Srinivasan: ‘CSK will be back with a bang in 2018’

Former BCCI president and ICC chairman N. Srinivasan revealed that the decision to buy Chennai Super Kings had prior approval from both the then IPL chairman Lalit Modi and BCCI president Sharad Pawar.

Srinivasan’s decision to buy the team raised conflict of interest issues since he was an office-bearer of the BCCI at that time.

Delivering the keynote address at the Madras Advertising Club’s annual awards function here on Friday, Srinivasan said, “We received an invitation from the then chairman of IPL (Lalit Modi) asking whether India Cements would bid. So I took this letter and wrote to the then BCCI president Mr (Sharad) Pawar asking if we can bid since I was the BCCI treasurer and MD and promoter of India Cements. Although everyone knew this story, they chose to ignore it.”

He added, “I get a reply back from Mr Pawar saying that 'I have consulted all my colleague and there is no bar on India Cements to take the tender and bid for an IPL team'. This was given in writing from him and following all due processes, the BCCI was asked and we went ahead.”

Srinivasan, who was speaking on the topic of brand building, explained the process of getting CSK together and heaped praise on M.S. Dhoni.

“Before the first auction, we told the group which was sitting there to get M.S. Dhoni at any price. People criticise it and made all kinds of allegations, but still its[CSK’s] followers have only grown. Wherever I go, thanks to the power of CSK, there is not a single place where people don’t want to come and take a selfie with me. How did we get there? The first truly game changing decision was to get M.S. Dhoni on board. He had won the World T20 in 2007, had his own style and was different from others.”

Further elaborating on the growth of the CSK brand, the 72-year-old industrialist said, “An aura developed around the team because of its performance and its captain who was growing in stature, winning with the national team. He adopted the city and vice-versa.”

“The Tamil anthem, the colour yellow, the ‘whistle podu’ song along with Dhoni helped build the CSK brand. We have not been part of the IPL for two years but it has not affected the brand one bit.”

In 2015, CSK was suspended for two years after one of the team official was involved in spot fixing-betting allegations that occurred during the 2013 IPL.

Srinivasan said the side was unfairly banned. “You can accuse anybody of anything but you can’t accuse a single player. They just played. It was just pure jealousy,” he lashed out.

With CSK’s two-year suspension ending later in the year, Srinivasan said he was looking forward to seeing “M.S. Dhoni, wearing yellow and leading the CSK team onto the ground.”

“Come 2018, there is every possibility of it happening. We will be back with a bang.”

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MS Dhoni to Retire After This Ipl......

The former Indian cricket team captain recently resign his captaincy from international cricket and he has been sacked from RPS captaincy by the team management.

Now he has announced that he should retire from international cricket after the upcoming ipl.

Finally our team wishes you that" APRIL FOOL".

                                         APRIL FOOL TO ALL CRICKET FOLLOWERS.


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New Captain Announced For RCB Ahead Of IPL 10...

10th edition of ipl will kick off on 5th april. New captain announced for Rcb ahead of this IPL.

AB de Villiers will lead Royal Challengers Bangalore in the opening stages of IPL 2017 if regular captain Virat Kohli fails to recover from his shoulder injury in time for the start of the tournament. While no timeline has been ascertained for Kohli's return, Daniel Vettori, head coach of the franchise, told reporters of the succession plan in the eventuality of the star captain missing out.

"He (Kohli) will come in on April 2. Between now and then, the BCCI doctors and physio will speak to us and our medical staff will get a clearer picture. Right now, we don't have a clear picture on his availability. We will know in the next few days," Vetorri told reporters in Bengaluru.

"The likely scenario is that AB de Villiers will take over the duties, but we'll answer that once we find out if Virat is out," Vettori added.

Kohli sustained an injury to his right shoulder while diving to save a boundary on the opening day of the Ranchi Test against Australia. The injury ruled the Indian captain out of the series decider in Dharamsala. In the aftermath of India's series victory, Kohli informed that he was still a few weeks away from regaining full fitness.

"It's still a few weeks to go before I can be 100% on the field," Kohli said at the end of the Dharamsala Test. "But these things happen in your career. Got to take it in my strike and move forward."

Kohli's absence, brief or otherwise, should it come to that, is likely to significantly hamper RCB's quest for a maiden IPL crown. The league's all-time highest run-getter (4110 runs at 38.41) has missed just one game for the franchise in the nine years of the tournament's existence. In 2016, Kohli aggregated a season record 973 runs in RCB's run to the final, where his team was pipped at the finish by Sunrisers Hyderabad.

However, Vettori was quick to back RCB's UP batsman Sarfaraz Khan and Punjab's Mandeep Singh to step up in Kohli's absence. "Fortunately, we have a number of exceptional batsmen who haven't got many playing chances, like Sarfaraz Khan and Mandeep Singh," the former New Zealand skipper said.

"It's a huge asset for us that someone else can fill in those gaps. Sarfaraz has been really good. At the back end of the domestic season he started to put some runs on the board. Everyone knows how talented he is. With possible injuries, he could get an opportunity early on in the tournament," Vettori added.

RCB will get the tenth edition of IPL underway on April 5 in a rematch of last year's final at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.

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Indian star player might miss initial phase of ipl 2017

Virat Kohli, the Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper, is a doubtful starter for the beginning of Indian Premier League season this year after having suffered a shoulder injury in the four-match Test series against Australia that the hosts won 2-1. Kohli, who missed the final Test in Dharamsala due to the injury he suffered on the first day of the third Test in Ranchi said that it will take some time for him to be fully fit.

"It is still a few weeks to go till I can be 100 percent on the field. These things happen in your career, just got to take it in my stride and move forward," he said on conclusion of the Test series on Tuesday (March 28).

RCB are set to kickstart their IPL season on April 5 against Sunrisers Hyderabad. They will go on to play two more games in a span of five days.

Imran Tahir Likely To Join This Team In Upcoming IPL....

Rising Pune Supergiant have roped in South Africa legspinner Imran Tahir as a replacement for Australian all-rounder Mitchell Marsh for the upcoming tenth season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Marsh, who was one of the five overseas players retained by Supergiant, picked up a shoulder injury during the Test series against India. After returning midway from the India tour, the 25-year-old underwent a reconstructive surgery that could keep him on the sidelines for close to nine months. Marsh also played only three matches for Supergiant last season before returning home due to a side strain.

Tahir, the 37-year-old Pakistan-born leg-spinner, was picked up by Delhi Daredevils ahead of IPL 2014 and represented the franchise in 20 matches across three seasons, picking up 29 wickets at an average of 21.48.

He was, however, released by Daredevils last year and found no takers during the auction on February 20 in Bengaluru, despite a relatively low base price of INR 50 Lakh. Pune decided to bring in Tahir, whose services were available as he was part of the registered available player pool list.

"Imran Tahir who was unsold in the 2017 VIVO IPL Player Auction is from the registered available player pool list (RAPP list). As per the player regulations, RPS is allowed the replacement player from the RAPP list," stated a BCCI media released.

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Kohli's Back up 4th Test was Announced......

Mumbai's top-order batsman Shreyas Iyer has been added to the India squad for the upcoming Test against Australia at Dharamsala, starting on Saturday (March 25). Iyer has been called up as a cover for Virat Kohli, who injured his shoulder during the third Test in Ranchi. The maiden national call-up comes as a well-deserved reward for his incredible consistency over the past three seasons in the Indian domestic arena.

Virat Kohli did a bit of fielding drills in Dharamsala on Thursday (March 23) with protective bandages around his right shoulder. The India captain was seen throwing underarm and did not take part in any batting practice. On the first day of the third Test at Ranchi, the Indian Skipper hurt on right shoulder while putting in a diving effort in the 40th over of the day. Iyer is expected to join the team on Friday morning in Dharamsala.

Iyer, 22, shot to limelight when he was bagged by Delhi Daredevils in the 2015 Indian Premier League auction for a whopping sum of INR 2.6 Crore, and the move paid dividends with the youngster amassing 439 runs from 14 games, and also winning the Emerging Player of the Year award.

Iyer, in his short domestic career, has been one of the most consistent performers in the Ranji Trophy circuit, top-scoring for his state side Mumbai in all three seasons. In his first Ranji season, he topped the charts with 809 runs which saw Mumbai reach the semifinal of the tournament. In the following season, his hundred in the final ensured Mumbai won their 41st title. Iyer's 1321 runs in the winning campaign is the second-highest in any single edition of the Ranji Trophy. Last season, Mumbai went down against Gujarat in the final, but Iyer's form did not waver, where he finished with 725 runs in the season.

The Mumbai batsman also featured in the solitary practice game when Bangladesh toured India to play their first Test on Indian soil. Iyer hit a 91-ball hundred in the drawn affair. When Australia came touring to India for their four-Test series, Iyer led the show for India A in the practice game, hitting an unbeaten 202 against the Australian attack that performed well in the Tests to follow.

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I didn't want to make it my last Test, says.......

Maybe, just maybe, Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell's unwanted perception as a clownish cricketer is finally being eroded after he scored an outstanding maiden Test century on Day 2 of the third Test against India. The 28-year-old was unbeaten on 82 overnight and overcame the nervous nineties to register an emotional ton, helping restore Australia's dreams of memorably retaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Maxwell's game-changing innings of 104 during a lengthy 191-run fifth-wicket stand with Steve Smith, his incomparable captain, could very well prove to be a defining knock and be the junction when his temperamental talents finally clicked into place.

After reaching the coveted landmark and waving his bat to the Australian dressing room, Maxwell emotionally kissed his helmet for an extended moment. Undoubtedly, he was soaking in his triumph against the odds, after many critics adamantly believed Maxwell could never make it as a Test batsman.

"There was just so much emotion that fell out of me as soon as I got the hundred," Maxwell told reporters after the second day's play in a candid press conference on Friday (March 17). "Even thinking about it now, I've got a frog in my throat. It's just as special a moment I've had in my career and hopefully it's not the last."

The outpouring of emotion was testament to an anxious wait having reached Stumps just 18 short of a century on Day 1. "I thought about it all night, I went through about 300-400 different scenarios that could have happened the next day... most of them weren't good," Maxwell told chuckling press corps.

It was a particularly sweet moment for the Victorian who has long been viewed as a player befitting the shorter-formats but lacking the nuance to succeed at the Test level. Compounding things, Maxwell is easy to ridicule - after all one of his monikers is the 'The Big Show', which is often derisively amended to 'The No Show' after he disappoints. Much like the Marsh brothers and Shane Watson, Maxwell has often been a punchline.

Part of the bile stemmed from when he landed a lucrative USD 1 million contract during the 2013 Indian Premier League auction. Maxwell was little known at the time, having only made his One-Day International (ODI) debut a mere six months earlier and dubious Australian fans believed he was not deserving of his rich pay day.

The critics' reservations and typecasting seemed justified after Maxwell produced almost nothing with the bat from three Tests played in Asia during 2013-14. In his last Test appearance against Pakistan during Australia's ill-fated tour of the UAE, Maxwell batted at three and made scores of 37 and 4. Australia were promptly thrashed and, inevitably, Maxwell's selection was widely panned.

Kim Hughes, the former Australian captain, headlined the verbal bashing of Maxwell. "I mean his effort was diabolical," Hughes said on Perth radio at the time. "He's alright in the Twenty20, absolutely, but he shouldn't even be considered for anything else."

Since then, he has been banished into Test wilderness but his reputation as being proficient against spin coupled with an ability to bowl handy offbreaks meant Maxwell earned a spot on the tour of India. An injury to struggling all-rounder Mitchell Marsh paved the way for a long-awaited recall and the first Test ton.

"To get back in the side in the first place was something that I really held close to my heart," Maxwell admitted. "I was so happy to be able to walk back on the field with the Australian Test team with the Baggy Green cap on and I was so filled with joy when I got told I had the opportunity to do that again.

"Suppose I just didn't really want to waste the opportunity. I didn't want to make it my last Test, that's for sure," he added. "Just wanted to make it count ... every opportunity I get from now on."

Maxwell's selection wasn't necessarily a surprise considering his intoxicating skill-set, but came after a turbulent period where he had been dropped from Australia's ODI team and was on the outer after a public spat with Matthew Wade, his Victorian captain and Australian teammate.

Maxwell admitted he questioned himself during these tough times. "I was in a place where I doubted whether I can play Test cricket again and whether to put the cap back on," he said. "I just did whatever I can on and off the field and tried changes in technique and numerous discussions with lot of people. I tried staying aloof as much I could and kept on asking questions and change people's perception about what Maxwell was doing."

Maxwell's unwanted perception can be attributed to his flashy game, where he often looks blase. At the crease, he languidly crouches in his stance with his legs splayed apart. His casual demeanour makes him appear like he's having a carefree hit at a suburban park on a Sunday morning in a bid to shake off the stupor from a big night.

However, despite the showboating in his batting, behind the scenes Maxwell is a grinder and sets high standards for himself. Mickey Arthur, the former coach of Australia who handed Maxwell his Test and ODI debuts, spoke glowingly of his former disciple.

"People don't realise he has a deep understanding of the game. He studies the game and his own performance meticulously. Maxwell cares about the game and he doesn't want the show pony status. That's all just media hype."

Maxwell's devotion appears to be reaping rewards after a commanding display in Ranchi, where he faced 185 balls - 71 more than his previous six innings combined. Perhaps most impressively, the 28-year-old's strike-rate barely lifted above 50 for the duration of his innings, testament to an unwavering desire to shelve the big shots.

Early in the innings, Maxwell focused on rotating the strike in a determined effort to play himself in and cash in once set. It was the type of responsible batting his critics have pleaded him to hone for years but, perhaps belatedly, Maxwell appears to have found a successful formula.

Maxwell revealed he had a "pretty simple" plan. "Obviously, yesterday I came in at a time when we were in a bit of a tricky situation," he said. "The balls were reverse swinging and I just tried to play as straight as I could and keep my pads out of the way. (The plan was to) just keep doing that for as long as possible and try to keep the Indian team out on their feet for as long as possible. That was obviously the plan when we came out today."

Maxwell has often been compared to Andrew Symonds, the former Australian all-rounder, who similarly had a slow start to his career before being a mainstay in the Test and ODI teams in the mid-2000s. Slightly younger than when Symonds's talents materialised, Maxwell hoped his Test breakthrough in Ranchi was the start of a fulfilling career.

"I certainly hope so ... it'll just tick something inside and I can continue to be consistent," he said. "I think that's always been the biggest thing the coaches, selectors have wanted, the consistency. If I can keep producing longer innings and batting long periods of time, building partnerships with other players, I think that's going to go a long way in firstly, holding my spot and secondly, winning games for Australia."

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Tymal Mills Feels for IPL Contract.....

The 24-year-old T20 specialist Tymal Mills was the talk of the town after he attracted the second-highest bid at the recently concluded 2017 IPL auction. Following an INR 12 crore deal with the Royal Challengers Bangalore, Mills is now dealing with overnight stardom but stresses on the need of staying focussed on his game. The left-arm speedster has previously been a part of the Chittagong Vikings in the Bangladesh Premier League, Brisbane Heat at the Big Bash, Auckland Aces in Super Smash and the Quetta Gladiators at the Pakistan Super League.

Playing down all the hoopla around the big bucks, Mills, however, acknowledged the securities that the amount will bring him. "I need to buy a house and that will be the first thing," he said. Mills, who stays in a shared flat in Brighton, said: "Buy a house outright, so I don't have to worry about a mortgage, just have to pay my bills, so if all else fails, that sets you up for the rest of your life."

Mills mentioned that he would wait for the sum to be credited to his bank account, before going overboard with plans and celebrations. "It's not real yet, not until it goes into my account and I get paid. I've had to make arrangements to receive that money, I've never come into that type of money before so I've got a financial advisor sorted and spoke to my accountant, and set up my bank account accordingly.

"It is a massive amount of money but I've not actually thought about it as it's not real until it's real, as such," he added.

Mills, who debuted with Essex and later joined Sussex, remained fully committed to his county side and hopes to make a strong impact at England's domestic T20 tournament. "I've mentioned a few times I don't have any money yet, but there are a few standard jokes - 'T will get it'- but everyone's been brilliant and really happy for me. They know the journey I have been on and, when the T20 Blast starts again in July, I'll be fully committed to play for Sussex," he added.

He also realises that the price tag comes with immense accountability, and that his performance would be severely scrutinised. He is, however, quick to point that it is a batsman's game, and there may be a few off days on the field, especially while playing on a traditionally good batting wicket in Bengaluru..

"With the price tag I've been bought for, there will be a level of expectation and I'm aware of that, but I'm just going to go out there and do what I've done and do what has got me this far.

"It is going to be tough, playing half my games at Bangalore, you've got to temper your expectations and what is going to be a good day there isn't always going to be a good day somewhere else."

The England seamer hails from a very humble background, and used to help his mother, Louise, by working at a fruit stall before heading to his school. All the fame hasn't come without his own share of struggle. In 2015, he was diagnosed with a congenital back condition, forcing him to slow down and modulate his training regime accordingly. While his career was on the line, the youngster did well to pull himself through.

"Being a 22-year-old, to hear those words and to have that option was hard to hear," Mills said. "It hit me hard. Some of the tests I had to rule out, other things weren't nice to have.

"But I'm glad I took the option to continue playing, to give T20 a crack. It's been an up and down couple of years, a journey that has culminated with getting this recognition in the IPL. It's a really exciting time and I'm looking forward to getting out there."

Steve Smith Creates World Record.....

The third test match between India vs Australia was started on 16th march.

Australia won the toss and elected to bat first as well. The first session dominated by Indian bowlers by picking up 3 wickets (Umesh, Ashwin, Jadeja each).

The partnership begins from 140-4 when Maxwell arrives. Then they outplayed India in post lunch sessions they added 159 runs.

Some records are created by Australian captain Steve Smith are:

Steve Smith is the first Australian captain to score two hundreds in a series in India. 

He also creates record of scoring 5000 test runs at the age of 27

Steve Smith (27y and 287d) became the youngest Australian to 5000 runs in Tests beating Ricky Ponting (28y & 303d). 97 innings taken by him is the third fewest among Australian players after Don Bradman(56) and Matthew Hayden(95).

Most hundreds as captain vs India:
7 C Lloyd
5 STEVE SMITH*
4 D Bradman/ B Simpson/ M Clarke/ A Cook

Pat Cummins who played after a long gap between the appearance in test cricket

Most matches missed between 1st & 2nd Test:
96 L Jackson
79 K Andrew
78 B Hogg/ R Sidebottom
69 M Bandara
65 Bob Taylor
64 PAT CUMMINS

The unbeaten 159-run partnership of between Steven Smith & Glenn Maxwell is the highest of the series eclipsing 118 by Pujara and Rahane in India's second innings in Bangalore.

According to the teams record it was the Australias 800th test match

Australia became the second team to play 800 Tests after England(983). Australia has 107 more wins than England at the point of 800 Tests.

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Vijay Hazare Trophy 2017 Quarter finals Updates....

3rd Quarter-final: Vidarbha vs Jharkhand, at Palam A Stadium – Delhi

Group A toppers Vidarbha, who had lost just one match in the opening stage, took on Group D runners-up Jharkhand in a rather one-sided fixture at the Palam A Stadium in Delhi. The Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led Jharkhand side cruised to an easy victory to ensure their place in the semi-finals.

Vidarbha won the toss and elected to bat first. However, they failed to get going and lost wickets at regular intervals. Captain Faiz Fazal, who opened the innings fell prey to Varun Aaron while Ambati Rayudu failed to get runs on the board as well. Ganesh Satish tried to somewhat steady the ship but could not convert his good start into a big score.

Ravi Jangid and Rajneesh Gurbani added some valuable runs when they had a partnership of 61 runs for the eighth wicket. Jangid scored 62 runs before he was run out. Eventually, Vidarbha managed only 159 runs at the loss of nine wickets in their stipulated 50 overs. For Jharkhand, Monu Kumar was the pick of the bowlers with figures 2-27.

In reply, Jharkhand’s openers Ishan Kishan and Pratyush Singh provided a solid start as they put on 68 runs for the first wicket. However, both failed to capitalise on their promising starts. Two quick dismissals followed but Jharkhand were always confident in their chase.

With Saurabh Tiwary’s wicket captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni came to the wicket to see through until the end of the chase along with Ishank Jaggi. Dhoni gave the spectators something to cheer for as he finished off in style by hitting a six. On the hindsight, it turned out to be a good toss to lose.

Brief scores: Vidarbha 159/9 in 50 overs (Ravi Jangid 62, Ganesh Satish 35, Monu Kumar 2/27) lost to Jharkhand 165/4 in 45.1 overs (Ishank Jaggi 41*, Ishan Kishan 35, MS Dhoni 18*, Ravikumar Thakur 2/25)

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4th Quarter-final: Bengal vs Maharashtra, at Feroz Shah Kotla – Delhi

The fourth quarter-final of the tournament between Bengal and Maharashtra turned out to be an exciting affair. Group C toppers Bengal had lost some momentum in their final group stage match but managed to eke out a nail-biting win to book their berth in the semis.

Maharashtra captain Kedar Jadhav won the crucial toss and elected to bat first. Opener Ruturaj Gaekwad got off to a strong start but fell just seven short of a half century. However, Jadhav, who has been in top form in the tournament, and Rahul Tripathy kept the scoreboard ticking.

After Jadhav was dismissed for a well-made 44, wicketkeeper Nikhil Naik built an 116-run partnership with Tripathy for the fifth wicket. Ultimately, Tripathy was dismissed at 95 of 74 balls, but some hard hitting from the lower middle order pushed the score up to 319/6. None of the Bengal bowlers was able to keep things tight.

Set a daunting target of 320 in 50 overs, the Bengal batsmen were up for the challenge. Opener Shreevats Goswami set the tone with a brilliantly made 74 comprising 7 boundaries. Agniv Pan and captain Manoj Tiwary all chipped in with scores of 47 and 40. Pan, especially, was very impressive in his 37-ball knock.

However, it was Sudip Chatterjee and experienced campaigner, Anustup Majumdar, who helped Bengal take the game into the final stages. Majumdar got out after scoring a quickfire 66 runs, and a wicket in the last over tightened things up. But Sudip held his end to help his side win the game.

On a rather interesting note, this was Bengal’s highest successful run chase in the tournament’s history.

Brief scores: Maharashtra 319/6 in 50 overs (Rahul Tripathi 95, Nikhil Naik 63, Kedar Jadhav 44, Sayan Ghosh 61/2) lost to Bengal 320/6 in 49.5 overs (Shreevats Goswami 74, Anustup Majumdar 61, Sudip Chatterjee 60*,  Kedar Jadhav 30/2)

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