Former Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist warned that Jake Fraser-McGurk could find himself warming the bench in the Delhi Capitals if he doesn’t produce results early in the tournament. Fraser-McGurk’s T20I performances have dipped over the past 12 months; across his 24 most recent matches, he has managed 382 runs at 15.91. “[Delhi] have shown great faith in keeping him at the franchise. It’s important he starts well. What I do know of the IPL typically is that franchises and owners and coaches, don’t tolerate a lack of results for too long. “If you start a tournament well, that buys you time to get deeper into it and feel comfortable,” Gilchrist told Fox Cricket. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
21 March,2025 08:30 AM IST | New Delhi | IANSRelying on data science has become an integral part of IPL teams’ planning and when blended with the perfect balance of “gut-feel”, it certainly improves decision making, feels RCB’s Director of Cricket Mo Bobat. Bobat, a former Performance Director at the England and Wales Cricket, spoke about how one should be interpreting data and what should be used from the heap that is available currently in the cricketing ecosystem. “The balance between using the data or trusting your gut feeling at the moment, if you can strike it right, it will always help decision-making improve,” said Bobat, who has also worked as a consultant with RCB in the past. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
21 March,2025 08:30 AM IST | Bangalore | PTIFormer BCCI and Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) administrator Prof Ratnakar Shetty urged the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) to honour former India and Mumbai captain Ajit Wadekar for his immense contribution to Indian as well as Mumbai cricket. Shetty was honoured with a lifetime award at the MCA’s Annual Awards function at their BKC ground along with ex-India women’s team skipper Diana Edulji and the association’s former administrator Pravin Barve; the chief guest being Maharashtra governor CP Radhakrishnan. Former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar too was announced as a Lifetime Achievement awardee, but he was out of town on Thursday. Shetty, who served MCA since 1990 and was the secretary in 1996, said: “Off the track, I have one request to make… please don’t forget Ajit Wadekar. He deserves to be named at the Wankhede Stadium. He was one of the greatest India captains and I think it’s time that we give that honour to him also.” Shetty credited MCA for giving him the opportunity to serve Mumbai as well as Indian cricket. “Mumbai cricket is something special. MCA was the launching pad for my success as a cricket administrator. Whatever I could do for the BCCI, it was because I learnt the art of cricket administration at MCA. I thank the MCA Apex Council for this great gesture,” he added. Former MCA president and state minister Ashish Shelar was also present as a chief guest. Late left-arm spinner Padmakar Shivalkar’s wife was honoured too. Shivalkar passed away at the age of 84 on March 3. Mumbai’s various age group teams including the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy champions were also felicitated.
21 March,2025 08:30 AM IST | Mumbai | Subodh MayureFormer Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan has been cleared of a suspect bowling action, and will now be able to resume bowling. Last December, Shakib was suspended from bowling after his action was found illegal in an English County game for Surrey. He underwent a test in Chennai in January, but could not get his action cleared. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
21 March,2025 08:29 AM IST | Dhaka | PTIRising star Riyan Parag will lead Rajasthan Royals in their first three IPL games as regular captain Sanju Samson has been told to avoid wicketkeeping duties by the BCCI due to a finger surgery, which means that he will only be available as a batter in these games. Samson’s finger was fractured after a Jofra Archer delivery hit him during the T20I against England in Mumbai, following which he had to undergo a minor surgery last month. While he has been cleared to bat, it is understood that medical and sports science teams at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bangalore have told to give his fingers some more rest before he starts ’keeping wickets. Therefore, the 23-year-old Parag will have the distinction of being one of the youngest captains in IPL. Virat Kohli holds the top position in that list having captained Royal Challengers Bengaluru as a 22-year-old. “Rajasthan Royals have announced that Riyan Parag will lead the team for the first three matches of IPL 2025,” RR said in a statement. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
21 March,2025 08:16 AM IST | New Delhi | PTIWith just a day left for IPL-18 to commence, veteran India leg-spinner Piyush Chawla said spin-bowling attacks of Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians are looking strong as compared to other teams. “If we look at it, Chennai’s spin bowling department looks really good. If we talk about Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Noor Ahmed, I think Chennai are looking good. Then we can talk about KKR because Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy are both very experienced spinners. “If we go to Mumbai Indians, there is a slight difference due to Allah Ghazanfar being injured [out of the tournament due to back injury]. But the form in which Mitchell Santner is in and Mujeeb Ur Rahman coming as Allah’s replacements, these three spin departments are looking good,” said Chawla, a JioStar expert, who has claimed 192 IPL wickets. Quizzed about which spin-bowling line-ups appeared on the lighter side to him, Chawla stated it would be Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Rajasthan Royals. “If we look at RCB, it looks a little weak, as Suyash Sharma doesn’t have much experience. Plus, he hasn’t played that many matches. It’s not that easy to bowl in Chinnaswamy, to be very honest. Then there is Krunal Pandya, who plays the role of an all-rounder.” “You do need a wicket-taking spinner in the middle overs. Krunal Pandya has certainly contained the batsmen in the last few years, but the wickets have not come that much. So I see a little bit of a weakness in the spin bowling department of RCB here. “I won’t say that the Rajasthan Royals spin bowling department is a little weak, but there are a lot dependent on overseas spinners, be it Wanindu Hasaranga or Maheesh Theekshana. So if you want to play both of them, then you will have to make some sacrifices either in the form of an overseas batter or fast bowler.” This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
21 March,2025 08:15 AM IST | New Delhi | IANSThe BCCI on Thursday lifted the ban on use of saliva on the ball in the upcoming Indian Premier League after a majority of captains agreed to its proposal, making it the first major cricket competition to do away with the restriction that was a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision was taken at the captains’ meeting in Mumbai ahead of the league starting on Saturday. “The saliva ban has been lifted. Majority of captains were in favour of the move. Some had reservations about the re-introduction, some sat on the fence but majority of them supported the move,” a top BCCI official told PTI. The International Cricket Council (ICC) had banned the age-old practise of applying saliva to shine the ball as a precautionary measure during the COVID-19 pandemic, during which health practitioners advocated strict hygiene protocols and physical distancing. In 2022, the world body made the ban permanent. The IPL too included the ICC ban in its playing conditions in the aftermath of the pandemic, but its guidelines are outside the purview of the sport’s governing body. With the development on Thursday, the IPL became the first major cricketing event to re-introduce saliva’s use after the pandemic. The captains meeting, which was scheduled to begin at 12.30 pm in Mumbai, did not start on time due to a delay in arrival of a few team officials at the BCCI office. Now that the ban is revoked in the IPL, the ICC too might review its stance on the subject. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
21 March,2025 08:13 AM IST | New Delhi | PTIIndia pacer Mohammed Siraj on Thursday wholeheartedly welcomed the BCCI’s decision to lift the saliva ban ahead of IPL 2025, saying it will help the bowlers find reverse swing even in unhelpful conditions. The BCCI lifted the ban on use of saliva on the cricket ball for the upcoming Indian Premier League, making it the first major competition to do away with the restriction that was a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Bowlers delighted “It’s excellent news for us bowlers because when the ball is not doing anything, applying saliva on the ball will increase the chances of finding some reverse swing. It’s very good for bowlers,” Siraj, who was released by the Royal Challengers Bengaluru ahead of last year’s auction and will play under new skipper Shubman Gill for Gujarat Titans, told PTI. “It [saliva] sometimes aids reverse swing because scrubbing the ball against the shirt will not help [to get reverse swing]. But using saliva on the ball will help in maintaining [the shine on one side], and it is important,” added Siraj. On the sidelines of the ICC Champions Trophy, senior India pacer Mohammed Shami had first spoken about the need to use saliva on the ball. “We keep appealing that we should be allowed to use saliva so that we can bring reverse swing back into the game and it becomes interesting,” Shami had said during the 50-over event in Dubai, where India emerged victorious. He got support from many former players, including R Ashwin, Vernon Philander and Tim Southee among others. Ashwin said that ICC’s ban call had stemmed from their research. “ICC released some papers after research showed that saliva did not aid reverse swing much. Not putting saliva has not made a huge difference. I do not know how they did the research, but saliva should be allowed again if it is not a problem. Otherwise, cricketers have to get on with it,” he had said on his YouTube channel Ash ki Baat. Ban due to COVID-19 Former New Zealand pacer Southee felt bowlers deserved a bit of an advantage. “That [saliva ban] was a rule brought during COVID-19 with the virus going around the world, but as a bowler, you want to have a slight advantage. We are seeing sides score 360 and more often than not over 300 [in ODIs]. There needs to be something in the bowlers’ favour, and if that’s a little bit of saliva, I don’t see why they couldn’t afford to get that back in,” Southee had told ESPNCricinfo. Former South Africa all-rounder Philander said saliva was most needed for the ODI format. “I’d like to see it [saliva] back because it’s needed, especially in ODI cricket where we see batters really dominating,” Philander had said. How saliva aids reverse swing A cricket ball moves laterally if different air pressure is applied. If the seam of a new ball is kept upright, it doesn’t swing. But, if a bowler holds the ball with the seam pointing to the left or right, then, given the science of aerodynamics, the ball swings in that direction. As the ball gets older, saliva is used to maintain its shine on one side while the other side is kept rough due to its wear and tear. Reverse swing occurs when the ball moves due to a change in air pressure towards the shiny side where saliva has been applied.
21 March,2025 08:11 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentAhead of the IPL 2025, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) lifted the ban on the use of saliva on the ball, after a majority of captains agreed to its proposal. IPL will be the first major cricket tournament to do away with the rule that was imposed following the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision was finalized at the IPL 2025 captains' meet in Mumbai. "The saliva ban has been lifted. Majority of captains were in favour of the move. Some had reservations about the re-introduction, some sat on the fence but majority of them supported the move," a top BCCI official told PTI. The International Cricket Council (ICC) banned the age-old practice of applying saliva to shine the ball as a precautionary measure during the COVID-19 pandemic, during which health practitioners advocated strict hygiene protocols and physical distancing. In 2022, the world body made the ban permanent. The IPL too included the ICC ban in its playing conditions in the aftermath of the pandemic but its guidelines are outside the purview of the sport's governing body. The captain's meeting, which was scheduled to begin at 12.30 pm in Mumbai, did not start on time due to a delay in the arrival of a few team officials at the BCCI office. Also Read: Gujarat Titans IPL 2025 fixtures: Full schedule, match dates, timings and venues Now that the ban is revoked in the IPL, the ICC too might review its stance on the subject. On the sidelines of the ICC Champions Trophy, senior India pacer Mohammed Shami had spoken about the need to use saliva on the ball in what has become a predominantly batters' game. The likes of Vernon Philander and Tim Southee had backed Shami's call. "We keep appealing that we should be allowed to use saliva so that we can bring reverse swing back into the game and it becomes interesting," Shami had said during the 50-over event in Dubai, where India emerged victorious. Also on the agenda of the IPL 2025 captains' meeting was the contentious Impact Player rule which the BCCI had already extended till at least 2027. The likes of Rohit Sharma and more recently Hardik Pandya have expressed their reservations on the playing strategy. "While a few have raised objections on the Impact Player rule, it has benefitted uncapped batters and bowlers who otherwise won't get to play," the official said. The BCCI also approved the use of DRS for height wides and wides outside the off-stump. "Hawk eye and ball tracking will be used to decide on the height wides and wides outside the off-stump," the official added. One more decision was finalized that the ball will be changed in the second innings of the IPL 2025 evening match after the 11th over due to the dew factor. "This is not a rule change, it's just an understanding for this year between teams and umpires. The changed ball will have wear and tear," an official said. (With PTI Inputs)
20 March,2025 06:05 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentAhead of IPL 2025, Nitish Kumar Reddy sat down with PUMA India for an exclusive chat to reflect on his meteoric rise—from his record-breaking Border-Gavaskar Trophy century to the lighthearted dressing room banter that earned him a special gift from Virat Kohli, now forever tied to that historic innings. A lifelong fan of Kohli, the PUMA athlete couldn’t resist when the cricket legend offered up a prized pair of his shoes. Wearing them at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Nitish scripted history, becoming the first Indian batter to score a Test century in Australia from No. 8—the third-youngest Indian centurion in Australia after Sachin Tendulkar & Rishabh Pant—and setting the record for the most sixes by an Indian in a Test series there. “Back in the locker room, he (Kohli) once asked Sarfaraz (Khan), ‘Sarfu, tera size kya hai?’ (Sarfaraz, what’s your shoe size?), and he said, ‘Nine.’ Then he turned to me, and I thought, ‘Oh my god, I have to guess this correctly,’ because even if they weren’t my size, I really wanted his shoes. I said, ‘10,’ and he gave them to me. In the next match, I wore those shoes and scored a hundred!" Reddy shared in the hour-long podcast, also revealing that he later got both his bat and those shoes signed by Kohli. Also Read: Gujarat Titans IPL 2025 fixtures: Full schedule, match dates, timings and venues With the key cricket season approaching, Nitish has cemented himself as one of cricket’s brightest young talents. He played a key role in his team’s IPL final run last season, scoring 303 runs and taking three wickets under Pat Cummins’ “dedicated and calm” leadership. Determined to become a top all-rounder, Nitish has also sought advice from Hardik Pandya while impressing on his Bangladesh debut before his BGT heroics. In this rare open-hearted chat with sports host Arjun Pandit at PUMA India headquarters in Bengaluru, Nitish revealed that amidst the celebrations of his unforgettable Melbourne century, he found himself searching for just two people. “Everyone in the dressing room came up and congratulated me, but I was just looking for one guy—hoping he’d come and talk to me. When Virat bhai (Kohli) finally walked up and told me I had played a wonderful game, that moment itself was special for me. I was also scanning the stands for my father but couldn’t find him. Later, I saw on the screen that he was crying.” Nitish credited both his father and uncle for shaping his cricketing journey, sharing that they were in the stands that day, watching him salute the tricolour in front of 80,000 roaring fans. Beyond the big moments, Nitish also shared a lighter side of his time at Down Under, recalling how his franchise teammate Travis Head tried to throw him off with some playful sledging. “Travis came up to me and said, ‘Nitish, where are you going to party tonight?’—knowing fully well that I wouldn’t. Then he went on, ‘Australia is such a great place. Melbourne is an amazing city, you have to go out and chill.’ He was just trying to distract me. I just told him, ‘Okay, Travis, one day we’ll both go and party!’ During another match, he was fielding at short leg and warned me, ‘Nitish, if you hit me, I’ll hit you when you bowl!” The young cricketer has also built strong camaraderie with India's next-gen stars, having come up the ranks alongside Riyan Parag, a fellow PUMA ambassador, Abhishek Sharma, and others from U-13 to U-19 cricket. “We’ve all worked hard to get here, and it’s all paying off now. I love their energy and the way they perform,” he shared during the interview. Off the field, the Gen Z cricketer has another passion—anime. A die-hard Naruto fan, he even collects action figures and introduced it to Abhishek Sharma. “But he (Abhishek) still calls it cartoons just to annoy me,” Nitish laughed. When Nitish is not on the pitch or debating anime, he is found unwinding with friends over intense battles on the console calling them his ultimate stressbusters. Nitish joined PUMA India’s illustrious roster in 2024, that features sport icons PV Sindhu, Harmanpreet Kaur, Mohammed Shami, boxing champ MC Mary Kom and youngsters Riyan Parag, Richa Ghosh, Avani Lekhara, Niki Prasad, Sarabjot Singh, amongst others. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.
20 March,2025 06:02 PM IST | Bengaluru | mid-day online correspondentGujarat Titans will begin their IPL 2025 campaign with new hope and aim of clinching the title under Shubman Gill's captaincy. In the last edition of the cash-rich league, the Titans came victorious on five occasions and lost seven matches in the group stage. The side finished the tournament in eighth place on the points table. In the IPL 2025, Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill will continue to lead the Gujarat Titans' batting line-up. The bowling department will be led by premier spinner Rashid Khan and star pacer Kagiso Rabada. Gujarat Titans will kickstart their IPL 2025 campaign by playing a match against Punjab Kings on March 25. Also Read: "Everyone on same page...": Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Ajinkya Rahane ahead of IPL 2025 opener against Royal Challengers Bengaluru Gujarat Titans, IPL 2025 Squads: Sai Sudharsan, Shahrukh Khan, Sherfane Rutherford, Shubman Gill (C), Arshad Khan, Glenn Phillips, Karim Janat, Mahipal Lomror, Nishant Sandhu, Rahul Tewatia, Sai Kishore, Washington Sundar, Anuj Rawat, Jos Buttler, Kumar Kushagra, Gerald Coetzee, Gurnoor Brar, Ishant Sharma, Jayant Yadav, Kagiso Rabada, Kulwant Khejroliya, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna and Rashid Khan. Gujarat Titans IPL 2025: Full schedule No. Date Time Opposition Venue 1 March 25 7.30 PM Punjab Kings Gujarat 2 March 29 7.30 PM Mumbai Indians Gujarat 3 April 2 7.30 PM Royal Challengers Bengaluru Bengaluru 4 April 6 7.30 PM Sunrisers Hyderabad Hyderabad 5 April 9 7.30 PM Rajasthan Royals Gujarat 6 April 12 3.30 PM Lucknow Super Giants Lucknow 7 April 19 3.30 PM Delhi Capitals Gujarat 8 April 21 7.30 PM Kolkata Knight Riders Kolkata 9 April 28 7.30 PM Rajasthan Royals Rajasthan 10 May 2 7.30 PM Sunrisers Hyderabad Gujarat 11 May 6 7.30 PM Mumbai Indians Mumbai 12 May 11 7.30 PM Delhi Capitals Delhi 13 May 14 7.30 PM Lucknow Super Giants Gujarat 14 May 18 3.30 PM Chennai Super Kings Gujarat
20 March,2025 04:49 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentADVERTISEMENT
