Kings XI Punjab rope in ishant
New Delhi: In a bid to add experience to a young bowling line-up, Kings XI Punjab on Tuesday roped in Ishant Sharma on Virender Sehwag's advice after the senior speedster went unsold at the IPl auction. It will be a massive boost to his Twenty20 career after the setback at the players' auction. Currently, India's senior-most pacer in the Test squad (77 matches), Ishant went unsold due to his high base price of `2 crore. "A couple of days back, Viru bhai called up and asked if I am free. That's how it worked out," Ishant told PTI after his first training session with the team. Ishant said that he is fresher than some of the other pacers as he played only 5 of 13 home Tests this season.
Shreyas out for a week with chicken pox
New Delhi: The Delhi Daredevils on Tuesday suffered a setback ahead of their IPl season as flamboyant batsman Shreyas Iyer has been ruled out for at least a week due to chicken pox. Iyer is now back in Mumbai recuperating from illness and is expected to join the squad after getting fully fit. It may take around a week before he starts training again. Iyer's absence during the first week is a big worry for the perennial underachievers with two of their biggest overseas recruits Quinton de Kock and JP Duminy already out of the tournament. Angelo Mathews is also out for a better part of the cash-rich event.
Dipa undergoes knee surgery
New Delhi: Star Indian gymnast Dipa Karmakar has undergone a knee surgery, ruling her out of the Asian Championships next month. Karmakar underwent an Anterior Cruciate ligament (ACl) surgery in Mumbai and will not participate in the Thailand meet scheduled from May 18. "Hi everyone, there is an update. I recently got injured during practice and underwent an ACl surgery. Rehabilitaion has started and I will be back soon," Karmakar posted on twitter. The 23-year-old is reportedly being attended to by Dr Anant Joshi, who has treated Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar in the past.
Mashrafe quits from T20 format
Colombo: Bangladesh's limited-overs captain Mashrafe Mortaza announced on Tuesday his retirement from Twenty20 international cricket after he completes the ongoing two-match series against Sri lanka. Mashrafe's decision came just before the first match of the series against the home side in Colombo's R. Premadasa Stadium. "It has been a great honour for me to represent Bangladesh in T20I for more than 10 years," Mashrafe said on his official Facebook page. "I believe that this team is currently a balanced one and there are some promising young stars. This is high time for me to say good-bye to T20 format so that many youngsters can get the opportunity to showcase their talent", he said. Beloved by fans, the 33-year-old played 52 T20 internationals to claim 39 wickets and score 368 runs.