In the normal circumstances, Raina, who last played for India in 2018, would be playing in the IPL but instead he is enjoying cooking for his family.
'T20 is so fast-paced that a coach can do very little from the sidelines, you need a very good captain, who can take decisions there and then.'
'It's a massive loss obviously but it's a loss that we can cover. We have someone like Trent Boult, who is a world-class fast bowler. He had a terrific season for the Daredevils (erstwhile) last year. With him coming to the side now, we think we can cover for the loss of Rabada quite well'
Seeking to bury any perceived differences with his spin spearhead Ravichandran Ashwin, India's limited over skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni hailed the off-spinner stating that he has "bailed" the team out on numerous occasions. "As I have said, Ashwin has bailed me out in a lot of situations - whether bowling in first six or in the slog phase. He is a bowler who can come in and do well at any time," Dhoni said, trying to clear the air about under-bowling the Tamil Nadu bowler, right from the start of the World T20. He was answering a question in reference to the premier offie was brought on as late as the 16th over to bowl for the first time and then taken off in the IPL's season-opening game between his new team - Rising Pune Supergiants - and defending champions Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday.
'Ashwin against the left-handers could play a big role. Kuldeep has done brilliantly but I feel India should persist with Ashwin. Kuldeep is young and can learn along the way'
Michael Hussey believes Mahendra Singh Dhoni does not have "too many weaknesses" but even if he has, the Chennai Super Kings batting coach wouldn't share them with the Australian team.
Suryakumar Yadav hinted on Friday that Sri Lankan pacer Lasith Malinga will soon be back to play for Mumbai Indians after he flew back home to feature in a domestic one-day tournament.
The 13th edition of the IPL will have added significance as 2020 is also a T20 World Cup year.
In a noble gesture, Kolkata Knight Riders named deceased Bengal cricketer Ankit Keshri as their 16th man while his family was given a cheque of Rs 20 lakh at a ceremony ahead of their Indian Premier League against Chennai Super Kings at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, on Thursday.
'He has been RCB's leader since 2013 and RCB's best performance under him has been runners up in 2016.' 'In 2013 and 2014, RCB didn't reach the Playoffs stage.' 'In 2015 it reached that stage.' 'In 2017, RCB didn't go beyond the league stage.' 'Sometimes, a change at the top leads to a change in a team's fortunes,' says Sudhir Bisht.
Former selector Raja Venkat, who was part of the committee which picked the victorious Indian team for the 2011 World Cup, says the current selectors are not doing things the right way.
Elated by the Supreme Court order, restraining N Srinivasan from taking charge as BCCI President even if he is elected in the AGM, Cricket Association of Bihar (CAB) Secretary Aditya Verma has alleged that he braved death threats to fight the legal battle against the Tamil Nadu strongman.
What does Rahul Dravid need to do to be able to join NCA without carrying the blemish of perceived or potential 'conflict of interest'? Sudhir Bisht attempts an answer.
Sunrisers Hyderabad stand in the way of two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders, who would be looking to bring their campaign back on track at home during an Indian Premier League T20 cricket clash, in Kolkata, on Saturday.
India's limited-overs captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, along with his teammates Ravindra Jadeja, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina and Ravichandran Ashwin, among others, will be up for grabs for the two new IPL teams in the draft to be held in Mumbai.
Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said that he does not expect the speculation around his name to stop anytime soon despite nothing concrete coming up against him.
Former Board of Control for Cricket in India president Shashank Manohar on Saturday said that the Board did not take any timely steps to clean up the mess in the IPL.
Karthik is finally enjoying his time under spotlight, something he has so richly deserved
Images from Tuesday night's UEFA Champions League group stage matches.
Former Essex player Ian Pont, who is now engaged in coaching Indian bowlers at the Ultimate Pace Foundation in Bengaluru, tells Manu Shankar/Rediff.com you can never ensure that the spot-fixing episode won't resurface. 'All you can do is deal with it correctly when it happens.'
The Lions from South Africa will look ride on the performance of their captain Alviro Petersen to guide them to a better finish.
'We knew these youngsters could turn out to be match-winners and we waited patiently for the last three years because success doesn't come overnight, it takes time.'
Former India skipper Rahul Dravid says the Justice Lodha committee's decision to ban Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals from the Indian Premier League for two years will affect the young players, but the verdict of the Supreme Court-appointed panel must be respected.
Royal Challengers Bangalore will have to pull out all stops to prevent the Mumbai Indians juggernaut.
Test series victories over Sri Lanka and South Africa ensured Virat Kohli could justify the team's failures earlier in the year.
Prem Panicker, a keen follower of the game and one of cricket's finest writers, interacted with readers on the Rediff World Cup Chat.