure that we become consistent.

“As a team, we want to win the IPL, we probably need to win five in a row, which I think RCB has just done five in a row.

“So that’s just proved that for us it’s absolutely possible, but that’s just the big picture. We need to get over the line tomorrow before we can have any other aspirations.”

Security personnel tussle with a pitch invader who embraces Chennai Super Kings’ MS Dhoni during the Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 cricket match between Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on May 10, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AFP

A 21-year-old man has been arrested for criminal trespass after he breached the tight security cordon to enter the field to meet cricketer MS Dhoni during an Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the Narendra Modi stadium in Gujarat, police said on May 11.

The incident occurred during the match between the Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans at the stadium in the Motera area of the city on Friday night, an official said.

Jaykumar Jani, a native of Rabarika village in Bhavnagar district, has been arrested under section 447 (criminal trespass) of the IPC, Assistant Commissioner of Police DV Rana said.

Jani informed the police that he was Dhoni’s fan and wanted to meet him, he said.

He jumped the barricades and ran towards the cricketer who was batting, the official said.

In a video of the incident that surfaced on social media, Jani is seen bowing at Dhoni’s feet near the pitch and hugging him before security personnel take him away.

“Jani and his brother Parth travelled from Bhavnagar to watch the match. During a DRS (decision review system) break, Jani first jumped the metal barricades near the black screen and ran towards the pitch. He was quickly apprehended and taken to Chandkheda police station,” Rana said.

He was formally arrested on Saturday after a first information report (FIR) was registered against him, the official said.

This is the second such incident at Narendra Modi stadium in six months.

In November 2023, Wayne Johnson, an Australian national of Chinese-Filipino origin, breached the security cordon to enter the field to hug Virat Kohli during the World Cup final between India and Australia.

File picture of Kolkata Knight Riders players Sunil Narine and Andre Russell during a practice session ahead of an Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 cricket match
| Photo Credit: K.R. DEEPAK

Kolkata Knight Riders will look to extend its recent run of success when it returns home after securing two emphatic away wins.

KKR hosts Mumbai Indians at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on May 11. The faceoff against MI assumes more significance as a victory will ensure a play-off spot for the Knight Riders.

The spate of success, highlighted by the fact that the team has won four of its last five outings, puts KKR on top of the league table with 16 points from 11 matches. This also makes it the favourite against the struggling MI, currently lying in the eighth spot (with eight points from 12 matches). MI is out of the race for a spot in the playoffs.

The opening partnership of Sunil Narine and Phil Salt has been a crucial factor in KKR’s consistent performance. Narine’s belligerence with the bat has been a key element in KKR amassing 200-plus totals in six of the eight innings where it has batted first.

Narine, who has scored 461 runs with a strike rate of 183.67, is in exceptional form that has propelled him as the team’s most successful all-rounder. As a bowler, which is his primary vocation, Narine has been outstanding with an economy rate of 6.61.

Salt, having scored 429 runs with a strike rate of 183.33, has proved to be the right companion for Narine. KKR, which beat MI by 24 runs at the Wankhede Stadium, will be banking on its key players to come good again.

Teams

Kolkata Knight Riders: Shreyas Iyer (c), KS Bharat (wk), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Rinku Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Sherfane Rutherford, Manish Pandey, Andre Russell, Nitish Rana, Venkatesh Iyer, Anukul Roy, Ramandeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine, Vaibhav Arora, Chetan Sakariya, Harshit Rana, Suyash Sharma, Mitchell Starc, Dushmantha Chameera, Sakib Hussain, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Gus Atkinson, Allah Ghazanfar and Phil Salt.

Mumbai Indians: Hardik Pandya (c), Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Dewald Brevis, Jasprit Bumrah, Piyush Chawla, Gerald Coetzee, Tim David, Shreyas Gopal, Ishan Kishan (wk), Anshul Kamboj, Kumar Kartikeya, Akash Madhwal, Kwena Maphaka, Mohammad Nabi, Shams Mulani, Naman Dhir, Shivalik Sharma, Romario Shepherd, Arjun Tendulkar, Nuwan Thushara, Tilak Varma, Harvik Desai (wk), Nehal Wadhera and Luke Wood.

Match starts: 7.30 p.m. on May 11, 2024

Rajasthan Royals batter Sanju Samson plays a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on May 7, 2024.
| Photo Credit: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR

Former Australian opener Mathew Hayden is mighty impressed with the IPL performance of Sanju Samson and has lauded the T20 World Cup-bound power-hitter for “handling both spin and pace with finesse”.

Samson was in his elements on Tuesday when he nearly guided Rajasthan Royals to a win over Delhi Capitals with his 86-run knock. The visitors eventually fell short by 20 runs. He is currently third on the top-scorers chart with 471 runs in 11 matches so far.

“Sanju Samson was batting like a dream, scoring 86 off 46 balls. He’s proven his worth time and again…Throughout the tournament, he’s been a master blaster, handling both spin and pace with finesse,” Hayden told Star Sports.

“He times his innings well. He’s got the power. And the power is a big thing in T20 cricket. Yet, what stands out is his commitment to his team. He just needed a bit of luck, especially towards the end of the match,” he added.

Samson, who is the captain of Rajasthan Royals, has taken the second wicketkeeper’s slot in the Indian team for the T20 World Cup starting June 1 in the Americas.

Former India cricketer Varun Aaron also praised his performance.

“I think Sanju Samson has been batting really well. Bowlers are keen on dismissing him, evident from their reluctance to bowl bouncers despite being allowed two per over in this IPL.

“Interestingly, the over he got out, Khaleel Ahmed bowled the first bouncer to him in the match. This seemed to disrupt his footwork, as the subsequent wide slow ball, which he typically dispatches for six over covers, resulted in his dismissal,” he said.

Punjab Kings bowler Rahul Chahar celebrates after taking the wicket of Shivam Dube during the Indian Premier League 2024 match in Dharamsala on May 5, 2024.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Even as Chennai Super Kings brought its IPL campaign back on track with a 28-run win against Punjab Kings, concerns remained over its middle-order.

At one stage of the game, captain Ruturaj Gaikwad and Daryl Mitchell bossed the PowerPlay and it seemed CSK was on course for a 200-plus total, but a middle-order debacle halted the team’s run flow.

However, CSK bowling coach Eric Simons wasn’t too concerned about the middle-order failure and hoped things would get better in the upcoming fixtures. “I think we won’t be over-concerned about the middle-order. We know the quality is there and it might not have happened in this game. But as we move forward, we hope to fire again,” Simons said after the game on Sunday.

It was the second time in a row that Shivam Dube fell for a golden duck, but the seasoned coach backed the India international. “I don’t think that’s a problem when you have a blip once or twice. That (middle-order) has been our strength. Dube has been incredible but he got out early twice now and that happens. The guys fought hard on the other side and got us to a decent total that we could defend,” Simons said.

“We had a few injury issues, and working away from the initial 11-12 has been important. So, for someone like Samarjeet to come in and do what he did tonight was very important. It was obviously his first game and the nerves were there. To get the wickets that did was magical. So, it’s important to make sure that the whole squad is ready because we never know when we are gonna call them.”

Kolkata Knight Riders’ Shreyas Iyer plays a shot during the IPL 2024 cricket match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Capitals at the Eden Gardens, in Kolkata on April 29, 2024.
| Photo Credit: K.R. Deepak

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Shreyas Iyer completed 3,000 runs in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Monday. The Indian batter reached this milestone during his side’s match against Delhi Capitals at the home ground of Eden Gardens.

During the game, Iyer played another useful cameo to steer his team to a win, scoring 33 runs in 23 balls, with three fours and a six. His runs came at a strike rate of over 143.

In 110 matches, Iyer has scored 3,027 runs at an average of 32.20 and a strike rate of 126.28, with 20 fifties. His best score is 96.

Iyer first represented Delhi Capitals from 2015-2021 and joined the Knights back in 2022. In 87 matches for DC, Iyer scored 2,375 runs at an average of 31.75 and a strike rate of 123.96, with 16 half-centuries. His best score was 96 for the Capitals. For KKR, Iyer has played 23 matches, in which he has scored 652 runs at an average of 34.52 and a strike rate of 135.55, with four half-centuries. His best score is 85.

This season has been a decent one for the KKR skipper with the bat. He has scored 251 runs at an average of 41.83, with a strike rate of 137.16. His best score is 50, which is his solitary half-century.

Virat Kohli from Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) is the highest run-scorer in the league’s history, with 7,763 runs at an average of 38.43 and a strike rate of 131.02. His best score is 113*. Virat has scored eight centuries and 54 fifties.

Head Coach of Delhi Capitals’ Ricky Ponting
| Photo Credit: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar

Ricky Ponting was not just into amassing hundreds in his heydays as a player, the two-time World Cup winning former Australia captain has revealed that he also meticulously collected every bat with which he scored an international ton, complete with the exact score and the name of opposition written on it by him.

The 49-year-old Ponting, who is currently the head coach of Delhi Capitals, was one of the most feared big-hitters of his era and was speaking at the DP World’s Beyond Boundaries initiative of handing out kits to young players in Delhi.

Ponting scored 71 international hundreds, a staggering 41 of them in Tests, during his illustrious playing career that drew to a close in 2012.

“Believe it or not, I have still got my first bat at my home. It still has all the stickers and everything on it. We literally have had probably a thousand of bats by now, some are more special than others.”

“I kept every bat I scored an international hundred with and I write on it, the score and who it was against of,” the usually reticent Ponting revealed.

One of his most memorable knocks was the World Cup-winning unbeaten 140 against India in the 2003 edition’s final.

He pulverised the Indian bowling attack led by Zaheer Khan to almost single-handedly clinch the trophy for Australia.

Does that bat feature in his collection too?

“Yes it does,” pat came Ponting’s reply even as the then India captain Sourav Ganguly, who is currently the Delhi Capitals Director and was sharing the dias with the Australian here, looked on with a smile on his face.

But this memorabilia is hidden away at his home and is not meant to be showed to anyone.

“It’s not like it’s displayed in my house. I keep those in my garage,” he added.

Ganguly also spoke at the event and recalled the time he got his first bat.

“I remember I had my first bat when I was 13 and how happy I was because the ball would just fly off the bat,” the former BCCI President said.

David Warner, who is playing for DC this season, said his first bat was a birthday present.

“My uncle got me my first bat for my birthday, and it never left my side and used to be next to my bed,” he said.