Cricket

Riyan Parag, the young all-rounder from Assam, has emerged as one of the brightest stars of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season. His consistent performances at the crucial No. 4 position have been instrumental in Rajasthan Royals' rise to the top of the table.Parag has amassed 284 runs in 10 innings, averaging an impressive 71 and striking at a blistering 155.19. His ability to accelerate the innings and finish games has made him a valuable asset for the Royals.The 20-year-old's transformation has been remarkable. In previous seasons, he struggled to find his footing in the IPL, but this year, he has shown maturity and composure beyond his years."I have been contributing a lot to the team, and that is what I have been trying to do for the last few years, but it didn't click, this time it has," Parag said at a press conference.Parag's success has sparked speculation about his potential inclusion in India's squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup. However, the youngster remains focused on the present and helping the Royals win the IPL."If you had told me this last year that I would be in this position, I would not have believed you," he said. "My main goal is to help Royals win the IPL. We haven't won the IPL for a long time – that is the main goal."Parag's rise has been a testament to his hard work and dedication. He has spent countless hours honing his skills and studying the game. His success is also a reflection of the Royals' faith in him and their willingness to give him the opportunity to shine.As the IPL season progresses, Parag will be one of the players to watch. His performances could not only help the Royals win their second IPL title but also earn him a place in the Indian team for the T20 World Cup.

Travis Head's meteoric rise in international cricket continued in 2023, with the Australian batter establishing himself as a key figure in the team's success. However, Head understands that maintaining this level of performance is a constant challenge, and he is determined to prove his worth once again at the upcoming T20 World Cup.Head's remarkable centuries in the World Test Championship final and the 50-over World Cup summit clash against India showcased his exceptional talent and ability to perform under pressure. Now, the 30-year-old is eager to translate his success into the T20 format through his experience in the Indian Premier League (IPL)."I've come a long way as a player. I guess owning a little bit of the style I want to play and the way I have played overseas too, I've been able to tick a few boxes. Now, the pressure is to continue to play the way I am playing," Head told PTI in an interview.Head believes that simplifying his technique and focusing on his strengths will be crucial for his success in all formats. He demonstrated his adaptability while playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the ongoing IPL, opening the batting and scoring 133 runs from five matches at a strike rate of 177."With the World Cup coming around the corner and, hopefully, being involved in that squad and batting at the top of the order...it gives me good preparation here in the IPL to try and get some runs and have a little bit of form going into the World Cup," noted Head.While playing a full season of IPL could lead to burnout ahead of the ICC marquee event in June, Head is aware of the potential risks. "I think it is important for me to make sure that I'm mentally fresh throughout the IPL and continuing to work on my game, and making sure that I am ready for the World Cup when that time comes. But I am feeling like I am prepared and ready at the moment," he added.Head's confidence was evident in his blistering 24-ball 62 in his first IPL match in seven years. The South Australian attributed his immediate impact to his increased game awareness."It was nice to get some runs in the first game, and honestly, I didn't really have too many expectations. It's been a long time between IPLs for me, seven years, but I've learned a lot over that time and am a lot more mature now."I feel like I understand my game a lot more. So, a lot of different feelings coming back and not trying to be too nervous or worried about results. I am just making sure that the things that I've done over the last few years are going to work and I best prepare myself to play well for the franchise," he said.Head acknowledged the positive influence of Pat Cummins (captain) and Daniel Vettori (head coach) in the SRH dressing room, which has helped him settle into the new environment. "Definitely having Pat and Dan, who I've worked closely with for Australia in the last few years, has helped me. It's a very relaxed environment."Soon as I got my contract, I knew that I had the backing from those guys and they’ve confidence in my game," he said.Head's exploits against India last year remain a highlight of his career, with the World Cup final at Ahmedabad being the pinnacle. The left-hander's buccaneering 120-ball 137 propelled the Aussies to a six-wicket victory and their sixth ODI World title."I think the World Cup final was probably the biggest match of my career, regardless of whether I got runs or not. It was a huge moment. Obviously, I have not played in a World Cup before."So, to have all the stuff that happened, making it to a final and then being able to contribute in the final makes it all so much better," he explained.Head believes that the foundation for his success against India was laid during the 2023 Test tour, where he made a couple of 40s at New Delhi and Indore, besides a 90 at Ahmedabad."The two finals come to mind. But a big Test series (2023) and some T20 games in between...I feel I drew a lot of my blueprint and confidence from that Test tour in India, which then flowed into the World Test Championship and then especially to the World Cup final."I was able to draw back on some of the things that worked well on those wickets and it’s nice that it has come together in big games for me," Head offered.Head feels that his confident approach has found perfect resonance in the Hyderabad dressing room in the ongoing IPL. "We want to be aggressive and I think we've shown that in the first five games. It suited me as well. I feel, at the moment, we're being really aggressive in the right way and the right moments."Obviously, Power Play is very important for us and hopefully Abhi (Abhishek Sharma) and I can continue to do what we've been doing in the Power Play," he signed off.

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) will face Punjab Kings (PBKS) in their second Indian Premier League (IPL) match on March 30 in Lucknow. LSG, led by KL Rahul, will aim to improve their all-round performance after losing their opening game against Rajasthan Royals by 20 runs.LSG's bowling unit struggled in their first match, with all bowlers except Krunal Pandya leaking runs. The absence of Mark Wood and David Willey has left LSG's pace attack thin, with Mohsin Khan, Naveen-ul-Haq, and Yash Thakur expected to carry the load. Ravi Bishnoi, who is vying for a place in the upcoming T20 World Cup squad, also had an ordinary outing in the team's tournament opener.Skipper Rahul, who has decided to play as a wicketkeeper-batter with the T20 World Cup in mind, scored 58 in his comeback game and will be looking to build on that. He will hope that his opening partner Quinton de Kock returns to his belligerent best against Punjab after missing out against Royals. The team will also rely on the likes of Devdutt Padikkal, Ayush Badoni, Deepak Hooda, and Krunal to deliver down the order.LSG's success will also depend on the form of Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis, who was the leading run-getter for the team last year with 408 runs.PBKS, on the other hand, have a 50-50 record so far, winning one and losing one. The Shikhar Dhawan-led side needs more fluency in the powerplay, which will come if Jonny Bairstow gets going after failing in the first two games. Dhawan, who only plays IPL to IPL, needs to up his strike rate going forward. He himself admitted to batting a bit "slowly" against RCB.Prabhsimran Singh, who came of age last season, has not been able to capitalize on his starts yet. While all-rounder Sam Curran has shown his prowess with the bat in the two matches, the left-arm seamer has been wayward with the ball. Vice-captain Jitesh Sharma, who is in the running for a World Cup berth, needs to have a stellar season to convince the national selectors.In the pace bowling department, Kagiso Rabada will look for more support from Curran, Arshdeep Singh, and Harshal Patel. Left-arm spinner Harpreet Brar has been impressive, while leg-spinner Rahul Chahar needs to up his game.

Mumbai Indians, the five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions, will face a formidable challenge when they take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in Hyderabad on March 27. Despite a promising start in their tournament opener against the Gujarat Titans, MI faltered in the run-chase, highlighting the need for improved performances.Hardik Pandya, the new Mumbai captain, has made some tactical adjustments, pushing himself down the batting order to accommodate the likes of Tim David and Dewald Brevis. However, there are calls for him to bat higher up the order, considering his impressive batting record for the Gujarat Titans last year.Opener Ishan Kishan, returning from a break, had a disappointing outing against GT. His performance will be closely monitored, especially with the T20 World Cup on the horizon. He needs to regain his form with both bat and gloves to secure a spot in the national squad.The Mumbai spinners, Shams Mulani and Piyush Chawla, will also be under pressure to deliver against SRH. The Hyderabad side, led by Pat Cummins, showed their potential in their narrow loss to the Kolkata Knight Riders.Heinrich Klaasen's late heroics almost pulled off an improbable victory for SRH, while the opening duo of Mayank Agarwal and Abhishek Sharma displayed promise. However, the team will need more consistency from its batters to succeed in the competition.SRH has invested heavily in pinch hitter Abdul Samad, and it is time for him to deliver on his potential. The experienced Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who was targeted by Andre Russell in the previous match, will be eager to bounce back strongly."It's a tough job in cricket to bowl to someone like him (Russell). It's one of those ones which goes one way or the other. Who would have thought we would have got that close? Unfortunately, a bit too much. Lots to be encouraged by. A couple of points to work on also," said Cummins after the narrow loss at Eden Gardens.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has unveiled the remaining schedule for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, with the tournament set to culminate in a grand finale in Chennai on May 26.All 74 matches of the tournament will be played in India, with the crucial stages taking place in Ahmedabad and Chennai. The Lok Sabha elections, scheduled from April 19 to June 1, have influenced the scheduling to avoid any clashes.The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad will host Qualifier 1 on May 21 and the Eliminator on May 22. The iconic Chepauk in Chennai will then stage Qualifier 2 on May 24 and the much-anticipated final on May 26.The IPL governing council has maintained the tradition of holding the opening game and final at the home venue of the defending champions, Chennai Super Kings. Earlier, the BCCI had announced the schedule for only the first 21 matches of the 17th edition of the IPL, which commenced on March 22.The IPL 2024 promises to be an exciting spectacle, with all the top players from around the world set to participate. The tournament has become a global phenomenon, attracting a massive fan base and generating significant revenue for the BCCI.

Delhi Capitals' IPL campaign got off to a disappointing start with a four-wicket loss to Punjab Kings, but assistant coach Pravin Amre found solace in the scintillating cameo of Abhishek Porel.Porel, brought in as an Impact Substitute in the death overs, smashed an unbeaten 32 off 10 balls to help DC post a competitive 174/9. However, the total proved insufficient as Punjab chased down the target with four wickets to spare.Amre acknowledged the team's sloppy display on the field, which contributed to the loss. "Not the start we wanted, every team wants to start on a winning note. But there are a lot of positives from the game, our intent in batting was good," he said.Despite the defeat, Amre highlighted Porel's performance as a major positive. "We can also see the positive about Abishek Porel, the guy who came in and scored runs at a strike rate of more than 300. He got us to the par score of 170-plus," he added.DC suffered a major setback when pace spearhead Ishant Sharma sustained an ankle injury. To add to their woes, the Capitals dropped three catches, including that of Sam Curran, who went on to score a match-winning 63."In the bowling, I think Ishant's injury cost us and we all know catches win matches. We dropped a couple of crucial catches and maybe the outcome would have been different," Amre said."When you lose your main bowler it becomes difficult to contain them (opponents), but you have to credit Sam and Liam (Livingstone) for the way they batted and finished the game."The match marked skipper Rishabh Pant's comeback to cricket after a horrific car crash 15 months ago. Amre expressed his admiration for Pant's resilience."Sometimes as coaches, we don't get emotional, but this was emotional. Personally, it was special because I have closely seen his journey since his initial days at DC," he said."We are really happy with the way he conducted himself, it's not easy after a 14-month comeback and handling that kind of pressure."The Capitals will take on Rajasthan Royals in their next match on March 28.

Veteran wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has expressed his satisfaction with his performance in the IPL opener despite limited game and preparation time due to his commentary commitments. Since the last IPL, the only competitive cricket Karthik played was in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He was on air during the recently concluded India-England Test series and admitted that finding training time in between his commentary duties was challenging.Karthik, who is playing his last IPL, made an unbeaten 38 off 26 balls to help RCB recover to 173 for six against CSK on Friday night. By his own admission, he was rusty in the middle. "It's been extremely challenging, doing a bit of commentary and to keep practicing cricket between Test matches and in between the time that I get, it's been a lot of hard work," Karthik told reporters after the game. "So, I am happy that Game 1 has gone positively for me, and it feels good to score some runs."The 38-year-old is hoping that play-offs happen at his home ground here and he can return to Chepauk to play his last IPL game. "Time will tell, I guess. I genuinely wish it's not because the last couple of (playoff) games will be here, so I could be back for that, which could then be my last (here)," he said when asked if it could be last game in Chennai.Defending champions CSK was able to chase down 174 comfortably on a good batting track. CSK pacer Mustafizur Rahman produced his best IPL figures of 4-29 to make the difference. Karthik was all praise for the left-arm pacer from Bangladesh. "He bowled brilliantly. He showed his skills in all the three spells," he reckoned. "He is bowling a lot quicker than he normally does and hits the right lengths. The slower balls came out well. It was a very good pitch. Not the usual slow Chepauk turner that we are visualising in our mind. The ball skid on a lot more, and it was good for batting, and he (Rahman) bowled well. What makes it tough is that he can bowl at 138/139 (kmph), and then he has a slower one, which is very deceptive. And he bowls it at 121/125 (km/h), which makes it hard to line him up.For RCB, Anuj Rawat was the top scorer with 48 and his 95-run stand with Karthik allowed the team to post a fighting total. "I couldn't be happier for him. He has been a part of this team for two years, and people can see how much talent he has. The ball flies off his bat. He has got great bat speed and is a strong boy. He works hard at the nets," said Karthik. "The last two years haven't exactly panned out. Last year, he showed towards the end how good he is, but today (Friday), he showed what skills he has got. I just wish he keeps continuing this form because he is a key player for us. A left-arm hander through the middle and hits the long ball with a lot of power. So, it's great to see him do so well," he added.