Rewarded for correct line and length: Kulkarni
Visakhapatnam: Rajasthan Royals pacer Dhawal Kulkarni on Friday said bowling the correct line and length got him just rewards during his team’s six-wicket win against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). Kulkarni picked up 2/9 in his three overs to help his team win its fourth successive match. He along with veteran spinner Pravin Tambe (2/21) helped restrict SRH to 127, which the Royals were able to surpass in the last ball of the match. “The ball was holding up a bit and it was important to hit the correct line and lengths. There was a bit of swing for the new ball and that was because of the conditions. The pitch didn’t have a lot of pace and removing the pace off the ball was important,” Kulkarni was quoted as saying by iplt20.com. Kulkarni took the important wickets of left-hand opener Shikhar Dhawan and right-handed Kl Rahul.
Royals gave me chance to showcase my skills: Tambe
Pune: Rajasthan Royals’ veteran spinner Pravin Tambe on Friday credited his team for believing in his skills at a time when he hadn’t even played a single first class game. The 43-year-old Mumbai spinner made his first class debut against Odisha in December, 2013, after playing his first Indian Premier league (IPl) match for the Royals against Delhi Daredevils at Jaipur on May 7, 2013. “There is something about the Rajasthan Royals that makes me want to perform for them. This franchise gave me a chance to showcase my skills at a time when I hadn’t even played a single first class game,” Tambe was quoted as saying by iplt20.com on Friday. “They have given me so much love and affection that my love for the game has only grown over a period of time,” he said. Tambe is playing the bulk of his cricket in the fast-paced T20 format. With age fast catching up and the needs of the game getting more physically demanding, Tambe is leaving no stone unturned to be fit. “My training sessions involve routines keeping in mind the fast paced nature of the game and the amount of physical stress the body goes through during the course of the game,” the spinner said.
I didn’t tell anyone to give me the money I got: Yuvraj
Visakhapatnam: Making it clear that the ‘Most Expensive Player’ tagline doesn’t create any pressure on him, out-of-favour India veteran Yuvraj Singh said that he “didn’t tell anyone to give him” the money that he commanded at the IPl auctions earlier this year. Asked if being paid an unbelievable Rs16 crore is creating pressure on him, Yuvraj was dismissive. “Not really. I was sleeping when the auction was going on. And I didn’t tell anybody to give me that money. Whatever money would’ve given to me, I would’ve played IPl,” Yuvraj said on the eve of Delhi daredevils’ match against Sunrisers Hyderabad. The 33-year-old all-rounder also didn’t want to entertain thoughts in the line of whether this would be a launchpad for his India comeback.”I’m enjoying my cricket at the moment and I’m not thinking too far ahead. Hopefully, as a team we want to get Daredevils back on track. The win in the last match was needed to boost the morale after 11 defeats. I got a lot of overs to plan my innings as I needed some time out there.”
dalmiya wants IPl to be a csr platform
Visakhapatnam: BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya on Friday urged the high-profile IPl to provide a platform to serve humanity by taking up social welfare programmes. “IPl is one of the most sought-after tournaments in the country and it is felt that there cannot be a better platform than it to serve humanity by taking up social welfare programmes,” Dalmiya said in a statement.