Former Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Gautam Gambhir was left fuming with Eoin Morgan's captaincy after Maxwell and ABD powered Royal Challengers Bangalore to 204/4 by the end of 20 overs.&nbsp;

IN PICS|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/from-harbhajan-sreesanth-slap-gate-to-ms-dhonis-anger-top-ipl-controversies-through-the-years-378405" hreflang="en">From Harbhajan-Sreesanth slap gate to MS Dhoni's anger: Top IPL controversies through the years</a>

Royal Challengers Bangalore were off to a terrible start as Virat Kohli and Rajat Patidar were dismissed by Varun Chakravarthy and were down to 9/2. However, KKR skipper Eoin Morgan decided to bring a change in bowling and bring in Shakib in place of Varun despite Chakravarthy's over. Maxwell and AB de Villiers' smash-fest set a 200+ target for KKR.&nbsp;

Gambhir slammed the English cricketer and described this decision as to the "weirdest" captaincy call he has ever seen.

"Virat Kohli was a big wicket, no doubt about it. But that has to be the weirdest kind of captaincy I have ever seen in my life. Someone taking two wickets in the first over, and then does not get to bowl the next one," Gambhir, who led KKR to two IPL titles during his cricketing days, said on Star Sports after RCB's innings.

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/michael-vaughan-makes-big-call-on-slightly-under-the-radar-glenn-maxwell-in-ipl-2021-378415" hreflang="en">Michael Vaughan makes big call on 'slightly under the radar' Glenn Maxwell in IPL 2021</a>

"Probably when you know the in-form batter is in. You could have probably seen the game in the first six overs, had Varun Chakravarthy had picked the third wicket or dismissed Glenn Maxwell. This game could have been over there and then," Gambhir added.

"Yes, AB de Villiers was there, but it would have put pressure on him as well," Gambhir further said.

"I am happy that an Indian captain did not make this blunder. Because a lot of people would have actually got their daggers out had an Indian captain made this call. That was probably the most ridiculous captaincy I have ever seen," Gambhir said.

"I can't explain that. Because there is no terminology for it - when someone has taken two wickets, and an in-form batter is in and you take off your wicket-taking option in the next over," he signed off.

Former Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Gautam Gambhir was left fuming with Eoin Morgan's captaincy after Maxwell and ABD powered Royal Challengers Bangalore to 204/4 by the end of 20 overs.

Former Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Gautam Gambhir was left fuming with Eoin Morgan's captaincy after Maxwell and ABD powered Royal Challengers Bangalore to 204/4 by the end of 20 overs. IN PICS| From Harbhajan-Sreesanth slap gate to MS Dhoni's anger: Top IPL controversies through the years Royal Challengers Bangalore were off to a terrible start as Virat Kohli and Rajat Patidar were dismissed by Varun Chakravarthy and were down to 9/2. However, KKR skipper Eoin Morgan decided to bring a change in bowling and bring in Shakib in place of Varun despite Chakravarthy's over. Maxwell and AB de Villiers' smash-fest set a 200+ target for KKR. Gambhir slammed the English cricketer and described this decision as to the "weirdest" captaincy call he has ever seen. "Virat Kohli was a big wicket, no doubt about it. But that has to be the weirdest kind of captaincy I have ever seen in my life. Someone taking two wickets in the first over, and then does not get to bowl the next one," Gambhir, who led KKR to two IPL titles during his cricketing days, said on Star Sports after RCB's innings. ALSO READ: Michael Vaughan makes big call on 'slightly under the radar' Glenn Maxwell in IPL 2021 "Probably when you know the in-form batter is in. You could have probably seen the game in the first six overs, had Varun Chakravarthy had picked the third wicket or dismissed Glenn Maxwell. This game could have been over there and then," Gambhir added. "Yes, AB de Villiers was there, but it would have put pressure on him as well," Gambhir further said. "I am happy that an Indian captain did not make this blunder. Because a lot of people would have actually got their daggers out had an Indian captain made this call. That was probably the most ridiculous captaincy I have ever seen," Gambhir said. "I can't explain that. Because there is no terminology for it - when someone has taken two wickets, and an in-form batter is in and you take off your wicket-taking option in the next over," he signed off.

IPL 2021- 'Weirdest kind of captaincy': Gautam Gambhir slams KKR skipper Eoin Morgan

Kolkata Knight Riders all-rounder Andre Russell talked about the disastrous batting collapse against Mumbai Indians, crushing defeat, failure to finish the chase with Dinesh Karthik, Chennai pitch and more

Disappointing defeat against Mumbai Indians, will learn from it: KKR's Andre Russell

Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib al Hasan is all set to wear the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2021-kkr-team-preview-kolkata-look-to-find-old-glory-under-morgans-leadership-376676">Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)</a> colours again after the franchise signed him up for INR 3.2 crore at the auction for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021. Ahead of KKR’s IPL 2021 opener against Sunrisers Hyderabad, skipper Eoin Morgan opened up about the role of Shakib in the 14th&nbsp;edition of the T20 tournament. <o:p></o:p>

Shakib, who was part of KKR for six years from 2011 to 2017, missed out on previous edition of IPL due to a ban imposed on him by the ICC. Before that, Shakib was with SRH in 2018 and 2019.<o:p></o:p>

The southpaw is expected to be a crucial member of KKR in IPL 2021 with his left-arm spin and quality batting providing balance to the XI.

ALSO READ;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/babar-azam-is-like-sachin-tendulkar-virat-kohli-can-follow-him-to-improve-technique-aaqib-javed-376815" hreflang="en">Babar Azam is like Sachin Tendulkar; Virat Kohli can follow him to improve technique: Aaqib Javed</a>

"Given that we have a bit more travel this year and we go from venue to venue, it's important to have strength and depth in the squad. Shakib Al Hasan gives us a different dynamic in the team," Morgan told KKR's official website.

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Gunning for number 1⃣3⃣ against tonight's opponents 💪🏼<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SRHvKKR?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SRHvKKR</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KKRHaiTaiyaar?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KKRHaiTaiyaar</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IPL2021?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IPL2021</a> <a href="https://t.co/bWA87pweuK">pic.twitter.com/bWA87pweuK</a>
— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) <a href="https://twitter.com/KKRiders/status/1381136832029544449?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 11, 2021</a></blockquote>
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"Given that we play at different venues where the conditions change quite a lot, you have a spin-bowling all-rounder who had success in international cricket and IPL at different stages," he added.<o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

“If called upon, he can definitely deliver.” <o:p></o:p>

The KKR skipper further backed veteran Sunil Narine to play an integral role and have another successful season with the Kolkata outfit while comparing his qualities with Shakib.<o:p></o:p>

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/list-of-five-major-records-rcb-captain-virat-kohli-can-break-in-ipl-2021-375916" hreflang="en">List of five major records RCB captain Virat Kohli can break in IPL 2021</a>

"Shakib and Sunil Narine are no different. In big moments of the game, particularly last year, you would throw Sunil the ball, or you would get him in with the bat because he has been in that situation over and over again.<o:p></o:p>

"He believes in himself and in the team to go and get through and win that situation," he signed off.<o:p></o:p>

Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib al Hasan is all set to wear the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) colours again after the franchise signed him up for INR 3.2 crore at the auction for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021.

Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib al Hasan is all set to wear the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) colours again after the franchise signed him up for INR 3.2 crore at the auction for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021. Ahead of KKR’s IPL 2021 opener against Sunrisers Hyderabad, skipper Eoin Morgan opened up about the role of Shakib in the 14th edition of the T20 tournament. Shakib, who was part of KKR for six years from 2011 to 2017, missed out on previous edition of IPL due to a ban imposed on him by the ICC. Before that, Shakib was with SRH in 2018 and 2019. The southpaw is expected to be a crucial member of KKR in IPL 2021 with his left-arm spin and quality batting providing balance to the XI. ALSO READ; Babar Azam is like Sachin Tendulkar; Virat Kohli can follow him to improve technique: Aaqib Javed "Given that we have a bit more travel this year and we go from venue to venue, it's important to have strength and depth in the squad. Shakib Al Hasan gives us a different dynamic in the team," Morgan told KKR's official website. Gunning for number 1⃣3⃣ against tonight's opponents 💪🏼#SRHvKKR #KKRHaiTaiyaar #IPL2021 pic.twitter.com/bWA87pweuK — KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) April 11, 2021 × "Given that we play at different venues where the conditions change quite a lot, you have a spin-bowling all-rounder who had success in international cricket and IPL at different stages," he added. “If called upon, he can definitely deliver.” The KKR skipper further backed veteran Sunil Narine to play an integral role and have another successful season with the Kolkata outfit while comparing his qualities with Shakib. ALSO READ: List of five major records RCB captain Virat Kohli can break in IPL 2021 "Shakib and Sunil Narine are no different. In big moments of the game, particularly last year, you would throw Sunil the ball, or you would get him in with the bat because he has been in that situation over and over again. "He believes in himself and in the team to go and get through and win that situation," he signed off.

He can definitely deliver: Eoin Morgan banking on star all-rounder to have quality IPL 2021

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have many times left themselves to be blamed for poor results despite having one of the strongest looking squads on paper. While over-dependency on some players have played a major role in it, the Kolkata outfit looks to start a fresh chapter under the full-time captaincy of World Cup-winning captain Eoin Morgan.<o:p></o:p>

KKR would be hoping for a fully fit Andre Russell and a firing Sunil Narine whereas hoping that new additions of Shakib Al Hasan, Ben Cutting, Karun Nair, Harbhajan Singh, among others come good during the course of the season.<o:p></o:p>

KKR finished fifth after narrowly missing out on playoff qualification due to net run rate.

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/here-are-some-major-records-csk-skipper-ms-dhoni-can-shatter-in-ipl-2021-376648" hreflang="en">Here are some major records CSK skipper MS Dhoni can shatter in IPL 2021</a>

The Kolkata franchise would be banking on Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana and Rahul Tripathi to give them a boost in the top order. The middle-order of Eoin Morgan, Andre Russell and Dinesh Karthik looks strong on paper and the fans would be hoping for some fireworks. <o:p></o:p>

In terms of bowling, Pat Cummins and Lockie Ferguson will be KKR’s key overseas bowlers and there will be more dependency on Varun Chakravarthy after he exceeded expectations last season. The likes of Prasidh Krishna, Shivam Mavi and Kamlesh Nagarkoti along with Sandeep Warrier and Vaibhav Arora make them a good bowling unit.

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If KKR can sort their playing combination and batting order then they can have a fruitful season in IPL 2021. They have plenty of match-winners at their helm and it would be interesting how Morgan uses the big-name players in the T20 tournament.

<o:p></o:p>

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/timeless-brian-lara-mighty-impressed-with-abds-knock-in-ipl-opener-376661" hreflang="en">'Timeless': Brian Lara mighty impressed with ABD's knock in IPL opener</a>

<h2 class="MsoNormal">Kolkata Knight Riders, IPL 2021 Squad:<o:p></o:p></h2>

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) - Eoin Morgan (c), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Shubman Gill, Shakib Al Hasan, Nitish Rana, Tim Seifert, Rahul Tripathi, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Varun CV, Kuldeep Yadav, Pat Cummins, Lockie Ferguson, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shivam Mavi, Sandeep Warrier, Prasidh Krishna, Sheldon Jackson, Vaibhav Arora, Karun Nair, Harbhajan Singh, Ben Cutting, Venkatesh Iyer, Pawan Negi <o:p></o:p>

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have many times left themselves to be blamed for poor results despite having one of the strongest looking squads on paper. While over-dependency on some players have played a major role in it, the Kolkata outfit looks to start a fresh chapter under the full-time captaincy of World Cup-winning captain Eoin Morgan.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have many times left themselves to be blamed for poor results despite having one of the strongest looking squads on paper. While over-dependency on some players have played a major role in it, the Kolkata outfit looks to start a fresh chapter under the full-time captaincy of World Cup-winning captain Eoin Morgan. KKR would be hoping for a fully fit Andre Russell and a firing Sunil Narine whereas hoping that new additions of Shakib Al Hasan, Ben Cutting, Karun Nair, Harbhajan Singh, among others come good during the course of the season. KKR finished fifth after narrowly missing out on playoff qualification due to net run rate. ALSO READ: Here are some major records CSK skipper MS Dhoni can shatter in IPL 2021 The Kolkata franchise would be banking on Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana and Rahul Tripathi to give them a boost in the top order. The middle-order of Eoin Morgan, Andre Russell and Dinesh Karthik looks strong on paper and the fans would be hoping for some fireworks. In terms of bowling, Pat Cummins and Lockie Ferguson will be KKR’s key overseas bowlers and there will be more dependency on Varun Chakravarthy after he exceeded expectations last season. The likes of Prasidh Krishna, Shivam Mavi and Kamlesh Nagarkoti along with Sandeep Warrier and Vaibhav Arora make them a good bowling unit. × If KKR can sort their playing combination and batting order then they can have a fruitful season in IPL 2021. They have plenty of match-winners at their helm and it would be interesting how Morgan uses the big-name players in the T20 tournament. ALSO READ: 'Timeless': Brian Lara mighty impressed with ABD's knock in IPL opener Kolkata Knight Riders, IPL 2021 Squad: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) - Eoin Morgan (c), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Shubman Gill, Shakib Al Hasan, Nitish Rana, Tim Seifert, Rahul Tripathi, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Varun CV, Kuldeep Yadav, Pat Cummins, Lockie Ferguson, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shivam Mavi, Sandeep Warrier, Prasidh Krishna, Sheldon Jackson, Vaibhav Arora, Karun Nair, Harbhajan Singh, Ben Cutting, Venkatesh Iyer, Pawan Negi

IPL 2021, KKR - Team Preview: Kolkata look to find old glory under Morgan's leadership

Shubman Gill has said that Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will look to avoid the net run-rate trap in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 after missing out on playoff qualification in the previous edition of the tournament, played in the UAE.

KKR finished IPL 2020 with 14 points under their belt but were level with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). KKR had a net run rate of -0.214 in what was one of the tightest finishes to an IPL league stage. However, RCB qualified for the playoffs on a net run rate of 0.172.

Shubman expressed the pain of missing out by such a tight margin but said that the team would look to improve and avoid a similar situation in the ongoing edition of the T20 tournament.

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/guru-vs-chela-ravi-shastri-expresses-his-excitement-for-dhoni-vs-pant-clash-in-ipl-2021-376637" hreflang="en">'Guru vs Chela': Ravi Shastri expresses his excitement for Dhoni vs Pant clash in IPL 2021</a>

"Missing qualification on net run rate, by the barest of margins, always hurts. But there is always room for improvement. And that's what we will try to do this year and not leave it to the net run rate," Gill told The National.

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KKR would look to flourish under the full-time captaincy of Eoin Morgan and all eyes would be on Gill as to how he goes about his business in the new season.

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"You get to practice before any tournament starts, that's where you kind of adjust. You get enough time in practice sessions and match simulation, practice matches. So that is enough time to adjust," Gill said.

"The way I see it, it has been a good six seven months. The last time I played IPL, and after that I have played plenty of cricket which has given me a lot of confidence."

KKR start their IPL 2021 campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Chennai on Saturday.

<o:p></o:p>

Shubman Gill has said that Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will look to avoid the net run-rate trap in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 after missing out on playoff qualification in the previous edition of the tournament, played in the UAE.

Shubman Gill has said that Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will look to avoid the net run-rate trap in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 after missing out on playoff qualification in the previous edition of the tournament, played in the UAE. KKR finished IPL 2020 with 14 points under their belt but were level with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). KKR had a net run rate of -0.214 in what was one of the tightest finishes to an IPL league stage. However, RCB qualified for the playoffs on a net run rate of 0.172. Shubman expressed the pain of missing out by such a tight margin but said that the team would look to improve and avoid a similar situation in the ongoing edition of the T20 tournament. ALSO READ: 'Guru vs Chela': Ravi Shastri expresses his excitement for Dhoni vs Pant clash in IPL 2021 "Missing qualification on net run rate, by the barest of margins, always hurts. But there is always room for improvement. And that's what we will try to do this year and not leave it to the net run rate," Gill told The National. × KKR would look to flourish under the full-time captaincy of Eoin Morgan and all eyes would be on Gill as to how he goes about his business in the new season. ALSO READ: Watching cricket from home? Twitter brings an extravagant experience with new features "You get to practice before any tournament starts, that's where you kind of adjust. You get enough time in practice sessions and match simulation, practice matches. So that is enough time to adjust," Gill said. "The way I see it, it has been a good six seven months. The last time I played IPL, and after that I have played plenty of cricket which has given me a lot of confidence." KKR start their IPL 2021 campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Chennai on Saturday.

'Always hurts...': KKR's Shubman Gill hopes to avoid net run rate trap in playoff race

Rishabh Pant's entertaining batting style has created a huge fanbase across the globe. The southpaw attempting daring shots against the world's best bowlers left the world stunned. KKR pacer Pat Cummins is another Pant fan.&nbsp;

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2021-delhi-capitals-team-preview-can-dc-end-trophy-drought-under-rishabh-pants-captaincy-375935" hreflang="en">IPL 2021, Delhi Capitals - Team Preview: Can DC end trophy drought under Rishabh Pant's captaincy?</a>

Pat Cummins and Rishabh Pant shared the dressing room while their time at the Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals). Cummins has faced Pant in plenty of Test matches too.&nbsp;

“As a fan, you always tend to enjoy someone who is playing a completely different game than everybody else. They are fearless, you look at them and feel geez wish I could do that as well, geez he was Brave. So, I think in three recent series it was Rishabh Pant,” Cummins told Australian seamer Joshua Lalor in a show called ‘Morton Someday’.

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Joshua Lalor asked Cummins to name the cricketer he enjoys watching the most in world cricket right now. The Aussie pacer was quick to name Pant.&nbsp;

“You just got to say well done when someone plays like that, takes the game on and it comes off. You've probably got 50 other players who probably wouldn't have taken the game on like that. He's always good to watch,” Cummins added.

Pant had a prolific outing in the recently concluded Test series against Australia and England. He was instrumental in breaching the Gabba against Australia.&nbsp;

Rishabh Pant's entertaining batting style has created a huge fanbase across the globe. The southpaw attempting daring shots against the world's best bowlers left the world stunned.

Rishabh Pant's entertaining batting style has created a huge fanbase across the globe. The southpaw attempting daring shots against the world's best bowlers left the world stunned. KKR pacer Pat Cummins is another Pant fan. ALSO READ: IPL 2021, Delhi Capitals - Team Preview: Can DC end trophy drought under Rishabh Pant's captaincy? Pat Cummins and Rishabh Pant shared the dressing room while their time at the Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals). Cummins has faced Pant in plenty of Test matches too. “As a fan, you always tend to enjoy someone who is playing a completely different game than everybody else. They are fearless, you look at them and feel geez wish I could do that as well, geez he was Brave. So, I think in three recent series it was Rishabh Pant,” Cummins told Australian seamer Joshua Lalor in a show called ‘Morton Someday’. IN PICS: Riley Meredith, Shahrukh Khan: Surprise packages who can take IPL 2021 by storm Joshua Lalor asked Cummins to name the cricketer he enjoys watching the most in world cricket right now. The Aussie pacer was quick to name Pant. “You just got to say well done when someone plays like that, takes the game on and it comes off. You've probably got 50 other players who probably wouldn't have taken the game on like that. He's always good to watch,” Cummins added. Pant had a prolific outing in the recently concluded Test series against Australia and England. He was instrumental in breaching the Gabba against Australia.

' I think in three recent series it was..': Pat Cummins picks Rishabh Pant as the 'most enjoyable cricketer'

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 is all set to commence from April 9 with the final of the mega T20 tournament scheduled to be played on May 30. The IPL 2021 season opener will be played between defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai after the BCCI made a few tweaks in the scheduling for IPL 2021.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 is all set to commence from April 9 with the final of the mega T20 tournament scheduled to be played on May 30. The IPL 2021 season opener will be played between defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai after the BCCI made a few tweaks in the scheduling for IPL 2021. In the 14th edition of IPL, each franchise will play at four venues during the league stage and all matches will be played at neutral venues and no team will play at their home venue. Out of the 56 league matches, Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata & Bengaluru will host 10 matches each while Ahmedabad and Delhi will host 8 matches each. Ahead of IPL 2021, let us take a look at the team-wise complete fixture list of the 14th edition of the tournament: 🚨 BCCI announces schedule for VIVO IPL 2021 🚨 The season will kickstart on 9th April in Chennai and the final will take place on May 30th at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. More details here - https://t.co/yKxJujGGcD #VIVOIPL pic.twitter.com/qfaKS6prAJ — IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) March 7, 2021 × ALSO READ: IPL 2021 schedule announced: Narendra Modi Stadium to host playoffs and final - check full fixtures Chennai Super Kings: IPL 2021 Full Fixture List 10-04 - CSK v DC, Mumbai, 7.30 pm 16-04 - Punjab Kings v CSK, Mumbai, 7.30 pm 19-04 - CSK vs Rajasthan Royals, Mumbai, 7.30 pm 21-04 - KKR vs CSK, Mumbai, 7.30 pm 25-04 - CSK vs Royal Challengers, Mumbai, 3.30 pm 28-04 - CSK vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, Delhi, 7.30 pm 01-05 - Mumbai Indians vs CSK, Delhi, 7.30 pm 05-05 - Rajasthan Royals vs CSK, Delhi, 7.30 pm 07-05 - Sunrisers Hyderabad vs CSK, Delhi, 7.30 pm 09-05 - CSK vs Punjab Kings, Bangalore, 3.30 pm 12-05 - CSK vs KKR, Bangalore, 7.30 pm 16-05 - CSK vs Mumbai Indians, Bangalore, 7.30 pm 21-05 - Capitals vs CSK, Kolkata, 7.30 pm 23-05 - RCB vs CSK, Kolkata, 7.30 pm Delhi Capitals: IPL 2021 Full Fixture List 10-04 – Mumbai – CSK vs Delhi Capitals, 7.30 pm 15-04 – Mumbai – RR vs Delhi Capitals, 7.30 pm 18-04 – Mumbai – DC vs Punjab Kings, 7.30 pm 20-04 – Chennai – DC vs Mumbai Indians, 7.30 pm 25-04 – Chennai – SRH vs Delhi Capitals, 7.30 pm 27-04 – Ahmedabad – DC vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, 7.30 pm 29-04 – Ahmedabad – DC vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 7.30 pm 02-05 – Ahmedabad – Punjab Kings vs Delhi Capitals, 7.30 pm 08-05 – Ahmedabad – KKR vs Delhi Capitals, 3.30 pm 11-05 – Kolkata – Delhi Capitals vs Rajasthan Royals, 7.30 pm 14-05 – Kolkata – RCB vs Delhi Capitals, 7.30 pm 17-05 – Kolkata – Delhi Capitals vs SRH, 7.30 pm 21-05 – Kolkata – Delhi Capitals vs CSK, 7.30 pm 23-05 – Kolkata – Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Capitals, 3.30 pm. Rajasthan Royals: IPL 2021 Full Fixture List 12-04 – Mumbai – Rajasthan Royals vs Punjab Kings, 7.30 pm 15-04 – Mumbai – Rajasthan Royals vs Delhi Capitals, 7.30 pm 19-04 – Mumbai – Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan Royals, 7.30 pm 22-04 – Mumbai – RCB vs Rajasthan Royals, 7.30 pm 24-04 – Mumbai – Rajasthan Royals vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 7.30 pm 29-04 – Delhi – Mumbai Indians vs Rajasthan Royals, 3.30 pm 02-05 – Delhi – Rajasthan Royals vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, 3.30 pm 05-05 – Delhi – Rajasthan Royals vs Chennai Super Kings, 7.30 pm 08-05 – Delhi – Rajasthan Royals vs Mumbai Indians, 7.30 pm 11-05 – Kolkata – Delhi Capitals vs Rajasthan Royals, 7.30 pm 13-05 – Kolkata – Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Rajasthan Royals, 7.30 pm 16-05 – Kolkata – Rajasthan Royals vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, 3.30 pm 18-05 – Bangalore – Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals, 7.30 pm 22-05 – Bangalore – Punjab Kings vs Rajasthan Royals, 7.30 pm. Kolkata Knight Riders: IPL 2021 Full Fixture List 11-04 – Chennai – Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 7.30 pm 13-04 – Chennai – Kolkata Knight Riders vs Mumbai Indians, 7.30 pm 18-04 – Chennai – Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 3.30 pm 21-04 – Mumbai – Kolkata Knight Riders vs Chennai Super Kings, 7.30 pm 24-04 – Mumbai – Rajasthan Royals vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 7.30 pm 26-04 – Ahmedabad – Punjab Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 7.30 pm 29-04 – Ahmedabad – Delhi Capitals vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 7.30 pm 03-05 – Ahmedabad – Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, 7.30 pm 08-05 – Ahmedabad – Kolkata Knight Riders vs Delhi Capitals, 3.30 pm 10-05 – Bangalore – Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 7.30 pm 12-05 – Bangalore – Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 7.30 pm 15-05 – Bangalore – Kolkata Knight Riders vs Punjab Kings, 7.30 pm 18-05 – Bangalore – Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals, 7.30 pm 21-05 – Bangalore – Kolkata Knight Riders vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, 3.30 pm. Royal Challengers Bangalore: IPL 2021 Full Fixture List 09-04 – Chennai – Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, 7.30 pm 14-04 – Chennai – Sunrisers Hyderabad vs RCB, 7.30 pm 18-04 – Chennai – RCB vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 3.30 pm 22-04 – Mumbai – RCB vs Rajasthan Royals, 7.30 pm 25-04 – Mumbai – CSK vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, 3.30 pm 27-04 – Ahmedabad – Delhi Capitals vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, 7.30 pm 30-04 – Ahmedabad – Punjab Kings vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, 7.30 pm 03-05 – Ahmedabad – Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, 7.30 pm 06-05 – Ahmedabad – Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Punjab Kings, 7.30 pm 09-05 – Kolkata – Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, 7.30 pm 14-05 – Kolkata – Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Delhi Capitals, 7.30 pm 16-05 – Kolkata – Rajasthan Royals vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, 3.30 pm 20-05 – Kolkata – Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Mumbai Indians, 7.30 pm 23-05 – Kolkata – Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Chennai Super Kings, 7.30 pm. Sunrisers Hyderabad: IPL 2021 Full Fixture List 11-04 – Chennai – SRH vs KKR, 7.30 pm 14-04 – Chennai – Sunrisers Hyderabad vs RCB, 7.30 pm 17-04 – Chennai – Mumbai Indians vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, 7.30 pm 21-04 – Chennai – Punjab Kings vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, 3.30 pm 25-04 – Chennai – Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Delhi Capitals, 7.30 pm 28-04 – Delhi – Chennai Super Kings vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, 7.30 pm 02-05 – Delhi – Rajasthan Royals vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, 3.30 pm 04-05 – Delhi – Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Mumbai Indians, 7.30 pm 07-05 – Delhi – Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Chennai Super Kings, 7.30 pm 09-05 – Kolkata – Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, 7.30 pm 13-05 – Kolkata – Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Rajasthan Royals, 7.30 pm 17-05 – Kolkata – Delhi Capitals vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, 7.30 pm 19-05 – Bangalore – Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Punjab Kings, 7.30 pm 21-05 – Bangalore – Kolkata Knight Riders vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, 3.30 pm. Mumbai Indians: IPL 2021 Full Fixture List 09-04 – Chennai – Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, 7.30 pm 13-04 – Chennai – KKR vs Mumbai Indians, 7.30 pm 17-04 – Chennai – Mumbai Indians vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, 7.30 pm 20-04 – Chennai – DC vs Mumbai Indians, 7.30 pm 23-04 – Chennai – Punjab vs Mumbai Indians, 7.30 pm 29-04 – Delhi - Mumbai Indians vs Rajasthan Royals, 3.30 pm 01-05 – Delhi – Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings, 7.30 pm 04-05 – Delhi – Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Mumbai Indians, 7.30 pm 08-05 – Delhi – Rajasthan Royals vs Mumbai Indians, 7.30 pm 10-05 – Bangalore – Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 7.30 pm 13-05 – Bangalore – Mumbai Indians vs Punjab Kings, 3.30 pm 16-05 – Bangalore – Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians, 7.30 pm 20-05 – Kolkata – RCB vs Mumbai Indians, 7.30 pm 23-05 – Kolkata – Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Capitals, 3.30 pm Punjab Kings: IPL 2021 Full Fixture List 12-04 – Mumbai – RR vs Punjab Kings, 7.30 pm 16-04 – Mumbai – Punjab Kings vs CSK, 7.30 pm 18-04 – Mumbai – DC vs Punjab Kings, 7.30 pm 21-04 – Chennai – Punjab Kings vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, 3.30 pm 23-04 – Chennai – Punjab vs Mumbai Indians, 7.30 pm 26-04 – Ahmedabad – Punjab Kings vs KKR, 7.30 pm 30-04 – Ahmedabad – Punjab Kings vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, 7.30 pm 02-05 – Ahmedabad – Punjab Kings vs Delhi Capitals, 7.30 pm 06-05 – Ahmedabad – RCB vs Punjab Kings, 7.30 pm 9-05 – Bangalore – CSK vs Punjab Kings, 3.30 pm 13-05 – Bangalore – Mumbai Indians vs Punjab Kings, 3.30 pm 15-05 – Bangalore – KKR vs Punjab Kings, 7.30 pm 19-05 – Bangalore – SRH vs Punjab Kings, 7.30 pm 22-05 – Bangalore – Punjab Kings vs Rajasthan Royals, 7.30 pm.

IPL 2021 Schedule: Team-wise full fixture list, date, time and venues

Two-time IPL winner Kolkata Knight Riders will be looking to end their seven-year title drought in the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League. Their co-owner and Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan was involved in a hilarious conversation with his fans on Twitter.&nbsp;

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/rising-pune-supergiant-made-it-to-ipl-2017-final-because-of-dhoni-and-not-smith-rajat-bhatia-374651" hreflang="en">'Rising Pune Supergiant made it to IPL 2017 final because of Dhoni and not Smith': Rajat Bhatia</a>

On Wednesday, the actor conducted another session of #AskSRK, where he addressed several fan queries. Many of his fans asked him about his franchise KKR and their hopes to win this year's IPL.&nbsp;

"#AskSRK bhai kkr cup layegi na is baar (KKR will win the cup this year right)," the fan asked.

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I hope so. I want to start drinking coffee in that only! <a href="https://t.co/s9UvyY2QdV">https://t.co/s9UvyY2QdV</a>
— Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) <a href="https://twitter.com/iamsrk/status/1377188713206145024?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 31, 2021</a></blockquote>
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In reply, SRK said: "I hope so. I want to start drinking coffee in that only!"

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/shah-rukh-khan-gets-nostalgic-after-us-navy-members-sing-yeh-jo-des-hai-tera-374159" hreflang="en">Shah Rukh Khan gets nostalgic after US Navy members sing 'Yeh Jo Des Hai Tera'</a>

One of his fans gave Shah Rukh Khan a multiple choice question and asked if he would want to win the IPL trophy or see his movie earn ₹600 crores. To which SRK replied, "Was never good at multiple choice questions because I want all the answers to be right."

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Was never good at multiple choice questions because I want all the answers to be right. <a href="https://t.co/urz9TBGhn0">https://t.co/urz9TBGhn0</a>
— Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) <a href="https://twitter.com/iamsrk/status/1377180894574768132?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 31, 2021</a></blockquote>
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One fan asked SRK that what are his wishes for the team (KKR) this year. He replied: "They should all be healthy and entertain us with their cricket....and put their best effort forward."

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They should all be healthy and entertain us with their cricket....and put their best effort forward. <a href="https://t.co/lBCNc8TWmX">https://t.co/lBCNc8TWmX</a>
— Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) <a href="https://twitter.com/iamsrk/status/1377175622875709442?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 31, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Kolkata Knight Riders will begin their IPL 2021 campaign against SunRisers Hyderabad on April 11. The team led by Eoin Morgan will eye third title this year. The cash-rich T20 League will kick off on April 9.&nbsp;

Two-time IPL winner Kolkata Knight Riders will be looking to end their seven-year title drought in the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League. Their co-owner and Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan was involved in a hilarious conversation with his fans on Twitter.

Two-time IPL winner Kolkata Knight Riders will be looking to end their seven-year title drought in the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League. Their co-owner and Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan was involved in a hilarious conversation with his fans on Twitter. ALSO READ: 'Rising Pune Supergiant made it to IPL 2017 final because of Dhoni and not Smith': Rajat Bhatia On Wednesday, the actor conducted another session of #AskSRK, where he addressed several fan queries. Many of his fans asked him about his franchise KKR and their hopes to win this year's IPL. "#AskSRK bhai kkr cup layegi na is baar (KKR will win the cup this year right)," the fan asked. I hope so. I want to start drinking coffee in that only! https://t.co/s9UvyY2QdV — Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) March 31, 2021 × In reply, SRK said: "I hope so. I want to start drinking coffee in that only!" ALSO READ: Shah Rukh Khan gets nostalgic after US Navy members sing 'Yeh Jo Des Hai Tera' One of his fans gave Shah Rukh Khan a multiple choice question and asked if he would want to win the IPL trophy or see his movie earn ₹600 crores. To which SRK replied, "Was never good at multiple choice questions because I want all the answers to be right." Was never good at multiple choice questions because I want all the answers to be right. https://t.co/urz9TBGhn0 — Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) March 31, 2021 × One fan asked SRK that what are his wishes for the team (KKR) this year. He replied: "They should all be healthy and entertain us with their cricket....and put their best effort forward." They should all be healthy and entertain us with their cricket....and put their best effort forward. https://t.co/lBCNc8TWmX — Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) March 31, 2021 × Kolkata Knight Riders will begin their IPL 2021 campaign against SunRisers Hyderabad on April 11. The team led by Eoin Morgan will eye third title this year. The cash-rich T20 League will kick off on April 9.

'IPL trophy or 600 crore box office collection': Shah Rukh Khan gives witty responses to his fans

Ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain&nbsp;Eoin Morgan gave an update on his fitness as he said the gap between the ODI series between India-England and IPL gave him the best time to recover. Morgan, England's limited-overs skipper, missed the final two ODIs against India&nbsp;after sustaining a split webbing between his thumb and index finger in the series opener.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Morgan's injury required four stitches and KKR fans were in worry whether the talismanic&nbsp;leader will miss a few games early in IPL 2021 due to the injury.&nbsp;However, Morgan has said that he is feeling a lot better now and is looking forward to his progress in the coming days. The southpaw added that doctors would be removing the stitches on Thursday.&nbsp;

"Yeah, I feel a lot better than I did a week ago. The plan moving forward is to remove the stitches tomorrow and progress with my batting in the coming days and fielding on the back of that. Given the time frame I have available, it's looking very good," said Morgan during a virtual press conference on Wednesday.&nbsp;

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/sunrisers-hyderabad-sign-jason-roy-as-mitchell-marsh-pulls-out-of-ipl-2021-374521" hreflang="en">Sunrisers Hyderabad sign Jason Roy as Mitchell Marsh pulls out of IPL 2021</a>

There plenty of debates surrounding KKR's batting order and team composition during IPL 2020 where the Kolkata outfit narrowly missed out on the playoffs. Morgan is of the view that KKR have plenty of versatility that&nbsp;gives them the opportunity to shuffle things around. However, he admitted that they need to make the right call during matches.&nbsp;

"We are all due to get together quite soon towards the end of the week in which we will discuss our plans and thoughts and actually talk about our strengths as a squad and team. Last year, we saw the versatility within our middle order and the flexibility to promote myself, DK, or Sunil. If we play well, there will be a lot of teams that will not enjoy playing against us. We need to make the right call in when to play the best hand and that is one thing we learnt from the last year."&nbsp;&nbsp;

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2021-punjab-kings-more-balanced-squad-than-last-season-wasim-jaffer-to-wion-374488" hreflang="en">IPL 2021: Punjab Kings more balanced squad than last season - Wasim Jaffer to WION</a>

"The IPL is the biggest tournament in the world which has the biggest of players. A competitive campaign or successful campaign is the battle with the injuries or illness along the way. Whether you like it or not, it does happen throughout a season. Planning needs to be put across to strengthen your team across all areas. We did that in this auction and we are hoping to best position ourselves to have a versatile team when it comes to selection," he added.&nbsp;&nbsp;

IPL will begin on April 9 with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Mumbai Indians locking horns&nbsp;in the tournament opener. KKR will play their first game on April 11 against SunRisers Hyderabad.&nbsp;

Ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Eoin Morgan gave an update on his fitness as he said the gap between the ODI series between India-England and IPL gave him the best time to recover.

Ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Eoin Morgan gave an update on his fitness as he said the gap between the ODI series between India-England and IPL gave him the best time to recover. Morgan, England's limited-overs skipper, missed the final two ODIs against India after sustaining a split webbing between his thumb and index finger in the series opener. Morgan's injury required four stitches and KKR fans were in worry whether the talismanic leader will miss a few games early in IPL 2021 due to the injury. However, Morgan has said that he is feeling a lot better now and is looking forward to his progress in the coming days. The southpaw added that doctors would be removing the stitches on Thursday. "Yeah, I feel a lot better than I did a week ago. The plan moving forward is to remove the stitches tomorrow and progress with my batting in the coming days and fielding on the back of that. Given the time frame I have available, it's looking very good," said Morgan during a virtual press conference on Wednesday. ALSO READ: Sunrisers Hyderabad sign Jason Roy as Mitchell Marsh pulls out of IPL 2021 There plenty of debates surrounding KKR's batting order and team composition during IPL 2020 where the Kolkata outfit narrowly missed out on the playoffs. Morgan is of the view that KKR have plenty of versatility that gives them the opportunity to shuffle things around. However, he admitted that they need to make the right call during matches. "We are all due to get together quite soon towards the end of the week in which we will discuss our plans and thoughts and actually talk about our strengths as a squad and team. Last year, we saw the versatility within our middle order and the flexibility to promote myself, DK, or Sunil. If we play well, there will be a lot of teams that will not enjoy playing against us. We need to make the right call in when to play the best hand and that is one thing we learnt from the last year." ALSO READ: IPL 2021: Punjab Kings more balanced squad than last season - Wasim Jaffer to WION "The IPL is the biggest tournament in the world which has the biggest of players. A competitive campaign or successful campaign is the battle with the injuries or illness along the way. Whether you like it or not, it does happen throughout a season. Planning needs to be put across to strengthen your team across all areas. We did that in this auction and we are hoping to best position ourselves to have a versatile team when it comes to selection," he added. IPL will begin on April 9 with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Mumbai Indians locking horns in the tournament opener. KKR will play their first game on April 11 against SunRisers Hyderabad.

KKR captain Eoin Morgan provides update on his split webbing injury ahead of IPL 2021

German music management group BGM announced a partnership with US investment company KKR Wednesday in a move to acquire streaming rights -- a new potentially lucrative frontier for investors.&nbsp;

The agreement does not mean the creation of a new joint company nor the acquisitions of any stakes, the two entities said in a statement.&nbsp;

BMG Rights Management was created in 2008 to allow Bertelsmann, its German parent company, to invest in new music rights after the 2007 sale of BMG Music Publishing and its enormous catalog to Universal.&nbsp;

The group already controls the rights of the works of several leading artists, including David Bowie, Bruno Mars, Lenny Kravitz and Kylie Minogue.&nbsp;

The two entertainment groups already have a long-standing relationship -- KKR bought 51 percent of the capital of BMG Rights Management in 2009, before Bertelsmann bought it from KKR in 2013.&nbsp;

"The rationale behind it is the worldwide increase in demand for high-quality media content," the groups' statement said.&nbsp;

Moves have been underway for years to acquire some of the most popular modern music catalogs, most of which are currently under the purview of a few major record companies.&nbsp;

After a difficult period in the mid-2000s, the music industry is slowly recovering in the wake of the advent of streaming, which has become a major source of revenue for music catalog rights holders.&nbsp;

Groups such as Concord, Hipgnosis and Primary Wave have also recently invested in the market as acquisition vehicles backed by powerful investors.&nbsp;

Universal Music announced its acquisition of the entirety of Bob Dylan's catalog in early December for an amount estimated by The New York Times at $300 million. &nbsp;

BMG itself acquired the rights to the works of Fleetwood Mac from band co-founder Mick Fleetwood in January.

German music management group BGM announced a partnership with US investment company KKR Wednesday in a move to acquire streaming rights -- a new potentially lucrative frontier for investors.

German music management group BGM announced a partnership with US investment company KKR Wednesday in a move to acquire streaming rights -- a new potentially lucrative frontier for investors. The agreement does not mean the creation of a new joint company nor the acquisitions of any stakes, the two entities said in a statement. BMG Rights Management was created in 2008 to allow Bertelsmann, its German parent company, to invest in new music rights after the 2007 sale of BMG Music Publishing and its enormous catalog to Universal. The group already controls the rights of the works of several leading artists, including David Bowie, Bruno Mars, Lenny Kravitz and Kylie Minogue. The two entertainment groups already have a long-standing relationship -- KKR bought 51 percent of the capital of BMG Rights Management in 2009, before Bertelsmann bought it from KKR in 2013. "The rationale behind it is the worldwide increase in demand for high-quality media content," the groups' statement said. Moves have been underway for years to acquire some of the most popular modern music catalogs, most of which are currently under the purview of a few major record companies. After a difficult period in the mid-2000s, the music industry is slowly recovering in the wake of the advent of streaming, which has become a major source of revenue for music catalog rights holders. Groups such as Concord, Hipgnosis and Primary Wave have also recently invested in the market as acquisition vehicles backed by powerful investors. Universal Music announced its acquisition of the entirety of Bob Dylan's catalog in early December for an amount estimated by The New York Times at $300 million. BMG itself acquired the rights to the works of Fleetwood Mac from band co-founder Mick Fleetwood in January.

BMG and KKR team up to purchase music rights

Former India all-rounder Yusuf Pathan on Friday has announced his retirement from all formats of cricket.&nbsp;

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/watch-virat-kohli-crashes-in-axar-patel-hardik-pandya-interview-366395" hreflang="en">WATCH: Virat Kohli crashes Axar-Hardik's interview; compliments Patel in Gujarati</a>

The Gujarat-based player took to social media to bid farewell to the sport&nbsp;and said: &nbsp;"I thank my family, friends, fans, teams, coaches and the whole country wholeheartedly for all the support and love."

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I thank my family, friends, fans, teams, coaches and the whole country wholeheartedly for all the support and love. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/retirement?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#retirement</a> <a href="https://t.co/usOzxer9CE">pic.twitter.com/usOzxer9CE</a>
— Yusuf Pathan (@iamyusufpathan) <a href="https://twitter.com/iamyusufpathan/status/1365252075710410754?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Yusuf, known for his brute batting, is a two-time World Cup winner. he has also won the cash-rich Indian Premier League three times (twice with Kolkata Knight Riders and once with Rajasthan Royals).

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Former India all-rounder Yusuf Pathan on Friday has announced his retirement from all formats of cricket. ALSO READ: WATCH: Virat Kohli crashes Axar-Hardik's interview; compliments Patel in Gujarati The Gujarat-based player took to social media to bid farewell to the sport and said: "I thank my family, friends, fans, teams, coaches and the whole country wholeheartedly for all the support and love.

Former India all-rounder Yusuf Pathan on Friday has announced his retirement from all formats of cricket. ALSO READ: WATCH: Virat Kohli crashes Axar-Hardik's interview; compliments Patel in Gujarati The Gujarat-based player took to social media to bid farewell to the sport and said: "I thank my family, friends, fans, teams, coaches and the whole country wholeheartedly for all the support and love." I thank my family, friends, fans, teams, coaches and the whole country wholeheartedly for all the support and love. #retirement pic.twitter.com/usOzxer9CE — Yusuf Pathan (@iamyusufpathan) February 26, 2021 × Yusuf, known for his brute batting, is a two-time World Cup winner. he has also won the cash-rich Indian Premier League three times (twice with Kolkata Knight Riders and once with Rajasthan Royals).

Indian all-rounder Yusuf Pathan retires from all formats of cricket

The players auction for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 is all set to be held on February 18 in Chennai. The official Twitter handle of Indian Premier League on Wednesday&nbsp;confirmed that the mini-auction will be held on February 18 while also confirming the venue of the event.&nbsp;&nbsp;

With IPL 2021 retention deadline day bringing plenty of action in regards to franchises retaining and releasing their respective players, the IPL 2021 mini-auction is expected to provide&nbsp;thrilling action as teams look to bolster their squads ahead of the much-awaited 14th&nbsp;season of IPL. The IPL 2021 trading window is set to end on February 4.&nbsp;

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🚨ALERT🚨: IPL 2021 Player Auction on 18th February🗓️ 
 
Venue 📍: Chennai 
 
How excited are you for this year's Player Auction? 😎👍 
 
Set your reminder folks 🕰️ <a href="https://t.co/xCnUDdGJCa">pic.twitter.com/xCnUDdGJCa</a>
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) <a href="https://twitter.com/IPL/status/1354337574735597568?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 27, 2021</a></blockquote>
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However, the BCCI is still undecided on whether the IPL 2021 will be held in India or not. But the priority for the Indian board remains that the lucrative T20 tournament happens in India.&nbsp;&nbsp;

IPL 2020 was taken abroad, to the United Arab Emirates, in September-November due to the COVID-19 pandemic as the BCCI successfully pulled off the multi-team tournament without a hitch.&nbsp;&nbsp;

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/cricket-australia-confirms-indian-players-racially-abused-at-the-scg-359597" hreflang="en">Cricket Australia confirms Indian players racially abused at the SCG</a>

Smooth conduct of India's full-fledged home series against England, scheduled to start from February 5, should pave the way for the cash-rich tournament to be held at home.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Meanwhile, elite players like Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Chris Morris among others were released from their respective franchise on the IPL 2021 retention deadline.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Mumbai Indians won the IPL 2020 after a splendid show in the UAE as the Rohit Sharma-led outfit lifted a record fifth IPL trophy.&nbsp;

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ind-vs-eng-england-cricket-team-arrives-in-chennai-for-test-series-versus-india-359613" hreflang="en">IND vs ENG: England cricket team arrives in Chennai for Test series versus India</a>

<h2 lang="EN-US" paraeid="{4c81c94e-6116-42f2-8275-77ae3f3f3ac6}{89}" paraid="1245299158" >Retained players list of all IPL 2021 franchise:&nbsp;</h2>

List of retained players by Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers,&nbsp;Yuzvendra&nbsp;Chahal, Devdutt&nbsp;Padikkal, Josh Philippe, Mohammad Siraj, Washington Sundar, Navdeep Saini, Shahbaz Ahmed, Pavan Deshpande, Adam Zampa, Kane Richardson&nbsp;

List of retained players by Chennai Super Kings: N Jagadeesan, R Gaikwad, KM Asif, R Jadeja, MS Dhoni, J&nbsp;Hazlewood, K Sharma, A Rayudu, S Raina, I Tahir, D Chahar,&nbsp;Faf&nbsp;du Plessis, S Thakur, M Santner, D Bravo, L Ngidi, S Curran, S Kishore.&nbsp;

List of retained players by Kings XI Punjab: KL Rahul, Gayle, Pooran, Shami, Jordan, Mandeep, Mayank, Bishnoi,&nbsp;Prabhsimran, Hooda, Sarfaraz, Arshdeep, M Ashwin, Arshdeep, Porel, Harpreet&nbsp;

List of retained players by Sunrisers Hyderabad: David Warner (c), Abhishek Sharma, Basil Thampi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jonny Bairstow, Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Sandeep Sharma, Shahbaz Nadeem,&nbsp;Shreevats&nbsp;Goswami, Siddarth Kaul, Khaleel Ahmed, T Natarajan, Vijay Shankar, Wriddhiman Saha, Abdul Samad, Mitchell Marsh, Priyam Garg, Virat Singh&nbsp;

List of retained players by Kolkata Knight Riders: Dinesh Karthik, Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Eoin Morgan, Rahul Tripathi, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Pat Cummins, Varun Chakravarthy, Lockie Ferguson, Kuldeep Yadav, Kamlesh&nbsp;Nagarkoti, Shivam Mavi, Prasidh Krishna, Harry Gurney, Sandeep Warrier.&nbsp;

List of retained players by Rajasthan Royals: Robin Uthappa, Mahipal&nbsp;Lomror, Manan Vohra, Riyan Parag, Mayank&nbsp;Markande, Shreyas Gopal, Varun Aaron, Jaydev Unadkat, Kartik Tyagi, Akash Singh, Rahul&nbsp;Tewatia, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Anuj Rawat, David Miller, Jofra Archer, Andrew Tye, Ben Stokes, Tom Curran, Jos Buttler.&nbsp;

List of retained players by Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (c), Suryakumar Yadav,&nbsp;Anmolpreet&nbsp;Singh, Saurabh Tiwary, Dhawal Kulkarni, Jasprit&nbsp;Bumrah, Rahul Chahar, Hardik Pandya, Jayant Yadav, Krunal Pandya, Anukul Roy, Ishan Kishan, Aditya Tare, Chris Lynn, Trent Boult, Kieron Pollard, Quinton de Kock.&nbsp;

List of retained players by Delhi Capitals: Shreyas Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane, Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Rishabh Pant, Shimron Hetmyer,&nbsp;Axar&nbsp;Patel,&nbsp;Stoinis, Lalit Yadav, Chris&nbsp;Woakes, Pravin Dubey, Amit Mishra, Kagiso&nbsp;Rabada, Ishant Sharma, R. Ashwin, Avesh Khan, Anrich Nortje.&nbsp;

The players auction for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 is all set to be held on February 18 in Chennai. The official Twitter handle of Indian Premier League on Wednesday confirmed that the mini-auction will be held on February 18 while also confirming the venue of the event.

The players auction for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 is all set to be held on February 18 in Chennai. The official Twitter handle of Indian Premier League on Wednesday confirmed that the mini-auction will be held on February 18 while also confirming the venue of the event. With IPL 2021 retention deadline day bringing plenty of action in regards to franchises retaining and releasing their respective players, the IPL 2021 mini-auction is expected to provide thrilling action as teams look to bolster their squads ahead of the much-awaited 14th season of IPL. The IPL 2021 trading window is set to end on February 4. 🚨ALERT🚨: IPL 2021 Player Auction on 18th February🗓️ Venue 📍: Chennai How excited are you for this year's Player Auction? 😎👍 Set your reminder folks 🕰️ pic.twitter.com/xCnUDdGJCa — IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) January 27, 2021 × However, the BCCI is still undecided on whether the IPL 2021 will be held in India or not. But the priority for the Indian board remains that the lucrative T20 tournament happens in India. IPL 2020 was taken abroad, to the United Arab Emirates, in September-November due to the COVID-19 pandemic as the BCCI successfully pulled off the multi-team tournament without a hitch. ALSO READ: Cricket Australia confirms Indian players racially abused at the SCG Smooth conduct of India's full-fledged home series against England, scheduled to start from February 5, should pave the way for the cash-rich tournament to be held at home. Meanwhile, elite players like Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Chris Morris among others were released from their respective franchise on the IPL 2021 retention deadline. Mumbai Indians won the IPL 2020 after a splendid show in the UAE as the Rohit Sharma-led outfit lifted a record fifth IPL trophy. ALSO READ: IND vs ENG: England cricket team arrives in Chennai for Test series versus India Retained players list of all IPL 2021 franchise: List of retained players by Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Yuzvendra Chahal, Devdutt Padikkal, Josh Philippe, Mohammad Siraj, Washington Sundar, Navdeep Saini, Shahbaz Ahmed, Pavan Deshpande, Adam Zampa, Kane Richardson List of retained players by Chennai Super Kings: N Jagadeesan, R Gaikwad, KM Asif, R Jadeja, MS Dhoni, J Hazlewood, K Sharma, A Rayudu, S Raina, I Tahir, D Chahar, Faf du Plessis, S Thakur, M Santner, D Bravo, L Ngidi, S Curran, S Kishore. List of retained players by Kings XI Punjab: KL Rahul, Gayle, Pooran, Shami, Jordan, Mandeep, Mayank, Bishnoi, Prabhsimran, Hooda, Sarfaraz, Arshdeep, M Ashwin, Arshdeep, Porel, Harpreet List of retained players by Sunrisers Hyderabad: David Warner (c), Abhishek Sharma, Basil Thampi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jonny Bairstow, Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Sandeep Sharma, Shahbaz Nadeem, Shreevats Goswami, Siddarth Kaul, Khaleel Ahmed, T Natarajan, Vijay Shankar, Wriddhiman Saha, Abdul Samad, Mitchell Marsh, Priyam Garg, Virat Singh List of retained players by Kolkata Knight Riders: Dinesh Karthik, Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Eoin Morgan, Rahul Tripathi, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Pat Cummins, Varun Chakravarthy, Lockie Ferguson, Kuldeep Yadav, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shivam Mavi, Prasidh Krishna, Harry Gurney, Sandeep Warrier. List of retained players by Rajasthan Royals: Robin Uthappa, Mahipal Lomror, Manan Vohra, Riyan Parag, Mayank Markande, Shreyas Gopal, Varun Aaron, Jaydev Unadkat, Kartik Tyagi, Akash Singh, Rahul Tewatia, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Anuj Rawat, David Miller, Jofra Archer, Andrew Tye, Ben Stokes, Tom Curran, Jos Buttler. List of retained players by Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (c), Suryakumar Yadav, Anmolpreet Singh, Saurabh Tiwary, Dhawal Kulkarni, Jasprit Bumrah, Rahul Chahar, Hardik Pandya, Jayant Yadav, Krunal Pandya, Anukul Roy, Ishan Kishan, Aditya Tare, Chris Lynn, Trent Boult, Kieron Pollard, Quinton de Kock. List of retained players by Delhi Capitals: Shreyas Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane, Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Rishabh Pant, Shimron Hetmyer, Axar Patel, Stoinis, Lalit Yadav, Chris Woakes, Pravin Dubey, Amit Mishra, Kagiso Rabada, Ishant Sharma, R. Ashwin, Avesh Khan, Anrich Nortje.

IPL 2021 auction to be held on February 18 in Chennai

Former India opener and Kolkata Knight Rider skipper Gautam Gambhir said that he was surprised that the Indian Premier League franchise chose to retain left-arm chinaman Kuldeep Yadav for the 2021 season.&nbsp;

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2021-auction-likely-on-february-18-bcci-official-358588" hreflang="en">IPL 2021 auction likely on February 18: BCCI official</a>

While speaking on Star Sports network, Gambhir said that KKR should have allowed Kuldeep to go elsewhere in case he is not in their plans for the future.

"I am a little surprised about Kuldeep Yadav being retained because he did not get the opportunities. I would have wanted to see Kuldeep Yadav go to a franchise where he gets an opportunity to play," the former left-handed batsman said.

"Because if you are playing for India and not part of your franchise's playing XI, it is somewhere or the other be harmful to your career."

During the 2020 season, Kuldeep could not leave any impact in the league as he featured in just 5 out of 14 matches, despite Narine being out for some games.&nbsp;

"Now that you have retained him, they should play him. Otherwise, I feel Kuldeep Yadav should have himself said that if he is not in their scheme of things, he should be given an opportunity to go and play somewhere else," he added.

"If Kuldeep Yadav had come into the auction, a lot of franchises would have gone for him," he signed off.

The Kolkata-based franchise also retained Varun Chakravarthy and Narine in the team, and in that case, which means Kuldeep may find it hard to make it into the team in the 2021 season.

Former India opener and Kolkata Knight Rider skipper Gautam Gambhir said that he was surprised that the Indian Premier League franchise chose to retain left-arm chinaman Kuldeep Yadav for the 2021 season.

Former India opener and Kolkata Knight Rider skipper Gautam Gambhir said that he was surprised that the Indian Premier League franchise chose to retain left-arm chinaman Kuldeep Yadav for the 2021 season. ALSO READ: IPL 2021 auction likely on February 18: BCCI official While speaking on Star Sports network, Gambhir said that KKR should have allowed Kuldeep to go elsewhere in case he is not in their plans for the future. "I am a little surprised about Kuldeep Yadav being retained because he did not get the opportunities. I would have wanted to see Kuldeep Yadav go to a franchise where he gets an opportunity to play," the former left-handed batsman said. "Because if you are playing for India and not part of your franchise's playing XI, it is somewhere or the other be harmful to your career." During the 2020 season, Kuldeep could not leave any impact in the league as he featured in just 5 out of 14 matches, despite Narine being out for some games. "Now that you have retained him, they should play him. Otherwise, I feel Kuldeep Yadav should have himself said that if he is not in their scheme of things, he should be given an opportunity to go and play somewhere else," he added. "If Kuldeep Yadav had come into the auction, a lot of franchises would have gone for him," he signed off. The Kolkata-based franchise also retained Varun Chakravarthy and Narine in the team, and in that case, which means Kuldeep may find it hard to make it into the team in the 2021 season.

'Now that you have retained him, they should play him': Gambhir on Kuldeep Yadav

With the deadline to retain players ahead of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 mini-auction, franchises on Wednesday&nbsp;released some of their respective players&nbsp;to increase their purse before the auction. Teams are looking to bolster their squad for IPL 2021&nbsp;with mini-auction likely to take place in February.&nbsp;

With the list of retained and released players out ahead of IPL 2021 mini-auction, let us take a look at some of the players who have been released by IPL franchises so far.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Harbhajan Singh started the day by announcing that his contract with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) has come to an end. The veteran off-spinner, if available, will go straight to the mini-auction pool after spending a couple of seasons with the Yellow Army.&nbsp;

A Chennai Super Kings (CSK) source confirmed to WION that Suresh Raina has been retained by the franchise with the veteran southpaw all set to don the yellow jersey again after missing IPL 2020 due to personal reasons. The likes of Kedar Jadhav, Piyush Chawla,&nbsp;Murali Vijay have also been released by CSK as the MS Dhoni-led outfit look to bring new faces into the squad.&nbsp;

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/chennai-super-kings-release-harbhajan-singh-ahead-of-ipl-2021-mini-auction-357900" hreflang="en">Chennai Super Kings release Harbhajan Singh ahead of IPL 2021 mini-auction</a>

The biggest released player ahead of IPL 2021 mini-auction has arguably been&nbsp;Steve Smith as Rajasthan Royals have released the&nbsp;Australian batsman. Sanju Samson has been named as the new captain of Rajasthan Royals.&nbsp;

Mumbai Indians have released the likes of Lasith Malinga and&nbsp;Sherfane&nbsp;Rutherford while Delhi Capitals have moved away from Sandeep&nbsp;Lamicchane, Mohit Sharma, Jason Roy and Alex Carey.&nbsp;

Kolkata Knight Riders have also decided to part ways with flamboyant English opener Tom Banton after buying him in IPL 2019 auction pool.&nbsp;They have also let go&nbsp;Chris Green, Siddesh Lad, Nikhil Naik and M Siddharth.

Chennai Super Kings have released Monu Singh as well.&nbsp;

Kings XI Punjab have released Glenn Maxwell, Sheldon Cottrell, Krishnappa Gowtham, Mujeeb ur Rahman and Jimmy Neesham.

<h2 lang="EN-US" paraeid="{ba11a142-7141-440a-a0e9-2375d483a0e8}{212}" paraid="1724536750" >Released players ahead of IPL 2021 mini-auction:&nbsp;</h2>

Steve Smith,&nbsp;Lasith Malinga,&nbsp;Sherfane&nbsp;Rutherford,&nbsp;Sandeep&nbsp;Lamicchane,&nbsp;Mohit Sharma,&nbsp;Jason Roy,&nbsp;Alex Carey,&nbsp;Tom Banton,&nbsp;Piyush Chawla,&nbsp;Murali Vijay,&nbsp;Kedar Jadhav,&nbsp;Harbhajan Singh, Monu Singh, Daniel Sams (traded to RCB). Harshal Patel (traded to RCB), Chris Green, Nikhil Naik, M Siddharth, Siddesh Lad, Chris Morris, Umesh Yadav, Shivam Dube,&nbsp;Glenn Maxwell, Sheldon Cottrell, K Gowtham, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Jimmy Neesham,&nbsp;Aaron Finch, Moeen Ali, Isuru Udana, Dale Steyn,&nbsp;Pawan Negi, Gurkeerat Mann, Parthiv Patel,&nbsp;James Pattinson, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Mitchell McClenaghan, Robin Uthappa (traded to CSK)

<h2 lang="EN-US" paraeid="{ba11a142-7141-440a-a0e9-2375d483a0e8}{178}" paraid="210706058" >Retained players list of all IPL 2021 franchise:</h2>

List of retained players by Royal Challengers Bangalore:&nbsp;Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Yuzvendra Chahal, Devdutt Padikkal, Josh Philippe, Mohammad Siraj, Washington Sundar, Navdeep Saini, Shahbaz Ahmed, Pavan Deshpande, Adam Zampa, Kane Richardson

List of retained players by Chennai Super Kings: N Jagadeesan, R Gaikwad, KM Asif, R Jadeja, MS Dhoni, J Hazlewood, K Sharma, A Rayudu, S Raina, I Tahir, D Chahar, Faf du Plessis, S Thakur, M Santner, D Bravo, L Ngidi, S Curran, S Kishore.

List of retained players by Kings XI Punjab: KL Rahul, Gayle, Pooran, Shami, Jordan, Mandeep, Mayank, Bishnoi, Prabhsimran, Hooda, Sarfaraz, Arshdeep, M Ashwin, Arshdeep, Porel,&nbsp;Harpreet

List of retained players by Sunrisers Hyderabad:&nbsp;David Warner (c), Abhishek Sharma, Basil Thampi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jonny Bairstow, Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Sandeep Sharma, Shahbaz Nadeem, Shreevats Goswami, Siddarth Kaul, Khaleel Ahmed, T Natarajan, Vijay Shankar, Wriddhiman Saha, Abdul Samad, Mitchell Marsh, Priyam Garg, Virat Singh

List of retained players by Kolkata Knight Riders:&nbsp;Dinesh Karthik, Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Eoin Morgan, Rahul Tripathi, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Pat Cummins, Varun Chakravarthy, Lockie Ferguson, Kuldeep Yadav, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shivam Mavi, Prasidh Krishna, Harry Gurney, Sandeep Warrier.

List of retained players by Rajasthan Royals:&nbsp;Robin Uthappa, Mahipal Lomror, Manan Vohra, Riyan Parag, Mayank Markande, Shreyas Gopal, Varun Aaron, Jaydev Unadkat, Kartik Tyagi, Akash Singh, Rahul Tewatia, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Anuj Rawat, David Miller, Jofra Archer, Andrew Tye, Ben Stokes, Tom Curran, Jos Buttler.

List of retained players by Mumbai Indians:&nbsp;Rohit Sharma (c), Suryakumar Yadav, Anmolpreet Singh, Saurabh Tiwary, Dhawal Kulkarni, Jasprit Bumrah, Rahul Chahar, Hardik Pandya, Jayant Yadav, Krunal Pandya, Anukul Roy, Ishan Kishan, Aditya Tare, Chris Lynn, Trent Boult, Kieron Pollard, Quinton de Kock.

List of retained players by Delhi Capitals:&nbsp;Shreyas Iyer, Rahane, Dhawan, Shaw, Pant, Hetmyer, Axar Patel, Stoinis, Lalit Yadav, Chris Woakes, Pravin Dubey, Amit Mishra, Kagiso Rabada, Ishant Sharma, R. Ashwin, Avesh Khan, Anrich Nortje. 
&nbsp;

With the deadline to retain players ahead of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 mini-auction, franchises on Wednesday released some of their respective players to increase their purse before the auction.

With the deadline to retain players ahead of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 mini-auction, franchises on Wednesday released some of their respective players to increase their purse before the auction. Teams are looking to bolster their squad for IPL 2021 with mini-auction likely to take place in February. With the list of retained and released players out ahead of IPL 2021 mini-auction, let us take a look at some of the players who have been released by IPL franchises so far. Harbhajan Singh started the day by announcing that his contract with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) has come to an end. The veteran off-spinner, if available, will go straight to the mini-auction pool after spending a couple of seasons with the Yellow Army. A Chennai Super Kings (CSK) source confirmed to WION that Suresh Raina has been retained by the franchise with the veteran southpaw all set to don the yellow jersey again after missing IPL 2020 due to personal reasons. The likes of Kedar Jadhav, Piyush Chawla, Murali Vijay have also been released by CSK as the MS Dhoni-led outfit look to bring new faces into the squad. ALSO READ: Chennai Super Kings release Harbhajan Singh ahead of IPL 2021 mini-auction The biggest released player ahead of IPL 2021 mini-auction has arguably been Steve Smith as Rajasthan Royals have released the Australian batsman. Sanju Samson has been named as the new captain of Rajasthan Royals. Mumbai Indians have released the likes of Lasith Malinga and Sherfane Rutherford while Delhi Capitals have moved away from Sandeep Lamicchane, Mohit Sharma, Jason Roy and Alex Carey. Kolkata Knight Riders have also decided to part ways with flamboyant English opener Tom Banton after buying him in IPL 2019 auction pool. They have also let go Chris Green, Siddesh Lad, Nikhil Naik and M Siddharth. Chennai Super Kings have released Monu Singh as well. Kings XI Punjab have released Glenn Maxwell, Sheldon Cottrell, Krishnappa Gowtham, Mujeeb ur Rahman and Jimmy Neesham. Released players ahead of IPL 2021 mini-auction: Steve Smith, Lasith Malinga, Sherfane Rutherford, Sandeep Lamicchane, Mohit Sharma, Jason Roy, Alex Carey, Tom Banton, Piyush Chawla, Murali Vijay, Kedar Jadhav, Harbhajan Singh, Monu Singh, Daniel Sams (traded to RCB). Harshal Patel (traded to RCB), Chris Green, Nikhil Naik, M Siddharth, Siddesh Lad, Chris Morris, Umesh Yadav, Shivam Dube, Glenn Maxwell, Sheldon Cottrell, K Gowtham, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Jimmy Neesham, Aaron Finch, Moeen Ali, Isuru Udana, Dale Steyn, Pawan Negi, Gurkeerat Mann, Parthiv Patel, James Pattinson, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Mitchell McClenaghan, Robin Uthappa (traded to CSK) Retained players list of all IPL 2021 franchise: List of retained players by Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Yuzvendra Chahal, Devdutt Padikkal, Josh Philippe, Mohammad Siraj, Washington Sundar, Navdeep Saini, Shahbaz Ahmed, Pavan Deshpande, Adam Zampa, Kane Richardson List of retained players by Chennai Super Kings: N Jagadeesan, R Gaikwad, KM Asif, R Jadeja, MS Dhoni, J Hazlewood, K Sharma, A Rayudu, S Raina, I Tahir, D Chahar, Faf du Plessis, S Thakur, M Santner, D Bravo, L Ngidi, S Curran, S Kishore. List of retained players by Kings XI Punjab: KL Rahul, Gayle, Pooran, Shami, Jordan, Mandeep, Mayank, Bishnoi, Prabhsimran, Hooda, Sarfaraz, Arshdeep, M Ashwin, Arshdeep, Porel, Harpreet List of retained players by Sunrisers Hyderabad: David Warner (c), Abhishek Sharma, Basil Thampi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jonny Bairstow, Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Sandeep Sharma, Shahbaz Nadeem, Shreevats Goswami, Siddarth Kaul, Khaleel Ahmed, T Natarajan, Vijay Shankar, Wriddhiman Saha, Abdul Samad, Mitchell Marsh, Priyam Garg, Virat Singh List of retained players by Kolkata Knight Riders: Dinesh Karthik, Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Eoin Morgan, Rahul Tripathi, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Pat Cummins, Varun Chakravarthy, Lockie Ferguson, Kuldeep Yadav, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shivam Mavi, Prasidh Krishna, Harry Gurney, Sandeep Warrier. List of retained players by Rajasthan Royals: Robin Uthappa, Mahipal Lomror, Manan Vohra, Riyan Parag, Mayank Markande, Shreyas Gopal, Varun Aaron, Jaydev Unadkat, Kartik Tyagi, Akash Singh, Rahul Tewatia, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Anuj Rawat, David Miller, Jofra Archer, Andrew Tye, Ben Stokes, Tom Curran, Jos Buttler. List of retained players by Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (c), Suryakumar Yadav, Anmolpreet Singh, Saurabh Tiwary, Dhawal Kulkarni, Jasprit Bumrah, Rahul Chahar, Hardik Pandya, Jayant Yadav, Krunal Pandya, Anukul Roy, Ishan Kishan, Aditya Tare, Chris Lynn, Trent Boult, Kieron Pollard, Quinton de Kock. List of retained players by Delhi Capitals: Shreyas Iyer, Rahane, Dhawan, Shaw, Pant, Hetmyer, Axar Patel, Stoinis, Lalit Yadav, Chris Woakes, Pravin Dubey, Amit Mishra, Kagiso Rabada, Ishant Sharma, R. Ashwin, Avesh Khan, Anrich Nortje.

IPL 2021: From Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell to Lasith Malinga - List of released players ahead of mini-auction

Private equity firm KKR &amp; Co will buy a majority stake in Grammy award-winning songwriter and producer Ryan Tedder and American pop rock band OneRepublic’s music catalog that includes hits such as “Counting Stars” and “Apologize”.

KKR, with investments in TikTok parent ByteDance and music company BGM, will also have publishing and recorded music rights to the catalog that has nearly 500 songs, including those co-written with popular acts such as Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Paul McCartney and U2.&nbsp;

The catalog is valued at nearly $200 million, a source with knowledge of the matter said. KKR declined to comment on the deal value.

Tedder’s management and artist development companies will also take part in the equity transaction, KKR said on Monday.

Record label Interscope Records will continue to own the master recordings of OneRepublic, of which Tedder is the frontman.

KKR said it wants to expand the reach of Tedder’s music, with its investment experience in digital, media, and music businesses.

Tedder has also written songs with Stevie Wonder, Ed Sheeran, Cardi B, and the Jonas Brothers.

Keller, Turner, Andrews &amp; Ghanem represented Tedder and OneRepublic, while Latham &amp; Watkins and FTI Consulting served as advisors to KKR on the transaction.

Private equity firm KKR & Co will buy a majority stake in Grammy award-winning songwriter and producer Ryan Tedder and American pop rock band OneRepublic’s music catalog that includes hits such as “Counting Stars” and “Apologize”.

Private equity firm KKR & Co will buy a majority stake in Grammy award-winning songwriter and producer Ryan Tedder and American pop rock band OneRepublic’s music catalog that includes hits such as “Counting Stars” and “Apologize”. KKR, with investments in TikTok parent ByteDance and music company BGM, will also have publishing and recorded music rights to the catalog that has nearly 500 songs, including those co-written with popular acts such as Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Paul McCartney and U2. The catalog is valued at nearly $200 million, a source with knowledge of the matter said. KKR declined to comment on the deal value. Tedder’s management and artist development companies will also take part in the equity transaction, KKR said on Monday. Record label Interscope Records will continue to own the master recordings of OneRepublic, of which Tedder is the frontman. KKR said it wants to expand the reach of Tedder’s music, with its investment experience in digital, media, and music businesses. Tedder has also written songs with Stevie Wonder, Ed Sheeran, Cardi B, and the Jonas Brothers. Keller, Turner, Andrews & Ghanem represented Tedder and OneRepublic, while Latham & Watkins and FTI Consulting served as advisors to KKR on the transaction.

KKR bets $200 million on OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder's catalog

Kolkata Knight Riders knock Rajasthan Royals out of the tournament after beating them by 60 runs in the 54th match of IPL 2020 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/chennai-super-kings-end-ipl-2020-campaign-with-9-wicket-win-knock-kings-xi-punjab-out-339458" hreflang="en">Chennai Super Kings end IPL 2020 campaign with 9-wicket win, knock Kings XI Punjab out</a>

Rajasthan won the toss and chose to bowl first. Kolkata Knight Rider's lost their in-form batsman Nitish Rana on the very second ball. However, a 72-run partnership between Shubman Gill and Rahul Tripathi stabilised the innings for KKR. Eoin Morgan's blistering half-century (68 runs off 35 balls) powered Kolkata to a very competitive 191 runs by the end of the innings.&nbsp;

Rajasthan Royals began the chase on a terrible note as they lost five wickets in the powerplay itself. Buttler and Tewatia tried to stabilise the innings. However, Buttler's wicket applied serious breaks to Rajasthan's chase. They suffered a mammoth loss by 60 runs.&nbsp;

With this win, KKR jumped to the fourth position and hope to make it into playoffs unless Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Mumbai Indians. Rajasthan Royals finished at the bottom of the table with the loss. Pat Cummins was adjudged the Player of the Match for his match-winning bowling figures. The Aussie scalped four wickets which include Uthappa, Stokes and Smith.&nbsp;

Kolkata Knight Riders knock Rajasthan Royals out of the tournament after beating them by 60 runs in the 54th match of IPL 2020 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Kolkata Knight Riders knock Rajasthan Royals out of the tournament after beating them by 60 runs in the 54th match of IPL 2020 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Also read: Chennai Super Kings end IPL 2020 campaign with 9-wicket win, knock Kings XI Punjab out Rajasthan won the toss and chose to bowl first. Kolkata Knight Rider's lost their in-form batsman Nitish Rana on the very second ball. However, a 72-run partnership between Shubman Gill and Rahul Tripathi stabilised the innings for KKR. Eoin Morgan's blistering half-century (68 runs off 35 balls) powered Kolkata to a very competitive 191 runs by the end of the innings. Rajasthan Royals began the chase on a terrible note as they lost five wickets in the powerplay itself. Buttler and Tewatia tried to stabilise the innings. However, Buttler's wicket applied serious breaks to Rajasthan's chase. They suffered a mammoth loss by 60 runs. With this win, KKR jumped to the fourth position and hope to make it into playoffs unless Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Mumbai Indians. Rajasthan Royals finished at the bottom of the table with the loss. Pat Cummins was adjudged the Player of the Match for his match-winning bowling figures. The Aussie scalped four wickets which include Uthappa, Stokes and Smith.

Pat Cummins show help Kolkata Knight Riders knock Rajasthan Royals out of IPL 2020

India's Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan turns 55 today and on this special day, players of Kolkata Knight Riders wished their KKR co-owner and recalled their favourite SRK moments.&nbsp;

KKR's new skipper Eoin Morgan's compliment became a talking point in social media. According to Eoin Morgan, Shah Rukh Khan is like the Tom Cruise of India but he is perhaps even more entertaining that the Hollywood actor.

"Everybody described him as the Tom Cruise of India. He is actually more exciting than Tom Cruise," said KKR captain Eoin Morgan in a video posted by the franchise on their official Twitter handle.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Special wishes from the boys for our main Knight without whom the KKR family is incomplete! 💜🤗 
 
Happy birthday, <a href="https://twitter.com/iamsrk?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@iamsrk</a> 🥳<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KKRHaiTaiyaar?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KKRHaiTaiyaar</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Dream11IPL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Dream11IPL</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HappyBirthdaySRK?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HappyBirthdaySRK</a> <a href="https://t.co/7sv7iLzqSV">pic.twitter.com/7sv7iLzqSV</a>
— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) <a href="https://twitter.com/KKRiders/status/1323120799939809280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 2, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Shah Rukh Khan has been seen cheering for his team during IPL 2020 in the UAE. Players including former KKR captain Dinesh Karthik.&nbsp;

Karthik said: "I remember once going to Bali and there were just two things which the auto driver told us -- So, you are from India, Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta, Veer-Zaara. That’s how famous he is."

KKR's explosive all-rounder Andre Russell also wished 'King Khan' and said: "It was a special moment. He (SRK) was so humble and cool. He was standing beside me and gave me a hug. I am a tough guy but I was blushing."

Aussie pacer head Pat Cummins said: "You still look like you are 21. So, enjoy this and upcoming birthdays as well."

Kolkata Knight Riders won a crucial match against Rajasthan Royals to keep their playoff hopes alive.

India's Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan turns 55 today and on this special day, players of Kolkata Knight Riders wished their KKR co-owner and recalled their favourite SRK moments.

India's Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan turns 55 today and on this special day, players of Kolkata Knight Riders wished their KKR co-owner and recalled their favourite SRK moments. KKR's new skipper Eoin Morgan's compliment became a talking point in social media. According to Eoin Morgan, Shah Rukh Khan is like the Tom Cruise of India but he is perhaps even more entertaining that the Hollywood actor. "Everybody described him as the Tom Cruise of India. He is actually more exciting than Tom Cruise," said KKR captain Eoin Morgan in a video posted by the franchise on their official Twitter handle. Special wishes from the boys for our main Knight without whom the KKR family is incomplete! 💜🤗 Happy birthday, @iamsrk 🥳#KKRHaiTaiyaar #Dream11IPL #HappyBirthdaySRK pic.twitter.com/7sv7iLzqSV — KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) November 2, 2020 × Shah Rukh Khan has been seen cheering for his team during IPL 2020 in the UAE. Players including former KKR captain Dinesh Karthik. Karthik said: "I remember once going to Bali and there were just two things which the auto driver told us -- So, you are from India, Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta, Veer-Zaara. That’s how famous he is." KKR's explosive all-rounder Andre Russell also wished 'King Khan' and said: "It was a special moment. He (SRK) was so humble and cool. He was standing beside me and gave me a hug. I am a tough guy but I was blushing." Aussie pacer head Pat Cummins said: "You still look like you are 21. So, enjoy this and upcoming birthdays as well." Kolkata Knight Riders won a crucial match against Rajasthan Royals to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Kolkata Knight Riders players' unique birthday wish to co-owner Shah Rukh Khan

Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals are set to square off for a playoff spot in this year's Indian Premier League. It will be the second match on a doubleheader Sunday and will be played in Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals are set to square off for a playoff spot in this year's Indian Premier League. It will be the second match on a doubleheader Sunday and will be played in Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Kolkata have not been impressive in past few matches and their disappointing loss against CSK put them in a sticky position. making it a must-win game for them. Except Nitish Rana, KKR's top order have fallen out of form. Former skipper Dinesh Karthik has performed poorly in last few matches. Pat Cummins has been better with the bowl. Rajasthan Royals, on the other hand, have given some powerful performance in the past matches where they defeated teams like Kings XI Punjab and Mumbai Indians. Ben Stokes' form with the bat has been beneficial for RR. Uthappa's form has been better after opening the innings for the Royals. Jofra Archer has been the most successful bowler for RR this year. Probable XI: Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, Sunil Narine, Eoin Morgan (c), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Pat Cummins, Rinku Singh, Kamlesh Nagarkoti/Shivam Mavi/Prasidh Krishna, Lockie Ferguson, Varun Chakravarthy. Probable XI: Robin Uthappa, Ben Stokes, Steven Smith (c), Sanju Samson (wk), Jos Buttler, Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Jofra Archer, Shreyas Gopal, Varun Aaron, Kartik Tyagi. Squads: Kolkata Knight Riders Squad: Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, Rinku Singh, Eoin Morgan(c), Dinesh Karthik(w), Sunil Narine, Pat Cummins, Lockie Ferguson, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Varun Chakravarthy, Shivam Mavi, Andre Russell, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Ali Khan, Tom Banton, Manimaran Siddharth, Chris Green, Tim Seifert, Nikhil Naik, Siddhesh Lad, Sandeep Warrier Rajasthan Royals Squad: Robin Uthappa, Ben Stokes, Sanju Samson(w), Steven Smith(c), Jos Buttler, Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Jofra Archer, Shreyas Gopal, Varun Aaron, Kartik Tyagi, David Miller, Manan Vohra, Ankit Rajpoot, Jaydev Unadkat, Aniruddha Joshi, Tom Curran, Andrew Tye, Shashank Singh, Mahipal Lomror, Oshane Thomas, Mayank Markande, Anuj Rawat, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Akash Singh

IPL 2020 Preview: Do-or-die fixture for Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals

Chennai Super Kings lock horns with Kolkata Knight Riders at the Dubai International Stadium on Thursday as the action in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 continues. While CSK are officially out of IPL 2020, the match is of extreme importance for KKR as they are still in a close fight for the playoff race.&nbsp;

KKR, fifth in the IPL 2020 table, are equal on points with Kings XI Punjab, who are sitting at the fourth spot due to better net run-rate. While KKRs’ NRR is one of the worst in IPL 2020, they would be eyeing to win their remaining two games while hoping KXIP and other contenders lose at least one of their games.

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2020-suryakumar-yadav-was-as-good-as-it-gets-says-michael-vaughan-338719" hreflang="en">IPL 2020: Suryakumar Yadav was as good as it gets, says Michael Vaughan</a>

<h2>CSK vs KKR: Head-to-head stats</h2>

Talking about head-to-head statistics of matches between CSK and KKR, Chennai Super Kings have an advantage with 13 wins as compared to Kolkata Knight Riders’ 8. However, KKR had earlier defeated CSK in IPL 2020 where the franchise, under former captain Dinesh Karthik, made a sensational comeback to choke the Super Kings during their chase and seal the match by 10 runs. 
Given the conditions in Dubai, a score of 170 is deemed as competitive and the team winning the toss could opt to bat first and put a total on the board without additional pressure.

<h2>CSK vs KKR - IPL 2020, Squads:</h2>

Kolkata Knight Riders Squad: Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, Dinesh Karthik(w), Eoin Morgan(c), Sunil Narine, Pat Cummins, Lockie Ferguson, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Prasidh Krishna, Varun Chakravarthy, Andre Russell, Kuldeep Yadav, Sandeep Warrier, Siddhesh Lad, Nikhil Naik, Tim Seifert, Chris Green, Rinku Singh, Ali Khan, Tom Banton, Shivam Mavi, Manimaran Siddharth

Chennai Super Kings Squad: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni(w/c), N Jagadeesan, Sam Curran, Ravindra Jadeja, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Imran Tahir, Monu Kumar, Shane Watson, Kedar Jadhav, Piyush Chawla, Murali Vijay, Karn Sharma, Lungi Ngidi, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, KM Asif, Shardul Thakur, Josh Hazlewood

Chennai Super Kings lock horns with Kolkata Knight Riders at the Dubai International Stadium on Thursday as the action in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 continues.

Chennai Super Kings lock horns with Kolkata Knight Riders at the Dubai International Stadium on Thursday as the action in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 continues. While CSK are officially out of IPL 2020, the match is of extreme importance for KKR as they are still in a close fight for the playoff race. KKR, fifth in the IPL 2020 table, are equal on points with Kings XI Punjab, who are sitting at the fourth spot due to better net run-rate. While KKRs’ NRR is one of the worst in IPL 2020, they would be eyeing to win their remaining two games while hoping KXIP and other contenders lose at least one of their games. ALSO READ: IPL 2020: Suryakumar Yadav was as good as it gets, says Michael Vaughan CSK vs KKR: Head-to-head stats Talking about head-to-head statistics of matches between CSK and KKR, Chennai Super Kings have an advantage with 13 wins as compared to Kolkata Knight Riders’ 8. However, KKR had earlier defeated CSK in IPL 2020 where the franchise, under former captain Dinesh Karthik, made a sensational comeback to choke the Super Kings during their chase and seal the match by 10 runs. Given the conditions in Dubai, a score of 170 is deemed as competitive and the team winning the toss could opt to bat first and put a total on the board without additional pressure. CSK vs KKR - IPL 2020, Squads: Kolkata Knight Riders Squad: Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, Dinesh Karthik(w), Eoin Morgan(c), Sunil Narine, Pat Cummins, Lockie Ferguson, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Prasidh Krishna, Varun Chakravarthy, Andre Russell, Kuldeep Yadav, Sandeep Warrier, Siddhesh Lad, Nikhil Naik, Tim Seifert, Chris Green, Rinku Singh, Ali Khan, Tom Banton, Shivam Mavi, Manimaran Siddharth Chennai Super Kings Squad: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni(w/c), N Jagadeesan, Sam Curran, Ravindra Jadeja, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Imran Tahir, Monu Kumar, Shane Watson, Kedar Jadhav, Piyush Chawla, Murali Vijay, Karn Sharma, Lungi Ngidi, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, KM Asif, Shardul Thakur, Josh Hazlewood

IPL 2020, CSK vs KKR Preview: Can Kolkata bounce back strong in playoff race?

Varun Chakravarthy, the mystery-spinner who has been making headlines for his bowling for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020, has been named in India’s T20I squad against Australia.

With just one First-Class match under his belt, Chakravarthy has been a success story for not only IPL but also for Tamil Nadu Premier League, where he first caught the eyes of scouts and some of the big-name Indian players playing in the tournament.

After being named in Team India’s squad for Australia tour, Chakravarthy said it feels ‘surreal’ to be named in the Indian time as he received praise from all corners of India.

"After the match got over I got to know (of my selection into the Indian team). I keep using the same word again and again, it feels surreal," he told BCCI.tv at the end of the match against Kings XI Punjab on Monday (October 26).

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/where-is-rohit-sharma-why-is-transparency-missing-from-bcci-338235" hreflang="en">Where is Rohit Sharma? Why is transparency missing from BCCI?</a>

Chakravarthy has been bowling some economical spells for KKR and has helped the franchise win some close games. However, his best performance came against Delhi Capitals where Chakravarthy ended up with 5 for 20 in his four-over quota.&nbsp;

Chakravarthy, after being selected in the Indian squad, thanked the selectors for keeping faith in him while adding his basic goal was to play for KKR regularly and contribute to their wins.

"My basic goal was to play in the team regularly and perform and contribute to their wins. Hopefully I'll be able to do the same for India. I am not very active on social media and I have to thank the selectors for keeping the faith in me. I don't really have words."

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/bcci-announces-indias-squad-for-tour-of-australia-big-names-missing-338129" hreflang="en">BCCI announces India's squad for Tour of Australia; big names missing</a>

Chakravarthy, who is an architect-turned-cricketer, shot to fame in TNPL a couple of years ago and bagged a whopping INR 8.4 crore in IPL to play for Kings XI Punjab. However, he was hammered for 25 runs by Sunil Narine and is now redeeming himself for KKR after being released by KXIP.

"I pretty much started my spin bowling in 2018, that's when I got my breakthrough in TNPL, it's been high and lows - last year, I didn't get many chances and I injured myself, I'm grateful for making a comeback this year. I have been working hard, but the motivation and faith have come from a lot of people around me," he said at the post-match presentation during his Man of the Match interview against the Capitals.

"Around 2015, when I was not making a lot of money (the switch from being an architect to becoming a cricketer), was freelancing and wasn't able to meet my needs, I thought I would do something different, that's when I turned to cricket. I still do it, I like that as well (being an architect)."

He is now excited to talk to his family and share the joyous news with them as he concluded by saying he wasn’t expecting the call-up.

"I'll talk to my parents, my fiance. I'll just talk to them, share the happiness with them. It is just good news for my family. I'm really short of words right now, India call up is big thing. I really wasn't expecting it."&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Varun Chakravarthy, the mystery-spinner who has been making headlines for his bowling for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020, has been named in India’s T20I squad against Australia.

Varun Chakravarthy, the mystery-spinner who has been making headlines for his bowling for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020, has been named in India’s T20I squad against Australia. With just one First-Class match under his belt, Chakravarthy has been a success story for not only IPL but also for Tamil Nadu Premier League, where he first caught the eyes of scouts and some of the big-name Indian players playing in the tournament. After being named in Team India’s squad for Australia tour, Chakravarthy said it feels ‘surreal’ to be named in the Indian time as he received praise from all corners of India. "After the match got over I got to know (of my selection into the Indian team). I keep using the same word again and again, it feels surreal," he told BCCI.tv at the end of the match against Kings XI Punjab on Monday (October 26). ALSO READ: Where is Rohit Sharma? Why is transparency missing from BCCI? Chakravarthy has been bowling some economical spells for KKR and has helped the franchise win some close games. However, his best performance came against Delhi Capitals where Chakravarthy ended up with 5 for 20 in his four-over quota. Chakravarthy, after being selected in the Indian squad, thanked the selectors for keeping faith in him while adding his basic goal was to play for KKR regularly and contribute to their wins. "My basic goal was to play in the team regularly and perform and contribute to their wins. Hopefully I'll be able to do the same for India. I am not very active on social media and I have to thank the selectors for keeping the faith in me. I don't really have words." ALSO READ: BCCI announces India's squad for Tour of Australia; big names missing Chakravarthy, who is an architect-turned-cricketer, shot to fame in TNPL a couple of years ago and bagged a whopping INR 8.4 crore in IPL to play for Kings XI Punjab. However, he was hammered for 25 runs by Sunil Narine and is now redeeming himself for KKR after being released by KXIP. "I pretty much started my spin bowling in 2018, that's when I got my breakthrough in TNPL, it's been high and lows - last year, I didn't get many chances and I injured myself, I'm grateful for making a comeback this year. I have been working hard, but the motivation and faith have come from a lot of people around me," he said at the post-match presentation during his Man of the Match interview against the Capitals. "Around 2015, when I was not making a lot of money (the switch from being an architect to becoming a cricketer), was freelancing and wasn't able to meet my needs, I thought I would do something different, that's when I turned to cricket. I still do it, I like that as well (being an architect)." He is now excited to talk to his family and share the joyous news with them as he concluded by saying he wasn’t expecting the call-up. "I'll talk to my parents, my fiance. I'll just talk to them, share the happiness with them. It is just good news for my family. I'm really short of words right now, India call up is big thing. I really wasn't expecting it."

'Wasn't expecting it': Architect-turned-cricketer Varun Chakravarthy after being awarded India call-up

'Shaky' Kolkata Knight Riders and 'rejuvenated' Kings XI Punjab will square off for the play-off spot in the 46th match of IPL 2020 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Monday.

'Shaky' Kolkata Knight Riders and 'rejuvenated' Kings XI Punjab will square off for the play-off spot in the 46th match of IPL 2020 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Monday. Also read: IPL 2020: Stokes ton keeps Royals in hunt for IPL play-offs, Chennai out Kolkata Knight Riders come in the game after beating Delhi Capitals (DC) by 59 runs. However, inconsistency has been a worry for the Knight Riders. They managed to win six matches out of 11 games and are on the fourth spot in the IPL points table. But KKR's record at Sharjah has been poor as they were beaten by DC and RCB. Nitish Rana and Sunil Narine were the match-winners for the KKR in the past match. Narine managed to choke Kings XI in the previous match and snatched a win from the jaws of defeat. Kings XI Punjab, on the other hand, have staged a comeback in the league after winning four consecutive matches. From being at the bottom of the table to climbing onto the fifth position. In the previous match, they managed to defend a total of 126 at Dubai against Sunrisers. Their captain, KL Rahul, is currently the orange cap holder. Bowling duo of Chris Jordan and Arshdeep Singh have been lethal. Mayank Agarwal's availability is still in question as he missed out the previous fixture due to injury. Glen Maxwell could sit this one out and James Neesham could be called in. Probable XI: KKR: Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Sunil Narine, Eoin Morgan (c), Pat Cummins, Shivam Mavi/Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Lockie Ferguson, Prasidh Krishna, Varun Chakravarthy KXIP: KL Rahul (c, wk), Mayank Agarwal/Mandeep Singh, Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran, Glenn Maxwell/James Neesham, Deepak Hooda, Chris Jordan, M Ashwin, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh

IPL 2020: Kings XI Punjab will take on Kolkata Knight Riders for playoff spot

Kolkata Knight Riders beat Delhi Capitals by 59 runs in the 42nd match of IPL 2020 on Saturday at the &nbsp;Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, and still are in the race for the play-offs.&nbsp;

Delhi Capitals won the toss and opted to bowl. Kolkata Knight Riders were off to a bad start as they were down to 42/3 within 8 overs. However, the quick 115-partnership between Sunil Narine and Nitish Rana powered KKR to 194/6 by the end of 20 overs. The total was very competitive for a bowling-friendly venue like Abu Dhabi.&nbsp;

Delhi Capitals, on the other hand, were off to a bad start as the openers fell within first 3 overs. Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant tried to revive DC with a 63-run partnership, but Chakravarthy's 5-wicket haul helped KKR beat the dominant Capitals by 59 runs. Pat Cummins scalped three wickets, including the openers, for the Knight Riders. This is Delhi's second-consecutive defeat.&nbsp;

With this win, Kolkata remains in the fourth in the IPL points table with 12 points, whereas, Delhi Capitals stay on second with 14 points in the pocket. &nbsp;

Varun Chakravarthy was adjudged the Player of the Match for scalping 5 wickets.&nbsp;

Kolkata Knight Riders beat Delhi Capitals by 59 runs in the 42nd match of IPL 2020 on Saturday at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, and still are in the race for the play-offs.

Kolkata Knight Riders beat Delhi Capitals by 59 runs in the 42nd match of IPL 2020 on Saturday at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, and still are in the race for the play-offs. Delhi Capitals won the toss and opted to bowl. Kolkata Knight Riders were off to a bad start as they were down to 42/3 within 8 overs. However, the quick 115-partnership between Sunil Narine and Nitish Rana powered KKR to 194/6 by the end of 20 overs. The total was very competitive for a bowling-friendly venue like Abu Dhabi. Delhi Capitals, on the other hand, were off to a bad start as the openers fell within first 3 overs. Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant tried to revive DC with a 63-run partnership, but Chakravarthy's 5-wicket haul helped KKR beat the dominant Capitals by 59 runs. Pat Cummins scalped three wickets, including the openers, for the Knight Riders. This is Delhi's second-consecutive defeat. With this win, Kolkata remains in the fourth in the IPL points table with 12 points, whereas, Delhi Capitals stay on second with 14 points in the pocket. Varun Chakravarthy was adjudged the Player of the Match for scalping 5 wickets.

IPL 2020: Rana and Chakravarthy shine as Kolkata register thumping victory against Delhi

England's white-ball captain Eoin Morgan said players should have the freedom to withdraw from tours if the bio-secure bubbles are affecting their "mental health".

West Indies toured England in June, a month ahead of their three-Test series to restart cricket after the coronavirus pandemic halted most major sporting events across the globe.

Players have since been confined to bio-secure environments on tours and during tournaments, including at the ongoing Indian Premier League in the United Arab Emirates.

"We managed to fulfil all of our international fixtures for the summer," Morgan, who is also leading the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, told various media.

"But to keep that level of bubble for 10 of the 12 months that we normally travel, I think is untenable. You can drill a player both mentally and physically. And it can cause extreme burnout, which nobody wants to see."

England hosted West Indies, Pakistan, Ireland and Australia this summer with all matches played in Manchester and Southampton.

The players' travel was restricted from the on-site hotels to the grounds and Morgan feels that more similar tours will only increase the stress levels.

"We've spoken about this as a team and we've accepted that guys will come in and out of the bubble as they feel it is affecting their mental health," said Morgan.

"I don't think people should look down on it and they shouldn't feel like people aren't doing their job or not committing to their country.

"That's a reactive way of dealing with things and we want to be at the forefront of making it acceptable for people to say 'I need to spend time with my family now and I'm taking this tour off' just because of the extraordinary circumstances."

England are scheduled to tour South Africa for limited-overs matches next month, with tours of Sri Lanka and India to follow early next year.

West Indies Test captain Jason Holder also believes going from one bubble to another has been "demanding".

"It's been demanding. It has been challenging," said Holder, who replaced injured Australia all-rounder Mitchell Marsh in Sunrisers Hyderabad's IPL squad last month.

"And if you look at scheduling, it doesn't get any easier. It's literally going from bubble to bubble. Some places are accepting families and some aren't. So it makes it harder to be away from your family and your loved ones."

Holder played for Trinidad in the Caribbean Premier League before being called to the UAE for India's cash-rich Twenty20 tournament.

England's white-ball captain Eoin Morgan said players should have the freedom to withdraw from tours if the bio-secure bubbles are affecting their "mental health".

England's white-ball captain Eoin Morgan said players should have the freedom to withdraw from tours if the bio-secure bubbles are affecting their "mental health". West Indies toured England in June, a month ahead of their three-Test series to restart cricket after the coronavirus pandemic halted most major sporting events across the globe. Players have since been confined to bio-secure environments on tours and during tournaments, including at the ongoing Indian Premier League in the United Arab Emirates. "We managed to fulfil all of our international fixtures for the summer," Morgan, who is also leading the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, told various media. "But to keep that level of bubble for 10 of the 12 months that we normally travel, I think is untenable. You can drill a player both mentally and physically. And it can cause extreme burnout, which nobody wants to see." England hosted West Indies, Pakistan, Ireland and Australia this summer with all matches played in Manchester and Southampton. The players' travel was restricted from the on-site hotels to the grounds and Morgan feels that more similar tours will only increase the stress levels. "We've spoken about this as a team and we've accepted that guys will come in and out of the bubble as they feel it is affecting their mental health," said Morgan. "I don't think people should look down on it and they shouldn't feel like people aren't doing their job or not committing to their country. "That's a reactive way of dealing with things and we want to be at the forefront of making it acceptable for people to say 'I need to spend time with my family now and I'm taking this tour off' just because of the extraordinary circumstances." England are scheduled to tour South Africa for limited-overs matches next month, with tours of Sri Lanka and India to follow early next year. West Indies Test captain Jason Holder also believes going from one bubble to another has been "demanding". "It's been demanding. It has been challenging," said Holder, who replaced injured Australia all-rounder Mitchell Marsh in Sunrisers Hyderabad's IPL squad last month. "And if you look at scheduling, it doesn't get any easier. It's literally going from bubble to bubble. Some places are accepting families and some aren't. So it makes it harder to be away from your family and your loved ones." Holder played for Trinidad in the Caribbean Premier League before being called to the UAE for India's cash-rich Twenty20 tournament.

Cricket in bio-bubbles can affect 'mental health', says Morgan

Kolkata Knight Riders are set to lock horns with Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday as the action in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/ipl">Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020</a> continues. The match will be crucial for both KKR and RCB as they are fighting hard to be in the playoff sports.&nbsp;

With RR and KXIP keeping up with the race, a win becomes critical for KKR and RCB. While KKR are sitting fourth in the points table with 10 points to their name whereas RCB are third with 12 points.&nbsp;

KKR have had a stop-start IPL but have managed to line up a few impressive wins from near-impossible situations. On the other hand, RCB have been dominating with both bat and ball and fans have started to think that this might be the year the Bangalore outfit end their IPL trophy drought.&nbsp;

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/chennai-super-kings-dwayne-bravo-ruled-out-of-ipl-2020-due-to-groin-injury-336874" hreflang="en">Chennai Super Kings' Dwayne Bravo ruled out of IPL 2020 due to groin injury</a>

<h2>KKR vs RCB: Head-to-head stats</h2>

Talking about head-to-head encounters between KKR and RCB, the Kolkata side has won 14 games in 25 matches with 11 going to RCB’s name. In the last three matches, RCB have won twice including the thumping 82-run win in Sharjah in IPL 2020.

KKR are most likely to be without Andre Russell with Sunil Narine expected to fill in for the big West Indies all-rounder. RCB are likely to stick to the same playing XI.

<h2>KKR vs RCB - Squads:</h2>

Royal Challengers Bangalore Squad: Devdutt Padikkal, Aaron Finch, Virat Kohli(c), AB de Villiers(w), Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Washington Sundar, Chris Morris, Shahbaz Ahmed, Isuru Udana, Navdeep Saini, Yuzvendra Chahal, Moeen Ali, Pawan Negi, Umesh Yadav, Josh Philippe, Pavan Deshpande, Adam Zampa, Parthiv Patel, Dale Steyn, Mohammed Siraj, Shivam Dube

Kolkata Knight Riders Squad: Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana, Eoin Morgan(c), Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik(w), Pat Cummins, Shivam Mavi, Kuldeep Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine, Sandeep Warrier, Siddhesh Lad, Nikhil Naik, Rinku Singh, Chris Green, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Tom Banton, Manimaran Siddharth, Prasidh Krishna, Tim Seifert 
&nbsp;

Kolkata Knight Riders are set to lock horns with Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday as the action in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 continues.

Kolkata Knight Riders are set to lock horns with Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday as the action in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 continues. The match will be crucial for both KKR and RCB as they are fighting hard to be in the playoff sports. With RR and KXIP keeping up with the race, a win becomes critical for KKR and RCB. While KKR are sitting fourth in the points table with 10 points to their name whereas RCB are third with 12 points. KKR have had a stop-start IPL but have managed to line up a few impressive wins from near-impossible situations. On the other hand, RCB have been dominating with both bat and ball and fans have started to think that this might be the year the Bangalore outfit end their IPL trophy drought. ALSO READ: Chennai Super Kings' Dwayne Bravo ruled out of IPL 2020 due to groin injury KKR vs RCB: Head-to-head stats Talking about head-to-head encounters between KKR and RCB, the Kolkata side has won 14 games in 25 matches with 11 going to RCB’s name. In the last three matches, RCB have won twice including the thumping 82-run win in Sharjah in IPL 2020. KKR are most likely to be without Andre Russell with Sunil Narine expected to fill in for the big West Indies all-rounder. RCB are likely to stick to the same playing XI. KKR vs RCB - Squads: Royal Challengers Bangalore Squad: Devdutt Padikkal, Aaron Finch, Virat Kohli(c), AB de Villiers(w), Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Washington Sundar, Chris Morris, Shahbaz Ahmed, Isuru Udana, Navdeep Saini, Yuzvendra Chahal, Moeen Ali, Pawan Negi, Umesh Yadav, Josh Philippe, Pavan Deshpande, Adam Zampa, Parthiv Patel, Dale Steyn, Mohammed Siraj, Shivam Dube Kolkata Knight Riders Squad: Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana, Eoin Morgan(c), Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik(w), Pat Cummins, Shivam Mavi, Kuldeep Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine, Sandeep Warrier, Siddhesh Lad, Nikhil Naik, Rinku Singh, Chris Green, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Tom Banton, Manimaran Siddharth, Prasidh Krishna, Tim Seifert

IPL 2020, KKR vs RCB Preview: Crucial points on the line as Bangalore take on Kolkata

New Zealand's wicketkeeper and batsman Tim Seifert will be replacing USA's paceman Ali Khan, who was injured at the Kolkata Knight Riders.&nbsp;

IN PICS:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/ipl-record-david-warner-fastest-to-enter-the-5000-runs-club-joins-the-elite-list-336242" hreflang="en">IPL Record: David Warner fastest to enter the 5,000 runs club; joins the elite list</a>

According to ESPNcricinfo, Seifert has been roped in as a replacement for USA fast bowler Khan, whose maiden stint at the lucrative league ended without any game time due to a side strain that he suffered while playing in the Caribbean Premier League.

As per the report, Seifert's team, Northern Districts, had "confirmed," that the cricketer "was another absentee" (for the upcoming Plunket Shield).

IN PICS:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/ipl-trivia-bowlers-who-scalped-50-wickets-in-fewest-matches-336198" hreflang="en">IPL Trivia: Bowlers who scalped 50 wickets in fewest matches</a>

Ali Khan had become the first American to be a part of the Indian Premier League after he was signed by Kolkata Knight Riders. However, he was ruled out of the tournament after being struck by an injury on October 7. Khan was signed as a replacement for the injured English seamer Harry Gurney ahead of the tournament.

Ali was also a part of KKR's sister club Trinbago Knight Riders, who went on to win the Caribbean Premier League, which was played in August-September. He scalped eight wickets in the tournament.

New Zealand's wicketkeeper and batsman Tim Seifert will be replacing USA's paceman Ali Khan, who was injured at the Kolkata Knight Riders. IN PICS: IPL Record: David Warner fastest to enter the 5,000 runs club; joins the elite list According to ESPNcricinfo, Seifert has been roped in as a replacement for USA fast bowler Khan, whose maiden stint at the lucrative league ended without any game time due to a side strain that he suffered while playing in the Caribbean Premier League.

New Zealand's wicketkeeper and batsman Tim Seifert will be replacing USA's paceman Ali Khan, who was injured at the Kolkata Knight Riders. IN PICS: IPL Record: David Warner fastest to enter the 5,000 runs club; joins the elite list According to ESPNcricinfo, Seifert has been roped in as a replacement for USA fast bowler Khan, whose maiden stint at the lucrative league ended without any game time due to a side strain that he suffered while playing in the Caribbean Premier League. As per the report, Seifert's team, Northern Districts, had "confirmed," that the cricketer "was another absentee" (for the upcoming Plunket Shield). IN PICS: IPL Trivia: Bowlers who scalped 50 wickets in fewest matches Ali Khan had become the first American to be a part of the Indian Premier League after he was signed by Kolkata Knight Riders. However, he was ruled out of the tournament after being struck by an injury on October 7. Khan was signed as a replacement for the injured English seamer Harry Gurney ahead of the tournament. Ali was also a part of KKR's sister club Trinbago Knight Riders, who went on to win the Caribbean Premier League, which was played in August-September. He scalped eight wickets in the tournament.

IPL 2020: Kiwi's Tim Seifert to join KKR as a replacement for injured Ali Khan

Kolkata Knight Riders, under the new leadership of Eoin Morgan, suffered a crushing eight-wicket defeat to Mumbai Indians in Abu Dhabi on Friday but wicket-keeper Quinton de Kock has said that the Mumbai outfit is still not thinking about playoffs and are taking it one game at a time.

Mumbai Indians are sitting atop the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/ipl">Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020</a> points table with 12 points to their name after eight matches. With MI defeating KKR yet again in IPL courtesy, de Kock’s splendid knock of 78 not-out.&nbsp;

"We did not plan much before this game, we know what are our strengths, it is a matter of doing what we have been doing, in our team we have a lot of experience and it is a matter of just doing the things on the field," said de Kock during the post-match press conference.&nbsp;

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2020-but-the-truth-is-gautam-gambhir-reacts-to-mid-season-captaincy-change-by-kkr-335963" hreflang="en">IPL 2020: 'But the truth is...' - Gautam Gambhir reacts to mid-season captaincy change by KKR</a>

"The preparations for playoffs have not started yet, it is about taking one game at a time, whatever happens, we have to keep it simple and we need to play to our strengths. Whether we qualify for the playoffs or not, that is not in our hands but playing good cricket is something we can control," he added.&nbsp;

KKR, batting first, posted a score of 148/5 in 20 overs after Pat Cummins and Eoin Morgan scored 53 and 39 respectively after finding themselves at 61/5 at one stage. Rahul Chahar made a massive impact by dismissing Shubman Gill and Dinesh Karthik in consecutive deliveries.&nbsp;

"I think the process is that we have backed Rahul Chahar. He backs himself too and that is a key in a player. He knows his talent and he knows if he has a bad game, he will come back stronger and we know that too. As a player, we can just back other players," de Kock said.&nbsp;

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2020-jos-buttler-to-take-over-as-rajasthan-royals-captain-rr-coo-quashes-rumours-335721" hreflang="en">IPL 2020: Jos Buttler to take over as Rajasthan Royals captain? RR COO reacts</a>

"We like to play simple cricket, we have a great bunch of players, guys understand that they do not think too far ahead. To be honest, we do not really talk about the wicket, we like to assess things and rather be proactive and deal with what we have in front of ourselves," he added.&nbsp;

KKR will next lock horns with SunRisers Hyderabad on October 18 while Mumbai Indians will face Kings XI Punjab on the same day.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Kolkata Knight Riders, under the new leadership of Eoin Morgan, suffered a crushing eight-wicket defeat to Mumbai Indians in Abu Dhabi on Friday but wicket-keeper Quinton de Kock has said that the Mumbai outfit is still not thinking about playoffs and are taking it one game at a time.

Kolkata Knight Riders, under the new leadership of Eoin Morgan, suffered a crushing eight-wicket defeat to Mumbai Indians in Abu Dhabi on Friday but wicket-keeper Quinton de Kock has said that the Mumbai outfit is still not thinking about playoffs and are taking it one game at a time. Mumbai Indians are sitting atop the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 points table with 12 points to their name after eight matches. With MI defeating KKR yet again in IPL courtesy, de Kock’s splendid knock of 78 not-out. "We did not plan much before this game, we know what are our strengths, it is a matter of doing what we have been doing, in our team we have a lot of experience and it is a matter of just doing the things on the field," said de Kock during the post-match press conference. ALSO READ: IPL 2020: 'But the truth is...' - Gautam Gambhir reacts to mid-season captaincy change by KKR "The preparations for playoffs have not started yet, it is about taking one game at a time, whatever happens, we have to keep it simple and we need to play to our strengths. Whether we qualify for the playoffs or not, that is not in our hands but playing good cricket is something we can control," he added. KKR, batting first, posted a score of 148/5 in 20 overs after Pat Cummins and Eoin Morgan scored 53 and 39 respectively after finding themselves at 61/5 at one stage. Rahul Chahar made a massive impact by dismissing Shubman Gill and Dinesh Karthik in consecutive deliveries. "I think the process is that we have backed Rahul Chahar. He backs himself too and that is a key in a player. He knows his talent and he knows if he has a bad game, he will come back stronger and we know that too. As a player, we can just back other players," de Kock said. ALSO READ: IPL 2020: Jos Buttler to take over as Rajasthan Royals captain? RR COO reacts "We like to play simple cricket, we have a great bunch of players, guys understand that they do not think too far ahead. To be honest, we do not really talk about the wicket, we like to assess things and rather be proactive and deal with what we have in front of ourselves," he added. KKR will next lock horns with SunRisers Hyderabad on October 18 while Mumbai Indians will face Kings XI Punjab on the same day.

IPL 2020: Mumbai Indians not thinking about playoffs yet: Quinton de Kock

Kolkata Knight Riders on Friday dropped a huge surprise as they announced, just hours before their <a href="https://www.wionews.com/ipl">Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020</a> match against Mumbai Indians, that Dinesh Karthik has stepped down from captaincy with the duty to lead the side now being with Eoin Morgan.&nbsp;

While Karthik’s sudden decision that he wants to focus more on his batting came as a big surprise, moreover when KKR were lying at fourth spot in the points table, former KKR captain Gautam Gambhir has said that he was a bit surprised by the decision while adding the franchise management should have named Morgan as the captain of the side from the start rather than making a mid-season change.

“Cricket is not about relationships, it’s about performances and honestly, I don’t think Morgan can change a lot of things. He could’ve changed a lot of things had he captained from the start of the tournament. No one changes during the middle of the tournament. It’s nice to have a good relationship between the coach and the captain,” Gambhir said on Star Sports.

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2020-dinesh-karthik-steps-down-from-kkr-captaincy-eoin-morgan-named-new-skipper-335683" hreflang="en">IPL 2020: Dinesh Karthik steps down from KKR captaincy</a>

“Little surprised. He’s obviously leading KKR for the last 2 and a half years. You don’t do it in the middle of the season. KKR is not in that bad a position that someone needs to change a captain, so yeah little bit surprised,” he added.

"If KKR wanted to make this change, they should have done it at the start of the competition. If you are talking so much about a World Cup-winning captain being there in your team puts pressure on someone like Dinesh Karthik then why not just give it to Morgan straightaway, why put so much pressure on Karthik?

IN PICS |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/ipl-2020-dinesh-karthik-quits-as-kkr-skipper-lets-take-a-look-at-their-captains-in-the-past-335720">IPL 2020: Dinesh Karthik quits as KKR skipper, let's take a look at their captains in the past</a>

Gambhir gave further insights to what goes on behind the scenes as the former KKR skipper said that you start getting “fillers” from the management about them being unhappy with your captaincy or batting.

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2020-deep-dasgupta-not-surprised-by-eoin-morgan-taking-over-dinesh-karthik-as-kkr-captain-335780" hreflang="en">IPL 2020: Deep Dasgupta not surprised by Eoin Morgan taking over Dinesh Karthik as KKR captain</a>&nbsp;

"My point is, it sounds very good when someone says that I want to concentrate on my batting but the truth is, you start getting fillers from the management whether they are happy or not, so it’s very unfortunate,” Gambhir further opined.

Meanwhile, Eoin Morgan started his captaincy journey for KKR with a crushing eight-wicket defeat to Mumbai Indians.

Kolkata Knight Riders on Friday dropped a huge surprise as they announced, just hours before their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 match against Mumbai Indians, that Dinesh Karthik has stepped down from captaincy with the duty to lead the side now being with Eoin Morgan.

Kolkata Knight Riders on Friday dropped a huge surprise as they announced, just hours before their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 match against Mumbai Indians, that Dinesh Karthik has stepped down from captaincy with the duty to lead the side now being with Eoin Morgan. While Karthik’s sudden decision that he wants to focus more on his batting came as a big surprise, moreover when KKR were lying at fourth spot in the points table, former KKR captain Gautam Gambhir has said that he was a bit surprised by the decision while adding the franchise management should have named Morgan as the captain of the side from the start rather than making a mid-season change. “Cricket is not about relationships, it’s about performances and honestly, I don’t think Morgan can change a lot of things. He could’ve changed a lot of things had he captained from the start of the tournament. No one changes during the middle of the tournament. It’s nice to have a good relationship between the coach and the captain,” Gambhir said on Star Sports. ALSO READ: IPL 2020: Dinesh Karthik steps down from KKR captaincy “Little surprised. He’s obviously leading KKR for the last 2 and a half years. You don’t do it in the middle of the season. KKR is not in that bad a position that someone needs to change a captain, so yeah little bit surprised,” he added. "If KKR wanted to make this change, they should have done it at the start of the competition. If you are talking so much about a World Cup-winning captain being there in your team puts pressure on someone like Dinesh Karthik then why not just give it to Morgan straightaway, why put so much pressure on Karthik? IN PICS | IPL 2020: Dinesh Karthik quits as KKR skipper, let's take a look at their captains in the past Gambhir gave further insights to what goes on behind the scenes as the former KKR skipper said that you start getting “fillers” from the management about them being unhappy with your captaincy or batting. ALSO READ: IPL 2020: Deep Dasgupta not surprised by Eoin Morgan taking over Dinesh Karthik as KKR captain "My point is, it sounds very good when someone says that I want to concentrate on my batting but the truth is, you start getting fillers from the management whether they are happy or not, so it’s very unfortunate,” Gambhir further opined. Meanwhile, Eoin Morgan started his captaincy journey for KKR with a crushing eight-wicket defeat to Mumbai Indians.

IPL 2020: 'But the truth is...' - Gautam Gambhir reacts to mid-season captaincy change by KKR

Rohit Sharma and Kieron Pollard have been crucial for the Mumbai Indians' since a very long time. Pollard joined the Mumbai Indians in 2010, and Rohit joined the franchise the very next year. These two have been vital for winning four IPL trophies for Mumbai Indians.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2020-mi-vs-kkr-preview-eoin-morgan-led-kolkata-look-to-end-mumbai-domination-335752" hreflang="en">IPL 2020, MI vs KKR Preview: Eoin Morgan-led Kolkata look to end Mumbai domination</a>

This season Mumbai Indians led by Rohit Sharma have been dominant, and they take on Kolkata Knight Riders on Friday at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi as the action in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 continues. Rohit Sharma and Kieron Pollard near a major milestone as they play KKR tonight.&nbsp;

Skipper Rohit Sharma, who is MI’s highest scorer, needs 56 more runs to breach the 4,000 mark. If he is successful in doing so, he will become the first player to achieve this feat.

Kieron Pollard, on the other hand, needs 71 runs to get 3000 runs in the Indian Premier League and become the second Mumbai Indians player after this captain Rohit to get to the feat.

However, KKR would be hoping for a fresh start under the captaincy of Eoin Morgan after Dinesh Karthik on Friday handed over the captaincy duties to the World Cup-winning English captain. In the previous encounter between MI and KKR, Mumbai Indians came victorious.&nbsp;

Talking about head-to-head encounters, MI have won a staggering 20 matches of the 26 clashes against KKR with the Kolkata Knight Riders winning just six of the matches. MI boast the maximum winning percentage against KKR (76.92%) and would be eager to continue their domination with two more points on Friday.&nbsp;

Rohit Sharma and Kieron Pollard have been crucial for the Mumbai Indians' since a very long time. Pollard joined the Mumbai Indians in 2010, and Rohit joined the franchise the very next year.

Rohit Sharma and Kieron Pollard have been crucial for the Mumbai Indians' since a very long time. Pollard joined the Mumbai Indians in 2010, and Rohit joined the franchise the very next year. These two have been vital for winning four IPL trophies for Mumbai Indians. Also read: IPL 2020, MI vs KKR Preview: Eoin Morgan-led Kolkata look to end Mumbai domination This season Mumbai Indians led by Rohit Sharma have been dominant, and they take on Kolkata Knight Riders on Friday at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi as the action in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 continues. Rohit Sharma and Kieron Pollard near a major milestone as they play KKR tonight. Skipper Rohit Sharma, who is MI’s highest scorer, needs 56 more runs to breach the 4,000 mark. If he is successful in doing so, he will become the first player to achieve this feat. Kieron Pollard, on the other hand, needs 71 runs to get 3000 runs in the Indian Premier League and become the second Mumbai Indians player after this captain Rohit to get to the feat. However, KKR would be hoping for a fresh start under the captaincy of Eoin Morgan after Dinesh Karthik on Friday handed over the captaincy duties to the World Cup-winning English captain. In the previous encounter between MI and KKR, Mumbai Indians came victorious. Talking about head-to-head encounters, MI have won a staggering 20 matches of the 26 clashes against KKR with the Kolkata Knight Riders winning just six of the matches. MI boast the maximum winning percentage against KKR (76.92%) and would be eager to continue their domination with two more points on Friday.

IPL 2020: Mumbai Indians' Rohit Sharma and Kieron Pollard near records as they face KKR

IPL 2020: Dinesh Karthik quits as KKR skipper, let's take a look at their captains in the past

KKR spinner Sunil Narine was reported for illegal bowling action during his match against KXIP. This action was reported by the on-field umpires. Narine has gone to Carl Crowe to help rework his action for the remaining games of the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

KKR spinner Sunil Narine was reported for illegal bowling action during his match against KXIP. This action was reported by the on-field umpires. Narine has gone to Carl Crowe to help rework his action for the remaining games of the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Narine went to the Englishman when he was called for a suspect action in 2014. According to sources close to ANI, the Spinner has been sweating it out in the nets to ensure his return to the bowling crease at the earliest. "Crowe was the man Narine went to after being called for suspect action back in 2014-2015 and with him in the unit, it was but obvious that the two would try to correct his action to ensure that the spinner can return to bowling after being called in the game against Kings XI Punjab. They have been working overtime be it at the nets or while analysing angles with data analysts," the source explained. Crowe is Narine's sole option as the West Indian cannot go for a biomechanical analysis of his action at the ICC and BCCI accredited Sri Ramachandra Arthroscopy and Sports Sciences Centre (SRASSC) in Chennai as that would mean fresh quarantine period applying and would ultimately see Narine missing the remaining tournament. The spinner already sat out the game against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Sharjah on Monday. IPL released a statement when the on-field umpires reported the action. This statement read: The report was made by the on-field umpires according to the IPL’s Suspected Illegal Bowling Action Policy. Narine will be placed on the warning list and is permitted to continue to bowl in the tournament. Another report will result in Narine being suspended from bowling in the IPL 2020 until cleared by the BCCI Suspect Bowling Action Committee." To which KKR stated its own: "This came as a surprise to the franchise and Narine, considering he has played over 115 games in the IPL since 2012 and as many as 68 games since 2015, when he was last reported during the IPL season for a suspect action before being subsequently cleared completely by SRASSC, an ICC accredited facility." (Input from ANI)

IPL 2020: KKR's Sunil Narine sweats it out in the nets after being called for suspect action

Former Kings XI Punjab player Yuvraj Singh expressed his disappointment after KL Rahul and Co. suffered the sixth loss in the IPL 2020 (which is fifth in a row) against Kolkata Knight Riders.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2020-kolkata-knight-riders-win-another-humdinger-defeat-kxip-by-2-runs-334323" hreflang="en">IPL 2020: Kolkata Knight Riders win another humdinger, defeat KXIP by 2 runs</a>

The former India all-rounder took to Twitter and gave his opinion on Rahul's captaincy and congratulated Karthik for the win.&nbsp;

He tweeted: "That was a unbelievable result for @KKRiders! U cannot take the game so deep if your openers are set! Puts too much pressure on the middle order with no time to settle! Bad luck @lionsdenkxip #ipl2020 well played @RealShubmanGill, @mayankcricket!@DineshKarthik game changer!"

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
That was a unbelievable result for <a href="https://twitter.com/KKRiders?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KKRiders</a> ! U cannot take the game so deep if your openers are set ! Puts too much pressure on the middle order with no time to settle ! Bad luck <a href="https://twitter.com/lionsdenkxip?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@lionsdenkxip</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ipl2020?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ipl2020</a> well played <a href="https://twitter.com/RealShubmanGill?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RealShubmanGill</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/mayankcricket?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mayankcricket</a> !@DineshKarthik game changer!
— Yuvraj Singh (@YUVSTRONG12) <a href="https://twitter.com/YUVSTRONG12/status/1314929587202129922?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 10, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Kolkata Knight Riders continued their winning run as they defeated Kings XI Punjab by 2 runs in what was a proper humdinger in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020. With the win, KKR move to the third spot in the IPL 2020 points table whereas KXIP continues their stay at the bottom of the standings.&nbsp;

KKR used similar tactics which they applied against Chennai Super Kings to win the match similarly. Dinesh Karthik smartly used Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine to choke the KXIP batters in the second half of the chase after openers Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul stitched a 115-run stand.

While KXIP looked comfortable in their chase, KKR bowled brilliantly after the 10th over to get quick dismissals of Agarwal, Nicholas Pooran and Simran Singh to pile pressure on KXIP. KL Rahul, who was looking in fine touch lost his wicket in the 19th over.&nbsp;

While Glenn Maxwell smashed a couple of boundaries in the final over off Sunil Narine, KXIP fell short of two runs to register their fifth defeat of IPL 2020 in six matches.&nbsp;

KXIP will take on RCB in Sharjah on Thursday.&nbsp;

Former Kings XI Punjab player Yuvraj Singh expressed his disappointment after KL Rahul and Co. suffered the sixth loss in the IPL 2020 (which is fifth in a row) against Kolkata Knight Riders.

Former Kings XI Punjab player Yuvraj Singh expressed his disappointment after KL Rahul and Co. suffered the sixth loss in the IPL 2020 (which is fifth in a row) against Kolkata Knight Riders. Also read: IPL 2020: Kolkata Knight Riders win another humdinger, defeat KXIP by 2 runs The former India all-rounder took to Twitter and gave his opinion on Rahul's captaincy and congratulated Karthik for the win. He tweeted: "That was a unbelievable result for @KKRiders! U cannot take the game so deep if your openers are set! Puts too much pressure on the middle order with no time to settle! Bad luck @lionsdenkxip #ipl2020 well played @RealShubmanGill, @mayankcricket!@DineshKarthik game changer!" That was a unbelievable result for @KKRiders ! U cannot take the game so deep if your openers are set ! Puts too much pressure on the middle order with no time to settle ! Bad luck @lionsdenkxip #ipl2020 well played @RealShubmanGill @mayankcricket !@DineshKarthik game changer! — Yuvraj Singh (@YUVSTRONG12) October 10, 2020 × Kolkata Knight Riders continued their winning run as they defeated Kings XI Punjab by 2 runs in what was a proper humdinger in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020. With the win, KKR move to the third spot in the IPL 2020 points table whereas KXIP continues their stay at the bottom of the standings. KKR used similar tactics which they applied against Chennai Super Kings to win the match similarly. Dinesh Karthik smartly used Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine to choke the KXIP batters in the second half of the chase after openers Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul stitched a 115-run stand. While KXIP looked comfortable in their chase, KKR bowled brilliantly after the 10th over to get quick dismissals of Agarwal, Nicholas Pooran and Simran Singh to pile pressure on KXIP. KL Rahul, who was looking in fine touch lost his wicket in the 19th over. While Glenn Maxwell smashed a couple of boundaries in the final over off Sunil Narine, KXIP fell short of two runs to register their fifth defeat of IPL 2020 in six matches. KXIP will take on RCB in Sharjah on Thursday.

Yuvraj Singh reacts to Kings XI Punjab's sixth loss in IPL 2020

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