South Indian movie star promotes 2018 IPL in Telugu

The 2018 edition of the Indian Premier League is all set to get underway. With the tournament ready to kick off, the broadcasters are leaving no stone unturned to promote the event. The Star India are the prime broadcasters of the event this season. They have roped in South India movie star, Jr NTR, to promote the tournament on the television. Recently, Star Sports came up with a video advertisement in which Jr NTR is seen promoting the popular Indian tournament.

This year, the tournament will see commentators of 6 different languages coming to the fore. Certainly, the organizers and the broadcasters wish to cater to the needs of the regional languages. No wonder why they have roped in Jr NTR to promote the tournament in Telugu. The broadcasters have ensured that they catch the pulse of the audiences by roping in such big names for the promotions of the regional broadcasts. Only the time will tell if these yield the desired results for them or not.

RCB retires a jersey number and the reason will surprise you

In the 10-year history of the Indian Premier League, the Royal Challengers Bangalore rank among the teams with the largest fan base, despite not winning a single title so far. Year after year, fans throng the Chinnaswamy Stadium in support of Virat Kohli and company, who are said to be jinxed in the tournament. The team has often had to bear the brunt of an uneven squad selection, sometimes the bowlers are plenty, and sometimes the batsmen. This year, however, RCB have a very strong and balanced team with almost all their departments sorted, and can thus aim at their maiden IPL silverware. RCB’s Facebook page shared a video of their captain Virat Kohli, who is seen thanking fans for their support all these years, and also paying a tribute to them for the same.

Who would cross Chris Gayle first?

Cris Gayle is all set to sway his bat for the Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) in the 11th season of the Indian Premier League but before that, the West Indian is tapping his feet on the tunes of Punjabi music. The IPL is set to begin on April 7 but KXIP will play their opener against Delhi Daredevils at the IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali on April 8. Gayle's love for dancing is well known -- be it on the field or off it, Gayle always puts on his dancing shoes for celebration.

KKR's Andre Russell looks in great shape ahead of IPL 2018

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) got a shot in the arm as key allrounder Andre Russell joined the side late on Wednesday. There were doubts over the Jamaican's availability for IPL 11 after he pulled a hamstring during a Pakistan Super League (PSL) match earlier this month. The West Indian, who was making a comeback to competitive cricket after serving a year-long ban for a doping violation, had to miss the rest of PSL. However, much to the relief of the KKR team management, a fit-again Russell flew in 10 days before KKR open their campaign against RCB. Russell, who worked out at the gym on Wednesday evening, sweated out in the nets at the JU's Salt Lake Campus ground on Thursday afternoon. He looked quite fit as he bowled and then played some cracking pull shots in the nets. The allrounder thanked Usain Bolt's physio Everald 'Eddie' Edwards for helping him get into shape quickly after the injury. "Eddie is a good guy. He used to be Usain Bolt's physio. We all know Usain Bolt is the fastest man in the world. I am the second fastest (laughs)… You need guys like Edward around you. He is my personal physio," Russell posted. The West Indian is excited with the new-look KKR squad. "It is a fantastic KKR squad. We have a lot of young talent. We should do really well," he hoped.

Will Shahid Afridi react to Kaif's stern reply?

Moreover, Rajiv Shukla, an official of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), has dismissed the Pakistani all-rounder’s comments as irrational. Recently, Mohammed Kaif, the discarded Indian cricketer, has also reverted to Afridi’s tweet. Meanwhile, he has also brought forth the reasons why the Pakistani cricketers don’t participate in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Occupancy of Kashmir has been a major bone of contention between the neighbouring countries. The independence of both countries saw Kashmir being divided after which there has been a procession of wars between India and Pakistan. Here’s what Kaif wrote

“Dear Afridi, we wish peace and love but Peace is a two way street”. Paisa Bolta Hain. Can’t imagine Afridi making these comments if Pakistani players were still playing in the IPL. Rather, what’s needed to be condemned foremost is the reason because of which Pakistani players are not allowed to play in the IPL- Infiltration from Pakistani terrorists and Pakistan’s support to separatists. We wish peace and love but peace is a two way street”

How many centuries can we witness in IPL 2018?

For three weeks following the tour of South Africa, India skipper Virat Kohli didn’t even lift his bat. It wasn’t easy, given how much he loves the game. But he knew that it was for a greater cause. The break would give his body time to heal after what had been a very hectic season. About 10 days ago, Kohli hit the nets again and was also among the firsts to arrive for the Royal Challengers Bangalore’s camp that began last week. Kohli believes the break did him a world of good and he is raring to go again. “I required it. Physically I was having a few niggles. I pretty much went to the tour of South Africa with full intensity. Towards the end, the body obviously took a bit of beating. I understood that I needed complete time off from the game. Three weeks without even looking at my kit bag or bats was a weird feeling,” reflected the RCB skipper. Kohli wasn’t playing, but he couldn’t help but stay tuned to the sport. “At the back of your mind, you are never out of the game. I was keeping a check on all the scores from around the world, especially with India playing as well. That kept me involved in some way. Physically, I wanted to take a complete break. I’m feeling strong and I’ve been training non-stop for the last 12 days. I feel I’m getting close to peak condition. I’m definitely at 100 percent now; 110 is what I prefer and that 10 will take a little more time,” he added.

Remember the blistering 148 by MS Dhoni at Visakhapatnam?

The movie ‘MS Dhoni — The Untold Story’ starts its journey from Ranchi but could not have afforded to give a miss to Vizag as it is here Dhoni scored his maiden century and let the world take notice of him.   In all theatres in the city, people watching the movie, especially cricket buffs, are screaming their lungs out when the movie shows Dhoni’s blistering 148 in the one-day international against Pakistan on April 5, 2005 at Vizag. Dhoni was out on a duck in his very first game against Bangladesh, but he made his impression in his fifth one-day international in the ODI series versus Pakistan at the port city. His 148 off 123 deliveries had surpassed the earlier record for the highest score by an Indian wicketkeeper. Vizagities, of all age groups, after coming out of the theatre, are recalling their memories.