Steve Smith’s Rising Pune Supergiant eye their maiden Indian Premier League crown as they meet tournament favourites Mumbai Indians in a mouth-watering title clash in Hyderabad on Sunday. Pune, who ended seventh in the eight-team Twenty20 tournament last year, had a mixed start this season only to pick up momentum towards the business end. Pune’s … Read more
Quinton de Kock scored 104 as South Africa swept past Sussex by 66 runs in the opening one-day match of their England tour on Friday. In a match reduced to 32 overs because of rain, De Kock scored 104 off 78 balls while Wayne Parnell and JP Duminy struck half-centuries as South Africa ran up … Read more
Indian leg-spinner Karn Sharma claimed four wickets to lead Mumbai Indians into the Indian Premier League final after humbling Kolkata Knight Riders by six wickets in the second qualifier Friday. Sharma returned with figures of 4-16 to help bowl out Kolkata for 107, with Mumbai achieving the target in 14.3 overs and setting up a … Read more
Wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik has earned a recall to India’s one-day international squad for the upcoming Champions Trophy, replacing injured Manish Pandey, the country’s cricket board said. Karthik was included in the 15-man squad Thursday after Pandey sustained a side strain during a practice session with the Kolkata Knight Riders for the ongoing Indian Premier League … Read more
South Africa captain AB de Villiers believes England all-rounder Ben Stokes has taken his game to the “next level” in the Indian Premier League but stressed the tournament had improved many of his players too. The Proteas are set to come up against Stokes in a three-match one-day international series starting next week that will … Read more
National coach Darren Lehmann admitted Thursday a bitter pay dispute will be a distraction for Australia at next month’s ICC Champions Trophy, but played down a boycott of this year’s Ashes series. Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers’ Association are locked in a tense stand-off over the long-running talks, with vice-captain David Warner warning of … Read more
Kolkata Knight Riders face Mumbai Indians for a shot at a final berth in the Indian Premier League after Gautam Gambhir powered his team to a win over Sunrisers Hyderabad early Thursday. Rain reduced the second innings of the eliminator match to six overs, with KKR given a 48-run target under the Duckworth-Lewis method. Gambhir … Read more
Rising Pune Supergiant will head into this week’s Indian Premier League play-offs without star all-rounder Ben Stokes after he was recalled to England’s one-day international squad. Stokes — paid a record $2.16 million to play the eight-week IPL season — was instrumental to Pune reaching the knockout phase after a brilliant debut campaign in the … Read more
New Zealand set Ireland a target of 290 to win the second match of the ODI tri-series in Dublin with Neil Broom top scoring for the Blackcaps with 79. Ireland captain William Porterfield won the toss for the second successive match and although the wicket is not as green as the one served up against … Read more
The Indian Super League (ISL) is seeking to expand its reach with organisers inviting new bids for the fourth edition of the popular football tournament. The ISL has taken off since launching in 2013, attracting higher broadcast ratings and stadium numbers than India’s top-tier I-League competition. The franchise-based, eight-team competition, which has attracted former stars … Read more
Indian police have arrested three men suspected of illegal betting on lucrative Indian Premier League matches, the cricket board said. The trio were arrested Thursday at a hotel where the Gujarat Lions and Delhi Daredevils teams were staying after their match in the northern city of Kanpur. India’s cricket board said the arrests led police … Read more
Exactly two years after his appointment, Ireland coach John Bracewell finally comes up against his native New Zealand in a triangular one-day international series, also involving Bangladesh, in Dublin. Former off-spinner Bracewell played 41 Tests and 53 ODIs for New Zealand so it promises to be a special couple of days for the 59-year-old Aucklander … Read more
The Indian sport of kabaddi has received a major boost with Chinese mobile company VIVO signing a five-year deal worth $46.7 million to sponsor the game’s popular league. Pro Kabaddi has held its own among the myriad professional sporting leagues to emerge in the wake of the lucrative and hugely successful Indian Premier League Twenty20 … Read more
India recalled fit-again fast bowler Mohammed Shami on Monday as they belatedly unveiled a squad to defend their Champions Trophy title after a row over sharing out world cricket’s revenues. Pace spearhead Shami and batsman Rohit Sharma are the only two changes from the team that played England in a three-match one-day series in India … Read more
West Indies all-rounder Sunil Narine equalled an Indian Premier League record as he hit a whirlwind half-century off just 15 balls to lead Kolkata Knight Riders to a big win over struggling Royal Challengers Bangalore. Narine smashed a 17-ball 54 — including six fours and four sixes — as Kolkata reached the 159-run target in … Read more
West Indies batsman Lendl Simmons led Mumbai Indians to a 146-run win over hosts Delhi Daredevils as the Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament witnessed its biggest-ever victory margin on Saturday. Simmons, who was playing his first game of the IPL season, smashed a 43-ball 66 to help Mumbai post a mammoth 212-3 before his team … Read more
New Zealand’s Brendon McCullum has been ruled out of the remainder of the Indian Premier League season with a hamstring strain, heaping fresh misery on his Gujarat Lions team. The dashing opener injured his left hamstring during the seven-wicket defeat against Delhi Daredevils on Thursday — a result that saw the Lions being knocked out … Read more
Rising Pune Supergiant’s record-breaking investment in Ben Stokes has paid dividends, with the England allrounder delivering a blistering maiden Twenty20 century to secure his Indian Premier League team a crucial victory. Stokes — whose $2.16 million contract broke the IPL signing record for a foreign player — hit an unbeaten 63-ball 103 during the Supergiant’s … Read more
Skipper Virat Kohli said “it really hurts” after Royal Challengers Bangalore slumped to a record low score of 49 against Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League. Chasing a modest 132, the Bangalore batsmen — including Kohli, Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers — crashed in just 9.4 overs to mark a new low … Read more
South African batsman Hashim Amla cracked his maiden Twenty20 century but his sublime knock for his Indian Premier League side Kings XI Punjab went in vain. Amla hit a 60-ball 104 not out to help Punjab post 198-4 but Mumbai Indians achieved the target with 27 balls to spare during their eight-wicket win in Indore … Read more