Great to have Bhuvi back: Warner
SRH captain David Warner on Friday said the return of senior India pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar will strengthen his side which is already quite balanced in all departments. “Our team is pretty balanced and there are going to be some selection headaches which is always good,” Warner said. “It is great that Bhuvi is back. He has had a fantastic series against England. We have a lot of depth in bowling and firepower in batting.”
Behrendorff replaces Hazlewood
Australian fast bowler Jason Behrendorff will replace compatriot Josh Hazlewood in the CSK squad after the latter pulled out of the IPL. Behrendorff, a left-arm pacer, has featured in 11 ODIs and seven T20Is for Australia so far. This is his second IPL stint after having represented Mumbai Indians in 2019.
nz travel ban could affect kiwis
New Zealand's travel ban from India starting Sunday could impact its cricketers playing in the IPL and force them to fly straight to the UK for the two-Test series against England in May-June, followed by the World Test Championship final. Captain Kane Williamson, pacers Trent Boult and Kyle Jamieson are among the 10 New Zealand players taking part in the IPL.
jhye to deal pressure with smile
The T20 format can be unforgiving for the bowlers and Punjab Kings Australian pacer Jhye Richardson plans to deal with high pressure situations in his maiden IPL with a “smile” before his delivery stride. A smile before starting his run up worked for him in the Big Bash League, where he ended up as the leading wicket-taker, and he feels sporting a grin even after he is hit for a six should help him deal with the extreme pressure that comes with playing in the world's biggest T20 league.
punter expects right attitude
For Ponting facing a team like CSK, with a proven record, is always a tough challenge and he expects the “right attitude” from each and every member of his side. “Although we've got a slightly different squad, we expect to play better as a group and achieve some better results. So, for us, CSK is just game one. We need to approach it with the right attitude and play well. “Hopefully, win that game and move onto the second game. But we know that we'll have to play well to win.”