'RCB is a natural choice for us, mainly due to our long-standing association with Virat Kohli.'
He may have been dropped by South Africa for their crucial two games of the recently held World T20 in India, but fast bowler Dale Steyn has brushed off criticisms against him with respect to T20 cricket and defending his record in the shortest format of the game. Steyn is preparing to open his account for his fourth Indian Premier League franchise, when the Gujarat Lions take on Kings XI Punjab at Mohali on Monday. The 32-year-old is regarded as one of the best and most skilled bowlers in world cricket having amassed more than 400 wickets in Test matches and 175 in 112 one-day internationals for South Africa. However, it is the shortest format that Steyn is yet to cement his place in the Proteas squad. He was even the target of a verbal barb during the tournament from Afghanistan batsman Mohammad Shazhad, who labelled the Proteas quick "not dangerous" and added he was disappointed the South Africans had left Steyn out for their clash against the Associate nation.
Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma was well aware of Shardul Thakur's range of shots as he wanted Lasith Malinga to bowl a slower delivery which turned out to be a masterstroke at the end of a thrilling IPL final.
Despite all the controversies, the IPL's brand value hasn't diminished. Instead, says Harish Kotian/Rediff.com, the IPL made the BCCI richer by over Rs 3 billion!
'He was keen to win the IPL with the team he had, he had no desire to have big names in his team.' 'He just wanted good players, who he knew he could mould into match-winners.'
One of the vital cog in Deccan Chargers' wheels, leg-spinner Amit Mishra has said that spinners need to be more skillful and act fast to compete in the Twenty20 cricket.
Former champions Mumbai Indians take on last year's runners-up Kings XI Punjab at the Wankhede Stadium in a a game that promises plenty of action while offering a chance for both teams to get into winning ways after losses in their lung-openers.
Virender Sehwag was at his vintage best as he smashed a power-packed 122 to guide Kings XI Punjab to a convincing 24-run victory over Chennai Super Kings and a place in the final of the Indian Premier League on Friday night.
Raring to go in the IPL, a fit-again Sunrisers Hyderabad pacer Ishant Sharma feels T20 is easier for fast bowlers than ODIs with the problematic four-fielder rule not being there in cricket's shortest format.
In their quest to be battle-ready for the upcoming Champions League Twenty20, Kolkata Knight Riders sent four of their players -- Yusuf Pathan, Piyush Chawla, Manvinder Bisla and Kuldeep Yadav -- to Bloemfontein, South Africa for 15 days of training camp that included cycling, running and mountaineering.
'He is someone who picks up what the bowler is trying to do, he is always there in your ears on what the bowlers are trying to do.'
In this exclusive excerpt from his autobiography, A Century Is Not Enough, Sourav Ganguly makes some startling revelations.
Sadly, the Lodha panel verdict on the IPL spot-fixing scandal of 2013 can't guarantee such incidents won't happen in the future, says Bikash Mohapatra/Rediff.com.
Magnificent death bowling saw Mumbai Indians snatch an incredible one-run victory from the jaws of defeat against Rising Pune Supergiant in a thrilling final of the Indian Premier League, in Hyderabad, on Sunday.
'The one thing that a cricketer aspires for is earning the respect of the dressing room and that respect is earned only when any player puts his hand up in adverse conditions and does his job for the team.'
The IPL has produced more controversies in its short lifespan than any other sporting league in history.
The cricketing world is all set for another feast with the Indian Premier League.