Crease Chronicles

Left-handed opener Tony de Zorzi scored a career-best unbeaten 119 from 122 balls to lead South Africa to an emphatic eight-wicket win over India in the second ODI at St George’s Park on Tuesday and level the three-match series at 1-1. South Africa won the toss and sent India into bat, restricting the visitors to 211 all out in 46.2 overs on a wicket that was not easy to score on. They chased down their target with 45 deliveries remaining to set up a series decider in Paarl on Thursday.

Making a mark in T20Is, the emerging talent Rinku Singh made his ODI debut during the second game of the three-match series against South Africa at St George's Park in Gqeberha on Tuesday.

Punjab Kings have secured Indian pacer Harshal Patel for Rs 11.75 crore in the Indian Premier League 2024 auction in Dubai. Patel, who had a base price of Rs 2 crore, has earned this massive bid due to his exceptional T20 skills. Patel, who took 111 wickets in 92 matches for Royal Challengers Bangalore, has been highly sought-after due to his consistent performance and ability to deliver under pressure.

Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc smashed Indian Premier League (IPL) auction record on Tuesday when Kolkata Knight Riders paid Rs 24.75 crore ($2.98 million) for his services. Starc, 33, will return to the IPL after an eight-year absence, having previously played for Royal Challengers Bangalore. Before a bidding war for Starc, his teammate and Australia captain Pat Cummins held the new record for about one hour, having fetched Rs 20.50 crore from the Sunrisers Hyderabad franchise.

Australian skipper Pat Cummins expressed his excitement about joining Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) next year. Cummins broke the roof as he became the costliest player in the history of the Indian Premier League when he was acquired by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for Rs 20.50 crore on Tuesday at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai.

For a brief period on Tuesday, Pat Cummins, the triumphant captain of Australia's 2023 ODI World Cup team, held the title of the most expensive player in the history of the Indian Premier League, acquired by Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs 20.50 crore. However, this record was swiftly surpassed by his fellow Australian pacer, Mitchell Starc, who secured Rs 24.75 crore from Kolkata Knight Riders, establishing a new milestone.

Mitchell Starc, an Australian left-arm pacer, became the most expensive buy in IPL history when the Kolkata Knight Riders spent Rs 24.75 crore to acquire his services. This broke the record set by Pat Cummins, who had fetched Rs 20.5 crore from Sunrisers Hyderabad. The IPL auction, held in Dubai for the first time in its history, witnessed a fierce bidding war for Cummins, who was known for his exceptional skills with both bat and ball.

With Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar inspiring his first name, the emerging batting talent from New Zealand, Rachin Ravindra, is set to mark his debut in the IPL under another Indian legend, MS Dhoni. CSK secured the services of the 24-year-old New Zealander for a notable sum of Rs. 1.8 crore. Ravindra, who made a significant impact in the recently concluded ODI World Cup, accumulated an impressive total of 578 runs, which included three centuries.

Uncapped seamer Ottniel Baartman is also out of the squad with the same injury, and has been replaced by Beuran Hendricks, who won the last of his eight ODI caps in 2021. No replacement has been named for Phehlukwayo.

Australian pacer Mitchell Starc became the most expensive player in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL). He was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for Rs 24.75 crore at the auction in Dubai on Tuesday. The 33-year-old Starc is set to make a comeback to the IPL after an eight-year hiatus, with his previous stint being with the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). Starc outbid his fellow Australian Pat Cummins, the World Cup-winning captain, who went to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for a whopping sum of Rs 20.50 crore.

Delhi Capitals captain Rishabh Pant, who escaped a car accident last year, is on the road to recovery and optimistic about making a comeback to competitive cricket during the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season. Pant expressed gratitude for the overwhelming love and support from fans, which played a significant role in his quicker-than-expected recovery. He is currently undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru and is expected to lead the Delhi Capitals in the IPL 2024.

Former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Eoin Morgan is optimistic about the team's prospects in the upcoming IPL 2024, citing the potential resurgence of the team under the leadership of Gautam Gambhir and captain Shreyas Iyer. Morgan, an IPL expert with JIO Cinema, believes that Gambhir's winning mentality and Iyer's leadership will play a crucial role in guiding KKR to success. Morgan believes that Gambhir and Iyer will be mentoring the team in every aspect.

The Indian Premier League has introduced a rule allowing bowlers to deliver two bouncers per over, aiming to create a fair balance between batsmen and bowlers. This change, tested during the 2023-24 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, aims to provide bowlers with a wider range of options and add surprise for batsmen. Veteran bowler Jaydev Unadkat, who has set his base price at INR 50 lakh for the upcoming IPL 2024 auction, believes this change could be a game-changer for bowlers, offering more strategic opportunities.

Hardik Pandya was on Friday named Mumbai Indians captain in place of a highly-successful Rohit Sharma, who led the IPL giants to five trophies. The announcement from Mumbai Indians comes after Hardik made a return to the franchise last month, following a high-profile trade from Gujarat Titans, whom he led in the past two seasons.

The IPL player auction is always an exciting event. Players and fans from India and across the world tune in to see which team buys which players and for how much. The most sought after players who have registered their names for the auction watch with bated breath as teams enter into bidding wars for them. Many get the news of them having been bought at the auction from teammates, friends and family. The player auction is scheduled to take place at the Coca Cola Arena in Dubai on Tuesday, commencing at 1:00 pm IST.

Legendary India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar reckons that Hardik Pandya, as the new leader, will bring in 'fresh thinking' in the Mumbai Indians camp as Rohit Sharma appeared fatigued and has not contributed enough with the bat in the last few years. The India T20I skipper was traded to Mumbai Indians ahead of the 2024 IPL auction, scheduled to take place in Dubai on Tuesday.