IPL 2018....Get all the latest news here...

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Shane Warne

 

✔@ShaneWarne

 

Very excited to be joining the @rajasthanroyals in this years #IPL as team mentor ! http://instagram.com/p/BfILj_6Dbrb/ 

1:10 AM - Feb 13, 2018

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PL 2018

Defending champions MI host CSK in IPL 2018 opener

 

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MI will host CSK on April 7. © BCCI

 

Defending champions Mumbai Indians and the returning Chennai Super Kings will kick off the 2018 edition of the Indian Premier League on April 7 in Mumbai at the Wankhede Stadium, it was announced on Wednesday (February 14). The final will be played at the same venue on May 27.

 

 

The first double header will be held on April 8 with Delhi Daredevils hosting Kings XI Punjab in the first game, followed by a clash between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Eden Gardens.

 

 

Rajasthan Royals, also making their return after a two-year suspension, will play their first game against Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 9. The Jaipur-based outfit's first home game, at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, will be against Delhi Daredevils on April 11.

 

 

Except for Kings XI Punjab, the other teams will get to play all seven of their home games at their traditional venues. Kings XI are scheduled to play three of their home games - against Chennai Super Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Delhi Daredevils - in Indore with the other four games in Mohali.

 

 

The Wankhede Stadium will also host the first qualifier on May 22 whereas the venues for the eliminator and the second qualifier - on May 23 and 25 respectively - are yet to be announced.

 

 

There was speculation regarding a change in match timings for the upcoming season, but that has been laid to rest with the usual timings being retained.

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check the complete schedule below:

 

http://www.iplt20.com/schedule

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[Raithu_bidda_]

First match csk pakka win 

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2 hours ago, Raithu_bidda_ said:

First match csk pakka win 

y so?

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PL 2018

Finch, Maxwell to miss their opening games of IPL 2018

 

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Finch's wedding is on April 7, a day before Kings XI's first game of the tournament. © Getty

 

Australia batsmen Aaron Finch and Glenn Maxwell are set to miss their opening games of the Indian Premier League when Kings XI Punjab and Delhi Daredevils lock horns on April 8 at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi. While Finch is tying the nuptial knot with fiancee Amy Griffiths on April 7, Maxwell has been named the Master of Ceremonies for the event.

 

 

"I saw the fixture this morning - there's no chance I'll be missing my wedding," Finch told Cricket Australia's website. "That'd be a bit tough leaving Amy at the altar, wouldn't it?" he quipped further.

 

 

"The second game we play is on the 13th, that'll give me plenty of time to get over there and miss only one game luckily," Finch said, who is expected to be available for the second game of KXIP's 2018 campaign. "Having one of my good mates 'Hodgey' [Brad Hodge] as coach... he knows about it now. I did wait a bit longer to send him the invite to the auction. It's just a case of missing one game but hopefully playing with Kings over a three-year period, it's not the end of the world," he added.

 

 

While Finch will enjoy Maxwell's company at the wedding, he knows his other Australian teammates will not be able to make it to his big day. "Guys like Davey [Warner] and that, they've got a job to do for their franchises so I'm sure they'll be in India," Finch said.

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Steven Smith to lead Rajasthan Royals

Australia's captain Steven Smith will take charge of Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2018. Smith was the only player retained by the franchise in January, for INR 12 crore (USD 1.89 million approx).

This is Royals' first year back in the IPL after a two-year suspension for their role in the 2013 corruption scandal. Smith had played for Royals before their suspension, so he qualified to be retained by them. He has filled in as captain for them in seasons past, but was never full-time leader.

In the interim, he had played for Rising Pune Supergiant, captaining them in 2017 in place of MS Dhoni. That seemed to trigger a dramatic turnaround for the franchise; they went from finishing second to last in 2016 to making the final in 2017, which they lost by one run.

Other high-profile options to lead Royals included India batsman Ajinkya Rahane and England allrounder Ben Stokes. Stokes' chances would have been diminished though, given there remains a chance he might miss the tournament due to the legal proceedings concerning the charge of affray against him. The IPL has said Royals would be allowed a replacement player for Stokes only if he is ruled out of the tournament before it begins as a result of the legal proceedings.

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Ashwin to captain Kings XI Punjab

Kings XI Punjab have announced that R Ashwin will captain them in the 2018 season of the IPL. The India spinner was a leading candidate for the role ever since the franchise signed him for INR 7.6 crores (USD 1.1 million) at the player auction in January. While he has never captained in the IPL before, Ashwin has frequently led his state Tamil Nadu in various domestic competitions.

"The best quality in Ashwin is that he is very smart and he understands this T20 format better than anybody else," Virender Sehwag, Kings XI team director and mentor said. "This year we decided to do something different and I think he is the perfect choice for the captaincy."

Ashwin, 31, played for Chennai Super Kings from 2009 to 2015, before spending the 2016 season with Rising Pune Supergiant following his hometown franchise's suspension from the tournament. He sat out the entire 2017 seasonwith sports hernia.

This season is a new beginning for Ashwin in more than one way. He has expanded his bowling skillset, and has revealed he will bowl legspin as well as his regular offspin. A good IPL season could also push his claims for a recall to India's limited-overs sides; while he is firmly India's No. 1 spinner in Tests, he has not played an ODI or T20I since July 2017.

This season will also be his first for an IPL team not led by or including MS Dhoni, and is therefore an opportunity for him to show his leadership skills. Ashwin is known to be an innovative captain in domestic cricket, frequently setting unorthodox fields and making imaginative tactical decisions.

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KKR to announce their next captain LIVE on the Star Sports network

KOLKATA: With dedicated two hours of daily time bands for VIVO IPL 2018 programming, Star Sports will now offer KKR and VIVO IPL fans a chance to witness Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) announcing their new captain live for the first time on television.

Former Team India captain and icon player for KKR in the inaugural season of IPL Sourav Ganguly speaking exclusively on the Star Sports Network, the official broadcaster of VIVO IPL has put his faith on Robin Uthappa as a prime captaincy contender for the top job at the Kolkata based franchise.

Fans will be able to watch the entire episode of Knight Club featuring Sourav Ganguly and KKR assistant coach Simon Katich as they talk about the qualities they are seeking in KKR's next captain on Sunday February 25 on Star Sports Hindi 1, Star Sports Hindi HD 1 and Star Sports First at 2200 hours along with the announcement on Sunday, March 4 at 9 2100 hours.

Speaking exclusively on the Knight Club show on Star Sports the former KKR and India captain Sourav Ganguly said, "It is important for KKR to entrust their new captain with the kind of faith and stability they showed in Gautam Gambhir."

"When I look at the current KKR squad, I feel Robin Uthappa is the best player to lead the team. "

"Though the team has experienced campaigners in Dinesh Karthik and Chris Lynn but Uthappa has been with the team for over 4 years now and he's had considerable experience in dealing with the dynamics of the side, not to mention that he's a fan favourite as well. An aggressive batsman himself, he will be the right successor to the legacy that KKR has come to build over the last decade," he said.

Kolkata Knight Riders will also offer their fans to nominate their choices for the captain via fan poll starting tomorrow on their website before Star Sports and KKR answer one question on everybody's minds 'KKR ka Captain Kaun?' on March 4.

Speaking on the qualities KKR is seeking in their next captain, KKR Assistant Coach Simon Katich said,

"While on-field characteristics play an important role, we are also looking at someone who can be a big part of the camp off the field. It is important how the captain goes around and creates a friendly atmosphere in the camp by not always talking cricket and also getting to know the players and their characteristics."

The 11th edition of VIVO IPL starts on April 7 with defending champions Mumbai Indians hosting two-time winners Chennai Super Kings.

Kolkata Knight Riders will begin their VIVO IPL 2018 journey at Eden Gardens against Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore on Sunday, April 8.

In addition to watching VIVO IPL in Hindi and English, fans will enjoy a deeply local experience by the addition of four regional languages - Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Bengali in this edition of VIVO IPL 2018.

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Sairaj Bahutule appointed Rajasthan Royals spin bowling coach

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BCCI gives the green signal to DRS in IPL 2018

BCCI has given the green signal to introduce the DRS, which for years they were not in favour of, for the first time in the Indian Premier League.

 

It was only in late 2016, prior to the England tour of India, that the BCCI finally mended their ties with the DRS.

 

The Decision Review System (DRS) is all set to make its Indian Premier League (IPL) debut in 2018. The BCCI has given the green signal to introduce the system, which for years they were not in favour of, for the first time in their marquee league. The board had held onto their stubborn stance against the referral system, insisting and reiterating that it wasn’t foolproof. It was only in late 2016, prior to the England tour of India, that the board finally mended their ties with the DRS. And The Indian Express understands that the board is now ready to use the technology for the 11th edition of the IPL.

“The BCCI was keen to have DRS on board since quite some time but it was only this year we felt we should go ahead with it for the IPL. We have the best of all other systems in place, so why not DRS? Anyway we have been using it for India’s international matches for over a year and a half now,” a BCCI official said.

The board in December had picked the top 10 domestic umpires in the country for a session on DRS in Vizag keeping the IPL in mind. Denis Burns, the ICC umpires’ coach and former Australian pacer-turned umpire Paul Reiffel had flown in to brief the umpires about the technology. The 10 umpires will be the ones officiating in the IPL.

“Indian domestic cricket doesn’t use the DRS system till date. As local umpires are being hired for the IPL, the board had called us to be briefed about the system. We were told that the board will be using DRS in IPL and they wanted us to get used to the technology,” one of the domestic umpires who attended the session said. The IPL will become the second major T20 league to adopt the DRS taking the lead from the Pakistaan Super League.

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More responsibility on me in IPL 2018, says KL Rahul

KL Rahul is excited at the prospect of representing Kings XI Punjab in IPL 2018 but knows that this time the responsibility will be more on him.

 

KL Rahul will be representing the Kings XI Punjab in IPL 2018. (Source: File)

 

India batsman KL Rahul will be representing the Kings XI Punjab in IPL 2018 after enjoying a successful stint with Royal Challengers Bangalore. While 2016 was a phenomenal period for the Karnataka lad, 2017 was marred by injuries. However, leaving the past behind Rahul is all set for his new journey with KXIP and is looking forward it. Stating that nothing will change for him as far as playing the game is concerned, Rahul maintained that it will just be a bit more responsibility on him, something that he enjoys.

“You are always excited to start any new journey in life and this is one such thing. Yes, I have learnt a lot from RCB and other franchises like Sunrisers Hyderabad. Every franchise that you play for, you learn a lot about yourself and also learn from the teammates and the support staff. This will be a new experience and I am looking forward to it,” Cricketnext quoted him saying.

“Like I said, the way I play the game doesn’t change. It will just be more responsibility on me and I love being that person that the team looks up to when it comes to winning games and also really looking forward to a couple of months in Punjab,” he added.

Revealing that India skipper Virat Kohli remains as his biggest inspiration, the 25-year-old said, “He is an extremely good player and we all know the numbers that he has achieved in the years that he has played so yeah, he is a big inspiration and it is great to have a captain like him in the team who leads from the front.”

 

On the tour to South Africa, Rahul was handed limited opportunities but he remains optimistic of chances in the future. Reflecting on the last month and a half, he said, “Being with the national team, you are always put under a lot of pressure, not just with your skills, but mentally and physically all the time. You kind of figure out a way on how to keep yourself motivated, how to keep fit and how to keep performing day-in and day-out and those are the things that I have learnt from the big boys in the Indian team who keep doing so well consistently.”