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“Please Stop It”: Kevin Pietersen Reacts As ‘Joker’ Dig At Ambati Rayudu Intensifies Abuse

admin — Tue, 28 May 2024 09:50:35 +0000

Former Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians batter Ambati Rayudu has been a man in the headlines ever since the Royal Challengers Bengaluru were knocked out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 campaign. Rayudu didn’t hesitate in taking a swipe at the Bengaluru franchise for the manner in which it is run while also targeting Virat Kohli in a subtle manner, suggesting it’s not the Orange Cap that wins a team the IPL title but collective effort. Rayudu’s most recent attempt targeting RCB came after the IPL 2024 final, where he got involved in a banter with former England captain Kevin Pietersen on Live TV.

Pietersen, in reaction to Rayudu’s ‘Orange Cap’ dig at Kohli, was caught calling the former India star a ‘joker’, with the incident going viral on social media. However, Pietersen has now issued clarification.

“Come on guys! This tribalism with/against Indian players on social media needs to slow down!

Example – @RayuduAmbati and I were messing around after the IPL final and all of a sudden that banter has turned into an avalanche of abuse towards Ambati.

PLEASE stop it?,” he wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

Come on guys!

This tribalism with/against Indian players on social media needs to slow down!

Example – @RayuduAmbati and I were messing around after the IPL final and all of sudden that banter has turned into an avalanche of abuse towards Ambati.

PLEASE stop it?

— Kevin Pietersen (@KP24) May 28, 2024

Here’s how the full conversation unfolded between Rayudu, Pietersen and the broadcaster’s pundit after the IPL 2024 final:

Rayudu: When you have a stalwart and a legend like Virat Kohli, who has set really high standards, it’s very hard for the youngsters to be in a side like that and try and match his standard because he always wants the team to be performing at his level.

Pietersen: No, it should be good for youngsters…

Rayudu: But sometimes the burden of really trying to be Virat Kohli in a sport where you know nobody is going to be like him.

Mayanti Langer: But didn’t Patidar step up to the plate?

“Patidar can only be a Patidar but not a Virat Kohli, and I think RCB, as a management, understands that you cannot have 11 Virat Kohli in the team. You need to have 1 Virat Kohli with 10 others being themselves, having their own identities and strengths and weaknesses. And you need to use them well in terms of resources,” Rayudu said.

“You can’t expect somebody to win the game in the first season. You need to give him that leeway and time to grow into a match-winner. So I think the management has its task out, and even Virat Kohli needs to ease his standards a bit when it comes to youngsters, nurturing them, and letting them go.”

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“Virat Kohli Needs To Ease His Standards…”: Ambati Rayudu’s Bizarre Take Gets Strong Reaction

admin — Mon, 27 May 2024 13:42:24 +0000

File photo of Virat Kohli© AFP

Former Indian cricket team Ambati Rayudu once again courted controversy after his comments on Virat Kohli and Royal Challengers Bengaluru following the IPL 2024 final. After Kolkata Knight Riders’ victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2024 final, Rayudu said that Virat’s consistency may become a burden for the side despite the star India batter emerging as the highest run-scorer in the competition. During an analysis on Star Sports, Rayudu praised Kohli for setting high standards before pointing out that players like Rajat Patidar may find it difficult to replicate such performances.

Here’s the conversation between Ambati Rayudu, Kevin Pietersen and Mayanti Langer –

Pietersen: No, it should be good for youngsters…

Rayudu: But sometimes the burden of really trying to be Virat Kohli in a sport where you know nobody is going to be like him.

Mayanti Langer: But didn’t Patidar step up to the plate?

Rayudu was speaking sh*t about Virat Kohli again and got clowned by KP, Haydos and Mayanti collectively!

Bro literally forgot ECB and Cricket AUS are Virat’s biggest PRs! pic.twitter.com/R6sd07SFre

— Agnik (@lordkohli18) May 27, 2024

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“Ex-Foreign Players…”: Wasim Akram’s Response To Pietersen’s “Virat Kohli Should Leave RCB” Remark

admin — Mon, 27 May 2024 09:53:39 +0000

Kevin Pietersen had advised Virat Kohli to join another team in order to win the elusive title.© BCCI

Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s wait for an Indian Premier League (IPL) title was shattered once again as the franchise crashed out of the tournament after losing to Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Eliminator. RCB managed to pull off a remarkable comeback to reach the playoffs after losing seven of their first eight games. However, RCB succumed to a crushing defeat at the expense of RR in the Eliminator. Virat Kohli was the top performer for the franchise yet again as he bowed out of the tournament with the Orange Cap firmly stuck on his head.

The former RCB batter scored 741 runs in 15 matches this season; no other batter has crossed the 600-run mark yet. Kohli has been part of RCB since the inaugral season of IPL in 2008, and has seen his side lost three finals (2009, 2011 and 2016).

As RCB’s search for an IPL trophy continued, former England captain Kevin Pietersen, who also played for the franchise, advised Kohli to join another team in order to win the elusive title.

“I have said it before and I will say it again — the greats of the game in other sports, have left teams to go and seek glory somewhere else. When he has tried and tried so hard — won the Orange Cap yet again and done so much yet again and the franchise fails again. I understand for the brand of the team and the commercial value he brings to the team… But Virat Kohli deserves a trophy. He deserves to play in a team that could help him to get that trophy,” Pietersen on Star Sports.

However, legendary Pakistan pacer Wasim Akram had a different view on this matter. On being asked to share his views on Pietersen’s advice, Akram suggested that overseas former cricketer’s shouldn’t speak on such matters, adding that it should be Kohli’s choice eventually.

“I’ve a very strict answer. Kevin is a very good friend of mine. All these foreign ex-players, who do the commentary, they tweet about everything related to India. I’m all for it… it’s probably right but it’s not a big deal for me. It’s a big deal for Kohli, maybe. He wants to win for RCB, what would changing the team do for him, then? He wants to win for RCB, that’s his call. That’s my opinion. I don’t want to speak on everything, that’s what I’ve learned,” Akram said on Sportskeeda.

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IPL 2024: 52 Runs Entire Season, Glenn Maxwell Subjected To Brutal Social Media Trolling

admin — Thu, 23 May 2024 18:21:56 +0000

It was a season to forget for Royal Challengers Bengaluru all-rounder Glenn Maxwell who couldn’t rise up to the occasion for the franchise. RCB were knocked out by Rajasthan Royals in the Eliminator contest on Wednesday, with Maxwell incurring a golden duck. The Australian all-rounder was shown no mercy by former cricketers and fans who asked some tough questions from him over his repeated failures in the league. After a string of poor performances in the first half of IPL, Maxwell even decided to take an indefinite break from the league, but the absence of other overseas stars like Phil Salt, prompted the Aussie star’s return.

Against Rajasthan, Maxwell was given the task of accelerating RCB’s scoring rate after the dismissals of key players like Virat Kohli and Cameron Green. But, Maxwell was undone on the first ball he faced from Ravichandran Ashwin.

Seeing Maxwell depart on the first ball, former India all-rounder posted on X (formerly Twitter): “What was Maxwell doing?”

What was maxwell doing?

— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) May 22, 2024

Former England captain Kevin Pietersen, who was fulfilling commentary duty at that time, lambasted Maxwell on-air.

“What on earth was that from Glenn Maxwell?,” Pietersen remarked on air. “This is a huge game, you need your biggest players to perform, you need to give yourself a chance. That from Glenn Maxwell isn’t good enough.”

Even fans resorted to memes to express their frustration at Maxwell, criticising the marquee player’s shockingly poor show this season.

Glenn Maxwell pic.twitter.com/YNQcSUSXlU

— Desi Bhayo (@desi_bhayo88) May 22, 2024

Maxwell again today #RCBvsRR #RRvsRCB #ViratKohli #maxwell #IPL2024Playoff pic.twitter.com/4dbQzo5GOp

— QAZI (@koini007) May 22, 2024

Virat Kohli with Glen Maxwell in the dressing room pic.twitter.com/lHlgMmalGg

— Pakchikpak Raja Babu (@HaramiParindey) May 22, 2024

RCB fans Maxwell ke piche : pic.twitter.com/F70n0vQIu0

— Raja Babu (@GaurangBhardwa1) May 22, 2024

42 years old retired Dhoni in IPL 2024:

11 innings

161 runs

53 ave

220.5 SR.

HARCB blood maxwell in this IPL:

9 inns

52 runs

5.78 ave

121 S/R pic.twitter.com/JQSYXBk4UT

— RK (@MahiGOAT07) May 23, 2024

Maxwell wasn’t just poor with the bat against Rajasthan but also disappointed in the field, putting down an important catch Tom Kohler-Cadmore. Maxwell was retained by RCB ahead of IPL 2024 auction for a fee of INR 11 crore. Going by his form, it would be a surprise if RCB decide to retain him ahead of next year’s mega auction.

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“Don’t Think He Has Achieved Anything In IPL”: Gautam Gambhir Blasts RCB Great

admin — Wed, 15 May 2024 02:50:20 +0000

Indian cricket team all-rounder Hardik Pandya has been facing a lot of criticism due to his performance as Mumbai Indians skipper in the ongoing IPL 2024. The decision taken by the MI management to appoint him as the captain in place of Rohit Sharma was not received well by a section of the fanbase and things got worse as MI won just 4 out of their 13 matches in the competition. Hardik’s captaincy came under the scanner with former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen and former South Africa and Royal Challengers Bengaluru star AB De Villiers also weighing in on the conversation.

Former India batter and current Kolkata Knight Riders mentor Gautam Gambhir was not happy with the massive criticism that Hardik faced and he went on to say that both De Villiers and Pietersen’s records as captain are also not impressive. Gambhir spoke specifically about De Villiers’ failure to win an IPL title with RCB and said that except for his own scores, he has achieved nothing in the IPL.

“What was their own performance like when they were the captain? I don’t think, be it Kevin Pietersen or AB de Villiers, they had any performance in their career with leadership. Nothing. If you pick and see their records, I think they are worse than any other leader. I don’t think AB de Villiers has achieved anything in the IPL apart from his own scores. I don’t think he has achieved anything from a team’s point of view, Hardik Pandya is still an IPL-winning captain. So you should only compare oranges to oranges. Not apple to oranges,” Gambhir said in an interaction with Sportskeeda.

Kolkata Knight Riders became the first team to secure their spot in the IPL 2024 playoffs while RCB are still in the hunt for a top 4 finish. The Bengaluru side have to win its final game of the league campaign, against Chennai Super Kings, in order to remain in the hunt but also hope that certain other results fall in their favour.

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England Great Demands “Apology” For Novak Djokovic, Victim Of COVID-19 Vaccine “Witch-hunt”, After AstraZeneca Withdrawal

admin — Wed, 08 May 2024 13:51:13 +0000

In 2022, Novak Djokovic was refused entry to Australia over his Covid-19 vaccine status. Djokovic, an outspoken vaccine sceptic, was held after arriving in Australia to play in the Australian Open. The all-time great’s visa was revoked for failing to meet the country’s tough pandemic restrictions, a development that reverberated globally and sparked an angry reaction from Serbia.

Novak Djokovic was a victim of a “political witch hunt” claimed Serbian president Aleksandar Vucic while talking about the incident as fans in Belgrade rallied in support of the embattled tennis star after Australian authorities cancelled his entry visa. “What is not fair-play is the political witch hunt (being conducted against Novak), by everybody including the Australian Prime Minister pretending that the rules apply to all,” Vucic told the media.

On Wednesday, England cricket great brought up the subject yet again amid news of AstraZeneca initiating a global withdrawal of its COVID-19 vaccine, days after it was reported that the British pharmaceutical company admitted that the jab can cause rare side effects. The vaccine, developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, was produced by the Serum Institute of India as Covishield.

“It’s time for every single person(who criticised) and the Australian government to issue an apology to
@DjokerNole now. I think that would be fitting as he went through HELL! It seems he was onto something…” Kevin Pietersen wrote on X.

It’s time for every single person(who criticised) and the Australian government to issue an apology to @DjokerNole now. I think that would be fitting as he went through HELL! It seems he was onto something… pic.twitter.com/D22RtHDTeG

— Kevin Pietersen (@KP24) May 8, 2024

Meanwhile, The vaccine maker has said the worldwide withdrawal was initiated because of commercial reasons due to a “surplus of available updated vaccines” for COVID-19, The Telegraph reported. The vaccine was superseded by updated vaccines that tackle new variants, AstraZeneca said.

The company voluntarily withdrew its “marketing authorisation” in the European Union, adding that the vaccine was no longer being produced and could no longer be used. Similar withdrawals will be made across other countries that have been using the vaccine.

The pharmaceutical giant is facing a 100 million pound lawsuit in UK over claims that the Covid jab caused deaths and injuries to several people. AstraZeneca admitted in one of the court documents in February that Covishield can “in very rare cases, cause TTS or Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome”.

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Sanju Samson Deserves “Higher Honours”: Kevin Pietersen, Matthew Hayden On T20 World Cup Selection

admin — Sun, 28 Apr 2024 07:43:05 +0000

Sanju Samson in post-match presentation ceremony© BCCI/Sportzpics

Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson once again proved his merit in the shortest format of the game, playing a match-winning knock of 71 runs off 33 balls, guiding his team to a victory against Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 on Saturday. Samson, who also has the leadership responsibility of the franchise on his shoulders, has done a phenomenal job in this campaign so far, with the Royals riding at the top of the points table. While the win against LSG has all but secured RR’s position in the playoffs, it’s the T20 World Cup spot as a wicket-keeper that Samson is being talked about the most these days.

For international greats like Kevin Pietersen and Matthew Hayden, there’s no debate over Samson’s position in the 15-man squad. The Kerala batter “has to be” on the plane for the T20 World Cup for them.

“He has to go. There’s no doubt in my mind that he has to be on that aeroplane to the Caribbean and the USA in a couple of weeks. He is doing a lot with the pressure that he is also under as a captain and not being given higher honours. The way he scores runs and the situation he bats in, if I was the selector, he is one of my first picks,” Pietersen said on Star Sports after the conclusion of the RR vs LSG match.

Hayden, who is also working as a pundit on Star Sports for the IPL, said that it’s a sad affair that Samson tends to always get overlooked for national honours. For him too, there’s no doubting that the wicket-keeper batter deserves to be picked for the T20 World Cup.

“With Sanju, he always seems to get overlooked for national honours. I honestly been saying this for a decade, I don’t know why because he is a serious hitter of the ball and if you put him up top, he does the damage through the phases. Tonight was the perfect captain’s knock and guess what, he did it in the end,” Hayden said.

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Virat Kohli Has Turned Indian Cricketers Into ‘Out And Out Athletes’: Kevin Pietersen

admin — Tue, 26 Mar 2024 13:17:43 +0000

Former England captain Kevin Pietersen on Tuesday said fitness freak Virat Kohli has turned his teammates into “out and out athletes” and called him the man responsible for an incredible turnaround in Indian cricket. Previously while commentating in IPL 2024, Pietersen said Kohli should be picked in the Indian team for the T20 World Cup in the USA and the West Indies for the “good of the game regardless of his performances”. In a subtle message after guiding Royal Challengers Bengaluru to victory over Punjab Kings on Monday, Kohli said he has still got the the game to thrive in the T20 format and doesn’t just see himself as a vehicle to grow the game globally.

Following Kohli’s comments, which created a flutter, Pietersen told Star Sports, “One of the things that everyone will remember and will create the greatest memories as a player will be him finishing innings and being one the greatest finishers of all time.

“One of the things that he has done for Indian cricket is he has turned Indian cricketers into athletes, out and out athletes, and while doing so, he’s not just talked the talk. He has walked the walk, and you can see that.” Speaking about his commitment to his team, Pietersen added, “When he is running between the wickets, his full commitment, energy and desire is to be the best and he is the best.

“That starts before the field, that starts with diet, the energy he puts in the gym, with the sacrifices that he has made to walk the walk because when you talk the talk, you have to walk the walk.

“That’s what all the other players who have played under you are following you, watch you. The turnaround in Indian cricket is because of what he has done.” South African legend and Kohli’s former RCB teammate AB de Villiers too is in awe of the Indian batting mainstay.

Speaking on JioCinema after Kohli’s match-winning 49-ball 76 on Monday night, De Villiers said, “I could see it in his eyes, this guy meant business tonight and nobody was going to stand in his way. Unfortunately, he didn’t finish it at the back end. He would have wanted to.

“Knowing him, he will be analysing tonight in his room, ‘Why didn’t I finish that game?’ He’s very hard on himself sometimes. He’s creeping up there on the list of most 50 scores with the other guys in IPL history.

“He’s an amazing player, he played fantastically well tonight. He kept it together, kept them in the game. Well played, Virat.”

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“Rare Happening”: England Great Left Stunned By Crowd Booing Hardik Pandya In IPL 2024

admin — Mon, 25 Mar 2024 06:15:48 +0000

Former England cricket team batter Kevin Pietersen was left stunned by Hardik Pandya getting booed by the Ahmedabad crowd during the IPL 2024 match between Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans on Sunday. This is the first time that Hardik was playing at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad since completing his sensational trade move from Gujarat Titans to Mumbai Indians and he received a heated welcome from the local crowd. Pietersen acknowledged the boos from the crowd on commentary and said that it is rare for an Indian cricketer to get booed on home soil.

“I have never seen any Indian player getting booed like they are booing Hardik Pandya here in Ahmedabad. This is a rare happening,” Pietersen said on commentary.

Fine death bowling by Gujarat Titans (GT), pacers Umesh Yadav and Spencer Johnson in particular, helped the side secure a thrilling six-run win over Mumbai Indians (MI) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) match at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday.

MI start their Hardik Pandya captaincy era with a loss.

In the chase of 169 runs, Mumbai Indians was off to a bad start as Ishan Kishan feathered an edge to wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha, dismissed for a four-ball duck by Azmatullah Omarzai. MI was 0/1 in 0.4 overs.

Rohit Sharma later on developed a brief partnership with young batter Naman Dhir, a 24-year-old with an experience of four T20 innings. Rohit smacked Umesh Yadav for two cracking fours while Naman smashed Omarzai for three fours and a six.

However, Omarzai had the last laugh, trapping Naman leg-before-wicket for 20 in 10 balls, with three fours and a six. MI was 30/2 in three overs. Rohit, however, was unfazed as he continued punishing Umesh with a four and a six.

Dewald Brevis was next up on the crease. With a delightful boundary on Rashid Khan’s delivery, Rohit helped MI reach the 50-run mark in 5.4 overs.

Australia pacer Spencer Johnson delivered an expensive over to conclude the first half of the innings, being hit for two fours by Rohit and a six by Brevis. At the end of 10 overs, MI was 88/2 with Rohit (40*) and Brevis (26*) unbeaten.

Brevis hit Mohit Sharma for a four to help MI reach the 100-run mark in 11.1 overs.

The 77-run partnership for the third wicket was ended by Sai Kishore, who trapped Rohit leg-before-wicket for 43 in 29 balls, with seven fours and a six. MI was 107/3 in 12.1 overs.

At the end of 15 overs, MI was 126/3, with Brevis (46*) and Tilak Varma (15*) unbeaten.

Mohit turned things around for GT, dismissing Tim David for 11 in 10 balls after he was caught by David Miller. MI was 142/5 in 18 overs, needing 27 runs in the final 12 balls.

In the next over, Spencer started off by conceding a six, but got Tilak on the next ball, caught by Abhinav Manohar for 25 in 19 balls. MI was 148/6, needing 21 in 10 balls.

Hardik Pandya and Gerald Coetzee were the fresh pair and they took the team to the last over with 19 runs to get in the final over as Gerald was dismissed on the final ball of the over by Spencer for one run. MI was 150/7 in 19 overs.

Shams Mulani was next up on the crease. Hardik started the next over with a six and four. However, he was dismissed for 11 in four balls by Umesh, caught by Tewatia. MI was 160/8, needing nine runs in three balls. Umesh was on a hat-trick, getting Piyush Chawla on next ball for a duck. MI was 160/9, needing nine in two balls.

MI finished their innings at 162/9 in 20 overs, losing by six runs.

Spencer (2/25), Mohit (2/32), Omarzai (2/27) and Umesh (2/31) were the top bowlers for GT.

(With ANI inputs)

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“Where Is Jasprit Bumrah?”: Kevin Pietersen, Sunil Gavaskar Blast Hardik Pandya For Tactical Decision

admin — Mon, 25 Mar 2024 02:08:20 +0000

Former England cricket team batter Kevin Pietersen and legendary India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar were extremely critical of Hardik Pandya‘s decision to bowl the first over during the match between Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans in IPL 2024 on Sunday. The MI skipper decided to start proceedings with the new ball instead of choosing star fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah – a choice that led to a lot of discussion in the commentary box. Things got worse as Hardik was taken to be the cleaners by GT openers Shubman Gill and Wriddhiman Saha with the all-rounder conceding 20 runs in his first six deliveries.

“Why Jasprit Bumrah is not opening the bowling? I don’t understand this,” Pietersen remarked.

“Very good question. Very, very good question,” Gavaskar replied on commentary.

Even Irfan Pathan took to social media to have his say on the matter.

“Where is Bumrah?” he posted on X (formerly known as Twitter).

Where is Bumrah?

— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) March 24, 2024

Gujarat went on to score 169 runs with the bat, a decent total on the wicket. Mumbai Indians were off to a bad start as Ishan Kishan feathered an edge to wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha, dismissed for a four-ball duck by Azmatullah Omarzai. MI was 0/1 in 0.4 overs.

Rohit Sharma later on developed a brief partnership with young batter Naman Dhir, a 24-year-old with an experience of four T20 innings. Rohit smacked Umesh Yadav for two cracking fours while Naman smashed Omarzai for three fours and a six.

However, Omarzai had the last laugh, trapping Naman leg-before-wicket for 20 in 10 balls, with three fours and a six. MI was 30/2 in three overs. Rohit, however, was unfazed as he continued punishing Umesh with a four and a six.

Dewald Brevis was next up on the crease. With a delightful boundary on Rashid Khan’s delivery, Rohit helped MI reach the 50-run mark in 5.4 overs.

Australia pacer Spencer Johnson delivered an expensive over to conclude the first half of the innings, being hit for two fours by Rohit and a six by Brevis. At the end of 10 overs, MI was 88/2 with Rohit (40*) and Brevis (26*) unbeaten.

Brevis hit Mohit Sharma for a four to help MI reach the 100-run mark in 11.1 overs.

The 77-run partnership for the third wicket was ended by Sai Kishore, who trapped Rohit leg-before-wicket for 43 in 29 balls, with seven fours and a six. MI was 107/3 in 12.1 overs.

At the end of 15 overs, MI was 126/3, with Brevis (46*) and Tilak Varma (15*) unbeaten.

Mohit turned things around for GT, dismissing Tim David for 11 in 10 balls after he was caught by David Miller. MI was 142/5 in 18 overs, needing 27 runs in the final 12 balls.

In the next over, Spencer started off by conceding a six, but got Tilak on the next ball, caught by Abhinav Manohar for 25 in 19 balls. MI was 148/6, needing 21 in 10 balls.

Hardik Pandya and Gerald Coetzee were the fresh pair and they took the team to the last over with 19 runs to get in the final over as Gerald was dismissed on the final ball of the over by Spencer for one run. MI was 150/7 in 19 overs.

Shams Mulani was next up on the crease. Hardik started the next over with a six and four. However, he was dismissed for 11 in four balls by Umesh, caught by Tewatia. MI was 160/8, needing nine runs in three balls. Umesh was on a hat-trick, getting Piyush Chawla on next ball for a duck. MI was 160/9, needing nine in two balls.

MI finished their innings at 162/9 in 20 overs, losing by six runs.

With ANI inputs

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