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IPL Mega Auction: Shreyas Iyer earns impressive pay cheque from KKR

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India batter Shreyas Iyer earned the highest bid in marquee sets of IPL Mega Auction 2022 as Kolkata Knight Riders picked him for a whopping INR 12.25 crores. It also means that Kolkata now have got a reliable middle-order bat with captaincy credentials.

As expected, there was an intense bidding war for Iyer, who captained Delhi Capitals to being runners-up in the 2020 season. Bangalore, Delhi and Lucknow jumped in early with Kolkata Knight Riders coming into the mix later and then Gujarat Titans as well. But it was Kolkata who won the bid.

Kolkata also brought back Australia Test captain Pat Cummins, shaking off battle from new franchises Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans to buy him back for INR 7.25 crores after previously buying him for INR 15.5 crores in the IPL 2020 auctions.

Shikhar Dhawan was the first player to go under the hammer, with Rajasthan Royals, Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals trying to pouch the left-handed opener. Later, Rajasthan backed out and soon Delhi followed the suit, meaning Punjab took him for INR 8.25 crores.

Punjab will be Dhawan’s fifth team in the IPL after Delhi Daredevils, Mumbai Indians, Deccan Chargers, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Delhi Capitals (previously Daredevils).

Delhi and Rajasthan were in a fierce battle to pick ace off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin before the Jaipur-based franchise snapped him for INR 5 crores. Rajasthan will be Ashwin’s fifth team after Chennai Super Kings, Rising Pune Supergiant, Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) and Delhi Capitals.

South Africa pacer Kagiso Rabada had a lot of interest shown from his former team Delhi and newbie Gujarat. The two franchises kept going till the bid hit INR 8 crores before Delhi pulled out and Punjab joined the bid. Eventually, Punjab got Rabada for INR 9.25 crores.

Joining Ashwin in the Rajasthan fold is Trent Boult, who has taken 176 wickets in 149 IPL matches at economy rate of 8.17 and has been brilliant with the new ball. Rajasthan and Royal Challengers Bangalore showed interest immediately. Then, Mumbai Indians jumped into the mix but Rajasthan eventually got him for INR 8 crores.

For India pacer Mohammed Shami, Gujarat and Bangalore engaged for a while before the latter backed down. Lucknow joined in and started bidding with Bangalore. Bangalore looked good to rope in Shami but Gujarat returned and got him for INR 6.25 crores.

Faf du Plessis, the second highest run-getter in 2021 edition for Chennai Super Kings, had his former team showing initial interest. But Bangalore managed to get past Chennai and then had to go against Delhi. Eventually, Bangalore got him for INR 7 crores.

For South Africa keeper-batter Quinton de Kock, Chennai and Lucknow jumped in. His former team Mumbai came in too. Just as it looked like Lucknow had got him, Delhi jumped in. But Lucknow stayed solid and got him for INR 6.75 crores.

Though Delhi didn’t get Dhawan, they got an able like-for-like replacement in Warner. Chennai and Mumbai were interested in buying him but Delhi got a value buy in Warner for INR 6.25 crores. Co-incidentally, Warner began his IPL journey with Delhi when they were Daredevils.

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CT 2025: India to take on Pakistan on Feb 23, likely to play in Colombo or Dubai: Sources

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New Delhi, Dec 19: The much-awaited clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan in the Champions Trophy 2025 will be played on February 23 with Colombo and Dubai front-runners to play host for India’s matches in the tournament being played in hybrid format. The development comes after the ICC Board said that “India and Pakistan matches hosted by either country at ICC Events during the 2024-2027 rights cycle will be played at a neutral venue.”

“India will take on Pakistan at a neutral venue on February 23, 2025. ICC looking at Colombo and Dubai to host their matches.”

The Champions Trophy is scheduled to be played in February and March 2025. Meanwhile, ICC said the schedule for the marquee tournament will be confirmed in the coming days.

Pakistan are the defending champions of the tournament, having defeated India by 180 runs in the final at The Oval in 2017. Both teams last played against each other in the T20 World Cup in New York earlier this year which India won by six runs and went on to claim their second silverware in the format.

Due to the strained political relations between the two neighbouring countries, India and Pakistan only play each other in international events including World Cups and Asia Cup. The last bilateral series between India and Pakistan was held in 2012-13 when the latter toured India for the five-match white-ball series.

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It’s OFFICIAL! All India vs Pakistan Matches At ICC Events To Be Played At Neutral Venue Till 2027

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India and Pakistan matches hosted by either country at ICC Events during the 2024-2027 rights cycle will be played at a neutral venue, the ICC Board confirmed on Thursday, 19 December. The schedule for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is set to be confirmed soon, with Pakistan aiming to defend the title they won in 2017.

The eight-team event will feature Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, and South Africa, alongside hosts Pakistan.

This will apply to the upcoming ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 (hosted by Pakistan), set to be played in February and March 2025, as well as the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 (hosted by India) and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 (hosted by India and Sri Lanka).

It was also announced that the PCB has been awarded hosting rights of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2028, where neutral venue arrangements will also apply. Cricket Australia is set to host one of the senior ICC women’s events during the period 2029 to 2031.

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‘Our dream is getting fulfilled’: Coach Sumit Bhatia elated to see Kho Kho going global

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New Delhi, Dec 16: Coach Sumit Bhatia is all pumped up for the first edition of the Kho Kho World Cup scheduled to take place from January 13-19, 2025. Bhatia, who holds a distinct record of being the only head coach to have won the Asian Championship twice, believes that this historical step is an indication of the realisation of the dream to take the sport to the international level and help it gain global recognition.

Having been honoured with the best coach award by the Delhi government, Bhatia has been a part of various Indian teams’ success, including the 2016 and 2023 Asian Kho Kho Championship victories, and has trained players like Nasreen Shaikh and Sarika Sudhakar Kale. Both of them have been Arjuna Awardees.

Nasreen, who is also a part of the World Cup camp, is the only player who has played in two Asian Championships and won the gold. The coach-student duo is now gearing up for the global event.

Sharing how the journey of Kho Kho World Cup’s inception, the coach said, “We organised an international camp here before COVID happened, in 2020. Coaches and players from 16 countries came here and we gave them training. Now they will be coming here for the World Cup but this campaign started in that camp”.

He further said, “Around 30-35 countries were willing to play the tournament but we picked the best 20 teams for both men and women. Some countries have single teams while some have double teams but a total of 24 countries will be participating in the tournament. It was our dream to take Kho Kho to the international level and now we can see that our dream is getting fulfilled.”

He also lauded the launch of the Ultimate Kho Kho League and shared how the franchise-based model has helped the players and coaches gain recognition, while also bringing forward grassroot talent.

“When the Ultimate Kho Kho league started, I also joined Telegu Yodhas as their head coach and we also played the final. Players have gotten exposure through the league and it’s not just financial. Earlier we used to hesitate while admitting being a Kho Kho coach but today our players introduce us as their coach,” said Bhatia.

He added, “The league got so much coverage that wherever we go, the players are approached for autographs. So the platform of the league started a new world for both coaches and players and now not just India but the entire world knows us. Earlier we used to tell people about our game but now they know what is Kho Kho and Ultimate Kho Kho league and are also waiting for the third season.”

Bhatia also discussed the impact of sports science on Kho Kho and lauded the newly introduced technology and said, “We have benefitted a lot from it. Sometimes we don’t understand why a player is not performing well. But with the introduction of sports science, we now know about the details of the problem.

“For example, a player might be facing issues with his left leg while sitting and so, it gives us an opportunity to work on that weakness… Sports science has helped us in identifying the accuracy and weakness of a player. So it’s very beneficial for us.”

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