BY SACNILK

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 has been suspended indefinitely following the rise in cases of COVID-19 within the bio bubble.## Yesterday, Kolkata Knight Riders' Varun Chakroborty and Sandeep Warrior came positive for the coronavirus which led the KKR match against RCB to be rescheduled. However, the latest development to trigger a total rethink on the tournament is the positive COVID-19 test result of Sunrisers Hyderabad's Wriddhiman Saha and Delhi Capitals' Amit Mishra.## Around 12 noon, the top officials of the BCCI were to meet to take a final call on the fate of the tournament with rescheduling the entire tournament being one of the agenda points. The BCCI had contemplated moving the remaining IPL to one city but the latest development has not left BCCI with much options. ## It is said that BCCI asked a few franchises to know their views on the tournament's future. A few of them are learnt to have suggested to call it off totally.## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

New Delhi, May 3, 2021: Australian Cricket has offered its support to India in fighting the covid-19 second wave which has created havoc in the country. The board will be throwing its support behind the India COVID-19 crisis appeal, with Cricket Australia, the Australian Cricketers' Association, and UNICEF Australia partnering to raise much-needed funds. ## Cricket Australia, in a statement, shared on social media on May 3, said that it has been deeply saddened by the devastation caused by this second coronavirus wave to hit India, a country with which Australians share a strong friendship and connection. ## On Monday, Cricket Australia announced an initial donation of USD 50,000 towards the Covid-19 crisis appeal set up by the United Nations International Children's Education Fund (UNICEF) for India.## The money (Rs 37 lakhs, approximately) donated by the Australian cricket board will be used to procure oxygen for seriously ill patients, providing testing equipments in affected regions as well as supporting the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines via the COVAX initiative. ## Australian Cricket will throw its support behind the India COVID-19 Crisis Appeal by partnering with the @ACA_Players and @unicefaustralia to raise much needed funds.Donate to UNICEF Australia’s India COVID-19 Crisis Appeal: https://t.co/JWpslbtY2j pic.twitter.com/E0CMow6h8z— Cricket Australia (@CricketAus) May 2, 2021 ## It was Aussie quick Pat Cummins who was the first cricketer to make a sizeable donation of $50,000 towards the PM Cares Fund to help India fight the super-contagious second wave of coronavirus which has brought the country's already-weak healthcare system to its knees. Cummins' countryman and former cricketer, Brett Lee also donated 1 Bitcoin (Rs. 40 lakhs, approximately) to the Crypto Relief Fund to help his "second home" India.## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

The International Cricket Council (ICC), on Monday (April 26), announced that there will be a qualifying round to determine the final two teams that would join the host England along with India, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Pakistan for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.## The six aforementioned teams secured their respective places based on the ICC Women's Twenty20 Team ranking as of April 1, 2021. The qualification process will determine which country from the Caribbean will participate in the event as players will be representing their individual countries and not the West Indies as they would at ICC events. The other team will be decided through a qualifying round which will be held by January 31, 2022.## The International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) made the announcement on Monday as women's cricket features in the Games for the first time in 22 editions and cricket for only the second time ever, the first occasion being a men's ODI competition in Kuala Lumpur in 1998, which was won by South Africa.## Geoff Allardice, ICC Acting Chief Executive, said, "We are incredibly proud and excited to be part of Birmingham 2022 and it is a fantastic opportunity for us to continue to grow the women's game globally".## "We are committed to maintaining the momentum that saw 86,174 fans packed into the Melbourne Cricket Ground for the final of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup last year and Birmingham 2022 gives us another global stage on which to showcase the women's game".## "On behalf of the ICC and its Members, I thank the Commonwealth Games Federation for their support and look forward to seeing some superb cricket at Edgbaston".## The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games will see 4,500 athletes from 72 nations and territories compete across 11 spectacular days of the sport. Birmingham 2022 will be the first major multi-sport event in history to award more medals to women than men. ## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

Delhi, April 26, 2021: Australian pacer Pat Cummins who is currently participating in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the Kolkata Knight Riders, has come forward and donated $50,000 to the PM Cares Fund, specifically to purchase the oxygen supplies for the Indian hospitals. ## "There has been quite a bit of discussion over here as to whether it is appropriate for the IPL to continue while Covid-19 infection rates remain high. I'm advised that the Indian government is of the view that playing the IPL while the population is in lockdown provides a few hours of joy and respite each day at an otherwise difficult time for the country", Cummins said in a statement on Twitter.## "I encourage my fellow IPL players - and anyone else around the world who has been touched by India's passion and generosity - to contribute. I will kick it off with $50,000. I know my donation isn't much in the grand scheme of things, but I hope it will make a difference to someone", Cummins added. ## pic.twitter.com/2TPkMmdWDE— Pat Cummins (@patcummins30) April 26, 2021 ## Cummins' donation came at a time when the covid-19 situation in India is worsening due to the second wave, and many foreign players are withdrawing their names from the tournament and leaving for the respective countries. ## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

All-rounder Hardik Pandya has been promoted to Grade A (INR 5 Cr) from Grade B (INR 3 Cr) in the annual contract list released by BCCI on Thursday (April 15) for the time period of October 2020-September 2021. Among the top gainers, Shubman Gill and Mohammed Siraj, who played a vital role in the series win down under, have been a Grade C (INR 1 Cr) contract along with Axar Patel, who was handed his Test cap during the recently concluded series against England. ## Shardul Thakur, who made an impact in India's incredible tour Down Under, has also seen a jump and promoted to Grade B from C while Bhuvneshwar Kumar's lengthy injury and India's growing list of fast bowlers has seen him demoted to Grade B from A. The leg-spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal have also slipped down the contract pecking order, both getting Grade C from B. Manish Pandey and Kedar Jadhav, the two Grade C white-ball players who are now out of favor, have not been given a contract. ## A total of 28 players have been given annual contracts this time, out of them - Grade A to 10 players, Grade B to 5, and Grade C to 10 while Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Jasprit Bumrah have retained their A+ contract (INR 7 cr). ## Check out the full list -## Grade A+ (INR 7 Cr) - Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah## Grade A (INR 5 Cr) - Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ajinkya Rahane, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma## Grade B (INR 3 Cr) - Wriddhiman Saha, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shardul Thakur, Mayank Agarwal## Grade C (INR 1 Cr) - Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, Navdeep Saini, Deepak Chahar, Shubman Gill, Hanuma Vihari, Axar Patel, Shreyas Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

The International Cricket Council (ICC), on Tuesday (April 13) announced the winners of the ICC Player of the Month Awards for March which recognize and celebrate the best performances from both male and female cricketers across all forms of international cricket throughout the year.## India's Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who returned to international cricket after more than a year, won the ICC Men's Player of the Month for March 2021, for his impressive performances in India's recently concluded series win against England. He was the standout bowler on either side in the white-ball series and was chosen the winner for the month by fans and the ICC voting academy.## Also See - Ravichandran Ashwin Wins ICC Player Of The February Month Award## In the three-match ODI series (won by India 2-1), Kumar claimed 6 wickets with an economy of 4.65 which is remarkable considering the high-scoring matches. In the five T20Is, he bagged 4 wickets, and again, the economy was just over 6 (6.38) which was among the lowest in the series. ## Reacting to the win, Bhuvneshwar Kumar said to ICC, "After what seemed like a really long and painful gap, I was delighted to be playing for India again. I used the time away to work on my fitness and skill and I am happy to be back taking wickets for my country. I would like to thank each and every person who helped me in this journey starting with my family and friends and my teammates. Also, a special thank you to the ICC voting academy and all the fans who voted for me and made me the ICC Men’s Player of the Month for March".## ☝️ Six ODI wickets at 22.50☝️ Four T20I wickets at 28.75🔥 Two series-defining performances against England in T20Is and ODIsWell done, @BhuviOfficial for becoming the ICC Men’s Player of the Month for March 🙌#ICCPOTM pic.twitter.com/qqYhuuGbqX— ICC (@ICC) April 13, 2021 ## On the other hand, South Africa's Lizelle Lee who played four ODIs against India where she scored a century and two half-centuries to move to the top of the MRF Tyres ICC Women's ODI Batting Rankings, was deservingly named the ICC Women's Player of the Month for March 2021. ## Also See - Rishabh Pant Wins Inaugural ICC Player of The Month Award## Reacting to the win, Lizelle Lee said, "I am happy and honored to receive this award. Such accolades are a great way to keep me motivated and to continue to work even harder on my game. A big thank you to my teammates for their support as this would never have been possible without them".## 🏏 288 ODI runs at 144🏏 90 T20I runs at 30📈 Made huge gains in the MRF Tyres ICC Women’s ODI Rankings for battingCongratulations, @zella15j for becoming the ICC Women’s Player of the Month for March 👏#ICCPOTM pic.twitter.com/T7EjkAHBtW— ICC (@ICC) April 13, 2021 ## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the Indian team squad for the 3-match ODI series against England. Prasidh Krishna, Karnataka pacer, has been handed his maiden India call-up along with Suryakumar Yadav, who recently made his India debut in the T20I series against England and Krunal Pandya. ## Krishna will join the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Siraj, T Natarajan, and Shardul Thakur in the pace department. Jasprit Bumrah, who recently got married, is missed out after being on an extended leave. Mohammed Shami and Ravindra Jadeja have also not included in the squad as they are yet to fully recover from their injuries. ## The All-India Senior Selection Committee, led by Chetan Sharma has picked a full packed batting unit with Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, and Shreyas Iyer have all been included along with Rishabh Pant in the squad. Hardik Pandya will perform all-rounder duties with Krunal Pandya, and Washington Sundar while Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav are two specialist spinners in the squad. ## Manish Pandey, Mayank Agarwal, and Sanju Samson who were part of the ODI squad against Australia have been left for the England ODIs. ## Squad: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma (vc), Shikhar Dhawan, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), KL Rahul (wicket-keeper), Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Krunal Pandya, Washington Sundar, T Natarajan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, and Shardul Thakur.## The ODI series will be played in Pune behind closed doors with first ODI scheduled to be placed on March 23 followed by next two on March 26, and 28. ## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the player of the February month award on Tuesday. Team India all-rounder, Ravichandran Ashwin named the male player of the month and becomes the second consecutive Indian to win the award. Earlier, wicketkeeper-batsman, Rishabh Pant had won the inaugural player of the month award for his heroic performance against Australia in Australia in January.## Ravichandran Ashwin put up an all-round show against England in the 4-match home Test series. He took 32 wickets in 4 matches in which, 24 wickets came in the month of February in 3 Tests. He also made a brilliant hundred in the second Test in Chennai and helped India to win the match by 317 runs. Ashwin overall scored 189 runs in all 4 matches and played a crucial role in helping India to win the series 3-1 and qualify for the final of the ICC World Test Championship.## The 34-year old was awarded the player of the series for his exceptional all-round show against England and also won him the ICC Player of The Month award. ## Commenting on Ashwin's performance in February, Ian Bishop representing the ICC Voting Academy said, "Ashwin's consistent wicket-taking, even in helpful conditions have helped to put his team ahead in a very important series. His century in the second Test was as critical as it came when England were trying to claw their way back into the match. That knock ensured that India shut the door on the opposition".## 24 wickets in February 📈A match-defining hundred vs England 💥ICC Men's Player of the Month ✅Congratulations, @ashwinravi99! pic.twitter.com/FXFYyzirzK— ICC (@ICC) March 9, 2021 ## On the other hand, England's opener, Tammy Beaumont awarded ICC Female Player of The Month for putting up a batting masterclass against New Zealand women. The right-hander scored 231 runs in 3 ODIs at an average of 131 against New Zealand in February. After a brilliant series with the bat, Beaumont also becomes the number one batswoman in ODIs.## Commenting on Beaumont's performance in February, Ian Bishop added, "Three half centuries of which two were in helping her team win the match was outstanding from Beaumont. Particular emphasis on the fact that two of the knocks were unbeaten innings, and coming inevitably, on two occasions whilst having lost her opening partner early on, she had to see things through for her team, which was incredible".## Three ODIs in February. 231 runs. 231 average 🤯She's the new number 1️⃣ women's ODI batter and now @Tammy_Beaumont has another individual accolade to her name 🌟Congratulations, Tammy! 👏 pic.twitter.com/770bgYCr7v— ICC (@ICC) March 9, 2021 ## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

The IPL Governing Council on Sunday announced the schedule for VIVO Indian Premier League 2021 to be held in India. After nearly two years, the IPL extravaganza will return home with Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai & Kolkata, have been picked to hosting the tournament.## The 14th season will kickstart on 9th April 2021 in Chennai with defending champions Mumbai Indians taking on Royal Challengers Bangalore. The newly-built Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad will host the Playoffs as well as the final on 30th May 2021. ## Each team is set to play at four venues during the league stage. Out of the 56 league matches, Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata & Bengaluru will host 10 matches each while Ahmedabad and Delhi will host 8 matches each. All the matches will be played at neutral venues, which means, no home advantage for any team. All teams will play at 4 out of 6 venues during the league stage. ## There will be a total of 11 doubleheaders where 6 teams will play three-afternoon matches & two teams will play two-afternoon matches. The afternoon games are slated for a 3:30 PM IST to start while the evening games will have a 7:30 PM IST start.## The fixtures of the tournament have been scheduled in a way that every team will travel only three times during the league stage. The VIVO IPL this year at home will be played behind closed doors, to begin with, and a call on allowing spectators will be taken at a later stage of the tournament. ## Here is the complete schedule of the tournament Match No.DateTeamsVenueTime[IST]Result 1 9-April MI vs RCB CHENNAI 7:30 PM - 2 10-April DC vs CSK MUMBAI 7:30 PM - 3 11-April SRH vs KKR CHENNAI 7:30 PM - 4 12-April RR vs PK MUMBAI 7:30 PM - 5 13-April KKR vs MI CHENNAI 7:30 PM - 6 14-April SRH vs RCB CHENNAI 7:30 PM - 7 15-April RR vs DC MUMBAI 7:30 PM - 8 16-April PK vs CSK MUMBAI 7:30 PM - 9 17-April MI vs SRH CHENNAI 7:30 PM - 10 18-April RCB vs KKR CHENNAI 3:30 PM - 11 18-April DC vs PK MUMBAI 7:30 PM - 12 19-April CSK vs RR MUMBAI 7:30 PM - 13 20-April DC vs MI CHENNAI 7:30 PM - 14 21-April PK vs SRH CHENNAI 3:30 PM - 15 21-April KKR vs CSK MUMBAI 7:30 PM - 16 22-April RCB vs RR MUMBAI 7:30 PM - 17 23-April MI vs PK CHENNAI 7:30 PM - 18 24-April RR vs KKR MUMBAI 7:30 PM - 19 25-April RCB vs CSK MUMBAI 3:30 PM - 20 25-April SRH vs DC CHENNAI 7:30 PM - 21 26-April KKR vs PK AHMEDABAD 7:30 PM - 22 27-April DC vs RCB AHMEDABAD 7:30 PM - 23 28-April CSK vs SRH DELHI 7:30 PM - 24 29-April MI vs RR DELHI 3:30 PM - 25 29-April DC vs KKR AHMEDABAD 7:30 PM - 26 30-April PK vs RCB AHMEDABAD 7:30 PM - 27 1-May MI vs CSK DELHI 7:30 PM - 28 2-May RR vs SRH DELHI 3:30 PM - 29 2-May PK vs DC AHMEDABAD 7:30 PM - 30 3-May KKR vs RCB AHMEDABAD 7:30 PM - 31 4-May SRH vs MI DELHI 7:30 PM - 32 5-May RR vs CSK DELHI 7:30 PM - 33 6-May PK vs RCB AHMEDABAD 7:30 PM - 34 7-May SRH vs CSK DELHI 7:30 PM - 35 8-May DC vs KKR AHMEDABAD 3:30 PM - 36 8-May MI vs RR DELHI 7:30 PM - 37 9-May CSK vs PK BANGALORE 3:30 PM - 38 9-May RCB vs SRH KOLKATA 7:30 PM - 39 10-May KKR vs MI BANGALORE 7:30 PM - 40 11-May RR vs DC KOLKATA 7:30 PM - 41 12-May CSK vs KKR BANGALORE 7:30 PM - 42 13-May MI vs PK BANGALORE 3:30 PM - 43 13-May RR vs SRH KOLKATA 7:30 PM - 44 14-May RCB vs DC KOLKATA 7:30 PM - 45 15-May KKR vs PK BANGALORE 7:30 PM - 46 16-May RR vs RCB KOLKATA 3:30 PM - 47 16-May CSK vs MI BANGALORE 7:30 PM - 48 17-May DC vs SRH KOLKATA 7:30 PM - 49 18-May RR vs KKR BANGALORE 7:30 PM - 50 19-May SRH vs PK BANGALORE 7:30 PM - 51 20-May RCB vs MI KOLKATA 7:30 PM - 52 21-May KKR vs SRH BANGALORE 3:30 PM - 53 21-May CSK vs DC KOLKATA 7:30 PM - 54 22-May PK vs RR BANGALORE 7:30 PM - 55 23-May DC vs MI KOLKATA 3:30 PM - 56 23-May RCB vs CSK KOLKATA 7:30 PM - 57 25-May QUALIFIER 1 AHMEDABAD 7:30 PM - 58 26-May ELIMINATOR AHMEDABAD 7:30 PM - 59 28-May QUALIFIER 2 AHMEDABAD 7:30 PM - 60 30-May FINAL AHMEDABAD 7:30 PM - ## PK - Punjab Kings; DC - Delhi Capitals; MI - Mumbai Indians; RCB - Royal Challengers Bangalore; CSK - Chennai Super Kings; RR - Rajasthan Royals; KKR - Kolkata Knight Riders; SRH - Sunrisers Hyderabad ## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

Team India led by Virat Kohli have booked their place in the final of the ICC World Test Championship 2019-21 which is scheduled to be played against New Zealand at Lord's from June 18 to 22 this year. With brilliant performances from Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, and Ravichandran Ashwin in the 4th and final Test at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, India defeated England by an innings and 25 runs and win the 4-match series with a 3-1 scoreline. ## India will play the final against New Zealand who had directly qualified for the final after Australia canceled their tour of South Africa due to the covid-19 pandemic. India topped the ICC WTC Points Table with 520 points out of 720 which makes 72.20%. New Zealand, on the other hand, couldn't play all the scheduled series due to the pandemic but managed enough to book the final spot. The Kane Williamson side won 70% of the points they played and finished after India in the points table. ## Team Standings After India-England Series In WTC 2019-21 SNTeamsSeries PlayedPts ContestedPts WonPts % 1. India (Q) 6 720 520 72.20 2. New Zealand (Q) 5 600 420 70.00 3. Australia 4 480 332 69.20 4. England 6 720 442 61.38 5. Pakistan 5.5 660 286 43.30 6. West Indies 4 480 160 33.33 7. South Africa 4 480 144 30.00 8. Sri Lanka 4 480 80 16.70 9. Bangladesh 2.5 300 0 0 ## Going into the 4-match series against England, India needed to win the series with the scoreline of either 2-0, or 2-1, or 3-0, or 3-1, or 4-0 to be eligible to play the final. England, however, has had a tough task as they needed to win at least 3 Tests to play the final which they couldn't. In the case of a series draw, Australia would have made it to the final because of the higher point percentage. ## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

After helping India to a historic test series win against Australia in Australia a month ago, Rishabh Pant once again came to rescue the Indian side against England at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahemdabad on Friday (March 5). He came when India was 80 for 4 and changed the game with a sublime maiden hundred on the Indian soil and 3rd overall. ## With each passing day, Pant is showing maturity and becoming a real match-winner for his side. Former Australian wicketkeeper-batsman and one of the greats of the game, Adam Gilchrist has also lauded the match-winning ability of Pant and looking forward to watching more such knocks. ## "It's not just about how many you get, but also when you get them. If you can somehow sync the first with the second, when the team needs it most, you're a true match-winner. Looking at you @RishabhPant17", Gilchrist tweeted. ## It’s not just about how many you get, but also when you get them. If you can somehow sync the first with the second, when the team needs it most, you’re a true match winner. Looking at you @RishabhPant17 👏— Adam Gilchrist (@gilly381) March 5, 2021 ## Rishabh Pant's knock of 101 runs off just 118 balls has put India in a commanding position in the 4th and final Test with 89 runs of lead and 3-wickets still in hand. This match is important for India to qualify for the final of the ICC World Test Championship. If India either win or draw this match, they will qualify for final. In case of losing this match, Australia will make it through to the final which is set to be played against New Zealand at Lords in July this year. ## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

The latest spike in the covid-19 cases in Maharasthra state has forced the three-match ODI series between India and England to go ahead without spectators. The three ODIs, scheduled to be played in Pune on March 23, 26, and 28, get a green single from the state government but will be played behind closed doors. ## The decision was taken following a meeting of the Maharashtra Cricket Association President Vikas Kakatkar with the Mumbai Cricket Association's Governing Council chairman Milind Narvekar, Maharashtra's Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, and the Tourism and Environment Minister Aditya Thackeray. (according to cricbuzz)## "Keeping the seriousness of the current spike in Covid cases in Maharashtra, after inputs from the Honourable Chief Minister, it was decided that permission will be granted for these matches without spectators", the Maharashtra Cricket Association stated in a release on Saturday (February 27).## "The Chief Minister requested the president of the Maharashtra Cricket Association to take all necessary precautions regarding players and other officials. With these, the uncertainty of holding the three One-Day Internationals has ended and the association can start preparatory works like obtaining various. permissions for smooth conduction of the matches".## Stay tuned...