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.

McCullum might open the batting with Virat Kohli

Brendon McCullum surprised everyone when announced his international retirement in February 2016 just a month before the 2016 World T20. However, he continued to play around the world in different T20 leagues. And his flamboyant nature hasn’t faded away. Yes, his hitting prowess has come down a little, but he is still of the best T20 openers going around.

McCullum has played for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Kochi Tuskers Kerala (KTK), Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Gujarat Lions (GL). But this year he was picked by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the auction for Rs 3.6 crores.

Captain Virat Kohli is like to open for RCB again this year, but who should partner him?

The Royal Challengers Bangalore have a very strong squad heading into this year's IPL. Their batting unit is arguably the best in the tournament and this could be the year in which they finally win their maiden IPL title. However, one of the downsides to having a deep squad is that it causes more selection headaches. This is something which RCB are experiencing at the moment.

The biggest selection dilemma they have is who should open for them. Indeed, Bangalore have six players who could potentially open for them: Virat Kohli, Manan Vohra, Quinton de Kock, Mandeep Singh, Parthiv Patel and Brendon McCullum. Bangalore captain Virat Kohli tends to prefer to open in the IPL and so is likely to keep his spot at the top of the order again. Presuming that this is the case, there are five potential world-class opening partners at his disposal.

Brendon McCullum is not guaranteed a spot in this Bangalore XI

A superficial glance at the list would indicate that Brendon McCullum is a favourite to open since he is by far the most experienced and arguably the most explosive batsman on that list.However, his recent form of form in the Pakistan Super League was far from impressive, as he failed to get a fifty in his last ten matches. Moreover, McCullum's IPL record last year was not as good as some other players on the list.

The other overseas player who is in contention to open the batting is South African keeper-batsman Quinton de Kock. The left-hander plays a very aggressive brand of cricket, shown by his Test strike rate of 70.De Kock is coming into the tournament with a solid run of form behind him, as he hit two fifties in the Test series against Australia and had a good showing with the gloves.

It could be the case, though, that De Kock is fatigued after a very busy start to the year and may miss RCB's first game. Also, unlike the other players who could open for RCB, De Kock is known to be able to play well in the middle and lower order.

Mandeep Singh will struggle to get game time in the IPL this year

This leaves Parthiv Patel and Manan Vohra remaining. The one benefit Patel has over Vohra is that he is a keeper. However, this advantage could be ruled out if De Kock bats in the middle order and subsequently keeps for Bangalore.Therefore, looking at batting alone, it is hard to discriminate between these two players. While Patel scored more runs than Vohra last year, the former Kings XI Punjab opener scored his runs at a much higher strike rate.

When considering that one of these two will be opening alongside Kohli, it would be useful to have a batsman with a higher strike rate. Without the immediate pressure to score, Kohli can take his time to build an innings - which he will then most likely convert into a big score. The debate over who should open is a serious one and a challenging one for RCB.

Washington Sundar would be hoping that his good form continues

The 18-year-old all-rounder from Tamil Nadu has been a great find for the game of cricket. His ability to bowl with the new ball with the field restrictions makes him a valuable addition to the RCB squad. Sundar impressed everyone in his debut season last year with RPS. In 11 matches he picked up 8 wickets at an economy of 6.16. He continued his good form in the recently concluded tri-series between India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh where he took 9 wickets in 6 games at an economy of 5.66. Sundar’s addition to the team means that Kohli can use him up front to contain the opposition and then use him in the middle overs to give support to Chahal.

McCullum is one of the most experienced T20 players in the world

A name synonymous with T20 cricket, Brendon McCullum has played as many as 329 games around the world in the T20 format. Bangalore would vividly remember the first game of the IPL where McCullum scored 158* for KKR against them. Using McCullum at the top of the order would give Kohli a breather as well as a chance to bat at his original position. In his 112 IPL appearances for KKR (2008-10 and 2012-13), KTK (2011), CSK (2014-15) and GL (2017), he has scored 2956 runs at a strike rate of 131.31 and an average of 27.88. Any team would be happy to have McCullum’s services.

Umesh Yadav will fill RCB's void of a good Indian pace bowler

Over the years, RCB has lacked quality Indian pacers and that void cost them the game on several occasions. With almost 100 IPL games, Yadav fits the bill perfectly. Not only does he bring in experience but also the ability to take wickets at will. In his 99 IPL appearances for Delhi Daredevils (2009-13) and KKR (2014-17), he has taken 95 wickets at an economy of 8.29. In the last season for KKR, he was the joint highest wicket-taker, bagging 17 wickets in 14 games at an economy of 8.45. RCB now have a handy new ball bowler who can rattle the opposition with his sheer pace.

Chris Woakes was the joint highest wicket-taker for KKR last season

The 29-year-old English pacer is an experienced T20 campaigner and has over 100 games to his credit. Woakes played for KKR last season and was the joint highest wicket-taker for them with Umesh Yadav. In 13 appearances, he picked up 17 wickets at an economy of 8.77. Interestingly, in the auctions, RCB picked all four of KKR’s pacers – Colin de Grandhomme, Umesh Yadav, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Woakes – that bowled out RCB for 49. Woakes took 3 wickets in his 2 overs giving away just 6 runs in that game. RCB can use Woakes with the new ball as well as in the death overs.

Corey Anderson's all-around ability is going to be a great addition to RCB

The 27-year-old Kiwi all-rounder has been roped in as a replacement for Australian speedster Nathan Coulter-Nile. Anderson, who represented Mumbai Indians (2014-15) and Delhi Daredevils (2017), can prove to be a useful finisher in the lower middle order. In his previous IPL outings, Anderson scored 521 runs in 26 innings at a strike rate of 129.92. The left-arm medium pacer also bagged 8 wickets in 19 innings. Anderson’s presence in the squad will give RCB the depth that they have been lacking, along with the extra option of a seamer if any of the frontline bowlers have a bad day.