BY SACNILK

It has been a disappointing season of the Indian Premier League 2020 for the three-time champions, Chennai Super Kings who, for the first time on the verge of not qualifying for the playoffs in 13 years. A massive 10-wickets defeat by Mumbai Indians made sure CSK's IPL 2020 season become bad to worst.## Mahendra Singh Dhoni, captain of one of the most successful franchises, CSK stressed out again on the process but said that the players as a team haven't played to their "potential" this season. Amid the disappointment, the skipper is hopeful that the team will put their last stand. ## "Well, it does hurt. What you need to see is what is going wrong, this year hasn't been our year. In only one or two games this year we have batted and bowled well together. Whether you lose by ten wickets or eight wickets it hardly matters. All the players are hurting, but they are trying their best. It doesn't always go your way. Hopefully, in the next three games, we'll try to put our last stand", Dhoni said in the post-match presentation. ## First-time #CSK loses by 10 wickets in their IPL history. First-time #CSK fails to reach the playoffs as well. #IPL2020 | #CSKvsMI | #MIvCSK | #CSK— Sacnilk Sports (@SacnilkSports) October 23, 2020 ## "Whenever we did not get off to a good start it kept getting difficult for the middle order. In cricket when you are going through a tough phase, you need a bit of luck to go your way. But in this tournament, it hasn't really gone our way. We haven't really won the toss, when we are batting second there hasn't been a lot of dew and when we are batting first all of a sudden there is a lot of dew on the field. So it hasn't gone our way and those are the things you study", he added.## "Whenever you aren't doing well there can be a hundred reasons. One of the main things you ask yourself is whether you are playing to your potential. When you put out a playing eleven and judge whether they have done well to justify their stats on paper on the field, I feel this year we have not done that", he continued. ## While the ongoing season has been done and dusted for CSK (for their playoffs hopes), Dhoni said that the remaining games will all be about the preparation for the next year to identify the batsmen, the bowler who can bowl at the death. ## Meanwhile, CSK is in the last spot in the points table with just 6 points in 11 matches. They have already lost 8 matches which is their worst performance in the history of the IPL. On the other hand, Mumbai Indians, after an easy win moves up the top spot with 14 points in 10 matches and just a win away from the confirmed qualification for the playoffs. ## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

It took 168 IPL innings for Shikhar Dhawan to score his maiden century when he scored an unbeaten 101 against Chennai Super Kings on Saturday (October 17) and now, two days later, the Delhi Capitals' opener smashes 106* against Kings XI Punjab on Tuesday and becomes the first-ever player to hit two back to back centuries in the history of the Indian Premier League. ## Yuvraj Singh, who holds the record of the fastest fifty in T20Is, has hailed Shikhar Dhawan for his second consecutive hundred and said that the India opener is batting like a dream. ## "This Gabbar is batting like a dream @SDhawan25 Back to back 100's not easy in t20! Many congratulations jatt ji for becoming the only player to score 2 consecutive Tons in the ipl! Not a hard task for @kxip but @DelhiCapitals got some bowlers! @MdShami11 top spell ! #IPL2020", Yuvi tweeted. ## This Gabbar is batting like a dream @SDhawan25 Back to back 💯 s ‘ not easy in t20 ! Many congratulations jatt ji for becoming the only player to score 2 consecutive Tons in the ipl ! Not a hard task for @kxip but @DelhiCapitals got some bowlers ! @MdShami11 top spell ! #IPL2020— Yuvraj Singh (@YUVSTRONG12) October 20, 2020 ## "I took the responsibility of holding one end up and was also hitting the boundaries when I got the chance. On my Test debut, I remember I was scoring this frequently. I took proper rest and was fresh for this match. I didn't know ( when asked if he knew that he was the first man in IPL to score back-to-back tons)", Dhawan said in the post-match presentation. ## Dhawan, after the second consecutive hundred, has reached the second spot among the leading run-getters in this year's IPL with 465 runs in 10 innings. He has stuck 2 fifties and 2 hundred so far in the IPL 2020. All four 50+ scores have come in the last 4 innings. ## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

This year, due to the covid-19 pandemic, the most talked-about clash has not happened on the big screen. It is being installed on TV sets, between the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the reality TV show, Bigg Boss. ## As expected, the IPL 13 is clearly bossing the TRP ratings over the blockbuster controversial reality show being hosted by the superstar Salman Khan. ## According to a report by the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), the opening week of the cricket tournament this year saw 21 percent growth in average impressions per match as compared to 2019, despite one less match and fewer channels than last year (as stated by IANS).## The report stating out that a total of 269 million viewers watched IPL in its opening week, with 11 million more viewers per match compared to 2019, adding that 44 percent of TV households watched IPL-13 Live, with a peak in viewership for HD channels.## The 13th edition of IPL opened on September 19 with Mumbai Indians taking on Chennai Super Kings in the first match held at United Arab Emirates (UAE). The opening match witnessed a viewership of 52 million impressions (29 percent higher than 2019) and was watched by 158 million viewers (21 percent higher than 2019), reported IANS.## On the other hand, after a hugely successful season 13, Bigg Boss returned with season 14 on October 3. With Bollywood superstar, Salman Khan returning as a host, the contestants roster included Eijaaz Khan, Nikki Tamboli, Pavitra Punia, Abhinav Shukla, Rubina Dilaik, Jasmin Bhasin, Jaan Kumar Sanu, Rahul Vaidya, Nishant Singh Malkani, Shezaad Deol, and Sara Gurpal. Star contestants of previous editions - Sidharth Shukla, Hina Khan, and Gauahar Khan, joined as Toofani Seniors.## Reportedly, the show failed to make it to the top five in the opening week (October 3 to 9). In the Hindi Speaking Markets (Urban), the viewing minutes in billions for the launch week of season 14 was 3.1. As compared to previous seasons, this is better. The season 13 sum was 2.5, season 12 was 2.6, and season 11 was 2.## In the Hindi Speaking Market (Urban and rural), the launch week registered 3.9 billion viewing minutes. Season 13 and 12 had garnered 3.4, and season 11 was 2.5.## Though the TRP for Bigg Boss 14 isn't that bad, the show is expected to pick the pace once IPL ends on November 10. That, though, depends on how the show unfolds and whether the contestants manage to grab the attention of the viewers with fresh tricks, which they have been failed to do so far. ## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

For the first time in the history of the Indian Premier League, a game had to be decided by two Super Overs as Mohammed Shami put up a sensational display of pace bowling to outclass Jasprit Bumrah's yorker spree to defend five in the first of the one-over shootouts. Chris Jordan then conceded 11 in the second Super Over before Chris Gayle and Mayank Agarwal chased the target down off four Trent Boult deliveries. ## And given that even the first game of the double-header Sunday was also tied in regular time before Kolkata Knight Riders won the super over against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Twitter went into a frenzy witnessing a thrilling finish of the Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab match. ## See reactions - ## Was the World Cup final of 2019 a beter game or #mivskxip ? Unbelievable scenes today #ipl is here to stay Amazing effort by both teams @Jaspritbumrah93 game changer for @mipaltan and @klrahul11 for Punjab great finish world boss @henrygayle @mayankcricket #IPL2020 #supersunday— Yuvraj Singh (@YUVSTRONG12) October 18, 2020 ## Madness 😮😮 What a tournament 🙌🏻 #IPL2020— Ollie Pope (@OPope32) October 18, 2020 ## Apparently if there is another super over Anil Kumble will have to Bowl to Mahela and Zaheer to Andy Flower. #IPL2020— Vikram Sathaye (@vikramsathaye) October 18, 2020 ## And that’s why @IPL is the best league in the world #IPL2020 ..period 👍🏼🏏— S.Badrinath (@s_badrinath) October 18, 2020 ## I hope nobody in India went to bed 😱 what an unbelievable evening of cricket that was!! #IPL2020 must be the best one yet?! #MIvsKXIP— Kate Cross (@katecross16) October 18, 2020 ## Tested cricket skills and ability. Tested presence of mind and calmness even more....— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) October 18, 2020 ## Wowwww @MdShami11 is matching @Jaspritbumrah93 Yorker for Yorker here. #IPL2020— Ashwin 🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) October 18, 2020 ## How good is the #IPL2020 😍😍😍Is it the best tournament in the world? #MIvKXIP— Alexandra Hartley (@AlexHartley93) October 18, 2020 ## Lightning does strike twice in a day #SuperOver #IPL2020— Gaurav Kapur (@gauravkapur) October 18, 2020 ## The weekend that never ends. Three consecutive Super Overs. Unbeatable drama. @IPL #IPL2020— Freddie Wilde (@fwildecricket) October 18, 2020 ## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

Kings XI Punjab got back to winning ways after defeating Royal Challengers Bangalore on Thursday in a contest that went right into the wire. Kings XI Punjab, however, was almost on verge of repeating their previous games' mistakes in which the team couldn't cross the line despite putting themselves in a comfortable position. ## The thrilling 8-wickets win over RCB gave KXIP 2 valuable points but remains at the bottom of the points table with just 4 points in 8 matches. However, skipper KL Rahul, being totally dismissive of the league table, said that they are a better side than what the points table is showing. ## "We are a far better team than where we are on the points table, we have played some really, really good cricket", said KL Rahul in the post-match interview. ## "It is human to feel disappointed and frustrated with the past games, nobody wants to lose especially when you are doing a lot of things right, our skills have been very good, probably just didn’t capitalize on the moments" he added. ## "It started with the first game against Delhi, so as they say- it becomes a habit either winning or not winning, it has all been a great learning. It is part of the IPL, part of cricket wherever we play we know there are going to be ups and downs, but on a positive note, we really wanted this win to get some confidence in the group to go out and play our cricket with a lot more freedom from the next game", the skipper continued. ## Kings XI Punjab's both the win has come against RCB in the IPL 2020. While the first win was proved to be a walk in the park, they had to fight till the last ball to get the second one. Punjab will be next against the table topper Mumbai Indians on October 18. With just 6 games to go, it is almost a must-win situation for Punjab in all the games. ## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

Dinesh Karthik has decided to give up his Kolkata Knight Riders' captaincy in order to focus more on his batting for the rest of the IPL 2020. Eoin Morgan, England's World Cup-winning captain, will take over franchise leadership duties from Dinesh Karthik to take the team forward. ## The CEO of KKR, Venky Mysore said, "we are fortunate to have leaders such as DK, who has always put the team first. It takes a lot of courage for someone like him to take a decision such as this. While we were surprised by his decision, we are respectful of his wishes".## We are also fortunate that Eoin Morgan, the 2019 World Cup-winning captain, who has been the vice-captain, is willing to lead the side going forward. DK and Eoin have worked brilliantly together during this tournament and although Eoin takes over as captain, this is effectively a role swap and we expect that this transition will work in a seamless manner", he added.## Under Dinesh Karthik's leadership, KKR have won four out of their seven matches so far this year and are placed fourth on the points table with 8 points.## For Eoin Morgan, his first real challenge is up against the defending champions, Mumbai Indians today (October 16) at Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi.## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

AB de Villiers proved his undeniable brilliance yet again and played a memorable knock on a tough pitch for the batsmen. At Sharjah's pitch which has been a batting paradise so far, was on a slower side for Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders' match on Monday (October 12). ## While all the other batsmen were struggling to find runs, AB de Villiers came and single-handedly stole the show for his sensational knock of unbeaten 73 off 33 balls with 5 fours and 6 sixes. His knock helped RCB to register a massive win 82-runs in the IPL 2020. ## RCB's skipper Virat Kohli heaped praise on ABD with whom, he added 100 runs off just 46 balls. He said that the team was looking to get around 165-170 runs but because of the ABD's masterful innings, they could reach on such a big target of 194 in 20 overs. ## "At the toss, the pitch didn't have the usual Sharjah sheen. Knew the wicket was going to get slower and slower. Barring one super-human, everyone struggled on that pitch. The talk was around 165-170. The preparation was really good. The three-week camp helped us. Have clarity of plans. Know exactly what we want to do on the field. It all depends on the mindset. It's very positive", Virat said in the post-match presentation with Murali Kartik. ## "On a pitch like that, only AB can do that. It was a special knock. We got 195 purely because of the genius of that man. Always things you can reflect on and say you can improve on these things. All about taking this momentum forward. Don't want to be complacent", he added. ## Meanwhile, RCB is moved up in the points table. With 5 wins in 7 matches, the three times finalist is currently sitting at number 3 with 10 points after Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals. Now, the team will next face Kings XI Punjab on October 15 in Sharjah. ## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

Delhi Capitals that is already riding through Rishabh Pant's injury has got a big blow as Ishant Sharma has been ruled out of reminder of the IPL 2020 due to a muscle tear, the franchise confirmed on Monday (October 12).## "Ishant Sharma experienced an acute episode of left rib cage pain while bowling at a team training session on 7 October 2020 in Dubai. Subsequent investigations revealed that he sustained a left internal oblique muscle tear", the franchise said in a statement.## "This injury will, unfortunately, rule him out of the remainder of the Dream11 Indian Premier League 2020. Everyone at Delhi Capitals wishes Ishant a speedy recovery", the statement added.## Ishant initially experienced pain on his rib cage and it's been revealed that he has sustained a muscle tear. The pacer, however, featured in just a solitary game this season as injury kept him away from 6 of the 7 matches DC played so far. The only match he played was against Sunrisers Hyderabad in which he remained wicketless.## Ishant is the second player from Delhi Capitals who has been out of the tournament. Previously, Amit Mishra had also got an injury which led his departure from the tournament. ## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), on Sunday (October 11), has announced the squads for the women's T20 challenge that will be played from 4th November to 9th November during the playoffs of men's IPL in the UAE.## Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, and Mithali Raj have been named the captains of Supernovas, Trailblazers and Velocity respectively. The three teams will compete in the upcoming Women's T20 Challenge. Each team will play two games with the top 2 to face in the final on 9th November. ## The best of Indian women's cricket will combine with some of the leading stars from England, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies, Bangladesh, and New Zealand in a four-match tournament.## Thailand's Natthakan Chantham, who scored her country's first Women's T20 World Cup half-century, adds another feather to her cap as she will become the first Thai cricketer to feature in the tournament.## The 2020 Women's T20 Challenge will begin with last year's finalist Supernovas taking on Velocity in the opening game. The complete schedule is as below.## Match No.DateTeamsTime (IST) 1. 4 November Supernovas vs Velocity 7:30 PM 2. 5 November Velocity vs Trailblazers 3:30 PM 3. 7 November Trailblazers vs Supernovas 7:30 PM 4. 9 November Final 7:30 PM ## Here are the complete squads - ## Supernovas - Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Jemimah Rodrigues (VC), Chamari Atapattu, Priya Punia, Anuja Patil, Radha Yadav, Taniya Bhatia (WK), Shashikala Siriwardene, Poonam Yadav, Shakera Selman, Arundhati Reddy, Pooja Vastrakar, Ayushi Soni, Ayabonga Khaka, and Muskan Malik## Trailblazers - Smriti Mandhana (C), Deepti Sharma (VC), Punam Raut, Richa Ghosh, D. Hemalatha, Nuzhat Parween (WK), Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Harleen Deol, Jhulan Goswami, Simran Dil Bahadur, Salma Khatun, Sophie Ecclestone, Natthakan Chantham, Deandra Dottin, and Kashvee Gautam## Velocity - Mithali Raj (C), Veda Krishnamurthy (VC), Shafali Verma, Sushma Verma (WK), Ekta Bisht, Mansi Joshi, Shikha Pandey, Sushree Dibyadarshini, Manali Dakshini, Leigh Kasperek, Danielle Wyatt, Suné Luus, Jahanara Alam, and M. Anagha## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

Bollywood superstar and co-owner of IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders, Shah Rukh Khan was mighty impressed with the team's performance especially with Rahul Tripathi who got man of the match for his brilliant knock against Chennai Super Kings on Wednesday, October 7 in Abu Dhabi. ## When Rahul Tripathi, who led KKR to a 10-runs win over CSK, walked up to collect his Man of the Match award after playing a scintillating knock of 81, Shah Rukh shouted standing in the balcony, "Rahul, naam toh suna hi hoga", even as Harsha Bhogle and Tripathi himself burst into laughter. ## The superstar letter tweeted, "We were a few runs short, but the bowling made up for it at the end. Well played boys of @KKRiders And have to mention our @ImRTripathi 'Naam toh suna tha....kaam usse bhi kamaal hai' Be healthy all of you and rest well. @Bazmccullum will see u soon".## We were a few runs short, but the bowling made up for it at the end. Well played boys of @KKRiders And have to mention our @ImRTripathi ‘Naam toh suna tha....kaam usse bhi kamaal hai’ Be healthy all of you and rest well. @Bazmccullum will see u soon— Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) October 7, 2020 ## For those unaware of the context, "Rahul, Naam To Suna Hoga" is one of the iconic dialogues said on the screen by any actor. The dialogue is from his movie 1997 blockbuster 'Dil Toh Pagal Hai'.## Shahrukh Khan just shouted, "Rahul, naam toh suna hoga" when Rahul Tripathi came to take the Man of the Match award. #IPL2020— Sreshth Shah (@sreshthx) October 7, 2020 ## Meanwhile, KKR moved up to number 3 in the points table with 6 points in 5 matches while CSK is on the fifth spot with 4 points in 6 games. ## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

During the second innings of Royal Challengers Bangalore against Delhi Capitals in the IPL 2020, on Monday (October 5), Ravichandran Ashwin left the entire cricketing fraternity bamboozled as this time he let go RCB's batsman Aaron Finch when the non-striker strayed outside the crease before the offie had released the ball. ## The incident turned out to be a quite strange one as Ashwin, playing for Kings XI Punjab, had Mankad Jos Buttler in the last year's IPL when Rajasthan Royals' star batman strayed outside the no-striker crease. Ashwin had later on clarified that he was within the rules and won't be afraid of doing it again.## The incident of letting go finch with a warning soon becomes a huge talking point on social media as fans started to discuss how Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting might have convinced Ashwin against Mankading the non-striker this season.## Taking to Twitter, Ashwin posted a matured tweet regarding the incident while also expressing how friendly are the terms between him, DC coach Ponting as well as RCB batsman Finch. "Let’s make it clear !! First and final warning for 2020. I am making it official and don’t blame me later on. @RickyPonting #runout #nonstriker @AaronFinch5 and I are good buddies btw. #IPL2020", he tweeted.## Let’s make it clear !! First and final warning for 2020. I am making it official and don’t blame me later on. @RickyPonting #runout #nonstriker @AaronFinch5 and I are good buddies btw.😂😂 #IPL2020— Ashwin 🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) October 5, 2020 ## Ponting, Soon after his first interaction with the media before the start of the tournament, had made it clear that Mankading would not be allowed in the Delhi Capitals team as long as he is with the team and also spoke with Ashwin for the same.## Meanwhile, Delhi Capitals defeated RCB by a huge margin of 59 runs and topped the points table with 8 points in 5 matches. ## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

The Sunrisers Hyderabad, that is already struggling in the tournament, has got a massive blow as their premiere bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been ruled out from the remainder of the Indian Premier League 2020 due to a hip injury, according to India TV. ## Bhuvneshwar Kumar had incurred an injury during the game against Chennai Super Kings in his final over last week. He had walked off immediately and had missed SRH's game against Mumbai Indians in Sharjah on Sunday.## "Bhuvi will not be able to take part in this year's tournament as he has been ruled out with a hip injury. A big blow for sure as he is someone who leads the bowling unit and is also an integral part of the leadership group on the ground", ANI quoted a source as stated by India TV.## Earlier in the day, Delhi Capitals also suffered a blow as veteran leg-spinner Amit Mishra was ruled out of the remainder of the season with a finger injury. He sustained a flexor tendon injury to the ring finger of his bowling hand during DC's fixture against KKR on October 3. Mishra featured in three games this season, picking up three wickets.## The news of Bhuvneshwar Kumar's injury will also come as a concern for the Indian team who will be touring Australia end of this year for a complete tour of Tets, ODIs, and T20Is. ## Meanwhile, Sunrisers Hyderabad is currently on the 7th spot in the points table with 4 points in 5 matches. The team will next face, Kings XI Punjab on October 8 in Dubai.## Stay tuned...