Author: Elanchezhian Narayanasamy

Skills are not a concern but “match mindset” certainly is, Kings XI Punjab fielding coach Jonty Rhodes has said, stressing the need for practice games before the IPL to give the competition-starved players a feel of what awaits them in tournament proper.

After Suresh Raina pulled out of the IPL due to personal reasons, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have suffered another blow as veteran off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has confirmed his withdrawal from the upcoming IPL season citing personal reasons. CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan said that Harbhajan has informed the franchise of his decision to not participate in the IPL this season.

Even as the world economy struggles amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Indian cricket board distributed Rs 46.89 crore amongst its affiliates and clients, besides paying Income Tax/GST, in July, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced on its website.

The PCB said that the domestic matches would be held in a bio-secure environment for Covid-19 precautions and has scheduled all matches of the premier first class tournament, the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, in Karachi from October 18, 2020, to January 5, 2021.

Former India and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batsman Suresh Raina admitted that the decision to leave the CSK camp was not an easy step to take, but the player had to do so because of family reasons. Last week, Raina pulled out of the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) citing personal reasons. Raina had travelled to UAE along with other CSK players.

Pakistan’s white-ball cricket captain, Babar Azam has told his English county, Somerset that he would not display the logo of any alcohol beverage company on his shirt during the ongoing T20 Blast event in England.

“Four months have been difficult for everyone, be it sportsman or a normal person. Thank god I had the facilities to do my own training. When we came here (UAE) and got quarantined, these six days felt more difficult than those four months because in those months I was training myself, helped the needy and was busy in activities,” Kings XI Punjab’s Mohammed Shami said.