Nasheman News : Consistency has been their forte, but former champions Kolkata Knight Riders will aim for nothing less than a third title when they renew acquaintances in the 12th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

KKR are two-time champions, having won the coveted trophy in 2012 and 2014. However, for the past three campaigns they have crashed out at the playoff stage and failed to reach the summit clash.

Dinesh Karthik took over from Gautam Gambhir as the captain last season and it was no secret that the stumper-batsman had big shoes to fill from ball one.

Gambhir not only led KKR to both the titles, but is their all-time leading run getter with 4217 to his name at an average of 31.

Karthik, to his credit, led from the front in his debut season, amassing 498 runs and finishing as the team’s highest scorer. But the Shah Rukh Khan co-owned franchise lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad in Qualifier 2 last season.

“We have realised what we lacked last year and we have added resources accordingly. Thus, we are a more well-rounded team this year,” Karthik, 33, had said during a promotional event at Eden Gardens a few days back.

KKR shelled out Rs 5 crore for the services of West Indies all-rounder Carlos Brathwaite and a further Rs 1.6 crore for New Zealand pacer Lockie Ferguson. 

They are additions to an already stacked side that has the likes of Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Chris Lynn, Karthik and Kuldeep Yadav.

The city-based team also boasts of the best young talents on their roster. Shubman Gill will be the one to watch out for as the hugely talented top-order batsman not only impressed last term but also made his international debut for India during the one-day international series against New Zealand.

Talking of experience, KKR will look to vice-captain Robin Uthappa for inspiration. A veteran of 165 IPL matches, Uthappa is a seasoned hand in the shortest format of the game, having amassed over 4000 runs at a commendable strike rate of 131.84. 

Needless to say, India’s top-draw chinaman bowler Kuldeep will also be an important cog in KKR’s wheel. He was a key player during India’s recent tours of Australia and New Zealand and the Knight Riders can bank on his heroics when the going gets tough.

Among the foreign recruits, Lynn is one of the best power hitters in the game and was the second-highest run-getter for KKR last term as he amassed 491 runs from his 16 innings.

Andre Russell, buoyed by the call-up to the West Indies team, is always an explosive option with bat and ball. He contributed 316 runs at a phenomenal strike rate of 184.79 and chipped in with 13 wickets.

Russell’s international teammate, Sunil Narine, has been KKR’s strike bowler for a long time. He grabbed 17 wickets from his 16 matches that came with a fantastic economy rate of 7.65. On top of it, Narine retains his ability to strike big at the top of the order.

Talking about the big new recruits, Ferguson is one to look out for. The Kiwi bowler has express pace and has troubled the Indian batsmen with accurate bowling during their recent tour of New Zealand. Ferguson will be playing only his second IPL season – having turned out for Rising Pune Supergiants in 2017 – and will want to justify the Rs 1.6 crore fee KKR shelled out for his services.

Overall, KKR have a good mix of established hands and young guns and should mount a serious title challenge.

KKR will start their campaign at home against Sunrisers Hyderabad on March 24

Squad: Dinesh Karthik (captain and wk), Robin Uthappa (vice-captain), Chris Lynn, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Shubman Gill, Prasidh Krishna, Shivam Mavi, Nitish Rana, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Rinku Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Piyush Chawla, Carlos Brathwaite, Lockie Ferguson, Anrich Nortje, Nikhil Naik, Harry Gurney, Prithvi Raj Yarra, Joe Denly, Shrikant Mundhe

[Nasheman news] Mumbai  The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in the recent ICC quarterly meeting was told by the world body to get tax exemption for conducting future global events like the 2021 T20 World Cup and 2023 ODI World Cup. If BCCI fails to get the exemption, it will have to bear the tax liability in hosting the showpiece events. But the move has not gone down well with certain sections within the board.

Speaking to IANS, a senior BCCI official said that the ICC was free to move the tournament out of India if it felt that was the way forward as matters related to tax needed the government’s approval and external pressure would not help.

“We will abide by what the Tax Department and the Ministry decides on this. We would love for the World Cup to take place here, but if the ICC wants to play hard ball, they must be ready for everything. 

“If they want to take the ICC tournament out of India, it’s fine. Let BCCI then take the revenue out of the ICC and see who loses more. 

“Those in-charge of administration are trying to take policy decisions without jurisdiction to do so. The ICC will find it difficult to hold the BCCI to those decisions since a lot of these decisions do not have the approval of the board,” the official pointed.

Another BCCI official added that while the ICC claims to have an inclusive approach, it looks at every possible opportunity to hurt India’s interest.

“It was found earlier that the ICC had a different contract with different member boards. For example, Cricket Australia was only required to make best endeavours to get tax exemption while the BCCI was required to ensure tax exemption. 

“See, this is a result of a situation where the present BCCI is found wanting. The CoA bigwig wants to show that he is in control of things and whenever that happens, the democratic functioning of an organisation is the first casualty.

“There is no way that the BCCI should agree to this. The ICC cannot on the one hand say that they aim to have an inclusive approach and on the other hand look at every possible opportunity to hurt India’s interest,” the official signed off.

Nasheman News : Karnataka thrashed minnows Mizoram by 137 runs to cruise to their fourth win on the trot and consolidate the position atop Group D, while former champions Bengal were stunned by Assam in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Twenty20 tournament, here on Monday.

Opting to bat, Karnataka toyed with the Mizoram attack to post 242/4 in the stipulated 20 overs.

In reply, Mizoram were restricted to 105/6 with leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal returning best figures of 4/8 from his four overs to hand his team a simple win at the Barabati Stadium.

Karnataka have 16 points from four matches, four points clear of Assam, who jumped to second spot following their stunning 26-run win over Bengal at the Barabati Stadium.

Sibsankar Roy hit a brilliant 83 off 53 balls (12×4, 1×6) to help Assam recover from 10/2 inside three overs, following Ashok Dinda’s double blow in successive overs. They posted 162/5 in 20 overs.

Dinda finished with impressive figures of 4/17 but Bengal failed to put up a good show with the bat, managing just 136/9 in 20 overs and succumb to their second defeat.

Elsewhere in Group D, Chhattisgarh registered a thrilling five-wicket win over Haryana as they chased down 211.

In Group B, Tamil Nadu defeated Gujarat by just one run in a low-scoring encounter.

Batting first, Tamil Nadu could score 125/6 with Arzan Nagwaswalla, Gujarat’s left-arm pacer, picking 3/11 in four overs. Gujarat fell short, bowled out for 124 with one ball to spare.

In another Group B match, Himachal Pradesh beat Bihar by nine wickets at Surat, while Vidarbha eased past Rajasthan by 44 runs.

Defending champions Delhi continued their fine form as they defeated Kerala by seven wickets in a Group A game. All the bowlers picked a wicket each as Kerala could only reach 139/7 in their allotted 20 overs.

Nitish Rana and Unmukt Chand then put together a 64-run partnership for the third wicket to ensure Delhi cruised to victory.

In another Group A game, Manipur thrashed Nagaland by 10 wickets, while J&K beat Andhra by five wickets.

In Group C, Sikkim were bundled out for 75 as Saurashtra cruised through to a seven-wicket win. Jaydev Unadkat and Chetan Sakariya picked two wickets each as Sikkim struggled to get any sort of momentum in their innings.

India Test ace Cheteshwar Pujara’s unbeaten 39 guided his team to a comfortable victory.

Mumbai also beat Goa by six wickets in another Group C game in Indore, while Madhya Pradesh lost to Railways by five wickets at the Holkar Stadium.

In Group E, Uttarakhand beat Tripura by 37 runs, while Maharashtra prevailed over Hyderabad by seven wickets. Uttar Pradesh thrashed minnows Puducherry by 77 runs. Baroda lost to Services by 7 wickets.

Nasheman News : Without naming Pakistan, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Friday urged the cricketing nations all over the world to sever ties with countries from which terrorism emanates.

BCCI CEO Rahul Johri has written a letter to the global cricket governing body, International Cricket Council (ICC), urging it to ensure safety of Indian players in the upcoming ICC tournaments in the aftermath of the dastardly Pakistan-sponsored terror attack in Pulwama that killed more than 40 Centra Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troopers on February 14.

“This communication is being addressed to voice the BCCI’s concerns and sentiments that have emerged after the recent dastardly terrorist attack which was carried out on Indian soil by a terror outfit based out of Pakistan which resulted in the death of 44 (sic) Indian security personnel,” Johri wrote in the letter, a copy of which is in possession of IANS.

“In view of the aforesaid terrorist attack, BCCI fears for the safety and security of players and match officials participating in upcoming ICC events including the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019,” he wrote.

“Most countries from which the members of the ICC hail (including United Kingdom) have strongly condemned this terrorist attack and expressed solidarity with India. BCCI urges the cricketing community to sever ties with countries from which terrorism emanates,” he added.

The CEO also urged the ICC to provide the Indian players and officials quality security in the marquee ICC tournament.

“The BCCI also wishes to express its concerns over the safety and security of fans of Indian cricket at the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.”

“The BCCI trusts that the ICC and ECB will ensure that the most robust security is provided to players, match officials and fans of Indian cricket for the upcoming World Cup. The BCCI reserves all its rights and entitlements in this regard,” he signed off.

The BCCI’s Committee of Administrators (CoA) met for more than four hours in the national capital on Friday to take a call on playing arch rivals Pakistan in the World Cup on June 16 but was undecided on the issue and appeared to be waiting for an indication from the government before it can take a call.

“The June 16 (India vs Pakistan) match is very far away. We will take a call on that much later. We will take a decision only after consultations with the government,” CoA Chairman Vinod Rai told reporters after the meeting.

Nasheman News :  Senior BJP leader and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi on Friday said the cricket is not an Indian game, and kabaddi and football should be promoted.

“Cricket is not an Indian game, it came from England. Most of the countries playing cricket were once colonies of England. There is a need to promote kabaddi and football,” Modi said after inaugurating the 64th National School Kabaddi Championship here. 

He stressed the need to encourage students to play kabaddi. “Students and youths can play kabaddi with zero investment unlike cricket,” he said. 

Nasheman News :The crucial BCCI CoA meeting on Friday failed to decide whether India should play against Pakistan in the upcoming ICC cricket World Cup in the United Kingdom in May-July in the wake of the Pulwama terror attack.

After a four-hour-long meeting, the three-member Committee of Administrators (CoA) was undecided on the issue and appeared to be waiting for an indication from the government before it can take a call.

“The June 16 (India vs Pakistan) match is very far away. We will take a call on that much later. We will take a decision only after consultations with the government,” CoA Chairman Vinod Rai told reporters after the meeting.

Asked about the views of some former players and officials who have demanded a boycott of the match against Pakistan, he said he would not like to go into the comments being made by others.

In reply to another question, he said the BCCI would write to ICC about the need to boycott countries from where terror emanates.

“We’ll write to the ICC expressing our concerns about Pakistan and that security of players, officials and everybody else must be taken care of,” Rai said about the first decision taken at the meeting.

“We’re telling the cricket community that in future we must sever ties with nations from where terror emanates,” he said adding the copy of the letter to the ICC will be made public.

Rai also said that there will not be any Indian Premier League (IPL) opening ceremony and the amount of the budget allotted for the ceremony will be given to families of the victims of the Pulwama terror attack.

“There will be no IPL opening ceremony. Instead the money will be donated to families of Pulwama martyrs,” Rai said about the incident in which Pakistan-sponsored terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed carried out a suicide attack in which 40 Central Reservce Police Force (CRPF) troopers were killed.

Nasheman News :In a major setback for India, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Friday suspended all Indian applications to host future Olympic-related events until New Delhi guarantees in writing the entry of all participants.

The IOC measure comes after two Pakistani shooters were denied visas to compete in the ISSF Shooting World Cup, starting here on Saturday, which also resulted in scrapping of two of the 16 Tokyo Olympic quota places on offer in the marquee tournament.

The denial of visas followed the February 14 Pulwama terror attack that led to the martyrdom of 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) soldiers.

“Since becoming aware of the issue, and in spite of intense last-minute efforts and discussions with the Indian government authorities, no solution has been found to allow the Pakistani delegation to enter India in time to compete,” the IOC statement said.

“As a result, the IOC Executive Board also decided to suspend all discussions with the IOA (Indian Olympic Association) and government regarding the potential applications for hosting future sports and Olympic-related events in India,” it added.

The global sports governing body also urged all international sports federations not to hold events in India, or grant hosting rights to the country for future competitions, until the government had provided “clear written guarantees” to ensure access for all athletes.

The IOC also stated that the men’s 25-metre rapid fire pistol category, in which the two Pakistanis – G.M. Bashir and Khalil Ahmed – were due to take part, is not a part of the Olympic qualifying process. 

That particular event had two Olympic quotas on offer, which have been scrapped by the IOC following a written request by the National Rifle Association of Pakistan (NRAP) on Wednesday.

Those quota places will now be included in the other ISSF World Cups scheduled for later this year.

International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) President Vladimir Lisin had earlier told the media on the sidelines of the World Cup opening ceremony on Thursday evening that all the 16 quota places could be scrapped. That number, however, has been reduced to two by the IOC.

“The IOC restricted the withdrawal of recognition as an Olympic qualification event to the 25m rapid fire pistol competition in which the two Pakistani athletes were supposed to participate,” the IOC said.

“This happened in the interest of the other 500 athletes from 61 countries participating in the other events who are already in India for their competition.”

Stating that no solution could be found despite best efforts of the IOC and the ISSF, the world body said the non-participation of the Pakistani shooters goes against the basic principles of the Olympic charter.

“This situation goes against the fundamental principles of the Olympic charter, in particular the principles of non-discrimination. In view of the above, we wish to inform that the IOC executive board decided to revoke the Olympic qualification status of the specific event,” it added.

Nasheman News : Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya has been ruled out of the upcoming Twenty20 International and One-Day International series against Australia due to lower back stiffness, BCCI announced on Thursday.

Left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has been named replacement for Hardik for the ODIs. However, no replacement has been named in the T20I squad.

The BCCI medical team decided to rest the all-rounder and let him undergo strength and conditioning work for his lower back at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, BCCI said in a statement.

New Delhi, Feb 20 (IANS) The International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Wednesday a decision on the group match between India and Pakistan at the ODI World Cup will be taken at its next meeting.

Former Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) officials Sanjay Patel and Rajiv Shukla had demanded that India boycott the World Cup match against Pakistan following the recent suicide attack in Jammu and Kashmir in which 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troopers were killed.

“There is no indication that any World Cup match will not go ahead as planned. Sport, in particular cricket, has the wonderful ability to bring people together and unite communities. We will work with our members on that basis,” Richardson was quoted as saying.

According to ICC officials, the game’s global governing body is likely to take a call on cricket ties between the two south Asian nations at the February 27 meeting in Dubai.

Nasheman News : After facing a two-year ban due to betting activities of its top officials, star-studded Chennai Super Kings made a roaring comeback in the 10th edition of the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL) last year and will be aiming to maintain the same momentum in the 2019 edition of the cash rich tournament.

Back in the mix after a two-year hiatus and playing almost all of their home games away from home, Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led side defied all odds to lift their third title and once again proved why the ‘Yellow Brigade’ is one of the best teams in the league.

The main reason Chennai Super Kings has been a powerhouse over the years is because of the Indian talent at their disposal. One of their primary aim has been to keep the core of the team intact. 

Suresh Raina, Shane Watson, Dwayne Bravo, Murali Vijay, Harbhajan Singh, Karn Sharma, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Mohit Sharma, David Willey, and Sam Billings are the backbone of the outfit and are in the squad for this edition.

The southern outfit is a team that has never gone for fancy Twenty20 International stars names like Chris Gayle, Lasith Malinga or Kieron Pollard. They maintain their stability, unperturbed by the auctions. For 2019 edition, the franchise announced the retention of 22 players. 

In the 2019 edition, the Chennai franchise just bought two players to complete their squad. They bought pacer Mohit Sharma and uncapped player Ruturaj Gaikwa for the upcoming edition. Mohit had earlier played for the same side and took 57 wickets in 47 matches.

On Tuesday, BCCI has released the schedule for the first two weeks. Dhoni’s side will take on Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore in the opening match in Chennai on March 23.

There are several good news for the Southern outfit. Their middle-order batsman Kedar Jadhav and New Zealand all-rounder Mitchell Santner are back in the mix. In the 2018 edition, the duo got injured and had to miss the entire season.

The franchise will be playing this edition at its home ground. Last year they had to shift their base to Pune.

So in the upcoming edition, the conditions and several other factors are favouring the defending champions and the fans can expect to witness another thrilling edition.