Sports
IPL 2024: Delhi Capitals' pacers Khaleel, Mukesh Kumar rattle CSK after Warner, Pant blaze to fifties in 20-run win (Ld)
Visakhapatnam, April 1 (IANS) Pacers Khaleel Ahmed and Mukesh Kumar bowled brilliant spells at the start and the middle of the innings after David Warner and Rishabh Pant struck blazing half-centuries as Delhi Capitals handed Chennai Super Kings a 20-run defeat and opened their account in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 here on Sunday. Khaleel (2-21) and Mukesh Kumar (3-21) shared five wickets between them to rattle Chennai Super Kings and restrict them to 171/6 in 20 overs despite a magical 16-ball 37 not out by MS Dhoni at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium here.
After skipper Rishabh Pant had won the toss, David Warner and the skipper hammered quick-fire half-centuries and Prithvi Shaw blazed a 27-ball 43 as Delhi Capitals managed to post 191/5 in 20 overs. The bowlers led by Khaleel and Mukesh Kumar took over after that as Delhi Capitals put their campaign back on the rails after two losses and handed CSK their first defeat after two wins at home.
Khaleel, the white-ball expert who fell out of favour of the national selectors in 2019 but did well in the domestic circuit, rattled CSK by claiming the first two wickets by sending back openers Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rachin Ravindra to reduce CSK to 7/2 as CSK could manage only 34/2 in the first six overs, — their lowest such in the first Power-play.
Mukesh Kumar continued to add to Chennai Super Kings’ woes as he claimed two wickets off successive deliveries as he finished with 3-21 in three overs as Rishabh Pant used seven bowlers to keep Chennai Super Kings under pressure. CSK lost the match despite some late magic by former skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni who hammered a sensational 16-ball 37 not out towards the end of the match.
Chasing a big total of 192 on a pitch that was offering a bit of bounce, Chennai Super Kings’s hopes of winning the match depended on openers Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rachin Ravindra providing them a blazing start, just like they did in their last match. However, those hopes did not materialise as they faltered to lose two quick wickets with only seven runs on the board.
Seasoned pacer Khaleel Ahmed accounted for both of them, getting Gaikwad (1) to edge one behind to Pant with the extra ball of the first over after he sent down a wide. The CSK skipper attempted an expansive drive off a length ball and feathered it to the keeper.
Ravindra (2) did not last long as he was caught superbly by Tristian Stubbs at mid-on as the New Zealander mishit a chipped pull.
Ajinkya Rahane and Daryl Mitchell raised 68 runs for the third wicket partnership as they revived the CSK innings. Rahane struck some superb shots, scoring 45 off 30 balls studded with five fours and two sixes. Daryl Mitchell scored 34 off 26 balls.
But two wickets in two balls by Mukesh Kumar, who sent back Rahane with a superb slower ball, getting him caught at long-on while on the next ball, he found a thin edge with a ball that bounced a bit to account for Sameer Rizvi. He came back to pick the dangerous Shivam Dube in the 17th over with a short and slower one, to end with figures of 3-21.
Towards the end, Ravindra Jadeja and Mahendra Dhoni unleashed some superb shots but by that time, the writing was clear on the wall. Jadeja scored 21 off 17 balls while Dhoni, who was dropped by Khaleel off Mukesh Kumar at backward point, hammered 37 not out just 16 balls, hitting four boundaries and three sixes including a 85+ one-handed maximum off a ball picked from his legs. The 42-year-old maestro played a special and brilliant innings that raised the hopes of ardent fans, but the task was very difficult.
The Dhoni magic, though great watching for the CSK fans in the stands, was too little as Delhi Capitals lost by 20 runs as the trend of home teams winning the matches continued with 12 out of 13 going in favour of the hosts.
Earlier, Warner and Prithvi Shaw gave Delhi Capitals a brilliant start, their best of this IPL as they blazed to 62 runs in the Power-play and they raised a 93-run partnership. They scored 24 runs from the first four overs and then 51 from the next three as they gave DC their best start of the season.
Warner (52, 35bs, 5×4, 2×6) and Shaw (43, 27b, 4×4, 2×6) were opening for the first time this season with DC deciding to demote Mitchell Marsh from the opening slot and push him down into the middle-order. The move paid off as Warner and Shaw went after the bowling.
Warner ended the opening over by Deepak Chahar with a four, driving him through covers. An over later, he struck DC’s first six of the innings by planting into the stands a slightly slower delivery by Chahar. Warner went berserk in Chahar’s next over, hitting him for a six, flicked off the pads, and two boundaries to take 17 runs off the over.
Warner hammered Ravindra Jadeja for a four and six as he blazed to a half-century off 32 balls, hammering five boundaries and three sixes. The Aussie opener was dropped by Mustafizur Rahman off his own bowling. putting down a difficult catch as it fizzed past him. But the Bangladesh pacer had the last laugh as he made the breakthrough for CSK. However, it was more of a Matheesha Pathirana wicket as he brilliantly caught a reverse scoop by Warner, jumping into the air and pouching a one-handed catch.
Shaw opened up in the fourth over, dispatching a fuller delivery outside off by his Mumbai teammate Tushar Deshpande past the vacant point region for a one-bounce four. The Mumbai star was at his best against Mustafizur Rahman in the sixth over, hitting the Bangladesh pacer for a hat-trick of boundaries, flicking one off his pads, using his wrists against a slower one, and then and a superb punch through covers for the third.
He slog-swept Jadeja for a six in the seventh over and then repeated the shot for a slightly more fuller delivery around off for his second six. But Jadeja had his revenge off the next delivery as he extracted an outside edge and Dhoni made no mistake.
Rishabh Pant and Mitchell Marsh took over the scoring and DC were looking set to go past the 200-run mark.
However, Sri Lankan pacer Pathirana’s three-fer applied the brakes as the bowler with a Lasith Malinga-like slinging action yorked Mitchell Marsh and Stubbs in one superb over in which he touched 150.04 on the speed gun, hampered their progress. He unleashed two superb yorkers, the second one touching 150kph on the speed gun as he uprooted the middle stump to account for Marsh (18) and Tristan Stubbs (0).
DC were left shell-shocked for a few overs before Pant went after Pathirana, hammering him for six and two boundaries. An attempted yorker from the Sri Lankan Malinga look-alike in action was launched over long-on. The next ball was sent to the long-on boundary and the next delivery sliced over the point region for a boundary as Pant completed his half-century in 31 balls.
He was out on the next ball, trying to hit a shot too many as Pant tried to hit Pathirana out of the ground but sliced and skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad caught a skier as DC eventually managed to reach 191/5, which in the end proved 20 more than what CSK could eventually score.
Brief scores:
Delhi Capitals 191/5 in 20 overs (David Warner 52, Rishabh Pant 51, Prithvi Shaw 43; Pathirana 3-31) beat Chennai Super Kings 171/6 in 20 overs (Ajinkya Rahane 45, MS Dhoni 37 not out, Daryl Mitchell 34;
–IANS
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Bengaluru, Aug 22 (IANS) Shivamogga Lions’ woes continued as they suffered a 28-run defeat to the Mysore Warriors in the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Thursday.
Mysore Warriors delivered a well-rounded performance, anchored by Karun Nair’s (45) swift knock, supported by a few other good contributions in the middle order, and highlighted by late-innings fireworks from J Suchith (22*) and Manoj Bhandage (23).
On the bowling front, Vidyadhar Patil (3/29) and Karthik CA (3/31) played crucial roles in restricting the Shivamogga Lions. Sharath HS’ (4/29) lethal spell with the ball and valiant efforts from Abhinav Manohar (46) and Nihal Ullal (46) with the bat couldn’t turn the tide in Shivamogga’s favour.
Chasing 180, Shivamogga Lions got off to a disastrous start, with Vidyadhar Patil’s lethal first over leading to the dismissals of Mohith Bangalore (2) and Dheeraj Mohan (0) in consecutive deliveries. Skipper Nihal Ullal (46) managed to crack a few early boundaries, but Hardik Raj (17) was also removed by Krishnappa Gowtham, leaving the Lions reeling at 41/3 by the end of the powerplay.
K Gowtham then engineered the run out of Rohan Naveen (11), further denting the chase. The in-form Abhinav Manohar (Impact Player) joined Ullal, and the duo breathed life into the innings, putting together a 70-run partnership in just 43 balls.
However, Ullal fell short of his first half-century of the season, leaving the Shivamogga Lions at 123/5 in 15.1 overs. Manohar also narrowly missed his milestone, holing out to K Gowtham off Karthik CA. Manohar’s 26-ball knock included four sixes and three fours, adding valuable runs to the total.
Karthik CA struck again two deliveries later, dismissing Shivraj S and leaving the Lions in deep trouble. With 47 runs needed from the final 18 balls, Ashok D tried to keep the chase alive by smashing a six and a four off Vidyadhar Patil, but perished in the same over, effectively ending Shivamogga’s prospects. Shivamogga Lions finished at 151/9 in 20 overs, enduring their sixth consecutive loss.
Batting first, Mysore Warriors faced an early challenge as Sharath HS unleashed a menacing spell. He struck in the powerplay, dismissing Karthik SU (8), and then returned in the seventh over to remove CA Karthik (30), who smashed three sixes in a 34-run stand with Karun Nair (45) and Harshil Dharmani (0).
Nair continued in fine touch and peppered the boundary with six fours and two sixes during his 23-ball stay before falling to Ashok D in the 11th over.
Kishan Bedare (17) steered the innings, forming a 28-run partnership with Nair and adding another 29 runs with Sumit Kumar (28) before being caught and bowled by Bharath Dhuri, leaving the Warriors at 116/5 in 16.1 overs. The depth of Mysore’s batting lineup came to the fore as Manoj Bhandage and J Suchith launched a late assault.
Vasuki Koushik, tasked with the 18th over, began with a six and a four from Sumit Kumar. Bhandage then took charge, hammering three consecutive sixes off Koushik in the same over before falling as Sharath’s fourth wicket in the 19th ending a blistering 23-run cameo off just seven balls. J Suchith, carried on the momentum, smashing two sixes and a four in an 8-ball flurry, pushing the Mysore Warriors to a competitive 179/7 in their 20 overs.
Brief scores: Mysore Warriors 179 for 7 in 20 overs (Karthik CA 30, Karun Nair 45, Sumit Kumar 28; Sharath HS 4-29) beat Shivamogga Lions 151/9 in 20 overs (Nihal Ullal 46, Abhinav Manohar 46 runs; Vidyadhar Patil 3-29, Karthik CA 3-31) by 28 runs.
–IANS
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Castle Rock (Colorado), Aug 22 (IANS) Indian Americans Sahith Theegala and Akshay Bhatia who failed to make it to the Top-10 last week at the St Jude Championships, the first of the three Play-offs events, will be looking for a better showing as they move towards the finale at the Tour Championships after that.
Last week Hideki Matsuyama, after leading by five at one time, had to birdie the last two holes to win the St Jude Championships. He became the first Asian to win a Play-off event and it was his 10th PGA Tour win, the highest from the continent.
Last week Bhatia was T-12, Rai was T-16 and Theegala was way behind in T-46, but all three have entered the second of the three Play-offs events.
World No, 2 Xander Schauffele, a two-time Major winner in 2024, was tied second last week with Viktor Hovland, while World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler was fourth last week, though World No. 3 Rory McIlroy had a poor week in T-68 place.
Among Asians Korea’s Si Woo Kim has all to play for at the BMW Championship, the second of three FedExCup Playoffs events, in Colorado this week, with two big goals providing the drive for him to step up his game.
The four-time PGA TOUR winner tees up at Castle Pines Golf Club with the intention of breaking into the top-30 of the FedExCup points list and qualify for the Playoffs Finale, the TOUR Championship next week. Kim is presently ranked 44th after last week’s FedEx St. Jude Championship.
A strong week is also required for Kim to keep alive his hopes of earning a spot in the International Team to face the U.S. Team in the Presidents Cup in Royal Montreal next month. Currently 14th on the team roster, the top-6 after this week’s BMW Championship will secure automatic spots, with captain Mike Weir naming six more picks after the TOUR Championship.
Compatriots Sungjae Im and Byeong Hun An, who are 10th and 15th respectively on the FedExCup rankings, are virtually assured of teeing up at the TOUR Championship, which will use a staggered-scoring format based on positions after this week.
Irrespective of how his week plays out, Kim is pleased to secure his top-50 status, which guarantees starts in all eight Signature tournaments next season.
–IANS
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New Delhi, Aug 22 (IANS) The packed schedule of men’s county cricket in 2025 will remain largely unchanged, despite concerns raised by the majority of players over the impact on their physical well-being.
According to a survey conducted by the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) earlier this season, more than 80 per cent of players expressed fears that the current schedule is too demanding and poses risks to their health.
However, despite these concerns, the 2025 schedule is set to continue as usual. Each county will still compete in a minimum of 14 County Championship matches, eight Metro Bank Cup fixtures, and 14 Vitality T20 Blast games. The changes for next season will be largely cosmetic, offering little relief for players concerned about the gruelling calendar.
The PCA has been advocating for adjustments that would spread out the T20 fixtures across the week, aiming to reduce tight turnarounds and introduce more consistent three-day breaks between Championship games.
“There’s definitely room for improvement in 2025 compared to 2024,” said Daryl Mitchell, the PCA’s interim chief executive, in an interview with ESPNcricinfo. “The schedule can definitely be managed better. Certainly, the Blast was very much looked at through a commercial lens, trying to squeeze as many games as possible into Thursday, Friday, and Sunday. Utilizing the majority of the week is probably the way forward, trying to spread them out to give that time for recovery, travel, and preparation.”
The T20 Blast, in particular, has been the main point of debate when it comes to scheduling. The timing of the knockout stages has been a significant concern. In 2023, these stages were held immediately after the group matches in July, allowing counties to retain their overseas players. This year, however, the knockout stages will be pushed to September, giving clubs an extended six-week window to market and sell tickets for home quarter-finals.
While these adjustments offer slight improvements, the overall schedule remains packed, leaving many players apprehensive about how much more they can push themselves physically in the long term. Despite the calls for change, it appears that any significant reduction in the number of fixtures is unlikely in the future, with commercial considerations still driving much of the decision-making process around county cricket.
–IANS
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New Delhi, Aug 22 (IANS) After ending his T20I career with an elusive T20 World Cup title in Barbados, captain Rohit Sharma revealed that it was his dream to transform the team without thinking too much about the results.
Rohit-led Indian team ended the decade-long ICC title drought after beating South Africa in the final of the T20 World Cup 2024 to lift their second title in the format. In 2023, the Men in Blue failed to win the World Test Championship and 2023 ODI World Cup under Rohit’s leadership after losing to Australia in the finals.
The swashbuckling opening batter also credited the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah, former head coach Rahul Dravid and chief selector Ajit Agarkar for their support in transforming the team and creating a fearless culture in the squad.
“It was my dream to transform this team and not worry too much about stats and results and also to make sure that we create an environment where people can go out and play freely, without thinking too much. I got a lot of help from my three pillars Jay Shah, Rahul Dravid and chairman of selector Ajit Agarkar. That was critical for me to do what I did. Obviously, not to forget players who came in at different points in time and helped the team to achieve what we have achieved today,” Rohit said in a video posted by BCCI on X.
On Wednesday, Rohit was awarded ‘Men’s International Cricketer of the Year’ while Dravid was accorded the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ at Ceat Cricket Rating Awards 2023-24 in Mumbai. India’s batting stalwart Virat Kohli was named the ‘Men’s ODI Batter of the Year’ while on the bowling front, Mohammed Shami was awarded the ‘ODI Bowler of the Year’.
The 37-year-old batter finished as the second-highest run-getter in the T20 World Cup with 257 runs including three half-centuries and at a strike rate of 156.70. He played a major role in providing solid starts for the team on the slow pitches of the USA and the West Indies.
After lifting the title, Rohit joined Kohli to announce his retirement from the T20I. With 4,231 runs, Rohit is the leading run-getter in the format behind his teammate Kohli (4188 runs). Both batters will continue to play the other formats of the game. The duo last featured for India in the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka earlier this month.
–IANS
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Gotemba (Japan), Aug 22 (IANS) A year after being the youngest ever to make the cut at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, Kartik Singh, now 14 years of age, is the highest ranked among the four Indians set to take part in the 15th AAC to be held in Japan.
As of date Kartik is the highest ranked Indian at 199 while the other three players to have received the invitation for this prestigious event are Krishnav Nikhil Chopra and Vedant Sirohi, both past participants in the event and Rakshit Dahiya will be in the four-player team.
Kartik Singh has also been named to the 2024 Junior Presidents Cup team. A regular winner in junior and amateur events, Kartik will spearhead the Indian challenge.
Apart from India’s Kartik Singh, there are seven others named to the 2024 Junior Presidents Cup International Team. They are Joshua Bai, Warut Boonrod, Xihuan Chang, Rayhan Latief, Khanh Hung Le, Thangwin Lee, Anh Minh Ngyuyen,
As many as 113 players have been confirmed for the Championship, which will be held October 3-6, 2024, at Taiheiyo Club Gotemba in Gotemba, Japan. A full list of confirmed players can be found. The field will be 120 with a few more names to be added by the Organisers.
India’s best ever placing has been second place by Rayhan Thomas, who was runner-up in Sentosa, Singapore in 2018. The Dubai-based Indian Rayhan has since turned professional, and last week won his first pro title on India’s Professional Tour of India Tour.
Krishnav, who plays college golf in the US, is the son of former India cricketer turned commentator, Nikhil Chopraa, who often takes the role of a caddie for his son.
Created in 2009, the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship was established by the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC), The R&A and the Masters Tournament to further develop amateur golf in the Asia-Pacific region.
The champion will receive an invitation to compete in the 2025 Masters Tournament and The 153rd Open, while the runner(s)-up will gain a place in Final Qualifying for The Open.
The confirmed list which has players from 38 APGC member organizations is highlighted by defending champion Jasper Stubbs of Australia and four players representing China inside the top 100 of the World Amateur Golf Ranking: Wenyi Ding (No. 4), Xihuan Chang (No. 36), Xiangyun Bai (No. 61) and Paul Chang (No. 97).
Ding finished runner-up to Stubbs in the 2023 Asia-Pacific Amateur while Xihuan Chang reached the semi-finals of the U.S. Junior Amateur in July.
Other top-100 participants include Vietnam’s Anh Minh Nguyen (No. 68) and Japan’s Rintaro Nakano (No. 78).
Notable past competitors include 2021 Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama, a two-time winner of the Asia-Pacific Amateur, and 2022 Open champion Cameron Smith. Over the Championship’s 14-year history, the Championship has served as a springboard to some of the world’s top players, including Matsuyama, Smith, Cameron Davis, Ryan Fox, Si Woo Kim, Satoshi Kodaira, Kyoung-Hoon Lee, Min Woo Lee, Keita Nakajima and C.T. Pan. Collectively, alumni of the Asia-Pacific Amateur have gone on to win 27 tournaments on the PGA Tour to date and more than 130 across the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, Asian Tour and Japan Golf Tour.
As the host nation, Japan will lead the list of up to 43 APGC member nations represented with 10 players in this year’s field. A player from Japan has won four of the 14 editions of the Championship (Matsuyama/2010, 2011; Takumi Kanaya/2018; Nakajima/2021).
–IANS
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