IPL 2022: Maximum of 4 players can be retained, new teams can pick 3 players before mega auction

IPL 2022: The BCCI, in a letter to the franchises, confirmed that the existing 8 teams will be allowed to retain a maximum of 4 players between November 1 and November 25. The two new teams can pick a maximum of 3 players before the mega auction.

BCCI confirms IPL 2022 retention rules in a letter to franchises (Courtesy of BCCI)

HIGHLIGHTSA maximum of 4 players can be retained by exisiting franchises before mega auctionExisiting teams can retain players between November 1 and 30New teams allowed to pick maximum of 3 players before auction

Indian Premier League teams can retain up to 4 players in the lead up to the mega auction for IPL 2022, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has conveyed in a letter to the franchises. The two new teams who will be part of the next season will be allowed to pick 3 players before the auction.

A source close to the board confirmed the developments to India Today on Saturday. The existing 8 franchises will be allowed to retain their players between November 1 and 30 while the two new teams can pick 3 players from the released list of players or elsewhere from December 1. The deadline for picking the set of 3 players for the new teams is December 25.

The 8 existing teams can’t retain more than 3 Indian players (capped or uncapped) while they can’t retain more than 2 overseas players. Meanwhile, the two new teams can pick a maximum of 2 Indian players after the players are retained by the existing franchises. No more than one uncapped player can be picked by them.

Meanwhile, the maximum purse for all 8 teams has been fixed at Rs 90 crore each.

If a team retains 4 players, then a total of Rs 42 crore will be deducted from their purse with the top player getting Rs 15 crore.

If a team retains 3 players, then Rs 33 crore will be cut from its purse.

For 2 players, Rs 14 crore and Rs 10 crore have to be shelled out while teams retaining only one player have to pay Rs 14 crore to him.

Sanjiv Goenka-helmed RPSG Group came up with a winning bid of a whopping INR 7090 crore and picked Lucknow as its home base. CVC Capital, former owners of Formula One, came up with the second-highest bid of INR 5625 crore and opted for Ahmedabad during Monday’s bidding in Dubai. Notably, RPSG Group also owned the Rising Pune Supergiant franchise between 2016 and 2017.

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T20 World Cup: India look to bounce back from Pakistan setback in crunch test against nemesis New Zealand

India take on New Zealand in one of the most crucial Super 12 matches in Group 2 of T20 World Cup 2021 at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday, October 31. Both the teams are heading into the crunch contest on the back of defeats to Pakistan who are running away at the top of the group with 3 wins from as many matches.

India captain Virat Kohli looked calm and composed when he was addressing the media on the eve of the big-ticket contest in Dubai. While he was condemning the online abuse of Mohammed Shami in strongly-worded statements, there were a few important statements that the skipper made that gave us a sneak peek of his mindset in the lead up to what is going to be a stiff test of his character.

The team that loses on Sunday is likely to find it difficult to progress to the semi-final stage. Quite a few have labeled India vs New Zealand as a virtual quarter-final but Afghanistan’s hammering of Scotland and their spirited performance against Pakistan have added an interesting flavor to Group 2, which isn’t as packed as the other one in the Super 12.

“Whether people portray it as India can’t afford to lose another game, that’s none of our business. We will play sport as we understand exactly how sport goes. How people think on the outside has no value whatsoever inside the group,” Kohli said on Saturday.

India need another memorable comeback in 2021

Virat Kohli’s captaincy reign in T20 World Cups did not get off to a good start. In fact, he became the first Indian skipper to lose a World Cup match to Pakistan in a World Cup. India were blown away by a spirited Pakistan side led by Babar Azam but ruling out the Men in Blue as early as after just one match is unwise, to say the least.

Be it the 36-all out in Adelaide or the Chennai Test hammering against England, India have made it a habit to come back stronger from setbacks in 2021. Virat Kohli’s men possess the firepower to test the best in the business in the T20 World Cup and there is no reason why this heavily-scrutinised bunch can’t step up once again.

Having had a week’s break, India must have had enough time to learn from their mistakes and work on them but such a big gap between two matches can also work against them, especially in a format as fickle as T20s.

India’s job is not getting any easier as they face New Zealand, who have been their nemesis in the recent past In fact, the Asian giants have not beaten the BlackCaps in an ICC event since 2003. Their recent exits from ICC events have come because of New Zealand — the 2019 World Cup semi-final and the ICC World Test Championship final earlier this year.

Team News – Will Hardik Pandya retain his place in the side?

Hardik Pandya has started bowling at the nets as India seem to have realized that having a 6th-bowling option is necessary after Pakistan cruised to a 152-run target without losing a wicket and 13 balls to spare last Sunday.

Virat Kohli made a U-turn as he stressed the need for a 6th bowling option, hinting Hardik will be able to bowl an over of two if needed.

“It’s very important to have a sixth bowling option — whether through me or Hardik (Pandya). He should have to be fit to be able to bowl one or two overs,” he said.

While the spotlight has been on Hardik’s bowling, India have lacked firepower in their pace bowling unit as the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami struggled to even look threatening against Pakistan. Kohli highlighted the importance of Shardul Thakur but remained tight-lipped about the team combination.

It will be interesting to see if India make changes to their bowling combination but it looks likely their batting will remain unchanged. With the likes of R Ashwin and Thakur available for selection, India will look to beef up their bowling department.

Martin Guptill fit for India clash on Sunday

On the other hand, New Zealand would want their skipper Kane Williamson to find top form. Struggling with an elbow niggle, Williamson hasn’t looked the part so far, be it in IPL 2021 or in their defeat to Pakistan. However, they can breathe easy as Martin Guptill is available for selection after an injury scare.

New Zealand have lost Lockie Ferguson but they have received a boost as pacer Adam Milne is available for selection. He can inject pace into the side if New Zealand decide to bring him in place of Tim Southee.

India vs New Zealand, T20 World Cup 2021 Squads

India: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy, Shardul Thakur, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishan Kishan, Rahul Chahar

New Zealand: Kane Williamson (c), Martin Guptill, Daryl Mitchell, Devon Conway, Tim Seifert (wk), James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Mark Chapman, Adam Milne, Kyle Jamieson, Todd Astle.

T20 World Cup: Kieron Pollard retires himself out after 16-ball 8, returns to hit last-ball six vs Bangladesh

In a bizarre move, West Indies captain Kieron Pollard retired himself out after scoring a 16-ball 8 in an important T20 World Cup 2021 clash against Bangladesh.

T20 World Cup: Captain Kieron Pollard retires out in WI’s crucial clash vs Bangladesh (AP Photo)

HIGHLIGHTSKieron Pollard retired himself out during West Indies’ inningsPollard was batting not-out at a score of 8 in 16 balls when he retiredKieron Pollard walked back to the middle in the last over

West Indies captain Kieron Pollard decided to retire himself and walk back to the dressing room after playing a rather strange 8-run knock-off 16 deliveries against Bangladesh in a crucial T20 World Cup Super 12 encounter on Friday. Bangladesh opted to field after winning the toss and the bowlers responded with quick wickets, including Chris Gayle out for four in Sharjah.

West Indies vs Bangladesh ICC T20 World Cup 2021, Super 12 Group 1: Highlights

Pollard, who came in at No. 5, walked to the dressing room in the 13th over with West Indies’s score reading 3 for 62. While the WI team management has not revealed any official reason for it, fans have called it a ‘tactical move’ by the captain to give his side momentum with the bat in the second half of the innings.

And things just got stranger. Pollard retires #dreruss comes out and gets a diamond duck as a straight drive is touched onto the stumps #T20WorldCup #WIvsBAN

— Paul Johnson (@pjohnson_sports) October 29, 2021

When your luck is out it’s out….

Pollard retires (which may be tactical…)

Russell comes in then gets run out at non strikers end via the bowlers boot.

Sigh. It is what it is #T20WorldCup

— Caribbean Cricket Podcast (@CaribCricket) October 29, 2021

Andre Russell, who walked into replacing the skipper, was unfortunately run-out at the non-striker’s end the very next ball after having backed up too far outside the crease. However, Pollard returned to bat in the final over and slammed a six off the last ball to finish with 14 runs off 18 balls.

Nicholas Pooran smashed 40 off 22 balls to lift holders West Indies to 142-7 against Bangladesh with both teams looking for a first win in a make-or-break match. Mahedi, Shoriful Islam and Mustafizur Rahman took two wickets each.

Roston Chase scored 39 on his T20 debut and Pooran put on 57 runs for the fifth wicket to give the West Indies impetus in the final few overs. Bangladesh need 143 to win and keep their hopes alive of making the semi-finals from Group 1, led by unbeaten England and Australia.

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Cristiano Ronaldo ‘delighted to announce’ news of girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez’s pregnancy: We are expecting twins

Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodriguez took to social media to announce the latter’s pregnancy and even shared their twins’ ultrasounds.

Cristiano Ronaldo had admitted in an interview in 2017 that he wanted seven children (Ronaldo Instagram Photo)

HIGHLIGHTSCristiano Ronaldo will become a father for the sixth time after the twins are bornRonaldo already shares a 3-year-old daughter, Alana Martina, with Georgina RodriguezRonaldo and Rodriguez have been dating since 2016 after meeting at a Gucci store in Madrid

Portuguese football legend Cristiano Ronaldo on Thursday confirmed on social media that his girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez is pregnant with twins. The Manchester United winger took to Instagram to share the news with his fans and also posted pictures of their twins’ ultrasounds.

Ronaldo will become a father for the sixth time after the twins are born. He already shared a three-year-old daughter Alana Martina with Argentine model Rodriguez

36-year-old Ronaldo’s first son, Cristiano Junior, was born in 2010 but the identity of the mother is unknown. A surrogate mother then gave birth to a pair of Ronaldo’s twins, daughter Eva and son Mateo, in 2017.

“Delighted to announce we are expecting twins. Our hearts are full of love – we can’t wait to meet you,” Ronaldo and Rodriguez wrote in similar posts on their Instagram accounts.

Notably, Ronaldo’s oldest son Cristiano Jr is also aspiring to be a footballer like his superstar father and joined the Manchester United academy alongside Wayne Rooney’s son Kai in September this year.

Ronaldo had admitted in 2017 that he wanted seven children while Rodriguez last year said: “My desire for motherhood is stronger than anything. I hope to have more children.”

Ronaldo and Rodriguez have been dating since 2016 after meeting at a Gucci store in Madrid where she used to work as a shop assistant for £10 an hour. The Portugal captain was playing for Real Madrid at the time.

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French Open: Kidambi Srikanth bows out in 2nd round vs Kento Momota, good news for India in mixed doubles

Kidambi Srikanth played his heart out to match Kento Momota and also held two-point lead towards the end of the decider but ended up losing the men’s singles second round of the French Open on Wednesday.

Kidambi Srikanth won the first game but ran out of steam towards the end of the match to crash out of French Open (AFP Photo)

HIGHLIGHTSKento Momota beat Kidambi Srikanth 18-21 22-20 21-19 in a 79-minute matchSrikanth had lost to Momota last week also at Denmark Open but he produced a much better display hereSatwiksairaj Rankireddy and Ashwini Ponnappa made it to the mixed doubles second round

Kidambi Srikanth suffered a heartbreaking defeat against top seed Kento Momota to make a second round exit but India’s mixed doubles team of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Ashwini Ponnappa advanced at the French Open Super 750 badminton tournament, in Paris on Wednesday.

The Rio quarterfinalist played his heart out to match the Japanese and also held two-point lead towards the end of the decider but ended up losing the men’s singles second round 18-21 22-20 21-19 in 79-minute match.

Srikanth had lost to Momota last week also at Denmark Open but he produced a much better display here and came agonisingly close to outwitting the two-time world champion only to fall short in the end.

Rankireddy and Ponappa, the world number 24 pair beat Denmark’s Mathias Thyrri and Mai Surrow 21-19 21-15 in 37 minutes. They are likely to face second seeded Indonesian pair of Praveen Jordan and Melati Daeva Oktavianti next.

Srikanth ran up a 4-0 lead but Momota clawed back to level the score. He again moved to a 8-5 advantage only to see the Japanese eke out a slender 11-10 lead at the break.

After the break, Momota kept his nose ahead despite Srikanth snapping at his heels and drawing parity at 18-18 at one stage. The second game was even more engrossing contest as lead exchanged hands many times before Momota managed to take a 11-9 advantage at the breather.

The Japanese held two game points but Srikanth staged a superb foughback and reeled off four straight points to roar back into the contest. The decider started with a similar intensity with Srikanth heading to 9-6 advantage but Momota made it 11-10 at the break.

The Indian moved to 19-17 but a couple of errors cost him the match. India’s doubles Olympic medallist P V Sindhu along with other Indians will compete later in the day.

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T20 World Cup: New Zealand pacer Lockie Ferguson ruled out of tournament with calf tear

T20 World Cup: New Zealand Cricket said in a statement that Lockie Ferguson felt tightness in his right calf following training on the eve of Tuesday’s match and a subsequent MRI scan on game-day revealed a grade two tear which would require “three to four weeks recovery”.

Ferguson could be replaced by Adam Milne. (Reuters Photo)

HIGHLIGHTSFerguson could be replaced by Adam Milne for the tournamentMilne is already in the UAE with the team having been selected in the squad as traveling injury coverWith an approval yet to be given by the ICC, Milne was not selected for the Pakistan game

New Zealand pacer Lockie Ferguson has been ruled out of the T20 World Cup with a calf tear, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) said on Tuesday. NZC made the announcement just before New Zealand’s tournament opener against Pakistan.

“Ferguson felt tightness in his right calf following training last night and a subsequent MRI scan on game-day revealed a grade two tear which would require three to four weeks recovery,” said NZC. It further said that New Zealand head coach decided that there was no choice but to rile Ferguson out considering the frequency of matches they will have to deal with.

“It’s a real shame for Lockie to have this happen on the eve of the tournament and the entire team is really feeling for him right now,” Stead said.

“He’s a massive part of our T20 side and has been in such good form – so to lose him at this time is a blow.

“However, we are fortunate to have a like for like replacement in the form of Adam who has been with the squad training for the past two weeks.”

Stead indicated Ferguson would be replaced in the 15-player tournament squad by Adam Milne subject to approval by the ICC Technical Committee.

Milne is already in the UAE with the team having been selected in the squad as traveling injury cover, but won’t be available to play until ICC approval has been received making him unavailable for today’s Group Two match against Pakistan in Sharjah.

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Varun Chakravarthy was no surprise, this kind of bowling is common in Pakistan’s street cricket: Salman Butt

India vs Pakistan: Former captain Salman Butt said that mystery spinners rarely succeed against Pakistan as their style of bowling is common in the country’s street cricket and the batsmen can predict their deliveries easily.

Chakravarthy and the rest of the Indian bowlers could not take a single wicket against Pakistan on Sunday. (Reuters Photo)

HIGHLIGHTSChakravarthy ended the match with figures of 0/33Butt said that Pakistan’s players would always be able to read mystery spinnersBabar and Rizwan dominated the middle overs in which Chakravarthy rotated largely with Jadeja

Varun Chakravarthy was a far cry from his dangerous self who starred for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) this season on Sunday against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup. Chakravarthy ended the match with figures of 0/33 and former Pakistan captain Salman Butt said that his failure in the match was simply down to the fact that the batsmen from the country are used to playing this style of bowling.

“Varun will never be as effective against Pakistan as he is in the IPL. There are overseas players in IPL who were not able to pick him but Pakistan have no issues with mystery bowling,” Butt said on his Youtube channel. Butt took the example of former Sri Lanka spinner Ajantha Mendis and further said that Chakravarthy remains a good bowler but Pakistan batsmen have grown up playing against these kind of bowlers.

“Ajantha Mendis struggled a lot against us and in the end he was not selected against us. The type of bowling Varun uses as a variety is common here in street cricket. It’s not that he is not good, it’s just that we are used to it,” said Butt.

“Later, when he will analyse the match, in videos he will see that the batsmen were playing him easily regardless of whether he was bringing the ball in or taking it out. They will know this is not going to work, you need good pace and proper spinners,” he said.

Chakravarthy was KKR’s highest wicket taker with 18 scalps but against Pakistan, openers Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan were able to pick him easily with both players hitting sixes in his final over. Pakistan eventually chased down a target of 152 without losing a wicket to record their first-ever World Cup win over India.

“There can’t be flight for finger spinners, the ball always come at a low trajectory. Basically, if you have never played finger spinners, you wouldn’t know what’s happening. But if you have played them then there is absolutely no issues, you just need to look at the bowler’s hand and you can predict what the delivery is going to be,” he said.

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