'There is only one Thala and everyone knows who he is.'
Images from the Indian Premier League match between Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab in Mumbai on Wednesday.
Punjab Kings head coach Anil Kumble was extremely satisfied with the new players, including Liam Livingstone and Odean Smith, coming to his franchise during the IPL 2022 Player Auction, the dynamics of which were "very different and challenging".
Images from Monday's Indian Premier League match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Kings XI Punjab in Sharjah.
Dhoni is extremely pleased with the growth of Deepak Chahar
Rahul broke a couple of records en route the match-winning century.
Chris Gayle had arrived in the UAE last week and he was then confined to his room for six days as he underwent quarantine as a precautionary measure against the coronavirus.
His mother sold her gold chain so Dhruv could buy a cricket kit after his father, a Kargil War veteran, told him to give up the game because it was too expensive.
Strike rates are over-rated, said Kings XI Punjab captain K L Rahul, brushing aside criticism of his bottom-placed team which lost its fourth match on the trot, failing miserably in a chase of 202 against SunRisers Hyderabad, in Dubai, on Thursday.
Fans were quick to condemn Rahul's remarks with some calling the Indian cricketer 'despicable' and someone who lacked 'the spirit of sportsmanship'.
Needing a win to keep their play-offs hopes alive, KXIP could put up just 167 for 6 after being put into bat but they defended the total courtesy a remarkable show by their bowlers at the PCA Stadium.
'He has gone through ups and downs, he knows how to handle himself and is somebody who can get the team together.'
He came out with a plan and that plan was to use his brute force to smash bowlers all around the park to take his team home to victory.
Images from Thursday's IPL match between Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab, in Abu Dhabi.
'We saw in the last game, he was trying to have a word or two with the batsmen and he enjoys being in a contest and that's is something I love, about him.'
In other big movements, Punjab Kings have released their last edition's captain Mayank Agarwal, while West Indies skipper Nicholas Pooran was released by Sunrisers Hyderabad.
He batted with maturity, picking his shots and rotating the strike effectively. He was also not afraid to take his time when the boundaries dried up, showing that he understands the nuances of the game.
'If I played that 5 balls in the end in the 20th over, we could've scored 20 runs more which would have been a tight game I guess'
Rahul also backed youngsters in the team saying that the young guns will play a "big role" for KXIP in this season.
Royal Challengers Bangalore will aim to shed the over-reliance on their celebrated top-order when they face a belligerent Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL match in Lucknow on Monday.
Jitesh Sharma's presence in the 15-member squad for Ireland T20s puts Sanju Samson's place in the Indian team under scanner.
Images from Sunday's IPL match between Delhi Capitals and Kings XI Punjab in Dubai.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni's astute captaincy will be Chennai Super Kings' biggest weapon against a clinical Kolkata Knight Riders, whose troika of top-notch spinners promise to hold the aces in the high-octane Indian Premier League final in Dubai on Friday.
Kolkata Knight Riders spinner Sunil Narine says he felt the pressure, but kept calm while bowling a successful final over that earned his team a two-run victory over Kings XI Punjab in the IPL in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.
History is on Hardik Pandya's side, which has won all three games against the Royals so far, and that would certainly play on the minds of the Sanju Samson-led Rajasthan outfit at the Narendra Modi stadium.
After the mini Gayle storm, the time was right for a Hooda hurricane.
On a roll after back-to-back wins, the vintage Chennai Super Kings would look to extend their winning run when they clash with struggling Kolkata Knight Riders in their next IPL match in Mumbai on Wednesday.
The 14th season of the IPL, which was postponed in May this year in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, will resume on September 19 in Dubai with a blockbuster clash between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians.
GT, on the other hand, are the side to beat in this IPL. Even if they lose on Thursday, the Hardik Pandya-led side will finish at the top, which means it will get two chances to reach the final.
The Ashwins had near identical figures; R Ashwin taking 2/24 while M Ashwin claimed 1/24.
The Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals squad members, who arrived in Dubai last week, will have their first proper training session in months on Wednesday evening, having tested negative for COVID-19 thrice during their mandatory six-day quarantine.
Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli says the team has to take responsibility for the defeat to Kings XI Punjab in the IPL match in Sharjah on Thursday.
Kings XI Punjab will be looking to get their campaign back on track after a couple of defeats when they lock horns with bottom-placed Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League in Indore on Sunday.
Kings XI Punjab have never won the IPL and Kumble has come on board to end the title drought.
Kings XI Punjab batsman Mayank Agarwal was neither apprehensive about getting back to nets nor is he cribbing about strict bio-bubble guidelines in place for the IPL, saying it's worth following the protocols to compete in a league that "beats everything".
Punjab are seventh on the points table with 12 points. The Capitals also have a dozen points and are fifth
IPL 2020 will be the first assignment since March for most cricketers.
Cheteshwar Pujara has made a comeback to India's Test team while youngsters Umran Malik and Arshdeep Singh have received an India call-up as the selection committee on Sunday named the squad for the five-match T20I series against South African in June and the one-off Test against England in July.
The R Ashwin-led Kings XI slipped to the fifth spot after suffering back-to-back losses against Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore respectively. Overall, the hosts have registered four wins from eight matches this season.
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