With it's scandalous past, still fresh in the minds of fans and critics alike, the Indian Premier League (IPL) organisers will look to ensure that the focus remains firmly on cricket when the cash-rich event gets underway with a glamorous opening ceremony on Tuesday.
Batting great Rahul Dravid marked Rishabh Pant as a 'very important player' for India in the near future, basing his prediction on the exemplary courage the youngster showed in overcoming a personal tragedy.
Former India bowling coach Eric Simons is likely to join new IPL franchise Pune Supergiants for the upcoming season. A team source told PTI that talks are at an advanced stage with Simons, who previously worked with the Delhi Daredevils in various roles including of a head coach, besides coaching in the Caribbean Premier League. Simons worked with the Indian team for two years before being replaced in 2012. The former South Africa all-rounder will bring a lot to the table at Pune, which is one of the two new teams to feature in the IPL beginning April 9. The team will be captained by Mahendra Singh Dhoni and head coach will be Stephen Fleming, who was with the India captain at the now suspended Chennai Super Kings. Earlier in the week, Hrishikesh Kanitkar was named as the assistant coach of the Pune franchise.
Senior India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh on Thursday said former captain Rahul Dravid is ideal to be the next chief coach of the Indian cricket team with Zaheer Khan as the bowling coach.
The hard-hitting 30-year-old played the last of his seven Tests against Bangladesh in September 2017 and missed out on a spot in the squad for the ongoing four-match series against India.
Making it clear that the 'Most Expensive Player' tagline doesn't create any pressure on him, out-of-favour India veteran Yuvraj Singh said that he "didn't tell anyone to give him" the money that he commanded at the IPL cricket tournament's auctions earlier this year.
The Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) paid a whopping Rs 50 crore as income tax for the year 2013-14, its monthly disclosure on spending has revealed. Giving details of spendings exceeding Rs 25 lakh on its official website, the BCCI also revealed that it paid service tax of Rs 2.74 crore. India's Under-19 and A team coach Rahul Dravid was paid half of his professional fees during the month gone by and the figure for that stood at Rs 1.30 crore. Besides, the Assam Cricket Association was paid Rs 3.37 crore as part of its annual dues for the year 2014-15.
In another blow to Mumbai Indians' campaign in IPL-7, pace spearhead Zaheer Khan has been ruled out of the remainder of the tournament, according to skipper Rohit Sharma.
Two players, who were bought for big money at the Indian Premier League auction, are struggling to justify the huge amount spent on them for the eighth edition of the hugely popular Twenty20 tournament.
Delhi Daredevils youngster Prithvi Shaw said he learnt a lot playing under the coaching of legendary Australian Ricky Ponting in the 11th edition of the Indian Premier League.
The International Cricket Council confirmed on Friday that following remedial work and retest, the bowling action of the West Indies' Sunil Narine has been found to be legal, and the off-spinner can now resume bowling in both international cricket and domestic cricket events worldwide.
The West Indies spinner, who arrived in India for the tournament last week, rushed home following the demise of his father.
'However, to be fair, the history books will record that it was the BCCI that got the job done and, in 2008, created the tournament that transformed the game'
Table-toppers Kolkata Knight Riders and a transformed Kings XI Punjab cross swords in an Indian Premier League contest in which big-hitting Jamaicans Andre Russell and Chris Gayle will be up against each other in Kolkata on Saturday.
Injuries seem to be a permanent companion of India discard Irfan Pathan as the Baroda all-rounder has again reported unfit even before the ball has started rolling for Chennai Super Kings, who will be taking on Delhi Daredevils in their opening IPL encounter on Thursday.
Indian cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar will mentor 11 emerging players, including Parveez Rasool and Unmukt Chand, as part of an initiative by sports apparel company.
Royal Challengers Bangalore coach Gary Kirsten has called for "structural changes" in the set-up while maintaining "continuity", but the bigger question remains whether the former India coach will remain at the helm of the franchise after two dismal seasons in the Indian Premier League.
Chennai Super Kings take on table toppers Sunrisers Hyderabad in an Indian Premier League match, in Pune, on Sunday.
Gambhir, one of the most successful batsmen for India, has been out of favour with the national team for a while now after a dip in form and last played a Test back in 2016 against England.
Shreyas Iyer, whose swagger is taking batting to the next level, tells Rediff.com that when he gets the opportunity to don India colours he will make it count.
Sandeep Lamichhane on Sunday became the first cricketer from Nepal to land an Indian Premier League contract when he was bought by Delhi Daredevils in the ongoing players' auction in Bengaluru.
Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal is focused on making good use of the one-month break post the Indian Premier League to sharpen his skill sets at the National Cricket Academy under Narendra Hirwani before embarking on India's challenging tour of the United Kingdom.
India's batting ace Yuvraj Singh commanded the highest price, Royal Challengers Bangalore paying a massive 14 crore for him, while Dinesh Karthik was a surprise pick at 12.5 crore by Delhi Daredevils.
Former India cricketers Robin Singh and Sriram Sridharan will be coaching Bloem City Blazers and Johannesburg Giants respectively in the upcoming T20 Global League to be held in South Africa.
'I don't see him as a shrewd captain. I don't see him as a tactful captain (tactician). And he hasn't won the IPL. So ultimately, a captain is only as good as his record'
Rajneesh Gupta presents how the teams have performed in eight seasons of the IPL.
The Ethics Officer has ruled that the former India players have to choose between CAC, IPL jobs
IPL Season 10 saw the likes of Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana and Rashid Khan grab the spotlight. Let us check out what they did.
Army Day is celebrated on January 15 very year in recognition of Lieutenant General (later Field Marshal) KM Cariappa taking over as the first Commander-in Chief of Indian Army from Sir Francis Butcher, the last British Commander this day in 1948.
Two-time World Cup-winning former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni had nothing left to achieve and his international retirement is "close of an era", said former BCCI president Narayanswami Srinivasan.
Buoyed by their thrilling last-ball win against Delhi Daredevils, a confident Rajasthan Royals will take on a beleaguered Mumbai Indians in an Indian Premier League cricket encounter in Ahmedabad on Tuesday.
Royal Challengers Bangalore Director Amrit Thomas has said the franchise team was interested in buying back Yuvraj Singh, who was eventually snapped up by Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs. 7 crore in the IPL players' auction.
India pacer Mohammed Shami's estranged wife Hasin Jahan sought Board of Control for Cricket in India's help to solver her legal matter with her husband, but BCCI's acting president C K Khanna refused to be drawn into their personal matter.
Mohammed Shami's estranged wife Hasin Jahan said she wanted to meet the cricketer following his accident
Former England batsman Kevin Pietersen struggled to get along with coaches of his own team most of his playing career and his quest for a "genuine guru" ended in faraway India where former captain Rahul Dravid made a lasting impact on his technique.
Sam Billings is not exactly in search of 'gold dust' whenever he speaks to Rahul Dravid but merely chatting about the game with the Indian great has helped him deal better with the vagaries of international cricket.
Skipper Dinesh Karthik will face a big test when a struggling Kolkata Knight Riders lock horns with a resurgent Delhi Daredevils, led by double title winning former KKR skipper Gautam Gambhir, in a much-anticipated IPL clash, in Kolkata, on Monday.
India will tour the West Indies for a five-ODI series starting June 23 followed by a lone Twenty20 match on July 9.
BCCI cleared India speedster Mohammed Shami's central contract after its Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) exonerated him of corruption charges levelled by his wife Hasin Jahan.
'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.'
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