Heena Sharma Blog

  A total of 292 cricketers, shortlisted from the initial list of 1,114 players, have been picked to go under the hammer at the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction, scheduled to be held on February 18 in Chennai. The IPL 2021 mini auction will start from 3 pm IST. "Rs 2 crore is the highest reserve price and two Indian players - Harbhajan Singh and Kedar Jadhav -- and eight overseas players -- Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith, Shakib Al Hasan, Moeen Ali, Sam Billings, Liam Plunkett, Jason Roy & Mark Wood have chosen to be slotted in the highest bracket," BCCI's statement said. There are 12 players in the auction list with a base price of Rs 1.5 crore, though no Indians in it, while in the 11-player Rs 1 crore category the only Indian players are Hanuma Vihari and Umesh Yadav. "1,114 cricketers had initially registered for the auction. The final list was then pruned after the eight franchises submitted their shortlist of players," said the statement. &quo

  The BCCI will hold its Annual General Meeting on December 24 to discuss the induction of two new IPL franchises besides the appointment of India's ICC representative and three new national selectors. Also on the agenda is the election of a new vice-president. As per norm, the BCCI has sent a 23-point agenda to all affiliated units 21 days prior to the holding of the AGM. The most significant point is seeking approval for two new teams to make it a 10-team IPL. It is understood that the Adani Group and Sanjeev Goenka's RPG (owners of the Rising Pune Supergiants) are interested in owning new teams with one franchise surely from Ahmedabad. Another important point will be BCCI's representative to the ICC and the Asian Cricket Council. It is expected that secretary Jay Shah will be the BCCI representative in the global committees. Read More

  The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is planning to bring out a tender for two new franchises in the Indian Premier League (IPL) soon, according to a news report. According to a new report in the Times of India, the BCCI was considering two new franchises after this year's IPL but later decided to add one for the 2021 edition and the other from the 2022 season. However, it yet it to get the consensus as the board's top office bearers and IPL's governing council discusses it further. The tender is likely to come after Diwali, the report quoted a source as saying. The Adani Group, the Tatas and the RPG-Sanjiv Goenka Group are keen to own a franchise in IPL, according to the report. Read More

  The much-awaited franchise-based cricket tournament, Indian Premier League, will begin on Saturday, almost six months after its scheduled start due to coronavirus imposed hiatus. In the IPL 2020 opener, defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) will lock horns with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabhi in an empty stadium, a sight unusual for the world’s richest cricket league. Covid-19 has introduced a new normal to the world and empty stadiums for sporting events are now the norm as part of this new normal. IPL 2020 opening ceremony and cheerleaders This year’s IPL would be all about cricket as opening ceremony will not take place due to Covid-19 pandemic. Also cheerleaders won’t be the present owing to social distancing norms which means IPL 2020 will be all about cricket with no glamour. Read More

Former Delhi Capitals skipper Gautam Gambhirs dream of owning an Indian Premier League side will have to wait for a while as his interest to be a part of the ownership team of the Delhi franchise has failed to materialise as of now. The former India opener was said to have been eyeing a 10 per cent stake in the team which is jointly owned by GMR Group and JSW Sports. Speaking to news agency IANS, a DC official confirmed that while talks were on, the move isn't happening as of now. "Not happening as of now. There were talks of him coming on board and there were talks if you ask me honestly, but not happening this season 99.9 per cent. If it does happen later then that is a different story, but don't see it happening ahead of the 2020 season," the official said. Interestingly, rumours were also doing the rounds that if not a co-owner, Gambhir might also be roped in as mentor since that position has been left vacant after former mentor Sourav Ganguly stepped

What do you do when you have enormous shoes to fill? For one, you steer clear of blunders. Not Rishabh Pant . Widely seen as a natural successor to MS Dhoni in the India cricket team, Pant in 2019 got a great opportunity to prove his mettle and seal his place in the squad. But, given his many misses, he has yet to give the team management enough confidence. As Dhoni made himself unavailable for selection after the ICC Cricket World Cup earlier in the year, all eyes were on the Delhi southpaw who is known for his power-hitting abilities and a decent fare behind the stumps. However, as a batsman he squandered many a good start, and as a wicket-keeper he did little to stand out. Doubtless, the youngster would have been under immense pressure of expectations. There are no two thoughts about his abilities as a young player and the backing of seniors and former players. Even the recently-appointed president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Sourav Ganguly heaped p

All-rounders have always sold like hotcakes when it comes to Indian Premier League Auctions . The T20 format paves way for those who 'multi-task' to be more in demand and on Thursday, when IPL 2020 auction of the lucrative franchise league auction takes place here, it won't be any different. Glenn Maxwell, Australia cricket team Maxwell is returning from a break due to mental-health reasons and although he does not have great numbers to show for in the tournament -- 1397 runs at 22.90 in 69 matches -- his game changing ability is expected to pull franchises. Maxwell is handy with his off-breaks too and is a brilliant fielder. Chris Morris, South Africa cricket team Morris was released by Delhi Capitals ahead of the auction this year due to his low-key performances in 2019. But the South African bowling all-rounder who made a name from the IPL is always an asset when it comes to death bowling. He also has ability to take wickets regularly and although he is inj

Indian Premier League (IPL) defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) have released 12 of their players from last season ahead of IPL 2020 players’ auction, to be held in Kolkata on Dec 19. They have retained 18 players. The Mumbai franchise retained their core team, including veteran Sri Lankan fast bowler Lasith Malinga, despite his fitness issues. Among the 12 released players, Evin Lewis, Jason Behrendoff and Alzarri Joseph were the most prominent ones as they made some match-winning contributions last season. Lewis had given a flying start to the team during the powerplay in several matches, while Behrendoff had taken 6 wickets against Rajasthan Royals in a low-scoring game to provide his team a crucial win last season. Yuvraj Singh, who retired from all forms of cricket, including IPL, earlier this year, has also been released by MI. New Zealand pacer Trent Boult, West Indian Sherfance Rutherford and Mumbai pacer Dhawal Kulkarni were traded in by the franchise, owned by

The player auction for the 13th edition of the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL 2020) will take place in Kolkata on Thursday (December 19). Ahead of the auction, the eight IPL franchises released some of their players from last season; the 72 vacant spots thus created will be filled through a bidding process on Thursday. Even as many big names of the game queue up to be picked up in the IPL 2020 auction, Business Standard lists the cricketers who drew the biggest pay cheque in IPL 2019. The richest from last season was India cricket team captain Virat Kohli, who has been representing Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) since the inaugural season of the IPL, with a salary of Rs 17 crore. He was followed by former Indian captain MS Dhoni, young wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant and Team India vice-captain (limited overs) Rohit Sharma, at Rs 15 crore each. Read More

The champions of the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Rajasthan Royals, have released 11 of their players from last season (including left-arm pacer Jaydev Unadkat and four overseas players), ahead of IPL 2020 auction in Kolkata on December 19. This is not the first time that Unadkat is being released by the Jaipur franchise. Bought for a whopping Rs 11.5 crore during the IPL 2018 auction, he had been released at the end of the season. Again, Unadkat was bagged by Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2019 auction for a hefty sum of Rs 8.4 crore. However, the left-arm pacer’s IPL record last season was not exceptional; he scalped only 10 wickets in 11 matches with an economy rate of 10.66. Besides, Rajasthan Royals traded Ajinkya Rahane to Delhi Capitals for Mayank Markande and Rahul Tewatia. Rahane led Royals in 24 of the team’s 100 matches between 2011 and 2019. He was also the leading run-getter for the franchise (2,810 runs at an average of 34.23 and a strike rate

Bollywood star Sunny Leone has bought a stake in the Leicester Galactos team of IPL Soccer , a celebrity-owned seven-a-side indoor football tournament held in the UK. Sunny's team is co-owned by Jaz Dhami. Sunny said: "Sports speak a global language and it's my pleasure that I get the chance to encourage emerging talent. IPL Soccer gives the right kind of exposure, facilities and platform to the soccer players. Former England football star Micheal Owen brand ambassador of the league. "Sport is one of the few institutions that can break down barriers and stereotypes. Providing fully inclusive opportunities for all are at the core of the IPL soccer Programme," said Owen. The "Mastizaade" star recently posted the video of her kicking the ball at a goalpost, alongside the caption, "What's my name.. what's my name?" IPL Soccer founder Sany Supra expressed his joy on having Sunny Leone on board. Read More

Aaron Finch believes that Australia's experience of winning the World Cup in the previous editions would be a big advantage for his team when they begin their title defence in England and Wales. "I think it's a big advantage, just to know what it takes to win a World Cup and what it takes to manage your way through a campaign which can be difficult," Finch was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo. "You have to be at your best at the business end but you can't afford to let anything slip at the start. Six guys who have been there and done that will give a lot of experience to the others of what to expect, what to feel walking out there because it is different," he added. A few months ago, Australia were not counted among the favourites for the tournament but have been in good form recently. The series win in India, then against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates and the return of Steve Smith and David Warner have boosted the side and the Men in

In qualifier 2 of VIVO Indian Premier League (IPL 2019) Delhi Capitals (DC) will face Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the ACA-VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnamon on Friday. MS Dhoni-led Chennai lost to Mumbai Indians in the qualifier 1 on Tuesday but they get another chance to reach the finals as they are placed second in IPL 2019 points table. Delhi defeated Kane Williamson's Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Wednesday in the last-over thriller to face Chennai in the virtual semifinal. While Capitals will have an advantage over Super Kings as they know the conditions of Vizag stadium better but for CSK, MS Dhoni's experience will be handy to gauge the nature of the wicket. Chennai would look to fix their vulnerable spots while Delhi would look to be more consistent with the batting. Overall, both sides have their weakness exposed and the team that take advantage of others mistake early is likely to clinch the victory. Chennai received a jolt when all-rounder Kedar Jadhav was injur

In the eliminator of VIVO Indian Premier League 2019 (IPL 2019), Delhi Capitals will face Sunrisers Hyderabad at the ACA-VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday. The winner of the match will lock horns with Chennai Super Kings at same venue in qualifier 2 on Friday. While Shreyas Iyer-led Delhi has a strong batting line-up with Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw and Rishabh Pant in the top order. Hyderabad boasts a strong bowling attack with the experienced Bhuvneshwar Kumar, young pacer Khaleel Ahmed and the spin duo from Afghanistan, Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi in their playing 11. The match is crucial as any mistake at this stage will result in elimination. Delhi skipper Shreyas Iyer said the teams'prolific run in the league matches is "all in the past, and we are now really looking forward to the eliminator." "It is going to be an amazing challenge against SRH. They have an incredible team, and at no point will it be easy for us. The team is pumped up, and

In qualifier 1 of VIVO Indian Premier League 2019 (IPL 2019), MS Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will host Mumbai Indians (MI) at the M A Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Tuesday. Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai defeated Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the last league match on Sunday and climbed the top of IPL 2019 Points Table. Mumbai's path to playoffs was filled with ups and downs but the team showed class in crucial matches to saal a plaoff berth. Super Kings have been a consistent and dominant force throughout the IPL 2019 and the side did not experiment much in the playing 11. Mumbai Indians, on the other hand, may go with an extra spinner in their playing 11, given the slow nature of Chepauk wicket. The winner of the clash will get a ticket for the finals while the loser will get another chance -- Qualifier 2 -- to reach the finals. Chennai would look to take home advantage but trapping Mumbai would not be an easy task as the visitors have variation in batting and bowl

In match 52 of VIVO Indian Premier League 2019 (IPL 2019), Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) will host Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali on Friday. KKR are at the sixth spot in IPL 2019 points table with 10 points in 12 matches while KXIP are at the seventh spot with 10 points in as many matches due to low net run rate (NRR). The match is crucial for both the teams as a loss at this stage will diminish playoff chances. Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals have already qualified for the IPL 2019 playoffs while two spots are up for grab and an intense competition is underway between five teams. R Ashwin's Punjab would look to break the losing-streak but KKR, who defeated Mumbai Indians after putting up a mammoth 233-run target, would be high on confidence. Dinesh Karthik-led KKR lost 6 matches in a row after finally breaking the spell against Mumbai at the Wankhede in their previous match. Although KKR return to winning ways against Mumbai Indians in the

In match 43 of VIVO Indian Premier League 2019 (IPL 2019), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will host Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Eden Gardens on Thursday. KKR are at the sixth spot in the IPL 2019 points table while RR are at number seven. Both KKR and RR lost their previous matches against SRH and DC respectively. Dinesh Karthik-led KKR are struggling to stay afloat after five defeats on the trot and will have to win remaining four league stage matches to keep their hopes alive. Rajasthan Royals, who replaced Steve Smith in place of Ajinkya Rahane as the skipper, did not have a good season and are virtually out of the playoffs contention. Kinght Riders likely to make some changes in KKR playing 11, bringing in Kuldeep Yadav after drubbing from Sunrisers Hyderabad in their previous match. Once seen as one of the strongest contenders for the playoffs, KKR veered off from the the track and are yet to make a recovery. With five losses in a row, the side is under pressure and over-rel

In Match 42 of VIVO Indian Premier League (IPL 2019), Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will host Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Wednesday. Belatedly getting into the groove with back-to-back victories, Royal Challengers would look to continue their winning momentum when they take on Kings XI. RCB must be all fired up after posting a one-run win over a the formidable Chennai Super Kings and would be desperate to keep the juggernaut rolling. Having survived a brutal assault at the hands of Mahendra Singh Dhoni in their previous game, they should have gained some confidence. On the other hand, KXIP have slumped to the fifth spot in the IPL points table 2019 after Delhi Capitals defeated them by 5 wickets in Match 37 of IPL 2019. KXIP will again look to make some changes in their playing 11 as they have been changing and chopping their team according to conditions. Although AB de Villiers and Kohli did not click with the bat, the failure would prom

In match 41 of the VIVO Indian Premier League 2019 (IPL 2019), Chennai Super Kings will host Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M A Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Tuesday. MS Dhoni's Chennai are at the second spot of the IPL 2019 points table while Kane Williamson-led Hyderabad is at the fourth spot. Chennai have lost two consecutive matches while Hyderabad pulled a 9-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders to continue their winning run. Dhoni faces an important task of sorting the batting order as Chennai is heavily dependent on him if opening batsmen fail to score. If Chennai win the match, their ticket for the playoffs will be confirmed. SRH's story has been the same throughout IPL 2019, only the openers -- David Warner and Jonny Bairstow -- have delivered among batsmen for the team and if they fail to score, the middle order takes no time in collapsing. If Chennai manage to breach the protection SRH openers provide, they can easily take control of the match while S

Parthiv Patel, the man whose direct hit gave Royal Challengers Bangalore an improbable one-run win over Chennai Super Kings, said he was left quite surprised when Mahendra Singh Dhoni missed hitting the last ball of the cliffhanger. Patel wasn't expecting a marauding Dhoni to miss Umesh Yadav's slower delivery before his direct throw sealed it for the home team on Sunday night. Dhoni scored 24 off the first five balls of the final over before missing the last ball. A scramble for one run ended in Parthiv's direct throw leaving Shardul Thakur short of his crease. "We honestly wanted him (Dhoni) to hit through the off-side on the shorter side of the ground. If he had hit it on the leg-side, there were two runs because I don't think the way he runs, there was any chance of stopping those two," an elated Patel said at the post-match press conference. "So we wanted (Umesh) to bowl slower and outside the off-stump and surprisingly he missed it. I