Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will be without the services of two of their key players when they take the field against Kolkata Knight Riders in the opening match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 on Saturday (March 26). CSK will be missing Indian pacer Deepak Chahar and England all-rounder Moeen Ali for the game.

While Chahar is still recovering from his injury and is expected to miss at least a couple of weeks of action for CSK, Ali is yet to receive his visa for India and is currently stuck in London. Despite having applied for the visa a long time back, Ali is yet to receive approval and leave for India to join the rest of the CSK squad ahead of the new season.

If Ali manages to land in India today (March 23) only then will he be able to feature in the playing XI for CSK in their opening game against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on March 26 (Saturday).&nbsp;All players are required to serve at least 3 days of isolation upon landing in their team hotel. Ali is thus likely to miss CSK's opener against Shreyas Iyer's men.

In the absence of Ali, CSK have a number of players on their roster who can take the England all-rounder's spot in the playing XI against KKR. Here is a look at three players who can take his spot in the side:

1) Mitchell Santner

New Zealand all-rounder Mitchell Santner can be a like-to-like replacement for Moeen&nbsp;Ali in the CSK line-up. While Robin Uthappa can take Ali's no.3 spot in the top-order, Santner can be slotted in the middle-order. He has been with CSK for quite some time now and is a great utility player who can contribute with both the bat and the ball.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-revenue-to-cross-inr-10-billion-mark-for-first-time-ever-confirms-bcci-secretary-jay-shah-464823">IPL revenue to cross INR 10-billion mark for first time ever, confirms BCCI Secretary Jay Shah</a>

2) Shivam Dube&nbsp;

Indian all-rounder Shivam Dube can also take Moeen's spot in the playing XI which will allow CSK to play four quality overseas players in the form of Devon Conway, Dwayne Bravo, Chris Jordan and Adam Milne all together. CSK can also include Sri Lankan spinner Maheesh Theekshana in place of Jordan.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/despite-bccis-intervention-moeen-ali-stranded-in-uk-due-to-visay-delay-likely-to-miss-csks-opener-vs-kkr-464759">Despite BCCI's intervention Moeen Ali stranded in UK due to visa delay, likely to miss CSK's opener vs KKR</a>

3) Chris Jordan&nbsp;

England pacer Chris Jordan can be an excellent option in the death overs for CSK and also swing his bat in the tail. Jordan can be CSK's fourth overseas player in the XI along with Conway, Bravo and Milne. Uthappa can bat at number three with Rayudu at 4 and Ravindra Jadeja at number five to allow Jordan to be included in the XI.

&nbsp;

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will be without the services of two of their key players when they take the field against Kolkata Knight Riders in the opening match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 on Saturday (March 26).

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will be without the services of two of their key players when they take the field against Kolkata Knight Riders in the opening match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 on Saturday (March 26). CSK will be missing Indian pacer Deepak Chahar and England all-rounder Moeen Ali for the game. While Chahar is still recovering from his injury and is expected to miss at least a couple of weeks of action for CSK, Ali is yet to receive his visa for India and is currently stuck in London. Despite having applied for the visa a long time back, Ali is yet to receive approval and leave for India to join the rest of the CSK squad ahead of the new season. If Ali manages to land in India today (March 23) only then will he be able to feature in the playing XI for CSK in their opening game against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on March 26 (Saturday). All players are required to serve at least 3 days of isolation upon landing in their team hotel. Ali is thus likely to miss CSK's opener against Shreyas Iyer's men. In the absence of Ali, CSK have a number of players on their roster who can take the England all-rounder's spot in the playing XI against KKR. Here is a look at three players who can take his spot in the side: 1) Mitchell Santner New Zealand all-rounder Mitchell Santner can be a like-to-like replacement for Moeen Ali in the CSK line-up. While Robin Uthappa can take Ali's no.3 spot in the top-order, Santner can be slotted in the middle-order. He has been with CSK for quite some time now and is a great utility player who can contribute with both the bat and the ball. Also Read: IPL revenue to cross INR 10-billion mark for first time ever, confirms BCCI Secretary Jay Shah 2) Shivam Dube Indian all-rounder Shivam Dube can also take Moeen's spot in the playing XI which will allow CSK to play four quality overseas players in the form of Devon Conway, Dwayne Bravo, Chris Jordan and Adam Milne all together. CSK can also include Sri Lankan spinner Maheesh Theekshana in place of Jordan. Also Read: Despite BCCI's intervention Moeen Ali stranded in UK due to visa delay, likely to miss CSK's opener vs KKR 3) Chris Jordan England pacer Chris Jordan can be an excellent option in the death overs for CSK and also swing his bat in the tail. Jordan can be CSK's fourth overseas player in the XI along with Conway, Bravo and Milne. Uthappa can bat at number three with Rayudu at 4 and Ravindra Jadeja at number five to allow Jordan to be included in the XI.

Moeen Ali likely to miss IPL 2022 opener: 3 CSK players who can replace England all-rounder against KKR

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) head coach Stephen Fleming said the IPL 2022 mega auction went as per their plans for the four-time champions. MS Dhoni &amp; Co. roped in a number of their former players back at the auction including the likes of Deepak Chahar, Dwayne Bravo, Ambati Rayudu and Robin Uthappa among others. CSK also bought a number of quality Indian youngsters, who are set to be groomed under Dhoni.

While Fleming admitted the franchise was sad about losing a couple of old players who they would have liked having back, the CSK head coach said the squad has a great mix of youth and experience. CSK had tried to get back both Faf du Plessis and Shardul Thakur but ended up missing out on their services at the mega auction.

"We are really happy it went according to plan. We lost a couple of players which we are a bit sad about but we have gained some real talent. We've got, this year, some good blend of experience and youth. So we're really excited about the way the auction went down," Fleming said speaking about CSK's auction in a video shared by the franchise.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2022-moeen-alis-availability-for-csks-opener-against-kkr-in-doubt-as-vissa-issue-delays-his-arrival-464016">Moeen Ali's availability for CSK's opener against KKR in doubt as visa issue delays his arrival</a> 
&nbsp;

CSK managed to rope in some quality overseas players at nominal prices at the mega auction in the form of the Kiwi trio of Mitchell Santner, Devon Conway and Adam Milne. While all-rounder Santner and fast bowler Milne were&nbsp;bought for Rs 1.9 crore (INR 19 million) each, Conway was a steal for CSK at Rs 1 crore (INR 10 million).

Speaking about the Kiwi trio, Fleming said CSK got them for cheap at the mega auction and that they are all quality players, who can impress for the team this season.

“Well, they came cheap so it was good. They are all very skilful players. Devon Conway has had a great couple of years internationally. Mitch has been a stalwart for us. And in Adam Milne, we have got a bit of pace. So all three of them have great credentials and a good skill set for us,” said the CSK head coach.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/not-virat-kohli-wasim-jaffer-names-indian-youngster-who-should-open-with-faf-du-plessis-for-rcb-in-ipl-2022-463973">Not Kohli! Wasim Jaffer names Indian youngster who should open with Faf du Plessis for RCB in IPL 2022</a>

While Conway is likely to open for CSK with youngster Ruturaj Gaikwad this season, Milne can be the pace spearhead for the side. Santner has also been a utility player for the Dhoni-led side and is likely to be used as a back-up all-rounder.

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) head coach Stephen Fleming said the IPL 2022 mega auction went as per their plans for the four-time champions. MS Dhoni & Co. roped in a number of their former players back at the auction including the likes of Deepak Chahar, Dwayne Bravo, Ambati Rayudu and Robin Uthappa among others.

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) head coach Stephen Fleming said the IPL 2022 mega auction went as per their plans for the four-time champions. MS Dhoni & Co. roped in a number of their former players back at the auction including the likes of Deepak Chahar, Dwayne Bravo, Ambati Rayudu and Robin Uthappa among others. CSK also bought a number of quality Indian youngsters, who are set to be groomed under Dhoni. While Fleming admitted the franchise was sad about losing a couple of old players who they would have liked having back, the CSK head coach said the squad has a great mix of youth and experience. CSK had tried to get back both Faf du Plessis and Shardul Thakur but ended up missing out on their services at the mega auction. "We are really happy it went according to plan. We lost a couple of players which we are a bit sad about but we have gained some real talent. We've got, this year, some good blend of experience and youth. So we're really excited about the way the auction went down," Fleming said speaking about CSK's auction in a video shared by the franchise. Also Read: Moeen Ali's availability for CSK's opener against KKR in doubt as visa issue delays his arrival CSK managed to rope in some quality overseas players at nominal prices at the mega auction in the form of the Kiwi trio of Mitchell Santner, Devon Conway and Adam Milne. While all-rounder Santner and fast bowler Milne were bought for Rs 1.9 crore (INR 19 million) each, Conway was a steal for CSK at Rs 1 crore (INR 10 million). Speaking about the Kiwi trio, Fleming said CSK got them for cheap at the mega auction and that they are all quality players, who can impress for the team this season. “Well, they came cheap so it was good. They are all very skilful players. Devon Conway has had a great couple of years internationally. Mitch has been a stalwart for us. And in Adam Milne, we have got a bit of pace. So all three of them have great credentials and a good skill set for us,” said the CSK head coach. Also Read: Not Kohli! Wasim Jaffer names Indian youngster who should open with Faf du Plessis for RCB in IPL 2022 While Conway is likely to open for CSK with youngster Ruturaj Gaikwad this season, Milne can be the pace spearhead for the side. Santner has also been a utility player for the Dhoni-led side and is likely to be used as a back-up all-rounder.

Stephen Fleming names three overseas stars who CSK got for cheap at IPL 2022 mega auction - WATCH

The IPL 2022 mega auction came to an end on Sunday evening (February 13). The two-day affair made the headlines as it saw many big players being sold for a whopping sum whereas some known faces went unsold. The domestic and relatively inexperienced campaigners also found some takers in the mega auction ahead of the IPL 2022 season.&nbsp;

The IPL 2021 champions and four-time winners MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) came into the mega auction with INR 480 million (INR 48 crore) in their purse. They had retained the likes of Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Moeen Ali. In the mega auction, CSK did miss out on signing&nbsp;or resigning&nbsp;some big names. However, they bought back fast-bowling all-rounders Deepak Chahar (INR 140 million), Dwayne Bravo, opener Robin Uthappa (INR 20 million), versatile batter Ambati Rayudu (INR 67.5 million)&nbsp;and spin-bowling all-rounder Mitchell Santner.

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/mumbai-indians-complete-squad-for-ipl-2022-ishan-kishan-jofra-archer-top-buys-for-rohit-sharma-co-453026">Mumbai Indians complete squad for IPL 2022: Ishan Kishan, Jofra Archer top buys for Rohit Sharma &amp; Co.</a>

Among the new buys, the Yellow Army roped in New Zealand opener Devon Conway (INR 10 million),&nbsp;acquired the services of Proteas all-rounder Dwaine Pretorious (INR 5 million) and went hard to add some unknown players as well -- such as Tushar Despande (INR 2 million), Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Maheesh Theekshana, Subhranshu Senapati, Mukesh Choudhary, Bhagat Varma, Prashant Solanki and C Hari Nishaanth -- to bolster their bench strength.&nbsp;

Among the big misses, CSK didn't go strongly after the likes of Ishan Kishan, David Warner, or pacer Kagiso Rabada and failed to re-sign Shardul Thakur and Faf du Plessis. The biggest name missing in their line-up is Chinna Thala Suresh Raina, also known as Mr. IPL. Raina has represented CSK since the tournament's inception, after playing for now-defunct Gujarat Lions (GL) in 2016 and 2017 editions, but saw his stocks going down considerably since 2018 to be left out.

CSK have considerably strengthened their all-round department with as many as over five players in the mix. Shivam Dube, who has joined the Dhoni-led brigade for INR 40 million (INR 4 crore), will add to their batting. On the other hand, Kiwi speedster Adam Milne (INR 19 million) and England's death-overs specialist Chris Jordan (INR 36 million) will also like to replicate ex-CSK pacers'&nbsp;success in the upcoming 2022 season.

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/nothing-more-dangerous-twitter-explodes-as-mi-include-jofra-archer-in-jasprit-bumrah-starrer-pace-attack-452996">Nothing more dangerous: Twitter explodes as MI include Jofra Archer in Jasprit Bumrah-starrer pace attack</a>

Complete squad for Dhoni-led CSK for IPL 2022:

Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (c &amp; wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Moeen Ali, Robin Uthappa, Ambati Rayudu, Devon Conway, Subhranshu Senapati, Hari Nishaanth, N Jagadeesan, Deepak Chahar, KM Asif, Tushar Deshpande, Maheesh Theekshana, Simarjeet Singh, Adam Milne, Mukesh Choudhary, Dwayne Bravo, Shivam Dube, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Dwaine Pretorius, Mitchell Santner, Prashant Solanki

Remaining purse: INR 29.5 million

The IPL 2022 mega auction came to an end on Sunday evening (February 13). The two-day affair made the headlines as it saw many big players being sold for a whopping sum whereas some known faces went unsold.

The IPL 2022 mega auction came to an end on Sunday evening (February 13). The two-day affair made the headlines as it saw many big players being sold for a whopping sum whereas some known faces went unsold. The domestic and relatively inexperienced campaigners also found some takers in the mega auction ahead of the IPL 2022 season. The IPL 2021 champions and four-time winners MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) came into the mega auction with INR 480 million (INR 48 crore) in their purse. They had retained the likes of Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Moeen Ali. In the mega auction, CSK did miss out on signing or resigning some big names. However, they bought back fast-bowling all-rounders Deepak Chahar (INR 140 million), Dwayne Bravo, opener Robin Uthappa (INR 20 million), versatile batter Ambati Rayudu (INR 67.5 million) and spin-bowling all-rounder Mitchell Santner. ALSO READ | Mumbai Indians complete squad for IPL 2022: Ishan Kishan, Jofra Archer top buys for Rohit Sharma & Co. Among the new buys, the Yellow Army roped in New Zealand opener Devon Conway (INR 10 million), acquired the services of Proteas all-rounder Dwaine Pretorious (INR 5 million) and went hard to add some unknown players as well -- such as Tushar Despande (INR 2 million), Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Maheesh Theekshana, Subhranshu Senapati, Mukesh Choudhary, Bhagat Varma, Prashant Solanki and C Hari Nishaanth -- to bolster their bench strength. Among the big misses, CSK didn't go strongly after the likes of Ishan Kishan, David Warner, or pacer Kagiso Rabada and failed to re-sign Shardul Thakur and Faf du Plessis. The biggest name missing in their line-up is Chinna Thala Suresh Raina, also known as Mr. IPL. Raina has represented CSK since the tournament's inception, after playing for now-defunct Gujarat Lions (GL) in 2016 and 2017 editions, but saw his stocks going down considerably since 2018 to be left out. CSK have considerably strengthened their all-round department with as many as over five players in the mix. Shivam Dube, who has joined the Dhoni-led brigade for INR 40 million (INR 4 crore), will add to their batting. On the other hand, Kiwi speedster Adam Milne (INR 19 million) and England's death-overs specialist Chris Jordan (INR 36 million) will also like to replicate ex-CSK pacers' success in the upcoming 2022 season. ALSO READ | Nothing more dangerous: Twitter explodes as MI include Jofra Archer in Jasprit Bumrah-starrer pace attack Complete squad for Dhoni-led CSK for IPL 2022: Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Moeen Ali, Robin Uthappa, Ambati Rayudu, Devon Conway, Subhranshu Senapati, Hari Nishaanth, N Jagadeesan, Deepak Chahar, KM Asif, Tushar Deshpande, Maheesh Theekshana, Simarjeet Singh, Adam Milne, Mukesh Choudhary, Dwayne Bravo, Shivam Dube, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Dwaine Pretorius, Mitchell Santner, Prashant Solanki Remaining purse: INR 29.5 million

Chennai Super Kings complete squad for IPL 2022: Deepak Chahar most expensive in Raina-less line-up

New Zealand host Bangladesh in the first Test match of 2022 at Mount Maunganui from Saturday. This will be New Zealand's first Test at home since being crowned World Champions in June. All-Rounder Mitchell Santner looks back on that triumph and a memorable year for the New Zealand team in this conversation with WION Sports Editor Digvijay Singh Deo.

WION EXCLUSIVE: A memorable 2021 for New Zealand Cricket

On December 20, the Amazon Prime Video made another giant leap as it announced&nbsp;that it will start exclusively streaming cricket matches. The popular OTT platform have forged a partnership with the New Zealand Cricket and will live stream matches of the Black Caps starting January 2022.

In an exclusive interaction with www.wionnews.com's Sports Editor Digvijay Singh Deo, spin-bowling all-rounder Mitchell Santner was thrilled to bits seeing the new alliance and said, "That's awesome. To see NZ cricket in another platform is outstanding. We have some diehard Indian fans who are keen to watch the Kiwis play Bangladesh at home, they can tune in early hours."

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/t20-world-cup-is-next-year-aakash-chopra-unimpressed-as-t20is-rescheduled-from-indias-tour-of-sa-438744">T20 World Cup is next year: Aakash Chopra unimpressed as T20Is rescheduled from India's tour of SA</a>

Further, Santner also opened up on India-NZ cricketing rivalry, which has been a talking point in the 22-yard cricket strip in recent times. With the NZC's matches now set to be live streamed on the OTT platform, the popularity of the Kiwis' line-up will be bolstered further. Hence, Santner spilled the beans on the Ind-NZ cricketing relations and said, "Yeah, it will only get better. We both fight pretty hard on the field but outside, everyone is pretty keen to sit down and have relaxing conversations (off the field). We are very lucky to play in the IPL and to share a change room with guys you have grown up watching is pretty cool. To play under MS Dhoni is been a massive one for me. To also bowl alongside Ravindra Jadeja is not a bad thing as well, being a left-arm spinner myself. "

Santner also recalled New Zealand's 2019 ODI World Cup final loss&nbsp;at the hands of England. While the contest was tied even in the Super Over, the Black Caps lost in terms of boundary count. Recalling how the Kiwis learned from their experience and used it to good effect to clinch the inaugural WTC finale, Santner said, "I think being there personally was very tough to swallow. you come so close....you can obviously look back at few different moments and can say 'this could have happened or that', but we channalised that (in the right way)&nbsp;and served as a motivation to be there and go one step further to beat India (in the WTC final). We were lucky enough to play two Tests against England (before the WTC finale) and was a big help as well."

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-is-no-1-league-but-akram-opines-on-indias-t20-wc-debacle-explains-why-they-need-to-think-back-438451">'IPL is No. 1 league but...': Akram opines on India's T20 WC debacle, explains why 'they need to think back'</a>

NZ's dream run continued in the 2021 T20 World Cup. The Black Caps lost their tournament-opener to Pakistan but defeated India, Afghanistan, Scotland, Namibia and England (in the semi-finals) to book a place in the summit clash, where they lost to Australia by 8 wickets.

Santner opened up on how NZ have become a dominant team across formats and have done exceedingly well in recent ICC tournaments. "I think the depth we have got at the moment is definitely better than what it has been in two years. We are quite confident of the players we have got. We had two big games in Pakistan and India (talking about the T20 WC journey), we knew if we could win one of the two, we could have got some momentum throughout the tournament as T20s is such a massive momentum game. The results have shown that it is going right for us," the 29-year-old concluded.

On December 20, the Amazon Prime Video made another giant leap as it announced that it will start exclusively streaming cricket matches. The popular OTT platform have forged a partnership with the New Zealand Cricket and will live stream matches of the Black Caps starting January 2022.

On December 20, the Amazon Prime Video made another giant leap as it announced that it will start exclusively streaming cricket matches. The popular OTT platform have forged a partnership with the New Zealand Cricket and will live stream matches of the Black Caps starting January 2022. In an exclusive interaction with www.wionnews.com's Sports Editor Digvijay Singh Deo, spin-bowling all-rounder Mitchell Santner was thrilled to bits seeing the new alliance and said, "That's awesome. To see NZ cricket in another platform is outstanding. We have some diehard Indian fans who are keen to watch the Kiwis play Bangladesh at home, they can tune in early hours." ALSO READ | T20 World Cup is next year: Aakash Chopra unimpressed as T20Is rescheduled from India's tour of SA Further, Santner also opened up on India-NZ cricketing rivalry, which has been a talking point in the 22-yard cricket strip in recent times. With the NZC's matches now set to be live streamed on the OTT platform, the popularity of the Kiwis' line-up will be bolstered further. Hence, Santner spilled the beans on the Ind-NZ cricketing relations and said, "Yeah, it will only get better. We both fight pretty hard on the field but outside, everyone is pretty keen to sit down and have relaxing conversations (off the field). We are very lucky to play in the IPL and to share a change room with guys you have grown up watching is pretty cool. To play under MS Dhoni is been a massive one for me. To also bowl alongside Ravindra Jadeja is not a bad thing as well, being a left-arm spinner myself. " Santner also recalled New Zealand's 2019 ODI World Cup final loss at the hands of England. While the contest was tied even in the Super Over, the Black Caps lost in terms of boundary count. Recalling how the Kiwis learned from their experience and used it to good effect to clinch the inaugural WTC finale, Santner said, "I think being there personally was very tough to swallow. you come so close....you can obviously look back at few different moments and can say 'this could have happened or that', but we channalised that (in the right way) and served as a motivation to be there and go one step further to beat India (in the WTC final). We were lucky enough to play two Tests against England (before the WTC finale) and was a big help as well." ALSO READ | 'IPL is No. 1 league but...': Akram opines on India's T20 WC debacle, explains why 'they need to think back' NZ's dream run continued in the 2021 T20 World Cup. The Black Caps lost their tournament-opener to Pakistan but defeated India, Afghanistan, Scotland, Namibia and England (in the semi-finals) to book a place in the summit clash, where they lost to Australia by 8 wickets. Santner opened up on how NZ have become a dominant team across formats and have done exceedingly well in recent ICC tournaments. "I think the depth we have got at the moment is definitely better than what it has been in two years. We are quite confident of the players we have got. We had two big games in Pakistan and India (talking about the T20 WC journey), we knew if we could win one of the two, we could have got some momentum throughout the tournament as T20s is such a massive momentum game. The results have shown that it is going right for us," the 29-year-old concluded.

EXCLUSIVE | We fight hard on field but have relaxing conversations off it, says Santner on India-NZ rivalry

On Monday (December 20), the Amazon Prime Video made another giant leap as it announced&nbsp;that it will start exclusively streaming cricket matches. The popular OTT platform have forged a partnership with the New Zealand Cricket and will live stream matches of the Black Caps starting January 2022.

In an exclusive interaction with www.wionnews.com's Sports Editor Digvijay Singh Deo, spin-bowling all-rounder Mitchell Santner was thrilled to bits seeing the new alliance and said, "That's awesome. To see NZ cricket in another platform is outstanding. We have some diehard Indian fans who are keen to watch the Kiwis play Bangladesh at home, they can tune in early hours."

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/t20-world-cup-is-next-year-aakash-chopra-unimpressed-as-t20is-rescheduled-from-indias-tour-of-sa-438744">T20 World Cup is next year: Aakash Chopra unimpressed as T20Is rescheduled from India's tour of SA</a>

Further, Santner also opened up on India-NZ cricketing rivalry, which has been a talking point in the 22-yard cricket strip in recent times. With the NZC's matches now set to be live streamed on the OTT platform, the popularity of the Kiwis' line-up will be bolstered further. Hence, Santner spilled the beans on the Ind-NZ cricketing relations and said, "Yeah, it will only get better. We both fight pretty hard on the field but outside, everyone is pretty keen to sit down and have relaxing conversations (off the field). We are very lucky to play in the IPL and to share a change room with guys you have grown up watching is pretty cool. To play under MS Dhoni is been a massive one for me. To also bowl alongside Ravindra Jadeja is not a bad thing as well, being a left-arm spinner myself. "

Santner also recalled New Zealand's 2019 ODI World Cup final loss&nbsp;at the hands of England. While the contest was tied even in the Super Over, the Black Caps lost in terms of boundary count. Recalling how the Kiwis learned from their experience and used it to win the inaugural WTC finale, Santner said, "I think being there personally was very tough to swallow. you come so close....you can obviously look back at few different moments and can say 'this could have happened or that', but we channalised that (in the right way)&nbsp;and served as a motivation to be there and go one step further to beat India (in the WTC final). We were lucky enough to play two Tests against England (before the WTC finale) and was a big help as well."

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-is-no-1-league-but-akram-opines-on-indias-t20-wc-debacle-explains-why-they-need-to-think-back-438451">'IPL is No. 1 league but...': Akram opines on India's T20 WC debacle, explains why 'they need to think back'</a>

NZ's dream run continued in the 2021 T20 World Cup. The Black Caps lost their tournament-opener to Pakistan but defeated India, Afghanistan, Scotland, Namibia and England (in the semi-finals) to book a place in the summit clash, where they lost to Australia by 8 wickets.

Santner opened up on how NZ have become a dominant team across formats and have done exceedingly well in recent ICC tournaments. "I think the depth we have got at the moment is definitely better than what it has been in two years. We are quite confident of the players we have got. We had two big games in Pakistan and India (talking about the T20 WC journey), we knew if we could win one of the two, we could have got some momentum throughout the tournament as T20s is such a massive momentum game. The results have shown that it is going right for us," he stated.

On Monday (December 20), the Amazon Prime Video made another giant leap as it announced that it will start exclusively streaming cricket matches. The popular OTT platform have forged a partnership with the New Zealand Cricket and will live stream matches of the Black Caps starting January 2022.

On Monday (December 20), the Amazon Prime Video made another giant leap as it announced that it will start exclusively streaming cricket matches. The popular OTT platform have forged a partnership with the New Zealand Cricket and will live stream matches of the Black Caps starting January 2022. In an exclusive interaction with www.wionnews.com's Sports Editor Digvijay Singh Deo, spin-bowling all-rounder Mitchell Santner was thrilled to bits seeing the new alliance and said, "That's awesome. To see NZ cricket in another platform is outstanding. We have some diehard Indian fans who are keen to watch the Kiwis play Bangladesh at home, they can tune in early hours." ALSO READ | T20 World Cup is next year: Aakash Chopra unimpressed as T20Is rescheduled from India's tour of SA Further, Santner also opened up on India-NZ cricketing rivalry, which has been a talking point in the 22-yard cricket strip in recent times. With the NZC's matches now set to be live streamed on the OTT platform, the popularity of the Kiwis' line-up will be bolstered further. Hence, Santner spilled the beans on the Ind-NZ cricketing relations and said, "Yeah, it will only get better. We both fight pretty hard on the field but outside, everyone is pretty keen to sit down and have relaxing conversations (off the field). We are very lucky to play in the IPL and to share a change room with guys you have grown up watching is pretty cool. To play under MS Dhoni is been a massive one for me. To also bowl alongside Ravindra Jadeja is not a bad thing as well, being a left-arm spinner myself. " Santner also recalled New Zealand's 2019 ODI World Cup final loss at the hands of England. While the contest was tied even in the Super Over, the Black Caps lost in terms of boundary count. Recalling how the Kiwis learned from their experience and used it to win the inaugural WTC finale, Santner said, "I think being there personally was very tough to swallow. you come so close....you can obviously look back at few different moments and can say 'this could have happened or that', but we channalised that (in the right way) and served as a motivation to be there and go one step further to beat India (in the WTC final). We were lucky enough to play two Tests against England (before the WTC finale) and was a big help as well." ALSO READ | 'IPL is No. 1 league but...': Akram opines on India's T20 WC debacle, explains why 'they need to think back' NZ's dream run continued in the 2021 T20 World Cup. The Black Caps lost their tournament-opener to Pakistan but defeated India, Afghanistan, Scotland, Namibia and England (in the semi-finals) to book a place in the summit clash, where they lost to Australia by 8 wickets. Santner opened up on how NZ have become a dominant team across formats and have done exceedingly well in recent ICC tournaments. "I think the depth we have got at the moment is definitely better than what it has been in two years. We are quite confident of the players we have got. We had two big games in Pakistan and India (talking about the T20 WC journey), we knew if we could win one of the two, we could have got some momentum throughout the tournament as T20s is such a massive momentum game. The results have shown that it is going right for us," he stated.

EXCLUSIVE | We fight hard on field but have relaxing conversations off it: Santner on India-NZ rivalry

Team India had a flawless outing in the third and final T20I versus New Zealand on Sunday evening (November 21) at the iconic Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Rohit Sharma-led India walked into the final encounter with an unassailable 2-0 lead and aimed for a whitewash. The Men in Blue succeeded in clean sweeping the Kiwis as they won the last T20I by a whopping 73-run margin.

Opting to bat first, Rohit-led India posted a competitive 184-7, riding on skipper's 56 and vital contributions from Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Venkatesh Iyer, Harshal Patel and Deepak Chahar. In reply, NZ folded for a paltry 111 in 17.2 overs as none apart from Martin Guptill (51) looked comfortable in the middle. Hence, India had a clinical game with all their departments contributing in the win.

In terms of fielding, the hosts were right on the money as well. Ishan Kishan, who usually dons the wicketkeeper's gloves, inflicted a direct hit from the deep to dismiss stand-in captain Mitchell Santner. Ishan's efforts was lauded by the spectators whereas newly-appointed head coach Rahul Dravid gave a pat on the back of fielding coach T Dilip, who has succeeded R Sridhar. Check out the video:

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/virat-kohli-often-let-ms-dhoni-handle-bharat-arun-opines-on-smooth-captaincy-transition-between-duo-431347">'Virat Kohli often let MS Dhoni handle...': Bharat Arun opines on smooth captaincy transition between duo</a>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<a href="https://t.co/2lbE7v454f">pic.twitter.com/2lbE7v454f</a>
— pant shirt fc (@pant_fc) <a href="https://twitter.com/pant_fc/status/1462650685959204865?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 22, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/team-indias-limited-overs-specialist-suryakumar-yadav-likely-to-join-test-squad-for-nz-series-report-431253">Team India's limited-overs specialist Suryakumar Yadav likely to join Test squad for NZ series: Report</a>

After a terrific T20I series, the Indian team will now shift their focus to the two-match Test series versus the Black Caps. The series opener will be held in Kanpur from November 25 whereas the second and final Test will be held in Mumbai, from December 3.

India's squad for the 1st Test is as follows:

Ajinkya Rahane (Captain), KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara (vice-captain), Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper), KS Bharat (wicket-keeper), Ravindra Jadeja, R. Ashwin, Axar Patel, Jayant Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Md. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna

The big guns such as regular captain Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant, etc. are expected to return to the squad for the final Test.

Team India had a flawless outing in the third and final T20I versus New Zealand on Sunday evening (November 21) at the iconic Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Rohit Sharma-led India walked into the final encounter with an unassailable 2-0 lead and aimed for a whitewash.

Team India had a flawless outing in the third and final T20I versus New Zealand on Sunday evening (November 21) at the iconic Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Rohit Sharma-led India walked into the final encounter with an unassailable 2-0 lead and aimed for a whitewash. The Men in Blue succeeded in clean sweeping the Kiwis as they won the last T20I by a whopping 73-run margin. Opting to bat first, Rohit-led India posted a competitive 184-7, riding on skipper's 56 and vital contributions from Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Venkatesh Iyer, Harshal Patel and Deepak Chahar. In reply, NZ folded for a paltry 111 in 17.2 overs as none apart from Martin Guptill (51) looked comfortable in the middle. Hence, India had a clinical game with all their departments contributing in the win. In terms of fielding, the hosts were right on the money as well. Ishan Kishan, who usually dons the wicketkeeper's gloves, inflicted a direct hit from the deep to dismiss stand-in captain Mitchell Santner. Ishan's efforts was lauded by the spectators whereas newly-appointed head coach Rahul Dravid gave a pat on the back of fielding coach T Dilip, who has succeeded R Sridhar. Check out the video: ALSO READ | 'Virat Kohli often let MS Dhoni handle...': Bharat Arun opines on smooth captaincy transition between duo pic.twitter.com/2lbE7v454f — pant shirt fc (@pant_fc) November 22, 2021 × ALSO READ | Team India's limited-overs specialist Suryakumar Yadav likely to join Test squad for NZ series: Report After a terrific T20I series, the Indian team will now shift their focus to the two-match Test series versus the Black Caps. The series opener will be held in Kanpur from November 25 whereas the second and final Test will be held in Mumbai, from December 3. India's squad for the 1st Test is as follows: Ajinkya Rahane (Captain), KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara (vice-captain), Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper), KS Bharat (wicket-keeper), Ravindra Jadeja, R. Ashwin, Axar Patel, Jayant Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Md. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna The big guns such as regular captain Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant, etc. are expected to return to the squad for the final Test.

WATCH: Rahul Dravid applauds fielding coach after Ishan Kishan's direct hit dismisses NZ's Mitchell Santner

New&nbsp;Zealand&nbsp;has suffered yet another&nbsp;injury&nbsp;blow on their tour of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/cricket-marnus-labuschagne-hits-double-ton-in-australias-454-in-sydney-test-272047">Australia</a> on Saturday after confirmation that bowler <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/cricket-fast-bowler-ferguson-gets-new-zealand-test-call-262318">Matt&nbsp;Henry</a>&nbsp;broke his left thumb on the opening day of the third test.

The right-arm seamer will&nbsp;continue&nbsp;to bowl in the test, which the tourists must at least draw to avoid a 3-0 series whitewash, but whether he bats will depend on "match conditions",&nbsp;New&nbsp;Zealand&nbsp;Cricket said.

The Blacks Caps lost <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/cricket-smith-strikes-a-blow-against-new-zealand-on-boxing-day-270526">Lockie Ferguson</a> to&nbsp;injury&nbsp;in the first test and another pace bowler, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/cricket-nz-spinner-somerville-replaces-injured-boult-in-sydney-test-270920">Trent Boult</a>, in the second, while <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/australia-beat-new-zealand-by-296-runs-to-win-first-test-in-perth-268378">Tim Southee</a> was dropped for the third to make way for&nbsp;Henry.

Captain <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/cricket-new-zealand-sweat-on-ailing-williamson-and-nicholls-271562">Kane Williamson</a>, batsman&nbsp;Henry&nbsp;Nicholls and spinner Mitchell Santner were also ruled out of the third test by a bout of flu.

New Zealand has suffered yet another injury blow on their tour of Australia on Saturday after confirmation that bowler Matt Henry broke his left thumb on the opening day of the third test.

New Zealand has suffered yet another injury blow on their tour of Australia on Saturday after confirmation that bowler Matt Henry broke his left thumb on the opening day of the third test. The right-arm seamer will continue to bowl in the test, which the tourists must at least draw to avoid a 3-0 series whitewash, but whether he bats will depend on "match conditions", New Zealand Cricket said. The Blacks Caps lost Lockie Ferguson to injury in the first test and another pace bowler, Trent Boult, in the second, while Tim Southee was dropped for the third to make way for Henry. Captain Kane Williamson, batsman Henry Nicholls and spinner Mitchell Santner were also ruled out of the third test by a bout of flu.

Aus vs NZ: New Zealand woes continue with bowler Matt Henry injury

Top all-rounders to watch out for in Cricket World Cup 2019

New Zealand's Mitchell Santner admitted that his team could not read the pitch properly and missed the services of a second spinner against Pakistan in Wednesday's World Cup match.

Santner said the Kiwis thought the wicket would suit pace bowlers at Edgbaston.

"Obviously, there was a bit of turn out there, probably more than we thought there would be. Obviously at the toss, only going with one spinner, we thought it might be a bit better than that," Santner said.

In the absence of legspinner Ish Sodhi, New Zealand went with the part-time off-spin of skipper Kane Willaimson, who returned with figures of 1-39.

The Kiwis were visibly helpless and frustrated as they could not break the 126-run stand between Haris Sohail and<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/world-cup-babar-azam-says-belief-is-key-for-pakistan-230779"> Babar Azam</a> until the penultimate over when it was too late as Pakistan needed just two runs off 10 balls.

Santner, however, credited <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/pakistan-on-identical-1992-world-cup-path-after-beating-new-zealand-230750">Pakistan's </a>batting in the middle overs.

He also lauded the match-winning partnership between Haris and Babar.

"It's the spinner's role to take wickets on a surface like that but I think credit has to go to the way Pakistan batted throughout the middle. That partnership through the middle there was pretty special. There were a couple of chances there but it's about trying to build up pressure from both ends and stuff like that, but the way they were able to manipulate the field, and get their ones, when you're only chasing 230, is the way to go about it," Santner said.

On the third ball of the 49th over, Haris fell short of his ground as Martin Guptill ran him out.

However, on the first ball of the last over, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/world-cup-pakistan-keep-semi-final-hopes-alive-after-defeating-new-zealand-by-six-wickets-230695">Pakistan </a>skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed hit the winning boundary in a match that was must-win for the Men in Green.

"I think we fought pretty well to the end and I guess they only got it in the last over. It was obviously a tough surface and we just had to stick at it. If we could put a couple on it, a couple of wickets on throughout that chase it might have been a little bit different," he said.

Had New Zealand won the match they would have booked their spot in the semi-finals.

The Kiwis would aim to beat Australia on June 29 at Lord's to enter the knock-out stage.

New Zealand's Mitchell Santner admitted that his team could not read the pitch properly and missed the services of a second spinner against Pakistan in Wednesday's World Cup match.

New Zealand's Mitchell Santner admitted that his team could not read the pitch properly and missed the services of a second spinner against Pakistan in Wednesday's World Cup match. Santner said the Kiwis thought the wicket would suit pace bowlers at Edgbaston. "Obviously, there was a bit of turn out there, probably more than we thought there would be. Obviously at the toss, only going with one spinner, we thought it might be a bit better than that," Santner said. In the absence of legspinner Ish Sodhi, New Zealand went with the part-time off-spin of skipper Kane Willaimson, who returned with figures of 1-39. The Kiwis were visibly helpless and frustrated as they could not break the 126-run stand between Haris Sohail and Babar Azam until the penultimate over when it was too late as Pakistan needed just two runs off 10 balls. Santner, however, credited Pakistan's batting in the middle overs. He also lauded the match-winning partnership between Haris and Babar. "It's the spinner's role to take wickets on a surface like that but I think credit has to go to the way Pakistan batted throughout the middle. That partnership through the middle there was pretty special. There were a couple of chances there but it's about trying to build up pressure from both ends and stuff like that, but the way they were able to manipulate the field, and get their ones, when you're only chasing 230, is the way to go about it," Santner said. On the third ball of the 49th over, Haris fell short of his ground as Martin Guptill ran him out. However, on the first ball of the last over, Pakistan skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed hit the winning boundary in a match that was must-win for the Men in Green. "I think we fought pretty well to the end and I guess they only got it in the last over. It was obviously a tough surface and we just had to stick at it. If we could put a couple on it, a couple of wickets on throughout that chase it might have been a little bit different," he said. Had New Zealand won the match they would have booked their spot in the semi-finals. The Kiwis would aim to beat Australia on June 29 at Lord's to enter the knock-out stage.

World Cup: Needed a second spinner, says Mitchell Santner after loss to Pakistan

Pakistan bowling coach Azhar Mahmood questioned New Zealand's ability to win the biggest matches ahead of World Cup clash in Birmingham, while Mitchell Santner said New Zealand could not afford to take "dangerous" Pakistan lightly.

Pakistan have a good record in matches between the two sides, winning six of their eight World Cup encounters, including semi-final victories in 1992 and in the 1999 edition, also in England. 
 
Kane Williamson's side are undefeated at the tournament in England and Wales, with five wins in six games, plus one no result.

In contrast, <a href="http://13.232.42.114/sports/world-cup-wanted-to-commit-suicide-mickey-arthur-after-pakistans-defeat-against-india-230449">Pakistan </a>must win the match at Edgbaston if they are to maintain a realistic chance of reaching the semi-finals after a poor start to the tournament.

Mahmood, a former all-rounder who played in three World Cups for Pakistan, said New Zealand had a good record early in tournaments but often wilted under pressure at the business end.

"New Zealand's history is such that they get there winning, winning and then when a crunch situation comes up, in the semi-final, or quarter-final, they don't do that well," Mahmood said on Tuesday.

"It can happen to any team. Everyone has to have a bad day. Hopefully New Zealand have it tomorrow," Mahmood said.

Mahmood praised in-form paceman Mohammad Amir, who has taken 15 wickets in five matches.

"His skills and ability have always been exceptional," added&nbsp;Mahmood.&nbsp; 
 
Mitchell Santner said <a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/sports/world-cup-new-zealands-fiery-ferguson-eager-to-unsettle-west-indies-big-hitters-229435&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiMtou-uobjAhUJKo8KHenPBhEQFjAFegQIAxAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw0H0Z-4JijpDn086p-g7lpu">New Zealand</a> could not afford to take "dangerous" Pakistan lightly as they attempt to seal their place in the World Cup semi-finals in Birmingham.

Unbeaten New Zealand have 11 points from five victories and a rained-off game while Pakistan must win to keep alive their chances of qualifying for the last four.

Santner praised Pakistan's varied bowling attack.

"Their bowling attack, on the whole, is very good. They've got some very good seam bowlers as well as spin bowlers. We're aware of their strengths, and I think Wahab (Riaz) back into their team is very good for them.(Mohammad) Amir is bowling very well as well," said Santner.

"When they're hot, they're really hot. We have to, obviously, find ways of trying to cool them down when they're like that," Santner added.&nbsp;

Santner said Pakistan, who have lost three matches at the World Cup so far, had the ability to raise their game despite their troubles.

"They took down England and took down South Africa the other day," he said.

Pakistan bowling coach Azhar Mahmood questioned New Zealand's ability to win the biggest matches ahead of World Cup clash in Birmingham, while Mitchell Santner said New Zealand could not afford to take "dangerous" Pakistan lightly.

Pakistan bowling coach Azhar Mahmood questioned New Zealand's ability to win the biggest matches ahead of World Cup clash in Birmingham, while Mitchell Santner said New Zealand could not afford to take "dangerous" Pakistan lightly. Pakistan have a good record in matches between the two sides, winning six of their eight World Cup encounters, including semi-final victories in 1992 and in the 1999 edition, also in England. Kane Williamson's side are undefeated at the tournament in England and Wales, with five wins in six games, plus one no result. In contrast, Pakistan must win the match at Edgbaston if they are to maintain a realistic chance of reaching the semi-finals after a poor start to the tournament. Mahmood, a former all-rounder who played in three World Cups for Pakistan, said New Zealand had a good record early in tournaments but often wilted under pressure at the business end. "New Zealand's history is such that they get there winning, winning and then when a crunch situation comes up, in the semi-final, or quarter-final, they don't do that well," Mahmood said on Tuesday. "It can happen to any team. Everyone has to have a bad day. Hopefully New Zealand have it tomorrow," Mahmood said. Mahmood praised in-form paceman Mohammad Amir, who has taken 15 wickets in five matches. "His skills and ability have always been exceptional," added Mahmood. Mitchell Santner said New Zealand could not afford to take "dangerous" Pakistan lightly as they attempt to seal their place in the World Cup semi-finals in Birmingham. Unbeaten New Zealand have 11 points from five victories and a rained-off game while Pakistan must win to keep alive their chances of qualifying for the last four. Santner praised Pakistan's varied bowling attack. "Their bowling attack, on the whole, is very good. They've got some very good seam bowlers as well as spin bowlers. We're aware of their strengths, and I think Wahab (Riaz) back into their team is very good for them.(Mohammad) Amir is bowling very well as well," said Santner. "When they're hot, they're really hot. We have to, obviously, find ways of trying to cool them down when they're like that," Santner added. Santner said Pakistan, who have lost three matches at the World Cup so far, had the ability to raise their game despite their troubles. "They took down England and took down South Africa the other day," he said.

World Cup: Pakistan face battle of survival against unbeaten New Zealand

Mitchell Santner, playing only his second Cricket World Cup match, needed his steely nerves to shut out the noise from the large Bangladesh crowd at the Oval and guide <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/new-zealand-beat-bangladesh-by-two-wickets-in-cricket-world-cup-224798">New Zealand to victory</a> on Wednesday.

The 27-year-old bespectacled all-rounder, who arrived at the crease with his side in danger of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, held the tail together and hit the winning runs with 17 balls remaining in the match.

Santner scored an unbeaten 17 off 12 balls and ensured the Black Caps advanced from 218-6 through to their 245-run target with his lofted off-drive from Mustafizur Rahman taking them past Bangladesh's total for two crucial competition points.

"Bangladesh were on top there for a while and you can hear it through the crowd," Santner told reporters.

"I think a big thing is communication between you and your partner. We were just trying to keep it about playing ball by ball. If they bowl a good ball then you can just try and get your ones and twos and go from there," Santner said.

Kane Williamson's side restricted the Tigers to 244 and with Williamson (40) and Ross Taylor (82) taking them through to 160-2 in the 32nd over, the 2015 World Cup finalists looked on course for an easy win.

Bangladesh's slow bowlers, however, fought back as New Zealand lost wickets at crucial junctures until Santner's 20-run stand with Matt Henry pushed them to the cusp of victory.

"I thought we were cruising there for a while, we were going to get that two or three down. But credit to the way Bangladesh bowled, they kept fighting to the end," Santner said.

It was not the first time that Santner demonstrated his calmness under pressure in one-day internationals.

Last year he smashed 45 not out from 27 balls to guide <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/live-updates-cricket-world-cup-2019-match-9-bangladesh-vs-new-zealand-224576">New Zealand</a> to a three-wicket win in Hamilton against England and followed that up with scores of 63 not out in a six-wicket loss at Mt. Maunganui.

His run out for 41 in the next game in Wellington probably cost the hosts a win in the five-run loss while he top-scored again with 67 in the fifth game against Eoin Morgan's side.

"You want to perform on the biggest stage and there's none bigger than the World Cup," said the left-arm spinner, who missed most of 2018 with a knee injury.

"It was nice to get the boys over the line. It got a bit tighter than we would have liked but we'll take the win and move on to the next game," Santner said.

Mitchell Santner, playing only his second Cricket World Cup match, needed his steely nerves to shut out the noise from the large Bangladesh crowd at the Oval and guide New Zealand to victory on Wednesday.

Mitchell Santner, playing only his second Cricket World Cup match, needed his steely nerves to shut out the noise from the large Bangladesh crowd at the Oval and guide New Zealand to victory on Wednesday. The 27-year-old bespectacled all-rounder, who arrived at the crease with his side in danger of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, held the tail together and hit the winning runs with 17 balls remaining in the match. Santner scored an unbeaten 17 off 12 balls and ensured the Black Caps advanced from 218-6 through to their 245-run target with his lofted off-drive from Mustafizur Rahman taking them past Bangladesh's total for two crucial competition points. "Bangladesh were on top there for a while and you can hear it through the crowd," Santner told reporters. "I think a big thing is communication between you and your partner. We were just trying to keep it about playing ball by ball. If they bowl a good ball then you can just try and get your ones and twos and go from there," Santner said. Kane Williamson's side restricted the Tigers to 244 and with Williamson (40) and Ross Taylor (82) taking them through to 160-2 in the 32nd over, the 2015 World Cup finalists looked on course for an easy win. Bangladesh's slow bowlers, however, fought back as New Zealand lost wickets at crucial junctures until Santner's 20-run stand with Matt Henry pushed them to the cusp of victory. "I thought we were cruising there for a while, we were going to get that two or three down. But credit to the way Bangladesh bowled, they kept fighting to the end," Santner said. It was not the first time that Santner demonstrated his calmness under pressure in one-day internationals. Last year he smashed 45 not out from 27 balls to guide New Zealand to a three-wicket win in Hamilton against England and followed that up with scores of 63 not out in a six-wicket loss at Mt. Maunganui. His run out for 41 in the next game in Wellington probably cost the hosts a win in the five-run loss while he top-scored again with 67 in the fifth game against Eoin Morgan's side. "You want to perform on the biggest stage and there's none bigger than the World Cup," said the left-arm spinner, who missed most of 2018 with a knee injury. "It was nice to get the boys over the line. It got a bit tighter than we would have liked but we'll take the win and move on to the next game," Santner said.

World Cup: Ice-cold Mitchell Santner showcases finishing ability, takes New Zealand past Bangladesh

Indian Premier League&#39;s (IPL) widely celebrated franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK) were dealt with a big blow, days ahead of the 11th edition of the tournament.

The franchise, which is making a comeback after being suspended for two years, is seeking a replacement for New Zealand spinner Mitchell Santner after he was ruled out of the tournament due to a knee injury.

Santner, who was bought for Rs 50 lakh at IPL 2018 auctions, was seen as an important player for the Yellow Brigade, as the team will already be without the services of R Ashwin, who has been appointed as the new skipper of Kings XI Punjab.

Santner will undergo a knee surgery and will miss out on the upcoming Test series against England followed by the Indian Premier League.&nbsp;

As per media reports, the spinner could be out of cricketing action for six to nine months.

&quot;Mitchell is a key player in all three formats for us, so we&#39;ll certainly miss him in the upcoming series,&quot; coach Mike Hesson said.

&quot;It&#39;s important though that he gets this fixed and we have him back for what is a big next 18 months for us.&quot;

After Santner ruling, the two-time champions have Harbhajan Singh and Imran Tahir as the only two reputed spinners in the Indian squad with Ravindra Jadeja, who was one of the first three key players retained by CSK.

MS Dhoni and his team will take on defending champions Mumbai Indians in the opening match of the tournament at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on April 7.

Indian Premier League's (IPL) widely celebrated franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK) were dealt with a big blow, days ahead of the 11th edition of the tournament. The franchise, which is making a comeback after being suspended for two years, is seeking a replacement for New Zealand spinner Mitchell Santner after he was ruled out of the tournament due to a knee injury. Santner, who was bought for Rs 50 lakh at IPL 2018 auctions, was seen as an important player for the Yellow Brigade, as the team will already be without the services of R Ashwin, who has been appointed as the new skipper of Kings XI Punjab. Santner will undergo a knee surgery and will miss out on the upcoming Test series against England followed by the Indian Premier League. As per media reports, the spinner could be out of cricketing action for six to nine months. "Mitchell is a key player in all three formats for us, so we'll certainly miss him in the upcoming series," coach Mike Hesson said. "It's important though that he gets this fixed and we have him back for what is a big next 18 months for us." After Santner ruling, the two-time champions have Harbhajan Singh and Imran Tahir as the only two reputed spinners in the Indian squad with Ravindra Jadeja, who was one of the first three key players retained by CSK. MS Dhoni and his team will take on defending champions Mumbai Indians in the opening match of the tournament at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on April 7.

IPL 2018: CSK's Mitchell Santner ruled out of the tournament due to knee injury

New Zealand won the toss and elected to bowl against Pakistan in the first of three matches between T20I in Wellington on Monday.

Pakistan is currently under immense pressure as its top batting order was smashed&nbsp;and New Zealand bowlers restricted them at a total of 105 runs.

Tim Southee got his first wicket in the second over and saw off Fakhar Zaman, later he took Mohammad Nawaz&#39;s (7) and Faheem Ashraf&#39;s (7) wicket in the fourth and fourteenth over respectively.

Besides Tim Southee, Seth Rance also destroyed Pakistani line up by taking three wickets of Umar Amin (0), Hasan Ali (23) and Mohammad Amir (3). Anaru Kitchen got one wicket of Haris Sohail (9).

In the last over, Colin Munro&nbsp;got Babar Azam&#39;s wicket.

Babar Azam&nbsp;scored 41 runs for the team and tried to push the run rate before Munro got him out in the hands of Tom Bruce.

Babar found a determined ally in Hasan Ali and together they made 30 runs at a very crucial point but the latter lost his wicket to Seth Rance in the 17th over.

Adding to the destruction, Mitchell Santner out bowled Sarfraz Ahmed and the next ball was caught behind for a golden duck claiming Shadab Khan&#39;s wicket that ends Pakistan&#39;s every possible hope of resurrection.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Anaru Kitchen is in the middle of everything in Wellington! 
Two early catches and now a wicket as the dangerous Haris Sohail picks out Guptill at cover. Pakistan 24-4 after the opening 6 over PP. Card | <a href="https://t.co/MgHaD9EmkS">https://t.co/MgHaD9EmkS</a> &hellip; <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NZvPAK?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NZvPAK</a> <a href="https://t.co/YW7NYxoeE7">pic.twitter.com/YW7NYxoeE7</a>
&mdash; BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) <a href="https://twitter.com/BLACKCAPS/status/955281508188618753?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

Blackcaps are already on a high having just swept the one-day series against Pakistan and are backing themselves to continue that form as they switch to the shortest form of the game.

However, they suffered a setback hours before the match when captain Kane Williamson was withdrawn as a precautionary measure after complaining of a tight thigh.&nbsp;

Stand-in skipper Tim Southee said it was &quot;not a typical&quot; wicket at Westpac Stadium but he opted to bowl &quot;as hopefully, we will get something out of it early on.&quot;

New Zealand is resting fast bowlers Trent Boult and Lockie Ferguson for the match.

Pakistan will be without Shoaib Malik who is out of the series after a delayed concussion suffered during the fourth ODI.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
The BLACKCAPS have won the toss and opted to bowl first at Westpac Stadium! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/nzvpak?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#nzvpak</a> <a href="https://t.co/W8fMwT4oNu">pic.twitter.com/W8fMwT4oNu</a>
&mdash; BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) <a href="https://twitter.com/BLACKCAPS/status/955266962161979393?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

Squad:

New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Glenn Phillips, Tom Bruce, Ross Taylor, Anaru Kitchen, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee (capt), Ish Sodhi, Seth Rance.

Pakistan: Umar Amin, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Sohail, Sarfraz Ahmed, Babar Azam, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashradf, Mohammad Nawaz, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Amir, Rumman Raees.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

New Zealand requires 106 runs to win the first match of T20I series

New Zealand won the toss and elected to bowl against Pakistan in the first of three matches between T20I in Wellington on Monday. Pakistan is currently under immense pressure as its top batting order was smashed and New Zealand bowlers restricted them at a total of 105 runs. Tim Southee got his first wicket in the second over and saw off Fakhar Zaman, later he took Mohammad Nawaz's (7) and Faheem Ashraf's (7) wicket in the fourth and fourteenth over respectively. Besides Tim Southee, Seth Rance also destroyed Pakistani line up by taking three wickets of Umar Amin (0), Hasan Ali (23) and Mohammad Amir (3). Anaru Kitchen got one wicket of Haris Sohail (9). In the last over, Colin Munro got Babar Azam's wicket. Babar Azam scored 41 runs for the team and tried to push the run rate before Munro got him out in the hands of Tom Bruce. Babar found a determined ally in Hasan Ali and together they made 30 runs at a very crucial point but the latter lost his wicket to Seth Rance in the 17th over. Adding to the destruction, Mitchell Santner out bowled Sarfraz Ahmed and the next ball was caught behind for a golden duck claiming Shadab Khan's wicket that ends Pakistan's every possible hope of resurrection. Anaru Kitchen is in the middle of everything in Wellington! Two early catches and now a wicket as the dangerous Haris Sohail picks out Guptill at cover. Pakistan 24-4 after the opening 6 over PP. Card | https://t.co/MgHaD9EmkS … #NZvPAK pic.twitter.com/YW7NYxoeE7 — BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) January 22, 2018 × Blackcaps are already on a high having just swept the one-day series against Pakistan and are backing themselves to continue that form as they switch to the shortest form of the game. However, they suffered a setback hours before the match when captain Kane Williamson was withdrawn as a precautionary measure after complaining of a tight thigh. Stand-in skipper Tim Southee said it was "not a typical" wicket at Westpac Stadium but he opted to bowl "as hopefully, we will get something out of it early on." New Zealand is resting fast bowlers Trent Boult and Lockie Ferguson for the match. Pakistan will be without Shoaib Malik who is out of the series after a delayed concussion suffered during the fourth ODI. The BLACKCAPS have won the toss and opted to bowl first at Westpac Stadium! #nzvpak pic.twitter.com/W8fMwT4oNu — BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) January 22, 2018 × Squad: New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Glenn Phillips, Tom Bruce, Ross Taylor, Anaru Kitchen, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee (capt), Ish Sodhi, Seth Rance. Pakistan: Umar Amin, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Sohail, Sarfraz Ahmed, Babar Azam, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashradf, Mohammad Nawaz, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Amir, Rumman Raees.

New Zealand vs Pakistan 1st T20I: Pakistan under pressure, 105 all out

Zimbabwe captain Graeme Cremer won the toss and opted to bat on what is expected to be a flat pitch in the first test of the two-match series against New Zealand at the Queen&#39;s Sports Club today. 
 
The tourists go into the match as overwhelming favourites against a Zimbabwe side that have just played 10 tests in the last four years. The hosts have handed debuts to opener Chamu Chibhabha, all-rounder Prince Masvaure and seamer Michael Chinouya, while Cremer will lead the side for the first time. 
 
New Zealand opted for a seam attack that included Tim Southee, Neil Wagner and Trent Boult, as well as the spin variety of Ish Sodhi, Mitchell Santner and Williamson, who is also captaining for the first time in tests. 
 
The match is a first test for Zimbabwe in almost two years having last played away in Bangladesh in November 2014. It will be the first time they will play in Bulawayo since losing to New Zealand by 34 runs in a one-off test five years ago. They will do well to run the tourists so close again. 
 
Zimbabwe&#39;s record at the Queen&#39;s Sports Club is poor, with just a single victory in 19 matches played there to go with 11 defeats. They have never beaten New Zealand in a five-day game, suffering nine losses in the 15 matches played. 
 
(Reuters)

Zimbabwe's record at the Queen's Sports Club is poor, with just a single victory in 19 matches played there

Zimbabwe captain Graeme Cremer won the toss and opted to bat on what is expected to be a flat pitch in the first test of the two-match series against New Zealand at the Queen's Sports Club today. The tourists go into the match as overwhelming favourites against a Zimbabwe side that have just played 10 tests in the last four years. The hosts have handed debuts to opener Chamu Chibhabha, all-rounder Prince Masvaure and seamer Michael Chinouya, while Cremer will lead the side for the first time. New Zealand opted for a seam attack that included Tim Southee, Neil Wagner and Trent Boult, as well as the spin variety of Ish Sodhi, Mitchell Santner and Williamson, who is also captaining for the first time in tests. The match is a first test for Zimbabwe in almost two years having last played away in Bangladesh in November 2014. It will be the first time they will play in Bulawayo since losing to New Zealand by 34 runs in a one-off test five years ago. They will do well to run the tourists so close again. Zimbabwe's record at the Queen's Sports Club is poor, with just a single victory in 19 matches played there to go with 11 defeats. They have never beaten New Zealand in a five-day game, suffering nine losses in the 15 matches played. (Reuters)

Zimbabwe win toss, elect to bat in first test against New Zealand