BCCI considering July window for 2020 IPL, games could be played behind closed doors: Report

IPL trophy (Image Credit: Google)

BCCI considering July window for 2020 IPL, games could be played behind closed doors: Report

The last official update from BCCI suggested that the franchises and the board official will have a meeting once the government releases a fresh advisory after the 21-day lock down.

“The board is looking at an alternate window to host matches, possibly in July, or latest during winter,” a BCCI official told CNBC-TV18 on condition of anonymity.

The 2020 editon of the IPL was slated to begin March 29 but te spread of coronavirus in March forced the tournament to be put on hold.

The cricket governing body in the country is keen watch on the coronavirus situation and is hopeful that the entire event be canceled, given the financial commitments of the stakeholders including BCCI, the broadcasters as well as the franchise owners.

So IPL matches may also be held withouts fans in the staidum, “but only as a last resort”, the official quoted above said.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a 21-day national lockdown to encourage social distancing and slow the spread of the virus, with talks among many quarters that the lockdown may be extended.

According to estimates, if the IPL is not held this year, the tournament might lose Rs 5,000-Rs 7,500 crore of its Rs 47,500 crore valuation (by Duff & Phelps last year).

“If the lockdown is extended, it would be difficult to have a full-fledged IPL in the current window till the beginning of June,” said another senior BCCI official to CNBC-TV18.

The BCCI official said the board was still working out its revenue hit should the event be cancelled but warned of significant “collateral damage” to broadcasters and sponsors should it not be held.

If the IPL is canceled, broadcasters Star India, would lose Rs 3269.50 crore, with them having bought the right for Rs 16,347 crore in 2018 for five years.

“The (Indian) premier league is a major contributor to the Star Network, and not just Star Sports,” said an insider to CNBC-TV18.

There would be loss of revenue from the title sponsors as well, with Rs 400 crore from VIVO. The had also signed a Rs 2,000 crore deal for a period of 5 years.

"The financial impact will be very heavy if the IPL is not played this year, but we don’t yet know how much would that be," said a Chennai Super Kings official.

Some estimates also put the IPL not being held denting a blow to the Indian economy as well.

“The 2009 IPL – in South Africa – was played inside 37 days. That’s five weeks and two days. If that kind of a window is made available, the IPL can be held partly in India and partly overseas, or the entire tournament can be shifted, depending on how the Covid-19 situation is globally,” a source in the know of things told the Times of India.

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3 All Time favorite India vs Pakistan Cricket Match fixtures

3 All Time favorite India vs Pakistan Cricket Match fixtures

1. 10th Match, Group D (N), ICC World Twenty-20 at Durban, Sep 14 2007.

It's been a fantastic Twenty20 match. The pitch wasn't your usual featherbed and it had plenty for the bowlers. Mohammad Asif, the Man of the Match, was splendid and his 4 for 18 rattled the Indian top-order. Uthappa scored a plucky half-century and a late flourish from Pathan and Dhoni took India to 141 for 9.

Pakistan's chase started well but soon went off the rails and when Afridi was dismissed it looked like India had the match wrapped up. Irfan Pathan took 2 for 20 in his comeback match and Harbhajan bowled an excellent spell as well until his final over. Arafat and Misbah, however, hammered boundaries at will during the last three overs but couldn't score 1 off the last two balls. The match ended in a tie after Misbah was run-out and then India prevailed 3-0 in a bowl-out.

Both India and Pakistan qualify for the Super Eights, India with three points and Pakistan with two.

It's been heart-stopping stuff and I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have. That's it from us at Cricinfo for today. This is George Binoy signing off, cheers!

Bowl out

What a match it has been. Pakistan clawed back in the last three overs and the match will now be decided by a bowl out. Each team will nominate five players who will bowl at a set of stumps over 22 yards. Each team will have alternate attempts at hitting the stumps and the team with the most hits wins. it's like a penalty shoot-out in foot ball. In case there's a tie after the first round, the same five bowlers will have to have another go.

Shoaib Malik has won the toss and he has asked India to have the first go. Both teams are out there practising hitting the stumps.

How hard can it be to hit three stumps without a batsman in front of them? We'll soon find out.

India have nominated Sehwag, Uthappa, Sreesanth, Pathan and Harbhajan. It will be Gul, Tanvir, Arafat, Afridi and Asif for Pakistan.

Round 1 Sehwag is up first for India. Dhoni waits behind the stumps. Sehwag has a big grin on his face. Sehwag runs in, bowls flat and fast and hits the stumps.

Arafat gets ready for his turn. He bowls a full toss that misses off stump.

India lead 1-0 after the first round.

Round 2

Harbhajan bowls quick and straight and hits. He's delighted and celebrates like he's taken a wicket, or scored a penalty.

Gul runs in off a short run up and also misses the stumps. The Indians love it.

India lead 2-0 after the second round. Massive pressure on Pakistan.

Round 3

Robin Uthappa runs in, bowls seam up and knocks the stumps over. He takes off his cap and bows to the crowd.

Pakistan have to hit the stumps with all their three remaining chances to stay in the bowl-out. If India hit one more time, they will win.

Here comes Afridi and he fires it down leg side! India have won the bowl-out 3-0.

Amazing scenes at Kings-mead. It was like a football shootout and the Indians are celebrating fittingly. They won the match 3-0 through a bowl-out after the proper match ended in a thrilling tie!

2. Silver Independence Cup final ,Dhaka 1998

It was the third final in the Tri series with India and Pakistan winning 1–1 .Winners of this match will emerge as trophy winners . Match was reduced to 48 overs match due to rain.

India won the toss and elected to Field first

Pakistan ,riding on Hundreds from Saeed Anwar(140) and Ijaz Ahmed(117) ,made 314/5.

India had a quick fire start from Sachin Tendulkar scoring 41 of 26 balls. Ganguly and Tendulkar made a quick partnership of 71 in just 8.2 overs.

Ganguly and Robin Singh started playing cautiously and both made a partnership of 179 runs before Robin Singh getting out for 82 runs at 250/2 in 38 overs.

65 runs to win in 60 balls.

Wickets started falling Azharuddin scored 4 off 11 balls and got out . Ganguly who completed his century started hitting over the park but soon after few overs he was clean Bowled after making a brilliant 124.

41 runs in 30 balls.

Ajay Jadeja and Navjot Singh siddhu were at the crease in next three overs they got out for 8 and 4 runs respectively. Nayan mongia scored quick 9 runs off 6 balls.

19 runs in 12 balls.

Srinath and Kanitkar were at the crease 10 runs were scored in the penultimate-over.

9 runs in 6 balls.

Single on the first ball ,

Two runs on second and third ball,

Single on the fourth ball.

3 runs to win from last two balls ,Kanitkar hit a boundary to win the Trophy !

https://youtu.be/jR4e4zz78CE

3.  The first ODI of Samsung Cup 2004.

The first ODI of Samsung Cup 2004, was special in more than one ways: India was touring Pakistan after 7 long years and it was a cornerstone in the attempts of reinstating the socio-political relations of two countries. India was yet to win ODI/test series on Pakistani soil and hopes were high under the charismatic leadership of Saurav Ganguly.

As the most awaited series got kick-started on March 13, 2004, the spectators were in for a show. Not only, the total number of runs scored in the match was close to a whopping 700, but also match saw a number of sea-sawing moments full of drama, tension, and heartbreaks.

Allow me to take you through the highlights of this classic encounter. If you’ve watched this match live, 16 years ago, then let it be a reminiscent for you; and if not, then sit back and partake the exciting battle.

Pakistan won the toss on the batting paradise, and surprisingly put India into batting.

Team India was off to a flying start, thanks to the carnage led by Sachin-Sehwag duo.

The directionless and wayward Pakistani bowling was being punished severely.

Look at the score and the whopping projection rates:

Sehwag was out for 79 (57), but Ganguly continued the blitzkrieg and Dravid played the role of a sheet anchor, as India raced past 200, well within 25 overs.

However, the scoring rate dipped once the skipper was out. Kaif and Dravid consolidated the innings in their own style. India could manage only 70-75 runs between 25th to 40th over.
As expected, both players upped the ante during the last 10 overs, and India was 324-4 in 45th over.

Dravid looked all set for a historical century, but then came the most heartbreaking moment.

A slow yorker from Akhtar denied Dravid a well deserved 100.

Nevertheless, Dravid’s gutsy knock powered India to a humungous 349-7. To win, Pakistan needed a world-record chase (as per that time.)

In reply, Pakistan lost both openers within first 8 overs, to good opening spells by Zak and Balaji and was looking distraught at 40-2 after 10 overs.

But then came one of the gutsiest innings building and chasing effort ever in the history of ODI cricket.
 Mohd Yousuf (then, Yosuf Yohana) and skipper Inzamam ul Haq bailed the home team out from a spot of bother, adding valuable 134 runs for the 3rd wicket. Sehwag broke the dangerous partnership.

But Inzy kept going

recking havoc on all Indian bowlers

Inzy and Younis Khan kept their cool and every run they scored, brought Pakistan closer to successfully accomplishing the highest successful chase in ODI (till that time).

Murali Karthik then took perhaps the two of the most important wickets of his career. Dismissing both Inzy and Younis, he brought some reprieve to Team India.

Despite being ardent Indian fan, I believe this was one of the best knocks I have ever seen someone play during a chase, considering the enormity of the task in hand, and pressure of playing as a captain against arch rivals in front of a cricket crazy home crowd.

But was this going to be enough…?
By today’s standards, yes. But those days 45 off 32 balls, was an equation much more inclined towards defending side.

However, the run-ball equation kept narrowing down.

35 required off 25.

Razzaq looked determined to see his team through.

Zak brought India back into the game, knocking off the bails of a dangerous looking Abdul Razzaq with a cameo of 27 (16).

With 10 required off 8 balls, Zaheer dismissed Shoib Malik courtesy a sensational catch by Mohd. Kaif. Avoiding a fatal collision with Hemang Badani, Kaif redefined the word focus with a brilliant catch.

The match was down to the wire. 9 required off last over.
Naved Rana and Moin Khan in the middle. Nehra Ji with the ball in his hand.

From there it all came down to who would hold the nerves better.

Then Pakistani coach Javed Miandad, kept gesturing animatedly to his team, conjuring up the frightening Indian memories of his last ball six in Sharjah, but it was of no avail.

Match came down to 6 required off last ball, and India finally held upon the hard-fought win.

India had the last laugh, but it was indeed a special game not only in the history of two rivals but also in that of entire ODI cricket. India Won by 5 Runs.

Inzamam was awarded Man of the match for his valiant knock.

Powered By :- Mayur Behera

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Memories of India's 2011 World Cup win

MS Dhoni's winning six only to be responded by a roar of cheers. After all, it was the masterstroke that got the World Cup back to Indian soil.

Remembering the World Cups gone by is a nice way to fill in the waiting time for the World Cup action to commence. Prior to the previous edition of the World Cup, I had jotted down the memories I had of the earlier World Cups. And now for the memories of the 2011 edition.
First up is obviously the winning moment: Indian cricket captain MS Dhoni blasting a six as the whole of India erupted. The Cup had been won back after 28 years. Also, lots of memories of the celebrations which followed. The whole team jumping up and down, many in tears, the players doing a victory lap with the support staff walking behind them arm in arm.
It was also a World Cup of quotes, especially from the Indians: Sehwag started it with wanting to bat for 50 overs, a mission he wasn't able to fulfill. He also declared that everyone except Sreesanth had a good game; Zaheer Khan asserting that as a bowling unit, they were doing well; and finally Virat Kohli after the final stated that Tendulkar had carried them for years and now it was the team's turn.
Then there was the entertaining England. Every single game of theirs was a close one. In the group stages, they lost to Ireland and Bangladesh while tying with India and beating South Africa and West Indies. Their scripts were written elsewhere as they lit up an otherwise drab group stage.
The biggest game wasn't the final; it was the semi-final when India took on Pakistan. Our then Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh had invited his Pakistani counterpart and they watched the game together. The Sri Lankan President also jumped into cricket diplomacy mode and invited his Kiwi counterpart for the other semi-final. But the long distances curtailed this cricketing diplomacy.
And on the cricketing front, there was Yuvraj Singh's all-round show, Ross Taylor's slog overs blast against Pakistan, Kevin O'Brien's stunning six after six against England (which was later transformed into a book), Zaheer Khan's knuckle balls which swung many a match India's way, Bangladesh self-imploding while West Indies team bus got stoned being mistaken for the Bangladeshi bus. Australia's winning streak in World Cups came to an end, and South Africa choked again.
And finally the Bleed Blue campaign. We were the World Champions. And it was a sense of collective and pure joy that hasn't been felt since.

Today, we are remembering this memorable moment, in the same way, those Indian cricketers also what they have said about this moment. see it

https://twitter.com/harbhajan_singh/status/1245624932232388611?s=20


https://twitter.com/YUVSTRONG12/status/1245600714644017152?s=20


https://twitter.com/ImRaina/status/1245572747033337858?s=20

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Captain Cool-MS Dhoni journey as a cricketer is an inspiration

Former Captain of the Indian Cricket Team – MS Dhoni

A leader is the one who makes an impact and provides inspiration. M.S. Dhoni exemplified these qualities.

His tact and calm persona made a significant impact on the entire team in tense situations resulting in victories. He stood by his players and gave individual attention and influenced them in a positive way. One can only lead by example and Dhoni’s journey as a cricketer and captain is an inspiration.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni or MS Dhoni is one of the most popular Indian cricketers. Putting his great leadership skills to test, he served as the former captain of the Indian national cricket team; however, he captained the team only in limited-overs format from 2007 to 2016, and in Test cricket from 2008 to 2014. Also known for his excellent wicket-keeping skills, he was a gem to the Indian team even in some very hard situations. He made his debut in One Day International (ODI) in December 2004, playing against Bangladesh. A year later, he debuted in test cricket against Sri Lanka. He is known by some as one of the best wicket-keepers in modern limited-overs international cricket.

MS Dhoni Facts and Information

MS Dhoni Facts and Information
Full name	Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Born	7 July 1981 (age 39), Ranchi, Jharkhand, India
Hometown	Ranchi, Jharkhand
Nickname	Mahi, MS, MSD
Height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Batting style	Right hand batsman
Bowling style	Right arm medium
Role	Wicket-keeper, Batsman
National side	India
Major Teams	India, Asia XI, Bihar, Chennai Super Kings, Jharkhand, Rising Pune Supergiants
Test debut (cap 251)	2 December 2005 v Sri Lanka
Last Test	26 December 2014 v Australia
ODI debut (cap 158)	23 December 2004 v Bangladesh
Last ODI	2 July 2019 v Bangladesh
ODI shirt no.	7
T20I debut (cap 2)	1 December 2006 v South Africa
Last T20I	27 February 2019 v Australia
Domestic Team Information
Years	Team
1999/00-2003/04	Bihar
2004/05-present	Jharkhand
2008-2015	Chennai Super Kings
2016-2017	Rising Pune Supergiants
2018-present	Chennai Super Kings

Dhoni's arrival ended India's long search for a wicket-keeper who could also bat, and he now has the most number of dismissals in ODIs and Tests by an Indian keeper.

Dhoni announced himself on the international stage with an array of almost agricultural shots and a bat that he wielded like an axe. Dhoni's growing stature and cool-headedness led to his appointment as India's captain for the inaugural T20 WC, where Dhoni's calm leadership steered India to victory and got him the title of "Captain cool".

Under his captaincy, India won the 2007 ICC World Twenty20, the CB Series of 2007-08, the 2010 Asia Cup, the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup and the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy. He became the first captain to win all three ICC limited-overs trophies.

Some of his Other Numerous Achievements are:

• His 10 sixes in an innings are the sixth highest in ODI cricket.
• He broke the record of Adam Gilchrist for the highest score made by a wicket keeper by scoring 183 runs.
• He holds the record of maximum dismissals by an Indian wicketkeeper in an innings.
• India reached the highest test score of 726-9, under his captaincy.
• He is the only ODI captain to have played at number seven and scored a century. He did it in December 2012 while playing against Pakistan.
• He is the first Indian wicketkeeper to reach 4000 tests runs.

   Look at screenshot what Virat and Rohit have said about Dhoni.

Ipl journey for ms dhoni

IPL 2020: ‘It started in 2008’- ‘Thala’ MS Dhoni goes down the memory lane, recalls journey with Chennai Super Kings.

“This journey started in 2008, CSK has helped me improve in everything whether it was being a human being or being a cricketer, handling situations that are tough both in and out of the field and how to be humble once you are doing well,” said Dhoni during Star Sports’ show ‘Return of the Lion’.

Dhoni also revealed that whenever he travels in southern India, fans don’t address him by his name; instead, they always call him ‘Thala’ – which means brother.

“Thala’ basically means brother, so for me, it’s more the abstract of the fans; the love and affection towards me is the reflection of that. Whenever I am in Chennai or down South, they never call me by my name. They address me as ‘Thala,’ and the moment someone calls me Thala, they are showing their love and respect, but at the same time, he is a CSK fan,” the 39-year-old added.

The Ranchi-born cricketer has played 190 games in IPL, thus far, in which he has accumulated 4432 runs – fifth most by an Indian batsman. Dhoni has smashed 209 sixes in the lucrative league, which is the maximum by an Indian player and third overall.

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) is arguably the most famed side in the IPL, not only because they are the most consistent team by playing eight finals but also because of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, their captain.

Powered By :- Mayur Behera

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Coronavirus cancellations and reactions in NBA

Two Utah Jazz players -- Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert -- were the first to test positive for the coronavirus as of last week. Gobert's diagnosis led to the postponement of Wednesday's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Then, the NBA announced Wednesday night that it was suspending the season "until further notice," and players the Jazz faced within the past 10 days have been told to self-isolate. In those 10 days, Utah played the Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons and Toronto Raptors.

On Tuesday, the Brooklyn Nets announced four of their players had tested positive for coronavirus. Among the four is star Kevin Durant, who was asymptomatic. The Nets' last opponent was the Los Angeles Lakers, and the team said they will be testing and self-quarantining for 14 days.

NBA owners and executives are bracing for the possibility of mid-to-late June as a best-case scenario for the league's return, sources told ESPN on Sunday. The NBA says players can leave cities during the league's hiatus. When is the NBA likely to return? Here are the latest updates.

In a correspondence to players, the NBPA on Friday spelled out terms of a doomsday provision included in the collective bargaining agreement that could free owners from paying players a percentage of their salaries should the rest of the season be lost to the coronavirus pandemic.

Here's a look inside the NBA coronavirus shutdown -- how a few tense hours changed everything. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Zion Williamson joined other NBA stars and team front offices to make donations to aid arena staff that will be unable to work while the season is suspended.

Here's how the NBA coronavirus suspension impacts every team in the Western Conference, and here's how it impacts every team in the Eastern Conference.

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World Cricket Championship (WCC) becomes world's No.1 cricket game

There are currently no matches due to the Corona effect and the government has announced holiday to school and college. That is why we all want to be safe. We play any game at home. Cricket Lover The best mobile game option is WCC (World Cricket Championship).

• WCC has an average of over 2.1 million daily active users and 11 million monthly active users year round.
• World Cricket Championship (WCC) amassed 110 Million downloads, making it the world's no. 1 mobile cricket game

 

Nextwave Multimedia, (subsidiary of Nazara Technologies Ltd.) India's leading game developers announced that their franchise World Cricket Championship (WCC) amassed 110 Million downloads making it the world's no. 1 mobile cricket game.

The franchise further gained momentum with the flagship game WCC-2 as one of India's most recognized mobile gaming app. The WCC franchise includes three games namely WCC, WCC-2 and WCC Rivals.WCC-2 is the sequel game to World Cricket Championship. In the year 2011 WCC introduced real-time cricket leagues and a host of fantasy cricket leagues in mobile cricket gaming industry.

WCC-2 has since its launch till date been featured among the Top 10 Games for Monthly Active Users by the prestigious App Annie Report for 3 years in a row (2016-2018) and it was also listed under Top 10 games by time spent in Android & IOS by App Annie 2016 report and has been listed as Google Editor's Choice (2016-2020). WCC2 has also been listed as Google's Best of Games in 2015, 2016 & 2017 and Apple's Best of Games 2016, 2017 & 2018.

WCC has an average over 2.1 million Daily Active Users and 11 million Monthly Active Users year round. The game is not only popular in India, it also has a loyal fan base from across the globe. Cricket fans from UK, USA, UAE, Bangladesh and Pakistan enjoy the realism, popularity and authenticity of WCC games.

Mr. Rajendran P.R., Founder and CEO, Nextwave Multimedia said "The commitment towards delivering the best and establishing a personal connection with our users to innovate and improvise the gameplay has helped us achieve this success in mobile cricket gaming. We believe in constantly innovating and updating the game for better user experience rather than just seasonal updates."

WCC-2 is the 'go-to' cricket game among true cricket fans. The game has over 18 different international teams, 10 domestic teams, 42 different stadiums, 3 match formats like T20, ODI & Test Cricket and 11 different tournaments that include World Cup, NPL, ODI Series, World T20 Cup, Asian Cup, Ashes-to-Ashes, Blitz Tournaments, live event modules - Hot Events featuring the on-going matches, and other interesting social modes like Gangs of Cricket, World Tour and Challenge a Friend. The game also features 3 Multiplayer formats; Offline Multiplayer, Online Multiplayer & Batting Multiplayer.

Another promising game from the WCC Franchise is WCC Rivals - The first full-featured real-time multiplayer cricket game on mobile. This game has been the first to introduce E-sports ready in-game feature and first to have Spectator/Caster's Mode.

And on Feb 6th 2020, WCC Rivals achieved a new milestone in cricket simulation becoming the first-ever mobile game in the world to feature 2vs2 real-time cricket multiplayer.

WCC Rivals in its beta version sets the standard high for cricket gaming industry by bagging two awards within a year of its launch, one being the Runner-up 'Studio Game of the Year' at IGDC 2019 and 'BEST LIVE GAME' award at GATO'19 organised by Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) in April 2019.

WCC Franchise is all set to achieve new milestones in Mobile Cricket Gaming industry with the launch of WCC-3. Cricket fans are to witness a never before experienced a combination of realistic features and thrill of competition, all at once.

Do not be afraid of corona. Play game for World Cricket Championship (WCC) with your family or with your friends if you feel boring at home.

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