https://www.hindustantimes.com/cricket/the-many-cricket-identities-of-rahul-dravid-the-model-professional-101720271195380.html?utm_source=whatsapp&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ht_site Rahul Dravid, the cricket legend, is described as master, servant, mentor, and more. With multiple talents and skills, he is a key figure in the world of cricket. When the norm is one Aadhar per person why should Rahul Dravid has multiple identities? According to popular narrative he is variously described as cricket’s master, servant, legend, student, bhai, wall… It could be that Dravid (recently retired, currently unemployed) is multi-skilled and multi-talented, ticks several boxes and is the key that opens many doors. Having seen, known and interacted with him for more than two decades, it’s true that the gent from Indiranagar, Bengaluru is a complete cricket person. As player, coach, mentor, administrator, Dravid is this, that and a lot more. Look first at his cricket. India’s greatest No.3, 164 Tests, 13,000 runs. Runs didn’t flow easily from his bat, instead each was hard fought, extracted with effort and grit. He didn’t have Sachin Tendulkar’s natural gifts or Virender Sehwag’s sparkling brilliance, but his batting was solid and dependable. He had a bat broader than the sight-screen. And a heart as big. Dravid was more than the cement that protected India’s middle order; he also had steel. I witnessed this in Multan when he declared the innings, leaving SRT stranded on 194*, a tough call for any captain. Another time, when it was suggested that India and Pakistan players shake hands before the toss in a friendly gesture, his response was sharp. Why do it? he asked – it’s one more game of cricket. We aren’t the UN. Dravid the batter respected process. Perpetually in the practise/train/repeat mode, he left little to chance and hit millions of balls in the net and went through endless throw downs. In the 16 years he played international cricket (beginning with 95 on his 1996 Lord’s debut) Dravid was always the selfless team man. Whenever, whatever the ask, his hand was up – the willing volunteer. For one with the most catches in Test history (210) he kept wicket in more than 100 one-dayers. As vice-captain, he was the independent director of a company, speaking always in the team interest. When Kevin Pietersen sought help to play on turning tracks, Dravid readily sent him a ‘how to’ mail, a classic coaching lesson. When asked to speak at a MCC reception for the Indian team (with captain Sourav Ganguly running a fever) he made extensive notes, rewrote many drafts and rehearsed. End result? A speech that was ‘fit for purpose’ – measured and thoughtful, which had everyone applauding. Dravid was a model professional, so proper he could be heading a cricket coaching institute. Anyone wanting to progress in cricket had to just follow his example by copy, cut, paste. Dravid himself though believed in self-help. When others struggled to comply with the trainers’ instructions on diet, his response was simple: When it comes to the dessert, it’s between you and the cake. Nobody else matters. In the elite club of Indian cricket royalty, Dravid stands out for being the commoner. Attention of any kind for him is an unwanted nuisance, a wicked outswinger best left alone. With feet on ground, and a balanced head on his shoulders, he wears his eminence lightly and shuts down ideas of legacy and history. Cricket was his interest, batting a job, his bat a tool – just as the laptop is for the corporate executive. Unlike many cricket superstars, Dravid is normal, with decency and calm dignity as his calling card. He is pleasant and likeable, not only because of his self-deprecating humour. When someone suggested he score a Test triple hundred, Dravid dismissed the idea saying ICC would have to go back to seven-day matches for him to do that. For cricket, and senior cricketers, he has respect. When Pakistan legend Hanif Mohammad came to the Indian dressing room, Dravid spent time with him. When Tiger Pataudi talked cricket (a rare occurrence!) over a cup of coffee, Dravid heard him like an attentive junior. As a cricketer, Dravid seemingly has done it all but will he get back to active cricket soon? That’s a difficult one because there aren’t many mountains left for him to climb. Regardless of the future, Dravid will be known, remembered, respected for always playing straight. Dravid is mentor and student, master and servant of the game at the same time. And for this, he richly deserves multiple identities and Aadhars.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/cricket/ipl-2024-moved-many-needles-changed-cricket-s-grammar-101716999060500.html#google_vignette Stung by critical voices that questioned his royal status, King Kohli silenced ‘outside noise’ by raising his game to acquire new robes, writes Amrit Mathur. After two months and 74 games, IPL 2024 is done and dusted. Stadiums are empty and families are switching television channels to select their dose of evening entertainment. Cricket pundits and commentators are experiencing workload management issues, cheerleaders are resting weary limbs, stretched to the limit to celebrate the record 1,260 sixes smashed this season. Players packed their coffins and dumped them in a corner now that the season is over. Some look back with satisfaction at pleasant on-field moments and time spent in the dressing room. Those who came through successfully are cautiously optimistic about retention, or at least interest in the next auction. Others who missed out (batters who failed to strike at over 150, bowlers who went for plenty in the death overs) are corroded by anxiety. Getting into IPL is tough, making the eleven is not easy, getting noticed is a challenge. IPL is an unforgiving Mt. Everest, a modern version of snakes and ladders, a tricky game which has a large number of snakes and the supply of ladders is limited. Among those who scaled IPL’s peak are two kings, from different fields but both with a proud lineage. One is SRK, the Bollywood badshah, an IPL team owner who wears a winner’s halo. His films rule the box office. His team conquered franchise cricket’s biggest summit. SRK wears fame lightly and is known for his dignified conduct, for trusting professionals and respecting players. While one team owner chided his captain in a disgraceful public outburst, SRK hugged and kissed everyone in sight. He lovingly spreads his arms (his signature romantic move) to embrace knight riders and others. His policy is ‘love all’ and the jadu ki jhappi is result neutral – it does not matter whether KKR is jeetbo or harbo. King Kohli too aced IPL. Stung by critical voices that questioned his royal status, the king silenced ‘outside noise’ by raising his game (and strike rate) to acquire new robes. Kohli is a batting ATM who bossed the scene to retain his crown and his red-hot form gained him the orange cap. This year’s IPL also saw a new dynamic – emergence of the fan, faceless and ignored till now. Cricket’s fantasy game numbers went through the roof and when they play with stakes, fans have skin in the game. They also have a strong voice, which Hardik Pandya found out when he received a collective mouthful for abandoning GT and handing Rohit Sharma a dubious decision which he couldn’t review. Fans thought Pandya was a villain and booed him at home and away games. Apart from the Pandya episode, fans rose in support of players. In Chennai, the devotion of fans directed towards MS Dhoni increased even as Thala’s appearances became shorter with each game. MSD played a mere 71 balls in the tournament; he kept pushing himself down the order even as fans waited patiently for one last fleeting glimpse of the icon. The question remains: Will MSD return next year for a final darshan? The CSK CEO says he does not know, an honest admission because MSD exists in a no connectivity territory and is forever out of network range. But Rayudu, an old CSK hand, is convinced MSD will dance one more time, and play one more innings, to answer the fervent prayers of his devoted fans. IPL was witness to a ‘player calling player’ exchange as Kohli reacted sharply to television experts’ criticism. That players don’t take kindly to any negative comment is known, most times they ask the toxic ‘kitna khela hai’ question to ridicule the credentials of those making unpleasant comments. But this time the script changed because the negative remarks originated from past legends. Hence, displaying smart shot selection, the comeback was that ex-players didn’t have first-hand experience of the T20 format! Moral of the story: players and media will remain in two separate corners – it’s always us versus them. But more than anything else, this IPL was remarkable because fearless batters moved the needle. Stats tell the story: 549 runs in a game, 125 in the power play, 167 chased down in less than 10, teams just a touch away from getting 300 in 20. Is this a result of batters shaking off a mental block or a spirit of liberation because of the impact sub that encourages them to swing hard? Will teams strive to get 200 in the World Cup or will sanity be restored? We’ll find out, but it’s certain IPL 2024 has redefined cricket’s grammar.

https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/cricket/harshit-rana-interview-kkr-ipl-shah-rukh-khan-9358217 Rana bagged 19 wickets in 13 games and played a pivotal role in Kolkata Knight Rider’s IPL triumph. After the breakthrough IPL season, the Delhi speedster is dreaming of playing for India. Harshit Rana was the engine on which the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) team functioned and went on to lift the title for the third time. When Mitchell Starc was struggling with his rhythm in the first half of the IPL, it was Harshit, the uncapped Indian bowler, who stepped up for his team. He bagged 19 wickets in 13 games. The Indian Express caught up with Harshit and the 22-year-old shares his journey in the IPL, what Shah Rukh Khan promised him, why he started playing cricket and his future goals. EXCERPTS: What was more special, winning the IPL or celebrating it with Shah Rukh Khan? Harshit Rana: Both (laughs). Was that flying kiss celebration with Shah Rukh pre-planned? Harshit Rana: Oh Yes! After I got banned for one match, I was very sad and then Shah Rukh sir came to me and said ‘Tu tension mat le ye waali celebration Trophy ke saath karenge (We will celebrate the IPL with a flying kiss). He promised me and made sure that we did that with the trophy and our team. Will the ban curb your aggression in the future? Harshit Rana: Sawaal hi nahi hota (Not a chance). Next time I will make sure that I will not use it as a send-off. This is my cricket. I have always played my cricket like this. Mai off the field bahut fun hun aap kisi se puch lo but ab cricket field dosti karne thodi na aaye hai (I am a fun-loving guy off the field but on the cricket pitch, I am not there to make friends, I want to win). Abhishek Porel smacked me for 16 runs in my first over. Ab chakke lagenge to ego hurt hoga na, smile toh nahi karunga na (If someone hits you for sixes you can’t laugh). In the next over, I took his wicket, the celebration was my redemption but I got banned. Do you think cricketers from Delhi are ultra-aggressive? Harshit Rana: This tag has been given to us. Hum Delhi wale hai, emotional hai, aur dil se khelte hai (We are from Delhi we play cricket with our heart). This Delhi’s aggression has made Virat Kohli the Virat Kohli he is. Ishant Sharma played 100 Test matches, and Rishabh Pant did that miracle at Gabba. Gautam Gambhir won two World Cup finals for India. You’ve looked very lean in this year’s IPL. How many kilos you have shed? Harshit Rana: From the Mushtaq Ali Trophy that I played last year (2023-24) season in November to the start of the IPL in March, I have lost 17 kgs. What instigated this fitness revolution? Harshit Rana: It hit me first when I played in the IPL last year. Following the IPL, I played Duleep Trophy, I was picked for India A but then I got injured. I realised I was doing well, and people were talking about me, I was even performing well but I am frequently getting injured. I realised that I wanted to play for India, and fulfil my father’s dream, I needed to stay fit. I can’t let injuries hamper my dream. You have always been a hit-the-deck kind of bowler but in this year’s IPL, you were hitting the good length more often and you’re bowling the off-cutters brilliantly. Where did you learn it? Harshit Rana: Khud se (Self-taught). I worked on my bowling at the NCA when I was there after I sustained a hamstring injury at the start of the Ranji Trophy camp. This is something that I had in the back of my mind that I needed to add more variations in my bowling and during rehab I started working on it. Please share your experience of working with Bharat Arun for the past two years. Harshit Rana: I loved working with Bharat sir. He is an excellent listener. If I am trying to say something he will always listen. Tactically he doesn’t speak much but he gives you that mental boost. He told me that I am playing in the IPL because I have the required skill set. But just having skills will not help me play for India. I must start delivering in the difficult overs for my team and that would make me a better bowler than the rest. Despite having Mitchell Starc in the team, the captain Shreyas Iyer showed more faith in you. Any specific reason? Harshit Rana: With every match my performance enhanced. The team management started to have more trust in me. The captain had a lot of faith in me that I could deliver for the team in the crunch overs. I won a few games bowling the last over as well. Do you consider yourself a bowling all-rounder? Harshit Rana: Arey sir, Duleep Trophy mey century hai. I consider myself a proper all-rounder. In this IPL because of the Impact Player rule, I never got the opportunity to bat. I was itching to smack a few sixes but our team was doing so well that I never got the chance to bat. Who has played the most important role in your career? Harshit Rana: Hands down my father (Pradip Rana). He was a hammer thrower. He always wanted me to take up any sport and represent India. I was never a cricket-crazy kid. Doston ke saath gully mohalle mey khel liya (I used to play with my friends in the streets). One day I stopped to watch a cricket tournament in my school (Ganga International School), and I reached home late. My father asked me where I was and I told him about the cricket tournament. He gently asked if I loved playing cricket and I was a bit scared and just replied ‘yes.’ The next day he got me enrolled in a cricket academy. What’s next then? Harshit Rana: Mujhe India jersey chahiye

https://revsportz.in/pat-cummins-captaincy-a-delightful-study-in-leadership-with-empathy/ Pat Cummins has been a delightful study in leadership with empathy during the Indian Premier League 2024 season. It is well known that he had led Australia to ICC titles with aplomb, but the IPL is a different beast, having demands of its own from leaders and players alike. To helm a team that comes together a few weeks in a year presents its own set of challengers to its captains. Therefore, irrespective of the outcome of Sunday’s final, many will pick Cummins as the captain of the season, though Kolkata Knight Riders’ Shreyas Iyer has undoubtedly led his team to more victories and tasted defeat only in three games. Rajasthan Royals’ Sanju Samson and Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s Faf du Plessis also can lay claims but Cummins towers over them all. The 31-year-old may readily admit that Daniel Vettori has played a massive role in shaping a fearless squad, demanding aggression from the batters and backing Cummins to inspire the bowlers to do their best. But it is his reading of the game that has been a stand out feature in his maiden season as captain in an IPL franchise. For his endearing smile – even in the face of defeat – I have been inclined to think of him as the VVS Laxman among bowlers. The first captain of a Hyderabad franchise, Laxman did not have as much luck as Deccan Chargers’ captain back in 2008 but, while they are different in their approach to captaincy,  Laxman and Cummins are similar in their countenance. Cummins is one match away from joining his Australian compatriots Adam Gilchrist (Deccan Chargers, 2009) and David Warner (Sunrisers Hyderabad, 2016) as the only captains who have led Hyderabad franchises to IPL titles. New Zealand’s Kane Williamson went close in 2018 but the team ran into a storm answering to the name of Shane Watson in the  final. Yet, when Sunrisers Hyderabad went from a high of five successive seasons of making the play-off from 2016 to 2020, to the bottom of the pile or thereabouts in three straight seasons from 2021, it needed to shake itself up. A new coach in Vettori and a new skipper in Cummins were the first steps in reversing the trend. Many eyebrows arched in surprise when the Hyderabad franchise forked out a whopping Rs 20.50 crore in a bidding war against RCB in the IPL 2024 Player Auction. With Mitchell Starc emerging the most expensive buy at Rs 24.75 crore, they wondered why teams were spending so much on bowlers who would give the teams a maximum of four overs in each game. They were simply being unkind to Cummins’ captaincy skills. One would not be wrong if one says that more than any other skipper, Cummins understood the plight of the bowlers this season. And it is this empathy that perhaps has led him to back the bowling unit unflinchingly. Besides his own skills with the cricket ball, he optimised the experience of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and T Natarajan while using other bowlers at his disposal admirably. Truth to tell, Cummins may agree that consigning Washington Sundar to the bench nearly the whole season was not the best thing to do (no thanks to the Impact Player rule). But from what we see on two-dimensional images that stream on our screens, it can be surmised that he would have handled the uncomfortable situation better than most. It is not as if all his decisions have been on the money. The idea of batting first in the Qualifier 1 against Kolkata Knight Riders on a Motera track that would have been sweating after being kept under cover through the day to protect it from the blazing heat backfired on the team big time. Fortunately, the tournament format has allowed him to make amends. And how! To my mind, coach Vettori and he helped the team overcome crippling thoughts of a crushing loss in the Qualifier 1. They succeeded in getting the team to quickly leave those memories behind and find the winning sequence in Qualifier 2 against Rajasthan Royals in Chennai. By ensuring they remained in good space, the SRH leadership did itself a good turn. Yet, it was Cummins’ use of left-arm spin attack, with Abhishek Sharma complementing Shahbaz Ahmed, in the defence of a sub-par score against Rajasthan Royals, that made many sit up and take note of his leadership skills. The truth is that he had done enough and more to inspire his side to rise from a dismal 10th place finish in 2023 to the title clash this year. Indeed, no matter what happens on Sunday night at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai’s Chepauk locality, Cummins has given enough evidence during the IPL to students of leadership and management. Even those who are not the greatest fans of Twenty20 cricket will concede there can be so much to learn from watching such a captain at work.

I, Pea and Yell @ IPL Wimbledon. Arguably the most revered sporting venue for any individual sport for nearly 150 years, draws its fans from every spectrum of life across all geographical confines. One of the extraordinary features of this fan base is that every age group follows the sport. Tennis, earlier known as ‘Lawn Tennis’ brings out the best from the best. To profile all the fans may be a near impossible task but an attempt is being made to introduce three crazy fans of Wimbledon from different age groups that I encountered in my life’s journey. The first crazy Wimbledon fan I had known was an engineering student. Having been introduced to the game while he was still in primary school, he followed Tennis, particularly Wimbledon very keenly. I remember him listening to radio commentary from BBC and even recording the scores. He was no ordinary Wimbledon fan. A reasonably good student, this Tennis fan was once facing a dilemma. He had an important end-semester exam to appear for on Monday but on Sunday was the final of Wimbledon. Writing Exam or watching the Wimbledon final? Life-defining career or following his heart and passion? To further complicate the conflict in his mind, the hostels were not allowing televisions in the hostel common rooms during exams in those days. What does this student decide? Knowing pretty well that failing an exam will disqualify him from appearing for campus interviews and potentially a black mark that he may have to carry all his life, he shut all the noises in his brain. Exams will come and exams will go but this Wimbledon final between his then heroes may not happen again. He requests his friend whose house he could watch the match and can sleep if the match lasts long. He travels nearly 300 km and watches the Wimbledon finals. He missed the end-semester exam the next day. He was happy that he watched Wimbledon finals and did not care much about what he missed not only on the academic front but also to the extent to which his career was going to be impacted. At the cost of being castigated as a regional chauvinist, I have to term this South Indian student a crazy fan for preferring to watch the live telecast of a Wimbledon final on TV missing his exams and staking his future career. Understandably, a student can be a crazy fan. I came across a faculty member of a premier engineering institution later. The middle-aged academician was mature and possessed good academic and professional credentials. Initially, I thought he was another regular fan who was a passionate follower of a sport. However, I was stunned when I came to know of an incident that showed how crazy a fan of Wimbledon he was. He revealed an incident that took place soon after his wedding. His father-in-law made arrangements for the honeymoon of the newlyweds at a faraway hill station. Upon reaching the destination with his newly married wife, this professor found out that he could not watch the live telecast of the Wimbledon finals as the hotel did not have a setup for TV due to signal issues in that hill station. What does this professor do? He cancels his honeymoon, buys tickets to fly out of that place, and reaches home in time to watch Tennis. Uh! Another crazy fan, this time from the very north of India. Well, as the days pass and people grow old, their personal and professional commitments will take away a huge chunk of one’s passion for sport as it is no longer a priority. So I thought. However, I was wrong in believing so when I came across this man who was close to retirement and occupying a statutory official position. I knew his interest in sport but he was playing his age as he should be and sport was not on his plate. Of course, this old man was as enthusiastic as any child, jumping with joy while watching Tennis on TV. He was once selected to be a part of an Indian delegation that was to tour UK on the invitation of the British government to explore the possibilities for bilateral collaborations. Members of the delegation were assigned different regions. Our western India based senior functionary was to travel to cover Manchester, York and Newcastle on the northern part of England. His itinerary included landing in London and taking a connecting flight to Manchester in the evening. Our old man lands at Heathrow from Mumbai, forgets jet lag or freshening up, takes tube to SW19 and makes an entry to Centre Court and breathes Wimbledon air. He was living a dream. He was dreaming a life there. He was so blown out by the aura of Wimbledon that he completely forgets that he had a flight to catch. But by the time he realizes and reaches Heathrow, the other delegation members have already left. Anyone would make arrangements to join his team but our old man goes back to Wimbledon, and watches the last match on outside courts also not bothering whether they are on the main draw or other sundry matches. He leaves Wimbledon and goes back to Heathrow and takes the first flight to Manchester and joins the official delegation. He had no chance to sleep for nearly 48 hours but he was happy that he had experienced Wimbledon. So, here we are fans from three different age groups, three different regions, and as different as one can categorize sports fans. One thing that bonded all three of them was their crazy passion for Wimbledon. So, as I was reflecting upon Wimbledon the other day, I thought that I should summon these three crazy fans together to sum up their love or craze for Wimbledon. Summon I did all three of them together, only to realize that all three of them are none but a crazy Wimbledon fan, yours faithfully.

https://www.mid-day.com/sports/cricket/article/starc-sizzles-with-3-34-as-kkr-bundle-out-srh-for-just-159-23350421 He had half a chance when Gurbaz first tried to throw the ball at the bowler’s end, but sensed the situation in time to whip off the bails. A dejected Rahul trudged back to the pavilion, slumped, and sat down on the 80-step stairs to the dressing room Kolkata Knight Riders’s all-round bowling armoury was too hot for Sunrisers Hyderabad to handle, but in-form Rahul Tripathi (55, 35 balls, 7×4, 1×6) ensured KKR had a challenging target (160) in Tuesday’s Qualifier 1. Mitchell Starc (4-0-34-3) triggered the Sunrisers collapse with his second ball in the first over when he bowled Travis Head for his second successive duck. Vaibhav Arora accounted for Abhishek Sharma in the next over. That was like a body blow to SRH aspirations for a quickfire start to their innings like they have been doing in the league phase. Starc’s two wickets in two balls in the fifth over reduced Sunrisers to 39 for 4 and they were looking down the barrel of a gun. Heinrich Klaasen (32, 21 balls, 3×4, 1×6) joined Rahul and the two did some damage control by adding 62 runs in 37 balls. Their partnership ended when Klaasen’s attempted six was short of the ropes and Rinku Singh pouched the catch to give Varun Chakravarthy (4-0-26-2) his first wicket.  Rahul’s brain-fade moment in the 14th over dealt a deadly blow to Hyderabad. Abdul Samad cut Sunil Narine at backward point where Andre Russell dived to his left and threw the ball to wicketkeeper Rahmanullah Gurbaz. Samad had run full length of the pitch, but Rahul, watching Russell field, froze mid-pitch.  He had half a chance when Gurbaz first tried to throw the ball at the bowler’s end, but sensed the situation in time to whip off the bails. A dejected Rahul trudged back to the pavilion, slumped, and sat down on the 80-step stairs to the dressing room.  Rahul was lucky in the third over when Starc had him leg before, but the umpire did not give him out and surprisingly, KKR didn’t go for the DRS. Replays showed that the ball was hitting the stumps.  Pat Cummins (30, 24 balls, 2×4, 2×6) took SRH to 159.

https://www.mid-day.com/sports/cricket/article/royal-battle-for-survival-23350420 Rajasthan, who were table-toppers at the start of the season, but have struggled with form recently, take on Bengaluru, who began with a string of defeats before rallying to win six matches on the trot, in tonight’s Eliminator The Narendra Modi Stadium will see a Royal elimination battle here as temperatures can soar to 45 degrees C. There’s also red-hot excitement for the Rajasthan Royals v Royal Challengers Bengaluru clash. The two teams have had contrasting fortunes in the league phase. The Sanju Samson-led Rajasthan were off to a high-flying start, winning eight of their first nine ties. On the other hand, RCB lost seven of their first eight. The trend reversed in the second phase of the league when RR lost their last four matches while one was washed-out, to drop out of the top-two race. RCB clinched the fourth spot in the Playoffs with a close win over the Chennai Super Kings being their sixth win on the trot. RR’s run of defeats came after injury sidelined Shimron Hetmyer. But the West Indian trained at the Gujarat College Ground on Tuesday and RR could be boosted by his return. In the absence of Jos Buttler, RR will pin hopes on their other opener, Yashasvi Jaiswal. The Mumbai opener scored one hundred and a fifty, but has otherwise struggled as Samson’s men have gone without a win since May 2. Like the phoenix rising from the ashes, RCB have risen from the abyss to get into the reckoning for their maiden title. Call it complacency or confidence, the cock-a-hoop RCB, coming from rain-hit pleasant Bangalore, skipped training  when they could have acclimatised with the hot conditions here. For them, Virat Kohli is in supreme form, scoring 708 runs at a 155.6 strike-rate in 14 games. Faf du Plessis (421 runs) and Rajat Patidar (361) have done well alongside Kohli. Yash, the pace ace Yash Dayal, who had turned a villain at this venue after conceding five sixes to Rinku Singh last season, has been their star performer with the ball. He is the highest wicket-taker for RCB with 15 scalps and an economy rate of 8.94. 504No. of runs scored by RR skipper Sanju Samson so far at an average of 56.00 1-1RR and RCB’s head-to-head record in Playoffs. RCB won the Eliminator in 2015 while RR won the Qualifier 2 in 2022 708Virat Kohli’s runs in 14 games, the most by any batter in this IPL season

https://www.mid-day.com/sports/cricket/article/battle-of-batters-beckons-23350235 Tonight’s Qualifier 1 will be about two big batting outfits—SRH and KKR—whose willow-wielders are a perfect man-to-man match The Narendra Modi Stadium will be like an oven when the top two teams in the Indian Premier League clash on Tuesday to book a place in the final on Sunday (May 26) at Chennai. Both Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) flew over 1000 km to arrive here on Monday after finishing their league engagements on Sunday at Guwahati and Hyderabad respectively. According to the weather forecast, this city, which lies on the banks of the Sabarmati River, is set to experience excessive heat in the next two days. On Sunday, the mercury levels here touched a maximum of 45 degrees. And it is learnt that when the IPL table-toppers begin their Qualifier 1 clash at 7:30pm, the temperature will be in the 40s and could drop to around 38 by the time one of them books a place in the final, around 11pm. It will be interesting to see if the openers of both KKR and SRH are as hot as they’ve been throughout the league phase and match the climatic conditions. KKR will miss Salt Shreyas Iyer’s Knight Riders will miss their in-form opener, Phil Salt (12 matches, 435 runs) as the wicketkeeper has left to join the England camp ahead of the T20 World Cup. With Sunil Narine (13 matches, 461 runs), Salt had formed an attacking partnership that gave the Kolkata side a brilliant start in the league phase. Dashing Afghanistan wicketkeeper-batter and opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who is yet to play this season, is expected to step into Salt’s shoes and partner Narine. However, rain in the last league match against Rajasthan Royals at Guwahati on Sunday robbed him of a chance to warm up for the first knockout match of the season. While lack of match practice for Gurbaz could be a slight worry for KKR, the SRH camp seems to have found an answer to their worries. Rahul Tripathi, who has played only three matches this season, played an aggressive cameo at No. 3 after the in-form Travis Head got out for a golden duck against the Punjab Kings on Sunday. Tripathi proved that he can hold the middle order in a crisis and can also be combative when needed. Pat Cummins’s Hyderabad boys have crossed the 200-run mark four times this season, but ironically, have twice failed to breach that number while chasing. However, in their last league match they comfortably chased a target of 215 to beat the Punjab Kings, despite their top-scorer Head (12 matches, 533 runs) getting out on the first ball of the innings. KKR bowlers hold the edge The batting might of both teams match man-to-man, but when it comes to bowling, the Knight Riders may have a slight edge. At the Motera Stadium this season, four out of six matches were won by a team chasing. The Knight Riders score a point or two over the Sunrisers when it comes to chasing. Thus, the toss could hold the key to success besides of course the team that plays out of their skin to book a spot in the final.  26 No. of IPL matches KKR and SRH played against each other. KKR have won 17 encounters, while SRH have emerged victorious nine times 209.41 SRH explosive opener Abhishek Sharma’s strike-rate in 13 matches—highest this season

https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/ipl/yash-dayal-redemption-rcb-vs-csk-ipl-9338869 Ridiculed after being hit for five sixes in the final over by Rinku Singh, Prayagraj pacer bounces back by getting M S Dhoni out at the end to put team in IPL playoffs. AT YASH Dayal’s home in Prayagraj, no one was watching Saturday’s crucial Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Chennai Super Kings tie, the do-or-die game between the IPL’s two most popular sides. Since last year, the family had been wary of tuning in to IPL’s high-pressure matches involving their son, the 26-year-old RCB pacer who mostly gets to bowl the all-important final over. Back in 2023, Kolkata Knight Riders’ Rinku Singh had hit Yash for five successive sixes – the thrashing would give him and his family life-long trauma. Yash would be the target of trolls and meme-makers. All that changed on Saturday. RCB managed a grand comeback by knocking out CSK and snatching a play-off spot. The latter needed 17 runs in the final over to make it to the playoffs, but Yash conceded just 7. The left-arm pacer would get hugs and high-fives from teammates, but also got his long-awaited redemption. Father Chandarpal did watch his son’s moment of triumph live as he couldn’t resist the urge to switch on the television before the game’s final over. But for a moment, the Dayals regretted breaking the family rule. Off Yash’s first ball, CSK’s last action hero M S Dhoni hit a six that went out of the stadium. Speaking to The Indian Express a day after the game, Chandarpal can now afford to laugh as he recalls those tense moments. “I blamed myself for ruining another match for my son. Dhoni can still tear apart any bowler,” he said over the phone. “I just folded my hands and started praying. ‘Aaj mere bachhe ka saath dena bhagwaan, fir se wo nahi hona chahiye (God, please support my son today. It should not happen again). It felt good the way he held his nerve after the first ball. I enjoyed the winning moment.” Yash had done the impossible, he had restricted two of the game’s best finishers, Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja. RCB captain Faf du Plessis acknowledged the effort of the UP pacer, saying it was Yash who deserved the Man of the Match award and not him. Rinku, Yash’s tormentor from last season, would post ‘God’s plan baby’ on Instagram for Yash, along with a salute emoji. Chandarpal recalls the tough times Yash and the family went through after those five sixes by Rinku. “In one of the WhatsApp groups, a person I know shared a meme, mocking Yash for conceding five sixes and I still remember what he wrote with the picture ‘Prayagraj Express ki kahaani shuru hone se pehle hi khatam ho gayi (The story of Prayagraj Express got over before it even began),” he said. “It never stopped, we as a family literally quit all WhatsApp groups, barring our family one. Even when RCB picked him in the auction for Rs 5 crore, I remember someone saying ‘Paise naale mei baha aaye Bangalore waale (The franchise threw the money in the drain)’. We live in a world where even if you switch off from social media, you will end up seeing all kinds of stuff,” he said. “Everyone wrote him off. And today, I am receiving a number of congratulatory calls and messages. Still, no one is talking about his hard work, grind and the way he tackled the pressure. The slower bouncer he has developed, the other variations he has learnt in the last year. The way he has bowled at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, where even an edge goes for a six. But it’s fine because in one year, we as a family have realised cricket really is a funny game,” said Chandarpal, bursting into laughter. Turning point He also revealed that when RCB were at the bottom of the table, the franchise made sure that every cricketer had a family member with them to take their minds away from the cricket field. Yash called his elder sister Shuchi, a dietician by profession, who has been the cricketer’s pillar of strength since childhood. “She is very protective about Yash. She was the luck RCB needed because the moment she joined the team hotel, RCB started winning and they ended up winning five in a row. She had to return because of her work but with his sister around, it filled Yash with positivity and his performances also started to enhance,” the father said. Last year, a couple of days after being hit for five sixes, Yash asked his father “Papa, career khatam ho gaya kya mera (Is my career over)?” The fears were unfounded. After his heroics in the last match, Yash told his father to pack his bags and come watch him play in the Eliminator on May 22. “I am yet to see a single match at the stadium in this year’s IPL. Yash had asked me to come and watch the last two league games in Bengaluru. I randomly told him ‘playoffs mein aate hain (I will be there in the playoffs)’. He said ‘Papa, chances are very slim.’ Now they have qualified and I will book my tickets for Ahmedabad,” Chandarpal said.

https://revsportz.in/indian-sports-ecosystem-must-own-up-responsibility-for-parveens-asian-games-medal-loss/ India is set to lose the Asian Games women’s 63kg class boxing bronze medal won by Parveen Hooda in Hangzhou last year after she was handed a 22-month ban beginning September 17, 2023, for whereabouts failures by the International Testing Agency (ITA), which handles the International Boxing Association’s (IBA) anti-doping matters. Since her results obtained between December 1, 2022, and May 17, 2024, have been disqualified, it can be inferred that the Olympic Council of Asia will ask her to return the Asian Games bronze.  Worse, since the ban lasts until July 16, 2025, the World No. 3 and 2022 World Championship medalist has to give up dreams of winning a medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Ignoring the loss of the Asian Games medal and a potential Olympic Games podium finish, Boxing Federation of India (BFI) officials said last week that BFI was happy the boxer’s suspension period was reduced and that she would be back in the ring soon. The BFI found a convoluted way to say that the ban would actually last only 14 months rather than 22 as declared by ITA. We were also told that Parveen’s failure to comply with whereabouts arose solely on account of her lack of knowledge and technical understanding of the Anti-Doping Administration and Management System (ADAMS). We were left scratching our heads, wondering why athletes from humble backgrounds, with little education, are left to their own devices. You may ask whose responsibility is it to file whereabouts on ADAMS which is a web-based database management tool for athletes on a Registered Testing Pool to inform the anti-doping officials of their presence at a designated location for an hour each day. The logical answer is that this is the responsibility of the athlete, since only she or he will know her or his movements. However, since Parveen may not have accessed her email to even know that she had been placed on NADA’s RTP, would it not be the federation’s duty to  ensure that the athlete is provided with the right information to avert such disastrous consequences? After all, it engages a number of coaches and support staff and could easily have averted the crisis. While it is a given that the athlete alone is responsible for Anti-Doping Rule Violations (ADRV), two questions come up. Since NADA would have marked a copy of the e-mail intimating athletes of potential ADRVs to the concerned national sports federation, the questions relate to the BFI official/staff member with access to alerts that Parveen was defaulting on whereabouts. First, did the BFI official/staff member set the alarm bells ringing and alert the coaching staff at the national camp where Parveen was training? Second, did the official/staff member not realise that letting her compete in the Asian Games was fraught with risk after she had clocked three whereabouts failures? It is important to remember that the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) recalled race walker Bhawna Jat from Budapest just ahead of the World Athletics Championships in August last year as she was said to have been notified of her third whereabouts failure in the span of 12 months. ITA overlooks imposition of provisional suspension Things would not have come to such a pass had the International Testing Agency placed Parveen on provisional suspension as soon as she had a third whereabouts failure. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Code Article 7.4.1 specifies that provisional suspension is mandatory when there is an Adverse Analytical Finding or an Adverse Passport Finding. Was a provisional suspension imposed on Parveen in the wake of her three whereabouts failures? A reading of the ITA notification of the boxer’s sanction does not indicate if Parveen has been placed on provisional suspension and if that period was taken in to account when adjusting the period of ineligibility. However, it would appear as if ITA overlooked Article 7.4.2 of both the WADA Code and the IBA Anti-Doping Rules permitting the Result Management Agency to impose provisional suspension for ADRVs not covered under Article 7.4.1. The Athletics Integrity Unit, which manages the anti-doping proramme for World Athletics, has been known to place athletes on provisional suspension for whereabouts failures. Closer home, the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) did that with wrestler Seema Bisla as well as track and field athletes G Lakshmanan and Akash Kumar Patel. Lakshmanan and Akash were both notified of their respective three failures on August 10, 2023, a day after their third whereabouts failures, and placed on provisional suspension with immediate effect. After the ADDPs heard their case, they ordered two-year bans for both starting from the date of his provisional suspension. Earlier, Seema copped a one-year ban for a combination of two whereabouts filing failures and a missed test. The ADDP took into consideration that having missed a test on December 2, 2022, Seema was tested later in the day and that test showed up as dope negative. It held her in violation of the rules and gave the least sanction possible. Pooja Dhanda also had two filing failures in July and October 2022 and a missed test in December that year. Her ban, which commenced on June 15, 2023, was restricted to one year since the ADDP noted that she had offered to provide a sample on the day she has missed the test in a different location to the one she had specified in ADAMS. As reported earlier, WADA investigators forced India to bridge gaps in anti-doping-programme. Despite that, the lesson from the Parveen episode has come along with enormous cost – an Asian Games medal and an Olympic quota. But will the Indian sports ecosystem own up responsibility and ensure that no such failure haunts the nation ever again?