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Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has slammed Virat Kohli's T20I critics who keep calling for his ouster from the national side. Ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024 edition, which kicks off next month in West Indies and USA, former Aussie batter Ponting has lauded Kohli and feels the right-hander has a lot to offer to India in the shortest format. Punter added that Kohli will be his 'first pick' for India in T20Is.

In recent times, Kohli has been a target of a lot of criticism regarding his strike-rate in T20Is (138.15). The 35-year-old even entered IPL 2024 with a lot of eyebrows on his strike rate, with many raising fingers at his ability to keep the tempo of the innings up right throughout (especially in the middle-overs). Nonetheless, the former Indian captain has silenced his critics in style in this year's IPL, being the highest run-getter with&nbsp;708 runs at an average of 64.36 and a strike-rate of 155.60.

Thus, Ponting slammed Kohli's critics. He told the ICC, "It's funny with Virat. I think people in India just always try to find a reason not to pick him or a reason why he's maybe not as good as some of those other guys in the T20 game. He (Kohli) is the first pick for me for India."

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/cricket/security-threat-to-virat-kohli-prompts-rcb-to-cancel-practice-session-report-724256">Security threat to Virat Kohli prompts RCB to cancel practice session ahead of Eliminator: Report</a>

Punter added, "He can play his role at the top. And if you've got the right guys around him scoring (like) Suryakumar (Yadav), Rohit Sharma's going to have a high strike rate. These other guys can go in there and play their way."

Kohli returned to India's T20I setup early this year after a 14-month break. Given how he has fared in the IPL, the veteran looks well prepared to tackle the tricky and contrasting conditions and nature of the surface in West Indies and USA, the co-hosts for the upcoming T20 WC.

Rohit Sharma-led India are placed in Group A along with Pakistan, USA, Ireland and Canada. They open their campaign on June 5 versus Ireland in New York.

Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has slammed Virat Kohli's T20I critics who keep calling for his ouster from the national side. Ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024 edition, which kicks off next month in West Indies and USA, former Aussie batter Ponting has lauded Kohli and feels the right-hander has a lot to offer to India in the shortest format.

Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has slammed Virat Kohli's T20I critics who keep calling for his ouster from the national side. Ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024 edition, which kicks off next month in West Indies and USA, former Aussie batter Ponting has lauded Kohli and feels the right-hander has a lot to offer to India in the shortest format. Punter added that Kohli will be his 'first pick' for India in T20Is. In recent times, Kohli has been a target of a lot of criticism regarding his strike-rate in T20Is (138.15). The 35-year-old even entered IPL 2024 with a lot of eyebrows on his strike rate, with many raising fingers at his ability to keep the tempo of the innings up right throughout (especially in the middle-overs). Nonetheless, the former Indian captain has silenced his critics in style in this year's IPL, being the highest run-getter with 708 runs at an average of 64.36 and a strike-rate of 155.60. Thus, Ponting slammed Kohli's critics. He told the ICC, "It's funny with Virat. I think people in India just always try to find a reason not to pick him or a reason why he's maybe not as good as some of those other guys in the T20 game. He (Kohli) is the first pick for me for India." Also read: Security threat to Virat Kohli prompts RCB to cancel practice session ahead of Eliminator: Report Punter added, "He can play his role at the top. And if you've got the right guys around him scoring (like) Suryakumar (Yadav), Rohit Sharma's going to have a high strike rate. These other guys can go in there and play their way." Kohli returned to India's T20I setup early this year after a 14-month break. Given how he has fared in the IPL, the veteran looks well prepared to tackle the tricky and contrasting conditions and nature of the surface in West Indies and USA, the co-hosts for the upcoming T20 WC. Rohit Sharma-led India are placed in Group A along with Pakistan, USA, Ireland and Canada. They open their campaign on June 5 versus Ireland in New York.

Funny how people want him dropped from T20Is: Ponting silences Virat Kohli's critics before T20 World Cup

Pakistan are set to lock horns with England in a four-match T20I series, in England, starting on May 22 (Wednesday). This will be the final preparations for both the sides as they head into the 2024 T20 World Cup due&nbsp;to kickoff in West Indies and USA in June. Ahead of the series opener, all eyes are on Pakistan's white-ball skipper Babar Azam.

If Pakistan have to strengthen their T20 WC preparations and win the series versus Jos Buttler &amp; Co., Babar will have to be among runs from the first game itself. The right-hander played a blinder in his side's 2-1 T20I series win over Ireland before heading to the United Kingdom. Ahead of the first game, to be held at&nbsp;Headingley, Leeds on Wednesday, here are a plethora of records, owned by Indian superstars Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, which can be broken by Babar in the four-match seriesm, and the numbers needed by him to script history:

45 – Babar&nbsp;is just 45 runs short of becoming only the third batter to enter the 4000-run club&nbsp;in T20Is.&nbsp;Kohli and Suzie Bates (of New Zealand) are the other batters to have achieved this feat.

20 - The Pakistan skipper needs 20 more runs to overtake current Indian captain&nbsp;Rohit&nbsp;as the second-highest run-scorer in the shortest format. Hitman&nbsp;has&nbsp;3,974 runs from 151 T20Is -- second-most after Kohli.

83 - Babar&nbsp;is 83 runs away from&nbsp;becoming&nbsp;the all-time leading run-scorer in men’s T20Is. Kohli's tally currently is&nbsp;4,037 runs from 117 T20Is.

Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/cricket/bangladesh-suffer-shock-defeat-against-usa-ahead-of-t20-world-cup-724109">Bangladesh suffer shock defeat against USA ahead of T20 World Cup</a>

48- Babar&nbsp;also needs 48 runs to become the all-time leading run-scorer in T20Is versus two-time T20 WC winner England. At present,&nbsp;Kohli holds the record, amassing&nbsp;639 runs from 20 games.

95 – The 29-year-old Pakistani star&nbsp;needs 95 runs to become the highest run-getter among away batters in T20Is on English soil. Australia's T20 WC-winning skipper&nbsp;Aaron Finch is the&nbsp;record-holder at the moment;&nbsp;370 runs in six T20Is at a whopping&nbsp;average of 61.66.

Babar will be eager to make the most of the four-match series versus England and attain all these records before entering the T20 WC. However, it won't be easy against the current T20 WC champions England in their own soil.&nbsp;

After this series, the Men in Green will move towards the T20 WC -- without any warm-up games -- where they are placed in Group A along with India, USA, Canada and Ireland. Their marquee encounter versus Team India is on June 9 in New York.

Pakistan are set to lock horns with England in a four-match T20I series, in England, starting on May 22 (Wednesday). This will be the final preparations for both the sides as they head into the 2024 T20 World Cup due to kickoff in West Indies and USA in June.

Pakistan are set to lock horns with England in a four-match T20I series, in England, starting on May 22 (Wednesday). This will be the final preparations for both the sides as they head into the 2024 T20 World Cup due to kickoff in West Indies and USA in June. Ahead of the series opener, all eyes are on Pakistan's white-ball skipper Babar Azam. If Pakistan have to strengthen their T20 WC preparations and win the series versus Jos Buttler & Co., Babar will have to be among runs from the first game itself. The right-hander played a blinder in his side's 2-1 T20I series win over Ireland before heading to the United Kingdom. Ahead of the first game, to be held at Headingley, Leeds on Wednesday, here are a plethora of records, owned by Indian superstars Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, which can be broken by Babar in the four-match seriesm, and the numbers needed by him to script history: 45 – Babar is just 45 runs short of becoming only the third batter to enter the 4000-run club in T20Is. Kohli and Suzie Bates (of New Zealand) are the other batters to have achieved this feat. 20 - The Pakistan skipper needs 20 more runs to overtake current Indian captain Rohit as the second-highest run-scorer in the shortest format. Hitman has 3,974 runs from 151 T20Is -- second-most after Kohli. 83 - Babar is 83 runs away from becoming the all-time leading run-scorer in men’s T20Is. Kohli's tally currently is 4,037 runs from 117 T20Is. Also read: Bangladesh suffer shock defeat against USA ahead of T20 World Cup 48- Babar also needs 48 runs to become the all-time leading run-scorer in T20Is versus two-time T20 WC winner England. At present, Kohli holds the record, amassing 639 runs from 20 games. 95 – The 29-year-old Pakistani star needs 95 runs to become the highest run-getter among away batters in T20Is on English soil. Australia's T20 WC-winning skipper Aaron Finch is the record-holder at the moment; 370 runs in six T20Is at a whopping average of 61.66. Babar will be eager to make the most of the four-match series versus England and attain all these records before entering the T20 WC. However, it won't be easy against the current T20 WC champions England in their own soil. After this series, the Men in Green will move towards the T20 WC -- without any warm-up games -- where they are placed in Group A along with India, USA, Canada and Ireland. Their marquee encounter versus Team India is on June 9 in New York.

Eng vs Pak: Major milestones awaited! Pakistan captain Babar Azam nears Rohit, Kohli’s all-time T20I records

After Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) demolished Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), by eight wickets in Qualifier 1 of IPL 2024 on Tuesday (May 21), the two-time winners became the first side to enter this year's final. On Wednesday (May 22), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will lock horns with Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Eliminator.&nbsp;Ahead of the do-or-die clash, former Indian opener Sunil Gavaskar gave his bold verdict that RCB will run past RR.

RR, under Sanju Samson, had a fabulous start to the season, winning eight of their first nine games. However, they lost four on the trot and their last league fixture got abandoned without a ball being bowled due to rain. On the other hand, RCB were at the bottom at the halfway stage but won six straight games to enter the playoffs. Thus, Gavaskar has backed in-form RCB to go past RR at the Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium in Ahmedabad; the same venue which hosted Qualifier 1.

<h2>'I will be surprised if RCB&nbsp;does not walk all over RR'</h2>

On Star Sports, Gavaskar said, "Rajasthan they have lost four-five matches. They have not played their last game as well. They have been out of practice. Unless they do something special that KKR did today, despite not playing for 11 days, it could well turn out be another one-sided game tomorrow. My fear is it will be another one sided game tomorrow, where the RCB will walk all over RR. I will be surprised if that does not happen."

Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/cricket/my-main-priority-jos-buttler-issues-clarification-after-leaving-ipl-midway-for-england-724133">'My main priority...': Jos Buttler issues clarification after leaving IPL midway for England</a>

He further lauded Faf du Plessis-led RCB for an inspiring turnaround. The Bengaluru unit rode on Faf, Kohli and Rajat Patidar's consistency at the top, played fearless cricket and improved their bowling (courtesy of a more settled line-up) to enter the playoffs.

Thus, Gavaskar added, "What RCB has done is nothing short of phenomenal. Firstly, to believe that they can bounce back. That requires something special. You have to say that their leading players Faf du Plessis, Virat KOhli, their senior players, they are the guys who are most encouraging the other players. Other team members can quickly get into a situation like , 'Oh we have lost everything'. Both of them have played extraordinary cricket."

The pressure will be on one-time winners RR as they should not have reached a stage where they are playing the Eliminator, after topping the league stage for majority of period. Thus, the Sanju Samson-led side have their task cut-out to stop a rampant and fearless RCB in Ahmedabad on Wednesday evening.

The winner will play SRH in Qualifier 2, in Chennai on Friday (May 24). Qualifier 2 winner will meet KKR in the IPL 2024 final on Sunday (May 26) in Chennai.

After Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) demolished Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), by eight wickets in Qualifier 1 of IPL 2024 on Tuesday (May 21), the two-time winners became the first side to enter this year's final.

After Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) demolished Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), by eight wickets in Qualifier 1 of IPL 2024 on Tuesday (May 21), the two-time winners became the first side to enter this year's final. On Wednesday (May 22), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will lock horns with Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Eliminator. Ahead of the do-or-die clash, former Indian opener Sunil Gavaskar gave his bold verdict that RCB will run past RR. RR, under Sanju Samson, had a fabulous start to the season, winning eight of their first nine games. However, they lost four on the trot and their last league fixture got abandoned without a ball being bowled due to rain. On the other hand, RCB were at the bottom at the halfway stage but won six straight games to enter the playoffs. Thus, Gavaskar has backed in-form RCB to go past RR at the Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium in Ahmedabad; the same venue which hosted Qualifier 1. 'I will be surprised if RCB does not walk all over RR' On Star Sports, Gavaskar said, "Rajasthan they have lost four-five matches. They have not played their last game as well. They have been out of practice. Unless they do something special that KKR did today, despite not playing for 11 days, it could well turn out be another one-sided game tomorrow. My fear is it will be another one sided game tomorrow, where the RCB will walk all over RR. I will be surprised if that does not happen." Also read: 'My main priority...': Jos Buttler issues clarification after leaving IPL midway for England He further lauded Faf du Plessis-led RCB for an inspiring turnaround. The Bengaluru unit rode on Faf, Kohli and Rajat Patidar's consistency at the top, played fearless cricket and improved their bowling (courtesy of a more settled line-up) to enter the playoffs. Thus, Gavaskar added, "What RCB has done is nothing short of phenomenal. Firstly, to believe that they can bounce back. That requires something special. You have to say that their leading players Faf du Plessis, Virat KOhli, their senior players, they are the guys who are most encouraging the other players. Other team members can quickly get into a situation like , 'Oh we have lost everything'. Both of them have played extraordinary cricket." The pressure will be on one-time winners RR as they should not have reached a stage where they are playing the Eliminator, after topping the league stage for majority of period. Thus, the Sanju Samson-led side have their task cut-out to stop a rampant and fearless RCB in Ahmedabad on Wednesday evening. The winner will play SRH in Qualifier 2, in Chennai on Friday (May 24). Qualifier 2 winner will meet KKR in the IPL 2024 final on Sunday (May 26) in Chennai.

IPL 2024: 'RCB will walk all over RR' - Sunil Gavaskar's BOLD claim ahead of Eliminator

The buzz around senior Indian men's cricket team head coach is increasing day by day. While current coach Rahul Dravid has reportedly expressed his unwillingness to continue with the job, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) invited applications with a deadline of May 27. Since then, many high-profile names have been doing the rounds as having been approached by the board to take over from Dravid post the upcoming 2024 T20 World Cup.

Sri Lankan legend Mahela Jayawardene's name also started doing the rounds for the head coach post, following ex-cricketers Stephen Fleming, Gautam Gambhir and Harbhajan Singh. However, as per a report in IANS news agency, Jayawardene&nbsp;"hasn't applied nor has been approached for the top job and is currently happy at the&nbsp; Mumbai Indians (MI) set-up."

Notably, Jayawardene is serving as MI's global head of performance. Under his coaching, Mumbai won the IPL thrice in 2017, 2019 and 2020.&nbsp;In addition, he is also in charge for the coaching and scouting of MI franchises in various global T20 leagues, such as&nbsp;the SA20 and ILT20.

Moreover, the former Lankan captain also served as a consultant for Sri Lanka men's team in their recent World Cup campaigns.

Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/harbhajan-singh-keen-on-becoming-indias-head-coach-picks-samson-over-pant-at-t20-world-cup-723938">Harbhajan Singh keen on becoming India’s head coach; picks Samson over Pant for T20 World Cup</a>

Recently, even former Australian opener and coach Justin Langer's name was associated with the India coaching job. Langer, under whom Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) failed to qualify for IPL 2024 playoffs, however, ruled himself out of being in the reckoning.

<h2>'It would almost be the biggest job in cricket'</h2>

After LSG's campaign ended in this year's IPL, Langer said, "It would almost be the biggest job in cricket - being the head coach of the Indian cricket team. One, because of the huge volume of cricket, the huge expectation. It would be a great challenge. It would be great fun and it would be a wonderful opportunity to win ICC titles."

"But with all these things, the timing has got to be right. I did four or so years with the Australian cricket team. It is all encompassing. It is exhausting. Rahul Dravid will probably tell you the same thing and Ravi Shastri will probably tell you the same thing. The pressure on winning for the Indian team is massive. I'm sure the next person who gets the job will be really looking forward to the project," he added.

Dravid's last assignment as India coach is the forthcoming 2024 T20 WC, in West Indies and USA in June. Thus, BCCI is eager to finalise a name soon. Reportedly, the board is willing to offer the new coach a contract till the 2027 ODI World Cup.

The buzz around senior Indian men's cricket team head coach is increasing day by day. While current coach Rahul Dravid has reportedly expressed his unwillingness to continue with the job, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) invited applications with a deadline of May 27.

The buzz around senior Indian men's cricket team head coach is increasing day by day. While current coach Rahul Dravid has reportedly expressed his unwillingness to continue with the job, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) invited applications with a deadline of May 27. Since then, many high-profile names have been doing the rounds as having been approached by the board to take over from Dravid post the upcoming 2024 T20 World Cup. Sri Lankan legend Mahela Jayawardene's name also started doing the rounds for the head coach post, following ex-cricketers Stephen Fleming, Gautam Gambhir and Harbhajan Singh. However, as per a report in IANS news agency, Jayawardene "hasn't applied nor has been approached for the top job and is currently happy at the Mumbai Indians (MI) set-up." Notably, Jayawardene is serving as MI's global head of performance. Under his coaching, Mumbai won the IPL thrice in 2017, 2019 and 2020. In addition, he is also in charge for the coaching and scouting of MI franchises in various global T20 leagues, such as the SA20 and ILT20. Moreover, the former Lankan captain also served as a consultant for Sri Lanka men's team in their recent World Cup campaigns. Also read: Harbhajan Singh keen on becoming India’s head coach; picks Samson over Pant for T20 World Cup Recently, even former Australian opener and coach Justin Langer's name was associated with the India coaching job. Langer, under whom Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) failed to qualify for IPL 2024 playoffs, however, ruled himself out of being in the reckoning. 'It would almost be the biggest job in cricket' After LSG's campaign ended in this year's IPL, Langer said, "It would almost be the biggest job in cricket - being the head coach of the Indian cricket team. One, because of the huge volume of cricket, the huge expectation. It would be a great challenge. It would be great fun and it would be a wonderful opportunity to win ICC titles." "But with all these things, the timing has got to be right. I did four or so years with the Australian cricket team. It is all encompassing. It is exhausting. Rahul Dravid will probably tell you the same thing and Ravi Shastri will probably tell you the same thing. The pressure on winning for the Indian team is massive. I'm sure the next person who gets the job will be really looking forward to the project," he added. Dravid's last assignment as India coach is the forthcoming 2024 T20 WC, in West Indies and USA in June. Thus, BCCI is eager to finalise a name soon. Reportedly, the board is willing to offer the new coach a contract till the 2027 ODI World Cup.

India head coach job: Mahela Jayawardene not approached by BCCI for top post - Reports

England are eager to unleash Jofra Archer's "fear factor" against Pakistan as the paceman prepares to return from a long injury lay-off ahead of next month's T20 World Cup, says team-mate Sam Curran.

Injuries have blighted Archer's international career and he has not played top-level cricket for 14 months due to back and elbow issues.

He has managed just 15 Twenty20 appearances for England since making his international debut five years ago but is in the squad for their four-match T20 series against Pakistan, starting this week, and the World Cup.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/cricket/ipl-2024-we-will-go-back-nita-ambani-on-mumbai-indians-disappointing-season-723621">IPL 2024: 'We will go back...,' Nita Ambani on Mumbai Indians' 'disappointing' season</a>

The 29-year-old has been building up his fitness by playing club cricket in Barbados and last week took a wicket for Sussex's second XI.&nbsp;

"It's incredibly exciting to have a player of his quality," all-rounder Curran said on Monday. "I'm sure England fans and players are extremely buzzed to have him back."

"He's obviously got that extra pace and fear factor we can bring to opposition. We all hope his injuries are behind him now.&nbsp;

"Jof's had a really tough couple of years -- we all hope he can come back and do what he does for England and bring the A game that we know he's got."

England, who are reigning T20 world champions, are desperate to find form ahead of the tournament in the West Indies and the United States after a dismal 50-over World Cup defence in India last year.

Curran is one of eight squad members who returned early from the Indian Premier League ahead of the Pakistan series.&nbsp;

The players had little time together before the defence of their 50-over title.

"The messaging from (captain) Jos (Buttler) and the coaching staff was they wanted to get the group back together and we probably didn't have that last time," said Curran.

"We've been apart for a while so these games are going to be really crucial. We want to be playing as a team and get used to our roles.

"There's a lot of buzz around the group, it seems like we're back to our energy and it seems like the boys are really fizzed about this trophy hopefully coming back."

The first game of the four-match T20 series against Pakistan takes place at Headingley on Wednesday.

England are eager to unleash Jofra Archer's "fear factor" against Pakistan as the paceman prepares to return from a long injury lay-off ahead of next month's T20 World Cup, says team-mate Sam Curran.

England are eager to unleash Jofra Archer's "fear factor" against Pakistan as the paceman prepares to return from a long injury lay-off ahead of next month's T20 World Cup, says team-mate Sam Curran. Injuries have blighted Archer's international career and he has not played top-level cricket for 14 months due to back and elbow issues. He has managed just 15 Twenty20 appearances for England since making his international debut five years ago but is in the squad for their four-match T20 series against Pakistan, starting this week, and the World Cup. Also Read: IPL 2024: 'We will go back...,' Nita Ambani on Mumbai Indians' 'disappointing' season The 29-year-old has been building up his fitness by playing club cricket in Barbados and last week took a wicket for Sussex's second XI. "It's incredibly exciting to have a player of his quality," all-rounder Curran said on Monday. "I'm sure England fans and players are extremely buzzed to have him back." "He's obviously got that extra pace and fear factor we can bring to opposition. We all hope his injuries are behind him now. "Jof's had a really tough couple of years -- we all hope he can come back and do what he does for England and bring the A game that we know he's got." England, who are reigning T20 world champions, are desperate to find form ahead of the tournament in the West Indies and the United States after a dismal 50-over World Cup defence in India last year. Curran is one of eight squad members who returned early from the Indian Premier League ahead of the Pakistan series. The players had little time together before the defence of their 50-over title. "The messaging from (captain) Jos (Buttler) and the coaching staff was they wanted to get the group back together and we probably didn't have that last time," said Curran. "We've been apart for a while so these games are going to be really crucial. We want to be playing as a team and get used to our roles. "There's a lot of buzz around the group, it seems like we're back to our energy and it seems like the boys are really fizzed about this trophy hopefully coming back." The first game of the four-match T20 series against Pakistan takes place at Headingley on Wednesday.

T20 World Cup 2024: England look for form ahead of tournament as Jofra Archer returns in series vs Pakistan

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) beat SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) by eight wickets in the first qualifier on Tuesday (May 21) to become the first finalist of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. Chasing a modest target of 160, KKR hardly broke a sweat and won the match in 13.3 overs. For Kolkata, Venkatesh Iyer scored unbeaten 28-ball 51 while skipper Shreyas Iyer hit 58 not out off 24 balls.&nbsp;

KKR opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who replaced Englishman Phil Salt, gave fine support to in-form Sunil Narine as the duo added 44 runs for the first wicket in 3.1 overs before T Natarajan sent back Gurbaz. SRH skipper Pat Cummins then sent back Narine on the second ball after the powerplay with KKR already at 67.

Also Watch:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/cricket/ipl-playoffs-qualifier-1-srh-vs-kkr-travis-head-wicket-mitchell-starc-all-wickets-video-723975">KKR's Mitchell Starc sends back SRH opener Travis Head on duck in Qualifier 1</a>

Both, Venkatesh and Shreyas then gave no chance to the SRH bowlers. The duo added 97 runs for the third wicket as Iyer finished the game with a flurry of boundaries which included three sixes and one four off Travis Head.

Earlier, SRH won the toss and elected to bat first in Ahmedabad. The decision was proved wrong straight up as Mitchell Starc sent back destructive opener Travis Head back on the second ball of the match for a duck. SRH's innings took a downturn from there as Head's opening partner Abhishek Sharma was sent back in the next over as well.

Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rahul then added 26 runs for the third wicket in next three overs before Starc came back to dismiss Reddy and number four Shahbaz Ahmed off successive balls in the fifth over. SRH, one of the most explosive batting units in the ongoing IPL 2024 season, finished the powerplay at 45/4 with Starc claiming three of these wickets.

Heinrich Klaasen then scored 21-ball 32 and added 62 runs with Tripathi for the fifth wicket as SRH crossed 100-run mark in in 11th over. SRH then lost five quick wickets and were 125/9 before Cummins scored 24-ball 30 to take his team past 150-run mark as they finished at 159 in 19.3 overs.&nbsp;

SRH, however, still have a chance to make it to the final in the second qualifier where they face the winner of the eliminator game between the Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Rajasthan Royals.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) beat SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) by eight wickets in the first qualifier on Tuesday (May 21) to become the first finalist of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) beat SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) by eight wickets in the first qualifier on Tuesday (May 21) to become the first finalist of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. Chasing a modest target of 160, KKR hardly broke a sweat and won the match in 13.3 overs. For Kolkata, Venkatesh Iyer scored unbeaten 28-ball 51 while skipper Shreyas Iyer hit 58 not out off 24 balls. KKR opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who replaced Englishman Phil Salt, gave fine support to in-form Sunil Narine as the duo added 44 runs for the first wicket in 3.1 overs before T Natarajan sent back Gurbaz. SRH skipper Pat Cummins then sent back Narine on the second ball after the powerplay with KKR already at 67. Also Watch: KKR's Mitchell Starc sends back SRH opener Travis Head on duck in Qualifier 1 Both, Venkatesh and Shreyas then gave no chance to the SRH bowlers. The duo added 97 runs for the third wicket as Iyer finished the game with a flurry of boundaries which included three sixes and one four off Travis Head. Earlier, SRH won the toss and elected to bat first in Ahmedabad. The decision was proved wrong straight up as Mitchell Starc sent back destructive opener Travis Head back on the second ball of the match for a duck. SRH's innings took a downturn from there as Head's opening partner Abhishek Sharma was sent back in the next over as well. Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rahul then added 26 runs for the third wicket in next three overs before Starc came back to dismiss Reddy and number four Shahbaz Ahmed off successive balls in the fifth over. SRH, one of the most explosive batting units in the ongoing IPL 2024 season, finished the powerplay at 45/4 with Starc claiming three of these wickets. Heinrich Klaasen then scored 21-ball 32 and added 62 runs with Tripathi for the fifth wicket as SRH crossed 100-run mark in in 11th over. SRH then lost five quick wickets and were 125/9 before Cummins scored 24-ball 30 to take his team past 150-run mark as they finished at 159 in 19.3 overs. SRH, however, still have a chance to make it to the final in the second qualifier where they face the winner of the eliminator game between the Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Rajasthan Royals.

IPL 2024: Bowlers, Venkatesh and Shreyas Iyer take KKR into final with dominating win over SRH

Australia's Mitchell Starc clean bowled Travis Head for a duck in the first over of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) vs SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) qualifier 1 of the Indian Premier league (IPL) 2024 on Tuesday (May 21).

Starc, who hasn't been very effective throughout the tournament, sent an inswinging delivery first up which shattered Head's stumps, leaving the SRH dugout in shock. Have a look at the wicket below:

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Starc sets the tone for Qualifier 1 with a ripper! 🔥<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IPLonJioCinema?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IPLonJioCinema</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TATAIPL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TATAIPL</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KKRvSRH?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KKRvSRH</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TATAIPLPlayoffs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TATAIPLPlayoffs</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IPLinBengali?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IPLinBengali</a> <a href="https://t.co/3AJG5BvZwT">pic.twitter.com/3AJG5BvZwT</a>
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SRH's innings took a downturn from there as Head's opening partner Abhishek Sharma was sent back in the next over as well. Vaibhav Arora bowled a full delivery outside off which Sharma failed to middle and offered a simple catch to Andre Russell at covers.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/cricket/t20-world-cup-2024-afghanistan-announce-former-csk-star-as-bowling-consultant-723970">T20 World Cup 2024: Afghanistan announce former CSK star as bowling consultant</a>

Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rahul then added 26 runs for the third wicket in next three overs before Starc came back to dismiss Reddy and number four Shahbaz Ahmed off successive bowls in the fifth over. SRH, one of the most explosive batting units in the ongoing IPL 2024 season, finished the powerplay at 45/4 with Starc claiming three of these wickets.

Heinrich Klaasen then scored 21-ball 32 and added 62 runs with Tripathi for the fifth wicket as SRH crossed 100-run mark in in 11th over. Two wicket in Sunil Narine's over (14th over of innings) and two more wickets in the next two overs left SRH nine down for 126 runs with four more overs left to play.

Skipper Pat Cummins then scored 24-ball 30 to take his team past 150-run mark as SRH finished with 159 in 19.3 overs. For KKR, Starc was the pick of the bowlers with 3/34 in his four overs while Varun Chakravarthy took 2/26 in his four-over spell. Apart from them, Russell, Narine, Arora and Harshit Rana each picked up one wicket each.

Australia's Mitchell Starc clean bowled Travis Head for a duck in the first over of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) vs SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) qualifier 1 of the Indian Premier league (IPL) 2024 on Tuesday (May 21).

Australia's Mitchell Starc clean bowled Travis Head for a duck in the first over of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) vs SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) qualifier 1 of the Indian Premier league (IPL) 2024 on Tuesday (May 21). Starc, who hasn't been very effective throughout the tournament, sent an inswinging delivery first up which shattered Head's stumps, leaving the SRH dugout in shock. Have a look at the wicket below: Starc sets the tone for Qualifier 1 with a ripper! 🔥#IPLonJioCinema #TATAIPL #KKRvSRH #TATAIPLPlayoffs #IPLinBengali pic.twitter.com/3AJG5BvZwT — JioCinema (@JioCinema) May 21, 2024 × SRH's innings took a downturn from there as Head's opening partner Abhishek Sharma was sent back in the next over as well. Vaibhav Arora bowled a full delivery outside off which Sharma failed to middle and offered a simple catch to Andre Russell at covers. Also Read: T20 World Cup 2024: Afghanistan announce former CSK star as bowling consultant Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rahul then added 26 runs for the third wicket in next three overs before Starc came back to dismiss Reddy and number four Shahbaz Ahmed off successive bowls in the fifth over. SRH, one of the most explosive batting units in the ongoing IPL 2024 season, finished the powerplay at 45/4 with Starc claiming three of these wickets. Heinrich Klaasen then scored 21-ball 32 and added 62 runs with Tripathi for the fifth wicket as SRH crossed 100-run mark in in 11th over. Two wicket in Sunil Narine's over (14th over of innings) and two more wickets in the next two overs left SRH nine down for 126 runs with four more overs left to play. Skipper Pat Cummins then scored 24-ball 30 to take his team past 150-run mark as SRH finished with 159 in 19.3 overs. For KKR, Starc was the pick of the bowlers with 3/34 in his four overs while Varun Chakravarthy took 2/26 in his four-over spell. Apart from them, Russell, Narine, Arora and Harshit Rana each picked up one wicket each.

IPL Playoffs 2024, Qualifier 1: WATCH | KKR's Mitchell Starc sends back SRH opener Travis Head on duck

Afghanistan has announced former West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo as their bowling consultant for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024. The T20 WC, scheduled to start from June 1, is being hosted jointly by the USA and Caribbean. Afghanistan are placed in Group C with New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Uganda and West Indies.&nbsp;

"The 40-year-old Bravo was a former right-arm medium-fast bowling all-rounder for West Indies, having played 295 international matches, scoring 6423 runs and picking up 363 wickets. He has also 100 FC, 227 List A and a mammoth 573 T20 caps to his name," ACB said in an official statement.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/cricket/i-was-prepared-shane-watson-profusely-apologises-to-rcb-fans-watch-723948">'I was prepared...': Shane Watson 'profusely' apologises to RCB fans - Watch</a>

Bravo made his debut for West Indies in 2004 and retired as one of the most successful players ever. The all-rounder played 40 Tests, scoring 2,200 runs and taking 86 wickets. In ODIs, Bravo played 164 games and scored 2,968 runs while taking 199 wickets as well. The all-rounder also played 91 T20Is, scoring 1,255 runs and taking 78 wickets.

It was in global T20 leagues that Bravo became a household name. The all-rounder has played a whopping 573 matches, scoring 6,957 runs at a strike rate of 125 and taking 625 wickets as well.

Afghanistan would be looking to use Bravo's experience and hoping to beat the big names in the marquee tournament. Afghanistan team has recently been terrific in international cricket including in the ODI World Cup 2023 in India where they did beat Pakistan emphatically.

The Rashid Khan-led side starts their campaign on June 4 against Uganda before taking on the Kiwis on June 8, Papua New Guinea on June 14 and West Indies on June 18.

Afghanistan squad for T20 World Cup 2024: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Azmatullah Omarzai, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Ishaq, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan (c), Nangyal Kharoti, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Fareed Ahmad Malik.

Afghanistan has announced former West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo as their bowling consultant for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024. The T20 WC, scheduled to start from June 1, is being hosted jointly by the USA and Caribbean.

Afghanistan has announced former West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo as their bowling consultant for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024. The T20 WC, scheduled to start from June 1, is being hosted jointly by the USA and Caribbean. Afghanistan are placed in Group C with New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Uganda and West Indies. "The 40-year-old Bravo was a former right-arm medium-fast bowling all-rounder for West Indies, having played 295 international matches, scoring 6423 runs and picking up 363 wickets. He has also 100 FC, 227 List A and a mammoth 573 T20 caps to his name," ACB said in an official statement. Also Read: 'I was prepared...': Shane Watson 'profusely' apologises to RCB fans - Watch Bravo made his debut for West Indies in 2004 and retired as one of the most successful players ever. The all-rounder played 40 Tests, scoring 2,200 runs and taking 86 wickets. In ODIs, Bravo played 164 games and scored 2,968 runs while taking 199 wickets as well. The all-rounder also played 91 T20Is, scoring 1,255 runs and taking 78 wickets. It was in global T20 leagues that Bravo became a household name. The all-rounder has played a whopping 573 matches, scoring 6,957 runs at a strike rate of 125 and taking 625 wickets as well. Afghanistan would be looking to use Bravo's experience and hoping to beat the big names in the marquee tournament. Afghanistan team has recently been terrific in international cricket including in the ODI World Cup 2023 in India where they did beat Pakistan emphatically. The Rashid Khan-led side starts their campaign on June 4 against Uganda before taking on the Kiwis on June 8, Papua New Guinea on June 14 and West Indies on June 18. Afghanistan squad for T20 World Cup 2024: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Azmatullah Omarzai, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Ishaq, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan (c), Nangyal Kharoti, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Fareed Ahmad Malik.

T20 World Cup 2024: Afghanistan announce former CSK star as bowling consultant

Former Australian cricketer Shane Watson has apologised to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) fans for his performance in the 2016 Indian Premier League (IPL) final. Watson was donning the RCB jersey at the time but had a poor all-round showing in the summit clash which eventually cost the franchise its first-ever title.&nbsp;

Speaking during an event at Presidency University in Bengaluru, Watson said he wanted to 'profusely' apologise for his performance on that fateful night.&nbsp;

“To all the RCB fans here tonight, I need to profusely apologise, I was prepared as well as I could," said Watson in the video clip going viral on social media.&nbsp;

"I was hoping to perform my very very best, but I had one of the worst performances when it comes to the bowling perspective in the final. And I most probably cost RCB winning that season,” he added.

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Shane Watson apologising for the 2016 final loss at a recent event in Presidency University 😭 
 
From Ig: bhuvanoyys <a href="https://t.co/BJ2XFwNrvD">pic.twitter.com/BJ2XFwNrvD</a>
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<h2>Watson's woeful performance</h2>

Bowling first, RCB could not contain the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) batters as Watson leaked 61 runs in his quota of four overs. It was perhaps the reason why SRH ended up with a mammoth 208 run total in the final.&nbsp;

During the chase, despite Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle providing a 114-run opening stand in 11 overs, RCB failed to chase down the total, falling short by an agonising margin of eight runs. Watson could not redeem himself with the bat either and departed after playing an attritional 9-ball 11-run knock.&nbsp;

The 2016 season is remembered for Kohli's scintillating form as the ex-RCB skipper broke all batting records by scoring 973 runs in 16 innings at an average of 81.08 and strike rate of 152.03. More impressively, Kohli smashed&nbsp;four centuries&nbsp;and seven fifties, whilst taking RCB single-handedly into the finals.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/cricket/ipl-2024-i-dont-want-rcbs-virat-kohli-on-what-next-for-team-after-entering-playoffs-723120">Also read |&nbsp;IPL 2024: 'I don’t want...,' RCB's Virat Kohli on what next for team after entering playoffs</a>

After an eight-year gap, RCB now have the opportunity to do the impossible yet again as they qualified for the playoffs after being on the brink of elimination. Having won their last six matches, RCB are in the Eliminator where they face out-of-form Rajasthan Royals.

While Watson may have failed in the 2016 final, he managed to be the star for Chennai Super Kings and guided the franchise to its first title after returning from a two-year ban in 2018. Watson smashed an unbeaten ton (117*) as CSK chased down the 179-run target against SRH.&nbsp;&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

Former Australian cricketer Shane Watson has apologised to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) fans for his performance in the 2016 Indian Premier League (IPL) final.

Former Australian cricketer Shane Watson has apologised to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) fans for his performance in the 2016 Indian Premier League (IPL) final. Watson was donning the RCB jersey at the time but had a poor all-round showing in the summit clash which eventually cost the franchise its first-ever title. Speaking during an event at Presidency University in Bengaluru, Watson said he wanted to 'profusely' apologise for his performance on that fateful night. “To all the RCB fans here tonight, I need to profusely apologise, I was prepared as well as I could," said Watson in the video clip going viral on social media. "I was hoping to perform my very very best, but I had one of the worst performances when it comes to the bowling perspective in the final. And I most probably cost RCB winning that season,” he added. Shane Watson apologising for the 2016 final loss at a recent event in Presidency University 😭 From Ig: bhuvanoyys pic.twitter.com/BJ2XFwNrvD — x 🧢 (@filter__coffee) May 21, 2024 × Watson's woeful performance Bowling first, RCB could not contain the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) batters as Watson leaked 61 runs in his quota of four overs. It was perhaps the reason why SRH ended up with a mammoth 208 run total in the final. During the chase, despite Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle providing a 114-run opening stand in 11 overs, RCB failed to chase down the total, falling short by an agonising margin of eight runs. Watson could not redeem himself with the bat either and departed after playing an attritional 9-ball 11-run knock. The 2016 season is remembered for Kohli's scintillating form as the ex-RCB skipper broke all batting records by scoring 973 runs in 16 innings at an average of 81.08 and strike rate of 152.03. More impressively, Kohli smashed four centuries and seven fifties, whilst taking RCB single-handedly into the finals. Also read | IPL 2024: 'I don’t want...,' RCB's Virat Kohli on what next for team after entering playoffs After an eight-year gap, RCB now have the opportunity to do the impossible yet again as they qualified for the playoffs after being on the brink of elimination. Having won their last six matches, RCB are in the Eliminator where they face out-of-form Rajasthan Royals. While Watson may have failed in the 2016 final, he managed to be the star for Chennai Super Kings and guided the franchise to its first title after returning from a two-year ban in 2018. Watson smashed an unbeaten ton (117*) as CSK chased down the 179-run target against SRH. (With inputs from agencies)

‘I was prepared...’: Shane Watson ‘profusely’ apologises to RCB fans - Watch

Kolkata Knight Riders mentor Gautam Gambhir thinks that newcomers shouldn't be hyped by experts and commentators after a couple of good performances. The former cricket, who's in race to be India's next head coach, made the comments on former teammate Ravi Ashwin's YouTube channel.

"The graph goes [up and down] in India, and it is not good for a young player. That is where the experts and commentators need to be balanced when it comes to these young players. It is easy for them to get deviated from the hard work and the good things they are doing. Because suddenly when you start talking about a young player doing well, it can backfire for them," he added.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/cricket/we-never-asked-chennai-super-kings-on-ms-dhonis-retirement-speculations-723868">'We never asked...': Chennai Super Kings on MS Dhoni's retirement speculations</a>

He made the comments probably on Lucknow Super Giants pacer (LSG) Mayank Yadav being hyped for his express pace and calls of getting him included in India's squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup. The pacer, who regularly bowled north of 150 kmph in the games he played in the IPL 2024, however, got injured and hasn't been selected in the India squad as well.

Gambhir also said that the team selection criteria for Tests and 50-over format should not include performance of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The former batter, however, was okay with T20I team being selected on the basis of IPL.

"India's T20I side should be selected from IPL (performances)," Gambhir said. "For 50-over format, it should be selected from Vijay Hazare, and your Test side should be selected from your first-class cricket, red-ball cricket. As simple as that. If you start selecting people for 50-over format or red-ball cricket from an IPL competition, you are making a lot of shortcuts for a lot of these young players to not focus on red-ball cricket or 50-overs format, and you are walking on the edge."

Kolkata Knight Riders mentor Gautam Gambhir thinks that newcomers shouldn't be hyped by experts and commentators after a couple of good performances. The former cricket, who's in race to be India's next head coach, made the comments on former teammate Ravi Ashwin's YouTube channel.

Kolkata Knight Riders mentor Gautam Gambhir thinks that newcomers shouldn't be hyped by experts and commentators after a couple of good performances. The former cricket, who's in race to be India's next head coach, made the comments on former teammate Ravi Ashwin's YouTube channel. "The graph goes [up and down] in India, and it is not good for a young player. That is where the experts and commentators need to be balanced when it comes to these young players. It is easy for them to get deviated from the hard work and the good things they are doing. Because suddenly when you start talking about a young player doing well, it can backfire for them," he added. Also Read: 'We never asked...': Chennai Super Kings on MS Dhoni's retirement speculations He made the comments probably on Lucknow Super Giants pacer (LSG) Mayank Yadav being hyped for his express pace and calls of getting him included in India's squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup. The pacer, who regularly bowled north of 150 kmph in the games he played in the IPL 2024, however, got injured and hasn't been selected in the India squad as well. Gambhir also said that the team selection criteria for Tests and 50-over format should not include performance of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The former batter, however, was okay with T20I team being selected on the basis of IPL. "India's T20I side should be selected from IPL (performances)," Gambhir said. "For 50-over format, it should be selected from Vijay Hazare, and your Test side should be selected from your first-class cricket, red-ball cricket. As simple as that. If you start selecting people for 50-over format or red-ball cricket from an IPL competition, you are making a lot of shortcuts for a lot of these young players to not focus on red-ball cricket or 50-overs format, and you are walking on the edge."

'Experts and commentators need to...,' Gautam Gambhir on hyping youngsters after couple of good performances

Former India and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni has revealed that he prefers Instagram as his preferred mode of social media over X (formerly Twitter).

Former India and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni has revealed that he prefers Instagram as his preferred mode of social media over X (formerly Twitter). Dhoni, who has a relatively low-key social media presence, is only available to the fans during the Indian Premier League (IPL) and at the odd promotional events. Speaking on the Dubai Eye 103.8 YouTube channel, Dhoni said the reason for his preference was the less controversial nature of Instagram. "I prefer Instagram over Twitter. Twitter, I believe that nothing good has happened over Twitter. You know, especially in India, there is always a controversy. Somebody will write something, and it turns into a controversy. I was like, you know, why do I need to be there?" said Dhoni. "You know, it used to be 140 characters. You cannot elaborate. Imagine me putting something over there, and then it is left up to the people to read it, and they just interpret what they want to interpret," he added. The CSK batter said even though he preferred Instagram, he liked to stay less active on the platform since fewer distractions in life are better. "So, I'm like, no, no, that's not really for me. Instagram still, I like it because, you know, I could put up my picture or a video or something and just leave it. That is also changing no," said Dhoni. "So I still prefer Instagram, but I am not very active because, I don't know, I feel, you know, less distractions are better, but in between, on and off, I will put something for the fans, you know, so that they know, okay, I am somewhere good, you know, in good hands. So I am doing what I like," he added. Also read | IPL 2024: ‘We have seen the last of MS...,’ Dhoni to retire? Here’s what former CSK batter says Dhoni's CSK campaign Dhoni had a great IPL 2024 campaign with CSK but the franchise failed to get over the line and qualify for the playoffs. In the final league match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, CSK fell short by 10 runs as Dhoni got out in the final over after hitting a massive 110-metre six. Since then, speculations have been rife about Dhoni's future. While some reports claim that Dhoni will announce his retirement soon, a section of fans are hoping that Dhoni turns up for CSK yet again after the mega auctions next year. (With inputs from agencies)

Instagram or Twitter? MS Dhoni reveals his choice for connecting with fans

Amid the speculations surrounding MS Dhoni's future in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Chennai Super Kings (CSK) CEO Kasi Viswanathan has provided an update. Dhoni did not hint at his potential retirement following CSK's last match of the season against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), leading to specuation that he was planning to come back for one last hurrah.

Amid the speculations surrounding MS Dhoni's future in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Chennai Super Kings (CSK) CEO Kasi Viswanathan has provided an update. Dhoni did not hint at his potential retirement following CSK's last match of the season against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), leading to specuation that he was planning to come back for one last hurrah. Viswanathan said there had not been "any discussions" regarding Dhoni's future so far, and that the former CSK captain would inform them about his decision at the right time. “There were no discussions in the dressing room about it. We have never asked him about his future and neither has he said anything about it. When he takes a decision, he will inform us, until then we will not interfere," Viswanathan told The Indian Express newspaper. CSK have to make the tough call on players it wants to hold onto ahead of the mega auctions planned by the BCCI. Since Dhoni is a luxury squad player at this stage in his career, retaining him will be a high risk for the franchise. If BCCI changes the retention rules and increases the number of players a club can retain, it could possibly influence Dhoni's decision as to whether or not to come back to play for the cricket-loving Chennai crowd. Dhoni's former CSK teammate Ambati Rayudu has already stated that 'Thala' would be coming back for the 2025 season. “I don’t think this is his last game. I just don’t see him wanting to end on this note,” Rayudu said on Star Sports. “With the impact player role as well, it gives him the opportunity to be able to come in those last few overs and truly make that impact," said Rayudu. “BCCI better not remove the impact player role because we still want to see MS Dhoni play. So, it’s up to BCCI now. Do we want to see MS Dhoni play or not,” he added. Also read | IPL 2024: ‘We have seen the last of MS...,’ Dhoni to retire? Here’s what former CSK batter says Dhoni on his future Dhoni is a five-time champion with CSK, having led the franchise since its inception till this year when he handed the captaincy armband to Ruturaj Gaikwad. Quizzed last year about his retirement after CSK won the final against Gujarat Titans, Dhoni said he wanted to come back for the fans one more time. Subsequently, Dhoni underwent a knee surgery and despite playing no professional cricket since then, managed to be one of the most dangerous death-over batters in the league. If CSK had advanced to the playoffs, Dhoni could have played in front of the home crowd in Chepauk yet again as Qualifier 2 and the final are scheduled to take place in Chennai. (With inputs from agencies)

'We never asked...': Chennai Super Kings on MS Dhoni's retirement speculations

The&nbsp;Playoff&nbsp;clashes of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2024) were confirmed on Sunday (May 20) after SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) beat Punjab Kings (PBKS)&nbsp;while the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) clash&nbsp;was abandoned&nbsp;after rain played spoilsport. As a result, SRH booked their place in Qualifier 1 against KKR&nbsp;while&nbsp;RR will face in-form Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Eliminator. But what will happen if any of those clashes&nbsp;along&nbsp;with Qualifier 2 or the final gets washed out?

<h2>What are the equations if rain plays spoilsport?</h2>

Until the league stage of the IPL 2024, if any match got abandoned due to&nbsp;rain&nbsp;the points were shared&nbsp;with both teams getting one point each. However, in the case of&nbsp;Playoffs, the organisers will allot 120 minutes to ensure the match&nbsp;is completed&nbsp;with a fair chance for both sides. If&nbsp;needed&nbsp;the&nbsp;match&nbsp;will be completed&nbsp;with reduced overs and&nbsp;with&nbsp;the use of DLS-method to readjust the targets.&nbsp;

However, if any match&nbsp;does not get&nbsp;completed on the same day,&nbsp;a reserve day will be used&nbsp;to complete the&nbsp;match. The&nbsp;match&nbsp;will&nbsp;be restarted&nbsp;entirely&nbsp;if needed to get a fair result in the contest. The reserve day will be applicable for all four&nbsp;Playoff&nbsp;matches&nbsp;including&nbsp;Qualifier 1, Eliminator, Qualifier 2 and the final.&nbsp;

<h2>What happens if reserve day also gets washed out?</h2>

In case&nbsp;the reserve day also gets washed&nbsp;out&nbsp;then the team with better league stage performance will advance to the next&nbsp;Playoff&nbsp;contest. There is a provision for Super Over&nbsp;which&nbsp;will be used&nbsp;to determine the&nbsp;winner of the&nbsp;contest, but will only come into use if there is enough time and good playing conditions.&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/cricket/ipl-playoffs-2024-kkr-vs-srk-qualifier-may-21-rr-vs-rcb-eliminator-may-22-ahmedabad-723181">IPL Playoffs 2024: KKR vs SRH in first qualifier &amp; RR vs RCB in eliminator</a>

As per IPL playing conditions: "If any of the Final, the Eliminator, Qualifier 1 or Qualifier 2 matches are tied, or there is no result, the following shall apply:&nbsp;

According to the IPL rule book code 16.11.1 the relevant teams shall compete in a Super Over and&nbsp;if&nbsp;necessary&nbsp;further&nbsp;Super Overs to determine which team is the winner of the match in question; and&nbsp;if conditions do not permit a Super&nbsp;Over,&nbsp;or subsequent Super Overs within the time available to determine the&nbsp;winner&nbsp;then according to rule&nbsp;16.11.2 the team which, at the end of the&nbsp;Season, finished in the higher position in the League table will be deemed the winner of the relevant&nbsp;play-off&nbsp;match.

If Qualifier 1&nbsp;is washed out, KKR will enter the final, while SRH will progress to Qualifier 2, where they will face the winner of Eliminator. If the Eliminator&nbsp;is washed out, Rajasthan Royals will move into the Qualifier 2. If the Qualifier 2&nbsp;is washed out,&nbsp;then&nbsp;the second-placed team or the qualifier&nbsp;1&nbsp;loser earns a final spot.&nbsp;If the final&nbsp;also is&nbsp;washed out, then&nbsp;the team that topped the table will be awarded the final match and the trophy.

The Playoff clashes of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2024) were confirmed on Sunday (May 20) after SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) beat Punjab Kings (PBKS) while the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) clash was abandoned after rain played spoilsport.

The Playoff clashes of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2024) were confirmed on Sunday (May 20) after SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) beat Punjab Kings (PBKS) while the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) clash was abandoned after rain played spoilsport. As a result, SRH booked their place in Qualifier 1 against KKR while RR will face in-form Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Eliminator. But what will happen if any of those clashes along with Qualifier 2 or the final gets washed out? What are the equations if rain plays spoilsport? Until the league stage of the IPL 2024, if any match got abandoned due to rain the points were shared with both teams getting one point each. However, in the case of Playoffs, the organisers will allot 120 minutes to ensure the match is completed with a fair chance for both sides. If needed the match will be completed with reduced overs and with the use of DLS-method to readjust the targets. However, if any match does not get completed on the same day, a reserve day will be used to complete the match. The match will be restarted entirely if needed to get a fair result in the contest. The reserve day will be applicable for all four Playoff matches including Qualifier 1, Eliminator, Qualifier 2 and the final. What happens if reserve day also gets washed out? In case the reserve day also gets washed out then the team with better league stage performance will advance to the next Playoff contest. There is a provision for Super Over which will be used to determine the winner of the contest, but will only come into use if there is enough time and good playing conditions. ALSO READ | IPL Playoffs 2024: KKR vs SRH in first qualifier & RR vs RCB in eliminator As per IPL playing conditions: "If any of the Final, the Eliminator, Qualifier 1 or Qualifier 2 matches are tied, or there is no result, the following shall apply: According to the IPL rule book code 16.11.1 the relevant teams shall compete in a Super Over and if necessary further Super Overs to determine which team is the winner of the match in question; and if conditions do not permit a Super Over, or subsequent Super Overs within the time available to determine the winner then according to rule 16.11.2 the team which, at the end of the Season, finished in the higher position in the League table will be deemed the winner of the relevant play-off match. If Qualifier 1 is washed out, KKR will enter the final, while SRH will progress to Qualifier 2, where they will face the winner of Eliminator. If the Eliminator is washed out, Rajasthan Royals will move into the Qualifier 2. If the Qualifier 2 is washed out, then the second-placed team or the qualifier 1 loser earns a final spot. If the final also is washed out, then the team that topped the table will be awarded the final match and the trophy.

IPL 2024: What happens if rain plays spoilsport in playoff matches? Here are all the details

Mumbai Indians owner Nita Ambani termed the franchise's Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season as disappointing and said that the team will 'think about it.'. MI finished last in the league stage with just four wins and 10 losses in 14 games under Hardik Pandya, who was leading the side in the IPL 2024.&nbsp;

"Disappointing season for all of us. Things didn't go the way we wanted them to, but I'm still a huge Mumbai Indians fan. Not just an owner. I think to wear the Mumbai Indians jersey is a huge honour and a privilege, and to be associated with Mumbai Indians, for me, is an honour and a privilege. I think, we will go back, review and think about it," Ambani said.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/cricket/after-rohit-sharmas-privacy-breach-accusations-ipl-host-broadcaster-issues-statement-723571">After Rohit Sharma's 'privacy breach' accusations, IPL host broadcaster issues statement</a>

The five-time champions started the season horribly, losing three games on the trot before registering consecutive wins in the next two games.

Their season seemed to come on the track with one more win from the next two games. Four losses in the next four games, however, left them hanging by a thread in the race of playoffs. In their last three league games, MI could manage only one win as they crashed out of the playoff race in Pandya's first season as full-time skipper.

Pandya had replaced long-time skipper Rohit Sharma before the start of the season. Notably, it was under Rohit that MI had won all their five titles - the joint most in the IPL.

Rohit emerged as MI's highest run-getter this season with 417 runs to his name in 14 matches including a fifty and a hundred as well. He scored those runs at an average of 32 but a whopping strike rate of 150. Pandya, on the other hand, managed just 216 runs &nbsp;at an average of 18 to go with his 11 wickets as well.

Mumbai Indians owner Nita Ambani termed the franchise's Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season as disappointing and said that the team will 'think about it.'. MI finished last in the league stage with just four wins and 10 losses in 14 games under Hardik Pandya, who was leading the side in the IPL 2024.

Mumbai Indians owner Nita Ambani termed the franchise's Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season as disappointing and said that the team will 'think about it.'. MI finished last in the league stage with just four wins and 10 losses in 14 games under Hardik Pandya, who was leading the side in the IPL 2024. "Disappointing season for all of us. Things didn't go the way we wanted them to, but I'm still a huge Mumbai Indians fan. Not just an owner. I think to wear the Mumbai Indians jersey is a huge honour and a privilege, and to be associated with Mumbai Indians, for me, is an honour and a privilege. I think, we will go back, review and think about it," Ambani said. Also Read: After Rohit Sharma's 'privacy breach' accusations, IPL host broadcaster issues statement The five-time champions started the season horribly, losing three games on the trot before registering consecutive wins in the next two games. Their season seemed to come on the track with one more win from the next two games. Four losses in the next four games, however, left them hanging by a thread in the race of playoffs. In their last three league games, MI could manage only one win as they crashed out of the playoff race in Pandya's first season as full-time skipper. Pandya had replaced long-time skipper Rohit Sharma before the start of the season. Notably, it was under Rohit that MI had won all their five titles - the joint most in the IPL. Rohit emerged as MI's highest run-getter this season with 417 runs to his name in 14 matches including a fifty and a hundred as well. He scored those runs at an average of 32 but a whopping strike rate of 150. Pandya, on the other hand, managed just 216 runs at an average of 18 to go with his 11 wickets as well.

IPL 2024: 'We will go back...,' Nita Ambani on Mumbai Indians' 'disappointing' season

Star Sports issued a clarification statement days after Mumbai Indians (MI) player Rohit Sharma criticised the official TV broadcaster of the Indian Premier League (IPL) for invasion of privacy by airing a private conversation, despite being told not to record it.

Star Sports issued a clarification statement days after Mumbai Indians (MI) player Rohit Sharma criticised the official TV broadcaster of the Indian Premier League (IPL) for invasion of privacy by airing a private conversation, despite being told not to record it. Star Sports rebuffed Rohit's claims saying it respected players' privacy and that it didn't record any audio from a conversation Rohit had with his friends along the boundary ropes. "A clip involving a senior Indian player and his post on social media have gained prominence since yesterday. The clip, taken during a training session on May 16 at Wankhede stadium, for which Star Sports had authorised access, momentarily showed the senior player in conversation with his friends on the sidelines," Star Sports said in a statement. "No audio from this conversation was either recorded or broadcast. The clip, which only showed the senior player requesting for the audio of his conversation to not be recorded, got featured in Star Sports' live coverage of pre-match preparations and lacked editorial relevance beyond this," it added. Star Sports may have been referring to the May 16 incident when Rohit, while talking to Dhawal Kulkarni, requested the cameraperson recording them to turn off the sound. "Brother, turn off the audio. One audio has made life difficult for me," Rohit could be heard saying. Also read | Rohit Sharma launches scathing attack on broadcaster for privacy breach, calls for ‘better sense to prevail’ Rohit's convo with Nayar In a prior video, Rohit was interacting with Kolkata Knight Riders coach Abhishek Nayar about how things have gone since he was ousted as the MI captain. The entire private clip went viral, leading to speculations that Rohit was playing his final season in MI colours. After MI played its final match of the season, Rohit took to his social media handles and requested the broadcasters to draw the line between privacy and content fit for public consumption. “The lives of cricketers have become so intrusive that cameras are now recording every step and conversation we are having in privacy with our friends and colleagues, at training or on match days," Rohit wrote. “Despite asking Star Sports to not record my conversation, it was and was also then played on air, which is a breach of privacy. The need to get exclusive content and focused only on views and engagement will one day break the trust between the fans, cricketers and cricket,” he added. (With inputs from agencies)

After Rohit Sharma’s ‘privacy breach’ accusations, IPL host broadcaster issues statement

World Cup-winning Indian batter Gautam Gambhir has urged the authorities to do away with the use of two new balls in One-Day International (ODI) cricket, dubbing it the "worst thing" that had happened to the format.&nbsp;

The 50-over format has been battling relevance&nbsp;in recent years with the audience's attention slowly plummeting. The format hasn't been helped by the introduction of two new balls which Gambhir argues has fundamentally disadvantaged the finger spinners.&nbsp;&nbsp;

"Two new balls in one-day cricket is probably the worst thing that can happen to ODI cricket. Imagine how many finger spinners play one-day cricket. There’s Nathan Lyon who’s got 400 wickets, there’s R Ashwin who’s got 400 wickets, and they are not a part of the One Day team, and the only reason is that there is nothing for a finger spinner," Gambhir said on the podcast 180 Not Out.

Gambhir also pointed out the absence of reverse swing from the game due to the introduction of the said rule. With two balls at either end, the conditions do not favour reverse swing which used to be&nbsp;a potent weapon for bowlers at the death prior to the rule change.&nbsp;

"Reverse swing... It has gone out of the game completely. I want to see reverse swing, I want to see batters getting challenged, and someone bowling at 150 and reversing the ball is always a challenge," said Gambhir.&nbsp;

"One rule that needs to change is getting rid of two new balls and having only one."

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/bcci-approaches-gautam-gambhir-for-indias-head-coach-position-reports-722579">Also read |&nbsp;BCCI approaches Gautam Gambhir for India’s head coach position - Reports</a>

<h2>Gambhir as the head coach?</h2>

The former Indian cricketer is known for sharing his piece of mind without any filters and it is perhaps the reason why the BCCI has approached him to become Team India’s head coach. Rahul Dravid’s tenure with Team India ends after the conclusion of the 2024 T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and the USA and applications have been invited by the BCCI for the position.

While Gambhir has yet to coach a national side, his resume in the IPL has been no less impressive. A two-time IPL winner with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in 2012 and 2014, Gambhir is currently the&nbsp;franchise's&nbsp;mentor, guiding them to their first-ever first-place finish in the group stages this season.&nbsp;&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

World Cup-winning Indian batter Gautam Gambhir has urged the authorities to do away with the use of two new balls in One-Day International (ODI) cricket, dubbing it the "worst thing" that had happened to the format.

World Cup-winning Indian batter Gautam Gambhir has urged the authorities to do away with the use of two new balls in One-Day International (ODI) cricket, dubbing it the "worst thing" that had happened to the format. The 50-over format has been battling relevance in recent years with the audience's attention slowly plummeting. The format hasn't been helped by the introduction of two new balls which Gambhir argues has fundamentally disadvantaged the finger spinners. "Two new balls in one-day cricket is probably the worst thing that can happen to ODI cricket. Imagine how many finger spinners play one-day cricket. There’s Nathan Lyon who’s got 400 wickets, there’s R Ashwin who’s got 400 wickets, and they are not a part of the One Day team, and the only reason is that there is nothing for a finger spinner," Gambhir said on the podcast 180 Not Out. Gambhir also pointed out the absence of reverse swing from the game due to the introduction of the said rule. With two balls at either end, the conditions do not favour reverse swing which used to be a potent weapon for bowlers at the death prior to the rule change. "Reverse swing... It has gone out of the game completely. I want to see reverse swing, I want to see batters getting challenged, and someone bowling at 150 and reversing the ball is always a challenge," said Gambhir. "One rule that needs to change is getting rid of two new balls and having only one." Also read | BCCI approaches Gautam Gambhir for India’s head coach position - Reports Gambhir as the head coach? The former Indian cricketer is known for sharing his piece of mind without any filters and it is perhaps the reason why the BCCI has approached him to become Team India’s head coach. Rahul Dravid’s tenure with Team India ends after the conclusion of the 2024 T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and the USA and applications have been invited by the BCCI for the position. While Gambhir has yet to coach a national side, his resume in the IPL has been no less impressive. A two-time IPL winner with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in 2012 and 2014, Gambhir is currently the franchise's mentor, guiding them to their first-ever first-place finish in the group stages this season. (With inputs from agencies)

Gautam Gambhir laments the ‘worst thing’ to happen to ODI cricket

Australia&nbsp;are all&nbsp;set to include Jake Fraser-McGurk and Matt Short in their T20 World Cup reserve contingent as they prepare to clinch yet another International Cricket Council (ICC) silverware. According to credible reports, the&nbsp;selection panel led by George Bailey will include Fraser-McGurk&nbsp;who&nbsp;was a revolution for the Delhi Capitals in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL 2024). Fraser-McGurk’s explosive form&nbsp;was praised&nbsp;by everyone but was not enough to get him a place in Australia’s 15-man squad for the T20 World Cup.

<h2>Reprieve for Fraser-McGurk?</h2>

According to a report by ESPNcricinfo, the 22-year-old will be in the USA and West Indies with the squad but only as a travel reserve.&nbsp;This&nbsp;will mean he won’t be able to participate in any official contest either as a player or a substitute. However, he could be part of the training sessions and&nbsp;can&nbsp;travel with the rest of the squad.&nbsp;The report also sees Matt Short&nbsp;being&nbsp;the other player part&nbsp;of the travel reserve and could be a value addition if there is any late casualty in the squad.&nbsp;

For Fraser-McGurk, IPL 2024 proved to be the breakthrough season&nbsp;having&nbsp;scored&nbsp;330 runs in nine matches.&nbsp;He was only roped in as a late change after Lungi Ngidi pulled out due to injury for DC in the IPL 2024. Considering he&nbsp;was only roped in&nbsp;for a base value of $24,000, it&nbsp;proved to be&nbsp;a bargain for DC&nbsp;who&nbsp;narrowly missed out on the IPL 2024 Playoffs.&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/cricket/ipl-playoffs-2024-kkr-vs-srk-qualifier-may-21-rr-vs-rcb-eliminator-may-22-ahmedabad-723181">IPL Playoffs 2024: KKR vs SRH in first qualifier &amp; RR vs RCB in eliminator</a>

While Matt Short has already represented Australia in nine T20I matches with a best of 66 runs with the bat. He will primarily&nbsp;serve as&nbsp;a backup to Glenn Maxwell&nbsp;as&nbsp;he also bowls whenever required.

Short had a breakout season in the Big Bash League 2022-23&nbsp;that saw him win the Player of the Tournament Award after being the competitions leading run-scorer. He followed that up the next season, again making the most runs and going back-to-back in the Player of the Tournament Award.

Australia open their T20 World Cup campaign against Oman in Barbados on June 5, before Group B fixtures against England, Namibia and Scotland.

<h2>Australia squad:</h2>

Mitchell Marsh (c), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa

All teams are allowed to make changes to their squad until 25 May, after which any alteration will require approval from ICC's Event Technical Committee.

Australia are all set to include Jake Fraser-McGurk and Matt Short in their T20 World Cup reserve contingent as they prepare to clinch yet another International Cricket Council (ICC) silverware.

Australia are all set to include Jake Fraser-McGurk and Matt Short in their T20 World Cup reserve contingent as they prepare to clinch yet another International Cricket Council (ICC) silverware. According to credible reports, the selection panel led by George Bailey will include Fraser-McGurk who was a revolution for the Delhi Capitals in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL 2024). Fraser-McGurk’s explosive form was praised by everyone but was not enough to get him a place in Australia’s 15-man squad for the T20 World Cup. Reprieve for Fraser-McGurk? According to a report by ESPNcricinfo, the 22-year-old will be in the USA and West Indies with the squad but only as a travel reserve. This will mean he won’t be able to participate in any official contest either as a player or a substitute. However, he could be part of the training sessions and can travel with the rest of the squad. The report also sees Matt Short being the other player part of the travel reserve and could be a value addition if there is any late casualty in the squad. For Fraser-McGurk, IPL 2024 proved to be the breakthrough season having scored 330 runs in nine matches. He was only roped in as a late change after Lungi Ngidi pulled out due to injury for DC in the IPL 2024. Considering he was only roped in for a base value of $24,000, it proved to be a bargain for DC who narrowly missed out on the IPL 2024 Playoffs. ALSO READ | IPL Playoffs 2024: KKR vs SRH in first qualifier & RR vs RCB in eliminator While Matt Short has already represented Australia in nine T20I matches with a best of 66 runs with the bat. He will primarily serve as a backup to Glenn Maxwell as he also bowls whenever required. Short had a breakout season in the Big Bash League 2022-23 that saw him win the Player of the Tournament Award after being the competitions leading run-scorer. He followed that up the next season, again making the most runs and going back-to-back in the Player of the Tournament Award. Australia open their T20 World Cup campaign against Oman in Barbados on June 5, before Group B fixtures against England, Namibia and Scotland. Australia squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa All teams are allowed to make changes to their squad until 25 May, after which any alteration will require approval from ICC's Event Technical Committee.

T20 World Cup 2024: Australia likely to include Jake Fraser-McGurk, Matt Short as travel reserves

Rajasthan Royals (RR) finished on number three on points table in the league stage of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 and will face fourth-placed Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the first eliminator on May 22. Table-toppers Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), on the other hand, will face SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the first qualifier on May 21. Both the matches will be played in Ahmedabad.

The fixtures were decided after KKR vs RR on Sunday (May 19) was washed out without a ball being bowled. After the league stage, KKR finished with 20 points with nine wins, three losses and two no results in 14 games.&nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/cricket/ipl-2024-we-have-seen-the-last-of-ms-dhoni-to-retire-heres-what-former-csk-batter-says-723139">IPL 2024: ‘We have seen the last of MS...,’ Dhoni to retire? Here’s what former CSK batter says</a>

SRH, who earlier in the day won by four wickets against Punjab Kings (PBKS), finished with 17 points from eight wins, five losses and one no result. Rajasthan also finished with 17 points from eight wins, five losses and one no result but were pushed down the order by SRH owing to a poor net run rate.

RCB, in a dramatic finish on Saturday (May 18), sealed the last spot with a win over Chennai Super Kings. It was RCB's sixth win on the trot after managing just one in their first eight games. Bengaluru finished with 14 points from seven wins and seven losses in 14 games.

Apart from RCB, Delhi Capitals, Lucknow Super Giants and CSK also finished with 14 points each but failed to make it to the playoffs due their lower net run rate than RCB.

Among others, Gujarat Titans finished eighth on the points table with 12 points from five wins and two results to go with seven losses as well. Punjab Kings finished ninth with 10 points from five wins and nine losses.

Five-time champion Mumbai Indians finished last with eight points from four wins and 10 losses in Hardik Pandya's first season as skipper.

Rajasthan Royals (RR) finished on number three on points table in the league stage of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 and will face fourth-placed Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the first eliminator on May 22.

Rajasthan Royals (RR) finished on number three on points table in the league stage of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 and will face fourth-placed Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the first eliminator on May 22. Table-toppers Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), on the other hand, will face SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the first qualifier on May 21. Both the matches will be played in Ahmedabad. The fixtures were decided after KKR vs RR on Sunday (May 19) was washed out without a ball being bowled. After the league stage, KKR finished with 20 points with nine wins, three losses and two no results in 14 games. Also Read: IPL 2024: ‘We have seen the last of MS...,’ Dhoni to retire? Here’s what former CSK batter says SRH, who earlier in the day won by four wickets against Punjab Kings (PBKS), finished with 17 points from eight wins, five losses and one no result. Rajasthan also finished with 17 points from eight wins, five losses and one no result but were pushed down the order by SRH owing to a poor net run rate. RCB, in a dramatic finish on Saturday (May 18), sealed the last spot with a win over Chennai Super Kings. It was RCB's sixth win on the trot after managing just one in their first eight games. Bengaluru finished with 14 points from seven wins and seven losses in 14 games. Apart from RCB, Delhi Capitals, Lucknow Super Giants and CSK also finished with 14 points each but failed to make it to the playoffs due their lower net run rate than RCB. Among others, Gujarat Titans finished eighth on the points table with 12 points from five wins and two results to go with seven losses as well. Punjab Kings finished ninth with 10 points from five wins and nine losses. Five-time champion Mumbai Indians finished last with eight points from four wins and 10 losses in Hardik Pandya's first season as skipper.

IPL Playoffs 2024: KKR vs SRH in first qualifier & RR vs RCB in eliminator

The speculation around Chennai Super Kings (CSK) wicketkeeper-batter MS Dhoni's IPL retirement is rife, especially after CSK failed to make it to the playoffs in the ongoing 2024 season. CSK were ousted after losing to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) by 27 runs on Saturday (May 18).

Former CSK batter Robin Uthappa, however, thinks that Dhoni isn't going to retire just yet and will be back for another IPL season next year.

"I don't think we have seen the last of MS," he said in an interaction with official digital broadcaster Jio Cinema. "He is not someone who takes these things lightly. He will come back roaring for sure," he added.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/cricket/ipl-2024-i-dont-want-rcbs-virat-kohli-on-what-next-for-team-after-entering-playoffs-723120">'I don’t want...,' RCB's Virat Kohli on what next for team after entering playoffs</a>

Dhoni did most of his batting lower down the order in the season, owing to a calf injury. The batter, however, was still impactful, scoring 161 runs at a strike rate of 220. Uthappa acknowledged the same and said that Dhoni always finds a way to be useful.

"Even with the narrative, I have seen him bat only in the last 4 or 5 overs, there is a reason for it. He had a calf injury which they initially thought perhaps was a niggle, but it was a little more grave than that. Because of that, he had to manage himself and often as he does, in international cricket and for CSK, he figured out a way to be useful and contribute to CSK," Uthappa added.&nbsp;

During the match against RCB, Dhoni kept his team in the hunt until the first ball of the last over with a 110m six. Needing 17 runs to qualify in the last over, RCB's Yash Dayal gave just one run in the next five balls after being hit for a six, taking his team home. The over was somewhat redemption for Dayal who had given five sixes on last five balls of the match last year against KKR's Rinku Singh.

The speculation around Chennai Super Kings (CSK) wicketkeeper-batter MS Dhoni's IPL retirement is rife, especially after CSK failed to make it to the playoffs in the ongoing 2024 season.

The speculation around Chennai Super Kings (CSK) wicketkeeper-batter MS Dhoni's IPL retirement is rife, especially after CSK failed to make it to the playoffs in the ongoing 2024 season. CSK were ousted after losing to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) by 27 runs on Saturday (May 18). Former CSK batter Robin Uthappa, however, thinks that Dhoni isn't going to retire just yet and will be back for another IPL season next year. "I don't think we have seen the last of MS," he said in an interaction with official digital broadcaster Jio Cinema. "He is not someone who takes these things lightly. He will come back roaring for sure," he added. Also Read: 'I don’t want...,' RCB's Virat Kohli on what next for team after entering playoffs Dhoni did most of his batting lower down the order in the season, owing to a calf injury. The batter, however, was still impactful, scoring 161 runs at a strike rate of 220. Uthappa acknowledged the same and said that Dhoni always finds a way to be useful. "Even with the narrative, I have seen him bat only in the last 4 or 5 overs, there is a reason for it. He had a calf injury which they initially thought perhaps was a niggle, but it was a little more grave than that. Because of that, he had to manage himself and often as he does, in international cricket and for CSK, he figured out a way to be useful and contribute to CSK," Uthappa added. During the match against RCB, Dhoni kept his team in the hunt until the first ball of the last over with a 110m six. Needing 17 runs to qualify in the last over, RCB's Yash Dayal gave just one run in the next five balls after being hit for a six, taking his team home. The over was somewhat redemption for Dayal who had given five sixes on last five balls of the match last year against KKR's Rinku Singh.

IPL 2024: ‘We have seen the last of MS...,’ Dhoni to retire? Here’s what former CSK batter says

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter Virat Kohli says that the team now got to focus on next match after winning a thrilling Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 match against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Saturday (May 18). The win, RCB's sixth on the trot, took them to the playoffs while CSK were ousted.

"God’s got a plan, you just have to be honest about what you are doing, and I think we were pretty honest with our hard work, and we got the rewards," Kohli said in a video posted by his team RCB. "I don’t want to say anything more than this. Got to focus on the next one," he added further.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/cricket/ipl-2024-watch-t20-world-cup-bound-arshdeep-clean-bowls-travis-head-on-first-ball-in-pbks-vs-srh-723094">WATCH | T20 World Cup-bound Arshdeep clean bowls Travis Head on first ball in PBKS vs SRH</a>

RCB had to win by a margin of 18 runs or more after winning the toss and electing to bat first at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. RCB fans had their heart in mouth when rain arrived shortly after the start of match but it receded quickly and the match was eventually completed without any loss of overs.

Needing 17 runs to qualify in the last over, RCB's Yash Dayal was hit for a six on the first ball of the over by MS Dhoni but gave just one run in the next five balls, taking his team home. The over was somewhat redemption for Dayal who had given five sixes on last five balls of the match last year against KKR's Rinku Singh.

With the win, RCB, Delhi Capitals and CSK all finished with 14 points but RCB went ahead in the playoffs on the basis of a better net run rate. Kohli played an important role for them with the bat, scoring 708 runs in 14 league games - the most for any player.

RCB will now play against the third placed team in the first eliminator on May 22 in Ahmedabad.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter Virat Kohli says that the team now got to focus on next match after winning a thrilling Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 match against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Saturday (May 18).

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter Virat Kohli says that the team now got to focus on next match after winning a thrilling Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 match against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Saturday (May 18). The win, RCB's sixth on the trot, took them to the playoffs while CSK were ousted. "God’s got a plan, you just have to be honest about what you are doing, and I think we were pretty honest with our hard work, and we got the rewards," Kohli said in a video posted by his team RCB. "I don’t want to say anything more than this. Got to focus on the next one," he added further. Also Read: WATCH | T20 World Cup-bound Arshdeep clean bowls Travis Head on first ball in PBKS vs SRH RCB had to win by a margin of 18 runs or more after winning the toss and electing to bat first at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. RCB fans had their heart in mouth when rain arrived shortly after the start of match but it receded quickly and the match was eventually completed without any loss of overs. Needing 17 runs to qualify in the last over, RCB's Yash Dayal was hit for a six on the first ball of the over by MS Dhoni but gave just one run in the next five balls, taking his team home. The over was somewhat redemption for Dayal who had given five sixes on last five balls of the match last year against KKR's Rinku Singh. With the win, RCB, Delhi Capitals and CSK all finished with 14 points but RCB went ahead in the playoffs on the basis of a better net run rate. Kohli played an important role for them with the bat, scoring 708 runs in 14 league games - the most for any player. RCB will now play against the third placed team in the first eliminator on May 22 in Ahmedabad.

IPL 2024: 'I don’t want...,' RCB's Virat Kohli on what next for team after entering playoffs

Punjab Kings' (PBKS) T20 World Cup-bound Indian pacer Arshdeep Singh clean bowled Australian Travis Head on the first ball of SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) chase in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 on Sunday, May 19. The wicket is significant as Head has been in scintillating form this season, scoring 533 runs in 11 games at a mammoth strike rate of 201.

The ball by Arshdeep was bowled just outside off and Head was struck on the crease with his feet not moving. Here's the video of the wicket:

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Talk about a spectacular start! 
 
A BEAUT of a delivery from Arshdeep Singh to get things going! ❤️💪 
 
Watch the match LIVE on <a href="https://twitter.com/StarSportsIndia?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@StarSportsIndia</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/JioCinema?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JioCinema</a> 💻📱<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TATAIPL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TATAIPL</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SRHvPBKS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SRHvPBKS</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/arshdeepsinghh?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@arshdeepsinghh</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/PunjabKingsIPL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PunjabKingsIPL</a> <a href="https://t.co/WInHujNQ8P">pic.twitter.com/WInHujNQ8P</a>
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) <a href="https://twitter.com/IPL/status/1792164521823412678?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 19, 2024</a></blockquote>
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The wicket, however, had no impact on the result in the end as SRH comfortably won the match by four wickets while chasing 215. After Head was out, Abhishek Sharma (66 off 28) and Rahul Tripathi (33 off 18) added 72 runs for the second wicket inside the powerplay.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/cricket/ipl-2024-i-dont-want-rcbs-virat-kohli-on-what-next-for-team-after-entering-playoffs-723120">'I don’t want...,' RCB's Virat Kohli on what next for team after entering playoffs</a>

After Tripathi's fall on the last ball of the fifth over, Nitish Kumar Reddy (37 off 25) added 57 runs for the third wicket with Sharma. After Reddy and Abhishek's wicket, Heinrich Klaasen's 26-ball 42 kept SRH going as they chased down the target in 19.1 overs. With the win, SRH finished with 17 points in 14 games - winning eight, losing five and one was no result.

Earlier, PBKS won the toss and elected to bat first in their last league match. Atharva Taide (46 off 27) and Prabhsimran Singh (71 off 45) gave them a blistering start, adding 97 runs for the first wicket in 9.1 overs. Rilee Rossouw then scored 49 off 24 and stand-in skipper Jitesh Sharma hit 32 off 15 as PBKS scored 214/5 in 20 overs.

The loss, however, culminated another disappointed season for them where they failed to make it to the playoffs again. PBKS finished with just five wins and nine losses in 14 games, managing only 10 points - two more than last-place Mumbai Indians.

Punjab Kings' (PBKS) T20 World Cup-bound Indian pacer Arshdeep Singh clean bowled Australian Travis Head on the first ball of SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) chase in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 on Sunday, May 19.

Punjab Kings' (PBKS) T20 World Cup-bound Indian pacer Arshdeep Singh clean bowled Australian Travis Head on the first ball of SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) chase in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 on Sunday, May 19. The wicket is significant as Head has been in scintillating form this season, scoring 533 runs in 11 games at a mammoth strike rate of 201. The ball by Arshdeep was bowled just outside off and Head was struck on the crease with his feet not moving. Here's the video of the wicket: Talk about a spectacular start! A BEAUT of a delivery from Arshdeep Singh to get things going! ❤️💪 Watch the match LIVE on @StarSportsIndia and @JioCinema 💻📱#TATAIPL | #SRHvPBKS | @arshdeepsinghh | @PunjabKingsIPL pic.twitter.com/WInHujNQ8P — IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 19, 2024 × The wicket, however, had no impact on the result in the end as SRH comfortably won the match by four wickets while chasing 215. After Head was out, Abhishek Sharma (66 off 28) and Rahul Tripathi (33 off 18) added 72 runs for the second wicket inside the powerplay. Also Read: 'I don’t want...,' RCB's Virat Kohli on what next for team after entering playoffs After Tripathi's fall on the last ball of the fifth over, Nitish Kumar Reddy (37 off 25) added 57 runs for the third wicket with Sharma. After Reddy and Abhishek's wicket, Heinrich Klaasen's 26-ball 42 kept SRH going as they chased down the target in 19.1 overs. With the win, SRH finished with 17 points in 14 games - winning eight, losing five and one was no result. Earlier, PBKS won the toss and elected to bat first in their last league match. Atharva Taide (46 off 27) and Prabhsimran Singh (71 off 45) gave them a blistering start, adding 97 runs for the first wicket in 9.1 overs. Rilee Rossouw then scored 49 off 24 and stand-in skipper Jitesh Sharma hit 32 off 15 as PBKS scored 214/5 in 20 overs. The loss, however, culminated another disappointed season for them where they failed to make it to the playoffs again. PBKS finished with just five wins and nine losses in 14 games, managing only 10 points - two more than last-place Mumbai Indians.

IPL 2024: WATCH | T20 World Cup-bound Arshdeep clean bowls Travis Head on first ball in PBKS vs SRH tie

The upcoming season three of The Test documentary series has revealed the role of Australia skipper Pat Cummins in controversial dismissal of England wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow in last year's Ashes. The series stayed draw 2-2 but the dismissal in second Test at Lord's made it tense for the remaining matches.

"Cam Green was bowling and bowled a bouncer and he [Bairstow] ducked underneath it and then just walked out of his crease," Cummins said . "So I just said to Kez [Carey] the ball before, I said 'Kez, just have a throw'." &nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2024-female-csk-fan-alleges-drunk-rcb-supporters-of-abuse-and-bullying-723057">IPL 2024: Female CSK fan alleges drunk RCB supporters of abuse and bullying</a>

"Walking back into the Long Room, it was like we'd ripped the soul out of them ... absolutely, yeah, people stepped over the line," Cummins said while recalling the incident in one of the interviews.

Australia opener Usman Khawaja said: "One of them [the members] ... [was] spraying me. I was like 'nup, you can't be saying that stuff'. He said 'oh, I can say whatever I effing want', like a sense of entitlement almost."

The series was heated up after the incident and the harsh treatment by the English crowd made the mighty Aussies feel concerned for safety of Carey.

Talking about the incident in the dressing room, Carey said: "Someone told me to throw it…not sure who it was."

The wicketkeeper suffered a lot of social media abuse in the coming days and said: "It got a little nasty there for a while. That's probably the thing that shocked me the most, the abuse, people going after you…personal, family, all that sort of stuff."

"Looking back on it, I just feel so bad for him what he went through at the time and what his family would have gone through being there at the time. It would have been so hard," Khawaja said about the trolling.

The series premiers on May 24 on PrimeVideo.com

The upcoming season three of The Test documentary series has revealed the role of Australia skipper Pat Cummins in controversial dismissal of England wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow in last year's Ashes.

The upcoming season three of The Test documentary series has revealed the role of Australia skipper Pat Cummins in controversial dismissal of England wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow in last year's Ashes. The series stayed draw 2-2 but the dismissal in second Test at Lord's made it tense for the remaining matches. "Cam Green was bowling and bowled a bouncer and he [Bairstow] ducked underneath it and then just walked out of his crease," Cummins said . "So I just said to Kez [Carey] the ball before, I said 'Kez, just have a throw'." Also Read: IPL 2024: Female CSK fan alleges drunk RCB supporters of abuse and bullying "Walking back into the Long Room, it was like we'd ripped the soul out of them ... absolutely, yeah, people stepped over the line," Cummins said while recalling the incident in one of the interviews. Australia opener Usman Khawaja said: "One of them [the members] ... [was] spraying me. I was like 'nup, you can't be saying that stuff'. He said 'oh, I can say whatever I effing want', like a sense of entitlement almost." The series was heated up after the incident and the harsh treatment by the English crowd made the mighty Aussies feel concerned for safety of Carey. Talking about the incident in the dressing room, Carey said: "Someone told me to throw it…not sure who it was." The wicketkeeper suffered a lot of social media abuse in the coming days and said: "It got a little nasty there for a while. That's probably the thing that shocked me the most, the abuse, people going after you…personal, family, all that sort of stuff." "Looking back on it, I just feel so bad for him what he went through at the time and what his family would have gone through being there at the time. It would have been so hard," Khawaja said about the trolling. The series premiers on May 24 on PrimeVideo.com

The Test season 3 reveals Pat Cummins' role in Jonny Bairstow dismissal in Ashes 2023

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have booked their place in the Indian Premier League (IPL 2024) Playoff after registering their sixth consecutive win on Saturday (May 18).

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have booked their place in the Indian Premier League (IPL 2024) Playoff after registering their sixth consecutive win on Saturday (May 18). Needing to win by 18 runs to seal Playoff qualification, RCB got the better of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by 27 runs at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The defeat for CSK also saw them get eliminated from the league stage as their title defense came to an end. This was not meant to happen, this could not happen. This is happening, THIS HAS HAPPENED! 🥹#PlayBold #ನಮ್ಮRCB #IPL2024 #RCBvCSK pic.twitter.com/sKDBQD3GaN — Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) May 18, 2024 × RCB down CSK Needing to win by 18 runs or more to qualify for the Playoff, it was calm and composed bowling in the final over from Yash Dayal which helped RCB beat CSK. Dayal stopped the likes of MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja despite CSK needing 11 runs to qualify for the Playoffs with five balls in hand. He scalped Dhoni on the second ball, having conceded a six on the previous delivery. That was followed by priceless dot balls before restricting Jadeja from hitting the qualification runs. CSK could only manage 191/7 in their 20 overs having been asked to score at least 201 runs to clinch qualification. Earlier asked to bat first, RCB managed to score 218/5 in their 20 overs despite rain being an uninvited member during their innings. Skipper Faf du Plessis (54) and Virat Kohli (47) laid the foundation for the innings as the duo stitched 78 runs for the opening wicket. Rajat Patidar (41) and Cameron Green (38 off 17) also contributed to the team’s cause helping RCB reach the 200-run mark. ALSO READ | IPL 2024: Mumbai Indians coach Mark Boucher reveals 'what next for Rohit Sharma' For CSK, Shardul Thakur scalped two wickets but gave away 61 runs in his four overs while Tushar Deshpande and Mitchell Santner ended with one wicket each. Playoff scenario With the win, RCB have become the fourth team to book a qualification berth and join Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Rajasthan Royals (RR). RCB finish fourth and will play in the Eliminator clash against either SRH or RR, depending on who finishes third. The other Playoff contest will see KKR play against RR or SRH in Qualifier 1. Both the Eliminator and the Qualifier 1 will take place in Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium before the attention switches to Chennai for Qualifier 2 and final.

IPL 2024: RCB down CSK in qualification thriller, register sixth consecutive win to book Playoff berth

Virat Kohli added another feather to his impressive hat on Saturday (May 18) as he became the first batter in the Indian Premier League (IPL 2024) to complete 3000 runs at a venue.&nbsp;Playing at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Virat hit two massive sixes in the third over of the match&nbsp;which&nbsp;saw him touch the magical figure.&nbsp;However, soon after he reached the milestone, the evening was spoiled by rain interruption&nbsp;with&nbsp;heavy showers coming down in the Karnataka capital.&nbsp;

<h2>Virat completes 3000&nbsp;runs</h2>

With a do-or-die contest&nbsp;taking place&nbsp;at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Virat was seen in buzzing form and he cleared his intentions from the start. On 2987 runs before the&nbsp;start&nbsp;of the contest, he reached the milestone on the third ball of Tushar Deshpande’s second over. With&nbsp;this&nbsp;he also stands with most runs in the record tally&nbsp;with&nbsp;Rohit Sharma sitting way 710 runs behind in the second position. Interestingly, former RCB man AB de Villiers sits third with 1960 runs, again at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.&nbsp;

<h3>Most runs at a venue in IPL</h3>

3005* V Kohli at Chinnaswamy

2295 Rohit Sharma at Wankhede

1960 AB de Villiers at Chinnaswamy

At the time of writing, RCB resumed their innings after rain had initially played spoilsport. After a 30-minute break in proceedings, RCB started at 31/0 after 3 overs. Virat Kohli was batting on 22 while Faf du Plessis was on 18.

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2024-kohli-backs-rohit-in-bashing-impact-player-rule-says-entertainment-is-fine-but-its-kills-balance-722796">IPL 2024: Kohli backs Rohit in bashing ‘Impact Player’ rule, says entertainment is fine but its kills balance</a>

RCB need to win the match by 18 runs or more to qualify for the Playoffs of the IPL 2024 as they try to beat CSK for the race. RCB entered the match with 12 points from 13 matches while CSK had 14 points from the same number of matches. However, a win for RCB with 18 or more runs will see CDK condemned to fifth spot and RCB reach the Playoffs.

In case rain plays further spoilsport and the match gets abandoned, the points will be shared, which will result in CSK qualifying for the Playoffs with 15 points and thereby eliminating RCB while Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants’ elimination will also get confirmed.

Virat Kohli added another feather to his impressive hat on Saturday (May 18) as he became the first batter in the Indian Premier League (IPL 2024) to complete 3000 runs at a venue.

Virat Kohli added another feather to his impressive hat on Saturday (May 18) as he became the first batter in the Indian Premier League (IPL 2024) to complete 3000 runs at a venue. Playing at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Virat hit two massive sixes in the third over of the match which saw him touch the magical figure. However, soon after he reached the milestone, the evening was spoiled by rain interruption with heavy showers coming down in the Karnataka capital. Virat completes 3000 runs With a do-or-die contest taking place at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Virat was seen in buzzing form and he cleared his intentions from the start. On 2987 runs before the start of the contest, he reached the milestone on the third ball of Tushar Deshpande’s second over. With this he also stands with most runs in the record tally with Rohit Sharma sitting way 710 runs behind in the second position. Interestingly, former RCB man AB de Villiers sits third with 1960 runs, again at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Most runs at a venue in IPL 3005* V Kohli at Chinnaswamy 2295 Rohit Sharma at Wankhede 1960 AB de Villiers at Chinnaswamy At the time of writing, RCB resumed their innings after rain had initially played spoilsport. After a 30-minute break in proceedings, RCB started at 31/0 after 3 overs. Virat Kohli was batting on 22 while Faf du Plessis was on 18. ALSO READ | IPL 2024: Kohli backs Rohit in bashing ‘Impact Player’ rule, says entertainment is fine but its kills balance RCB need to win the match by 18 runs or more to qualify for the Playoffs of the IPL 2024 as they try to beat CSK for the race. RCB entered the match with 12 points from 13 matches while CSK had 14 points from the same number of matches. However, a win for RCB with 18 or more runs will see CDK condemned to fifth spot and RCB reach the Playoffs. In case rain plays further spoilsport and the match gets abandoned, the points will be shared, which will result in CSK qualifying for the Playoffs with 15 points and thereby eliminating RCB while Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants’ elimination will also get confirmed.

IPL: Virat Kohli sets new heights at Chinnaswamy Stadium, becomes first batter to score 3000 runs

Mumbai Indians coach Mark Boucher has revealed that he hasn't had many conversations with former skipper Rohit Sharma about the future. Boucher made the comments after MI's 18-run loss against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in their last league match on Friday, May 17. With the loss, MI finished the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 at the bottom with just four wins in 14 games.

“I said, ‘what’s next for Rohit Sharma?’ He said to me, ‘the (T20) World Cup’. (And) that’s perfect. That’s all I need to know about what Rohit Sharma’s future is. For me, he’s a master of his own destiny. It’s a big auction next season. Who knows what’s going to happen? We’ll just have to take each day as it comes,” Boucher said on Friday after MI's 10th loss of the season.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://wionews.com/cricket/ipl-2024-put-our-best-mumbai-indians-skipper-hardik-pandya-shares-views-on-horrible-season-as-skipper-722838">'Put our best...,' Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya shares views on horrible season as skipper</a>

“To be honest, there hasn’t been many conversations about Rohit’s future at all. I spoke to him last night or the night before, just to do a little review of the season,” he added.

Notably Rohit, under whom MI had won their all five titles, was replaced by Hardik Pandya as the skipper ahead of the 2024 season.

The batter also spoke on the disappointing season and said after the game: &nbsp;"Our season didn't go according to plan. We blame ourselves for this because we made too many mistakes during the season. We lost many games that we should have won, but that's the nature of the IPL. You get a few chances and when those chances come, you must grab them."

Rohit scored 417 runs in 14 games at an average of 32 and strike rate of 150 and acknowledged his failure as well. He, however, finished the season in style, scoring 68 off 38 balls but MI failed to chase the target of 215 and could manage only 196/6 in 20 overs.

Mumbai Indians coach Mark Boucher has revealed that he hasn't had many conversations with former skipper Rohit Sharma about the future. Boucher made the comments after MI's 18-run loss against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in their last league match on Friday, May 17.

Mumbai Indians coach Mark Boucher has revealed that he hasn't had many conversations with former skipper Rohit Sharma about the future. Boucher made the comments after MI's 18-run loss against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in their last league match on Friday, May 17. With the loss, MI finished the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 at the bottom with just four wins in 14 games. “I said, ‘what’s next for Rohit Sharma?’ He said to me, ‘the (T20) World Cup’. (And) that’s perfect. That’s all I need to know about what Rohit Sharma’s future is. For me, he’s a master of his own destiny. It’s a big auction next season. Who knows what’s going to happen? We’ll just have to take each day as it comes,” Boucher said on Friday after MI's 10th loss of the season. Also Read: 'Put our best...,' Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya shares views on horrible season as skipper “To be honest, there hasn’t been many conversations about Rohit’s future at all. I spoke to him last night or the night before, just to do a little review of the season,” he added. Notably Rohit, under whom MI had won their all five titles, was replaced by Hardik Pandya as the skipper ahead of the 2024 season. The batter also spoke on the disappointing season and said after the game: "Our season didn't go according to plan. We blame ourselves for this because we made too many mistakes during the season. We lost many games that we should have won, but that's the nature of the IPL. You get a few chances and when those chances come, you must grab them." Rohit scored 417 runs in 14 games at an average of 32 and strike rate of 150 and acknowledged his failure as well. He, however, finished the season in style, scoring 68 off 38 balls but MI failed to chase the target of 215 and could manage only 196/6 in 20 overs.

IPL 2024: Mumbai Indians coach Mark Boucher reveals 'what next for Rohit Sharma'

Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya agreed that they didn't play good cricket throughout the Indian premier League (IPL) 2024 season and hence ended at the bottom. Pandya's comments came after their 18-run&nbsp;loss against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the last league game on Friday, May 17.

"Quite difficult (to summarise), this season we didn't play good quality cricket and it cost us the whole season," Hardik said after the loss to LSG at their home ground Wankhede.

"It's a professional world. Sometimes there'll be good and sometimes bad days. We always need to come out to put our best foot forward. As a group we didn't play quality and smart cricket and it showed in the results," he further said.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/cricket/ipl-2024-rohit-sharma-reveals-who-to-blame-for-mis-horrible-season-722820">IPL 2024: Rohit Sharma reveals who to 'blame' for MI's horrible season</a>

Mumbai had started the season with three consecutive losses and could not recover from that. Three wins in next four games did give a glimpse of MI's return to form before four losses in the next four games rendered their season all but over.&nbsp;

The five-time champion could not even finish on a high, losing their last two league games as well. They eventually finished with just four wins in 14 games, losing 10 of their matches.

Pandya himself had a difficult time at the tournament with both bat and the ball. He could score just 216 runs in 14 matches at an average of 18 and a strike rate of 143. With the ball, Pandya picked up 11 wickets in the 14 games but went for an economy of 10.75 runs per over.

After the match against LSG, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) also fined Pandya for slow-over rate. The board fined the MI skipper INR 3 million and handed a one-match ban. The ban means Pandya won't be eligible to play the first game of the next IPL season.

Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya agreed that they didn't play good cricket throughout the Indian premier League (IPL) 2024 season and hence ended at the bottom.

Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya agreed that they didn't play good cricket throughout the Indian premier League (IPL) 2024 season and hence ended at the bottom. Pandya's comments came after their 18-run loss against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the last league game on Friday, May 17. "Quite difficult (to summarise), this season we didn't play good quality cricket and it cost us the whole season," Hardik said after the loss to LSG at their home ground Wankhede. "It's a professional world. Sometimes there'll be good and sometimes bad days. We always need to come out to put our best foot forward. As a group we didn't play quality and smart cricket and it showed in the results," he further said. Also Read: IPL 2024: Rohit Sharma reveals who to 'blame' for MI's horrible season Mumbai had started the season with three consecutive losses and could not recover from that. Three wins in next four games did give a glimpse of MI's return to form before four losses in the next four games rendered their season all but over. The five-time champion could not even finish on a high, losing their last two league games as well. They eventually finished with just four wins in 14 games, losing 10 of their matches. Pandya himself had a difficult time at the tournament with both bat and the ball. He could score just 216 runs in 14 matches at an average of 18 and a strike rate of 143. With the ball, Pandya picked up 11 wickets in the 14 games but went for an economy of 10.75 runs per over. After the match against LSG, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) also fined Pandya for slow-over rate. The board fined the MI skipper INR 3 million and handed a one-match ban. The ban means Pandya won't be eligible to play the first game of the next IPL season.

IPL 2024: 'Put our best...,' Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya shares views on horrible season as skipper

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