We played like we had nothing to lose, now we are champions, says Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed after beating India

Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed said that the team played like they had nothing to lose and came out on top. Pakistan won their maiden ICC Champions Trophy title by beating arch-rivals India in the final by 180 runs. “We played like we had nothing to lose, now we are champions,” said Sarfraz.

Pakistan had started the tournament on a dismal note, losing to India by 124 runs. “After the India [group] match I said to my boys, the tournament is not finished yet. We played very well and now we have won the final,” said Sarfraz. On the day, Pakistan set India a target of 339 to win.

Their total was largely powered by a strong opening 128-run partnership between openers Azhar Ali and Fakhar Zaman. Azhar was dismissed after making a half century but Fakhar Zaman went on to make his maiden ODI 100. “He’s a great impact player,” said Sarfraz on Fakhar, “In his first ICC event, he played like a champion, he can be a great player for Pakistan.”

But it was the bowlers that took Pakistan home. Despite the strong total that they made, the might of the Indian batting line-up meant that Pakistan needed a good start early on to stand a chance. Mohammad Amir gave them just that dismissing Rohit Sharma in the first over even before India got off the mark. He then went on to dismiss Kohli for just 5 runs and took the wicket of Shikhar Dhawan. The Indian top three were hence back in the hut before the end of the 10th over. “All credit goes to my bowlers, Amir, Hasan Ali, Shadab (Khan), Junaid (Khan), (Mohammad) Hafeez, they bowled really well,” said Sarfraz.

Pakistan went on to dismiss India for 158, thus winning by 180 runs. “It’s a young team, credit goes to my boys, this tournament can be a great booster for us,” said that Pakistan captain, “It’s a very proud moment for me and my country, and thanks to the nation for supporting us.”

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Virat Kohli hosts charity ball in London ahead of India vs Sri Lanka

India skipper Virat Kohli on Monday hosted a charity ball in London for the Justice and Care organisation. The event was attended by former India cricketer, and Kohli’s idol, Sachin Tendulkar and Kohli’s current teammates Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and other members of the squad who are in England as part of the ICC Champions Trophy. The tournament began on a resounding note for Kohli and India with the team running off to a thumping 124 run win over neighbours Pakistan. As for Kohli himself, he scored an unbeaten 81 runs to continue his strong showing against Pakistan. The charity event was hosted by renowned cricket presenter and host Alan Wilkins.

Beyond the players, some of the player’s wives were in attendance too. Dhawan was accompanied by his wife Ayesha Mukherjee and son Zoravar, whereas Rohit’s wife Ritika Sajdeh also attended the event.

Justice and Care as a charity is aimed at fighting fight human trafficking to tackle it at every level with the strong belief that “slavery can be ended”. The organisation has joined hands with Virat Kohli Foundation in order to provide essential care to survivors of modern slavery. The target of the charity event in London was to provide a safe place to stay, rehabilitation, counselling, vital medical care, schooling and vocational training for those rescued in India. “I am proud to support the work of Justice and Care. Its commitment to bring an end to slavery is vital and inspirational and so close to my heart,” Kohli is quoted as saying on the organisation’s website.

The next assignment for India on the cricketing calendar is facing Sri Lanka in the second group game on June 8 at the Oval.

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WWE Raw Results: Bray Wyatt has momentum on his side before heading into Fatal five-way, Paul Heyman addresses Finn Balor

In just two weeks, Roman Reigns, Finn Bálor, Seth Rollins, Bray Wyatt and Samoa Joe will battle in an Extreme Rules Fatal 5-Way that just might change the course of the New Era. And apparently, none of them feels like waiting until then to fight.

In the middle of a match between Reigns and Wyatt — sanctioned by Kurt Angle after Reigns interrupted The Reaper of Souls’ opening sermon, wherein he claimed he was the only man who could defeat Brock Lesnar — Samoa Joe crashed the ring and locked The Big Dog in the Coquina Clutch, much to Wyatt’s delight. The interference made Reigns the winner via disqualification.

Conspicuous by his absence in Raw’s opening four-way brawl was Finn Bálor, the fifth man in the high-stakes Extreme Rules Fatal 5-Way. But the Irish Superstar clearly caught the eye of one particular individual with a vested interest in the Fatal 5-Way: Paul Heyman.

In fact, Heyman even went so far as to say that a Bálor victory was the outcome he was pulling for, wishing Finn luck on Lesnar’s behalf. Bálor responded by giving Heyman a message for The Conqueror in return: That he would indeed win the Fatal 5-Way and reclaim the Universal Title that he never lost.

After this Finn Balor went on to face Karl Anderson and defeated him comfortably.

It’s every man for himself in two weeks at Extreme Rules, but on Raw’s main event, two teams of the Extreme Rules Fatal 5-Way competitors had to coexist. That’s a lofty goal, especially when the teams are Bray Wyatt & Samoa Joe (who’ve been trading cheap shots for two weeks) or Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns (everyone knows the history there).

Oddly enough, the newer team was the more polished one: Rollins & Reigns were arguing from the start over who would begin the match. At the end Wyatt quickly hauled Reigns out of the ring and hit him with Sister Abigail, while Joe put The Kingslayer to sleep with the Coquina Clutch for the win.

WWR Raw Results: 

Akira Tozara def. Ariya Daivari

Sasha Banks def. Alicia Fox

Kalisto def. Apollo Crews

Raw Tag Team Champion Matt Hardy def. Sheamus to choose the stipulation for the Raw Tag Team Title Match at Extreme Rules

Austin Aries def. Tony Nese

Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss def. Mickie James

Elias Samson def. Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose via Disqualification.

Mumbai Indians win IPL 2017: Abhishek Bachchan, Ranveer Singh are the happiest. See more congratulatory messages

Mumbai Indians defeated Rising Pune Supergiant to clinch IPL 2017’s title. The final match was a thrill ride and kept the people watching till the last moment. Mumbai Indians gave their all during the tensely fought IPL 2017 finals and won by one run, securing the record third IPL title. This happy news had made all Mumbai Indians’ fans excited. The congratulatory messages for the winning team started to float in as the news of the win came in. Bollywood stars too took to Twitter to praise and share their best wishes for the Mumbai IPL team.

Well, in the list of fans of the Mumbai Indians team, Abhishek Bachchan stood apart. Why? Check Abhishek’s tweet, “WHAT A FINAL!!!! CHAMPIONS!!!! COME ON MUMBAI!!! @mipaltan #ISLFinal.” He wrote @ISLFinal instead of #IPL10final. He then corrected it and posted, “Sorry the excitement got to me. It should be #IPL10final not ISL. #correction. Hard luck to the Pune team. Played brilliantly too.”

Sr Bachchan Amitabh too tweeted, “T 2431 – Had given up on the final of IPL ..switched off at interval .. then Abhishek called and said we won .. UNBELIEVABLE !! YEEAAAAAAAH.”

Well, the excitement of Ranveer Singh was no less. He too shared his happiness in a series of tweets, and also shared a short video. Ranveer tweeted, “YES !!!!! YES !!!!! OHHHHH YESSSSSS !!!!!!!! CHAMPIONS !!!!!!!!! 🙌🏽🏆🌟😍 #IPLfinal #RPSvMI. FOUGHT !!!!! DEFENDED !!!!! What a sweet , sweet victory !!! Glorious, GLORIOUS stuff , boys !!!! 💪🏽🏆🏏 @mipaltan #RPSvMI #IPLfinal.”

“Weeeee are the CHAMPIONSSSSS !!! 🤘🏽🎶🎶🎶 😍🏏🏆🏆🏆 #MI #IPLfinal @mipaltan,” he wrote further.

The IPL finals were held at the Rajiv Gandhi International stadium in Hyderabad. Mumbai Indians are the only team to lift Indian Premier League title thrice in the history of IPL. Chennai Super Kings and Shah Rukh Khan’s Kolkata Knight Riders are the other two teams to win IPL title twice each.

IPL 2017 Final: Looking forward to play with same spirit against Mumbai Indians (MI), says Rahul Tripathi

Having already qualified for the final, Steven Smith-led Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) would now turn their full on attention towards former champions Mumbai Indians (MI), as they get set to face them as their last hurdle in order to lay their hands on the coveted trophy, when they play the final of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2017 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Sunday. Meanwhile, RPS’s newest batting sensation Rahul Tripathi has described his experience with his side, and qualifying for the final as a ‘dream experience’. Tripathi, who was although unsuccessful in scoring during Qualifier 1 of IPL 2017 playoffs against this very side, said that he would bounce back in the final.

“For me it is just a dream experience and I am extremely thrilled to play with and against world class players. It’s been a pleasure to train and learn under the guidance of top notch players like Steve Smith and MS Dhoni. The journey till here has been exhilarating and I look forward to play with the same spirit in the final. My biggest motivation post a loss is to train and practice hard enough to erase the loss by winning the next match. Also, I strongly believe that sometimes losses prove to be a stepping stone to success,” he said. 

Speaking on his health and fitness, he said, “Eating healthy and exercising is the best way for an athlete to stay fit and perform at his/her best. It is important for a sportsperson to choose the right nutrients to build muscle and select the right food to help repair injuries. Protein and fibre are essential to include in a sportsperson’s diet.”

“In addition to wholesome meals, healthy snacking is also a great choice to ensure your body get the right amount of supplements throughout the day. ‘Too Yumm!’ is healthy alternatives that gives a boost and also the required energy to sustain long hours of hard work. If you maintain a healthy diet and mostly importantly believe in yourself, you can conquer the game,” he concluded.

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IPL 2017 Match 50 Gujarat Lions (GL) vs Delhi Daredevils (DD)

A less than a week ago, Delhi Daredevils (DD) and Gujarat Lions (GL) had met in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2017. The scenario of points table was different, perhaps less complicated. The Lions were out of contention for playoffs. All they had to do was inflict enigma for the Daredevils who were racing against time. The seniors Suresh Raina and Dinesh Karthik, playing for pride, scored fifties and posted a daunting target of 209. In a quest for that, the Daredevils lost stand-in captain Karun Nair early. That, or the tension of qualifying for the penultimate stage, did not take any toll on Rishabh Pant. Along with Sanju Samson, he added 144 for the second wicket and attained victory with 2.3 overs to spare.

All the same, the Daredevils lost the next game to Mumbai Indians and thus quashed their dreams to lift the 2017 title. Nonetheless, this T20 spectacle is not yet over for these two teams. They will lock horns in match 50 at Kanpur in an inconsequential game.

Players to watch out for

Pant’s journey this season has been an amalgamation of incredible highs and absolute lows. He has two swashbuckling, match-changing fifties and three ducks, coupled with short cameos. The armchair fanatics, without a shadow of doubt, would want him to garner a reminiscence of his spectacular 97 in Daredevils’ last contest against the Lions.

Samson, too, had a great time in the same contest. His 31-ball 61 was even more attractive than Pant’s dashing knock.

The maverick Zaheer Khan missed 3 games due to hamstring injury. Otherwise, he has not had the best of seasons. Barring a 3 for 20, he struggled to cast magic with his rather perfect bowling. With 3 more games to be played, the 38-year-old will look to make amends and end it on a high.

This will be the first time Suresh Raina will not feature in the playoffs. The highest run-scorer of IPL has scored 424 runs at 48.22, his best average in all seasons.

Ishan Kishan has been one of the emerging players in this edition. A versatile batsman, Kishan has been athletic on the field as well, catching blinders. The teenager will open yet again with the veteran Dwayne Smith.

Key battles

Samson is a fine timer of the ball, no second thoughts there. However, take the pace off it and he struggles to maintain his strike rate. Ravindra Jadeja and Raina (if he decides to roll his arm over) will be handy against Samson. In addition, attacking with spin right away will put Samson in further trouble. There is leg-spinner Ankit Soni in their armoury as well.

Corey Anderson has been unstoppable of late, batting at an average of 32.5. Given Anderson will play in the middle overs, Raina will have to employ James Faulkner and outfox him with change-in-pace deliveries.

Who would not want to see Raina vs Mohammed Shami? However, for that, Zaheer will have to smartly invest Shami’s overs, as Raina bats one-down. With Raina’s major chink in the armour being tackling the short ball, Shami will entertain him with chin music.

Playing XI

In the absence of injured Brendon McCullum, the Lions had promoted Kishan at the opening slot. In addition, it came as a surprise when Dinesh Karthik played ahead of Aaron Finch, at No. 4. That, for that matter, worked in their favour. Karthik scored an unbeaten 35. Be that as it may. Finch is more effective when the ball is new. Hence, the Lions may have to rethink about the batting positions.

In the last few matches, Basil Thampi has been struggling to keep a lid on the runs. In this edition, his economy reads over 9 RPO. On the other hand, the experienced Praveen Kumar got a nod in only 5 matches. Now that they have nothing much to play for, the Lions may as well prefer Praveen ahead of Thampi.

Otherwise, the Lions are likely to play the same team.

Likely XI for Gujarat Lions: Dwayne Smith, Ishan Kishan, Suresh Raina (c), Aaron Finch, Dinesh Karthik, Ravindra Jadeja, James Faulkner, Dhawal Kulkarni, Pradeep Sangwan, Praveen Kumar, Ankit Soni

Chris Morris, Kagiso Rabada, and Angelo Mathews have left to prepare for ICC Champions Trophy 2017.

Though Mathews played a mere 3 matches, the Daredevils will have a headache replacing choosing two other foreign players from the squad.

Brathwaite, who played only a match this season is a like-for-like replacement for the all-rounder Morris, while Marlon Samuels should be promoted up the order.

Likely XI for Delhi Daredevils: Sanju Samson, Karun Nair, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), Corey Anderson, Marlon Samuels, Carlos Brathwaite, Patt Cummins, Amit Mishra, Mohammed Shami, Zaheer Khan

Predictions

Both teams have locked horns in 3 games, with the Daredevils leading 2-1. All in all, both teams have nothing to lose now. A victory will only boost their morale and a personal milestone will better their CVs.

Squads

Gujarat Lions: Suresh Raina (c), Ravindra Jadeja, James Faulkner, Brendon McCullum, Dwayne Bravo, Aaron Finch, Dwayne Smith, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Dhawal Kulkarni, Praveen Kumar, Andrew  Tye, Ishan Kishan, Pradeep Sangwan, Shivil Kaushik, Shadab Jakati, Jaydev Shah. Jason Roy, Basil Thampi, Manpreet Gony, Shubham Agarwal, Tejas Singh Baroka, Chirag Suri, Pratham Singh, Shelley Shaurya 

Delhi Daredevils: Zaheer Khan (c), Mohammed Shami, Shahbaz Nadeem, Mayank Agarwal, Jayant Yadav, Amit Mishra, Sam Billings (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Chris Morris, Carlos Brathwaite, Karun Nair, Chama Milind, Syed Khaleel Ahmed, Pratyush Singh, Aditya Tare (wk), Ankit Bawne, Pat Cummins, Kagiso Rabada,  Navdeep Saini, Murugan Ashwin, Shashank Singh, Corey Anderson, Rishabh Pant (wk)

TIME: 14.30 GMT | 20.00 IST

KXIP vs KKR: Punjab keep play-off hopes alive, beat Kolkata by 14 runs

Kings XI Punjab need to win all the rest of their matches in the league stage and hope for favourable results from the other matches that teams like Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders play to have any chance of making it into the playoffs this year. While the latter is something that has to be left to fate, winning matches is something that they can control and control is what they wrestled out of Kolkata Knight Riders’ hands in the death overs to record a 14-run win over them.

Kolkata Knight Riders had to chase a total of 168 to chase. As we have come to expect from them, Sunil Narine and Chris Lynn ensured that they get off to a brisk start. The two pieced together an opening partnership of 39 runs in just under 4 overs before Narine was dismissed by Mohit Sharma. Lynn was joined in the middle by Gautam Gambhir. As Lynn went along his own merry way and Gambhir stood guard, it did look like the Kings XI Punjab’s last match of the season could be the one they play later against Rising Pune Supergiant.

But then came Rahul Tewatia. The little-known leg-spinner came in and got the Kolkata Knight Riders captain in the ninth over. He then claimed the scalp of Robin Uthappa and suddenly, the Knight Riders seem to have fallen off their horsebacks. The presence of Chris Lynn in the middle meant that Kolkata always stood a chance.

Lynn and Manish Pandey then struggle to get a steady flow of runs going as Punjab tightened the screws in the field. Eventually, Pandey was dismissed by Matt Henry and Lynn too fell to a run-out. KKR still had capable batting hands in Chris Woakes and Yusuf Pathan but Punjab kept the pressure on in the death overs and came out as the winners.

Punjab struggled to get going in their innings and their total was made largely due to the belligerence of skipper Glenn Maxwell and the support he got from Wriddhiman Saha. The win takes Kings XI Punjab to 12 pints, two points behind Sunrisers Hyderabad in fifth place while Kolkata Knight Riders are second with 16 points.
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IPL 2017: Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) slam Mumbai Indians (MI) by 7 wickets

Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma were both recalled to the Indian national side on Monday, and they celebrated the occasion with half-centuries. But at the end of the clash, it was Dhawan who had more to smile about, compared to his opening partner and Mumbai Indians captain. Dhawan’s knock of 62 not out outshone Rohit’s arduous effort of 67 — almost half of Mumbai Indians’ (MI) total — against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2017 match at Hyderabad. Dhawan added 91 runs with Moises Henriques (44) for the second wicket, and powered Sunrisers Hyderabad to a vital win by 7 wickets in a paltry chase, in match No. 48 of the ongoing edition of the tournament. 

At the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Uppal, Sunrisers Hyderabad produced a dominating all-round show to belittle the topper of the IPL 10 points table, Mumbai Indians. Asked to bowl first, Sunrisers Hyderabad remained undeterred even though Rohit stroked his way to a 45-ball 67 — his highest score this tournament — and restricted Mumbai Indians to a paltry 138 for 7. In their reply, despite losing David Warner cheaply early on, Sunrisers Hyderabad produced a dominating show with the bat as well and registered a victory which ensured the end of the race for a berth in final four, for the Delhi Daredevils (DD). 

Dhawan scored 62 not out off 46 balls, studded with 4 fours and 2 sixes. His innings not only ensured a 7-wicket win for the defending champions, but also consolidated their claim for a position in the IPL 10 playoffs.

The target of 139 was achieved without any qualm, with Dhawan and Henriques batting Mumbai Indians out of the equation. Mumbai looked off-colour in all departments, barring Rohit, who gave his side the platform to fight for. However, at the end, Rohit’s innings was just not enough.

Mitchell McClenaghan provided Mumbai Indians an early breakthrough when he bowled a fuller ball on the pads to trap Warner in front of the wickets for a mere 6. However, the fall of their in-form captain had no impact on the Sunrisers, who needed less than 7 an over to achieve their target.

Dhawan and Henriques rotated the strike comfortably, and at no position they looked in a hurry to finish off the proceedings. Boundaries came at will for the Sunrisers batsmen, and Mumbai looked clueless as to how to break the stand. McClenaghan bowled a tight opening spell of 2-0-9-1, but as soon as he was taken off, the SRH batsmen started attacking.

Karn Sharma was hit for a six in the seventh over, and Hardik was smacked for 2 boundaries in the next. Karn was punished again, in the ninth over, with Dhawan hitting a four and a six. Henriques took a liking for Lasith Malinga, who was hit for two boundaries in the 11th over.

However, a leading edge led to Henriques’ dismissal, and the batsman missed out on a deserving fifty. Yuvraj Singh walked out to bat with pain in his injured hand and perished for an 11-ball 9.

Dhawan played a characteristic innings in a contest where there was no real pressure on the batsmen. He and Rohit have identical qualities of starting off slowly but playing big innings, and Dhawan was able to accomplish that on Monday night. Towards the end, Vijay Shankar scored 15 not out off 12 balls.

Earlier in the contest, Rohit fought hard but found no support in his endeavour to help Mumbai Indians post a strong total. Ge scored 67 in a contest where the second highest score was 23 from  Parthiv Patel. Siddharth Kaul claimed 3 for 24, but it was a brilliant bowling display from Rashid Khan and especially Mohammad Nabi, who returned with the figures of 4-0-13-1.

Brief scores:

Mumbai Indians 138 for 7 in 20 overs (Parthiv Patel 23, Rohit Sharma 67; Mohammad Nabi 1 for 13, Siddharth Kaul 3 for 24, Rashid Khan 1 for 22) lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad 140 for 3 in 18.2 overs (Shikhar Dhawan 62*, Moises Henriques 44; Jasprit Bumrah 1 for 24) by 7 wickets. 

Man of the Match: Shikhar Dhawan.
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IPL 2017 Match 46 : Rampant Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) pulverise Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in IPL 10,

Halfway through the contest, the optimist in Virat Kohli would have looked upon Royal Challengers Bangalore’s (RCB) total of 158 for 6 — an arduous effort to say the least — as competitive against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). However, merely 7 overs into the second innings, all hopes were blown away mercilessly. The opening pair of Sunil Narine and Chris Lynn added 105 in just 36 balls. It was not Lynnsanity if you think that was the case. It was mayhem from the bat of Sunil Narine, about which a very little was known before this IPL began. Yes you read it all right. 

Chasing 159 to win, Kolkata Knight Riders produced one of the most brutal batting displays. With 29 balls to spare, KKR won by 6 wickets. Lynn began with 2 fours and 1 six in the first over, and hammered as many in the third over off Yuzvendra Chahal. However, things went bad to worse in a matter of the first four deliveries of the fourth over. As many as 25 runs were scored in that over.  Narine smoked three sixes off the first three balls off compatriot Samuel Badree, and followed it up with a four. In the next over, Narine transformed into a monster — 26 were collected off Sreenath Aravind — comprising of 4 fours and 1 six. Mayhem. 

The only six which Narine hit off Aravind helped him set a record which many batsmen in this slam-bang format yearn for. IPL pays big money. Narine, after taking a plethora of wickets in his pomp, now has the joint-fastest IPL half-century.

It all did not stop there. Lynnsanity resumed, and RCB were pummelled into submission. He hit 2 sixes and 1 four off Chahal.

It was the end of the powerplay. KKR had 105 runs on the board; an IPL record.

If it can be described as a consolation for the battered and bruised Royal Challengers Bangalore side, Narine fell without embarrassing them further. His onslaught was of 54 runs, off a mere 17 balls, studded with 6 fours and 4 sixes.

Lynn soon perished, but not before bringing what was yet another brisk half-century. He scored 50 off 22 balls with 4 sixes and 5 boundaries.

There was no other way for RCB to have responded but with a flurry of wickets.  However, it remains a fact that a team that has three of the best batsmen in the format have a terrible bowling attack. Gautam Gambhir and Colin de Grandhomme got together to do the rest, and they were not even needed to look for boundaries or quick runs.

Amid all this, de Grandhomme showcased the batsman in him. He smacked 2 sixes and 1 four to score 31 off 28 balls and with Gambhir, he added another 45 runs in 5.5 overs to take KKR closer to a victory. When 3 more runs were needed to win, Gambhir played straight to extra cover and perished for 13.

Eventually, Kolkata Knight Riders consolidated their chances to storm into the IPL 2017 playoffs. As of now, only Mumbai Indians (MI) have made it into the final four.

Earlier in the match, RCB huffed and puffed and reached a score of 158 for 6 in their allotted 20 overs. The big guns in Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers scored a total of 15, and were dismissed inside the first six overs once again. It was, however, a 71-run stand for the fourth wicket between Mandeep Singh (52) and Travis Head (75 not out) which saved the face for RCB. At the end, none of it was of any match against the rampant KKR side.

Brief scores:

Royal Challengers Bangalore 158 for 6 in 20 overs (Mandeep Singh 52, Travis Head 75*; Umesh Yadav 3 for 36, Sunil Narine 2 for 29) lost to Kolkata Knight Riders 159 for 4 in 15.1 overs (Sunil Narine 54, Chris Lynn 50, Colin de Grandhomme 31; Pawan Negi 2 for 21) by 6 wickets.

IPL 2017: Chris Gayle completes 100 matches in IPL

The leading run-scorer in all T20 cricket, West Indies’ explosive batsman Chris Gayle on Sunday completed his 100 matches in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Gayle, who plays for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), achieved the feat during the match No. 46 of the ongoing IPL 2017 tournament, against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Bengaluru. Gayle, who has been in a poor form this season, continued to have a torrid time as he fell for a first-ball duck in the game being played at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. RCB once again made a poor start, as Virat Kohli followed up the senior batsman without troubling the scorers much.

Gayle has played for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) apart from Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League. In his 100 matches, Gayle has scored 3,578 runs at an average of 41.72 and also holds the record of scoring most centuries. Gayle, to his credit, has 5 centuries in IPL and also the highest individual score, of 175 not out. He had achieved that feat against the now-defunct Pune Warriors India (PWI). The match on Sunday afternoon is Gayle’s 84th match for Royal Challengers Bangalore, as the rest 16 were played for the KKR franchise.

In 84 games for Royal Challengers Bangalore, Gayle has scored 3,115 runs and has scored 4 centuries. He averages 43.25 in the franchise. However, the flamboyant batsman is having a poor run of late. He last scored a century in IPL in 2015, and in the ongoing season, he has scored 152 runs in 8 matches with the highest of 77.

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IPL 2017 Match 45 : Delhi Daredevils (DD) crash to biggest defeat in history of IPL against Mumbai Indians (MI)

Another batting collapse saw Delhi Daredevils (DD) crash to the biggest-ever defeat in the history of Indian Premier League (IPL) when they lost the Match 45 of IPL 2017 by 146 runs against Mumbai Indians (MI). After inviting Mumbai to bat first, DD conceded 212 runs. And then chasing a daunting 213, they succumbed to a paltry 66 all-out. For Mumbai, spin duo of Harbhajan Singh and Karn Sharma took 3 wickets each while Lasith Malinga took 2 wickets. Jasprit Bumrah and Mitchell McClenaghan took 1 wicket each. DD required a flying start to gun down the total. They had successfully chased down 186 and 209 in the last two games on this ground.

However, things did not start as well as they would have wanted. McClenaghan dismissed Sanju Samson on the first ball of the innings. Little did the two sides know that another DD collapse was to follow? Malinga removed Shreyas Iyer in the second over for 3, thus completing his 150 wickets in all IPLs. He became the first bowler in the history of the tournament to get to the milestone. Karun Nair hit a couple of fours and a six in the next over, showing signs of counterattack. That, however, was just a flash in the pan.

Procession of wickets continued from the other end, as Bumrah got last match’s hero Rishabh Pant caught at deep mid-wicket for a duck. Harbhajan then removed Nair and Malinga got rid of Corey Anderson in next two overs, reducing DD to 35 for 5.

The remaining 5 DD wickets were accounted by spinners, as Karn and Harbhajan picked up 3 wickets each. DD were eventually bundled out for 66; 1 less than their previous lowest this season. This was also the biggest-ever victory in the history of IPL in terms of runs, beating the previous record of Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) 140-run win over Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in first-ever IPL game in 2008.

Earlier, Zaheer won the toss and invited Mumbai to bat first. DD had won the last two games at Feroz Shah Kotla chasing, so the decision to field first did not surprise at all. It was imperative for Mumbai to get to a flyer, considering even 208 was not safe on this ground. The duo of Parthiv Patel and Lendl Simmons did exactly the same, putting up 79 runs for the first wicket in just 8.4 overs.

With pace not helping DD, Zaheer turned to Amit Mishra, who got them the first breakthrough by dismissing Parthiv for 25. In a surprising move, Rohit Sharma sent in Kieron Pollard to bat at No. 3. The Trinidadian did not disappoint his skipper and with fellow compatriot Simmons, added quick-fire 37 off 23 balls. He was particularly severe to Mishra, hitting him for 4 sixes during his spell. In the process, Simmons completed his fifty and also brought up his 1,000 IPL runs in just 23rd innings, thus becoming second fastest to the milestone.

Simmons eventually fell for 43-ball 66. Rohit then came out to bat at No. 4 and fell cheaply for 10. Hardik Pandya then joined Pollard and the two finished the innings off on a strong note, adding 59 runs in just 27 balls. Pollard completed his fifty in the meantime, off just 29 balls. He remained unbeaten on 63 and Pandya on 29 as Mumbai got past the 200-run mark to finish with 212 for 3.

Brief scores:

Mumbai Indians 212 for 3 in 20 overs (Lendl Simmons 66, Kieron Pollard 63*, Hardik Pandya 29*; Corey Anderson 1 for 29, Kagiso Rabada 1 for 33) beat Delhi Daredevils 66 all-out in 13.4 overs (Karun Nair 21, Corey Anderson 10, Pat Cummins 10; Karn Sharma 3 for 11, Harbhajan Singh 3 for 22, Lasith Malinga 2 for 5) by 146 runs.

Man of the Match: Lendl Simmons
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IPL 2017 Match 44: Ben Stokes’ all-round show, Jaydev Unadkat’s hat-trick help Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) beat Sunrisers Hyderabad

Ben Stokes continued to impress all and sundry with his terrific all-round show in Indian Premier League (2017) as his figures of 3 for 30 and knock of 25-ball 39 helped Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) pip Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by 12 runs in last-over thriller. He was ably assisted by hat-trick hero Jaydev Unadkat, who finished with figures of 5 for 30. Playing at their home ground in Hyderabad, SRH started on a good note in pursuit of 149. Shikhar Dhawan played a few scoring shots early on. With 2 fours and a six, he raced to 19 from 11 balls.

But things changed as Stokes came into the attack. He first cleaned up Dhawan on a delivery that kept low and then got the big fish Kane Williamson in the same over. If the one to Dhawan kept low, this one took extra bounce to surprise the Kiwi skipper, who gave an easy catch to MS Dhoni behind the wickets.

Being reduced to 29 for 2, SRH then began with the repair work. David Warner and Yuvraj Singh then added 54 runs off 47 balls; starting with caution and then gradually regaining the momentum. Warner was severe against spinners, first hitting Washington Sundar for 3 fours in an over and then thrashing Tahir for a six. In the process, he became the first batsman to score 500-plus runs in 4 successive IPL seasons. Yuvraj then got into the groove, hitting Shardul Thakur for a couple of fours.

With his bowlers failing to get him the breakthrough, Steven Smith brought Stokes back into the attack and he delivered immediately. Warner fell for 40 off 34 balls. In the next over, Tahir removed Moises Henriques with a googly.

Yuvraj continued playing his shots as the asking rate shot up. He hit Tahir and Christian for a four and six before Unadkat got him caught for 47. In the same over, Unadkat sent back Naman Ojha, but not before conceding a six.

With 22 required, Stokes conceded 9 runs from the penultimate over, finishing with 3 for 30 from 4 overs. Unadkat then bowled hat-trick maiden in the last over, getting the wickets of Bipul Sharma, Rashid Khan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar on consecutive deliveries. He also completed his 100 wickets in IPL in the process.

Earlier, winning the toss on a cloudy day, Warner invited RPS to bat first. His bowlers, and fielders, did justify his decision. Rahul Tripathi, the man in red-hot form, had to go back early after a terrific throw from Bipul at short fine leg found him short of his crease. Rahane failed again, with Bipul getting him caught at long leg for 22.

Skipper Smith (34) and Stokes (39) then decided to play with caution. They started rotating the strike and avoided playing any rash shot. At the half-way stage, RPS were 51 for 2, with a solitary boundary being hit in their innings. Stokes then shifted the gears, hitting Bipul for back-to-back sixes over the deep mid-wicket boundary in the 11th over of the innings. Stokes got another six in the same region in Bipul’s next over. He then hit RPS innings’ first four in the 14th over, immediately after completing his 50-run stand with Smith.

But RPS then lost quick wickets as well as the momentum, with Rashid knocking-off Stokes and Kaul dismissing Smith and Christian (4). Dhoni then played some big shots in the closing stages, hitting Bhuvneshwar for two sixes, but perished for 31 in the final over as RPS finished on 148 for 8. Kaul finished with figures of 4 for 29.

With this win, Pune went to the second spot in the IPL 10 points table with 8 wins from 12 games. SRH remained on the fourth spot with 6 wins from 12 games.

Brief scores:

Rising Pune Supergiant 148 for 8 in 20 overs (Ben Stokes 39, Steven Smith 34, MS Dhoni 31; Siddharth Kaul 4 for 29, Rashid Khan 1 for 18) beat Sunrisers Hyderabad 136 for 9 in 20 overs (Yuvraj Singh 47, David Warner 40; Jaydev Unadkat 5 for 30, Ben Stokes 3 for 30) by 12 runs.

Man of the Match: Jaydev Unadkat

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IPL 2017 Match 45 Delhi Daredevils (DD) vs Mumbai Indians (MI)

Intent to do well can overpower the giants and that is the mantra Delhi Daredevils (DD) will follow as they face Mumbai Indians in match 45 of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2017. To be played at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium, Delhi need to win all their matches to make it to the playoffs. MI’s ticket to the play-offs is, on the contrary, more or less ascertained and a victory in the match will add another feather to their hat on this fruitful journey. This will be the second match of Saturday’s double-header. 

Be it team balance, be it stand-out heroics — MI have provided according to the situation’s demand. While Rohit Sharma is among the biggest names in the batting line-up this season, Nitish Rana made full use of the global platform to leave a mark with his performance. This will be a homecoming for Rana, who plays for Delhi in the domestic circuit. With three half-centuries already this season, Rana has become MI’s blue-eyed boy. The other blue-eyed boy (in literal sense), Jos Buttler, will strengthen the team’s batting furthermore with Kieron Pollard, who from time-to-time as emerged as MI’s saviour. Parthiv Patel and Hardik Pandya too have have necessary contributions in the top and lower-order respectively.

DD’s batting, which consists mostly of domestic young talents, looks apparently bleak in front of the mighty MI. However, they have given close competition to many of the tournament’s big guns, proving their mettle. To combat MI’s in-form Rana, DD have two names in Sanju Samson and Rishabh Pant, who have been the star for their side. But the biggest problem for DD is their over-dependency on these two. Though Karun Nair and Shreyas Iyer have scored runs so far, inconsistency from the two has hurt Delhi’s fortunes. DD’s lower-order, especially Kagiso Rabada, has proven to be exceptionally handy with the bat.

All-rounders play a major role in limited-overs cricket and both the teams boast of quality ones. For MI, Krunal Pandya will be the ace of the pack. The senior of the Pandya brothers has been consistent with both bat and ball, scoring 136 runs and picking up 10 wickets so far. DD’s answer to Krunal will be an experienced Chris Morris, who brags of 12 wickets and 154 runs this season.

DD has been one of the strongest bowling sides of IPL 2017 with an unmatchable pace-bowling contingent. The team missed skipper Zaheer Khan in their previous match due to his hamstring injury, which surely seemed to have hampered the equilibrium. However, chances are, Zaheer may come back to the side for their crucial fixture, as he hinted he has recovered.

Morris is fit and Rabada too is expected to play. This will be the last game for the South African duo if picked as they are expected to return home on May 7 for national duties. The DD spinners, Jayant Yadav, Shahbaz Nadeem and Amit Mishra will have to up their game.

As for MI, Mitchell McClenaghan, Lasith Malinga and Jasprit Bumrah constitute the pace-attack with Hardik Pandya bowling some occasional overs. For spin bowling, MI have relied upon an in-form Krunal along with Karn Sharma. Harbhajan Singh is fit again and expected to play.

Squads:

Delhi Daredevils: Zaheer Khan (c), Mohammed Shami, Shahbaz Nadeem, Mayank Agarwal, Jayant Yadav, Amit Mishra, Sam Billings (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Chris Morris, Carlos Brathwaite, Karun Nair, Chama Milind, Syed Khaleel Ahmed, Pratyush Singh, Aditya Tare (wk), Ankit Bawne, Pat Cummins, Kagiso Rabada,  Navdeep Saini, Murugan Ashwin, Shashank Singh, Corey Anderson, Rishabh Pant (wk)

Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (c), Parthiv Patel (wk), Harbhajan Singh, Lasith Malinga, Kieron Pollard, Jos Buttler, Mitchell McClenaghan, Nitish Rana, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya,Mitchell Johnson, Lendl Simmons, Tim Southee, Vinay Kumar, Saurabh Tiwary, Karn Sharma, Ambati Rayudu, Krishnappa Gowtham, Siddhesh Lad, Nicholas Pooran, Shreyas Gopal, Asela Gunaratne, Jitesh Sharma, Deepak Punia, Jagadeesha Suchith, Kulwant Khejroliya

Likely XI:

Delhi Daredevils: Sanju Samson, Karun Nair, Rishabh Pant (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Corey Anderson, Chris Morris, Kagiso Rabada, Pat Cummins, Shahbaz Nadeem, Zaheer Khan (c) (if available)/ Mohammed Shami, Amit Mishra

Karun Nair will lead the side in absence of Zaheer Khan

Mumbai Indians: Parthiv Patel (wk), Jos Buttler, Nitish Rana, Rohit Sharma (c), Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Hardik Pandya, Karn Sharma/ Harbhajan Singh, Mitchell McClenaghan, Lasith Malinga, Jasprit Bumrah

Story so far: MI have won eight of their ten matches in the tournament and are at the top of the points table with a positive run rate. DD, on the other hand, have won four of their ten games and are at No. 6 spot.

Advantage: With in-form seamers in the side, DD will have the advantage playing at their home ground. MI will be confidence sitting atop the points table.

TIME: 14.30 GMT | 20.00 IST

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IPL 2017 Match 44 Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) vs Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) Clash of the titans

The match No. 44 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2017 will see two high-ranked sides take on each other at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad. Sunrisers Hyderabad (RPS) lock horns against Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) in a marquee clash which will determine who nears the coveted No. 1 and No. 2 spot in the IPL 10 playoffs. Sunrisers Hyderabad, who hit top note, now see a slump in their form after the annihilation at the hands of Delhi Daredevils (DD) in Match No. 40. Rising Pune Supergiant, meanwhile, seems to be peaking at just the right time. 

The last time these two sides met was in match No. 24, at the Maharashtra Cricket Association’s (MCA) International Stadium, Pune. Sunrisers Hyderabad suffered a harrowing loss by 6 wickets after setting RPS a 179-run target. The head-to-head tally favours the visitors, who have won 2 games out of 3. Even though Hyderabad is Sunrisers Hyderabad’ fortress, they are yet to win against Rising Pune Supergiant. The last match at Hyderabad saw Rising Pune Supergiant winning by 34 runs via D/L method that saw Ashok Dinda star with the ball.

Sunrisers Hyderabad’ top heavy batting line-up has so far been devastating. With a combined score of 1,311 runs, skipper David Warner leads the chart with 489 runs, followed by Shikhar Dhawan (369), Kane Williamson (228) and Moises Henriques (225). In a stark comparison, the Rising Pune Supergiant’s top-order too can match them run-by-run, having accumulated a total of 1,155 runs with Rahul Tripathi (352) running past the likes of Steven Smith (333), Ben Stokes (244) and Ajinkya Rahane (226).

What goes in favour of Rising Pune Supergiant here is the form of MS Dhoni (204) and Manoj Tiwary (190), who have been in fine touch. Wherein for Sunrisers Hyderabad, only Yuvraj Singh (187) has scored runs in the middle order. With hardly anything separating the batting line-ups, all rests on their bowling and fielding performances.

As far as fielding is concerned, both Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rising Pune Supergiant have an amalgamation of the finest in Warner, Smith, Rahane, Stokes, Yuvraj and Williamson. Of course, Dhoni, with his impeccable glove work, brings in that added advantage for RPS, with Naman Ohja being anything but inspirational.

This match will also see the battle of the best when Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Rashid Khan take on the spin-pace duo of Imran Tahir and Jaydev Unadkat. So far, Bhuvneshwar is running away with the Purple Cap, with Tahir and his own teammate Rashid are chasing him. Unadkat, surprisingly, has risen for Rising Pune Supergiant, ensuring their death over issues getting resolved.

This match might very well be decided by third and fourth change bowlers of both sides. This is where Rising Pune Supergiant have a slight edge, with Stokes, whose bowling has been top notch, adding to it is the young Shardul Thakur and Washington Sundar, who have been very economical. Sunrisers Hyderabad on the flip side have Siddarth Kaul and Mohammed Siraj who have been equally impressive in the death overs.

Speaking about teams, it will be a rarity if any of the two sides opt to change their winning combination unless a last moment injury occurs. Dan Christian’s availability remains doubtful after his jersey-gaffe in last match against .Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Faf du Plessis might get a look in that case.

Squads:

Sunrisers Hyderabad: David Warner (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Moises Henriques, Yuvraj Singh, Deepak Hooda, Naman Ojha (wk), Ben Cutting, Bipul Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan, Ashish Nehra, Ricky Bhui, Kane Williamson, Siddarth Kaul, Abhimanyu Mithun, Mustafizur Rahman, Barinder Sran, Vijay Shankar, Chris Jordan, Mohammad Nabi, Eklavya Dwivedi, Pravin Tambe, Ben Laughlin, Tanmay Agarwal, Mohammed Siraj.

Rising Pune Supergiant: Steven Smith (c), MS Dhoni (wk), Manoj Tiwary, Ajinkya Rahane, Ashok Dinda, Rajat Bhatia, Mayank Agarwal, Ben Stokes, Imran Tahir, Deepak Chahar, Adam Zampa, Daniel Christian, Jaydev Unadkat, Usman Khawaja, Ankit Sharma, Faf du Plessis, Baba Aparajith, Ishwar Pandey, Shardul Thakur, Rahul Tripathi, Ankush Bains, Saurabh Kumar, Lockie Ferguson, Jaskaran Singh, Milind Tandon, Rahul Chahar

Likely XIs:

Sunrisers Hyderabad: David Warner(c), Shikhar Dhawan, Kane Williamson, Moises Henriques, Yuvraj Singh, Deepak Hooda, Naman Ojha(wk), Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul, Mohammed Siraj

Rising Pune Supergiant: Ajinkya Rahane, Rahul Tripathi, Steven Smith(c), Daniel Christian /Faf du Plessis, MS Dhoni(wk), Manoj Tiwary, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Imran Tahir, Jaydev Unadkat

Time: 16:00 IST | 10:30 GMT

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