Sachin Tendulkar credits IPL for developing India’s bench strength | Cricket News – Times of India

[ad_1]

Read More/Less


RAIPUR: Batting great Sachin Tendulkar on Friday credited the IPL for helping develop India’s bench strength, saying the current lot has benefitted by constantly playing against world-class performers in the lucrative league.
Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan, who play for Mumbai Indians in the IPL, have produced stunning knocks against England in the ongoing T20 series and Tendulkar attributed their success to the league.

“Yeah, both Surya and Ishan are ready to play, because you know, I have always felt that IPL’s introduction has helped players,” Tendulkar, who is captaining the India Legends in the ongoing Road Safety World Series, told PTI.
“Because earlier when we played, I hadn’t played against a Wasim (Akram), when we played in Australia, I hadn’t played a (Sharne) Warne or (Craig) McDermott or Merv Hughes. We went there and we had to figure out what has happened.”
Tendulkar said the IPL has provided the players the opportunity to run shoulders with the top stars and compete against the best.

“With the help of IPL, I mean, yesterday I was watching the game, and Surya was batting and (Jofra) Archer bowled to him and Ben Stokes and the commentator said that it is nothing new for Surya because he has already played against Rajasthan Royals,” he said.
“Both Archer and Stokes play for Rajasthan Royals, so it is nothing different and he (Surya) knows what they do and he has played against them already. So, it wasn’t the first time.
“That’s the only reason I am saying that both these guys are ready to play for India and that just shows the bench strength of our team, it is really strong. So that’s the beauty of our cricket now, that there are a number of players, who are ready to go out.”
Back in the field for the Road Safety World Series, Tendulkar said, “It’s a special feeling to be back (in) the dressing room.
“Like I said that sport unifies everyone, no matter which part of the country you come from, which caste, creed, nothing, your bank balance, sport doesn’t recognise anything, it only recognises the way you play,” he said.
“It is a fairground for everyone and we have always believed that when we are there in the dressing room, it is one team, we are together. We have always taken pride in representing the nation, it is a huge honour.”
The Indian Legends have already made it to the summit clash, which will be played on Sunday and according to Tendulkar, all the players are playing for a specific cause.
“It is fun to be out there in the middle for a cause, and I would like to applaud all six teams that include India and I am taking India’s name here also. All the players have come here for a cause and they want to go out and give their best and.
“Players are diving around and trying to stop the ball, trying to bowl fast. So, we are here for a cause and it is a message that we are trying to give to everyone, create that awareness on road safety, which is sometimes taken for granted.”
Tendulkar stressed on wearing helmets while driving.
“The message is that we lose almost 1.35 million people globally every year because of road accidents and out of which 1.5 lakh lives are lost in India because of road accidents. It could be because of not wearing a helmet.
“When we talk about not wearing a helmet, not just for the rider but also the pillion… The stats show that from the age of 18-35, that age group 50 per cent of the lives are lost because of not wearing helmets and not taking precautions.”
“The message we are trying to give everyone is when you are riding a scooter/bike/two-wheeler wear a helmet, if there is a pillion travelling with you make sure that the passenger also wears a helmet.
“If you are driving a car, wear a seatbelt, don’t jump signals, don’t drive on the wrong side of the road.”

[ad_2]

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

Huge IPL bucks doesn’t mean the ball suddenly swings more: Pat Cummins | Cricket News – Times of India

[ad_1]

Read More/Less


SYDNEY: Australian pace spearhead Pat Cummins feels being sold for big bucks in the IPL auction puts a different kind pressure on the players since a good performance can never be guaranteed.
The 27-year-old is one of the most expensive foreign players in the popular league. Kolkata Knight Riders had shelled out a whopping Rs 15.50 crore for him in the 2019 IPL players’ auction.
Chris Morris became the costliest foreign buy ever at this year’s auction when Rajasthan Royals bought the South African all-rounder for Rs 16.25 crore.
Cummins said a player is always under pressure to perform in professional cricket.
“Whenever you play professional cricket anywhere, there will be lots of pressure. If you are coming off a good game, there is pressure to do it again, if you are coming off a bad game, there is pressure to perform,” he told his IPL franchise KKR‘s official website.
“I guess the auction bring another kind of pressure. We just got to try and manage this. Just because you have gone for more money doesn’t mean, the ball suddenly swings more or the wicket is suddenly greener, or the boundaries are bigger.”
With KKR failing to qualify for the playoffs, Cummins ended the previous edition with 12 wickets from 14 games at an economy rate of 7.86.
“It’s the same playing field, so, I just try to concentrate on what I do well. I guess that’s what is going to bring about the best success for KKR while I’m here,” Cummins added.
Cummins, who was also a part of the franchise in 2014 when the league was played in India and the UAE, said he learnt a lot bowling in conditions different from Australia.
“I have amazing memories. My first experience of playing with players outside Australia, my first taste of the IPL. I watched quite a bit of it on TV and yeah I loved it.
“It’s hard bowling here in India or in the UAE. The wickets are different to the ones in Australia, the grounds are smaller. So, you got to learn and find different ways. We have had some amazing people around the team to learn from.
“I got the whole couple of months to spend with Jacques Kallis. Loved that experience, made me hungry for more,” he added.

[ad_2]

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

Option of skipping IPL was never on table; can’t ignore financial advantages: Jos Buttler | Cricket News – Times of India

[ad_1]

Read More/Less


AHMEDABAD: The huge financial windfall that comes with an IPL contract can’t be ignored, admitted Jos Buttler as the England cricketer on Tuesday asserted that the ECB never gave him the option of skipping the popular T20 League to be available for the Test series against New Zealand.
Buttler has been in the eye of storm for going home after the first Test against India. He is now back in the country for three months to compete in the white ball series and will stay till the end of Rajasthan Royals‘ IPL campaign.

The British media grilled Buttler on players in all likelihood skipping the Test series against New Zealand starting June 2 if their franchises get to the play-offs starting in the last week of May.
“No nothing of that sort (was discussed with me) and I don’t know about other players. I think an agreement about participation in IPL was in place well before the New Zealand Test series was announced,” Buttler said during a media conference.
However, like Sam Curran, even Buttler agreed that some players could skip New Zealand Tests if their teams go the distance in IPL.

“It could potentially (mean),” Buttler admitted on missing on the first home series in summer.
“…..but NZ tests have been added later on and there will always be a few who would be missing out on England games. You don’t know how far the players are going to go far in the tournament and miss games (for England).”
The white ball dasher didn’t hide that money is a big issue when it comes to taking a decision between club and country.

“We all know the benefits of IPL. It’s a huge tournament and monetary rewards are obvious and also the experience you gain and it has its pluses too. And it’s obvious in the upturn of white ball game in England, and the number of players participating in it and how beneficial it is to all of us,” he said.
“Of course the schedule is tough and there is no perfect balance to it and ECB and players are working closely trying to manage that.”
“Is there a perfect answer? No in the times that we are operating at the moment,” he added.

There are 12 England players, some with million dollar contracts, playing in the IPL. The players include Buttler himself, Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer for Rajasthan Royals, Moeen Ali and Sam Curran for CSK, Tom Curran for DC and Dawid Malan for Kings XI Punjab.
“IPL is advantageous to a lot of people with the money that’s involved. It’s the biggest tournament in cricket in terms of money and careers can be short but we know that playing for England can be a huge draw and we are very well remunerated playing for England,” he said.
He understands that English cricket establishment is a divided house when it comes to the IPL with people forming their “own opinions one way or the other”.
“It is also a big feather in the cap for the England side that 12 players were in demand in the world’s biggest tournament,” he said in his defence.
He also spoke how this year’s IPL will help England players when they come back in October for the T20 World Cup.
“Obvious benefits of the player improvement, skills that you get to learn, especially this year playing IPL in India, where world T20 will be played.”

[ad_2]

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

IPL 2021: Shahrukh Khan is in full form, he was on our radar, says Punjab Kings CEO Satish Menon | Cricket News – Times of India

[ad_1]

Read More/Less


NEW DELHI: The Punjab Kings IPL franchise had been looking to strengthen their fast bowling unit for a while. They went into the IPL 2021 Player Auction with the highest purse – Rs. 53.20 crore and they got what they wanted.
They spent a whopping Rs. 22 crores on two pacers – the Australian fast bowling duo of Jhye Richardson and Riley Meredith.
The 24-year-old Richardson was available at the auction table at a base price of Rs.1.5 crore and hit the jackpot, eventually going for Rs.14 crore to the Punjab team. Meredith, who had a base price of Rs. 40 lakh, was also bought by Punjab Kings for Rs 8 crore.
Apart from Richardson and Meredith, English batsman Dawid Malan was a ‘bargain buy’ for Punjab Kings. The current World No.1 T20I batsman was bought at his base price of Rs. 1.50 crore.
Timesofindia.com caught up with Punjab Kings CEO Satish Menon to talk about the IPL 2021 Auction, the team’s name change, world number one T20I batsman Dawid Malan’s buy and much more…
Excerpts….
What was the reason behind changing the name from Kings XI Punjab to Punjab Kings?
Like any other product or brand, refreshing becomes an important part of it. It was more of a refresher plan than anything else. Punjab Kings is a name we have been wanting to use for some time now. We wanted to use the prefix Punjab because that’s what we are. Punjab Kings is a more evolved brand name along with our new logo. It is also easier to call out and that’s the reason we went for this name.
How would you sum up the IPL 2021 Auction? Did everything go as per your plans?
More or less. There are always some hits and some misses. But if you ask me to weigh the odds, then I would say we got 90 percent of what we wanted. You always have a 10 percent miss. But we have got the backup for it. We have the backup for what we wanted.

Photo Credit: Punjab Kings
You secured Australia speedster Jhye Richardson’s services for a whopping Rs 14 crore. Was he firmly on your radar?
Of course. Jhye Richardson has always been on our radar. Last year, our biggest problem was that we didn’t have an overseas fast bowler. We needed someone who is really fast and who could put some runs on the scoreboard. He was the right choice for us.
Riley Meredith is another pacer Punjab went for and bought him for Rs 8 crore. Punjab of course had the biggest purse, but strategically was spending Rs. 22 crores on two pacers something the team was prepared to do?
Last year, we realised that our biggest problem was we needed two more extra fast bowlers. That is why we added two fast bowlers to our squad – Richardson and Meredith.
Dawid Malan has been amazing in T20s, averaging above 50 for England. Would you say getting the World No. 1 T20 batsman for his base price of Rs. 1.5 crore was Punjab’s biggest success of the IPL 2021 auction?
We were pleasantly surprised and we are more than happy to say we have got the best T20 player, Malan, at the best price that was fairly reasonable for us.
Were you prepared to spend Rs 5.25 crores on Shahrukh Khan? Why did Punjab target him?
We knew that he would be in the vicinity. He was also on our radar. There were enough teams who would have wanted him. He is young and he is one of those boys who are completely in full form. And I don’t see any reason why we wouldn’t have gone for him.
Punjab Kings also bid fiercely for Chris Morris. Do you regret losing Chris Morris to Rajasthan Royals?
No. No regrets at all. Like I said we wanted certain players but we always had a backup. There were eight teams who were bidding for the same player. Other teams had 10 crores or 12 crores or 20 crores, they may need the only players they want. They can go for it. We rationalised everything. We didn’t freely just spend money. At the end of the day, we were happy that we got what we wanted outside of Chris Morris.
Punjab created quite a winning streak in IPL 2020, but still failed to make it to the playoffs. What went wrong according to you?
Luck factor.
The last season also saw youngsters like Ravi Bishnoi and Arshdeep Singh perform very well. Bishnoi also got the chance to meet and learn from his idol and India legend Anil Kumble. Your take on these youngsters and the legendary Kumble’s role…
Youngsters are bound to bloom if someone like Anil Kumble is around.
The anticipation of Chris Gayle‘s inclusion in the playing XI was high in the initial stage of the tournament. Do you think his presence would have made a difference? Did Punjab miss the Gayle factor badly last season in the initial stages?
In hindsight. It is Twenty20. You can never tell.
KL Rahul finished the 2020 season as the highest run-getter. Your take on KL Rahul the batsman and captain…
I think KL is good at both ends. He has done a great job as a captain and that is why he has been made T20 vice-captain of the Indian cricket team. His bat speaks for him. He is someone who lets his bat do the talk. He is just superb.
With a strong lineup, do you think KL can take Punjab to their maiden title win this season?
I hope we will win this year. We go in there every year wanting to win which is why you see us the way we are.

[ad_2]

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE