Month: April 2023

Players from a number of leading countries have been involved in conversations with IPL franchises about the possibility of contracts which will see them play in multiple leagues for the franchise. Though discussions have been informal, they do raise the prospect wherein the main employers for leading players could eventually be an IPL franchise, rather than a full-member board. The Times reported on Tuesday that six English players, including some…

Matt Parkinson will feature for Durham against Derbyshire in the LV= County Championship on Thursday, after joining the club from Lancashire on a two-week loan. Legspinner Parkinson, 26, has featured in just one of Lancashire’s three Championship fixtures to date, taking 5 for 120 in the second innings against Surrey, and comes into the Durham line-up as a replacement for the injured Australia spinner, Matt Kuhnemann. The extra game-time is…

Big picture: Royals are under threat of losing steam Not for a long time have these two teams been thought of and spoken of as the two finalists of the first IPL. Fifteen years later, halfway into the 16th IPL, you think of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals as the top contenders because they have been that good. Without making drastic changes in personnel, CSK have become the most…

Sri Lanka gathered 276 brisk runs for the loss of just the wicket of Dimuth Karunaratne, as they eased into control of the second Test, on a rain-curtailed day. Nishan Madushka‘s maiden Test century was a highlight, as he added 108 to his overnight score. Karunaratne also hit his second hundred in as many innings, before being dismissed for 115 shortly before the scheduled lunch. Ireland had another torrid day…

Kane Williamson could still travel to India for the ODI World Cup later this year, with the team management open to roping in the injured batter as a mentor for the tournament. At the same time, New Zealand head coach Gary Stead has refused to rule Williamson out of the World Cup as a player just yet. After suffering a ruptured Anterior Cruciate Ligament in his right knee in the…

Jofra Archer briefly left India earlier this month to visit an elbow specialist in Belgium, where he reportedly underwent a minor surgical procedure. The Telegraph reported on Tuesday night that Archer had a “minor procedure” in his right elbow during his brief recent lay-off during the IPL. The same elbow has caused him several issues over the last two years, with an initial stress fracture in 2021 ruling him out…

Cricket Australia will allow Big Bash clubs to sign nationally-contracted players outside of their salary cap in a bid to avoid the Steven Smith fiascos of the past two seasons. Under rules unveiled by CA on Wednesday, players will be able to sign with individual clubs on a marquee supplementary list if they are not expected to be available to play. Should the player’s circumstances change, they will then be…

“It’s going to be a miracle that’s going to make them qualify [for the IPL playoffs]. The way they are at the moment, yes, they could conceivably finish [at number] four, but they will have to play some extraordinary cricket, both batting as well as bowling” Sunil Gavaskar on Mumbai Indians’ season “He is looking just that little bit preoccupied. Maybe at this stage he is thinking about the WTC…

Gujarat Titans 207 for 6 (Gill 56, Miller 46, Manohar 42, Chawla 2-34) beat Mumbai Indians 152 for 9 (Wadhera 40, Green 33, Noor 3-37, Rashid 2-27) by 55 runs Batting fireworks from Gujarat Titans in the death overs and five wickets shared by Afghan spinners Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad gave the hosts their second win in a row as they steamrolled Mumbai Indians for their second straight loss…

Jonny Bairstow confirmed he is ready to push for a place in this summer’s Ashes, after producing a hard-hitting innings of 97 from 88 balls for Yorkshire 2nd XI, in his first competitive innings since breaking his leg last summer. Bairstow, 33, had been in the form of his life for England’s Test team in the 2022 home season, scoring 681 runs at 75.66 at close to a run a…