After the defeat, or ‘thrashing’ India received from England in the 2022 WC semi-finals, fans worldwide were frustrated at another disappointing finish. Here are my honest thoughts for Those Who Care and Run Indian Cricket. An open letter, “Enough is enough.”
Dear Indian Cricket Administrators,
Enough is enough.
2014 T20 World Cup Final. 2015 ODI World Cup Semi-Final. 2016 T20 World Cup Semi-Final. 2017 Champions Trophy Final. 2019 ODI World Cup Semi-Final. 2021 World Test Championship Final. 2022 T20 World Cup Semi-Final.
9 Long Years. 7 ICC knockout matches. 3 captains. Different coaches. Same result. So close, yet so far.
When India suffered 0-4 losses to England & Australia in the 2011 disastrous Test tours, MS Dhoni frequently said, ‘It is the process that matters.’ The same talks continued throughout the decade.
Process. Journey. Learnings. Yes, learning is good. Making mistakes is good…if and only if, they lead to tangible changes. Not if they result in the same mistakes again.
We have Questions. More questions. LOTS of questions. What is the exact process? Who decides these processes? Because if the same story plays over and over again, and India keeps losing in key moments, then there is an inherent problem with the process itself.
Then the blame game starts. IPL vs internationals. Not able to play in overseas leagues. Injuries. Handling the ‘pressure.’ Retrospective selection debates. Rest & rotation.
Excuses.Enough is enough.
This letter is not to single out individuals, players, coaches, team management, or even the system. I’m not questioning the commitment or the lack of trying. These are professionals, and they try to do their best on and off the field.
Rather, I’m questioning the status quo. The Hero Worship. Administrative bias. Selections and Experimentation. Media leaks. Lack of the winning mentality.
The current England team is doing something right. After the 2015 World Cup debacle, they took some tough decisions. The team of Eoin Morgan, Andrew Strauss, and Nathan Leamon invested in a system that would produce results and backed players that fit their system.
Enjoy the journey. Learn from the process. Keep improving. All this is good, but at the end of the day, results matter. The IPL wouldn’t still exist if it wasn’t a profitable venture. Brazil (5), Germany (4), and Italy (4) wouldn’t be as feared in the soccer world if they hadn’t won that many trophies consistently over time.
You know why West Indies in the 2010s were so good? Because they won World Cups AND had fun doing it. That’s the ideal situation. Process plus results. Why can’t India get there? Why can’t India win both bilaterals and World Cups?
The Power of the IPL and depth of India’s pool of talent—A blessing and a disguise. There is a key difference between gradual progress and stagnation. It is high time that Team India starts converting this golden generation of players and financial power into trophies.
Lost opportunity. Enough is enough.
The fans are just as much as stakeholders in the game as the administrators and players themselves.
One of these days, the confidence in the team might be a disappear. The team needs to start winning world tournaments. That’s it.
And this is not to say that India is a bad team. Not even close. Coming to the semi-finals in almost every competition ten years in a row is no joke. However, the final hurdle is sometimes the most important step. And not getting over that step points to deeper issues.
It’s a well-known idiom to “Hope for the best and Prepare for the worst.” But maybe, just maybe, that is not the right way to go.
Don’t play safe. For once, just go all out. Try something new. Take some risks. Make courageous selections.
Indian fans can live with defeat. What they can’t live with is manner of defeats and making the same mistakes over and over again.
Something needs to change. Otherwise, all that will be left is Broken Dreams.
Because enough is enough.
Sincerely, A Cricket Fan
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Should Virat Kohli…be in India’s T20 World Cup squad? Should he not? The burning question in every Indian fan’s mind. Rohit Sharma is getting increasingly annoyed with every press conference (Here are his conferences after the 1st ODI and 2nd ODI vs England).
Virat Kohli has now been rested for the West Indies 5-match T20I series. India’s series against South Africa and Ireland gave a hint of India’s new aggressive gameplay and how the future might look without Kohli. These five games against the West Indies will make it clear, can India survive without Virat Kohli?
Here is my take—Virat Kohli should be in the Indian T20 World Cup squad but as a floater, not the #3 batter.
What are the Pros of Having Virat Kohli in India’s T20 World Cup Squad?
Several international players have come to Virat Kohli’s defense. Rohit Sharma reiterated that even though each player suffers from ups and downs in his or her career, the player’s quality never reduces. Here are some other reasons why a player like Virat Kohli might be valuable in a T20 World Cup.
Experience matters in a World Cup
Great record across formats in Australia consistently for the past 14 years
Player of the tournament in 2014/2016 T20 World Cups. Single handedly carried India.
Although IPL record is poor, his recent T20I stats have been pretty decent
Virat Kohli’s T20I Stats Since December 2020 (Post-Pandemic Break)
One of the misconceptions from Virat Kohli’s bad form is due to all formats getting mixed – Tests, ODIs, T20Is, and IPL. He has horrid IPL seasons and been found out at the Test level at times as well, but in ODIs and T20Is, he has been pretty solid.
In summary, since Dec 2020, Virat Kohli in T20Is has stats:
17 matches, 15 innings, 514 runs, 46.72 average, 134.55 SR, best of 85, 6 fifties, 1 duck
Here are his overall career T20I stats:
99 matches, 91 innings, 3308 runs, 50.12 average, 137.66 SR, best of 94*, 30 fifties, 3 ducks
What are the Cons of Having Virat Kohli in India’s T20 World Cup Squad?
Now that we have discussed some of the positives, now let us discuss what is on everybody’s mind. Kapil Dev, Venkatesh Prasad, and lots of other cricketers have asked for players to be picked on form and merit, not reputation.
So, is there a way to fitting Virat Kohli in the squad while considering both of these things?
The answer is YES. Virat Kohli can play a similar role to what Steve Smith played during Australia’s 2021 T20 World Cup victory run.
Possible Scenarios for Virat Kohli
Since India are going with an ultra-aggressive batting approach, there will be volatile days when the team may collapse. Going for 225 everyday, the team might end up collapsing for a score below 100.
In this case, a Grant Elliot-esque insurance policy is needed. For India, Virat Kohli can be that insurance policy (In the current setup, either Dinesh Karthik comes in earlier to do this role or Axar Patel has been sent to delay DK’s entry. In both cases, India lost momentum. Virat Kohli instead of Axar Patel would be the ideal scenario)
Here are some get possible scenarios:
If openers have a blazing start, send in Sanju Samson-Suryakumar Yadav-Hardik Pandya, etc. depending on the situation/number of overs left. Push Virat Kohli down the order until absolutely necessary.
If an opener gets out early, still send Suryakumar Yadav in hoping he will continue the positive approach. However, if another wicket falls during this tricky phase, send Virat Kohli at #4 to stem the flow of wickets.
While chasing, if it is a tricky small run-chase in difficult batting conditions, send Virat Kohli at #3.
Another option is to carry him in the World Cup squad without playing him in the XI. In case another batter is horridly out of form during the World Cup or gets injured, Virat Kohli can adapt to whatever role is necessary.
In this way, India will still be utilizing Virat Kohli’s core skills and experience rather than expecting him to be India’s modern T20 #3 batter.
Final Thoughts
Rohit Sharma made it clear in his press conference that each player will be given confidence, especially since India are trying to play with a new approach. Failures will happen, but judgements should not be made based on one or two series.
Based on his recent IPL stats, Kohli should not make it. Based on his recent T20I stats, he should be in contention for the World Cup, but not necessarily a certainty. But based on captain Rohit Sharma’s statements, Virat Kohli will be on that plane to Australia and more than likely, in the XI. So, why not give him our full support as fans?
These were my two cents. I have presented you with both perspectives. What do you think? Which side are you on?
Here is the Quora article that instigated this idea.
In IPL 2022, at least 54 players are auditioning at the moment for the Indian 2022 T20 World Cup Squad to board the flight to Australia in October.
Exactly six months to go for the World Cup. Halfway through IPL 2022.
With Dinesh Karthik asking questions and knocking the door down, Deepak Chahar’s injury cloud, and Virat Kohli- Rohit Sharma-Ishan Kishan-Venkatesh Iyer having off years, all permutations and combinations are open.
So how is this going to work? Today, YOU ARE THE SELECTOR. I am going to break up each role (opener, finisher, fast bowler, etc.) one by one and the contenders for that spot. At the end of each section, you can VOTE on your choice for the Indian 2022 T20 World Cup Squad.
Why Have India Not Won an ICC Trophy in the Last Decade?
Last time, India won a major ICC Trophy was the 2013 Champions Trophy. And 2007 for their only T20 World Cup Trophy.
Since then, India have lost 2012, 2016 (semi-finals), and 2021 T20 World Cups, 2017 Champions Trophy (finals), 2015 & 2019 ODI Cricket World Cups (semi-finals). Hindsight is 2020, but what were some of the reasons?
Constant chopping and changing in the squads & lack of clarity on player roles (“The #4 Question”)
Selecting/Mixing players for T20Is based on ODI form and vice-versa
Balance of the XI: Lack of batting allrounders in the Top 6 (too many wicketkeepers)
Vulnerability against left-arm seamers/swing bowlers in the first few overs (ex: Mohammad Amir, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Trent Boult/Matt Henry)
Wicket-taking options in the middle overs (switch from Jadeja-Ashwin to Kuldeep-Chahal and back)
Freak injuries (Shikhar Dhawan, Vijay Shankar in the 2019 CWC)
Now that we have established where things can go wrong, let us discuss how to form our XI & squad of 15.
Rather than picking the best 15 players in India, we pick out the best players for each role depending on which position they play for their IPL and domestic teams. The idea is that we should not make an opener a makeshift #5 again.
T20s are now moving to a place where a fluid batting line up is preferred. Instead of being assigned a fixed batting spot (#3,4,5, etc.), each batter has a relative batting spot (top order, accumulator, finisher) and an ‘optimal entry’ based on the overs & match situation (Ex: Send Russell after the 10th over, DK after the 16th over, etc.)
Similarly, Powerplay swing bowlers & specialist death bowlers have separate assigned roles. (Ex: David Willey’s role is bowl a couple of economical overs up front, take a wicket/set tone, and not finish his spell).
Ideal T20 XI
So, an ideal T20 XI needs the following ingredients:
The Top Order (2 aggressive & 1 accumulator who can soak pressure, but also has change of gears)
The Engine Room (3 Finishers – 1 Power hitter, 1 360-Player, 1 Calm-Head/Insurance Policy)
2-3 All-Rounders in the Top 7
Wrist Spinner
Wicket-taker in the Powerplay (Swing bowler)
Death-Overs Specialist
145 kph+ Pace Bowler
Mystery Spin optional
Who Was in India’s Latest T20I Squad?
As a quick reminder, here are the list of players and key performers from the recent T20I series against New Zealand, West Indies, and Sri Lanka.
Since the 2021 T20 World Cup, India have won all of their 9 T20I matches. In these 9 matches, India have had 8 different player of the matches and/or player of the series.
All Rounders: Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Hooda, Venkatesh Iyer, Axar Patel*, Washington Sundar*
Fast Bowlers: Jasprit Bumrah, Avesh Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammad Siraj, Harshal Patel, Deepak Chahar
Spinners: Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, Ravichandran Ashwin
*withdrawn
Also before you check out the candidates for the Indian 2022 T20 World Cup Squad, check out BCD’s other social media pages and consider subscribing to our newsletter. It would really help support this website.
Select Your Indian 2022 T20 World Cup Squad
Next to each player, overall T20I & T20 stats will be displayed along with performance in the IPL after the covid break (IPL 2020, IPL 2021, and IPL 2022 up to the halfway mark)
Each player will also have a symbol:
🟩 Almost certainly plays the first match in the T20 World Cup
🟨 In the Probable 30, but selection in the 15 depends on the IPL and T20 bilaterals preceding the WC
🟪Wildcard Entry:Not in the current scheme of things but might come into conversation as a backup player.
🟧 Future Indian players who can occupy these roles (Lots of youngsters have come to the party in IPL 2022. I doubt they will make the Indian 2022 T20 World Cup Squad, but you never know)
Who are the Best T20 Openers for India Right Now? (Pick 3)
Who are the Best T20 Openers for India Right Now
India have 9 openers vying for 3 spots for the 2022 Indian T20 World Cup Squad. Namely, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, and Devdutt Padikkal. Rohit Sharma & KL Rahul are front runners for the T20 World Cup opening squad (if Rahul recovers from injuries), but Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, and Virat Kohli are other wildcard options.
An average of 16.28 and no fifties in 6 innings is not the best of Rohit, but remember, he was the player of the T20I series not too long ago. As long he is captain, he boards the flight to Australia as an opener.
2. KL Rahul 🟩
Current Status: Incumbent, Other Roles: Wicketkeeper
Cons ❌: SR inversely proportional to team composition/match situation
How Is He Doing in IPL 2022?
Although he has century & a fiftyalready (265 runs), it still seems that he has more to offer to reach the heights of the last couple of a seasons. A must have in the T20 World Cup XI.
3. Ishan Kishan 🟨
Current Status: Incumbent, Other Roles: Wicketkeeper
Ever since he was retained by Mumbai Indians for the mammoth price, Kishan has looked a show of himself. He has a couple of 50s and a top score of 81* but at a SR of 116.46, the Rohit-Ishan partnership is just not working for MI at the moment.
Pros ✅: Left-handed; Big match/ICC tournament player; Top form in IPL 2020/2021
Cons ❌: Poor form in IPL 2022; Out of Favor with selectors right now; Rohit-Dhawan-Kohli archaic T20 lineup
How Is He Doing in IPL 2022?
Not as dominating as before (2nd highest in IPL 2020 & 4th highest in 2021). 214 runs at 30.57 average & best of 70, the consistency is just not there this season. Only one 50 in 7 attempts and a SR of 126.62 will go against his name.
Cons ❌: Inconsistency; Golden Duck in only T20I (inexperience)
How Is He Doing in IPL 2022?
He is in imperious form in IPL 2022! In 5 innings, with 164.93 SR & 36.28 average, 2 fifties, he is giving the start Delhi needs. Is he a dark horse for October?
Cons ❌: Has Not Debuted in T20Is yet (inexperience)
How Is He Doing in IPL 2022?
With an average of 19.66 with best of 52, Agarwal is out of runs (and struggling on the captaincy front with PBKS as well). He was in great form in IPL 2020 but has not reached those heights since that mid-season injury.
Cons ❌: Strike Rate; Consistency; Has Not Debuted in T20Is yet (inexperience)
How Is He Doing in IPL 2022?
This might be the breakthrough season Gill was looking for. A vital cog for Gujarat Titans’ dominance. 200 runs already with best of 96. 33.33 Average and SR of 151.51. The two ducks would worry him though.
473 & 411 runs in the last two seasons, DDP has struggled a bit this time around.Best of 41, only 138 runs in 6 innings, 129.72 SR. Might be last resort, but I do not see Padikkal boarding the flight to Australia at this moment.
Other Future India Prospects: Yashashvi Jaiswal, Anuj Rawat
By Nitesh Mathur, Broken Cricket Dreams, 3/24/2022
Time for IPL 2022! Yep, the festival is back—This time with two more teams. That is right! Welcome Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Kings!
Lot has changed since last time. A massive auction and an end of an era. No Suresh Raina, Chris Gayle, AB De Villiers and although MS Dhoni & Virat Kohli are still here, they are no longer captains.
Without further ado, here is everything you need to know about IPL 2022 QUICKLY—Squads, Schedule, Latest Injury News, Commentators, History, and Predictions! By the end of this read, you should have all your IPL 2022 questions answered.
Venues: All the matches will be played in & around Mumbai:
Wankhede Stadium
Brabourne Stadium
DY Patil Stadium (Navi Mumbai)
MCA International Stadium (Pune)
IPL 2022 Groups
GROUP A
GROUP B
Mumbai Indians
Chennai Super Kings
Kolkata Knight Riders
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Rajasthan Royals
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Delhi Capitals
Punjab Kings
Lucknow Super Giants
Gujarat Titans
IPL 2022 Groups
*Note: Unlike previous IPLs, this is not going to be a round-robin tournament. To keep the number of games bearable, each team will play teams from their groups twice (as well as one team from the other group), and the rest of the team once. So that is two games against five teams and one game against the other four for a total of 14 matches.
Detailed team-by-team fixtures are displayed with each team below.
The big news in this arena is that Ravi Shastri is back in the commentary box after his coaching tenure with the Indian team came to an end. Also joining him are ex-IPL stars like Mr. IPL – Suresh Raina, Piyush Chawla, and Dhawal Kulkarni
English/Global Broadcast
Harsha Bhogle, Ian Bishop, Alan Wilkins, Pommie Mbangwa, Simon Doull, Sunil Gavaskar, Danny Morrison, Graeme Swann, Scott Styris, Neroli Medows, Anant Tyagi, Laxman Sivaramakrishnan, Murali Karthik, Kevin Pietersen, Matthew Hayden, Deep Dasgupta, Anjum Chopra, Nicholas Knight, WV Raman, Daren Ganga, Morne Morkel, Graeme Smith
Apart from these two major broad categories, IPL 2022 will be broadcasted in at least seven other regional languages with marquee Indian domestic cricketers as commentators.
Royal Challengers Bangalore: 2009, 2011, 2016 (Runner-Up)
Delhi Capitals: 2020 (Runner-Up)
Punjab Kings: 2014 (Runner-Up)
*Note: Rising Pune Supergiant reached the final of the 2017 IPL (Deccan Chargers Gujarat Lions, Sahara Pune Warriors India, Kochi Tuskers Kerela were the other teams to have featured in the IPL – Now defunct. Also, Delhi Daredevils and Kings XI Punjab were the earlier names of Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings respectively).
2022 Indian Premier League News at A Glance
IPL 2022 Injury/Withdrawn List
Jofra Archer was eligible to be in the IPL 2022 auctions. However, he will not be playing this season due to an elbow injury. Watch out for MI in future seasons. Bumrah + Archer will be WOW!
Deepak Chahar is set to miss the IPL with a recurring quadriceps injury.
Anrich Nortje is suffering from an injury but is back with the squad (might not be available right away).
Jason Roy & Alex Hales withdraw due to bio bubble fatigue. Mark Wood is out of the IPL with an elbow injury.
Suryakumar Yadav is suffering from a hairline thumb fracture. He will miss the first match and may comeback soon.
Other IPL 2022 Major News
MS Dhoni steps down from captaincy. Ravindra Jadeja the new captain for CSK. Dhoni will however play as a player for one (or more) seasons.
Moeen Ali gets visa (late) and had to be quarantined. Hence, he will arrive by CSK’s second match.
IPL 2022 Team Availability
Every season, team combinations are impacted by international commitments. Here are the ongoing/future series that might collide with IPL 2022:
Bangladesh Tour of South Africa:Dwaine Pretorius (CSK), Kagiso Rabada (PBKS), and Lungi Ngidi & Mustafizur Rahman (both DC). However, they may only miss one or two matches since CSA has granted leave for Rabada, Ngidi, Jansen, Markram, and Rassie van der Dussen at the expense of the Test series. Read Firdose Moonda’s article explaining Money Matters.
Australia tour of Pakistan:Australian players are not granted a leave till April 6th, which means they will be unavailable for 4-5 matches for their respective teams. This includes Pat Cummins, Aaron Finch (KKR), Sean Abbott (SRH), Hazlewood/Behrendorff (RCB), Marcus Stoinis (LSG), and David Warner (first two matches). Oh and Glenn Maxwell is getting married, so let us leave him alone for a couple of weeks.
England tour of West Indies: Jonny Bairstow (PBKS), Alzarri Joseph (LSG) – Misses first two matches due to the Test series
NZ Tour of England:Starts in June but if their IPL teams qualify for the playoffs, Tim Southee (KKR) & Jonny Bairstow (PBKS) might miss out.
*Note: Netherlands tour of NZ series is also ongoing but NZ have released all their IPL bound players, so there is no conflict.
CSK’s strength lies in their all-rounders and bench strength. Moeen Ali, Jadeja, and Bravo make up the core but even if they sit out, Santner, Chris Jordan, Pretorius, and Dube are adequate replacements.
Weaknesses
Out and out pace bowling. Without Chahar, Adam Milne is the lone spearhead of their fast bowling attack but Deshpande/Asif are a bit inexperienced.
X Factor
Watch out for Devon Conway, or as he is known in CSK circuits—Mike Hussey 2.0.
Chennai Super Kings IPL 2022 Squad List
Batters
Ruturaj Gaikwad
Ambati Rayudu
Robin Uthappa (WK)
MS Dhoni (C/WK)
Hari Nishaanth
Narayan Jagadeesan
Subhranshu Senapati
_________________________
Overseas
Devon Conway (WK)
All Rounders
Ravindra Jadeja
Shivam Dube
Rajvardhan Hangragekar
Bhagat Verma
___________________________
Overseas
Mitchell Santner
Dwayne Bravo
Moeen Ali
Dwaine Pretorius
Chris Jordan
Bowlers
Deepak Chahar
Tushar Deshpande
KM Asif
Mukesh Choudhary
Prashant Solanki
Simarjeet Singh
__________________________
Overseas
Adam Milne
Mahesh Theekshana
Overseas Players (by Nationality):
New Zealand: Devon Conway, Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne
Balance. Solid top order with Marsh/Axar as allrounders and Sarfaraz Khan/Rovman Powell as the finishers. And with Shardul Thakur here, there is no need to fear.
Weaknesses
Replacements. Warner/Marsh/Nortje/the Fizz will be out for the first 4-5 matches.
X Factor
Watch out for Axar Patel-Shardul Thakur. Could be the Sneh Rana-Pooja Vastrakar type lower order players DC need.
Shubman Gill, 2. Matthew Wade (WK), 3. Wriddhiman Saha, 4. Hardik Pandya (C), 5. Vijay Shankar, 6. Rahul Tewatia, 7. Gurkeerat Singh Mann/Jayant Yadav, 8. Rashid Khan, 9. Mohammad Shami, 10. Lockie Ferguson, 11. Noor Ahmad/R Sai Kishore
Strengths
Bowling line-up of envy—Rashid Khan, Shami, Lockie Ferguson, R Sai Kishore.They also bought most of the India allrounders in the last five years (Pandya, Vijay Shankar, Gurkeerat, Jayant Yadav, Tewatia)
Weaknesses
Top order. Without Jason Roy, this is a think looking line up. Pandya-Shankar-Tewatia-Rashid can do wonders once in a while but lot rests of the Gill-Wade opening combination.
X Factor
R Sai Kishore. Consistent performer for Tamil Nadu in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and the domestic game. Should finally come off the bench and make his mark in the IPL.
Gujarat Titans IPL 2022 Squad List
Batters
Shubman Gill
Wriddhiman Saha (WK)
Abhinav Manohar
Sai Sudharshan
____________________________
Overseas
Matthew Wade (WK)
Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK)
All Rounders
Hardik Pandya (C)
Vijay Shankar
Gurkeerat Singh Mann
Rahul Tewatia
Jayant Yadav
__________________________
Overseas
Rashid Khan
Dominic Drakes
Bowlers
Mohammad Shami
R Sai Kishore
Varun Aaron
Pradeep Sangwan
Darshan Nalkande
Yash Dayal
___________________________
Overseas
Lockie Ferguson
Noor Ahmad
Jason Roy* (withdrawn)
Overseas Players (by Nationality):
Australia: Matthew Wade
New Zealand:Lockie Ferguson
West Indies: Dominic Drakes
Afghanistan: Rashid Khan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Noor Ahmad
The All-Round Package.If fit & in-form, Russell-Narine-Cummins-Venkatesh Iyer will be a handful. And captain Shreyas Iyer is in rich vein of form as well.
Weaknesses
Wicketkeeper. With a long tournament, there are not many keeper options apart from Sheldon Jackson (Indian domestic) & Sam Billings. Fitting them into the middle order might change combinations in the XI.
X Factor
Watch out for Chamika Karunaratne. With Cummins arriving after match 4 and Russell’s fitness never certain, Chamika could be a handy lower order bowling all-rounder.
KL Rahul (C), 2. Quinton de Kock (WK), 3. Manish Pandey, 4. Marcus Stoinis, 5. Deepak Hooda, 6. Krunal Pandya, 7. Jason Holder, 8. Krishnappa Gowtham/Shahbaz Nadeem, 9. Ravi Bishnoi, 10. Avesh Khan, 11. Dushmantha Chameera
Strengths
The first XI. What a team – Pandey/Stoinis at 3 & 4 means KL Rahul can play his natural game. Hooda-Pandya-Holder are adequate finishers/all-rounders and Bishnoi/Avesh Khan/ Chameera strong bowlers.
Weaknesses
Replacement bowlers might be a slight concern.
X Factor
Watch out for Rahul-QDK as the opening pair of the tournament.
Lucknow Super Giants IPL 2022 Squad List
Batters
KL Rahul (WK/C)
Manish Pandey
Manan Vohra
Karan Sharma
Ayush Badoni
___________________________
Overseas
Quinton de Kock (WK)
Evin Lewis (WK)
All Rounders
Deepak Hooda
Krunal Pandya
Krishnappa Gowtham
___________________________
Overseas
Jason Holder
Marcus Stoinis
Kyle Mayers
Bowlers
Avesh Khan
Ravi Bishnoi
Shahbaz Nadeem
Ankit Rajpoot
Mayank Yadav
___________________________
Overseas
Dushmantha Chameera
Andrew Tye
*Mark Wood (Withdrawn)
Overseas Players (by Nationality):
Australia: Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye
West Indies: Evin Lewis, Jason Holder, Kyle Mayers
The same core as before. Rohit-Ishan-Sky-Pollard-Bumrah.
Weaknesses
The bowling cohort. Unadkat/Thampi are adequate players to come off the bench but not the ideal starters.They will also miss the Pandya brothers.
X Factor
Watch out for the foreign recruits. Brevis was the batter of the U-19 World Cup, Tim David is the hardest hitting Singaporean in the T20 circuit, Fabian Allen’s reputation has gone up in the last couple of years, and a fit-Tymal Mills is a treat to watch.
Mumbai Indians IPL 2022 Squad List
Batters
Rohit Sharma
Ishan Kishan (WK)
Suryakumar Yadav
Anmolpreet Singh
Rahul Budhhi
Aryan Juyal (WK)
Ramandeep Singh
Tilak Verma
___________________________
Overseas
Dewald Brevis
Tim David
All Rounders
Arshad Khan
Sanjay Yadav
___________________________
Overseas
Fabian Allen
Kieron Pollard
Daniel Sams
Bowlers
Jasprit Bumrah
Jaydev Unadkat
Murugan Ashwin
Mayank Markande
Basil Thampi
Hrithik Shokeen
Arjun Tendulkar
___________________________
Overseas
*Jofra Archer (unavailable this season)
Riley Meredith
Tymal Mills
Overseas Players (by Nationality):
Australia: Riley Meredith, Daniel Sams, Tim David (Singapore/Australia)
The top 5. Agarwal & Dhawan are perennial Orange Cap contenders, Livingstone-Bairstow are T20 legends, and Shahrukh Khan is the newest finisher in the house.
Weaknesses
Not many Indian batters on the bench if Agarwal/Dhawan were to get injured.
X Factor
Watch out for Rishi Dhawan. He has had a pivotal domestic season.
Bowling line up of Siraj-Harshal-Shahbaz-Hasaranga-Hazlewood is mouth-watering.
Weaknesses
How many games will it take RCB to figure out their best XI, which has been their usual problem. I reckon until Maxwell & Hazlewood come in, RCB might experiment with Anuj Rawat-Lomror-Rutherford.
X Factor
Watch out for Finn Allen. If he gets a chance, just remember his debut 29-ball 71 in a T20I. Also watch out for captain Faf du Plessis. Legendary leader – can he help RCB cross the line?
Kane Williamson (C), 2. Rahul Tripathi, 3. Aiden Markram/Glenn Phillips, 4. Nicholas Pooran (WK), 5. Abdul Samad, 6. Priyam Garg/Abhishek Sharma, 7. Washington Sundar/Shreyas Gopal, 8. Romario Shepherd, 9. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10. Umran Malik, 11. T Natarajan/Kartik Tyagi
Strengths
Umran Malik-Natarajan-Bhuvneshwar Kumar make a solid bowling line-up. Expect Umran Malik to break the speed charts in this edition of the IPL.
Weaknesses
Not convinced with Priyam Garg/Abhishek Sharma at #6. They might be better used up the order with experienced batters to finish off the match.
X Factor
Watch out for Rahul Tripathi.He was the heart and soul of KKR’s run to the final last year and for RPS in 2017.Also watch out for Suchith, the ultimate substitute fielder.
Ravindra Jadeja is the captain of CSK in IPL 2022 as MS Dhoni steps down.
Who are all the IPL 2022 commentators?
Harsha Bhogle, Ian Bishop, Aan Wilkins, Pommie Mbangwa, Simon Doull, Sunil gavaskar, Danny Morrison, Graeme Swann, Scott Styris, neroli Medows, Anant Tyagi, Laxman Sivaramakrishnan, Murali Karthik, Kevin Pietersen, Matthew Hayden, Deep Dasgupta, Anjum Chopra, Nicholas Knight, WV Raman, Daren Ganga, Morne Morkel, Graeme Smith head the English global broadcast unit, while Ravi Shastri, Suresh Raina, Aakash Chopra, Mohammad Kaif, Mayanti Langer Binny, Irfan Pathan, Parthiv Patel, Harbhajan Singh, Piyush Chawla, Dhawal Kulkarni, Jatin Sapru, Tanya Purohit, Suren Sundaram are the Hindi/English commentators.
Who is the captain of RCB in IPL 2022?
After Virat Kohli stepped down, Faf du Plessis became the captain of RCB in IPL 2022.
What are the two new teams in IPL 2022?
Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants are the two new teams in IPL 2022.
Moments of The Day: Same Story, Different Opposition
This match was similar to the India-Scotland match. Spinners choked the Associate nation, while Rohit-Rahul finished the rest.
Stephan Baard & Michael van Lingen started positively, scoring 33 in just 4.3 overs. However Bumrah and Jadeja soon reduced Namibia to 39/3. Jadeja was good, but the pick of the bowlers was Ashwin for me – The bowled off Green and couple of edges to slips were proper Test match off spin.
Wiese’s 26, along with Frylinck & Trumpelmann’s finishing helped Namibia to a competitive total. Altogether, David Wiese ended up as the fourth highest run-scorer at the end of the Super 12s with 227 runs, best of 66*, average of 45.40 & 127.50 SR. Not bad for someone representing Namibia for the first time.
Since the Afghanistan game, 4 players have had standout performances for Team India:
Jadeja: 1/19, 3/16, 3/15
Ashwin: 2/14, 1/29, 3/20
Sharma: 74, 30, 56
Rahul: 69, 50, 54*
While Rahul & Sharma almost killed the chase with a beautiful highlight package, Suryakumar Yadav was promoted ahead of Virat Kohli. A classic 25* (19) followed including an inside out shot and a pull. When asked later about the move, Kohli responded with, “Surya didn’t get much game time,…, and it’s a nice [World Cup] memory of him to take back.“
Broken Cricket Dream of the Day: The Ravi Shastri Era Ends
Even though India did not win an ICC trophy during his tenure, India made large strides, especially in Test cricket. R Sridhar improved fielding standards all around and Bharat Arun is credited for the rise of India’s fast bowling attack around the globe. Ravi Shastri instilled the confidence which was evident in the home/away England series & the 2 series victories overseas against Australia, especially Gabba 2021 (rising from 36 All Out). An almost 2.0 W/L ratio across formats is unprecedented for an Indian coach.
He also mentioned that not having enough rest between the IPL and the World T20 attributed to not being switched on during crunch situations and pressure matches early on.
In any case, I will leave you with his own quote from today, “Sometimes in life, it’s not about all you accomplish, it’s about what you overcome.” Beautiful.
Have a great journey ahead coach! Whether that is coaching in the IPL or back to the commentary! Would also love to see a more free Virat Kohli.
T20 World Cup Points Table, Most Runs, Wickets, Catches, Dismissals
No need to go elsewhere for thePoints Table, Highest Run Scorer, Highest Wicket Taker, Most Catches, and Most Dismissals. We will keep updating it in every article!
Image Courtesy: Graphic (original work), Kyle Coetzer – Photo by Francois Nel-ICC/ICC via Getty Images, Mahmudullah – Photo by Mike Hewitt-ICC/ICC via Getty Images
Toss: India won the toss and chose to field first.
Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai, UAE
Umpires: Marais Erasmus & Rod Tucker
What Actually Happened
Winner: India won by 8 wickets
Scores: Scotland 85/10India 89/2
Player of the Match:Ravindra Jadeja 3/15
Best Figures
Ravindra Jadeja (4-0-15-3)
Mark Watt (2-0-20-1)
Most Runs
George Munsey 24 (19)
KL Rahul 50 (19)
Moments of The Day: Collective Bowling Performance, Rahul-Rohit Show Key To Strong Indian Victory
Bumrah started by bowling Kyle Coetzer and Scotland never recovered. The pacers, Bumrah & Shami, had combined figures of 6.4-1-25-5.
Ravindra Jadeja in the middle broke the back of the Scottish batting. Bowled straight and quick and choked the batting. LBW, B, LWB. Classic Jadeja.
The rest was done by India’s opening pair. In order to get ahead of Afghanistan & NZ’s NRR, India needed to chase 89 runs within 43 ball (7.1 overs). As it turns out, India finished it in 39 balls (6.3 overs), thanks to KL Rahul’s 18-ball 50.
Broken Cricket Dream of the Day: Scotland Keep On Drowning
After winning 3 in 3 in the qualifying stage, Scotland has looked a class below in the Super 12s. Now the fourth loss in a row, they will want to finish on a high…Except heir last game is against group toppers Pakistan.
T20 World Cup Points Table, Most Runs, Wickets, Catches, Dismissals
No need to go elsewhere for thePoints Table, Highest Run Scorer, Highest Wicket Taker, Most Catches, and Most Dismissals. We will keep updating it in every article!
Image Courtesy: Graphic (original work), Kyle Coetzer – Photo by Francois Nel-ICC/ICC via Getty Images, Mahmudullah – Photo by Mike Hewitt-ICC/ICC via Getty Images
Toss: Afghanistan won the toss and chose to field first.
Venue: Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Umpires: Paul Reiffel & Richard Kettleborough
What Actually Happened
Winner: Pakistan won by 45 runs
Scores: India 210/2Afghanistan144/7
Player of the Match:Rohit Sharma 74 (47)
Best Figures
Gulbadin Naib (4-0-39-1)
Mohammad Shami (4-0-32-3), R Ashwin (4-0-14-2)
Most Runs
Rohit Sharma 74 (47)
Karim Janat 42* (22)
Moments of The Day: Rahul-Rohit & India’s Positive Intent
KL Rahul & Rohit Sharma set the tone for India. Hitting 5 sixes and 14 fours between them, they carried India to 140 in about 14 overs. Strong platform meant India could promote Rishabh Pant & Hardik Pandya ahead of Kohli. 27* (13) & 35* (13) was quite the finishing touch.
The bowling stories of the day were of Shami & Ashwin. I am happy for Shami, who had received a lot of social media hate after the game against Pakistan. Today he was India’s highest wicket taker and dented Afghanistan’s chase at the top. Ashwin playing his first T20I since 2016 showed why is still the best off-spinner in India. An economy of 3.5 with wickets of dangerous Najib & Gulbadin ensured India would win by a large margin.
At the end, Janat’s quickfire 42 (including a last ball six) and intelligent batting by Mohammad Nabi 35 (31) made sure NRR margin between the two countries was still far
Honorable Mention: Pandya’s difficult boundary catch to dismiss Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who was looking really good
If only they had restricted Pakistan earlier….
Broken Cricket Dream of the Day: The Toss
Till this game, Afghanistan was winning the toss and choosing to bat first – Their template, bat first, score high, unleash the spinners. With Mujeeb’s injury & dew factor, Afghanistan went with bowling first and were never in the game. Without a target, Rashid’s guile (conceded 36) & Naveen-ul-Haq’s slower deliveries (conceded 59) were not potent.
Another broken dream was suggestions in social media that the match was fixed due Afghanistan’s lack of intensity. This sort of rhetoric just isn’t called for and is actually detrimental to the game.
T20 World Cup Points Table, Most Runs, Wickets, Catches, Dismissals
No need to go elsewhere for thePoints Table, Highest Run Scorer, Highest Wicket Taker, Most Catches, and Most Dismissals. We will keep updating it in every article!
Image Courtesy: Graphic (original work), Kyle Coetzer – Photo by Francois Nel-ICC/ICC via Getty Images, Mahmudullah – Photo by Mike Hewitt-ICC/ICC via Getty Images
Moments of The Day: Rayudu’s Hitting & Pollard’s Epic All-Round Show
Here are my moments of today:
Faf du Plessis-Moeen Ali’s consistency at the top drives CSK. After Ruturaj departed for 4, onus was on Faf-Moeen to repeat what they have done all-tournament, and they did not disappoint. Aggressive 108 partnership in 61 balls, with both amassing fifties set the tone for the carnage to follow.
Ambati Rayudu’s free-flowing nature gets CSK past 200. Rayudu’s career has perhaps been the greatest Broken Dream in recent Indian cricket. At an ODI overage of 47.05 with 3 centuries & 10 fifties, it is a shame he only played 55 ODIs and was dropped at the eve of the 2019 World Cup. 2004 India U-19 member, in-and-out of the international team, run-ins with the management, the Indian Cricket League stint—he has seen it all, but this innings was the most fluent I have ever seen him play. He had a really good IPL as an opener a couple of seasons back, and this 72* (27) in the middle order showed his versatility. 7 sixes, 4 fours, 102* (49) partnership where ‘finisher’ Jadeja ended with 22* (22). Brilliant.
Pollard can do no wrong. When Faf & Moeen were galloping along, Pollard was given the ball in the 11th over. He delivered right away with medium-pace dibbly-dobblies, taking back-to-back wickets of du Plessis & Suresh Raina. When Pollard came in to bat, Mumbai Indians still needed 138 in 62 balls. After getting an eye in, he was just 3 (5). In came Jadeja, Pollard smashed 3 sixes in 4 balls and never looked back.
Definitely one of the best IPL all-round shows of all-time.
Honorable Mention: Hardik Pandya’s cameo with back-to-back sixes brings MI closer; Sam Curran almost brings CSK back into the game with yorkers at the death; Quinton de Kock-Rohit Sharma set 71-run opening partnership for MI
Broken Cricket Dream of the Day: Du Plessis Drops Catch, What?
There are two ways at looking at this game: 1. Brilliant game between the two best sides of the IPL that added another classic to its memories; 2. Good game, but CSK’s faults gave Pollard and co enough opportunity to bounce back. Here are chances CSK gave away.
Sam Curran has just delivered a 2-run/wicket over in the 17th and Chennai are back in it. Shardul Thakur gives up a couple of boundaries but CSK hold the upper-hand with 34 needed in 14. Thakur bowls, Pollard swipes, Faf runs in and drops it. Straight through his fingers.2 runs taken. Pollard still alive. The game changing moment.
Shardul Thakur & Lungi Ngidi’s expensive figures gives MI the advantage. Thakur finished with 4-0-56-1 while Ngidi ended with 4-0-62-0, including the full-toss filled last over.
Why did the field not come in with 2 needed in 1 ball?Usually in a close game, some time is taken and field is brought it before the last ball, but completely opposite in this case. Would not have mattered given how Pollard was batting, but this was just too easy for him.
Suresh Raina’s IPL is going downhill after the 54 in the opening game. He has scored 69 runs at 17.25 in the other 5 matches he had a bat.
IPL 2021 Points Table, Orange Cap, & Purple Cap Leaders
No need to go elsewhere for the Points Table, Orange Cap, & Purple Cap. We will keep updating it in every article!
Shikhar Dhawan – 380 runs (PBKS, 8 matches)
Harshal Patel – 17 wickets (RCB, 7 matches)
Teams
Played
Won
Lost
Tied No-Result
Points
Net Run Rate
1. Delhi Capitals
8
6
2
0
12
+0.547
2. Chennai Super Kings
7
5
2
0
10
+1.263
3. Royal Challengers Bangalore
7
5
2
0
10
-0.171
4. Mumbai Indians
7
4
3
0
8
+ 0.062
5. Rajasthan Royals
7
3
4
0
6
-0.190
6. Punjab Kings
8
3
5
0
6
-0.368
7. Kolkata Knight Riders
7
2
5
0
4
-0.494
8. Sunrisers Hyderabad
7
1
6
0
2
-0.623
IPL 2021 Points Table
Also, if you have not yet read our IPL Previews, here is a list of all of them! Check them out and share ahead:
Moments of The Day: Several Starts for RR but Just Not Enough
Here are my moments of today:
Buttler-Jaiswal working well for RR: Although Buttler has not quite looked his usual self, he is still providing the runs. Jaiswal’s selection has been inspiring after the Manan Vohra experiment. Today he scored 32 (20) with 2 sixes & Buttler scored 41 (32) with 3 sixes to set the platform for RR. At the halfway stage, RR were 91/2.
Lack of Conversion stalls Rajasthan’s progress: RR’s scorecard reads 41, 32, 42, 35, yet nobody converted to a big one. Wickets at regular intervals and slow finishing lead RR to a par score of 171/4. Miller & Parag played 4 & 7 balls respectively, while Tewatia & Morris just sat in the dugout. That was the game.
Faith in Quinton de Kock Pays Off: With 47 runs in 4 previous games (including 2, 2, & 3), questions were rising on his place & Chris Lynn’s exclusion. He came back with a match-winning knock of 70*(50). Krunal Pandya with a handy contribution of 39* as well.
Broken Cricket Dream of the Day: Dube’s Strike Rate Under the Scanner
Shivam Dube has played his part in IPL 2021, providing crucial partnerships & building partnerships at #4. Yet, his 35 (31) including 2 sixes hampered RR’s momentum. With Rassie van der Dussen set to join the Royals soon, Dube should be pushed down the order.
IPL 2021 Points Table, Orange Cap, & Purple Cap Leaders
No need to go elsewhere for the Points Table, Orange Cap, & Purple Cap. We will keep updating it in every article!
KL Rahul – 331 runs (PBKS, 7 matches)
Harshal Patel – 17 wickets (RCB, 7 matches)
Teams
Played
Won
Lost
Tied No-Result
Points
Net Run Rate
1. Chennai Super Kings
6
5
1
0
10
+1.475
2. Delhi Capitals
7
5
2
0
10
+0.466
3. Royal Challengers Bangalore
7
5
2
0
10
-0.171
4. Mumbai Indians
6
3
3
0
6
+ 0.071
5. Punjab Kings
7
3
4
0
6
-0.264
6. Kolkata Knight Riders
7
2
5
0
4
-0.494
7. Rajasthan Royals
6
2
4
0
4
-0.69
8. Sunrisers Hyderabad
6
1
5
0
2
-0.264
IPL 2021 Points Table
Also, if you have not yet read our IPL Previews, here is a list of all of them! Check them out and share ahead:
Moments of The Day: Top Order, Spinners Make It Delhi’s Day (Barely)
The IPL is full of surprises and memorable moments. Here are my moments of today:
Prithvi Shaw‘s first six scoring shots included 5 fours and one six. All from the middle of the bat to give DC a start that they wanted in Chennai. At this ground, a quickfire 53 was the momentum that was the difference between the two sides.
The only other batsman that played a long innings was Kane Williamson. Having collapsed earlier with smaller targets, Kane Williamson showed his worth in this 160 run chase. Batted through the innings and got SRH close to victory. Well, at least to the Super Over.
Avesh Khan& Jagadeesha Suchith are the names on the long list of young Indian talent. Avesh Khan impressed yet again with 34/3 and is now second on the Purple Cap list (11 wickets) behind Harshal Patel. At the end of the innings, Axar Patel’s back-to-back wickets of Abhishek Sharma & Rashid Khan, it looked curtains for SRH. Williamson needed support and got a timely 14*(6) from Suchith. 2 fours and a pulled six off Kagiso Rabada.
The spin trio of Ashwin (4-0-27-0), Axar (4-0-26-2), and Mishra (4-0-31-1) finally played together, and they all delivered. The ball was turning square, and they were varying their pace and deliveries accordingly. May be the last time to see these three together this year.
Honorable Mentions: Rishabh Pant-Steven Smith 58 run partnership; Delhi’s Spin Trio
Broken Cricket Dream of the Day: Why Didn’t Bairstow Play the Super Over?
Jonny Bairstow was on fire again with quickfire 38 (18) with 4 sixes and has been SRH’s most destructive & consistent batsman this season. Hence, it was surprising that he was not sent with Williamson in the Super Over. His expression on the sidelines went viral.
