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India’s domestic season will get underway from January 1, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly said on Saturday. He also said the BCCI has “elaborate plans” for junior cricket and women’s tournaments.The BCCI’s Apex Council met on Saturday to discuss the domestic calendar, which had been thrown in disarray by the surging Covid-19 cases in India.”We have had extensive discussions on domestic cricket and we have tentatively decided to start the competitions from January 1, 2021,” Ganguly told PTI from Dubai.When asked if it would be a curtailed season or not, the former Indian captain said the board won’t be able to accommodate all domestic tournaments, given the situation with the pandemic.”We will certainly have the full-fledged Ranji Trophy. [But] it will probably not be possible to hold all tournaments,” Ganguly said, hinting that the BCCI was eyeing the January-March period for the Ranji Trophy. “We also have elaborate plans for our age-group and women’s cricket. We will start with the Ranji Trophy and then we will also have the other tournaments between March and April.”To minimise travel, matches are likely to be organised in four different centres, one for each of the four groups (A, B, C and Plate). For example, Puducherry can host all teams in the Plate Group.”Puducherry has six grounds and have offered to host. It can host the Plate Group games while the other Groups can play in three different centres. The main motive is to minimise travel for players,” a BCCI official told PTI. “Bangalore also has a lot of grounds so it can be one option. Another option can be Dharamsala which has Bilaspur and Nadaun in its proximity.”Ganguly’s words are likely to give state associations clarity to prepare for their seasons. Most players have been training on their own due to the covid-19 prevalence in India, though earlier this week, Uttarakhand became the first team to start training under one roof.On the international front, the Indian team is expected to tour Australia in the 2020-21 season, to play three ODIs, three T20Is and four Tests. Ganguly indicated that players would be allowed to train when they are in Australia during their quarantine phase.”Cricket Australia has sent us an itinerary and we discussed the modalities of that itinerary,” Ganguly said. “We will be playing four Tests and that will end in the third week of January.”After returning from Australia, a home series against England is scheduled, but Ganguly said that no final call could be taken on schedules yet.”The England series is good three-and-a-half to four months away,” he said. “We still have time. We are monitoring the [Covid-19] situation, which is pretty fluid and will take a call accordingly.”Hosting the series against England in India (Ahmedabad, Kolkata and Dharamsala being the likely venues) remains a priority, but the UAE – where IPL 2020 is underway – is a second option for the board.A BCCI official added that holding all the T20Is and ODIs against England at two separate single venues was a possibility. Similarly, the Tests could be held in just two venues at the most to minimise travel.

Jason Roy has become the latest England player to sign for the upcoming BBL after joining the Perth Scorchers.He will link up with Liam Livingstone and it provides the Scorchers with enviable top-order options after last year’s opening pair of Livingstone and Josh Inglis became one of the most destructive in the league.Roy follows England team-mate Dawid Malan (Hobart Hurricanes) in securing a BBL deal in recent days while Tom Banton (Brisbane Heat) and Tom Curran (Sydney Sixers) will also be in show. Alex Hales is also returning to the Sydney Thunder.ALSO READ: BBL clubs to be allowed three overseas players in XIEngland have a limited-overs tour to South Africa which will finish on December 9 so it remains to be seen exactly when anyone who is part of that squad will be available for their BBL teams pending quarantine requirements when they reach Australia.”The Scorchers squad looks very strong, I’m excited to be joining the club,” Roy said. “I’ve heard the environment of the club is awesome and that it’s a place where everyone wants to help get the best out of each other.”Roy did not have the best season for England with just 49 runs in six ODIs against Ireland and Australia. He missed the T20Is against Pakistan and Australia due to injury but did finish strongly in the T20 Blast for Surrey with three half-centuries in his last four innings.He pulled out of his IPL deal with the Delhi Capitals in order to get himself back to full fitness.Meanwhile, the Scorchers have also signed pace-bowling duo Cameron Gannon – who joined Western Australia from Queensland over the winter – and Joel Paris.”Jason is a world-class performer who will bring added power and experience to our top order,” head coach Adam Voges said. “It’s great to be able to maintain a really strong WA flavour to our Scorchers squad. Both Joel and Cam bring plenty of experience and can fill a variety of roles throughout the tournament for us.”

A relieved Shreyas Iyer says that the win against the Royal Challengers Bangalore has put the “smile back on the faces” of his team and given them a much-needed lift after a wobble in their campaign. But now that a top-two spot is secured, the focus shifts to taking on an in-form Mumbai Indians, for direct passage to the final. The Mumbai Indians had beaten the Capitals in both league-stage games, but Iyer thinks his team will be up to the challenge as they are a “fearless and amazing bunch of boys”.Despite winning seven out of their first nine games of the season, the Daredevils were yet to book a playoff spot coming into their last league game. A six-wicket win over the Royal Challengers finally sealed the deal.”This win was very essential and it has put smiles on our faces after the four consecutive losses,” Iyer said at the post-match press conference. “Today the way we played, it was a comprehensive win. I think all the departments were covered up really well by the players and I am really chuffed by their performance, the way they came up and delivered at the right time. The second place obviously makes you feel good after the season you had, with all the ups and downs. The IPL is always a rollercoaster journey.”The Mumbai Indians are one of the best teams. Having said that, I feel we are also a fearless and amazing bunch of boys. It really depends on the day. Obviously, they are pretty much experienced in such [playoff] stages, but the team that has a good attitude and good composure on that given day is going to make it through. I feel that we need to keep things simple and not complicate in pressure situations. The way we have been going, this was a really good win and it’s going to be a really good booster as well for us.”The win was set up by the Capitals’ bowlers, who restricted the Royal Challengers to a below-par 152 for 7. Their spinners varied their pace intelligently to keep things quiet in the middle overs and when the Royal Challengers batsmen tried to break free, Anrich Nortje pegged them back by picking up three wickets.Along with Kagiso Rabada, Nortje has been at the forefront of the Capitals’ pace attack, and Iyer was full of praise for the duo.”It makes my job easy, to be honest, because of the way these guys plan in the team meeting,” he said. “They come up with their own ideas and, for me as a captain on the field, it’s pretty much easy to set the fields. I just go and ask them what you are going to bowl and they literally mail all of the balls. I am really happy the way the things are going so far and the way Nortje came up and delivered. Really happy for him and the way he performed today.”Another positive for the Capitals was Ajinkya Rahane’s performance. Coming in for Shimron Hetmyer, Rahane scored a measured 60 off 46 balls from No. 3 and added 88 for the second wicket with Shikhar Dhawan to take the game away from the Royal Challengers.”He carries a lot of experience in the IPL and the way he paced his innings, it was amazing to see,” Iyer said. “The loose balls he punished, other than that he was taking single and twos. It was a great example and I think he peaked at the right time, just when we needed him. With a few important matches coming up, he will definitely play an important role in them.”

Australia captain Tim Paine confronted the match officials to question the consistency of their decision-making after his second innings caught-behind dismissal amid the home side’s eight-wicket defeat in the second Test at the MCG.Paine’s irritation at being adjudged caught behind via Real-Time-Snicko (RTS) evidence was plain to all present on the third evening of the game, leading some commentators to question why it was possible for a batsman to have his not-out verdict overturned without any indication of a mark on the bat using infrared HotSpot cameras.However ICC protocols have dictated for several years that the umpire is free to deduce an edge from Snicko evidence even if there is no HotSpot, something Paine was clearly aware of as he explained the exact reasons why he had sought further discussion about the third umpire Paul Wilson’s decision, which the captain felt had been, among other things, too hastily made.Related

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“I’ve spoken to them. It wasn’t very productive. But I’ve spoken to them and raised my only concern,” Paine said. “My concern yesterday was not with the technology, it was with the precedent that was set in the first innings with [Cheteshwar] Pujara and the fact I just think the decision was made too quickly.”He didn’t look at enough replays to see the full evidence, that there was probably a gap between bat and ball, the line itself had started before it went past my bat and it finished again. So there were just lots of things that didn’t marry up for me. I saw some photos of it, all sorts of things, I just don’t think he took the time to look at the evidence. The technology itself, I thought was okay.”There were plenty of moments for both sides to grit their teeth over during the course of another Test match where bowlers were in the ascendancy, not least a handful of instances in which India were denied lbw verdicts due to the vagaries of “umpire’s call” for a ball not deemed to be hitting enough of the stumps according to ball-tracking. As for the Pujara incident, then, too, there was no mark on HotSpot and a very small spike on Snicko after Australia reviewed for a caught-behind, although on that occasion there was a suggestion the toe of Pujara’s bat had clipped his pad.Paine’s episode clearly stuck in the craw of the hosts, as they had been scrambling for any sort of fourth-innings lead with which to pressure Ajinkya Rahane’s ultimately victorious team.”Extremely frustrating, no doubt about that. Crucial part of the game,” Paine said. “Felt like I’ve been playing pretty well at the start of this series and I thought if I could get in a partnership with [Cameron] Greeny and add another 50 to 100 to 120 runs together then the whole game changes. So to have a finish like that was extremely disappointing, but it is what it is.”I think that was pretty clear from my reaction and I thought we had a pretty similar example in the first innings with Pujara on the first ball of day two, which sets a precedent. Then it seemed to change.”

India have formally sought reassurance that the biosecurity bubble terms of their time in Sydney will not be tightened any further for the final Test in Brisbane.A report on Thursday morning – day one of the SCG Test – said that the BCCI had officially written to CA to say it did not want to head to Brisbane. ESPNcricinfo understands while BCCI secretary Jay Shah signed off on the terms on December 29, the team management helmed by the coach Ravi Shastri have pressed for guarantees that they will not face tighter confinement if they leave New South Wales for Queensland.Related

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• Lyon on bubble restrictions: 'Suck it up and get on with it'

The players are not confined to their rooms when at the team hotels in Sydney and Brisbane – which have been entirely booked out by CA – and are able to mingle in communal areas. The one difference is that the restrictions in Sydney are CA protocols while those in Brisbane are imposed by the Queensland government as the terms to allow exemptions to be granted.In a development on Thursday that may become relevant to the broader arrangements for Test, Queensland recorded its first case of community transmission of Covid-19 in 113 days when a cleaner who worked a quarantine hotel in Brisbane tested positive for the UK strain of the virus which is more transmissible.On the eve of the SCG Test Ajinkya Rahane, the India captain, said that quarantine was tough for the players. “We know that life outside in Sydney is completely normal but players are in quarantine, which is a challenge,” he said. “But we have to face it. We are not complaining about anything. We are just focusing on tomorrow’s game. And just want to start well tomorrow again.”Australia captain Tim Paine had referenced the power India hold and suggested it could mean a late change to the schedule could be made. “I wouldn’t say [there’s] frustration, I’d just say a bit of uncertainty because when you hear things like that coming, particularly from India, who we know hold a lot of power in world cricket, it’s likely that it could happen.”

Heinrich Klaasen will play competitive cricket for the first time after a two-month recovery from Covid-19, when he captains South Africa in the T20I series against Pakistan. Klaasen, who is leading the team in the absence of Quinton de Kock, tested positive for the virus on December 3, during South Africa’s white-ball series against England.At the time of the positive result, Klaasen was part of a bio-secure team environment and had played in the first two T20Is. He was withdrawn from the third T20I and required to isolate. And so began a long and solitary period of rehabilitation.Related

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“The first 16 or 17 days I couldn’t really do much. I was very ill,” Klaasen, who did not require hospitalisation, said in Lahore on Tuesday, two days ahead of the first of three T20Is. “The problem came with the fact that I could not start exercising. Or I could start exercising again, but I could not run 20-30 metres, or do anything for two or three minutes without my heart rate going up too high.”As a result, Klaasen was unable to follow CSA’s return-to-play plan and had to proceed at a slower pace. “There are protocols that one has to follow to be able to rebuild your workload but I could not stick to that programme,” he explained. “It is a very simple programme where you exercise for 10-15 minutes a day and (do exercises) like walking 200 metres. It took me a long time to just get my heart rate under control so that I could exercise at least a little bit without getting past the phase where it is too dangerous.”The physical challenge was not the only hurdle Klaasen had to overcome. In an Instagram post he shared three weeks ago, Klaasen cautioned his followers to understand that Covid-19 “is real” and that “the mind takes you to deep and dark places in times like this”. He was unable to take any part in domestic cricket, including the four-day and one-day competitions, and the frustration of working his way back took its toll. “It was mentally very difficult to just have to sit at home for two months. I could do nothing. Later I had a weekend in the bush where I could get away from it all and get a fresh head before we had to come here.”At the end of January, Klaasen visited the Lions Sands Game Reserve in the Kruger National Park at the same time as the tropical storm Eloise struck. The game reserve was battered by heavy rainfall and high winds and parts of it were flooded and forced to close to visitors but Klaasen’s stay was unaffected. He even managed to get in his exercise while on the trip, determined to be ready for the Pakistan series. “For the last three weeks, I have been able to train really hard with Mandla (Mashimbyi, the Titans coach) at the Titans. I’m on course, I’m fit and I’m safe and I can play cricket again.”Of course, Klaasen cannot say for sure what he expects his form to be like after last playing a match in December, but he was confident from sessions in the nets that he has been striking the ball well. “It’s been a different kind of season for me. I’ve played four games which has been frustrating so it’s difficult to tell you what my form is like. We’ll see after these games,” he said. “I am hitting the ball really nicely at the Titans just to get some rhythm.”The squad for the T20Is is without the likes of de Kock, Kagiso Rabada, Faf du Plessis, Rassie van der Dussen and Lungi Ngidi. All of them returned home with the Test side as part of South Africa’s plan to prepare for the three-Test series against Australia, which has now been indefinitely postponed – it was too late to change their plans and keep some of the Test squad in Pakistan. They have retained head coach Mark Boucher and assistant coach Enoch Nkwe, who have been joined by South Africa A coach Malibongwe Maketa and Dolphins franchise coach Imran Khan. Charl Langeveldt and Justin Ontong, the bowling and fielding coach respectively, have also gone home.While the T20I squad is quite clearly not made up entirely of first-choice players, Klaasen was bullish about their status and their intentions for the three-match series. “We are by no means a second-string T20 squad and we are looking to win,” he said. “South Africa has got loads of talent, which people sometimes don’t see because we only have six franchises.”That will change as of next summer, when domestic cricket in South Africa is revamped to a 15-team provincial structure.

Shahriar Nafees and Abdur Razzak have announced their retirements from all forms of cricket, making public their decisions after being employed by the Bangladesh Cricket Board. Razzak, the 38-year-old former left-arm spinner, has been appointed as a senior selector alongside chief selector Minhajul Abedin and Habibul Bashar, while 35-year-old Nafees, a top-order batsman, has taken up a position in the board’s cricket operations department.A reception was organised to honour the two cricketers at the Shere Bangla National Stadium on Saturday, during the lunch interval on the third day of the Dhaka Test against West Indies, where they were presented with crests by the BCB and the players’ association.”It is only natural that someone else will take my place because everything comes to an end. I would like to thank my childhood coaches Sarwar Imran and Nazmul Abedeen Fahim. I met them when I was 13 years old, and they changed my life,” Razzak said, while Nafees recalled the time when he was ten years old and would be taken for training by his parents: “They supported me so I must thank them. I would like to thank my wife and kids, my in-laws, as well my first coach Wahidul Gani.”Related

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Razzak was the first Bangladesh player to pick up 200 ODI wickets, and also holds the record (joint with Mohammad Ashraful) for the fastest half-century by a Bangladeshi in ODIs – off 21 balls. Among players from his country, Razzak also has the second-most ODI five-wicket hauls and the most wickets in a bilateral ODI series.Over the years, Razzah has been a domestic giant, with 137 first-class appearances. He has taken 634 wickets in those games, including 41 five-fors. He is also the first Bangladeshi bowler to bag 600 first-class wickets and has won nine domestic first-class titles with Khulna Division and South Zone. After a four-year hiatus, Razzak made an international comeback at the age of 35 when he played the Dhaka Test against Sri Lanka in 2018, which turned out to be his last international outing.Nafees will always be best remembered for his 138 against an Australian Test attack that had Brett Lee, Stuart Clark, Jason Gillespie, Shane Warne and Stuart MacGill. The sight of a strokeful left-handed opener taking on some of the best bowlers the world, who had just conquered South Africa, was a breath of fresh air for Bangladesh. Nafees’ dominance of Warne, in particular, where he hit the legspinner for ten fours in a couple of sessions, remains an iconic image in Bangladesh cricket.Nafees had a strong 2006 thereafter, finishing with 1000-plus ODI runs, including three centuries. Later in the year, he became Bangladesh’s first T20I captain, but that remained his only appearance in the then-new format. After a low-scoring 2007 World Cup, Nafees lost his place in the team and in mid-2008, he joined the now-defunct Indian Cricket League. The BCB banned the Bangladeshi players for ten years for taking part in the tournament, but they were relieved less than a year later, and returned to the fold.Nafees would return to the Bangladesh team during a Test against India in early 2010, and went on to play 23 more times for his country, including at the 2011 World Cup, before his last international outing against Zimbabwe in 2013.Nafees finished the 2019-20 first-class season with a century and two fifties, having been one of the top run-getters in the seven seasons following his last Test match. During the 2015-16 season, he crossed 1000 runs for the first time in first-class cricket, with three centuries and a 62.05 average. He is also Bangladesh’s first batsman to hit a T20 century, when he made an unbeaten 102 for Khulna Royal Bengals in the 2013 Bangladesh Premier League.

May 2

Saba Karim, the former India wicketkeeper, has joined Delhi Capitals as head of talent search. Karim, 53, was until January BCCI’s General Manager.”I am very excited to begin my role as Talent Scout for the Delhi Capitals,” he said. “The IPL has, over the years, unearthed so much talent, and continues to produce world class action. Delhi Capitals is an exciting team to work with, and I am looking forward to help them grow further.”Karim comes with nearly 18 years of first-class experience, much of it for Bengal. He also represented India in one Test and 34 ODIs. Post his playing days, he was part of BCCI men’s senior selection committee.

April 18

Muttiah Muralitharan undergoes angioplasty in Chennai
Muttiah Muralitharan, the Sunrisers Hyderabad bowling coach, has undergone angioplasty on Sunday in Chennai. ESPNcricinfo understands Muralitharan had a stent fitted to open a blocked artery that was discovered recently during a routine check-up.It is understood Muralitharan has been admitted in a well-known hospital in Chennai. Once he is discharged, he will undergo the necessary quarantine guidelines of the IPL before rejoining the Sunrisers staff.Muralitharan, the former Sri Lanka offspinner, is the most prolific bowler in Test history, picking up 800 wickets in 133 Tests at an average of 22.72. He played 66 IPL games for three franchises – Chennai Super Kings, Kochi Tuskers and Royal Challengers Bangalore – before joining the Sunrisers as bowling coach in 2015.

April 17

Daniel Sams tests negative for Covid-19, to join RCB bubble
Royal Challengers Bangalore allrounder Daniel Sams has joined the team’s bio-secure bubble after testing negative for Covid-19. The Royal Challengers confirmed in a press release that their medical team was in “constant touch” with the player to “ensure his safety”. He has been declared fit to join the team after all the required examinations as per BCCI protocols.Sams hada tested positive for the virus earlier this month before his team’s opening game against the Mumbai Indians in Chennai. The Australian arrived in Chennai on April 3 and had returned a negative test at that time, according to a statement issued by the franchise. But a second test result on April 7 came out positive. He then went into isolation at a designated medical facility and was reportedly asymptomatic.

April 9

Behrendorff joins Super Kings as Hazlewood replacement
Chennai Super Kings have signed up Jason Behrendorff, the Australia left-arm seamer, as a replacement for his compatriot Josh Hazlewood, who pulled out of IPL 2021 in order to stay in shape for a packed international calendar.The towering Behrendorff is particularly effective with the new ball, combining swing with steep bounce and his awkward left-arm angle. He has previously played one season of the IPL for Mumbai Indians, picking up five wickets in as many matches during their victorious 2019 campaign. He has also featured in 11 ODIs and 7 T20Is for Australia.

April 7

Daniel Sams tests positive for Covid-19Daniel Sams, the Royal Challengers Bangalore allrounder, has tested positive for Covid-19. According to a statement tweeted by the Royal Challengers, Sams had returned a negative test upon his arrival in Chennai on April 3. A second test on April 7, however, returned a positive result, as a result of which he has gone into isolation at a designated medical facility, where he remains asymptomatic as of now.Since Sams had been in quarantine since his arrival in India, he had not yet made contact with any other player or Royal Challengers staff member. Sams played three matches for the Delhi Capitals in IPL 2020, and was traded to the Royal Challengers ahead of the 2021 player auction.

April 6

Rabada, Nortje arrive in Mumbai, but will have to miss Capitals’ first gameKagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje, who picked up 52 wickets between them in IPL 2020, have reached the Delhi Capitals team hotel in Mumbai but will miss at least their team’s first match – on April 10 against the Chennai Super Kings – as they will have to first be in quarantine for one week, a franchise statement confirmed. The Capitals’ second game is on April 15, against the Rajasthan Royals, and the two quicks are expected to be ready for that. The two South African fast bowlers played big parts in helping the Capitals reach the final for the first time in the IPL last season, and were subsequently retained by the franchise. They were both part of the first two ODIs against Pakistan in the ongoing series at home, and left for India on Monday.Shahrukh Khan reminds Anil Kumble of Kieron Pollard
Watching Shahrukh Khan bat is a throwback to the Kieron Pollard experience at the Mumbai Indians for Anil Kumble, the Punjab Kings director of cricket operations. Kumble said that he used to bowl to Pollard with strict instructions not to hit the ball straight back; with Khan, Kumble hasn’t even been trying.”He reminds me, a bit like Pollard actually,” Kumble said in a video posted by the Punjab Kings on Twitter. “When I was with Mumbai Indians, Pollard in the nets was dangerous. I used to bowl a bit, so the first things that I would tell him was, ‘look, don’t hit straight’.”Here I am not even trying. I am a lot older now, and the body doesn’t take the bowling anymore. So I am not going to bowl at Shahrukh, for sure.”Khan, the uncapped Tamil Nadu batsman, went to the Punjab franchise for INR 5.25 crore (from a base price of INR 20 lakh), and while that took time to sink in for the 25-year-old, he has settled down quickly. He also wants to get cracking with his range-hitting sessions quickly: “Looking forward to lose some balls, get them out of the park.”

April 5

Maharashtra government gives green signal for IPL in MumbaiThe Maharashtra government has cleared the way for the IPL to go ahead in Mumbai, allowing teams to practice after 8 PM and travel to their respective hotels even during the night curfew that has been imposed in the city.The state government had imposed Section 144 in Maharashtra starting from Sunday, including a night curfew from 8 PM to 7 AM, due to a recent surge in Covid-19 cases.However, the state government has allowed the IPL teams to practice beyond 8 PM, provided there is “strict adherence to the bio-bubble”.”Considering the match timings, teams practicing at the CCI and MCA are scheduled to practice in two sessions — from 4pm to 6.30pm and 7.30pm to 10pm,” Srirang Gholap, Under Secretary of the Disaster Management, Relief and Rehabilitation department, wrote in a letter issued to the BCCI.”Permission has been requested for teams and the IPL staff (to) be allowed to practice inside the grounds after 8pm and they may be allowed free movement from the ground to their respective hotels after the said time.”Accordingly, permission is being hereby accorded for the said request subject to scrupulous adherence to the bio-bubble.”Mumbai is scheduled to host 10 matches at the Wankhede Stadium and nine of them are scheduled to start at 7.30 PM. The first game at the Wankhede is due on April 10, between the Chennai Super Kings and the Delhi Capitals.The city recorded more than 11000 Covid-19 cases on Sunday.

April 3

Gurkeerat Singh Mann replaces Rinku Singh at KKR
Kolkata Knight Riders batsman Rinku Singh has been sidelined from the entire IPL 2021 with knee injury. Punjab batting allrounder Gurkeerat Singh Mann, who had found no takers at the auction earlier this year, has been roped in as his replacement, less than a week before the start of the tournament.Rinku had been snapped up by the Knight Riders for INR 80 lakh in 2018 and has played ten matches for the franchise since, scoring 77 runs at an average of 11 and strike rate of 101.31. Gurkeerat, his replacement, was signed at his base price of INR 50 lakh. The 30-year old has had IPL stints with Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Punjab franchise in the past. He had also played three ODIs for India in 2016. More recently, he scored 134 runs in five innings at a strike rate of 134 to go with one wicket in three overs in Punjab’s run to the semi-finals in the 20-over Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.In all, Gurkeerat has hit 1829 runs in 113 T20s at an average of 24.38 and strike rate of 123.74.

April 2

Nitish Rana returns negative test
Kolkata Knight Riders batsman Nitish Rana returned a negative Covid-19 test on Thursday, just over a week after testing positive for the virus and undergoing self-solation. He is now expected to start training with his team-mates in Chennai shortly.Rana had tested positive on March 22 – when he was tested as per IPL protocols – while being in mandatory quarantine ahead of the tournament. This was just a day after he had checked into the Knight Riders’ team hotel with a negative Covid-19 report.A Knight Riders statement said that Rana had not exhibited any symptoms in this period, and he is expected to be fully fit for start of the season – his team starts its campaign against the Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 11.

March 31

Playing under Dhoni ‘on every player’s wish list’, says Moeen
Moeen Ali, the Chennai Super Kings’ new recruit, talked up the franchise’s “structure” and “strong leadership”, saying that they “look a very calm franchise that doesn’t panic”.”It’s very important to have strong leadership and coaches who stay calm, who take the pressure off the players as much as they can and are consistent. We are very lucky we have that,” Ali told the franchise’s website on Wednesday. “At CSK I feel the reality is there for us to win the competition. I’m excited about playing with the players we have here.”The Super Kings are the second-most successful IPL side, behind the Mumbai Indians, and have the remarkable record of qualifying for the playoffs on ten out of their 11 seasons; 2020 was the first time they failed to do so. And MS Dhoni, their captain from the very first season, has often been credited as one of the chief reasons for the team’s great success.”I think what differentiates CSK from other teams is actually how they structure everything… from the squad they have to the way they do things. They look a very calm franchise that doesn’t panic,” Ali said. “I’ve spoken to players who have played under MS and they tell me how he improves their game. I believe a great captain does that.”I think it’s something on every player’s wish list to play under MS. I think it’s the confidence and the clarity he gives people. It’s exciting.”Amit Mishra puts in the hard yards… as a batsman
Legspinner Amit Mishra is trying to become a better batsman, preparing for “situations in matches when I will have to string partnerships of 25-30 runs” for the Delhi Capitals in the upcoming IPL.Mishra, 38, has played first-class cricket for over two decades, and while he even has a first-class double-century, has made a name squarely as a top-notch legspinner. In the list of most successful bowlers in the IPL, Mishra ranks second only to Lasith Malinga (170 wickets) with 160 wickets from 150 matches.”I am working on my batting,” he was quoted as saying by PTI. “The coaches have also told me to keep practicing my batting as there might be situations in matches when I will have to string partnerships of 25-30 runs.”We need to be ready for everything. Basically, if I am batting with a recognised batsman, then I should focus on taking singles and giving the strike to my partner.”The Capitals are based in Mumbai, where they will play their first set of matches in IPL 2021, starting with their first fixture against the Chennai Super Kings on April 10, the second day of the tournament.

March 29

Pandyas, Suryakumar join Mumbai Indians camp
Krunal Pandya and Hardik Pandya are both expected to be in action for Mumbai Indians’ tournament opener in Chennai, against Royal Challengers Bangalore•BCCI

Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav, who were all on national duty for the limited-overs leg of the series against England, have shifted from Pune to Mumbai and joined the Mumbai Indians squad ahead of IPL 2021. The tournament kicks off on April 9 with Mumbai, the defending champions, taking on the Royal Challengers Bangalore in Chennai.While Yadav made his international debut during the England series, Krunal, who had only played T20Is, made his ODI debut last week. Both players made an instant impact. Yadav, who didn’t get picked for any of the three ODIs, scored a match-winning 31-ball 57 in his first innings in international cricket, the fourth T20I against England, and followed that up with a 17-ball 32 in the final fixture as India won the series 3-2.Krunal, meanwhile, played his first ODI after 18 T20I appearances, blasting a 31-ball 58 in a winning cause on debut. Ponting, Ashwin join Delhi Capitals bubble
Delhi Capitals’ head coach Ricky Ponting along with R Ashwin, Axar Patel Shimron Hetmeyer and Chris Woakes have joined the team bubble in Mumbai. While Ponting and Patel reached on Sunday, the other three players landed in Mumbai on Monday. All of them will now undergo a week-long quarantine before starting the training.The Capitals, who finished runners-up last season, are expected to started their preliminary training session from Wednesday. The initial training session will begin with a few players including Ajinkya Rahane, Ishant Sharma, Amit Mishra, Umesh Yadav, Prithivi Shaw, Avesh Khan along with assistant coach Pravin Amre. This group along with a few other uncapped players reached Mumbai last week and will be coming out of quarantine on Tuesday, subject to them clearing the mandatory Covid-19 testing.Meanwhile, the trio of Rishabh Pant, Sam Billings and Tom Curran will enter the Delhi Capitals bubble on Monday evening from Pune, where they wrapped up the India-England series. Players travelling to the IPL team bubbles from the England series do not need to undergo the mandatory quarantine and are free to start training.‘Dream come true’ to play under Dhoni – K Gowtham
K Gowtham, the offspinning-allrounder, said that playing under Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni is a “dream come true” for him as he gears up to make his debut for the franchise in IPL 2021.”I don’t feel any pressure of expectations playing for a champion side like CSK. In fact, it’s a dream come true for me to be playing under Mahi (MS Dhoni),” said Gowtham, who was bought by the Super Kings at last month’s auction for INR 9.25 crore (US$ 1,273,000 approx) – the highest bid raked in by an uncapped Indian cricketer at any IPL auction.”Bowlers love playing under Mahi because he understands a bowler’s strengths and knows how to get the best out of him,” he added.Gowtham, who was released by the Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) after just the one season, said the Super Kings management offers players a conducive environment to express themselves freely.”What differentiates Chennai Super Kings from most teams in the Indian Premier League is the clarity in their thought process and an organised approach,” he said. “The CSK management understands cricket owing to its long association with the game, which again reflects in its approach to players – the comforting words and confidence given when things aren’t going right.”It makes a big difference as it helps a player to express himself. They talk to the player if anything specific is needed or if he’s working on something. When these things are taken care of, it’s much easier for a player to go out and give his best.”The Super Kings will begin their campaign on April 10, with a game against the Delhi Capitals in Mumbai, where they will play their first five games and are currently training, having previously attended a camp in Chennai.

March 28

The Delhi Capitals will have two assistant coaches for IPL 2021, with Ajay Ratra, the former India wicketkeeper, joining Mohammad Kaif in a similar role. Their backroom contingent also consists of Ricky Ponting (head coach), Pravin Amre (batting consultant) and James Hopes (bowling coach).Ratra, a NCA-certified coach, coaches Assam in the domestic circuit. Prior to that, he was involved with Punjab as well as the Indian women’s team as a fielding and wicketkeeping consultant. This will be his first assignment with an IPL franchise.Ratra, who made his international debut in 2002, played six Tests and 12 ODIs for India. His maiden Test century against West Indies in Antigua – an unbeaten 115 – which made him the fifth-youngest Indian and the youngest wicketkeeper overall to score a Test hundred. He played 99 first-class matches, scoring 4029 runs at an average of 30.29, which included eight hundreds and a double-century. He also played in 89 List A games, scoring 1381 runs at 22.63.

March 27

Five Knight Riders get cracking with preparatory camp in Navi Mumbai
The Kolkata Knight Riders have hit the ground running in the lead-up to IPL 2021, with five of their players – Varun Chakaravarthy, Rahul Tripathi, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Sandeep Warrier and Vaibhav Arora – attending a preparatory camp at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.The five players reported to practice after having finished their mandatory seven-day quarantine at the team hotel and took part in light warm-up and batting, bowling, and fielding sessions under the supervision of assistant coach Abhishek Nayar. A number of other Knight Riders players are currently serving their quarantine period in the hotel, as per the BCCI’s guidelines, and will start training soon.Chakravarthy, whose last appearance in a competitive match was during IPL 2020 in November in the UAE, was recently picked for the T20I series in Australia and against England in Ahmedabad, but missed out owing to a shoulder injury and then below-par fitness levels, respectively.The Knight Riders, who are scheduled to kick off their campaign on April 11 against the Sunrisers Hyderabad in Chennai, will play their league games across four cities also including Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Bengaluru. Nayar was confident that the diverse skill-sets of the players, including recent India debutant Prasidh Krishna, would ensure a good season for the franchise.”The likes of Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill and Prasidh Krishna have done it time and again in the past,” Nayar told . Prasidh, especially, who is now doing it at the international arena. I feel it was quite important for him to go on a big stage as this will give him a lot of confidence.”Nayar admitted that though the IPL’s return to India was likely to enthuse the players, no matches at home for any of the eight franchises this time was the “only con” in this edition of the IPL.”As a cricketer whenever you play in India, you grow a lot more. Coming and playing at Eden Gardens is something that we take pride in and we enjoy,” Nayar said. “To be honest, not playing at Eden Gardens despite playing India is going to be the only con, if I could say so.”Kumble confirms Shami ‘fit to go’ for Punjab Kings
The Punjab Kings coach Anil Kumble says their pacer Mohammed Shami is back to full fitness after suffering a wrist injury during the Adelaide Test against Australia last December. “He is fine as far as I know,” Kumble told on Friday. He added that Shami might draft into the playing XI for the Kings’ first game itself against the Rajasthan Royals on April 12.”He is coming to the bio-bubble for the quarantine and he will be out in a few days,” Kumble said. “I know he hasn’t played any matches since his injury but he is good to go. We are really looking forward to him playing a few practice games and then getting ready for the first game.”After returning home following the injury, Shami had started light training at the NCA in Bengaluru last month. Shami had played all 14 games and picked up 20 wickets for the erstwhile Kings XI Punjab team during the last edition of the IPL in the UAE.Mumbai Indians unveil new jersey
The five-time champions will wear a new jersey for the upcoming season, created by designers Shantanu & Nikhil. According to a Mumbai Indians release, the jersey captures the composition of the 5 basic elements of the universe – earth, water, fire, air and sky, each signifying the essence of the team.”The jersey reflects how Mumbai Indians has been built over the years resonating Stability, Cohesion, Confidence, Compassion and Exploration,” the release said. The defending champions begin their 2021 campaign on April 9 against Royal Challengers Bangalore.