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(Image: <a href="http://ipl2017.co.in/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/rps.jpg">source</a>) Quite surprising, but Rising Pune Supergiants is all set to play the <keyword id="215177" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Vivo">Vivo</keyword> <keyword id="6354312" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="IPL">IPL</keyword> grand finale tomorrow. The power packed team would face <keyword id="13880" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mumbai-Indians">Mumbai Indians</keyword> at <keyword id="15989" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Hyderbad">Hyderbad</keyword> tomorrow. Pune was criticized by fans when MS <keyword id="6397" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Dhoni">Dhoni</keyword> was removed from captaincy at the onset of this season. However trusting Australian captain <keyword id="84726" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Steve-Smith">Steve Smith</keyword> has actually paid off for <keyword id="345290" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sanjeev-Goenka">Sanjeev Goenka</keyword>, the owner of the franchise. 
 
Mumbai Indians with Net Run Rate (NRR) of +0.784 is much ahead of Pune, which stands at +0.176. However the Pune ‘supergiants’ are keeping themselves in a fit regime to take on the Indians. With the Telegana heat at its worst, the weather tomorrow would range between 30 degrees Celsius to 42 degrees. At such weather, fitness of the Pune team would definitely come handy to defeat the Indians. 
 
Here are the fitness regimes of the prime players of the Pune squad.

Here's the fitness regime of the prime players of Pune Supergiants

Mumbai: The irony can't be missed when you see <keyword id="6355478" type="COUNTRY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Australia">Australia</keyword> Tourism brand ambassador, <keyword id="13825" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Glenn-McGrath">Glenn McGrath</keyword>, welcoming Indian tourists Down Under to watch the <keyword id="1521" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Cricket">cricket</keyword> action unfold later this year. As he reels off names of exotic places, the mind jogs back to the years when he made batsmen feel unwelcome in Australia with his no-holds-barred verbal volleys. 
 
It didn't end there. He translated his strong words into wickets and, along the way became one of cricket's all-time greats. "In my 14-year-career I've featured in only two series defeats and on both occasions it was against India. The one-off Test at Delhi in 1996 and the 2001 series," he says of his impeccable 124-Test career, which ended in 2006-07 with 563 victims to his name. 
 
Excerpts from an interview to TOI: 
 
Do you see this Indian team challenging Australia? 
 We've seen England dominate the last three Tests, which isn't a good sign. Indian teams have always struggled in Australia because of the extra bounce and seam movement. It has always been an issue for them, but I think the bowlers do enjoy playing in Australia. If the Australian team plays the way it did against England last year, then it will be a tough series for India considering they have a fair bit of work to do. Their fielding in England was horrendous. You can't afford to drop three or four catches every game. With <keyword id="11010" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mitchell-Johnson">Mitchell Johnson</keyword> bowling at 150 (kph), and with control, India have their work cut out. Tour matches will be important for India. 
 
The Aussies love to see their team being challenged? 
 
They did enjoy Australia beating England 5-0. Yeah, they want to see challenging cricket, not one-sided affairs like it happened in England. 
 
You were never afraid to back yourself publicly... targeting the main batsman of the opposing team. Where did this confidence come from? 
 
I always had that self-belief. Growing up on a farm you are instilled with certain work ethics. When I was seven, I was working on the farm and driving tractors and cars. It gives you confidence as well. I enjoyed the challenge that is why I liked to make predictions and target batsmen. I believed I was good enough to deliver. But if they were good to beat me at my game, I could live with it. If you like to be like anyone else, you do what everyone else does. If you want to be different or better than everyone else, then you need to do something apart from them. 
 
You are one of the few fast bowlers who played 100-plus Tests. You think there'll be fewer bowlers reaching the landmark in the post T20 era? 
 
It is tough bowling day in and day out. There were few things that kept me in good stead right through my career. I didn't bowl a great deal when I was younger. I was prepared to work as hard as possible off the field and that made my life easier on it. The idea was to get fit and very strong. I could handle the rigors of fast bowling quite well. You need an off season to recharge the batteries. Probably genetics, too, played a role in my case. My bone density is very high and that helped me get through injuries. I just wanted to bowl every second over of the innings. I wanted to play every game and I never wanted to be rested. That is the attitude you've got to have. You've got to work hard off the field to get through on it. 
 
What are your views on the Anderson-Jadeja spat? 
 
I think that was a big turning point in the series. The England team steeled themselves after that. India were leading 1-0 but they got distracted. They were talking more about that than executing their on-field plans. England went from strength to strength and India went from bad to worse. You need to put these things behind when you enter the field.

McGrath: India Will Have Their Work Cut Out In Australia

Team India created history by winning the second Test against England at Lord's by 95 runs, securing a 1-0 lead in five-match series. Where India ended a drought of wins on foreign soil, fast <keyword id="17661" type="POSITION" weightage="40" keywordseo="Bowler">bowler</keyword> <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/ishant-sharma/4001/4094">Ishant Sharma</a> came up, possibly, with a career-defining performance. Here are the major statistical milestones from Day 5 of the Lord's Test. 
 
# The 95-run win by India is their sixth Test win on English soil and second win at Lord's. India's previous Test win in England came in 2007 at Nottingham where they won by seven wickets. India's last win at Lord's, however, was 28 years ago, when they beat England by five wickets. Overall India have played 54 Tests in England and have drawn 21 games and lost 27. At Lord's, India have drawn four Tests besides losing 11 games. 
 
# India's win at Lord's is the first victory for captain <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/ms-dhoni/4001/4057">Mahendra Singh Dhoni</a> on English soil. Under Dhoni, India have played six Tests in England, out of which four were lost on their last tour in 2011 and the one drawn game was the first Test of the ongoing five-match series at Trent Bridge, Nottingham. 
 
# India's aforementioned win on Monday is their third-biggest win overseas win over England in terms of runs. India's previous two wins in England in terms of runs have both come at Leeds - by 279 runs in 1986 and innings and 46 runs in 2002. 
 
# England have lost their 29th Test at Lord's. Out of 127 Tests played at the 'home of cricket', England have won 50 and drawn 48 matches. 
 
# England have not tasted win in their last ten Tests. Their last win came almost a year ago against Australia when they won by 74 runs at Chester-le-Street in August. England have lost seven out of their last ten Tests. 
 # <keyword id="11685" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Ishant-Sharma">Ishant Sharma</keyword> has registered his career-best performance in Tests - 7/74. His aforesaid figures are his sixth five-wicket haul in Tests. 
 
# Ishant has recorded his third six-wicket haul this year after taking 6/134 and 6/51 against New Zealand at Auckland and Wellington respectively earlier this year. 
 
# Ishant now has the best figures for an Indian bowler on English soil. He is the only Indian bowler to take seven wickets in an innings in a Test in England. 
 # The tall and lanky pacer has returned with the third-best figures by an Indian pacer in away Tests. <keyword id="1229" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Kapil-Dev">Kapil Dev</keyword> (8/85 vs Pakistan, 1978) and <keyword id="1518" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Irfan-Pathan">Irfan Pathan</keyword> (7/59 vs Zimbabwe, 2005) are the only other Indian fast bowlers to register better figures in an overseas Tests in a single innings. 
 
# Ishant's 7/74 is the third-best performance by an Indian bowler against England in Tests. Vinoo Mankad (8/55) and BS Chandrasekhar (8/79) have the best figures for as an Indian bowler against England. This is also the best performance by an Indian fast bowler in Tests against England. 
 # Ishant is the third bowler in 2014 to have taken 25 wickets or more, behind <keyword id="11010" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Mitchell-Johnson">Mitchell Johnson</keyword> (28) and Shaminda Eranga (28). England's James Anderson is fourth highest wicket-taker this year in Tests with 24 scalps. 
 
# With <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/bhuvneshwar-kumar/4001/25023">Bhuvneshwar Kumar</a>'s 6 for 82 at Lord's, it is for the first time that two Indian bowlers have taken six wickets or more in a single Test. # Roger Binny and <keyword id="258548" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Stuart-Binny">Stuart Binny</keyword> is the only father-son pair to have appeared in an overseas Test win for India. 
 
# Ben Stokes recorded his third Test duck in succession. Interestingly, Stokes' last innings in all three formats are 0. 
 
# <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/joe-root/3001/73004">Joe Root</a> (66) has recorded his fifth Test fifty and second versus India.

Lord's Test: India End Overseas Drought, Ishant Scales New Peaks

Bangladesh pace sensation <keyword id="6410994" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mustafizur-Rahman">Mustafizur Rahman</keyword> will likely be back in the playing XI for defending <keyword id="6354831" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Premier-League">Indian Premier League</keyword> (IPL) champions Sunrisers Hyderabad in their match against Mumbai Indians on Wednesday. 
 
SRH's coach Tom Moody confirmed the 21-year-old pacer's availability for the match and also hinted at his inclusion in the playing XI. 
 
Tweet Alert! 
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
	
		Pumped and ready to go! ✔ 
		Bring on the champions! 😎<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MIvSRH?src=hash">#MIvSRH</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CricketMeriJaan?src=hash">#CricketMeriJaan</a> <a href="https://t.co/BqAAf2j1c6">pic.twitter.com/BqAAf2j1c6</a>
	— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) <a href="https://twitter.com/mipaltan/status/852029269945364480">April 12, 2017</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
	
		The Fizz finally makes an entry 👐. Welcome back to the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OrangeArmy?src=hash">#OrangeArmy</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RiseOfOrange?src=hash">#RiseOfOrange</a> <a href="https://t.co/UwJCFiqRjQ">pic.twitter.com/UwJCFiqRjQ</a>
	— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) <a href="https://twitter.com/SunRisers/status/851872087593570305">April 11, </a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
	<a href="https://twitter.com/SunRisers/status/851872087593570305">2017</a></blockquote>
Teams: 
 
Sunrisers Hyderabad 
 
David Warner(c), Shikhar Dhawan, Moises Henriques, Yuvraj Singh, Deepak Hooda, Naman Ojha(w), Ben Cutting, Bipul Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan, Ashish Nehra, Ricky Bhui, Kane Williamson, Siddarth Kaul, Abhimanyu Mithun, Mustafizur Rahman, Barinder Sran, Vijay Shankar, Chris Jordan, Mohammad Nabi, Eklavya Dwivedi, Pravin Tambe, Ben Laughlin, Tanmay Agarwal, Mohammed Siraj 
 
Mumbai Indians 
 
Parthiv Patel(w), Jos Buttler, Nitish Rana, Rohit Sharma(c), Krunal Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Harbhajan Singh, Lasith Malinga, Mitchell McClenaghan, Jasprit Bumrah, Shreyas Gopal, Lendl Simmons, Vinay Kumar, Siddhesh Lad, Jagadeesha Suchith, Hardik Pandya, Tim Southee, Jitesh Sharma, Deepak Punia, Saurabh Tiwary, Nicholas Pooran, Mitchell Johnson, Karn Sharma, Asela Gunaratne, Krishnappa Gowtham, Kulwant Khejroliya, Ambati Rayudu

LIVE IPL 2017, Mumbai Indians vs Sunrisers Hyderabad: Mustafizur makes a comeback before clash against Mumbai

The obsession for cricket in India is similar to what it is for football in Brazil and Spain. And as the opening ceremony of <keyword id="1588054" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="ICC-World-Cup-2015">ICC World Cup 2015</keyword> drew to a close and the on-field battles begin, cricket enthusiasts are expressing their love for the gentleman’s game not only on-ground but even online. 
 According to global search trends data generated by <keyword id="6355629" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Google">Google</keyword> search: Fans from every cricket loving nation seem to be gearing up to show support for their favourite teams and players. Currently, search queries from cricket freaks are now pouring from all corners of the world, the data added. 
 
Google’s analysis of worldwide searches also revealed that cricket is also uniting people from across the globe. TEAM INDIA emerges as the top contender for this year’s World Cup being followed closely by Australia, England, Pakistan and the West Indies, the search giant added. 
 Among the marquee stars, <keyword id="6354486" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Virat-Kohli">Virat Kohli</keyword> remained the most sought after player. He was followed by Indian skipper <keyword id="6354832" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="MS-Dhoni">MS Dhoni</keyword> and Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi. The other foreign players who’re witnessing strong support online include David Warner, <keyword id="61810" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Shakib-Al-Hasan">Shakib Al Hasan</keyword>, <keyword id="31412" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Michael-Clarke">Michael Clarke</keyword> and <keyword id="84726" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Steve-Smith">Steve Smith</keyword>. 
. 
The search trends further stated MS Dhoni to be the most searched captain followed closely by South Africa’s AB de Villiers, Michael Clarke of Australia, England’s Eoin Morgan, and Pakistan’s Misbah-ul-Haq. 
 The top searched bowlers list in the ICC World Cup 2015 is dominated by Australian and English players. Bowlers who fans consider to be the main threat to batsmen are Mitchell Johnson (Australia), James Anderson (England), Mitchell Starc (Australia), Stuart Broad (England) and final <keyword id="967087" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mohammed-Shami">Mohammed Shami</keyword> (India). And surprisingly, no bowler from South Africa, West Indies or New Zealand features in this line-up of the top bowlers. 
 
On the other side of the fence, the all-rounders being rooted for the most by fans across the cricketing world and expected to deliver the most solid and consistent performance with both bat and ball are Stuart Binny (India), Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh), Steve Smith (Australian), <keyword id="6359948" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ravindra-Jadeja">Ravindra Jadeja</keyword> (India) and <keyword id="6378477" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Shane-Watson">Shane Watson</keyword> (Australian). 
 
Top searched Wicket keepers include Mahendra Singh Dhoni (India), Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka), Quinton de Kock (South African), Luke Ronchi (New Zealand), and Brad Haddin (Australian), who will be holding fort from behind the stumps, as per the data released by Google. 
 
Even as support by cricket fans for Team India continues to grow on the digital stage set by Google, the much-awaited match between arch rivals India and Pakistan may develop new search trends. 
(Image: www.icc-cricket.com)

ICC World Cup 2015: Google’s digital stage showcases India’s love for cricket

Pune has defeated Mumbai in a surprisingly close match. We all love those last ball matches. 
 All-rounder Hardik Pandya's last-over heroics helped <keyword id="13880" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mumbai-Indians">Mumbai Indians</keyword> recover from a mediocre position to post a healthy 184/8 against <keyword id="3315697" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rising-Pune-Supergiant">Rising Pune Supergiant</keyword> (RPS) in the second game of the 2017 Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium here on Thursday. 
 
Bengal medium pacer Ashoke Dinda was the culprit for the home side conceding 30 runs in the final over when Hardik (35 not out) hammered the right-armer for four sixes (including three consecutive) and a four to change the course of the game. 
 
Earlier, South African leg-spinner Imran Tahir, who went unsold in the auctions and was a late addition to the Pune squad, brought the hosts back into the game with three quick wickets after the Mumbai opening duo of Jos Buttler (38) and Parthiv Patel (19) added 45 runs for the opening wicket. 
 
Introduced in the fifth over, Tahir struck in his second ball when he bowled Parthiv round his legs before packing Mumbai skipper Rohit Sharma (3) and Buttler in his next over to reduce Mumbai to 62/3. 
 
Rohit, who has been out of action for almost five months, was slow on his feet and it was enough for Tahir to break through his defence. One ball later, Tahir trapped the dangerous Buttler in front although television replays later showed that the Englishman had got a thick inside edge. 
 
Before his dismissal, Buttler lived up to his billing, milking his English teammate and IPL-10's costliest buy Ben Stokes (Rs 14.5 crore) for two consecutive sixes and then dispatching rookie Rajasthan medium-pacer Deepak Chahar for a four and a six off back-to-back deliveries. His 19-ball knock was laced with three hits to the fence and as many maximums. 
 
After the strategic time-out, Pune skipper Steve Smith introduced veteran all-rounder Rajat Bhatia, who responded well by taking a simple return catch to pack Ambati Rayudu (10) before dismissing Krunal Pandya (3) cheaply. 
 
Australian leggie Adam Zampa then added to the misery for the visitors by picking the crucial wicket of Nitish Rana (34), comfortably caught by Bhatia at deep midwicket. 
 
Rana looked good for his 28-ball knock, consisting a four and two sixes, but it was the 30-run fourth-wicket stand with Rayudu and 18 runs with Keiron Pollard (27) that mattered more. 
 Pollard, who was dropped by <keyword id="6397" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Dhoni">Dhoni</keyword> on 22, struggled to get the big shots before falling to a stunning running catch by Mayank Agarwal at the long-on boundary off Stokes. 
 
The West Indian struck three boundaries and a six in his 17-ball innings as he added 21 runs for the seventh wicket with Hardik Pandya. 
 
Hardik then added 37 runs for the eighth wicket with New Zealander Tim Southee (7) to put Mumbai in a commanding position. 
 
Brief Scores: Mumbai Indians 184/8 (Jos Buttler 38, Hardik Pandya 35 not out, Nitish Rana 34, Imran Tahir 3/28, Rajat Bhatia 2/14) vs Rising Pune Supergiant. 
 
Tweet Alert! 
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
	
		.<a href="https://twitter.com/mipaltan">@mipaltan</a>'s <a href="https://twitter.com/RayuduAmbati">@RayuduAmbati</a> has been carried off on a stretcher <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IPL?src=hash">#IPL</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RPSvMI?src=hash">#RPSvMI</a> <a href="https://t.co/SweaJoFJuM">pic.twitter.com/SweaJoFJuM</a>
	— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) <a href="https://twitter.com/IPL/status/850043407519150080">April 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
	
		Here's are the Playing XIs for <a href="https://twitter.com/RPSupergiants">@RPSupergiants</a> vs. <a href="https://twitter.com/mipaltan">@mipaltan</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IPL?src=hash">#IPL</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RPSvMI?src=hash">#RPSvMI</a> <a href="https://t.co/ZxbitEMi1c">pic.twitter.com/ZxbitEMi1c</a>
	— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) <a href="https://twitter.com/IPL/status/849988305039093760">April 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
	
		Match 2. Rising Pune Supergiant win the toss and elect to field <a href="https://t.co/klZJdA0cfH">https://t.co/klZJdA0cfH</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RPSvMI?src=hash">#RPSvMI</a>
	— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) <a href="https://twitter.com/IPL/status/849985357882023938">April 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en">
	
		Introducing - <a href="https://twitter.com/RPSupergiants">@RPSupergiants</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Smithy?src=hash">#Smithy</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MSDhoni?src=hash">#MSDhoni</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Stokes?src=hash">#Stokes</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Rahane?src=hash">#Rahane</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IPL?src=hash">#IPL</a> <a href="https://t.co/puERcj6iDt">pic.twitter.com/puERcj6iDt</a>
	— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) <a href="https://twitter.com/IPL/status/849978012573499399">April 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
	
		Play Hard, Play Fair - Spirit of Cricket at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IPL?src=hash">#IPL</a> - <a href="https://twitter.com/stevesmith49">@stevesmith49</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/ImRo45">@ImRo45</a> <a href="https://t.co/UwPVL8CYih">pic.twitter.com/UwPVL8CYih</a>
	— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) <a href="https://twitter.com/IPL/status/849975132819009536">April 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
	
		We are in Pune today for <a href="https://twitter.com/RPSupergiants">@RPSupergiants</a> vs. <a href="https://twitter.com/mipaltan">@mipaltan</a>. Match starts at 8 PM IST <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IPL?src=hash">#IPL</a> <a href="https://t.co/evncMJFLRQ">pic.twitter.com/evncMJFLRQ</a>
	— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) <a href="https://twitter.com/IPL/status/849973121784393730">April 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
 
Complete squads: 
 
Rising Pune Supergiant 
 
Steve Smith (C), Mayank Agarwal, Ankit Sharma, Baba Aparajith, Ankush Bains, Rajat Bhatia, Deepak Chahar, Rahul Chahar, Dan Christian, <keyword id="6354832" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="MS-Dhoni">MS Dhoni</keyword> (w), Ashok Dinda, Faf du Plessis, Lockie Ferguson, Imran Tahir, Jaskaran Singh, Usman Khawaja, Ajinkya Rahane, Saurabh Kumar, Ben Stokes, Milind Tandon, Manoj Tiwary, Adam Zampa, Jaydev Unadkat, Ishwar Pandey, Rahul Tripathi, Shardul Thakur. 
 
Mumbai Indians 
 
Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah, Jos Buttler, Shreyas Gopal, Krishnappa Gowtham, Asela Gunaratne, Harbhajan Singh, Mitchell Johnson, Kulwant Khejroliya, Siddhesh Lad, Mitchell McClenaghan, Lasith Malinga, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Parthiv Patel (wk), Kieron Pollard, Nicholas Pooran, Deepak Punia, Nitish Rana, Ambati Rayudu, Jitesh Sharma, Karn Sharma, Lendl Simmons, Tim Southee, Jagadeesha Suchith, Saurabh Tiwary, Vinay Kumar.

IPL 2017, Pune vs Mumbai: Pune defeat Mumbai in a last ball clincher

NEW DELHI: The huge demand at the <keyword id="6354312" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="IPL">IPL</keyword> <keyword id="1639" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Auction">auction</keyword> for Kevin Pietersen, the biggest national team reject around these days, isn't the only instance of franchises taking decisions contrary to those made by country selectors. While the dynamics of IPL team building are different, a look at the top 15 Indian players auctioned on Wednesday reveals little regard for choices made by Team India selectors. 
 
 
IPL 7 Auction: <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/IPL7-players-auction-live/liveblog/30258096.cms">Day 1 coverage</a> | <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/ipl/ipl-7-auction/IPL-7-Auction-Players-List/articleshow/29961389.cms">Who got whom </a>| <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/ipl/ipl-7-auction/ipl-team-wise-players/IPL-Team-Composition/articleshow/30274615.cms">Team compositions</a> 
 Sure, the core of the Indian T20 team — Dhoni, Kohli, Jadeja, Dhawan, Rahane, <keyword id="13937" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Rohit-Sharma">Rohit Sharma</keyword> etc — were all retained by their franchises. But of those auctioned, only four of the 15 Indians who fetched the highest prices —Yuvraj, Bhuvneshwar, Amit Mishra and Shami — find a place in the India squad for the upcoming World T20 in Bangladesh. 
 
The remaining 11 — Karthik, Murali Vijay, Uthappa, Piyush Chawla, Yusuf Pathan, Ojha, Sehwag, Vinay Kumar, Manoj Tiwary, Unadkat and Ishant — were neither retained by their franchises nor picked for India's T20 squad. But in the IPL, they are trusted and high-value property. 
 Mohit Sharma and Varun Aaron, who do find a place in the India squad, commanded a lower price than Unadkat, Ishant, Zaheer or <keyword id="149050" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Umesh-Yadav">Umesh Yadav</keyword>, who have been discarded by the national selectors while looking for T20 fast-bowling options. Sharma and Aaron are only 20th and 21st on the list of top Indians auctioned in Bangalore, well below the others. 
 
Of course, the dynamics of team building in the IPL are very different from picking a national squad — with clear cut brackets for 4 foreigners and 7 Indians in the XI — but logic would suggest that those in the national team should get more attention at the auction than rejects with similar skill sets. 
 This variance with choices made by national selectors isn't repeated with other teams like Australia, probably because their top players were not all retained by franchises. Of the top 10 Aussies auctioned on the first day — Mitchell Johnson, Glen Maxwell, <keyword id="60604" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="David-Warner">David Warner</keyword>, Mitchell Starc, <keyword id="6377175" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Michael-Hussey">Michael Hussey</keyword>, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Aaron Finch, Steve Smith, George Bailey, Brad Hodge — all except Smith and the retired Hussey are headed for Bangladesh. But that Aussie squad also includes 43-year-old spinner Brad Hogg, who went unsold at the auction.

IPL Versus Selectors: Who Knows Best?

If you follow cricket or the Indian Premier League (Yes, ‘or’ is the right conjunction here), you already know that the latest season is underway. As is the case with every other season, much of the pre-tournament hype was centered around the millions of dollars spent by teams to acquire certain players. This time around, it was <a href="https://medium.com/r/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fsports.ndtv.com%2Findian-premier-league-2017%2Fipl-auction-ben-stokes-becomes-most-expensive-foreign-player-ever-no-takers-for-ishant-irfan-1661525" class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" target="_blank">Ben Stokes’ turn to become the expensive player at the auction, for the sum of Rs. 14.5 Crore ($2.1 Million)</a>. As <a href="https://medium.com/r/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2FProfDeano%2Fstatus%2F833538309175517184%3Fref_src%3Dtwsrc%255Etfw%26ref_url%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.crictracker.com%252Ftwitter-reactions-ben-stokes-fetches-14-5-crores-in-the-ipl-2017-auction%252F" class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" target="_blank">Dean Jones half-correctly pointed out</a>, Ben Stokes’ price is nearly twice the salary cap of entire teams at the <a href="https://medium.com/r/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FBig_Bash_League" class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" target="_blank">Big Bash League</a>. The rationale for this generous price tag appears solid. After all, Ben Stokes is amongst the best All-Round players in international cricket today.
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
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 Let’s start off with a look at how the players fared in <keyword id="6354312" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="IPL">IPL</keyword> 2016. Approximately <a href="https://medium.com/r/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.espncricinfo.com%2Findian-premier-league-2016%2Fcontent%2Fstory%2F1021917.html" class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" target="_blank">Rs. 441.8 Crores </a>(~$68 Million)were spent by franchises on building their teams that season and a total of <a href="https://medium.com/r/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iplt20.com%2Fstats%2F2016%2Fplayer-points" class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" target="_blank">30285 MVP points</a> were earned by players. This implies that, on average, franchises spent Rs.1.46 Lacs (~$2260) per MVP point earned. This allows us to actually calculate in-match contributions of each player and evaluate <keyword id="6355120" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="investment">investment</keyword> performance. 

	
	
	
	
	
	
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 The fact that <keyword id="6354486" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Virat-Kohli">Virat Kohli</keyword> tops this list is hardly a surprise. A record-breaking 973 run season deserves no less. To earn the Rs. 14.3 crores through in-match performances, the <keyword id="12643" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Royal-Challengers">Royal Challengers</keyword> Bangalore franchise had spent Rs. 12.5 Crore on Virat Kohli for a net return of Rs. 2.3 Crore (Or an ROI of 18.4%). So, if not Kohli, which players actually ended up being the investments of IPL 2016 ? 
	
	
	
	
	
	
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 Whoa !<section> Except for <keyword id="60604" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="David-Warner">David Warner</keyword> (who, at 5.5 Crores was much ‘cheaper’ than Virat Kohli for nearly the same output), none of the top performers make the list of top investments. If we were to exclude David Warner as an outlier, every other top investment was priced either in the vicinity of Rs.2 Crores (Which, <a href="https://medium.com/r/?url=http%3A%2F%2Findianexpress.com%2Farticle%2Fsports%2Fcricket%2Fits-nothing-rs-2-crore-is-peanuts-ravi-shastri-backs-team-indias-reported-demand-for-pay-hike-4598048%2F" class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" target="_blank">in the words of Ravi Shastri, is “Peanuts”</a>) or significantly lower. In particular, look at no. 2 on the top investments list — Yuzvendra Chahal. His price of Rs. 10 Lacs returned an 82.6X multiple on the investment ! But this isn’t the first time “cheap” players outperformed at the IPL. In fact, <a href="https://medium.com/r/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.espncricinfo.com%2Fiplcountdown%2Fcontent%2Fstory%2F1090031.html" class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" target="_blank">it happens rather often</a>. For example, <ul class="postList"><li class="graf graf--li graf-after--p">Shane Watson was bought in the second of two auctions in the inaugural IPL in 2008 for a sum of Rs.50 Lacs ($125,000) and ended up as the Player of the Tournament.</li><li class="graf graf--li graf-after--li">Shaun Marsh was purchased for his base price of Rs. 12 Lacs ($30,000) in 2008 and ended up as the highest run-getter of the season.</li><li class="graf graf--li graf-after--li graf--trailing">Andre Russel, no. 3 in the list of best investments of IPL 2016, finished as the Player of the Tournament in 2015, at the price of Rs. 60 Lacs ($97,000)</li></ul></section><section>And which players represented the worst investments in last year’s IPL ?</section><section> </section><section>
	
	
	
	
	
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</section><section> With the exception of Pawan Negi (What might have been the rationale that appeared to justify a Rs. 8.5 Crore investment in Pawan Negi ?), each of the worst investments — David Miller, MS Dhoni, Mitchell Johnson &amp; Suresh Raina represents a proven international star worthy of the price tag. In fact, for all the star power in the IPL, only two teams returned a meaningfully positive return on investment in 2016, the two finalists — Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore.</section><section> </section><section>
	
	
	
	
	
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 <section>Turns out that investing in IPL player auctions is just as risky and the outcomes are(dare I say it) just as difficult to predict as VC investing. </section><section>What might the best VC investments of all time have in common with successful IPL bets ? </section><section> Lets take a look at the snapshot below:</section><section> </section><section>
	
	
	
	
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</section><section> Each of these companies (Tencent, LinkedIn, Snapchat, WhatsApp, Google, Facebook, Juniper Networks, and Alibaba) represents an excellent investment because they all ended up as large standalone firms or acquisitions. The most recent of these examples is how <a href="https://medium.com/r/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.businessinsider.in%2Fhow-snapchats-first-investor-found-snapchat-when-it-had-less-than-100000-users%2Farticleshow%2F56945155.cms" class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" target="_blank">Lightspeed Venture Partners’ benefitted from being the first investor in Snapchat</a>. How much of a difference does acting early on a successful investment make? A timeline representation of AppDynamics fund-raise journey up until its $3.6 Billion acquisition answers that question:</section><section> </section><section>
	
	
	
	
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 </section><section><section>Lightspeed yet again gets to be one of the first investors here and the value of the $5.5 Million investment ($572 Million) is greater than the appreciated value of any subsequent round at the time of the acquisition by Cisco. The following extract from <a href="https://medium.com/r/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.recode.net%2F2017%2F4%2F12%2F15274220%2Fjeff-bezos-amazon-shareholders-letter-day-2-disagree-and-commit" class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" target="_blank">Jeff Bezos’ 2017 shareholder letter </a>appears particularly relevant in this context: </section><section></section> </section></section>

What the IPL can teach us about Investing

On Tuesday, Kolkata Knight Riders will continue their fairy-tale run in the seventh edition of the Indian Premier League with their Qualifier against pre-tournament favourites Kings XI Punjab. KXIP dropped just six points on their way to the Play-offs, while the 2012 champions began their campaign on a horrid note, picked up in the middle and made it into the last four thanks to a seven-match winning streak.
 

	Four players have played a crucial hand in their dramatic turnaround, and will hold the key in putting it past KXIP in front of a capacity crowd at their home ground, the Eden Gardens.
 

	Robin Uthappa
 Much like other teams, <keyword id="6354544" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="KKR">KKR</keyword> were also chopping and changing in their bid to find the right eleven players during the UAE leg of the tournament, a period during which they suffered. The opening combination didn't fit with Gautam Gambhir in woeful touch and Jacques Kallis failing to find fifth gear, while Manish Pandey and Manvinder Bisla couldn't answer the call. UAE leg over, and Uthappa was pushed to open the innings and to the average fan, he single-handedly scripted the turnaround. 

	Since opening the innings, Uthappa has gone on to topple Glenn Maxwell and Dwayne Smith to become the leading run-scorer with an envious run of form: 47, 65, 47, 46, 80, 40, 67, 83* and 41 have been his previous nine innings. Uthappa has been the backbone of KKR's batting thanks to which big-hitters like Shakib Al Hasan and Yusuf Pathan have flourished. Against KXIP, he will be the key to flatten a KXIP side who have been on a roll of their own.
 

	Sunil Narine
 

	The West Indian was retained by the franchise for a very specific reason, and he hasn't disappointed. Narine is the best on show as far as his craft is concerned, and remains a threat against any team thanks to his deadly accurate offspin. In the two previous games against KXIP, Narine had figures of 3 for 24 and 1 for 30 from his four overs. While KKR couldn't get over the line in Abu Dhabi, they managed to do so in Cuttack. Narine has also been the tournament's leading wicket-taker so far, tied on 20 from 13 games with Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
 

	While Bhuvneshwar's Sunrisers Hyderabad have been eliminated, Narine has a chance to consolidate his position further. While he hasn't taken wickets with as much regularity as he would have liked, teams have found it difficult to score against him. Gambhir has used him intelligently - Narine bowls two, sometimes three overs at the back end of the innings and that's where teams have struggled against him. In addition to his 20 scalps, Narine has been the most economical too, going at 6.00 runs per over. Only twice have KXIP not managed to score over 150 in completed innings, and both have come against the bowling attack featuring Narine.
 

	Yusuf Pathan
 

	KKR's batting order worries in the UAE were not only attributed to the top order, but the failure of their middle order to hold them together. Yusuf Pathan showed glimpses of his old spark in a defeat to Chennai Super Kings, but the Yusuf known for his belligerence was missing.
 

	Against SRH at Eden Gardens, however, Yusuf rose to the occasion with a blistering 72 from just 22 balls that took his team home in a big chase in just 14.2 overs. KKR had given themselves two chances at the final, and while everything else fell into place since returning to India, the spark in Yusuf that was missing ensured they were firing on all cylinders.
 

	Yusuf had tore into Dale Steyn for 26 in an over, and how he counters the pace of Mitchell Johnson and co. could determine the outcome of the fixture.
 

	Shakib Al Hasan
 

	Two agonizingly close defeats to Rajasthan Royals - the one with the Super Over and the other that featured the implosion - had threatened to derail KKR's campaign, but the Bangladesh allrounder ensured they came close. Since then, though, Shakib has played an important part in some of KKR's victories with both bat and ball.
 

	Shakib is has been second best only to Narine in terms of economy rate, and has broken crucial stands with his left-arm spin, providing an able back-up to Narine from the other end. His hard-hitting innings of 60 and 46* ensured victories over Royal Challengers Bangalore and CSK, keeping KKR's winning streak unbroken. Together with Narine, he will be tasked with keeping a big-hitting KXIP batting line-up at bay, and batting at No 5 to see the team to either a big total or home in a chase.

IPL: KKR's Fantastic Four Who Will Be Key In The Last Four

Almost all the captains in the seventh edition of the Indian Premier League have had some moments of joy, but one <keyword id="16561" type="POSITION" weightage="40" keywordseo="skipper">skipper</keyword> who has seldom been found without any jest is Mumbai Indians' Rohit Sharma. Not many expected MI to be one of the first teams to be written off after such a successful campaign last season, when they clinched their maiden title as well as the Champions League T20. More than Rohit's smile gone missing, the look on his face is more gloomy than reassuring, more burdensome than inspirational. After all, he had to bear the burden of MI being defending champions despite the fact that their icon player <keyword id="6354267" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Sachin-Tendulkar">Sachin Tendulkar</keyword> was gone and a couple key components not around. After seven losses in ten games, Mumbai's chances of making the play-offs are next to impossible barring some earth-shattering mathematical calculations. The manner in which they were found wanting in a six-wicket loss to <keyword id="6354467" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Kolkata-Knight-Riders">Kolkata Knight Riders</keyword> on Wednesday night just went on to show that their near-perfect win over Sunrisers Hyderabad was just one hit game amid many listless performances. 

	There are many factors that did not work for MI during a so far painful campaign for them. Here we pinpoint the major ones.
 

	It all started at the auction table
 One of the biggest setbacks for the defending champions was to see the players they let go off from their 2013 squad do exceedingly well this year for other franchises. The biggest examples being Dwayne Smith, <keyword id="470051" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Glenn-Maxwell">Glenn Maxwell</keyword> and Mitchell Johnson, who contributed strongly whenever being called upon to do so last year. Especially Smith, who had made it a habit of forging solid opening stands with Tendulkar, invariably creating momentum for strokeplayers like Rohit, Dinesh Karthik and Kieron Pollard to tee off at any given point of time. That opening slot turned out to be a massive weak link for the team this year as new recruit and veteran <keyword id="6377175" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Michael-Hussey">Michael Hussey</keyword> (30 runs from four games) and Ben Dunk (40 runs from three games) failed miserably with the bat. They alternated the one opening slot with Aditya Tare (106 runs from 10 games) and CM Gautam (121 runs from nine games) but neither could live up to the billing. Plus, playing at least three uncapped Indian players in all matches turned out be a big problem for MI as the options did not enthuse confidence. The reason being the retention of five players for the 2014 auction and the heavy spending on Hussey, Corey Anderson left MI with less purse to buy quality domestic players. 

	Non-performing overseas players
 After being touted as the next big thing in world cricket, fastest ODI centurion Anderson was the cynosure of all eyes when <keyword id="6354312" type="CITY" weightage="40" keywordseo="IPL">IPL</keyword> 7 began. However, 150 runs and four wickets in 10 isn't what you'd want to get from a player who was paid Rs 4.5 crore. Perhaps the big occasion, near alien conditions and huge crowds overawed Anderson but what about Hussey? The former Chennai Super Kings veteran was a real force in the two-time champion side and was expected to do much the same for his new franchise, but his poor returns put MI under tremendous pressure and invariably exposed the frailties of a susceptible middle order. 

	Big runs go missing
 

	After the loss to KKR, Rohit said: "We need to keep scoring 170-plus if we need to win consistently, we aren't doing that." His reasoning is valid. MI have crossed 170 twice so far and ended up winning those games. Their highest run-getter in the tournament, Ambati Rayudu (310 runs in 10 games) is languishing at ninth in the top run-getters. Rohit, Pollard, Rayudu and Lendl Simmons (a late recruit) have combined for seven fifties that includes one score above 70 and two over 60.
 

	After Malinga, who?
 

	The champion bowler that he is in this format, Malinga didn't disappoint with 16 wickets in 10 games. However, he lacked support from the other end. The only instance in the tournament so far when a MI bowler took three or more wickets is Malinga's 4/23 in the season opener. Harbhajan Singh's drought of wickets has not helped apply pressure in the middle overs. In comparison to 24 wickets last season, Harbhajan's eight this year leaves a big vacuum.
 Harbhajan, Johnson, Malinga and Pragyan Ojha took 84 wickets last season. In 2014, injury to <keyword id="12644" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Zaheer-Khan">Zaheer Khan</keyword> has forced MI to try Jasprit Bumrah (two wickets), <keyword id="6366707" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Praveen-Kumar">Praveen Kumar</keyword> (two wickets) and Pawan Suyal (one wicket) as his replacement. Ojha (economy 8.29) and Pollard (10.73) have been the biggest disappointments with one wicket apiece. 

	A combination of the above factors has left Rohit with more than just a creased forehead. Last year, the responsibility brought the best out of him but now the burden of leading an under-performing group is looking too heavy a yoke to bear.

IPL: Numbers Spoiled MI's Title Defense

In the first week of IPL 7, Glenn Maxwell dominated the show with his big-hitting prowess. Now, in the second and final week of the UAE leg, gocricket.com takes a look at all the moments which grabbed headlines. 
 
Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals: A chequered rivalry 
 
Before the start of IPL 7, CSK and RR were in the news for events off the field relating to the IPL spot-fixing scandal. When both teams strode out to the ring of fire in Dubai, they added another chapter to the rivalry. CSK made 140 and Rajasthan fell short by seven runs. Ravindra Jadeja was the star for CSK with an unbeaten 36 and a haul of 4/33. In an eerie way, in the match between these two teams in 2013 in Jaipur which is believed to be in the centre of the scandal mentioned above, CSK had made 141 when the bet was that they would make 140. At that time, Gurunath Meiyappan was watching. Now, with Gurunath sidelined, CSK achieved this score. Odd twist of fate? 
 
<keyword id="258312" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Chris-Lynn">Chris Lynn</keyword> takes the catch of the summer 
 In a cricket match, seldom has a catch been the talking point. In the match between <keyword id="6354506" type="CITY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Royal-Challengers-Bangalore">Royal Challengers Bangalore</keyword> and Kolkata Knight Riders, Chris Lynn provided the moment of the tournament which helped KKR snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. KKR managed to get to 150 and RCB needed nine runs in the last over. Vinay Kumar, who was part of several last-over finishes in the IPL, gave away just three runs in the first three balls. On the fourth ball, the match changed totally. 
 
Vinay bowled a shortish delivery just outside off. AB de Villiers moved to the off side and pulled it high over deep mid wicket. He had not timed it all that well but with the deep mid wicket boundary at Sharjah been short, it seemed the ball would sail over. Lynn, though, had other plans. His job was made difficult by the fact that he slipped up while lining up for the catch. However, he kept his eyes on the ball, raised his hands and arched back like a gymnast to pouch the catch. With the momentum threatening to take him over the ropes, he stuck out his right hand and ensured that he landed just inches in front of the rope. This moment gave KKR victory by two runs. One of the must watch (video link) moments that should be replayed over and over again 
 
Pollard is the best catcher in the IPL. No, he is not, say CSK 
 <keyword id="61632" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Kieron-Pollard">Kieron Pollard</keyword> has built a reputation that he can pouch just about anything. Every team has felt his brilliance in the field, except CSK. In the 2013 IPL clash between CSK and Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede, Pollard dropped Michael Hussey, then playing for CSK, thrice in three balls off Mitchell Johnson. He managed to pouch a good one off Suresh Raina but the three consecutive dropped catches were a sight to behold. 
 In the match against CSK in Dubai, Pollard was once again generous in the field for CSK. In the sixth over, <keyword id="55681" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Brendon-McCullum">Brendon McCullum</keyword> smashed one past mid off. Pollard leapt with one hand but he could not latch onto it. This was a difficult catch but for Pollard's standards, it could have been taken. However, in the 16th over bowled by Harbhajan Singh, Faf du Plessis slog swept the bowler to deep square leg where Pollard dropped a sitter. It seems Pollard suffers from yellow fever when it comes to catching against CSK. 
 
Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals: A tale of two ties 
 KKR and RR played out the first ever tie in the 2009 IPL in Cape Town. In that match, both teams ended on 150 and it was <keyword id="18938" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Yusuf-Pathan">Yusuf Pathan</keyword> who stole the show when he smashed three sixes of Ajantha Mendis to help RR put one over KKR. Five years later and in another neutral venue, KKR and RR played out their second tie. With the scores tied on 152, KKR batted in the one-over eliminator and scored 11. With three needed off the last ball, Steven Smith batted in a way which gave a new definition to smart play under pressure. He knew that in the event of the super over been tied, RR would go through as they had hit more boundaries. He spotted the gap at extra cover and he walked down the track to push it into that gap for a couple. It was the first time that a super over was tied in the IPL. Once again, KKR had failed to get over the line against RR. 
 
Sandeep Sharma shows his mettle 
 
In the IPL, there is a prevalent theme that bat dominates ball to such an extent that bowlers are scarred for life. However, one young gun has thwarted this notion. He was the star performer in the 2012 U-19 World Cup in Australia. With an ability to swing the ball in and away both in the air and off the seam, Sandeep Sharma is a valuable bowling asset for any team. In this edition of the IPL, Sandeep has maintained discipline and he has reaped rich rewards. His performances in the game against Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore, where he picked up three wickets, earned him the Man of the Match award. With an economy rate of 5.63, average of just 8.85 and a strike-rate of just 9.4, Sandeep has added more potency to the already potent Kings XI Punjab.

IPL Week 2 Review: Lynn Takes The Catch Of IPL

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image">REUTERS/David Gray Australia's Mitchell Johnson drinks water during a team training session at the Sydney Cricket Ground January 2, 2014. Australia are hoping to achieve a 5-0 sweep over England in the Ashes series when the fifth test match starts on Friday. </div></div></div>Feeling bloated and unfit after the Christmas season? Nutritionist Dale Pinnock says swift and efficient detoxing is easier than you may think
It's the New Year, which means it's time for the flood gates to open with information on the latest detox gadgets, gizmos, lotions, and potions.
When I first got into healthy living, I did quite a few - and for a while, I genuinely thought they worked. I tried water fasting (five days on just water), food combining (not consuming proteins and carbohydrates together at the same meals), eating only raw food, and taking all manner of herbal formulae meant to cleanse my soul (and colon, supposedly). I even went as far as doing colonics a couple of times.
I have to admit, these detoxes gave me a buzz at the time. However, as the years have passed, I've come to realise - both personally and professionally - that I was overplaying the effects of the various techniques. I'm just not convinced any of them were necessary for staying clean. Today, I think of 'detox' as a bit of a dirty work.
Here's why: the fact is, the only time that you are not detoxing is when you are dead. Our bodies are constantly sifting through the stuff we put into them and forcing out waste and toxins. Every minute of every day. We don't need any weird rituals or routines for this to happen.
Rather than turning to mad detox regimes, I recommend that you simply trust your body's complex, impressive, and entirely natural detoxifying system. Learn how it works, and how you can help it go about its business, and an easy-to-follow detox path stretches out in front of you.
Your natural detoxifying system
Every cell in the body has the ability to detoxify itself and break down environmental and metabolic waste. Enzymes in the cells either break down waste or render them less harmful for long enough to be kicked out of the body. Once such substances have been neutered, cells excrete the remains out into fluid that gets carried away by....
The lymphatic system. This is almost like a secondary circulatory system, which forms a vast network of organs and tissues throughout the body. It carries roughly three litres of fluid (recycled blood plasma, cellular waste, white blood cells, etc) around the body, moving it all in the direction of the neck, where it joins the blood stream. Once in the blood, the waste gets assimilated for removal from your body by...
The kidneys. Your kidneys have an incredibly sensitive filtration and waste removal system. In just five minutes, your entire blood supply passes through the filtration network in the kidneys, where soluble waste material is extracted and sent straight to the bladder for final ejection.
A healthy liver is the key to detoxed life
The liver, like the kidneys, filters the blood. Unlike the kidneys, it mainly deals with substances that come in via the digestive tract (which explains why it is so often affected by drugs and alcohol). A two-step process allows it to nullify harmful substances and make them stable for removal.
The first stage mainly involves the oxidation of substances, which makes them soluble and therefore ready to be ejected from the body via the urine. The second stage is called conjugation, whereby compounds that aren't easily removed via the urine find another way out. Many of them travel away from the liver in bile, which eventually gets removed via the bowel.
Detox without the stress
All this is happening. Right now. And there's not a coffee enema in sight! (They exist. I'm not joking.)
Don't get me wrong: there are diet and lifestyle factors that can make these normal routes of elimination start to resemble the M25 on a Monday morning. You know the ones: too much booze, smoking, being a sofa spud, eating a diet devoid of anything that resembles a nutrient. But treat your body well in the first place and there should be no need to follow a diet that resembles munching the contents of a lawn mower bag, or that requires you to rinse your rear out with a litre of nescafe twice a day.
'But it's the New Year', I hear you say, 'I've been mistreating my body for the past four weeks!' That be as it may, there's still no need to rely on anything other than your body's natural detoxification process to put you on the right track.
What you can do, however, is aid the natural detox process using a couple of handy dietry tricks. Increase your water intake to support the kidneys by upping urinary output, for example - but don't be tempted into taking up a water-only diet, as you won't get the nutrients necessary to run the rest of your detox system. Do some daily exercise to increase lymphatic circulation. Try to eat a good amount of fibre to keep your digestive system operating at a healthy rate.
The message here is isn't very glamorous: it really is just a case of following a healthy lifestyle that provides the body with everything it needs to get on with sorting itself out.
Your body is capable of marvelous magic. Let it do its work... naturally.

How To Detox Your Body For The New Year

The seventh edition of the Indian Premier League produced several memorable moments engineered by uncapped Indian players across the eight franchises. From game-turning to tournament-winning, gocricket.com takes a look at the uncapped players who made a telling impact from their performances during the 2014 season. 
 
Akshar Patel, <keyword id="13883" type="COMPANY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Kings-XI-Punjab">Kings XI Punjab</keyword> 
17 matches, 62 runs, highest score 42*, 17 wickets, economy 6.13, best bowling 3/24 
 
The Gujarat left-arm spinner, 20, impressed with his control and variation for KXIP right from the first game and went on to feature in all the games ahead of the much-experienced Murali Kartik, finishing with 17 wickets, one behind Sandeep Sharma and tied with Mitchell Johnson for the franchise. His economy rate of 6.13 was a tournament best among players with more than three games and even bettered that of Sunil Narine, which gave a sense of the hold he kept during the middle overs. His 42* against Delhi Daredevils took KXIP to victory in a tense chase which highlighted his all-round skills. He was later rewarded with a call-up to the national side for the ODI series in Bangladesh. 
 
Manan Vohra, Kings XI Punjab 
8 matches, 324 runs, strike rate 139.05, highest score 67 
 KXIP retained the uncapped Manan Vohra, showing faith in the Punjab batsman after he promised in his debut season in 2013. But Vohra wasn't part of the playing XI in the first half of the tournament as KXIP preferred Cheteshwar Pujara over him to partner the volatile Virender Sehwag. Pujara was replaced by Mandeep Singh, and it was only after Mandeep's failure that Vohra finally got his chance against Sunrisers Hyderabad in a game where he produced an eye-catching knock that included two sixes off Dale Steyn. He cemented his place after that and reserved his best for the last, as his 67 anchored KXIP in the <keyword id="6354312" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="IPL">IPL</keyword> final. Vohra showed big-match temperament, but will have to improve on his running between wickets. 
 
Sandeep Sharma, Kings XI Punjab 
11 matches, 18 wickets, economy 8.81, best bowling 3/15 
 
KXIP emerged the biggest contributor to the 'best uncapped players' list with Sandeep Sharma becoming the third entry from the team. Sandeep was the pick of the KXIP fast bowlers with 18 wickets from 11 games and made an impact immediately after he was drafted into the team. His opening spells proved pivotal as he swung the new ball to snare early wickets, twice dismissing Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli off successive balls. He wasn't as effective when the ball didn't swing, going for plenty in the final few games indicating inexperience. Still 20, Sandeep will become a better bowler by adding an extra yard of pace and with experience. 
 
Yuzvendra Chahal, <keyword id="12643" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="40" keywordseo="Royal-Challengers">Royal Challengers</keyword> Bangalore 
14 matches, 12 wickets, economy 7.01, best figures 2/17 
 
In a tournament that will be remembered for its legspinners, Yuzvendra Chahal was one of the standout exponents, proving to be the bright spot in a forgettable season for RCB. Chahal's exploits playing junior level chess for India were often spoken about, hinting at his ability as a thinking bowler. Chahal picked up 12 wickets and bowled with great accuracy, holding his own against some of the hardest hitters in the game. Karanveer Singh, the KXIP legspinner, warrants special mention as he picked up 11 wickets from just the five games he played, and even though he went for runs in the final, he ended up with four key wickets. 
 
Karun Nair, <keyword id="13802" type="CITY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Rajasthan-Royals">Rajasthan Royals</keyword> 
11 matches, 330 runs, strike rate 142.24, highest score 73* 
 
Rajasthan Royals have showed the propensity to unearth promising talent in the IPL, and this season was no different as Karnataka batsman Karun Nair made handy contributions opening the innings with Ajinkya Rahane. Two of Nair's major contributions came in games where other RR batsmen were found wanting, against RCB and Mumbai Indians. Against MI in the last league game, it was on the back of Nair and Sanju Samson's crucial partnership that helped RR post a big total. 
 
Pravin Tambe, Rajasthan Royals 
13 matches, 15 wickets, economy 7.26, best figures 4/20 
 After impressing in the 2013 Champions League, 42-year-old Tambe earned a first-class debut for Mumbai last season, before ending the season with an impressive IPL 7. The legspinner was difficult to put away as he finished the tournament with 15 wickets and took the first hat-trick of the season in a match-winning effort against <keyword id="6354467" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Kolkata-Knight-Riders">Kolkata Knight Riders</keyword>. He made the list just ahead of fellow legspinner Karn Sharma, who had an equally impressive season for Sunrisers Hyderabad, but played one game more for his 15 wickets. 
 
Jasprit Bumrah, Mumbai Indians 
11 matches, 5 wickets, economy 7.58, best figures 2/22 
 Mumbai Indians direly missed the services of Lasith Malinga after he left to join Sri Lanka for the tour of England, but Gujarat pacer Jasprit Bumrah filled in admirably for his more illustrious teammate. Bumrah finished with just five wickets from 11 games, but he bowled plenty of overs in the Powerplay as well as in the death, and led the line in the absence of the injured <keyword id="12644" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Zaheer-Khan">Zaheer Khan</keyword> first and Malinga later. His ability to fire in yorkers consistently with an unorthodox action meant he kept things quiet with a tournament economy of 7.58. 
 
Manish Pandey, Kolkata Knight Riders 
16 matches, 401 runs, strike rate 117.94, highest score 94 
 
After arriving in the IPL with a century five years ago, Manish Pandey's contributions largely went unnoticed in between. This season, however, Pandey benefited from being a consistent member of the side and the clarity of being KKR's No 3 batsman. He made handy contributions throughout the tournament but brought out his best in the final. His game-changing 94 in a chase of 200 took KKR to their second IPL title and earned him a Man-of-the-Match award. 
 
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