1. Gambhir and Uthappa Notch 30 Plus Scores as KKR Win by 9 Wickets
A clinical Kolkata Knight Riders handed Delhi Daredevils a nine-wicket drubbing to begin their Indian Premier League campaign in style at Kolkata on Sunday.
Knight Riders bundled out Delhi for a mere 98 before racing home in 14.1 overs with openers skipper Gautam Gambhir (38 not out) and Robin Uthappa (35) sharing a brisk 69-run stand.
Andre Russell (3/24) and 45-year-old Brad Hogg (3/19) were the star bowlers for the home team after Gambhir put the opposition into bat.
2. Manchester United Lose, Leicester City and Liverpool Notch Wins
Tottenham decimated a lacklustre United with a three-goal salvo in six second-half minutes to keep alive their Premier League title hopes.
Starting the match 10 points behind of leaders Leicester, Tottenham shaved the gap to seven with goals from Dele Alli, Toby Alderweireld and Erik Lamela earning them a first home league victory over United since 2001.
Two goals by England striker Jamie Vardy kept Leicester City on course for their first top-flight title with a fifth successive win, a 2-0 victory at relegation-threatened Sunderland.
Liverpool raced to an easy 4-1 victory over Stoke City on Sunday despite manager Juergen Klopp resting a number of players ahead of Thursday’s second leg of the Europa League quarter-final against his former club Borussia Dortmund.
Klopp made seven changes from the side that had drawn 1-1 in Germany, giving first Premier League starts to young guns Kevin Stewart and Sheyi Ojo.
Ojo set up the second goal for Daniel Sturridge with a fine cross and when he was substituted at halftime, replacement Divock Origi scored a brace. Earlier Alberto Moreno had put the home side in front before Bojan Krkic equalised.
3. Playing International Cricket For SA is an Option: Kevin Pietersen
Former England batsman Kevin Pietersen is eyeing a return to international cricket by playing for his country of birth, South Africa, saying it is “definitely still an option”.
The flamboyant middle-order batsman would become eligible for South Africa in 2018, four years after his England career ended following the 2013-14 Ashes when he was sacked by the ECB for “cricketing reasons”.
Pietersen would be 37 in 2018, but if his words are any indication, it is clear that he hasn’t yet given up on making a return to the top-flight.
Do I miss playing international cricket? Do I miss batting in international cricket? Yes, I do very much so you never know. The eligibility for South Africa is still a year away. So we will have to wait and see but it is definitely still an option. An English call-up is definitely still an option. I am in a great frame of mind now.Kevin Pietersen
4. Shifting IPL Matches Not Solution to Drought: Dhoni
Amid the furore over holding IPL matches in drought-hit Maharashtra, the Rising Pune Supergiants skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said on Sunday that shifting matches will not resolve the perennial crisis as it requires a “long-term” solution.
If you see, all these questions are good to hear, I think for us it’s more important to seek long-term solutions. Whether IPL’s match number 5, 6 or 7 happens or not, I don’t think it makes much of a difference.MS Dhoni
The dire situation over potable water in the state has sparked a raging debate over the suitability of playing IPL games in the state, besides leading to a PIL filed in the Bombay High Court challenging the use of large quantity of water for maintaining wickets despite the grave water crisis.
There have been demands to shift all IPL matches out of Maharashtra.
5. The Royal Visit: William & Kate Play Cricket With Master Blaster
On a sultry afternoon at one of Mumbai’s famous Oval ground, the master blaster Sachin Tendulkar bowled what was probably his slowest delivery.
At the other end was Prince William, who began his visit to India on Sunday accompanied by his wife Kate. And the royal couple lost no time in charming their hosts with their warmth and graciousness.
The event was the first major public outing for the royal couple who earlier paid tributes to the 26/11 victims at Taj hotel.
After Tendulkar’s inaugural delivery, it was the turn of a school girl to bowl to the Duke of Cambridge. While he played that one, Prince William was out caught on her second delivery.
It was then the turn of Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, who also faced a couple of deliveries.
6. Harsha Bhogle Ousted From Commentary Team For IPL 2016
According to Indian Express, the voice of Indian cricket, Harsha Bhogle has been dropped from the commentary team for the ninth edition of the IPL.
Interstingly, the BCCI which controls the tournament’s production has not formally told Harsha the reason for leaving him out.
No one told me anything. I have not been formally told of the reason even now. All I have been told is ‘it is a BCCI management decision’.Harsha Bhogle to The Sunday Express
Harsha had a heated exchange with a Vidharbha Cricket Association official during the opening World T20 game at Nagpur. Some of the board members felt Harsha was left out of the team because of the exchange.
In Nagpur, the Hindi and English commentary boxes are separated with the president’s enclosure. If the commentators had to move from the English commentary box to the Hindi one, they had to go down a flight of stairs and come up again from the other side.
The commentators weren’t allowed to go through the president’s enclosure since the Vidharbha Cricket Association officials had disallowed it.
Working on a tight deadline, because of running around, I was at times panting as I went on air. This was because of that shut door. Even if it was the Nagpur incident, no one heard my part of the story.Harsha Bhogle
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