Pune take on Gujarat Lions in clash of IPL debutants

After impressive debuts in their respective Indian Premier League (IPL) matches, Rising Pune Supergiants and Gujarat Lions will face-off at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium here on Thursday.

Pune outclassed defending champions Mumbai Indians by nine wickets in the season opener while Gujarat defeated Kings XI Punjab by five wickets on Monday.

The two new franchises were added to the IPL family after the suspension of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals.

CSK teammates Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Suresh Raina will for the first time face-off in IPL after playing together for eight editions in the cash-rich tournament.


Dhoni-led Pune thrashed Mumbai in all departments of the game and will hope to register their second win. In-form Ajinkya Rahane, Faf du Plessis, Kevin Pietersen, Steve Smith and Dhoni make a strong batting unit and the top order showed their class against Mumbai.

In their bowling department, the experience of Ishant Sharma and R.P. Singh will come in useful to strike early against Gujarat like they did in the campaign opener.

Experienced off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin who got to bowl only one over against Mumbai will lead the spin bowling department alongside youngster Murugan Ashwin.

On the other hand, Gujarat also have a formidable top order batting line-up with the likes of in-form Aaron Finch, Brendon McCullum, Raina, Dinesh Karthik and all-rounders Dwayne Bravo and James Faulkner to follow.

Praveen Kumar, Bravo, Faulkner, Pradeep Sangwan and left-arm off-spinner Ravindra Jadeja will form a considerable bowling line-up.

More

Court moves IPL out of Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur in May

All IPL 2016 matches scheduled in Maharashtra after April 30 must be moved out of the state, the Bombay High Court has ruled. The ruling came after a Public Interest Litigation questioned the hosting of matches in Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur due to a severe drought in Maharashtra.

The ruling affects 13 matches, including the final which was to be held in Mumbai on May 29. Pune will miss out on six matches, including the Eliminator and Qualifier 2, while no games will be held in Nagpur. The state was earlier scheduled to host 20 matches.

Last week, the court had sought an explanation from the BCCI and the three state associations on why water should be "wasted" on hosting the games when the state faced one of its worst ever droughts. The court later allowed the opening match to be held as scheduled in Mumbai on April 9, and asked the Maharashtra state government and Mumbai's civic body, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, to respond on plans to tackle the issue of water shortage. On Tuesday, the court orally asked the BCCI if matches could be shifted out of Pune.

In its defence, the BCCI had stated that less water was used to prepare the ground for an IPL game when compared to an international fixture. The board also stated that it intended to use treated sewage water for ground preparation in Mumbai and Pune. Mumbai Indians and Rising Pune Supergiants, the franchises based in Mumbai and Pune, had proposed to contribute INR 5 crore to the Maharashtra chief minister's drought relief fund and supply 40 lakh litres of water to drought-hit areas at their own cost.

While the BCCI is mulling its next move, IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla has admitted that moving games out of Maharashtra is a logistical problem for the board. He also pointed out that no objections of this kind were raised when Mumbai and Nagpur hosted World T20 matches last month.

"Organising the IPL is a gigantic work. It's not easy. All preparations had been done, completed," Shukla said. "Now shifting the matches will be a problem. So far, we have not got the written order, after we get that, we will study the order and work out an alternative plan. We always respect the court. We need to talk to other franchises. We will have to work it out.

Read More

KKR vs MI: Mumbai Indians stroll in Rohit Sharma’s garden of Eden

Kolkata put an imposing 187/5 on the board, thanks to Gautam Gambhir and Manish Pandey’s 100-run partnership. But Mumbai Indians banked on Rohit Sharma's waltz and a McClenaghan cameo to run down the target with five balls to spare.

The Rohit waltz

Midway into the Mumbai Indians' innings, Rohit Sharma became the buzz at Eden Gardens. About 35,000 fans, most of them Kolkata Knight Riders faithful, had been standing and applauding. They had been entertained with one of the best batting displays of the summer. It had to be the case anyway. From his Test century on debut to world record 264 in an ODI against Sri Lanka, this venue has seldom returned Rohit empty-handed. This is the place where he has lifted the IPL title twice as well. The love affair continued.

Against a victory target of 188, the visitors' chances largely depended on their captain. And what an innings he played. Third ball into the chase, and Rohit flicked Russell over deep square leg for a six. John Hastings, miserly in the first game against Delhi Daredevils, came for the second over, and Rohit unleashed a gorgeous on drive to the long-on fence. Kolkata captain Gambhir sensed the danger and brought on Brad Hogg. But Rohit is a master of picking the length early and his pull to the square leg boundary had authority. After a fallow World T20 — 88 runs in five matches — the opener was once again in his element. He saved the best for last though, when Russell returned for his final spell. Three fours in a row; the last of which was swept from wide outside off to the mid-wicket fence. An unbeaten 84 off 54 deliveries had made the choice for the Man of the Match award a formality.

McClenaghan cameo

Mumbai got stuck a bit after power-plays. Parthiv Patel's silly run out and Hardik Pandya's stutter being the reasons. Leg-spinner Piyush Chawla and chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav had been bowling. Mumbai promoted left-hander Mitchell McClenaghan ahead of Jos Buttler and Kieron Pollard. The pinch-hitter slammed back-to-back sixes off Chawla, clobbered another one off Yadav, scored 20 in eight balls and took the wind out of Kolkata's sails. Brilliant thinking. Horses for courses. Then, Buttler came, played an excellent cameo and slammed the door shut on the hosts.

The 100-run partnership

Manish Pandey has grown pretty well as a limited-overs batsman. The match-winning hundred for India in the final ODI against Australia at the SCG in January attested his progress. He is comfortably Kolkata's most assured hand and tonight he played a rollicking knock.

The hosts might have liked to chase a total on an excellent T20 pitch. But Rohit won the toss and Kolkata had been sent in. It's always difficult to set a par score with the pitch playing so beautifully. But 200 was up for grabs. Pandey's 29-ball 52 and his 100-run second wicket partnership with Gambhir set the base. A big partnership was the need of the hour after Kolkata had lost Robin Uthappa early - done in by the extra bounce from McClenaghan. Pandey and Gambhir wrested initiative.

Calmness is Pandey's forte. He is never hurried and waits for the loose balls. His ability to rotate the strike was the key to his 179-plus strike-rate. When Pandya missed his length, Pandey eased him over long-on for a six. When Harbhajan Singh over-pitched, the young batsman lifted him over the mid-wicket fence. And as left-arm spinner Jagadeesha Suchith - in for Vinay Kumar - enticed him with flight, he danced down the track and hit him straight for a maximum.

It needed a special delivery to get him out, after he had reached his half-ton. And Harbhajan produced one, holding back his top-spinner a little and grabbing a comfortable return catch. But by then, Kolkata had been set up nicely.

Gambhir played his part with a 52-ball 64. He timed the ball well for his four fours and a six. But the left-hander had been lucky to survive on 30 and 55 with Rohit and Jasprit Bumrah flooring simple chances. Andre Russell came early with a clear brief to throw the kitchen sink and the big Jamaican laid into Tim Southee, hitting him for two sixes and then, turning his attention towards Harbhajan with another six and a four. He had raced to 36 off 16 balls, when McClenaghan breached his defence and it proved to be a turning point with Kolkata scoring only 23 runs in their last 2.4 overs. After Russell's charge, 200 looked to be very gettable.

Injured Simmons out of IPL 2016

Mumbai Indians opener Lendl Simmons has been ruled out of the remainder of the IPL 2016 due to an injury to his lower back. New Zealand batsman Martin Guptill has been named as Simmons' replacement.

Simmons' injury is similar to the one that forced him to withdraw from the first stage of the World T20 last month. He later joined the West Indies team for the tournament, in place of the injured Andre Fletcher, and scored a crucial 51-ball 82 not out in the semi-final against India in Mumbai.

Simmons was the best batsman for Mumbai Indians during their title run in IPL 2015, scoring 540 runs in 13 matches at a strike-rate of 122.41 with six half-centuries. Overall, he has scored 942 runs in 22 matches for Mumbai Indians since 2014. He was out for 8 in Mumbai's opening game against Rising Pune Supergiants last week.

Guptill was unsold during the player auction in February, despite being listed as one of the marquee players at a base price of INR 50 lakh. The opening batsman was the highest run-getter in the 2015 World Cup, scoring 547 runs in nine matches, including a knock of 237 against West Indies in the quarter-final. Guptill's overall T20 record stands at 4684 runs from 155 matches with two centuries, including one against South Africa in December 2012. Guptill has also played in the Caribbean Premier League for Guyana Amazon Warriors and St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, apart from stints with Derbyshire and Sydney Thunder.

Bombay High Court questions hosting IPL matches in drought-hit state

The Bombay High Court has sought an explanation from the BCCI and the three state associations in Maharashtra on why water should be "wasted" on hosting IPL 2016 matches when the state is facing one of its worst-ever droughts. After making a series of stinging remarks questioning the BCCI's priorities, the board's counsel sought time to prepare a contingency plan and the case was adjourned till April 7.

The court was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Loksatta Movement, a Mumbai-based NGO, which wanted the IPL matches, scheduled to be held in Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur, relocated following a severe state-wide drought in recent months.

The court has asked the BCCI and the concerned state associations - the Mumbai Cricket Association, the Maharashtra Cricket Association and the Vidarbha Cricket Association - to give "a detailed account" of the amount of water that will be needed for the tournament. However, no orders have yet been passed by the court.

The division bench of Justices VM Kanade and MS Karnik observed "that this entire thing (of the utilisation of water for IPL matches) needs to be thought over". The court also reportedly asked the BCCI counsel whether "cricket matches were more important than people or preserving water".

Overall Maharashtra is scheduled to host 20 matches in the ninth edition of the IPL. Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai will host eight matches, including the tournament opener on April 9 and the final on May 29. Nine matches have been allotted to the Maharashtra Cricket Association stadium in Pune, including the Eliminator on May 25 and Qualifier 2 on May 27, while three matches will be played at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur, designated as home games for Kings XI Punjab.

Arshil Shah, the advocate appearing on behalf of the petitioner, said: "We argued that there is absolutely no water available in areas like Latur and Parbhani [districts]. People are fighting over water. It is a severe law-and-order situation. In such times, the court observed it would be a criminal waste of water for cricket matches to be held in Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur." According to Shah, the BCCI and the IPL "have the means and resources" to shift matches out of Maharashtra.

Read More

Shift IPL matches out of Maharashtra due to drought: BJP

Mumbai BJP Secretary Vivekananda Gupta has demanded that Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket matches scheduled to be played in Maharashtra should be shifted out of the state due to prevailing drought conditions.

Gupta, in a letter addressed to BCCI President Shashank Manohar, stated that a standard cricket field requires a minimum of 80,000 to 1,00,000 litres of water per application.


Approximately two to three such applications are required per week that comes to 1,60,000 to 3,00,000 litres of water per week to maintain turf growth and repair damaged areas, he was quoted in a statement issued here today.

19 IPL matches are slated to be played at Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur between April 9 and May 29. The final match of the tournament is to be held at Wankhede Stadium here on May 29.

The BJP leader said more water was needed during hot and windy conditions and less during winter conditions. Thus, more than 70 lakh litres of water will be required to maintain the grounds for the 19 matches.

The BJP leader further stated the state, from where the BCCI President hails from, is facing one of its worst droughts in the last one century.

“Rainfall in last two years in Marathwada and Vidharbha region was the lowest. Successive low rainfall has resulted in falling ground water levels, which has impacted 90 lakh farmers in the state,” he said.

Gupta said the BCCI president cannot turn a blind eye to the grim drought situation in the state and the sufferings of the farmers.

“When our state is affected by drought, will it be wise to waste 70 lakh litres of water? Even Mumbai faces acute water shortage. This is the time to show sympathy to our ‘annadatta’ (farmer). I hope you will support and sympathise with our farmers and shift the venue of IPL matches to other states,” he said.

IPL for women will be fantastic for the game - Lanning

Australia Women's captain Meg Lanning wants an IPL for women because she believes it could have an impact similar to that of the Women's Big Bash League, which was played for the first time in Australia in the 2015-16 season.

Lanning, who captained the Melbourne Stars in the WBBL, said the success of the league was "great for the game". It took place after a year of conceptualisation, following Australia's triumph at the 2014 Women's World T20 and was a roaring success with players from England, South Africa, West Indies and New Zealand taking part in the franchise-based tournament; no Indian player, however, participated in the league. The tournament attracted record crowds and strong viewership numbers on television. The ECB is set to launch its own franchise-based tournament, comprising six teams, called the Women's Super League, which will start from July 30.

"We've seen women's Big Bash kick off to a good success in Australia. There's Super League in England as well. If there was an IPL for women here to be started, it will take the game forward and players will love to be involved in," Lanning said. "Super League is another great step forward for the women's game. Girls are interested in playing as well. [The] Women's Big Bash League was great for the game. An IPL will be fantastic. India have made serious improvements in the last few years. Hope Super League works well and you never know what can happen from there."

Lanning also felt Twenty20 cricket was the best platform to showcase women's cricket. "It is certainly a very exciting form of the game," she said. "It creates a great atmosphere and people want to watch it. T20 has been the vehicle of women's cricket for last few years. We love playing Tests when we get a chance and we love playing more. There's no doubt T20 is the way forward for the women's game."

Lanning's views were echoed by Charlotte Edwards, the England Women's captain, who played for the Perth Scorchers in the WBBL. "We would really like to see an IPL and even Indian players playing in the Super League and WBBL," Edwards said. "It will be great for our game. You have seen what IPL has done for the men's game; it will be fantastic for women's cricket if it happens."

Women's cricket in India seems to have taken a turn for the better in recent times. Central contracts were formally announced in November, with India Women's captain Mithali Raj being one of 11 cricketers to receive a fixed yearly remuneration. In January, the Lodha Committee report called for a greater presence of women in the BCCI's power structure, with representation in key decision-making bodies.

Raj, who spoke of the need for the sport to be marketed better in India, was delighted with the response the women's team received at the World T20 despite India's early exit. Last week, Mohali hosted a first-of-its-kind double-header in India involving the men's and women's team. Prior to that, India's matches in Delhi and Dharamsala witnessed crowds in excess of 7000. Raj attributed the changing landscape to the popularity of the game, and hoped the enthusiasm could be sustained.

"It was a good experience to play in such a crowded stadium. It wasn't new for us personally since we had experienced it in Australia, but to see the fans cheer for us was unique," Raj said. "Somewhere it is the game that the girls have played that has attracted such good crowd. If you want to just market the game, then T20 is the best format. But to have quality players coming through, you have to have day games, so there has to be a fine balance.

"But the recent turn of events has been positive. Matches have been televised, so a lot of girls have been encouraged. Team's performance has been good in recent times; BCCI has taken a lot of interest like introducing central contracts. So young players can professionally approach the sport now."

Mallya resigns as Royal Challengers Sports Private Limited director

Royal Challengers Bangalore have written to the Board of Control for Cricket in India informing the board about Vijay Mallya's resignation as Director of Royal Challengers Sports Private Limited (RCSPL) on Thursday (March 17).

"Yes, we received an e-mail communication from Russell Adams, who will now be the man in-charge of the RCB team," a senior board official told the Press Trust of India. "The e-mail stated that Dr Vijay Mallya has resigned from his post as Director of RCSPL and will only be an Honorary Chief Mentor till his son Siddhartha is in the Board of Directors."

Adams works as a Commercial Operations and Cricket Academy vice-president for the franchise. However, the board still needs clarity over the ownership of the team. "BCCI has some strict rules and regulations in place regarding franchise ownership changing hands," the official pointed out. "The owners need to intimate BCCI beforehand whether there is partial or complete transfer of stake.

"As of now they have made it clear there is no change in ownership pattern in RCSPL which is a subsidiary of United Spirits, which is controlled by Diageo."

Mallya bought the franchise in 2008 for US$111.6 million. The team reached the final in 2009 before losing the title to Deccan Chargers and hasn't won the IPL title yet.

Match - Schedules & Results - IPL T20 2016

 IPL T20 2016 MATCH - SCHEDULES & RESULTS

match b/w	date & Time	match details	results	man of the match
Mumbai Pune	Sat, Apr 9, 2016 08:00:PM	1st Match Wankhede Stadium( India )	-	-
Kolkata Delhi	Sun, Apr 10, 2016 08:00:PM	2nd Match Eden Gardens Ground( India )	-	-
Punjab Gujarat	Mon, Apr 11, 2016 08:00:PM	3rd Match Punjab Cricket Association Stadium( India )	-	-
Bangalore Hyderabad	Tue, Apr 12, 2016 08:00:PM	4th Match M Chinnaswamy Stadium( India )	-	-
Kolkata Mumbai	Wed, Apr 13, 2016 08:00:PM	5th Match Eden Gardens Ground( India )	-	-
Gujarat Pune	Thu, Apr 14, 2016 08:00:PM	6th Match Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium( India )	-	-
Delhi Punjab	Fri, Apr 15, 2016 08:00:PM	7th Match Feroz Shah Kotla( India )	-	-
Hyderabad Kolkata	Sat, Apr 16, 2016 04:00:PM	8th Match Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium( India )	-	-
Mumbai Gujarat	Sat, Apr 16, 2016 08:00:PM	9th Match Wankhede Stadium( India )	-	-
Punjab Pune	Sun, Apr 17, 2016 04:00:PM	10th Match Punjab Cricket Association Stadium( India )	-	-
Bangalore Delhi	Sun, Apr 17, 2016 08:00:PM	11th Match M Chinnaswamy Stadium( India )	-	-
Hyderabad Mumbai	Mon, Apr 18, 2016 08:00:PM	12th Match Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium( India )	-	-
Punjab Kolkata	Tue, Apr 19, 2016 08:00:PM	13th Match Punjab Cricket Assocation Stadium( India )	-	-
Mumbai Bangalore	Wed, Apr 20, 2016 08:00:PM	14th Match Wankhede Stadium( India )	-	-
Gujarat Hyderabad	Thu, Apr 21, 2016 08:00:PM	15th Match Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium( India )	-	-
Pune Bangalore	Fri, Apr 22, 2016 08:00:PM	16th Match Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium( India )	-	-
Delhi Mumbai	Sat, Apr 23, 2016 04:00:PM	17th Match Feroz Shah Kotla( India )	-	-
Hyderabad Punjab	Sat, Apr 23, 2016 08:00:PM	18th Match Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium( India )	-	-
Gujarat Bangalore	Sun, Apr 24, 2016 04:00:PM	19th Match Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium( India )	-	-
Pune Kolkata	Sun, Apr 24, 2016 08:00:PM	20th Match Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium( India )	-	-
Punjab Mumbai	Mon, Apr 25, 2016 08:00:PM	21st Match Punjab Cricket Association Stadium( India )	-	-
Hyderabad Pune	Tue, Apr 26, 2016 08:00:PM	22nd Match Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium( India )	-	-
Delhi Gujarat	Wed, Apr 27, 2016 08:00:PM	23rd Match Feroz Shah Kotla( India )	-	-
Mumbai Kolkata	Thu, Apr 28, 2016 08:00:PM	24th Match Wankhede Stadium( India )	-	-
Pune Gujarat	Fri, Apr 29, 2016 08:00:PM	25th Match Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium( India )	-	-
Delhi Kolkata	Sat, Apr 30, 2016 04:00:PM	26th Match Feroz Shah Kotla( India )	-	-
Hyderabad Bangalore	Sat, Apr 30, 2016 08:00:PM	27th Match Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium( India )	-	-
Gujarat Punjab	Sun, May 1, 2016 04:00:PM	28th Match Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium( India )	-	-
Pune Mumbai	Sun, May 1, 2016 08:00:PM	29th Match Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium( India )	-	-
Bangalore Kolkata	Mon, May 2, 2016 08:00:PM	30th Match M Chinnaswamy Stadium( India )	-	-
Gujarat Delhi	Tue, May 3, 2016 08:00:PM	31st Match Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium( India )	-	-
Kolkata Punjab	Wed, May 4, 2016 08:00:PM	32nd Match Eden Gardens Ground( India )	-	-
Delhi Pune	Thu, May 5, 2016 08:00:PM	33rd Match Feroz Shah Kotla( India )	-	-
Hyderabad Gujarat	Fri, May 6, 2016 08:00:PM	34th Match Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium( India )	-	-
Bangalore Pune	Sat, May 7, 2016 04:00:PM	35th Match M Chinnaswamy Stadium( India )	-	-
Punjab Delhi	Sat, May 7, 2016 08:00:PM	36th Match Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium( India )	-	-
Mumbai Hyderabad	Sun, May 8, 2016 04:00:PM	37th Match Wankhede Stadium( India )	-	-
Kolkata Gujarat	Sun, May 8, 2016 08:00:PM	38th Match Eden Gardens Ground( India )	-	-
Punjab Bangalore	Mon, May 9, 2016 08:00:PM	39th Match Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium( India )	-	-
Pune Hyderabad	Tue, May 10, 2016 08:00:PM	40th Match Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium( India )	-	-
Bangalore Mumbai	Wed, May 11, 2016 08:00:PM	41st Match M Chinnaswamy Stadium( India )	-	-
Hyderabad Delhi	Thu, May 12, 2016 08:00:PM	42nd Match Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium( India )	-	-
Mumbai Punjab	Fri, May 13, 2016 08:00:PM	43rd Match Wankhede Stadium( India )	-	-
Bangalore Gujarat	Sat, May 14, 2016 04:00:PM	44th Match M Chinnaswamy Stadium( India )	-	-
Kolkata Pune	Sat, May 14, 2016 08:00:PM	45th Match Eden Gardens Ground( India )	-	-
Mumbai Delhi	Sun, May 15, 2016 04:00:PM	46th Match Wankhede Stadium( India )	-	-
Punjab Hyderabad	Sun, May 15, 2016 08:00:PM	47th Match Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium( India )	-	-
Kolkata Bangalore	Mon, May 16, 2016 08:00:PM	48th Match Eden Gardens Ground( India )	-	-
Pune Delhi	Tue, May 17, 2016 08:00:PM	49th Match Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium( India )	-	-
Bangalore Punjab	Wed, May 18, 2016 08:00:PM	50th Match M Chinnaswamy Stadium( India )	-	-
Gujarat Kolkata	Thu, May 19, 2016 08:00:PM	51st Match Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium( India )	-	-
Delhi Hyderabad	Fri, May 20, 2016 08:00:PM	52nd Match Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium( India )	-	-
Pune Punjab	Sat, May 21, 2016 04:00:PM	53rd Match Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium( India )	-	-
Gujarat Mumbai	Sat, May 21, 2016 08:00:PM	54th Match	-	-
Kolkata Hyderabad	Sun, May 22, 2016 04:00:PM	55th Match Eden Gardens Ground( India )	-	-
Delhi Bangalore	Sun, May 22, 2016 08:00:PM	56th Match Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium( India )	-	-
TBC TBC	Tue, May 24, 2016 08:00:PM	Qualifier 1 M Chinnaswamy Stadium( India )	-	-
TBC TBC	Wed, May 25, 2016 08:00:PM	Eliminator Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium( India )	-	-
TBC TBC	Fri, May 27, 2016 08:00:PM	Qualifier 2 Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium( India )	-	-
TBC TBC	Sun, May 29, 2016 08:00:PM	Final Wankhede Stadium( India )	-	-