CRICKET
Best playing XI for Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2024
CSK got some very good players in the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction 2024. The defending champions released Ben Stokes from the squad and got a lot of purse in the process. With that amount, they got some very good players from the auction like Daryl Mitchell, Rachin Ravindra, Mustafizur Rahman, Shardul Thakur, and others. They have a good combination of players who could form a good playing XI in the season.
Top order
At the top, CSK has some anchors. With the matches mostly being played at Chepauk, the focus of the teams would be on the bowling of CSK. That is where the likes of Devon Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad find themselves with not a huge pressure to perform. The two openers are alike and complement each other. While Conway can fire in the middle overs, Gaikwad went bonkers at the top in 2023.
The duo is likely to play in a similar way in the IPL 2024. They have some very exciting talents like Rachin Ravindra, Shaik Rasheed, and Sameer Rizvi as top-order batters to replace the duo. It gives them a lot of options to look forward to. They can all bat at number 3 as well. But for the sake of the team combination, CSK is likely to play Rahane at number 3 in the IPL 2024.
The experienced batter had an impactful season with the bat in 2023. Rahane batted like never before with an aggressive intent and helped CSK to win matches with his presence in the XI. CSK have many other aggressive batters to follow them. Hence, in the top order, they can afford to have an anchor like Conway and others to bat around him. It leads to a solid top order.
Middle-order
After the top order, CSK has some explosive batters to follow. Ambati Rayudu was good for CSK in the last 5 seasons. They needed a replacement for him and ended up getting a better player in Daryl Mitchell. The Kiwi batter is a sure starter in the lineup of CSK and would be looking forward to making the most of the opportunities. He had a stellar batting season in the ODI World Cup 2023.
To follow him would be Shivam Dube, who has been brilliant as a batter since joining CSK. Dube would be pushing harder to perform this time around, given the fact that he did not get many opportunities in India. To be relevant in the selection process of the T20 World Cup 2024, Dube must be able to have another great season. It only benefits CSK who could reap rewards from his performances.
At number 6, Ravindra Jadeja will have a task cut out. In the last couple of seasons, he has been struggling with the bat in the limited-overs formats. His batting will be tested yet again but will have all the backing from the management and the man himself, MS Dhoni, who would be looking forward to bringing the Midas touch he always has on players. He would bat at number 7 in CSK.
Lower order
In the lower order, CSK will have genuine bowlers. In fact, in the middle order, they already have Jadeja who can bowl. They also have Dube and Mitchell who can offer medium-pace bowling, although it would not be necessary given the impact player rule. With the new ball, Deepak Chahar will be handy. To assist him would be the likes of Shardul Thakur and Tushar Deshpande.
Deshpande would be the impact player who can be useful with the new ball. He can go expensive but do the job of picking wickets at the top. Even Shardul can do the job in the slow conditions of Chennai. In the middle overs phase, Chennai have the luxury of quality economical spinners like Jadeja and Maheesh Theekshana. Even Matheesha Pathirana can do the job with his pace bowling.
For deathovers, CSK have to find a way to get a backup for Pathirana. They do have Theekshana who can be handy with his carrom ball and variations. But one can watch out for Mustafizur Rahman, who can be at his best under the leadership of MS Dhoni. He might not be in the starting XI due to the OS rule. That would ask the Indian pacer like Tushar, Deepak, and Shardul to handle death bowling in the first few matches.
Here’s the starting XI of CSK in the IPL 2024 –
Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ajinkya Rahane, Daryl Mitchell, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (C & WK), Deepak Chahar, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana, Shardul Thakur
Impact player: Tushar Deshpande
CRICKET
Smriti Mandhana and Ellyse Perry star in RCB women’s comeback win against UP Warriorz in WPL 2024
RCB women overcame UP Warriorz by 23 runs to clinch their third win of the season. The home side outperformed Warriorz in all the facets of the game and emerged victorious. A collective team effort, particularly with the bat, helped RCB women to beat Warriorz for the second time in the season. They now have three wins in their five matches in the WPL 2024.
Alyssa Healy won the toss and opted to field first. Given how things have panned out in the league so far, it needed a great batting performance from RCB to challenge the chasing side. The home side did exactly that. They were full of intent which was lacking in the last few games. Right from the start, S Meghana and Smriti Mandhana smashed the bowlers.
It was the night of the RCB skipper. The Southpaw scored 80(50) in her stay. S Meghana perished after a valuable 28(21). Ellyse Perry batted well and registered her first fifty of the WPL 2024. She was aided well towards the end by Richa Ghosh whose 21(10) propelled RCB to a score of 198 on the board. It was the highest team total in the WPL 2024.
Alyssa Healy’s efforts go in vain
Chasing the daunting total, UP Warriorz were off to a flier. The opening duo of Healy and Kiran Navgire gave a fiery start to the visiting side. When the two were batting in the PP overs, it seemed like the Warriorz could pull off an insane chase. However, Sophie Devine brought RCB back into the game with crucial wickets. At Bengaluru, the home crowd was literally behind the RCB women.
It helped the home side to stay calm and do their job with ease. Sophie Molineux and Asha Sobhana were the pick of the bowlers, who claimed 2/29 each in their spell of four overs. While Healy scored a fifty and Deepti tried her best in the death overs, ten daunting targets could not be chased down. Despite the early hiccups, RCB managed to restrict UP Warriorz to a score of 175 and won by 23 runs.
CRICKET
WATCH: Ellyse Perry in disbelief as her six breaks car’s window
Ellyse Perry smashed a six in the match against UP Warriorz in the WPL 2024. It was an interesting six as the ball travelled towards the boundary ropes and fell exactly on the window of the car. As a result, the glass of the window was broken. The car is set to be provided as a reward for the player of the tournament.
It was the over of Deepti Sharma towards the last few moments of RCB’s innings. Before Perry struck, the home side was in a great position in the match, thanks to a great start provided by Smriti Mandhana. The star batter scored 80 (50) and shined in front of the home crowd. Her form helped RCB to have a good momentum towards the death overs.
Watch the viral video here –
ELLYSE PERRY HAS BROKE THE GLASS OF THE CAR…!!! 🤯
– The reaction of Perry was priceless!! pic.twitter.com/zaxiQLLN1r
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) March 4, 2024
Perry, who was struggling till that point, opened up and smashed the bowlers for fun. She went hard against the spinners like Rajeshwari Gayakwad and Deepti Sharma who were asked to bowl at the death. The right-handed batter smashed back-to-back sixes in the over of Sharma. One of those travelled towards the mid-wicket region where the car was stationed. The video of her shot has gone viral on X.
RCB teammates laugh, Ellyse Perry in disbelief
As the ball fell on the car and damaged the window, the fans erupted. There was no end to the joy of the fans who started chanting “Perry.. Perry..” and lit the atmosphere of the stadium. However, Perry was in disbelief. As she saw the impact of the ball damaging the car’s window, the Australian batter could not believe her eyes and thought about what she had just done.
On the other hand, the RCB teammates of Perry were in awe of the shot. They looked at the replays and appreciated the shot of Perry. At the same time, players like Sophie Molineux and Sophie Devine had a laugh about the car’s window getting damaged. Ellyse scored a fifty and helped her team score 198 runs with her batting in front of the home crowd.
CRICKET
Praveen Kumar addresses Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer’s negligence of taking part in Ranji Trophy
Praveen Kumar has given his opinion on the preferences of Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer in recent times. The duo did not take part in the Ranji Trophy matches for their respective teams despite being fit. It did not go well with the Indian Cricket Board which landed the duo without a ventral contract which was announced a few days back.
Praveen Kumar has reacted to the issue recently. The former India pacer claimed that he has been of an opinion on the issue for a long time. Praveen felt that one should definitely earn money but not at the cost of neglecting to play for domestic and national teams. The right-arm pacer felt that players today are having a certain mentality which is not good.
The former pacer claimed that the players have a mindset that they can rest for a month before taking part in the IPL, thereby bypassing playing for their national team or the domestic teams. Praveen felt that the players could not resist letting go of money which they could earn by taking part in the IPL and other T20 leagues (For foreign players).
‘Ye mentally hota hai, ki mai itne paise kaise chodun’ – Praveen Kumar
“This thing is now firmly in the mind of players. Mai ek mahine pehle rest kar lunga, fir IPL khel lunga. Ye mentally hota hai, ki mai itne paise kaise chodun,” said Praveen in the interview. He claimed that youngsters these days are spoilt and are behind money. The former RCB pacer felt that it is not fair on the part of the young players to neglect the country over the IPL.
Kumar felt that a player needs to maintain a balance between playing for the IPL team and for the country. He felt that money is an important factor, but not at the cost of playing for the national team. “But this is not fair at all. A player needs to balance things. Money is important, but this (giving franchise cricket the priority) is wrong,” said the former Indian bowler in the interview.
-
BIG NEWS2 years ago
Riva Arora, aged 12, romances with Karan Kundrra in viral video
-
FILMY12 months ago
WATCH: Tripti Dimri shocks audiences with daring nude sequence in Ranbir Kapoor starrer ‘Animal’
-
BIG NEWS2 years ago
Meet the sexiest female golfer ever!
-
CRICKET1 year ago
‘Bloody dump captain’ – Former Pakistan cricketer lashes out at Babar Azam and staff for mismanagement of fast bowlers in Asia Cup 2023
-
LATEST2 years ago
The sexiest tennis star on the planet. Do you agree?
-
FILMY12 months ago
WATCH: After Tripti Dimri, Rashmika Mandanna’s intimate scene with Ranbir Kapoor in ‘Animal’ goes viral on internet
-
CRICKET1 year ago
Top 10 hairstyle of MS Dhoni from 2007 to 2023
-
FILMY1 year ago
Did you know Simi Garewal dated India’s iconic industrialist Ratan Tata? Know more about this