Dinesh Karthik won the toss and has opted to bowl at Feroz Shah Kotla against Shreyas Iyer-led Delhi.

Karthik has kept the playing XI almost similar to the previous clash, there is only one change in the squad, Mitchell Johnson is back at Tom Curran's place.

It was assumed that Andre Russell might not play as he had stretched his right hamstring in the last clash but contrary to that, he is fit and healthy available for tonight.

Recently, former Delhi skipper, Gautam Gambhir had stepped down as the captain and in his absence, Shreyas Iyer has been given the responsibility to lead the team.

Delhi is currently placed at the bottom of the points table and skipper Shreyas Iyer admitted that the team is slightly under pressure.

Delhi need to win seven out eight remaining matches to qualify further but "it's tough, not impossible," said recently appointed skipper, Shreyas Iyer.

Delhi have entered into today's clash after making two changes.

Surprisingly, Gautam Gambhir is not playing and also Dan Christian, Vijay Shankar and Colin Munro are in at their places.

Playing XI:

Delhi: Prithvi Shaw, Colin Munro, Glenn Maxwell, Rishabh Pant(w), Shreyas Iyer(c), Vijay Shankar, Rahul Tewatia, Liam Plunkett, Amit Mishra, Avesh Khan, Trent Boult

Kolkata: Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik(w/c), Andre Russell, Shubman Gill, Mitchell Johnson, Piyush Chawla, Shivam Mavi, Kuldeep Yadav

Gautam Gambhir not included in playing XI of Delhi

Dinesh Karthik won the toss and has opted to bowl at Feroz Shah Kotla against Shreyas Iyer-led Delhi. Karthik has kept the playing XI almost similar to the previous clash, there is only one change in the squad, Mitchell Johnson is back at Tom Curran's place. It was assumed that Andre Russell might not play as he had stretched his right hamstring in the last clash but contrary to that, he is fit and healthy available for tonight. Recently, former Delhi skipper, Gautam Gambhir had stepped down as the captain and in his absence, Shreyas Iyer has been given the responsibility to lead the team. Delhi is currently placed at the bottom of the points table and skipper Shreyas Iyer admitted that the team is slightly under pressure. Delhi need to win seven out eight remaining matches to qualify further but "it's tough, not impossible," said recently appointed skipper, Shreyas Iyer. Delhi have entered into today's clash after making two changes. Surprisingly, Gautam Gambhir is not playing and also Dan Christian, Vijay Shankar and Colin Munro are in at their places. Playing XI: Delhi: Prithvi Shaw, Colin Munro, Glenn Maxwell, Rishabh Pant(w), Shreyas Iyer(c), Vijay Shankar, Rahul Tewatia, Liam Plunkett, Amit Mishra, Avesh Khan, Trent Boult Kolkata: Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik(w/c), Andre Russell, Shubman Gill, Mitchell Johnson, Piyush Chawla, Shivam Mavi, Kuldeep Yadav

IPL 2018: Dinesh Karthik opts to bowl against Shreyas Iyer-led Delhi

For me, there have been two very significant events in the IPL-2018 during this week. First, after a continuous poor show of Delhi's, skipper Gautam Gambhir stepped down from the captaincy of Delhi and moreover, he decided to forgo his fee for the season.

Second, after a dismal show in first few games for Punjab, Yuvraj Singh ultimately lost place in the playing eleven.

Both of these events are significant in a sense that they indicate that curtain is coming down on the career of two of the most prolific T-20 and ODI batsmen the country has produced over the past two decades. Time takes its toll it is inevitable and same thing is happening with these two. Yuvraj made his international debut 18 years back and Gambhir around 15 years back.

These two gave Indian Cricket and it's fan precious reasons to rejoice. Everyone talks about the Dhoni’s shrewd captaincy, Joginder’s last over in T-20 final in 2007 and Dhoni’s valiant 91 and that memorable six over long on to seal the 2011 World Cup for India.

But make no mistake, Yuvraj and Gambhir played the all-important pivotal role in both 2007 & 2011.

In 2007, Yuvraj was like a hurricane. His six 6s in a single over of Stuart Broad is now an epic, once in a lifetime kind of phenomenon. Yuvraj ultimately stole the show from mighty Australians in the semi-final.

His knock of 70 off just 38 runs was decisive and made all the difference. Gambhir on other hand played a key role very subtly in 2007 T-20 World Cup.

He scored two half-centuries at the group stage and then in the final he was the highest scorer for India with a knock of 75 runs. How important that knock was, can be judged by the fact that second highest knock during the innings was 30.

In 2011 World Cup final, Gambhir was again the highest scorer with a knock of 97. As Sehwag and Tendulkar failed at the top of the order, it was Gambhir who anchored one end gave Dhoni a perfect platform to finish the match.

Yuvraj on other hand was brilliant right from the start in 2011 World Cup. He dominated the proceedings both with bat and ball and was adjourned as the player of the tournament.

It is heartbreaking to see the downfall of these two superstars. Apart from above, Yuvraj has been one the most destructive and alluring batsman, India has produced. He was the prominent member of U-19 World Cup winning Indian team in 1999 and scored a whirlwind 84 against Australia in 2000 during his ODI debut.

For Yuvraj, downfall started soon after he was diagnosed with lung cancer. In fact, it was after the final of T-20 World Cup in 2014, it became apparent that Yuvraj would never be the same player again. His 11 off 21 balls virtually costed India match.

In his generation, Gambhir has been one of the finest players against spin bowling. Unlike Yuvraj, Gambhir had a reasonable Test career as well. Though Gambhir's stint for India came to end by 2013 (he made a comeback though in 2016)

It is said that nothing lasts forever. It is now pretty apparent that it is almost end of the road for Yuvraj and Gambhir. It was bound to happen but for fans like me, it is bit disappointing, after these two gave us many reasons for happiness and pride.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

It is said that nothing lasts forever and it is now pretty apparent that it is almost end of the road for Yuvraj Singh and Gautam Gambhir

For me, there have been two very significant events in the IPL-2018 during this week. First, after a continuous poor show of Delhi's, skipper Gautam Gambhir stepped down from the captaincy of Delhi and moreover, he decided to forgo his fee for the season. Second, after a dismal show in first few games for Punjab, Yuvraj Singh ultimately lost place in the playing eleven. Both of these events are significant in a sense that they indicate that curtain is coming down on the career of two of the most prolific T-20 and ODI batsmen the country has produced over the past two decades. Time takes its toll it is inevitable and same thing is happening with these two. Yuvraj made his international debut 18 years back and Gambhir around 15 years back. These two gave Indian Cricket and it's fan precious reasons to rejoice. Everyone talks about the Dhoni’s shrewd captaincy, Joginder’s last over in T-20 final in 2007 and Dhoni’s valiant 91 and that memorable six over long on to seal the 2011 World Cup for India. But make no mistake, Yuvraj and Gambhir played the all-important pivotal role in both 2007 & 2011. In 2007, Yuvraj was like a hurricane. His six 6s in a single over of Stuart Broad is now an epic, once in a lifetime kind of phenomenon. Yuvraj ultimately stole the show from mighty Australians in the semi-final. His knock of 70 off just 38 runs was decisive and made all the difference. Gambhir on other hand played a key role very subtly in 2007 T-20 World Cup. He scored two half-centuries at the group stage and then in the final he was the highest scorer for India with a knock of 75 runs. How important that knock was, can be judged by the fact that second highest knock during the innings was 30. In 2011 World Cup final, Gambhir was again the highest scorer with a knock of 97. As Sehwag and Tendulkar failed at the top of the order, it was Gambhir who anchored one end gave Dhoni a perfect platform to finish the match. Yuvraj on other hand was brilliant right from the start in 2011 World Cup. He dominated the proceedings both with bat and ball and was adjourned as the player of the tournament. It is heartbreaking to see the downfall of these two superstars. Apart from above, Yuvraj has been one the most destructive and alluring batsman, India has produced. He was the prominent member of U-19 World Cup winning Indian team in 1999 and scored a whirlwind 84 against Australia in 2000 during his ODI debut. For Yuvraj, downfall started soon after he was diagnosed with lung cancer. In fact, it was after the final of T-20 World Cup in 2014, it became apparent that Yuvraj would never be the same player again. His 11 off 21 balls virtually costed India match. In his generation, Gambhir has been one of the finest players against spin bowling. Unlike Yuvraj, Gambhir had a reasonable Test career as well. Though Gambhir's stint for India came to end by 2013 (he made a comeback though in 2016) It is said that nothing lasts forever. It is now pretty apparent that it is almost end of the road for Yuvraj and Gambhir. It was bound to happen but for fans like me, it is bit disappointing, after these two gave us many reasons for happiness and pride. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Yuvraj & Gambhir – End of road for two greats of the game

Shreyas Iyer-led Delhi host Kolkata on Friday at Feroz Shah Kotla stadium. Delhi is currently placed at the bottom of&nbsp;points table and recently got a major blow when Gautam Gambhir on Wednesday stepped down as the captain and in his absence, Shreyas Iyer has been given the responsibility to lead the team.

Under the guidance of new captain, team Delhi is looking forward to reviving the current&nbsp;form.&nbsp;

Kolkata is currently placed at number four and will look to earn two crucial points to stretch the lead from Rajasthan.

On one hand, Delhi eye to salvage&nbsp;their pride but on the other Kolkata will be happy as their opponents are going through such a poor state.

The only change for Kolkata would be Andre Russell because he stretched his right hamstring while fielding in the last clash against Punjab. Other than that, the squad is fit and healthy.

For Delhi, under-19 stars have managed to fix their spots but Shreyas Iyer might rehash the squad to make a fresh start in the ongoing tournament. Also, Shahbaz Nadeem is expected to come back as Amit Mishra was effective in the last match.

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Playing XI (TBC)

Kolkata: Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik, Shubman Gill, Andre Russell, Tom Curran, Piyush Chawla, Shivam Mavi, Kuldeep Yadav

Delhi: Prithvi Shaw, Gautam Gambhir, Shreyas Iyer (c), Glenn Maxwell, Rishabh Pant (wk), Rahul Tewatia, Daniel Christian, Shahbaz Nadeem, Liam Plunkett, Avesh Khan, Trent Boult.

Delhi is currently placed at the bottom of the points table and recently got a major blow when Gautam Gambhir on Wednesday stepped down as the captain and in his absence, Shreyas Iyer has been given the responsibility to lead the team

Shreyas Iyer-led Delhi host Kolkata on Friday at Feroz Shah Kotla stadium. Delhi is currently placed at the bottom of points table and recently got a major blow when Gautam Gambhir on Wednesday stepped down as the captain and in his absence, Shreyas Iyer has been given the responsibility to lead the team. Under the guidance of new captain, team Delhi is looking forward to reviving the current form. Kolkata is currently placed at number four and will look to earn two crucial points to stretch the lead from Rajasthan. On one hand, Delhi eye to salvage their pride but on the other Kolkata will be happy as their opponents are going through such a poor state. The only change for Kolkata would be Andre Russell because he stretched his right hamstring while fielding in the last clash against Punjab. Other than that, the squad is fit and healthy. For Delhi, under-19 stars have managed to fix their spots but Shreyas Iyer might rehash the squad to make a fresh start in the ongoing tournament. Also, Shahbaz Nadeem is expected to come back as Amit Mishra was effective in the last match. × Playing XI (TBC) Kolkata: Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik, Shubman Gill, Andre Russell, Tom Curran, Piyush Chawla, Shivam Mavi, Kuldeep Yadav Delhi: Prithvi Shaw, Gautam Gambhir, Shreyas Iyer (c), Glenn Maxwell, Rishabh Pant (wk), Rahul Tewatia, Daniel Christian, Shahbaz Nadeem, Liam Plunkett, Avesh Khan, Trent Boult.

IPL 2018: Match preview of Delhi vs Kolkata

Hyderabad defeated Punjab in a neck-to-neck encounter and defended a low score at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Thursday.

Earlier, Punjab won the toss and opted to bowl and it appeared that Ashwin had taken the advantage by making the decision of bowling first as Punjab restricted Hyderabad at a very low score.

Batting first Hyderabad set a 133-run target for Punjab but the bowlers, especially Rashid Khan was outstanding as he took three crucial wickets.

Rashid Khan and Shakib Al Hasan shared five wickets between them and shattered the massive batting strength of Punjab.

The orange army is now placed at number two on the points table of and has gained confidence now.

The credit for today's game must go to the bowling department and as the batting of Hyderabad failed miserably.

The star batsmen could not perform. Shikhar Dhawan lost his wicket after scoring 11 runs and another opener Kane Williamson went back to pavilion after scoring a duck.

Wicket-keeper batsman Wriddhiman Saha scored just six runs. The middle order batsmen salvaged the Hyderabad batting and pushed the run rate.

Manish Pandey, Shakib Al Hasan and Yusuf Pathan scored 54, 28 and 21 runs respectively and made crucial contributions to the team.

The score suggested that Punjab will easily win the match but bowlers turned the result and displayed an outstanding show to snatch the victory from Punjab's side.

Fall of wickets:

55-1 (Lokesh Rahul, 7.5), 57-2 (Chris Gayle, 8.2), 77-3 (Mayank Agarwal, 12.1), 82-4 (Karun Nair, 13.4), 88-5 (Aaron Finch, 14.2), 92-6 (Manoj Tiwary, 15.3), 96-7 (Andrew Tye, 15.5), 99-8 (Barinder Sra, 16.5), 101-9 (Ravichandran Ashwin, 17.2), 119-10 (Ankit Rajpoot, 19.2)

&nbsp;

Batting first Hyderabad set a 133-run target for Punjab but the bowlers, especially Rashid Khan was outstanding as he took three crucial wickets

Hyderabad defeated Punjab in a neck-to-neck encounter and defended a low score at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Thursday. Earlier, Punjab won the toss and opted to bowl and it appeared that Ashwin had taken the advantage by making the decision of bowling first as Punjab restricted Hyderabad at a very low score. Batting first Hyderabad set a 133-run target for Punjab but the bowlers, especially Rashid Khan was outstanding as he took three crucial wickets. Rashid Khan and Shakib Al Hasan shared five wickets between them and shattered the massive batting strength of Punjab. The orange army is now placed at number two on the points table of and has gained confidence now. The credit for today's game must go to the bowling department and as the batting of Hyderabad failed miserably. The star batsmen could not perform. Shikhar Dhawan lost his wicket after scoring 11 runs and another opener Kane Williamson went back to pavilion after scoring a duck. Wicket-keeper batsman Wriddhiman Saha scored just six runs. The middle order batsmen salvaged the Hyderabad batting and pushed the run rate. Manish Pandey, Shakib Al Hasan and Yusuf Pathan scored 54, 28 and 21 runs respectively and made crucial contributions to the team. The score suggested that Punjab will easily win the match but bowlers turned the result and displayed an outstanding show to snatch the victory from Punjab's side. Fall of wickets: 55-1 (Lokesh Rahul, 7.5), 57-2 (Chris Gayle, 8.2), 77-3 (Mayank Agarwal, 12.1), 82-4 (Karun Nair, 13.4), 88-5 (Aaron Finch, 14.2), 92-6 (Manoj Tiwary, 15.3), 96-7 (Andrew Tye, 15.5), 99-8 (Barinder Sra, 16.5), 101-9 (Ravichandran Ashwin, 17.2), 119-10 (Ankit Rajpoot, 19.2)

IPL 2018: Rashid Khan shines as Hyderabad outplay Punjab to defend 132 runs

Hyderabad set 133-run target for Punjab at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium against Hyderabad on Thursday. Earlier, Punjab won the toss and opted to bowl. Ashwin took the advantage of the pitch by making the decision of bowling first.

The batting department of Hyderabad failed as the star batsmen could not perform. Shikhar Dhawan lost his wicket after scoring 11 runs and another opener Kane Williamson went back to pavilion after scoring a duck.

Wicket-keeper batsman Wriddhiman Saha scored just six runs. The middle order batsmen salvaged the Hyderabad batting and pushed the run rate.

Manish Pandey, Shakib Al Hasan and Yusuf Pathan scored 54, 28 and 21 runs respectively and made crucial contributions to the team.

Fall of wickets:

1-1 (Kane Williamson, 0.4), 16-2 (Shikhar Dhawan, 2.2), 27-3 (Wriddhiman Saha, 4.5), 79-4 (Shakib Al Hasan, 13.4), 128-5 (Manish Pandey, 19.4), 132-6 (Mohammad Nabi, 19.6)

The batting department of Hyderabad failed as the star batsmen did not perform

Hyderabad set 133-run target for Punjab at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium against Hyderabad on Thursday. Earlier, Punjab won the toss and opted to bowl. Ashwin took the advantage of the pitch by making the decision of bowling first. The batting department of Hyderabad failed as the star batsmen could not perform. Shikhar Dhawan lost his wicket after scoring 11 runs and another opener Kane Williamson went back to pavilion after scoring a duck. Wicket-keeper batsman Wriddhiman Saha scored just six runs. The middle order batsmen salvaged the Hyderabad batting and pushed the run rate. Manish Pandey, Shakib Al Hasan and Yusuf Pathan scored 54, 28 and 21 runs respectively and made crucial contributions to the team. Fall of wickets: 1-1 (Kane Williamson, 0.4), 16-2 (Shikhar Dhawan, 2.2), 27-3 (Wriddhiman Saha, 4.5), 79-4 (Shakib Al Hasan, 13.4), 128-5 (Manish Pandey, 19.4), 132-6 (Mohammad Nabi, 19.6)

IPL 2018: Hyderabad set 133-run target for Punjab

Mahendra Singh Dhoni played an outstanding inning to help Chennai chase a high-scoring match against Bangalore at Chinnaswamy stadium on Wednesday.

He scored 70 runs off just 34 balls with a strike rate of 205.88 and in his signature style, he finished the innings by hitting a sixer to mark the victory.

After winning the crucial encounter, Dhoni&nbsp;engaged himself with some "daddy's duties." In a recent video that he shared on Instagram, he was found blow drying daughter Ziva's hair.&nbsp;

"Game over, had a nice sleep now back to Daddy’s duties," says Chennai skipper Dhoni as the caption of the video. Fans and followers have flooded the comments section with "AWWs" and "OMGs"

Watch the adorable video here:

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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BiB3dqknOPG/" style=" color:#000 font-family:Arial,sans-serif font-size:14px font-style:normal font-weight:normal line-height:17px text-decoration:none word-wrap:break-word" target="_blank">Game over, had a nice sleep now back to Daddy’s duties</a>

<p style=" color:#c9c8cd font-family:Arial,sans-serif font-size:14px line-height:17px margin-bottom:0 margin-top:8px overflow:hidden padding:8px 0 7px text-align:center text-overflow:ellipsis white-space:nowrap">A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/mahi7781/" style=" color:#c9c8cd font-family:Arial,sans-serif font-size:14px font-style:normal font-weight:normal line-height:17px" target="_blank"> M S Dhoni</a> (@mahi7781) on <time datetime="2018-04-26T09:54:23+00:00" style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif font-size:14px line-height:17px">Apr 26, 2018 at 2:54am PDT</time>
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Chennai team is currently placed atop of the points table and preparing for the next clash which is against Mumbai on Saturday, April 28.

"Game over, had a nice sleep now back to Daddy’s duties," says Chennai skipper MS Dhoni

Mahendra Singh Dhoni played an outstanding inning to help Chennai chase a high-scoring match against Bangalore at Chinnaswamy stadium on Wednesday. He scored 70 runs off just 34 balls with a strike rate of 205.88 and in his signature style, he finished the innings by hitting a sixer to mark the victory. After winning the crucial encounter, Dhoni engaged himself with some "daddy's duties." In a recent video that he shared on Instagram, he was found blow drying daughter Ziva's hair. "Game over, had a nice sleep now back to Daddy’s duties," says Chennai skipper Dhoni as the caption of the video. Fans and followers have flooded the comments section with "AWWs" and "OMGs" Watch the adorable video here: Game over, had a nice sleep now back to Daddy’s duties A post shared by M S Dhoni (@mahi7781) on Apr 26, 2018 at 2:54am PDT × Chennai team is currently placed atop of the points table and preparing for the next clash which is against Mumbai on Saturday, April 28.

Watch: After defeating Bangalore, MS Dhoni 'back to Daddy’s duties'

Punjab won the toss and opted to bowl first at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium against Hyderabad on Thursday.

The pitch is appearing to be batting friendly and Hyderabad need to put up a giant score in order to win the clash.

Kane Williamson mentioned about Chris Gayle's performance and said that he is a "dangerous player". Williamson has not any changes in the squad.

On the other hand, Ashwin has taken advantage of the pitch by making the decision of bowling first.

For Punjab, 'hit machine' Gayle is back as he missed the last game due to a sore back and also Manoj Tiwari is in the playing XI.

Playing XI:

Hyderabad: Shikhar Dhawan, Kane Williamson(c), Wriddhiman Saha(w), Manish Pandey, Shakib Al Hasan, Yusuf Pathan, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Basil Thampi, Siddarth Kaul, Sandeep Sharma

Punjab: Lokesh Rahul(w), Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, Aaron Finch, Manoj Tiwary, Ravichandran Ashwin(c), Andrew Tye, Barinder Sran, Ankit Rajpoot, Mujeeb Ur Rahman

Punjab won the toss and opted to bowl first at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium against Hyderabad on Thursday. The pitch is appearing to be batting friendly and Hyderabad need to put up a giant score in order to win the clash. Kane Williamson mentioned about Chris Gayle's performance and said that he is a "dangerous player". Williamson has not any changes in the squad. On the other hand, Ashwin has taken advantage of the pitch by making the decision of bowling first. For Punjab, 'hit machine' Gayle is back as he missed the last game due to a sore back and also Manoj Tiwari is in the playing XI. Playing XI: Hyderabad: Shikhar Dhawan, Kane Williamson(c), Wriddhiman Saha(w), Manish Pandey, Shakib Al Hasan, Yusuf Pathan, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Basil Thampi, Siddarth Kaul, Sandeep Sharma Punjab: Lokesh Rahul(w), Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, Aaron Finch, Manoj Tiwary, Ravichandran Ashwin(c), Andrew Tye, Barinder Sran, Ankit Rajpoot, Mujeeb Ur Rahman

IPL 2018: Ashwin opts to bowl against Hyderabad

Every time I see Sourav Ganguly I ponder that whether Ganguly ever called up Vinod Kambli to show his gratitude. After all, if Kambli did not have that typical streak of self-destruction, the fate of both Kambli and Ganguly would have been different.

Vinod Kambli was the brightest star of Indian middle order after his back to back Test double centuries in 1993. He started taking his success for granted and by 1995, his life was on a different track altogether.

More than his batting he was paying attention to style quotient, to his hairstyle and kind of beard he would sport. His non-seriousness was palpable on the ground. By the time World Cup 1996 was over, his crankiness was way beyond the acceptable zone.

Kambli was dropped from the side which toured England in the summer of 1996. Another elegant southpaw Ganguly (along with Rahul Dravid) grabbed the opportunity with both hands and Kambli never played for India.

Few years further back in 1984-85, another "style bhai" Sandeep Patil played a sheer reckless shot in Delhi Test against England at the time when India was struggling to save Test.

Patil was dropped as punishment and he was replaced by Azharuddin. Azhar grabbed the opportunity and scored three centuries back to back. Sandeep Patil never played for India.

On Tuesday's night, when I saw Mumbai catapulting against a total of 118 of Sunrisers Hyderabad, I was not only feeling very sorry for the team but also for the talented young player like Hardik Pandya. Chasing a total of 118, Mumbai was bundled out for just 87.

Hardik Pandya, playing down the order scored just 3 runs facing 19 balls. When Pandya was returning back to the pavilion, I was sensing and fearing that Pandya may end up as another Patil or Kambli, a premature end of a promising player. After the match, Mumbai's coach Mahela Jayawardene minced no words and censured Pandya in particular for the poor show.

Just a few months back, Hardik Pandya was a new poster boy of Indian Cricket. Many believe that he would be for India what Ben Stokes is for England. In my opinion, His swashbuckling knock at Cape Town is one of best knocks by an Indian number seven overseas in recent Test series with South Africa.

But then at Cape Town, he blew the credentials he earned by his callous attitude. His casual running at the Centurion was deplorable and moreover, the smugness with which strolled back to the pavilion after throwing his wicket was beyond limits actually.

At Pandya's age, steep success may come with a desire to become the super stud and ultra-cool on the field. One tends to become swagger. It has even happened to people like Sachin Tendulkar. 1998 was the whirlwind year for Tendulkar. He scored nine ODI centuries in a single calendar year.

He singles handily decimated Australia in home Test series. In January 1999, India played the first Test of a Test series against Pakistan at Chennai. Tendulkar came to bat with a mindset to dominate bowling right from the word go and Saqlain sent him back without scoring. Tendulkar learned his lesson. He scored a magnificent century in the second innings. He did a timely course correction.

A few years back I read an interview of Sandeep Patil. Patil, in fact, was admitting and repenting that in Delhi he blundered and agreed that he was not taking his game seriously and paid the hefty price.

Pandya needs to take a cue from the past and control and his aggression and attitude. Nothing wrong with your desire with showmanship but your duties come first and Pandya needs to understand this.

Changing hairstyle every week will not give you sustained success, but toiling at the net and your desire to improve continually will deliver it for sure. Complacency can be career limiting. Mahela Jayawardene has also clearly told that Hardik Pandya need to work harder and evolve to become a consistent cricketer.

He is a talented cricketer and if he can reorganise his energy, he is a serious long-term prospect for the side. Or else there is no dearth of talent to replace him.

An Azharuddin or a Ganguly is always there to grab the opportunity.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Hardik Pandya needs to take a cue from the past and control and his aggression and attitude

Every time I see Sourav Ganguly I ponder that whether Ganguly ever called up Vinod Kambli to show his gratitude. After all, if Kambli did not have that typical streak of self-destruction, the fate of both Kambli and Ganguly would have been different. Vinod Kambli was the brightest star of Indian middle order after his back to back Test double centuries in 1993. He started taking his success for granted and by 1995, his life was on a different track altogether. More than his batting he was paying attention to style quotient, to his hairstyle and kind of beard he would sport. His non-seriousness was palpable on the ground. By the time World Cup 1996 was over, his crankiness was way beyond the acceptable zone. Kambli was dropped from the side which toured England in the summer of 1996. Another elegant southpaw Ganguly (along with Rahul Dravid) grabbed the opportunity with both hands and Kambli never played for India. Few years further back in 1984-85, another "style bhai" Sandeep Patil played a sheer reckless shot in Delhi Test against England at the time when India was struggling to save Test. Patil was dropped as punishment and he was replaced by Azharuddin. Azhar grabbed the opportunity and scored three centuries back to back. Sandeep Patil never played for India. On Tuesday's night, when I saw Mumbai catapulting against a total of 118 of Sunrisers Hyderabad, I was not only feeling very sorry for the team but also for the talented young player like Hardik Pandya. Chasing a total of 118, Mumbai was bundled out for just 87. Hardik Pandya, playing down the order scored just 3 runs facing 19 balls. When Pandya was returning back to the pavilion, I was sensing and fearing that Pandya may end up as another Patil or Kambli, a premature end of a promising player. After the match, Mumbai's coach Mahela Jayawardene minced no words and censured Pandya in particular for the poor show. Just a few months back, Hardik Pandya was a new poster boy of Indian Cricket. Many believe that he would be for India what Ben Stokes is for England. In my opinion, His swashbuckling knock at Cape Town is one of best knocks by an Indian number seven overseas in recent Test series with South Africa. But then at Cape Town, he blew the credentials he earned by his callous attitude. His casual running at the Centurion was deplorable and moreover, the smugness with which strolled back to the pavilion after throwing his wicket was beyond limits actually. At Pandya's age, steep success may come with a desire to become the super stud and ultra-cool on the field. One tends to become swagger. It has even happened to people like Sachin Tendulkar. 1998 was the whirlwind year for Tendulkar. He scored nine ODI centuries in a single calendar year. He singles handily decimated Australia in home Test series. In January 1999, India played the first Test of a Test series against Pakistan at Chennai. Tendulkar came to bat with a mindset to dominate bowling right from the word go and Saqlain sent him back without scoring. Tendulkar learned his lesson. He scored a magnificent century in the second innings. He did a timely course correction. A few years back I read an interview of Sandeep Patil. Patil, in fact, was admitting and repenting that in Delhi he blundered and agreed that he was not taking his game seriously and paid the hefty price. Pandya needs to take a cue from the past and control and his aggression and attitude. Nothing wrong with your desire with showmanship but your duties come first and Pandya needs to understand this. Changing hairstyle every week will not give you sustained success, but toiling at the net and your desire to improve continually will deliver it for sure. Complacency can be career limiting. Mahela Jayawardene has also clearly told that Hardik Pandya need to work harder and evolve to become a consistent cricketer. He is a talented cricketer and if he can reorganise his energy, he is a serious long-term prospect for the side. Or else there is no dearth of talent to replace him. An Azharuddin or a Ganguly is always there to grab the opportunity. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Hardik Pandya needs to take cue from history

MS Dhoni-led Chennai take on Virat Kohli-led Bangalore on Wednesday, April 25 at Chinnaswamy stadium in an intriguing and extremely interesting clash between two old rivals.

Both the teams are coming off from a victory in their previous encounters and will be looking forward to winning tonight's match to earn two crucial points.

The Chennai-Bangalore is very celebrated since IPL's inception and they have played seven matches at Chinnaswamy stadium out of which both the teams have won 3-3 matches each and one was washed out.

Due to Cauvery&nbsp;protest, the home ground of Chennai has been shifted to Pune so, fans from Chennai from are rushing to the nearby stadiums to watch the matches of Chennai. Tonight at Chinnaswamy, a full house is expected but supporter of both the teams will be huge in number.

Earlier in the ongoing tournament, Bangalore team struggled but somehow has gained confidence after their win against Delhi in the last game.

Tonight's match is also very special for Virat Kohli as he will be leading in his 100th match in the T20 format. He is the third Indian after MS Dhoni and Gautam Gambhir to reach this feat.

Chennai is placed at position 2 with 8 points and the current squad of Chennai is shining bright, hence any change is not required.

Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis can give a required start for the team. Also, the middle order is quite settled in the presence of Suresh Raina, Ambayati Rayudu and Dhoni.

On the other hand, even Bangalore team have star batsmen like Quinton de Kock, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers.

As Chinnaswamy stadium is known for its batsmen friendliness pitch, hence, a high scoring match is expected tonight, which means more responsibility is on bowlers.

Whichever team is playing first, any total below 150 would be less as Chinnaswamy is high scoring pitch and both the teams have a massive batting line.

So today, a team with better bowling and fielding have higher chances of winning.

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Playing XI: (TBC)

Chennai: Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni, Faf du Plessis, Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar, Karn Sharma, Imran Tahir, Shardul Thakur

Bangalore: Quinton de Kock, Manan Vohra, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Corey Anderson, Mandeep Singh, Washington Sundar, Chris Woakes, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal

Both the teams are coming off from a victory in their previous encounters and will be looking forward to winning tonight's match to earn two crucial points

MS Dhoni-led Chennai take on Virat Kohli-led Bangalore on Wednesday, April 25 at Chinnaswamy stadium in an intriguing and extremely interesting clash between two old rivals. Both the teams are coming off from a victory in their previous encounters and will be looking forward to winning tonight's match to earn two crucial points. The Chennai-Bangalore is very celebrated since IPL's inception and they have played seven matches at Chinnaswamy stadium out of which both the teams have won 3-3 matches each and one was washed out. Due to Cauvery protest, the home ground of Chennai has been shifted to Pune so, fans from Chennai from are rushing to the nearby stadiums to watch the matches of Chennai. Tonight at Chinnaswamy, a full house is expected but supporter of both the teams will be huge in number. Earlier in the ongoing tournament, Bangalore team struggled but somehow has gained confidence after their win against Delhi in the last game. Tonight's match is also very special for Virat Kohli as he will be leading in his 100th match in the T20 format. He is the third Indian after MS Dhoni and Gautam Gambhir to reach this feat. Chennai is placed at position 2 with 8 points and the current squad of Chennai is shining bright, hence any change is not required. Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis can give a required start for the team. Also, the middle order is quite settled in the presence of Suresh Raina, Ambayati Rayudu and Dhoni. On the other hand, even Bangalore team have star batsmen like Quinton de Kock, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. As Chinnaswamy stadium is known for its batsmen friendliness pitch, hence, a high scoring match is expected tonight, which means more responsibility is on bowlers. Whichever team is playing first, any total below 150 would be less as Chinnaswamy is high scoring pitch and both the teams have a massive batting line. So today, a team with better bowling and fielding have higher chances of winning. × Playing XI: (TBC) Chennai: Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni, Faf du Plessis, Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar, Karn Sharma, Imran Tahir, Shardul Thakur Bangalore: Quinton de Kock, Manan Vohra, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Corey Anderson, Mandeep Singh, Washington Sundar, Chris Woakes, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal

IPL 2018: Match preview of Chennai and Bangalore

Billy Stanlake has been ruled out of Indian Premier League 2018 due to a finger injury that he sustained while fielding in the last clash against Chennai on April 22, Sunday.

Australian pacer Stanlake was purchased by Hyderabad franchise for an amount of 50 lakhs. So far in the tournament, he has been magnificent and has contributed well to the team. He took five wickets in the matches he played for Hyderabad.

"Sunrisers Hyderabad fast bowler Billy Stanlake has been ruled out of the remainder of the eleventh"edition of the ongoing IPL," a media release from the Sunrisers Hyderabad said.

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Billy Stanlake has been ruled out of the remainder of IPL 2018 owing to a fractured finger. The <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OrangeArmy?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OrangeArmy</a> wishes him a speedy recovery.
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Indian and Australian orthopedic specialists have advised Stanlake against playing the remaining tournament owing to an injury.

"Billy sustained a displaced fracture on the fifth finger of his right hand whilst fielding. Surgical reduction and fixation was required to restore the function to that finger," the release said.

The statement also mentioned that Billy Stanlake has flown back to Australia.

Billy Stanlake has been ruled out of Indian Premier League 2018 due to a finger injury that he sustained while fielding in the last clash against Chennai on April 22

Billy Stanlake has been ruled out of Indian Premier League 2018 due to a finger injury that he sustained while fielding in the last clash against Chennai on April 22, Sunday. Australian pacer Stanlake was purchased by Hyderabad franchise for an amount of 50 lakhs. So far in the tournament, he has been magnificent and has contributed well to the team. He took five wickets in the matches he played for Hyderabad. "Sunrisers Hyderabad fast bowler Billy Stanlake has been ruled out of the remainder of the eleventh"edition of the ongoing IPL," a media release from the Sunrisers Hyderabad said. Billy Stanlake has been ruled out of the remainder of IPL 2018 owing to a fractured finger. The #OrangeArmy wishes him a speedy recovery. — SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) April 24, 2018 × Indian and Australian orthopedic specialists have advised Stanlake against playing the remaining tournament owing to an injury. "Billy sustained a displaced fracture on the fifth finger of his right hand whilst fielding. Surgical reduction and fixation was required to restore the function to that finger," the release said. The statement also mentioned that Billy Stanlake has flown back to Australia.

Billy Stanlake ruled out of IPL 2018 due to a fractured finger

Ashwin-led Punjab beat Delhi by four runs in a nail-biting encounter on Monday at Feroz Shah Kotla stadium. Earlier, Gautam Gambhir won the toss and opted to bowl in front of Delhi audience as it was the first game Delhi is playing at its home ground.

Gautam Gambhir had made five changes for today's match but it went in vain as the batting order of Delhi team failed miserably.

Apart from Shreyas Iyer, no other players contributed to the team. Shreyas kept hopes for Delhi fans till the last but end up losing his wicket on the last ball of the innings.

Scoreboard:

Delhi:

Prithvi Shaw b Rajpoot 22 
Gautam Gambhir c Finch b A Tye 4 
Glenn Maxwell c A Tye b Rajpoot 12 
Shreyas Iyer c Finch b Muheeb 57 
Rishabh Pant b Mujeeb 4&nbsp; 
Daniel Christian run out 6 
Rahul Tewatia c Rahul b Tye 24 
Liam Plunkett c Karun b Sran 0 
Amit Mishra not out 1

 
Extras: (LB-2, WD-7) 9

 
Total (For 8 wickets in 20 overs) 139

 
Fall of Wickets: 1-25, 2-41, 3-42, 4-61, 5-76, 6-123, 7-124, 8-139

 
Bowling: Ankit Rajpoot 4-0-23-2, Barinder Sran 4-0-45-1, Andrew Tye 4-0-25-2, R Ashwin 4-0-19-0, Mujeeb ur Rehman 4-0-25-2.

Earlier Delhi stated the game well, the bowlers especially, Liam Plunket and U-19 champ Avesh Khan thrashed the top batting order as Punjab put up a modest 143-run target.

In the absence of Chris Gayle, Aaron Finch opened the innings with KL Rahul but could not give a required start to the team.

KL Rahul, who has been tremendous so far, scored 23 runs off 15 balls but Aaron Finch failed to fill Gayles space as under-19 star pacer Avesh Khan took his wicket in the second over itself.

Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, Yuvraj Singh and David Miller scored 21, 34, 14 and 26 runs respectively.

Playing the first game of IPL 2018, Liam Plunkett produced his best bowling figures, he took three wickets by giving 17 runs in his 4-over spell. Also, Avesh Khan contributed well with some splendid deliveries and took two crucial wickets as well.

The batting order of Delhi team failed miserably

Ashwin-led Punjab beat Delhi by four runs in a nail-biting encounter on Monday at Feroz Shah Kotla stadium. Earlier, Gautam Gambhir won the toss and opted to bowl in front of Delhi audience as it was the first game Delhi is playing at its home ground. Gautam Gambhir had made five changes for today's match but it went in vain as the batting order of Delhi team failed miserably. Apart from Shreyas Iyer, no other players contributed to the team. Shreyas kept hopes for Delhi fans till the last but end up losing his wicket on the last ball of the innings. Scoreboard: Delhi: Prithvi Shaw b Rajpoot 22 Gautam Gambhir c Finch b A Tye 4 Glenn Maxwell c A Tye b Rajpoot 12 Shreyas Iyer c Finch b Muheeb 57 Rishabh Pant b Mujeeb 4 Daniel Christian run out 6 Rahul Tewatia c Rahul b Tye 24 Liam Plunkett c Karun b Sran 0 Amit Mishra not out 1 Extras: (LB-2, WD-7) 9 Total (For 8 wickets in 20 overs) 139 Fall of Wickets: 1-25, 2-41, 3-42, 4-61, 5-76, 6-123, 7-124, 8-139 Bowling: Ankit Rajpoot 4-0-23-2, Barinder Sran 4-0-45-1, Andrew Tye 4-0-25-2, R Ashwin 4-0-19-0, Mujeeb ur Rehman 4-0-25-2. Earlier Delhi stated the game well, the bowlers especially, Liam Plunket and U-19 champ Avesh Khan thrashed the top batting order as Punjab put up a modest 143-run target. In the absence of Chris Gayle, Aaron Finch opened the innings with KL Rahul but could not give a required start to the team. KL Rahul, who has been tremendous so far, scored 23 runs off 15 balls but Aaron Finch failed to fill Gayles space as under-19 star pacer Avesh Khan took his wicket in the second over itself. Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, Yuvraj Singh and David Miller scored 21, 34, 14 and 26 runs respectively. Playing the first game of IPL 2018, Liam Plunkett produced his best bowling figures, he took three wickets by giving 17 runs in his 4-over spell. Also, Avesh Khan contributed well with some splendid deliveries and took two crucial wickets as well.

IPL 2018: Ashwin-led Punjab outplay Delhi to reach top of points table

Pacers Liam Plunket and U-19 champ Avesh Khan thrashed the top batting order of Punjab, as Ashwin-led Punjab put up a modest 144-run target for Delhi on Monday at Feroz Shah Kotla stadium.

Earlier, Gautam Gambhir won the toss and opted to bowl in front of Delhi audience as it is the first game that Delhi is playing at its home ground.

In the absence of Chris Gayle, Aaron Finch opened the innings with KL Rahul but could not give a required start to the team.

Chris Gayle has been ruled out for today's match due&nbsp;to some health issues.

KL Rahul, who has been tremendous so far in the ongoing tournament, scored just 23 runs off 15 balls, Aaron Finch failed to fill Gayle's space as under-19 star pacer Avesh Khan took his wicket in the second over.

Middle batting order helped to push the run rate forward and set a decent score. Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, Yuvraj Singh and David Miller scored 21, 34, 14 and 26 runs respectively.

Gautam Gambhir had made five changes for the game, Chris Morris, and Jason Roy are injured so they were replaced by Dan Christian and Liam Plunkett.&nbsp;

Playing the first game of IPL 2018, Liam Plunkett produced his best bowling figures, he took three wickets by giving 17 runs in his 4-over spell.

Also, Avesh Khan contributed well with some splendid deliveries and took two crucial wickets as well.

Fall Of Wickets:

6-1 (Aaron Finch, 1.3), 42-2 (Lokesh Rahul, 4.3), 60-3 (Mayank Agarwal, 7.3), 85-4 (Yuvraj Singh, 12.4), 116-5 (Karun Nair, 16.1), 127-6 (David Miller, 17.3), 140-7 (Ravichandran Ashwin, 19.1), 143-8 (Andrew Tye, 19.6)

Ashwin-led Delhi set 144-run target for Gautam-led Delhi

Pacers Liam Plunket and U-19 champ Avesh Khan thrashed the top batting order of Punjab, as Ashwin-led Punjab put up a modest 144-run target for Delhi on Monday at Feroz Shah Kotla stadium. Earlier, Gautam Gambhir won the toss and opted to bowl in front of Delhi audience as it is the first game that Delhi is playing at its home ground. In the absence of Chris Gayle, Aaron Finch opened the innings with KL Rahul but could not give a required start to the team. Chris Gayle has been ruled out for today's match due to some health issues. KL Rahul, who has been tremendous so far in the ongoing tournament, scored just 23 runs off 15 balls, Aaron Finch failed to fill Gayle's space as under-19 star pacer Avesh Khan took his wicket in the second over. Middle batting order helped to push the run rate forward and set a decent score. Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, Yuvraj Singh and David Miller scored 21, 34, 14 and 26 runs respectively. Gautam Gambhir had made five changes for the game, Chris Morris, and Jason Roy are injured so they were replaced by Dan Christian and Liam Plunkett. Playing the first game of IPL 2018, Liam Plunkett produced his best bowling figures, he took three wickets by giving 17 runs in his 4-over spell. Also, Avesh Khan contributed well with some splendid deliveries and took two crucial wickets as well. Fall Of Wickets: 6-1 (Aaron Finch, 1.3), 42-2 (Lokesh Rahul, 4.3), 60-3 (Mayank Agarwal, 7.3), 85-4 (Yuvraj Singh, 12.4), 116-5 (Karun Nair, 16.1), 127-6 (David Miller, 17.3), 140-7 (Ravichandran Ashwin, 19.1), 143-8 (Andrew Tye, 19.6)

IPL 2018: Gayle-less Punjab set 144-run target for Delhi

Gautam Gambhir won the toss and opted to bowl first against Punjab at Feroz Shah Kotla on Monday.

Delhi and Punjab will be facing each other for the second time in this year's IPL and Gautam Gambhir will be in no mood to let R Ashwin-led side to win the second game against them. Their previous encounter was won by Punjab by 6 wickets.&nbsp;

For Punjab, Aaron Finch will open the batting as Chris Gayle is out and&nbsp;David Miller is in the playing XI at the place of Gayle.

Gautam Gambhir has made five changes for the game, Chris Morris, and Jason Roy are injured so they have been replaced by Dan Christian and Liam Plunkett.&nbsp;

Also, Amit Mishra is in the squad and two under-19 stars Avesh Khan and Prithvi Shaw got a&nbsp;place in the playing XI. Nadeem, Harshal and Shankar are out for today's game.

Playing XI:

Punjab: Lokesh Rahul(w), Aaron Finch, Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, Yuvraj Singh, David Miller, Ravichandran Ashwin(c), Andrew Tye, Barinder Sran, Ankit Rajpoot, Mujeeb Ur Rahman

Delhi: Gautam Gambhir(c), Shreyas Iyer, Prithvi Shaw, Rishabh Pant(w), Glenn Maxwell, Daniel Christian, Rahul Tewatia, Liam Plunkett, Amit Mishra, Avesh Khan, Trent Boult

Gautam Gambhir has made five changes for the game, Dan Christian, Liam Plunkett, Amit Mishra, Avesh Khan and Prithvi Shaw are in the squad

Gautam Gambhir won the toss and opted to bowl first against Punjab at Feroz Shah Kotla on Monday. Delhi and Punjab will be facing each other for the second time in this year's IPL and Gautam Gambhir will be in no mood to let R Ashwin-led side to win the second game against them. Their previous encounter was won by Punjab by 6 wickets. For Punjab, Aaron Finch will open the batting as Chris Gayle is out and David Miller is in the playing XI at the place of Gayle. Gautam Gambhir has made five changes for the game, Chris Morris, and Jason Roy are injured so they have been replaced by Dan Christian and Liam Plunkett. Also, Amit Mishra is in the squad and two under-19 stars Avesh Khan and Prithvi Shaw got a place in the playing XI. Nadeem, Harshal and Shankar are out for today's game. Playing XI: Punjab: Lokesh Rahul(w), Aaron Finch, Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, Yuvraj Singh, David Miller, Ravichandran Ashwin(c), Andrew Tye, Barinder Sran, Ankit Rajpoot, Mujeeb Ur Rahman Delhi: Gautam Gambhir(c), Shreyas Iyer, Prithvi Shaw, Rishabh Pant(w), Glenn Maxwell, Daniel Christian, Rahul Tewatia, Liam Plunkett, Amit Mishra, Avesh Khan, Trent Boult

IPL 2018: Gautam Gambhir opts to bowl against Punjab

R Ashwin-led Punjab locked horns with Delhi for the second time in this year's Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium on Monday.

But the surprising thing was their star batsman Chris Gayle's name was missing from Punjab's playing XI.

As per media reports, Chris Gayle has been ruled out of the IPL match due to fitness issues.

The news was shared by Punjab skipper R Ashwin at the toss, informing that Gayle would miss the match as "he's a bit sore."

However, Aaron Finch, who earlier came to bat at no 3, opened with KL Rahul but failed to fill the Universal Boss' space.

Finch, who was handed over the responsibility, was sent back to the pavilion after scoring just two runs.&nbsp;

Trying to hit a shot, Finch gave away his wicket to the young lad Avesh Khan.

Meanwhile, Gayle was replaced by David Miller, who will come to bat at number six position.

Gayle's absence must have come as a great news for Gautam Gambhir and Delhi as the West Indian has been in a destructive form.

The Jamaican cricketer has played three games so far and slammed a century and two half-centuries to prove that there is still enough cricket left in him.&nbsp;

Gayle was picked up by Punjab in the auction for his base price of Rs 2 crore in the third round after he went unsold in the first two rounds.

Chris Gayle's name was missing from Punjab's playing XI.

R Ashwin-led Punjab locked horns with Delhi for the second time in this year's Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium on Monday. But the surprising thing was their star batsman Chris Gayle's name was missing from Punjab's playing XI. As per media reports, Chris Gayle has been ruled out of the IPL match due to fitness issues. The news was shared by Punjab skipper R Ashwin at the toss, informing that Gayle would miss the match as "he's a bit sore." However, Aaron Finch, who earlier came to bat at no 3, opened with KL Rahul but failed to fill the Universal Boss' space. Finch, who was handed over the responsibility, was sent back to the pavilion after scoring just two runs. Trying to hit a shot, Finch gave away his wicket to the young lad Avesh Khan. Meanwhile, Gayle was replaced by David Miller, who will come to bat at number six position. Gayle's absence must have come as a great news for Gautam Gambhir and Delhi as the West Indian has been in a destructive form. The Jamaican cricketer has played three games so far and slammed a century and two half-centuries to prove that there is still enough cricket left in him. Gayle was picked up by Punjab in the auction for his base price of Rs 2 crore in the third round after he went unsold in the first two rounds.

IPL 2018: Aaron Finch opens in Chris Gayle's absence, fails to fill the space

Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai set a target of 168 runs against Rajasthan team at Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur.

Batting first, the openers Suryakumar Yadav started off the innings well and scored 72 runs for the team playing at a strike rate of 153.19. On the other hand, another opener Evin Lewin went back to pavilion without scoring a single run.

Under-19 star Ishan Kishan played brilliant innings and scored 58 runs also Kieron Pollard contributed well with his bat.

Rohit Sharma, who is currently experimenting with his playing position came at number five but could not score a single run.

Krunal Pandya and Hardik Pandya scored 7 and 4 runs respectively.

Rajasthan bowling was slightly better from previous matches in the presence of their hidden gem Jofra Archer proved most economical for the team.

He took 3 crucial wickets in his 4-over spell and gave just 32 runs.

Dhawal Kulkarni also took 2 wickets and help the team to restrict Mumbai at 167.

Fall of wickets:

1-1 (Evin Lewis, 0.4), 130-2 (Ishan Kishan, 14.2), 135-3 (Suryakumar Yadav, 15.2), 136-4 (Rohit Sharma, 15.4), 154-5 (Krunal Pandya, 18.1), 159-6 (Hardik Pandya, 18.4), 159-7 (Mitchell McClenaghan, 18.5)

Earlier, Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bat, after winning the toss he said, "It's a good pitch, runs on the board is always nice. It's a big ground. I think we can defend the target in bigger grounds."

He mentioned about Kieron Pollard current form, said, "Not really worried too much about Pollard's form. He hasn't got enough time with the bat. He's been a crucial part of the team. We back him and he's a match-winner for us. Same side for us."

Ajinkya Rahane mentioned about the replacements, Dhawal Kulkarni is playing at the place of Stuart Binny and Jofra Archer is back and has replaced Ben Laughlin.

Rahane also mentioned, "The wicket looks really good and it usually gets better and better as the game goes on. It's about starting fresh now after two losses. Mumbai is a quality team."

Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai set a target of 168 runs against Rajasthan team at Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur. Batting first, the openers Suryakumar Yadav started off the innings well and scored 72 runs for the team playing at a strike rate of 153.19. On the other hand, another opener Evin Lewin went back to pavilion without scoring a single run. Under-19 star Ishan Kishan played brilliant innings and scored 58 runs also Kieron Pollard contributed well with his bat. Rohit Sharma, who is currently experimenting with his playing position came at number five but could not score a single run. Krunal Pandya and Hardik Pandya scored 7 and 4 runs respectively. Rajasthan bowling was slightly better from previous matches in the presence of their hidden gem Jofra Archer proved most economical for the team. He took 3 crucial wickets in his 4-over spell and gave just 32 runs. Dhawal Kulkarni also took 2 wickets and help the team to restrict Mumbai at 167. Fall of wickets: 1-1 (Evin Lewis, 0.4), 130-2 (Ishan Kishan, 14.2), 135-3 (Suryakumar Yadav, 15.2), 136-4 (Rohit Sharma, 15.4), 154-5 (Krunal Pandya, 18.1), 159-6 (Hardik Pandya, 18.4), 159-7 (Mitchell McClenaghan, 18.5) Earlier, Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bat, after winning the toss he said, "It's a good pitch, runs on the board is always nice. It's a big ground. I think we can defend the target in bigger grounds." He mentioned about Kieron Pollard current form, said, "Not really worried too much about Pollard's form. He hasn't got enough time with the bat. He's been a crucial part of the team. We back him and he's a match-winner for us. Same side for us." Ajinkya Rahane mentioned about the replacements, Dhawal Kulkarni is playing at the place of Stuart Binny and Jofra Archer is back and has replaced Ben Laughlin. Rahane also mentioned, "The wicket looks really good and it usually gets better and better as the game goes on. It's about starting fresh now after two losses. Mumbai is a quality team."

IPL 2018: Mumbai set 168-run target for Rajasthan

Chasing a mammoth 183 runs target, Hyderabad team fought hard but in the end, lost to Chennai by mere four runs.&nbsp

Kane Williamson played a skipper's knock and slammed 84 runs but Bravo defended 19 off the last over to give Chennai the win.&nbsp

Williamson reignited the Hyderabad's chase but lost his wicket to Bravo while trying to hit a six.&nbsp

Yusuf Pathan, who was at the other end with Williamson, too tried to hit a six but gave away his wicket to Thakur after making 45 runs off 27 balls.

Opener Ricky Bhui, who replaced injured Shikhar Dhawan, failed to contribute and was sent back to the pavilion without opening his account. &nbsp

Ambati Rayudu and Suresh Raina slammed a half-century each to help Chennai set a decent target against Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018 on Saturday.

Raydu slammed a powerful 37-ball 79 while Raina made 54 runs off 43 balls to lift Chennai to 182 runs after a loss of three wickets.

Raydu got run-out in a dramatic turn of event on the ground while Raina remained unbeaten.

Chennai Skipper MS Dhoni too contributed crucial 25 runs off just 12 balls.

Earlier, Kane Williamson won the toss and opted to bowl in their clash against Chennai at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.

Playing at their home ground, Hyderabad will look to regain the winning momentum. After winning three matches in a row, Hyderabad tasted their first defeat in this year's IPL from Punjab.

However, in today's game Hyderabad entered the ground without Shikhar Dhawan. &nbsp

Speaking after the toss, Kane said, "We'll bowl. Not a strong advantage as the wicket remains similar generally. They have a strong batting line-up, the Chennai side so it's important we do the job first up."

"Billy Stanlake comes in for CJ and Ricky Bhui makes his debut, comes in for Shikhar. He (Dhawan) adds to any team so his inclusion would be good. It's a good chance for Ricky who's an exciting young talent. Think Shikhar will be ready for the next match. It's always a tough game. We'll play at the best of our ability and I am sure it'll be another good game," he added.

Meanwhile, Chennai skipper MS Dhoni said, "So far so good. It's not like we are relying on one individual. Everyone has contributed when it comes to bowling or batting. We always want the whole team to contribute so that there's not much pressure on one individual."

"It's always important that's why you are playing a team sport. The job of every individual becomes easy. What is important is someone soaks up the pressure. Imran Tahir is not fit so Faf comes his place."

Hyderabad skipper played a skipper's knock to reignite their 182 runs chase

Chasing a mammoth 183 runs target, Hyderabad team fought hard but in the end, lost to Chennai by mere four runs. Kane Williamson played a skipper's knock and slammed 84 runs but Bravo defended 19 off the last over to give Chennai the win. Williamson reignited the Hyderabad's chase but lost his wicket to Bravo while trying to hit a six. Yusuf Pathan, who was at the other end with Williamson, too tried to hit a six but gave away his wicket to Thakur after making 45 runs off 27 balls. Opener Ricky Bhui, who replaced injured Shikhar Dhawan, failed to contribute and was sent back to the pavilion without opening his account. Ambati Rayudu and Suresh Raina slammed a half-century each to help Chennai set a decent target against Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018 on Saturday. Raydu slammed a powerful 37-ball 79 while Raina made 54 runs off 43 balls to lift Chennai to 182 runs after a loss of three wickets. Raydu got run-out in a dramatic turn of event on the ground while Raina remained unbeaten. Chennai Skipper MS Dhoni too contributed crucial 25 runs off just 12 balls. Earlier, Kane Williamson won the toss and opted to bowl in their clash against Chennai at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. Playing at their home ground, Hyderabad will look to regain the winning momentum. After winning three matches in a row, Hyderabad tasted their first defeat in this year's IPL from Punjab. However, in today's game Hyderabad entered the ground without Shikhar Dhawan. Speaking after the toss, Kane said, "We'll bowl. Not a strong advantage as the wicket remains similar generally. They have a strong batting line-up, the Chennai side so it's important we do the job first up." "Billy Stanlake comes in for CJ and Ricky Bhui makes his debut, comes in for Shikhar. He (Dhawan) adds to any team so his inclusion would be good. It's a good chance for Ricky who's an exciting young talent. Think Shikhar will be ready for the next match. It's always a tough game. We'll play at the best of our ability and I am sure it'll be another good game," he added. Meanwhile, Chennai skipper MS Dhoni said, "So far so good. It's not like we are relying on one individual. Everyone has contributed when it comes to bowling or batting. We always want the whole team to contribute so that there's not much pressure on one individual." "It's always important that's why you are playing a team sport. The job of every individual becomes easy. What is important is someone soaks up the pressure. Imran Tahir is not fit so Faf comes his place."

IPL 2018: Williamson's 84 goes in vain as Hyderabad lose to Chennai by 4 runs

Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bat against Ajinkya Rahane-led Rajasthan team at Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur.&nbsp

After winning the toss, Rohit Sharma said, "It's a good pitch, runs on the board is always nice. It's a big ground. I think we can defend the target in bigger grounds."

He mentioned about Kieron Pollard current form, said, "Not really worried too much about Pollard's form. He hasn't got enough time with the bat. He's been a crucial part of the team. We back him and he's a match-winner for us. Same side for us."

Ajinkya Rahane mentioned about the replacements, Dhawal Kulkarni is playing at the place of Stuart Binny and Jofra Archer is back and has replaced Ben Laughlin.

Rahane also mentioned, "The wicket looks really good and it usually gets better and better as the game goes on. It's about starting fresh now after two losses. Mumbai is a quality team."

The playing XI:

Mumbai: Suryakumar Yadav, Evin Lewis, Ishan Kishan(w), Rohit Sharma(c), Krunal Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Mitchell McClenaghan, Mayank Markande, Jasprit Bumrah, Mustafizur Rahman

Rajasthan: Ajinkya Rahane(c), Heinrich Klaasen, Sanju Samson, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler(w), Rahul Tripathi, Krishnappa Gowtham, Jofra Archer, Dhawal Kulkarni, Shreyas Gopal, Jaydev Unadkat

Dhawal Kulkarni is playing at the place of Stuart Binny and Jofra Archer is back and has replaced Ben Laughlin

Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bat against Ajinkya Rahane-led Rajasthan team at Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur. After winning the toss, Rohit Sharma said, "It's a good pitch, runs on the board is always nice. It's a big ground. I think we can defend the target in bigger grounds." He mentioned about Kieron Pollard current form, said, "Not really worried too much about Pollard's form. He hasn't got enough time with the bat. He's been a crucial part of the team. We back him and he's a match-winner for us. Same side for us." Ajinkya Rahane mentioned about the replacements, Dhawal Kulkarni is playing at the place of Stuart Binny and Jofra Archer is back and has replaced Ben Laughlin. Rahane also mentioned, "The wicket looks really good and it usually gets better and better as the game goes on. It's about starting fresh now after two losses. Mumbai is a quality team." The playing XI: Mumbai: Suryakumar Yadav, Evin Lewis, Ishan Kishan(w), Rohit Sharma(c), Krunal Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Mitchell McClenaghan, Mayank Markande, Jasprit Bumrah, Mustafizur Rahman Rajasthan: Ajinkya Rahane(c), Heinrich Klaasen, Sanju Samson, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler(w), Rahul Tripathi, Krishnappa Gowtham, Jofra Archer, Dhawal Kulkarni, Shreyas Gopal, Jaydev Unadkat

IPL 2018: Rohit Sharma opts to bat against Rajasthan

Days after Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli surpassed Suresh Raina to become the highest run scorer in the history of the IPL, the left-handed batsman overtook Kohli again to hold the title.&nbsp

Raina returned to the top of the table when he reached the score of 47. He, however, remained unbeaten on 54 against the Hyderabad to help his side set a total of 182.&nbsp

With that innings, Raina’s total tally in the history of the IPL has reached 4658 of 161 innings in 165 matches.&nbsp

This was also Raina's 32nd IPL half century and his third against the Hyderabad outfit.

Earlier in the tournament, the Virat Kohli had overtaken Raina briefly during his strokeful knock of unbeaten 92 against the Mumbai.&nbsp

Bangalore, who were chasing a 200 plus total for the second consecutive match, could not complete the chase as they crumbled under pressure and were handed a 46-run defeat.&nbsp

Virat Kohli has now fallen back to the second spot on the list, He now has a total of 4649 from 146 innings in 154 matches.&nbsp 
&nbsp

Raina returned to the top of the table when he reached the score of 47

Days after Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli surpassed Suresh Raina to become the highest run scorer in the history of the IPL, the left-handed batsman overtook Kohli again to hold the title. Raina returned to the top of the table when he reached the score of 47. He, however, remained unbeaten on 54 against the Hyderabad to help his side set a total of 182. With that innings, Raina’s total tally in the history of the IPL has reached 4658 of 161 innings in 165 matches. This was also Raina's 32nd IPL half century and his third against the Hyderabad outfit. Earlier in the tournament, the Virat Kohli had overtaken Raina briefly during his strokeful knock of unbeaten 92 against the Mumbai. Bangalore, who were chasing a 200 plus total for the second consecutive match, could not complete the chase as they crumbled under pressure and were handed a 46-run defeat. Virat Kohli has now fallen back to the second spot on the list, He now has a total of 4649 from 146 innings in 154 matches.

Raina snatches No 1 spot from Virat Kohli to become highest-run scorer in IPL

Ambati Rayudu and Suresh Raina slammed a half-century each to help Chennai set a decent target against Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018 on Saturday.

Raydu slammed a powerful 37-ball 79 while Raina made 54 runs off 43 balls to lift Chennai to 182 runs after a loss of three wickets.

Raydu got run-out in a dramatic turn of event on the ground while Raina remained unbeaten.

Chennai Skipper MS Dhoni too contributed crucial 25 runs off just 12 balls.

Earlier, Kane Williamson won the toss and opted to bowl in their clash against Chennai at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.

Playing at their home ground, Hyderabad will look to regain the winning momentum. After winning three matches in a row, Hyderabad tasted their first defeat in this year's IPL from Punjab.

However, in today's game Hyderabad entered the ground without Shikhar Dhawan. &nbsp

Speaking after the toss, Kane said, "We'll bowl. Not a strong advantage as the wicket remains similar generally. They have a strong batting line-up, the Chennai side so it's important we do the job first up."

"Billy Stanlake comes in for CJ and Ricky Bhui makes his debut, comes in for Shikhar. He (Dhawan) adds to any team so his inclusion would be good. It's a good chance for Ricky who's an exciting young talent. Think Shikhar will be ready for the next match. It's always a tough game. We'll play at the best of our ability and I am sure it'll be another good game," he added.

Meanwhile, Chennai skipper MS Dhoni said, "So far so good. It's not like we are relying on one individual. Everyone has contributed when it comes to bowling or batting. We always want the whole team to contribute so that there's not much pressure on one individual."

"It's always important that's why you are playing a team sport. The job of every individual becomes easy. What is important is someone soaks up the pressure. Imran Tahir is not fit so Faf comes his place."

Teams:

Chennai (Playing XI): Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Sam Billings, Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar, Karn Sharma, Shardul Thakur

Hyderabad (Playing XI): Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ricky Bhui, Kane Williamson (c), Yusuf Pathan, Manish Pandey, Deepak Hooda, Shakib Al Hasan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan, Billy Stanlake, Siddarth Kaul

Raydu slammed a powerful 37-ball 79 while Raina made 54 runs off 43 balls

Ambati Rayudu and Suresh Raina slammed a half-century each to help Chennai set a decent target against Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018 on Saturday. Raydu slammed a powerful 37-ball 79 while Raina made 54 runs off 43 balls to lift Chennai to 182 runs after a loss of three wickets. Raydu got run-out in a dramatic turn of event on the ground while Raina remained unbeaten. Chennai Skipper MS Dhoni too contributed crucial 25 runs off just 12 balls. Earlier, Kane Williamson won the toss and opted to bowl in their clash against Chennai at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. Playing at their home ground, Hyderabad will look to regain the winning momentum. After winning three matches in a row, Hyderabad tasted their first defeat in this year's IPL from Punjab. However, in today's game Hyderabad entered the ground without Shikhar Dhawan. Speaking after the toss, Kane said, "We'll bowl. Not a strong advantage as the wicket remains similar generally. They have a strong batting line-up, the Chennai side so it's important we do the job first up." "Billy Stanlake comes in for CJ and Ricky Bhui makes his debut, comes in for Shikhar. He (Dhawan) adds to any team so his inclusion would be good. It's a good chance for Ricky who's an exciting young talent. Think Shikhar will be ready for the next match. It's always a tough game. We'll play at the best of our ability and I am sure it'll be another good game," he added. Meanwhile, Chennai skipper MS Dhoni said, "So far so good. It's not like we are relying on one individual. Everyone has contributed when it comes to bowling or batting. We always want the whole team to contribute so that there's not much pressure on one individual." "It's always important that's why you are playing a team sport. The job of every individual becomes easy. What is important is someone soaks up the pressure. Imran Tahir is not fit so Faf comes his place." Teams: Chennai (Playing XI): Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Sam Billings, Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar, Karn Sharma, Shardul Thakur Hyderabad (Playing XI): Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ricky Bhui, Kane Williamson (c), Yusuf Pathan, Manish Pandey, Deepak Hooda, Shakib Al Hasan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan, Billy Stanlake, Siddarth Kaul

IPL 2018: Raina, Rayudu's half-centuries lift Chennai to 182

South African batsman AB de Villiers is one batsman who is impossible to stop from scoring when in form. There is no bowling attack which cannot be hampered when he is on strike.

However, there is one player who knows how to stop De Villiers from hitting big sixes. And that player is none other than Ben Stokes.

Stokes got really impressed by De Villiers yesterday's innings when he enthralled the crowd with an unbeaten 39-ball 90 to guide Virat-Kohli-led team Bangalore to a convincing six-wicket win over Delhi in their Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the M Chinnaswamy stadium on Sunday.&nbsp

The England all-rounder Took to his Twitter handle to reveal how a bowler can stop de Villiers from making a high score.

"How to stop @ABdeVilliers17," Stokes' tweet read.

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How to stop <a href="https://twitter.com/ABdeVilliers17?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ABdeVilliers17</a> <a href="https://t.co/DivGdgh36Q">pic.twitter.com/DivGdgh36Q</a>
— Ben Stokes (@benstokes38) <a href="https://twitter.com/benstokes38/status/987749945171107840?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 21, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The Rajasthan all-rounder recalled one of the most infamous moments in cricket history, where Australia's Trevor Chappell bowled an under-arm delivery to New Zealand's Brian McKechnie.&nbsp

New Zealand needed six runs off just one ball to win the match and Chappell bowled an under-arm delivery to stop the Australian from hitting a six.

Meanwhile, His innings in yesterday's match against Delhi rained fours and sixes as he singled-handedly chased down the 175-run target with two overs to spare to bring Bangalore's campaign back on track.&nbsp

He smashed 10 fours and five sixes in his unbeaten innings.&nbsp

De Villiers is currently fifth in the most runs chart with 212 runs under his belt in the tournament so far.

Stokes revealed the idea on his Twitter handle

South African batsman AB de Villiers is one batsman who is impossible to stop from scoring when in form. There is no bowling attack which cannot be hampered when he is on strike. However, there is one player who knows how to stop De Villiers from hitting big sixes. And that player is none other than Ben Stokes. Stokes got really impressed by De Villiers yesterday's innings when he enthralled the crowd with an unbeaten 39-ball 90 to guide Virat-Kohli-led team Bangalore to a convincing six-wicket win over Delhi in their Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the M Chinnaswamy stadium on Sunday. The England all-rounder Took to his Twitter handle to reveal how a bowler can stop de Villiers from making a high score. "How to stop @ABdeVilliers17," Stokes' tweet read. How to stop @ABdeVilliers17 pic.twitter.com/DivGdgh36Q — Ben Stokes (@benstokes38) April 21, 2018 × The Rajasthan all-rounder recalled one of the most infamous moments in cricket history, where Australia's Trevor Chappell bowled an under-arm delivery to New Zealand's Brian McKechnie. New Zealand needed six runs off just one ball to win the match and Chappell bowled an under-arm delivery to stop the Australian from hitting a six. Meanwhile, His innings in yesterday's match against Delhi rained fours and sixes as he singled-handedly chased down the 175-run target with two overs to spare to bring Bangalore's campaign back on track. He smashed 10 fours and five sixes in his unbeaten innings. De Villiers is currently fifth in the most runs chart with 212 runs under his belt in the tournament so far.

IPL 2018: How to stop AB De Villiers from scoring, reveals Ben Stokes

Hyderabad's unbeaten run in the tournament was snapped by the 'Gayle Storm', and the franchise would look to bounce back when they take on Chennai in an Indian Premier League match on Sunday.

Both the teams have six points each from four matches, having lost just one game so far, and a win by either side at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium at Uppal will take them to the top of the table.

Hyderabad began their IPL campaign with three wins on the trot before they were stopped on their tracks by Punjab' run-machine Chris Gayle, who played a special innings of 104 not out off 64 balls at Mohali on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the Kane Willamson-led side have a fix a differnt strategy in order to defeat MS Dhoni-led side.&nbsp

After winning their first two matches, Chennai slumped to a defeat against Punjab before bouncing back with a 64-run win over Rajasthan on the back of Shane Watson, who smashed 106 from 57 balls.

Watson has been in fine touch with both the bat and ball, thereby proving his utility as a top-class all-rounder. He is currently the top scorer and top wicket-taker for the franchise.

Hyderabad is seen as one of the most balanced sides in this IPL.

Their bowling line - Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddhart Kaul, Billy Stanlake and Shakib-al-Hasan - have been among the top wicket takers so far this season though young Afghan spinner Rashid Khan is struggling a bit with just three wickets from four matches.&nbsp

He was taken to the cleaners by Gayle in their last match, conceding 55 runs for one wicket.

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Kaul has six wickets while Kumar, Stanlake and Shakib have taken five wickets each.

For Chennai, Watson is the top bowler with six wickets to his name.&nbsp

In the batting department, Chennai have a lot of depth. They have batsmen who can play shots well up to the number seven spot.&nbsp

Watson has been leading the charge but Ambati Rayudu and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni are also doing a decent job with the bat.

Both the teams have six points each from four matches

Hyderabad's unbeaten run in the tournament was snapped by the 'Gayle Storm', and the franchise would look to bounce back when they take on Chennai in an Indian Premier League match on Sunday. Both the teams have six points each from four matches, having lost just one game so far, and a win by either side at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium at Uppal will take them to the top of the table. Hyderabad began their IPL campaign with three wins on the trot before they were stopped on their tracks by Punjab' run-machine Chris Gayle, who played a special innings of 104 not out off 64 balls at Mohali on Thursday. Meanwhile, the Kane Willamson-led side have a fix a differnt strategy in order to defeat MS Dhoni-led side. After winning their first two matches, Chennai slumped to a defeat against Punjab before bouncing back with a 64-run win over Rajasthan on the back of Shane Watson, who smashed 106 from 57 balls. Watson has been in fine touch with both the bat and ball, thereby proving his utility as a top-class all-rounder. He is currently the top scorer and top wicket-taker for the franchise. Hyderabad is seen as one of the most balanced sides in this IPL. Their bowling line - Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddhart Kaul, Billy Stanlake and Shakib-al-Hasan - have been among the top wicket takers so far this season though young Afghan spinner Rashid Khan is struggling a bit with just three wickets from four matches. He was taken to the cleaners by Gayle in their last match, conceding 55 runs for one wicket. × Kaul has six wickets while Kumar, Stanlake and Shakib have taken five wickets each. For Chennai, Watson is the top bowler with six wickets to his name. In the batting department, Chennai have a lot of depth. They have batsmen who can play shots well up to the number seven spot. Watson has been leading the charge but Ambati Rayudu and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni are also doing a decent job with the bat.

IPL 2018: Match preview of Chennai vs Hyderabad

Dhoni-led Chennai defeated Rajasthan by 64 runs at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium on Friday. Earlier, Ajinkya Rahane won the toss and opted to bowl and batting first, Chennai set a giant target of 205 runs.

This is the first victory of Chennai at their new home ground as following the unrest in Tamil Nadu state over Cauvery water dispute, Chennai's home ground has been shifted from M.A. Chidambaram Stadium to Pune's Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium.

After winning the high-scoring match by a huge margin, team Chennai has moved up to the first place of the points table.

While chasing the target, Ajinkya Rahane-led Rajasthan shattered in front of Chennai's bowlers and lost all the wickets after scoring just 140 runs.

Fall of wickets:

20-1 (Heinrich Klaasen, 1.5), 25-2 (Sanju Samson, 2.6), 32-3 (Ajinkya Rahane, 4.3), 77-4 (Jos Buttler, 10.1), 96-5 (Rahul Tripathi, 12.2), 111-6 (Ben Stokes, 13.5), 115-7 (Krishnappa Gowtham, 14.4), 117-8 (Stuart Binny, 15.3), 140-9 (Jaydev Unadkat, 18.2), 140-10 (Ben Laughlin, 18.3)

All the bowlers were proved economical for the team as they were able to take regular wickets.

For Chennai, Shane Watson played at a strike rate of 185.96 and scored 106 off 57 balls. Though, Ambati Rayudu lost his wickets in the fifth over after scoring just twelve runs.

Watson continued his power hitting and found a determined ally in Suresh Raina and together they scored 81 runs for the "yellow brigade."

Shane Watson received the 'Man of the Match' award for his splendid batting display.

MS Dhoni and Sam Billings lost their wickets after scoring 5 and 3 runs respectively.

Dwayne Bravo gave a decent contribution in the death overs. Ravindra Jadeja scored two runs on the last ball of the innings.

Rajasthan team was able to hold the innings in the death overs. The run rate became a bit slower after 13th over, at one stage, Chennai were 150 after losing 2 wickets, on the other hand, they scored just 54 runs in the last 7 overs.

After winning the high-scoring match by a huge margin, team Chennai has moved up to the first place of the points table

Dhoni-led Chennai defeated Rajasthan by 64 runs at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium on Friday. Earlier, Ajinkya Rahane won the toss and opted to bowl and batting first, Chennai set a giant target of 205 runs. This is the first victory of Chennai at their new home ground as following the unrest in Tamil Nadu state over Cauvery water dispute, Chennai's home ground has been shifted from M.A. Chidambaram Stadium to Pune's Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium. After winning the high-scoring match by a huge margin, team Chennai has moved up to the first place of the points table. While chasing the target, Ajinkya Rahane-led Rajasthan shattered in front of Chennai's bowlers and lost all the wickets after scoring just 140 runs. Fall of wickets: 20-1 (Heinrich Klaasen, 1.5), 25-2 (Sanju Samson, 2.6), 32-3 (Ajinkya Rahane, 4.3), 77-4 (Jos Buttler, 10.1), 96-5 (Rahul Tripathi, 12.2), 111-6 (Ben Stokes, 13.5), 115-7 (Krishnappa Gowtham, 14.4), 117-8 (Stuart Binny, 15.3), 140-9 (Jaydev Unadkat, 18.2), 140-10 (Ben Laughlin, 18.3) All the bowlers were proved economical for the team as they were able to take regular wickets. For Chennai, Shane Watson played at a strike rate of 185.96 and scored 106 off 57 balls. Though, Ambati Rayudu lost his wickets in the fifth over after scoring just twelve runs. Watson continued his power hitting and found a determined ally in Suresh Raina and together they scored 81 runs for the "yellow brigade." Shane Watson received the 'Man of the Match' award for his splendid batting display. MS Dhoni and Sam Billings lost their wickets after scoring 5 and 3 runs respectively. Dwayne Bravo gave a decent contribution in the death overs. Ravindra Jadeja scored two runs on the last ball of the innings. Rajasthan team was able to hold the innings in the death overs. The run rate became a bit slower after 13th over, at one stage, Chennai were 150 after losing 2 wickets, on the other hand, they scored just 54 runs in the last 7 overs.

IPL 2018: Shane Watson shines as Chennai beat Rajasthan to reach atop points table

Virat Kohli-led Bangalore take on Gautam Gambhir-led Delhi at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru on Saturday.&nbsp

Both the teams suffered a poor start and currently are bottom placed in the points table. This clash is very important for both teams to go through the qualifiers.

Delhi fans were expecting that in the presence of Gautam Gambhir, Delhi might win its first IPL title but as the tournament is moving forward it is becoming difficult.

Not only for Delhi, even star-studded Bangalore team has also failed miserably. Virat needs to stategise to strength the death-over bowling.

Playing XI (TBC):

Bangalore: Quinton de Kock, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Mandeep Singh, Corey Anderson, Washington Sundar, Sarfaraz Khan/Murugan Ashwin, Chris Woakes, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal

Delhi: Jason Roy, Gautam Gambhir, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Glenn Maxwell, Chris Morris, Gurkeerat Singh Mann/Jayant Yadav, Rahul Tewatia, Mohammed Shami, Shahbaz Nadeem, Trent Boult

Watch the preview here:

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The results of Gambhir vs Kohli clash will show that which team did enough homework and rectified the errors.

IPL 2018: Match preview of Delhi vs Bangalore

Virat Kohli-led Bangalore take on Gautam Gambhir-led Delhi at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru on Saturday. Both the teams suffered a poor start and currently are bottom placed in the points table. This clash is very important for both teams to go through the qualifiers. Delhi fans were expecting that in the presence of Gautam Gambhir, Delhi might win its first IPL title but as the tournament is moving forward it is becoming difficult. Not only for Delhi, even star-studded Bangalore team has also failed miserably. Virat needs to stategise to strength the death-over bowling. Playing XI (TBC): Bangalore: Quinton de Kock, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Mandeep Singh, Corey Anderson, Washington Sundar, Sarfaraz Khan/Murugan Ashwin, Chris Woakes, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal Delhi: Jason Roy, Gautam Gambhir, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Glenn Maxwell, Chris Morris, Gurkeerat Singh Mann/Jayant Yadav, Rahul Tewatia, Mohammed Shami, Shahbaz Nadeem, Trent Boult Watch the preview here: × The results of Gambhir vs Kohli clash will show that which team did enough homework and rectified the errors.

Ravichandran Ashwin won the toss and opted to bowl at the Eden Gardens Stadium.&nbsp

After winning the toss, Ashwin said, "We are going to bowl first. This is sort of a fortress for the Kolkata and we will try to restrict them to a decent total."

There is just one change in Punjab's squad, Ankit Rajpoot has replaced Mohit Sharma.

For Kolkata, there is not any change in the playing XI.

Dinesh Karthik said, "Looks a good wicket and it will remain same. We have made no changes. It's been a good start and it's important we stay consistent."

Showers are expected at the Eden Gardens Stadium but let's hope it doesn't affect tonight's match.

Playing XI:

Punjab: Lokesh Rahul(w), Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, Aaron Finch, Yuvraj Singh, Ravichandran Ashwin(c), Andrew Tye, Barinder Sran, Ankit Rajpoot, Mujeeb Ur Rahman

Kolkata: Sunil Narine, Chris Lynn, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik(w/c), Andre Russell, Shubman Gill, Tom Curran, Piyush Chawla, Shivam Mavi, Kuldeep Yadav

There is just one change in Punjab's squad, Ankit Rajpoot has replaced Mohit Sharma

Ravichandran Ashwin won the toss and opted to bowl at the Eden Gardens Stadium. After winning the toss, Ashwin said, "We are going to bowl first. This is sort of a fortress for the Kolkata and we will try to restrict them to a decent total." There is just one change in Punjab's squad, Ankit Rajpoot has replaced Mohit Sharma. For Kolkata, there is not any change in the playing XI. Dinesh Karthik said, "Looks a good wicket and it will remain same. We have made no changes. It's been a good start and it's important we stay consistent." Showers are expected at the Eden Gardens Stadium but let's hope it doesn't affect tonight's match. Playing XI: Punjab: Lokesh Rahul(w), Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, Aaron Finch, Yuvraj Singh, Ravichandran Ashwin(c), Andrew Tye, Barinder Sran, Ankit Rajpoot, Mujeeb Ur Rahman Kolkata: Sunil Narine, Chris Lynn, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik(w/c), Andre Russell, Shubman Gill, Tom Curran, Piyush Chawla, Shivam Mavi, Kuldeep Yadav

IPL 2018: Ashwin opts to bowl against Kolkata

Kolkata take on Punjab at Eden Gardens. Dinesh Karthik-led Kolkata is currently emerging as one of the top contenders for the IPL 2018 title. With a massive bowling strength, Kolkata has proved its abilities in batting department as well.

After Gautam Gambhir's ouster, it was doubtful that whether Dinesh Karthik will be able to fill Gambhir shoes or not, after all, Kolkata won twice under Gautam Gambhir's leadership. But I must say, Dinesh Karthik, who scored last ball sixer to win the Nidahas trophy against Bangladesh, has given his 100 per cent as Kolkata's skipper.

On the other hand, team Punjab is nowhere less than Kolkata. From the day of the auction, till the last game played, they have shown an intent of becoming a champion.

Players like KL Rahul, Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal have given very important contributions to the team and also the middle order is quite settled Yuvraj Singh and Aaron Finch.

Let's not forget, even Kolkata also have a massive batting order of Kolkata, Sunil Narine, Chris Lynn, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana and their star batsman, Andre Russell.

The clash is also very interesting as it will be a Russell vs Gayle match. Gayle hit an outstanding unbeaten century, which was also the first century of IPL 2018 and the other hand, Russell has played some splendid knock in the ongoing edition IPL.

Showers are expected at the Eden Gardens Stadium but let's hope it doesn't affect today's match.

Watch the preview here:

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Playing XI (TBC)

Kolkata: Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik (c & wk), Andre Russell, Shubman Gill, Tom Curran, Piyush Chawla, Shivam Mavi, Kuldeep Yadav

Punjab: Lokesh Rahul (wk), Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, Aaron Finch, Yuvraj Singh, Ravichandran Ashwin (c), Andrew Tye, Barinder Sran, Mohit Sharma, Mujeeb Ur Rahman

IPL 2018: Match preview of Kolkata vs Punjab

Kolkata take on Punjab at Eden Gardens. Dinesh Karthik-led Kolkata is currently emerging as one of the top contenders for the IPL 2018 title. With a massive bowling strength, Kolkata has proved its abilities in batting department as well. After Gautam Gambhir's ouster, it was doubtful that whether Dinesh Karthik will be able to fill Gambhir shoes or not, after all, Kolkata won twice under Gautam Gambhir's leadership. But I must say, Dinesh Karthik, who scored last ball sixer to win the Nidahas trophy against Bangladesh, has given his 100 per cent as Kolkata's skipper. On the other hand, team Punjab is nowhere less than Kolkata. From the day of the auction, till the last game played, they have shown an intent of becoming a champion. Players like KL Rahul, Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal have given very important contributions to the team and also the middle order is quite settled Yuvraj Singh and Aaron Finch. Let's not forget, even Kolkata also have a massive batting order of Kolkata, Sunil Narine, Chris Lynn, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana and their star batsman, Andre Russell. The clash is also very interesting as it will be a Russell vs Gayle match. Gayle hit an outstanding unbeaten century, which was also the first century of IPL 2018 and the other hand, Russell has played some splendid knock in the ongoing edition IPL. Showers are expected at the Eden Gardens Stadium but let's hope it doesn't affect today's match. Watch the preview here: × Playing XI (TBC) Kolkata: Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik (c & wk), Andre Russell, Shubman Gill, Tom Curran, Piyush Chawla, Shivam Mavi, Kuldeep Yadav Punjab: Lokesh Rahul (wk), Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, Aaron Finch, Yuvraj Singh, Ravichandran Ashwin (c), Andrew Tye, Barinder Sran, Mohit Sharma, Mujeeb Ur Rahman

The eleventh edition of Indian Premier League is underway and all the franchises are putting in the possible efforts to emerge as a champion.

The cash-rich cricket tournament has&nbsp;always been overshadowed by betting and spot-fixing. Recently, police have arrested six people who were connected to a cricket betting racket.

According to police, eight people have managed to escape but the search for them is on.

Police further mentioned the details, cash totalling Rs 1.30 lakh, two cellphones, a set-top box and a TV set were seized following a raid on a rented building last night.

Cash totalling Rs 1.30 lakh, two cellphones, a set-top box and a TV set were seized

The eleventh edition of Indian Premier League is underway and all the franchises are putting in the possible efforts to emerge as a champion. The cash-rich cricket tournament has always been overshadowed by betting and spot-fixing. Recently, police have arrested six people who were connected to a cricket betting racket. According to police, eight people have managed to escape but the search for them is on. Police further mentioned the details, cash totalling Rs 1.30 lakh, two cellphones, a set-top box and a TV set were seized following a raid on a rented building last night.

IPL betting racket busted, 6 held

Shane Watson's 106-run knock helped Chennai to put up a giant target of 205 runs against Rajasthan. Earlier, Ajinkya Rahane won the toss and opted to bowl at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium on Friday.

Playing first, Chennai started off the innings very well, opener Shane Watson played at a strike rate of 185.96 and scored 106 off 57 balls.&nbsp;

Though, Ambati Rayudu lost his wickets in the fifth over after scoring just twelve runs.

Watson continued his power hitting and found a determined ally in Suresh Raina and together they scored 81 runs for the "yellow brigade."

MS Dhoni and Sam Billings lost their wicket after scoring 5 and 3 runs respectively.

Dwayne Bravo gave a decent contribution in the death overs. Ravindra Jadeja scored two runs on the last ball of the innings.

Rajasthan team was able to hold the innings in the death overs. The run rate became a bit slower after 13th over,&nbsp;at one stage, Chennai were 150 after losing 2 wickets, on the other hand, they scored just 54 runs in the last 7 overs.

Fall of wickets:

50-1 (Ambati Rayudu, 4.3), 131-2 (Suresh Raina, 11.5), 151-3 (MS Dhoni, 13.2), 161-4 (Sam Billings, 15.1), 202-5 (Shane Watson, 19.5)

In bowling, Shreyas Gopal emerged as a star as he took 3 crucial wickets by giving 20 runs in his 4-over spell but other bowlers like Stuart Binny, Ben Stokes, Krishnappa Gowtham proved very expensive against Chennai.

Shane Watson's 106-run knock helped Chennai to put up a giant target of 205 runs against Rajasthan

Shane Watson's 106-run knock helped Chennai to put up a giant target of 205 runs against Rajasthan. Earlier, Ajinkya Rahane won the toss and opted to bowl at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium on Friday. Playing first, Chennai started off the innings very well, opener Shane Watson played at a strike rate of 185.96 and scored 106 off 57 balls. Though, Ambati Rayudu lost his wickets in the fifth over after scoring just twelve runs. Watson continued his power hitting and found a determined ally in Suresh Raina and together they scored 81 runs for the "yellow brigade." MS Dhoni and Sam Billings lost their wicket after scoring 5 and 3 runs respectively. Dwayne Bravo gave a decent contribution in the death overs. Ravindra Jadeja scored two runs on the last ball of the innings. Rajasthan team was able to hold the innings in the death overs. The run rate became a bit slower after 13th over, at one stage, Chennai were 150 after losing 2 wickets, on the other hand, they scored just 54 runs in the last 7 overs. Fall of wickets: 50-1 (Ambati Rayudu, 4.3), 131-2 (Suresh Raina, 11.5), 151-3 (MS Dhoni, 13.2), 161-4 (Sam Billings, 15.1), 202-5 (Shane Watson, 19.5) In bowling, Shreyas Gopal emerged as a star as he took 3 crucial wickets by giving 20 runs in his 4-over spell but other bowlers like Stuart Binny, Ben Stokes, Krishnappa Gowtham proved very expensive against Chennai.

IPL 2018: Shane Watson's ton helps Chennai to set 205-run target against Rajasthan

Ajinkya Rahane won the toss and opted to ball against Dhoni-led Chennai at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium on Friday.

After winning the toss, Rahane said, "No pressure really, the mood in the camp is good. Looking forward to the game."

For Rajasthan there are two changes, Heinrich Klaasen and Stuart Binny has replaced Stuart Binny and Dhawal Kulkarni respectively for tonight's clash.

Following the unrest in Tamil Nadu state over Cauvery water dispute, Chennai's home ground has been shifted from M.A. Chidambaram Stadium to Pune's Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium and it is expected that Dhoni will receive a warm welcome at their new home.

For Chennai, Suresh Raina is fit and back in the playing XI, he replaced Murli Vijay and also Harbhajan Singh has been dropped for tonight's game and Karn Sharma will play at Bhajji's place.

Playing XI:

Chennai: Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, Sam Billings, MS Dhoni(w/c), Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Deepak Chahar, Karn Sharma, Shardul Thakur, Imran Tahir

Rajasthan: Ajinkya Rahane(c), Rahul Tripathi, Sanju Samson, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler(w), Heinrich Klaasen, Stuart Binny, Krishnappa Gowtham, Shreyas Gopal, Jaydev Unadkat, Ben Laughlin

For Rajasthan there are two changes, Heinrich Klaasen and Stuart Binny has replaced Stuart Binny and Dhawal Kulkarni respectively and for Chennai also there are two changes, Suresh Raina has replaced Murli Vijay and Harbhajan Singh by Karn Sharma

Ajinkya Rahane won the toss and opted to ball against Dhoni-led Chennai at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium on Friday. After winning the toss, Rahane said, "No pressure really, the mood in the camp is good. Looking forward to the game." For Rajasthan there are two changes, Heinrich Klaasen and Stuart Binny has replaced Stuart Binny and Dhawal Kulkarni respectively for tonight's clash. Following the unrest in Tamil Nadu state over Cauvery water dispute, Chennai's home ground has been shifted from M.A. Chidambaram Stadium to Pune's Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium and it is expected that Dhoni will receive a warm welcome at their new home. For Chennai, Suresh Raina is fit and back in the playing XI, he replaced Murli Vijay and also Harbhajan Singh has been dropped for tonight's game and Karn Sharma will play at Bhajji's place. Playing XI: Chennai: Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, Sam Billings, MS Dhoni(w/c), Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Deepak Chahar, Karn Sharma, Shardul Thakur, Imran Tahir Rajasthan: Ajinkya Rahane(c), Rahul Tripathi, Sanju Samson, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler(w), Heinrich Klaasen, Stuart Binny, Krishnappa Gowtham, Shreyas Gopal, Jaydev Unadkat, Ben Laughlin

IPL 2018: Ajinkya Rahane opts to bowl against Chennai

MS Dhoni-led Chennai team faces Rajasthan on Friday at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune. It is going to be an interesting clash as both the teams have marked a return after serving a two-year ban and for the first time they both will face each other in IPL 2018.

It's also going to be a treat for Pune's audience as most of the players of Pune's team have landed in Rajasthan's squad like Ajinkya Rahane, Ben Stokes and Jayadev Unadkat. The team will be clashing with Dhoni-Chennai but in the 2016 and 2017, Dhoni too was a part of Pune's squad.

Rajasthan have won two matches out of four and Chennai have won two matches out of three.

Probable XI (TBC):

Ajinkya Rahane (c), Rahul Tripathi, Sanju Samson, Ben Stokes, Heinrich Klaasen, Jos Buttler (wk), Krishnappa Gowtham, Shreyas Gopal, Ben Laughlin, Jaydev Unadkat, Dhawal Kulkarni

Ajinkya Rahane might include Jofra Archer if he has recovered and fit to play.

Probable XI (TBC):

Shane Watson, Murali Vijay, Ambati Rayudu, Sam Billings, MS Dhoni (c and wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Harbhajan Singh, Mark Wood, Imran Tahir, Deepak Chahar

Team Rajasthan has been lacking in the bowling department, on the other hand, Team Chennai has been the best in the death overs. The winning probability is slightly more towards Chennai.

Watch the detailed preview of Chennai vs Rajasthan:

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&nbsp;

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Both the teams have marked a return after serving a two-year ban and for the first time they both will face each other in IPL 2018.

MS Dhoni-led Chennai team faces Rajasthan on Friday at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune. It is going to be an interesting clash as both the teams have marked a return after serving a two-year ban and for the first time they both will face each other in IPL 2018. It's also going to be a treat for Pune's audience as most of the players of Pune's team have landed in Rajasthan's squad like Ajinkya Rahane, Ben Stokes and Jayadev Unadkat. The team will be clashing with Dhoni-Chennai but in the 2016 and 2017, Dhoni too was a part of Pune's squad. Rajasthan have won two matches out of four and Chennai have won two matches out of three. Probable XI (TBC): Ajinkya Rahane (c), Rahul Tripathi, Sanju Samson, Ben Stokes, Heinrich Klaasen, Jos Buttler (wk), Krishnappa Gowtham, Shreyas Gopal, Ben Laughlin, Jaydev Unadkat, Dhawal Kulkarni Ajinkya Rahane might include Jofra Archer if he has recovered and fit to play. Probable XI (TBC): Shane Watson, Murali Vijay, Ambati Rayudu, Sam Billings, MS Dhoni (c and wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Harbhajan Singh, Mark Wood, Imran Tahir, Deepak Chahar Team Rajasthan has been lacking in the bowling department, on the other hand, Team Chennai has been the best in the death overs. The winning probability is slightly more towards Chennai. Watch the detailed preview of Chennai vs Rajasthan: ×

IPL 2018: Match preview of Chennai vs Rajasthan

Chris Gayle smashed the first century of IPL 2018 on Thursday against Hyderabad. He scored an unbeaten 104 runs off 63 balls at Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium.

'King' Gayle dedicated his outstanding innings to his daughter Krisallyna, he said, "A lot of people thought that I am old. Nothing to prove though. Wherever I go across the globe, just want to earn some respect. This one is dedicated to my daughter Krisallyna though it's her birthday tomorrow. So, yeah, this is for her. Tomorrow she will turn two and it's her second time in India. We're hoping to have a nice time. I am glad to score my century in just my second game at home, feels really good."

Gayle played at a strike rate of 165.08 and his knock included one four and eleven sixes. For his splendid knock, he was awarded 'Man of the Match' and while receiving the award he said, "I think Virender Sehwag saved the IPL by picking me."

After the match, Sehwag tweeted, "I saved the IPL by picking - @henrygayle" and Gayle retweet it with a "yes".

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I saved the IPL by picking - <a href="https://twitter.com/henrygayle?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@henrygayle</a> ??.
— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) <a href="https://twitter.com/virendersehwag/status/987041522825691137?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 19, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Yes! <a href="https://t.co/avqfCTHfEY">https://t.co/avqfCTHfEY</a>
— Chris Gayle (@henrygayle) <a href="https://twitter.com/henrygayle/status/987070097675005952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 19, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Not to forget, Chris Gayle was purchased in the concluding minutes of the second day of IPL 2018 auction which happened in January. He was ignored on the first and second day but in the third round when some of the franchises asked to bid again for few of the names and Chris Gayle was one of them. Then Virendra Sehwag -- owner of Punjab franchise -- bought his at his base price, INR 2 Cr.

Universal Boss dedicated his century to his daughter Krisallyna for her birthday and today he tweeted to wish her beautiful baby girl.

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Happy birthday my love krisallyna333 - 2nd birthday in India ?? ????Daddy wish you many more ❤️?❣️ <a href="https://t.co/AZgzFahc2l">https://t.co/AZgzFahc2l</a>
— Chris Gayle (@henrygayle) <a href="https://twitter.com/henrygayle/status/987234651868712960?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 20, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

While receiving the Man of the Match award, Chris Gayle said, "I think Virender Sehwag saved the IPL by picking me."

Chris Gayle smashed the first century of IPL 2018 on Thursday against Hyderabad. He scored an unbeaten 104 runs off 63 balls at Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium. 'King' Gayle dedicated his outstanding innings to his daughter Krisallyna, he said, "A lot of people thought that I am old. Nothing to prove though. Wherever I go across the globe, just want to earn some respect. This one is dedicated to my daughter Krisallyna though it's her birthday tomorrow. So, yeah, this is for her. Tomorrow she will turn two and it's her second time in India. We're hoping to have a nice time. I am glad to score my century in just my second game at home, feels really good." Gayle played at a strike rate of 165.08 and his knock included one four and eleven sixes. For his splendid knock, he was awarded 'Man of the Match' and while receiving the award he said, "I think Virender Sehwag saved the IPL by picking me." After the match, Sehwag tweeted, "I saved the IPL by picking - @henrygayle" and Gayle retweet it with a "yes". I saved the IPL by picking - @henrygayle ??. — Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) April 19, 2018 × Yes! https://t.co/avqfCTHfEY — Chris Gayle (@henrygayle) April 19, 2018 × Not to forget, Chris Gayle was purchased in the concluding minutes of the second day of IPL 2018 auction which happened in January. He was ignored on the first and second day but in the third round when some of the franchises asked to bid again for few of the names and Chris Gayle was one of them. Then Virendra Sehwag -- owner of Punjab franchise -- bought his at his base price, INR 2 Cr. Universal Boss dedicated his century to his daughter Krisallyna for her birthday and today he tweeted to wish her beautiful baby girl. Happy birthday my love krisallyna333 - 2nd birthday in India ?? ????Daddy wish you many more ❤️?❣️ https://t.co/AZgzFahc2l — Chris Gayle (@henrygayle) April 20, 2018 ×

Virender Sehwag saved the IPL by picking me: Chris Gayle

A video of Bollywood actress and IPL franchise Punjab's owner Preity Zinta went viral which showed her in a heated altercation with a section of crowd at Mohali during her team’s match against Chennai on April 15.

In the video, the actress can be seen angrily warning some people when she was distributing free Punjab t-shirts to fans.

Clearing her stand, Preity took to her Twitter handle to reveal the reason why she lost her cool.

She said that she saw two little girls being trampled by the crowd, which is why she asked people to move and give them space so they could breathe and not cry.

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2 little girls were being trampled by the crowd. I asked the people to move & give them space so they could breathe & not cry. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/safety?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#safety</a> Ting <a href="https://t.co/s7gEithlVP">https://t.co/s7gEithlVP</a>
— Preity zinta (@realpreityzinta) <a href="https://twitter.com/realpreityzinta/status/986218044455309314?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 17, 2018</a></blockquote>
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On Sunday, the Kings XI Punjab defeated the Chennai Super Kings at home in their IPL 2018 encounter as Chris Gayle produced the goods with the bat and the Mohit Sharma held his nerve in the final over against a rampant MS Dhoni to help his side to the win.&nbsp

During the chase, Chennai lost their openers Shane Watson and Murali Vijay cheaply before Ambati Rayudu and MS Dhoni steadied the ship.&nbsp

The wicketkeeper then launched an incredible attack which proved to be insufficient in the end.

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Dhoni was battling back pain but managed to take the match into last over with a brilliant knock of 79 runs off 44 balls. &nbsp 
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In the video, the actress can be seen angrily warning some people

A video of Bollywood actress and IPL franchise Punjab's owner Preity Zinta went viral which showed her in a heated altercation with a section of crowd at Mohali during her team’s match against Chennai on April 15. In the video, the actress can be seen angrily warning some people when she was distributing free Punjab t-shirts to fans. Clearing her stand, Preity took to her Twitter handle to reveal the reason why she lost her cool. She said that she saw two little girls being trampled by the crowd, which is why she asked people to move and give them space so they could breathe and not cry. 2 little girls were being trampled by the crowd. I asked the people to move & give them space so they could breathe & not cry. #safety Ting https://t.co/s7gEithlVP — Preity zinta (@realpreityzinta) April 17, 2018 × On Sunday, the Kings XI Punjab defeated the Chennai Super Kings at home in their IPL 2018 encounter as Chris Gayle produced the goods with the bat and the Mohit Sharma held his nerve in the final over against a rampant MS Dhoni to help his side to the win. During the chase, Chennai lost their openers Shane Watson and Murali Vijay cheaply before Ambati Rayudu and MS Dhoni steadied the ship. The wicketkeeper then launched an incredible attack which proved to be insufficient in the end. × Dhoni was battling back pain but managed to take the match into last over with a brilliant knock of 79 runs off 44 balls.

Watch: Preity Zinta shouts at fans during Punjab's match against Chennai in IPL, reveals truth