IPL 2018 latest Updates

IPL 2018

IPL 2018 Full Squads: Check Complete Payers List of IPL 11 Teams

New Delhi: Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018 bidding war was concluded on Sunday and it saw many surprising and shocking submissions. While some players were bought for an enormous amount, some remained unsold. England all-rounder Ben Stokes, just like the last year, became the costliest player this season and was sold to Rajasthan Royals for INR 12.5 crores. Meanwhile, fast bowler Jaydev Unadkat was the most expensive Indian player who was also grabbed by Rajasthan Royals. Interestingly, Sandeep Lamichhane becomes the first cricketer from Nepal to join the cash-rich league. Also, some famous names like Martin Guptill, Lasith Malinga remained unsold, while West Indies swashbuckling batsman Chris Gayle managed to find a team in the third and last round of the auction.

Overall, 169 players were sold, out of which 113 were Indians, while 56 were overseas players. Check out how much the eight franchises spent and how their respective squad shaped up after the auction.

Chennai Super Kings Squad (Total Players-25, Money Spent-73.5 crore): MS Dhoni (retained 15 crore), Suresh Raina (retained, 11 crore), Ravindra Jadeja (retained 7 crore), Faf du Plessis (1.5 crore), Harbhajan Singh (2 crore), Dwayne Bravo (6.4 crore), Shane Watson (4 crore), Kedar Jadhav (7.8 crore), Ambati Rayudu (2.2 crore), Imran Tahir (1 crore), Karn Sharma (5 crore), Shardul Thakur (2.6 crore), Jagadeesan Narayan (20 lakh), Mitchell Santner (50 lakh), Deepak Chahar (80 lakh), KM Asif (40L), Lungi Ngidi (50 lakh), Kanishk Seth (20 lakh), Dhruv Shorey (20 lakh), M Vijay (2 crore), Sam Billings (1 crore), Mark Wood (1.5 crore), Kshitiz Sharma (20 lakh), Monu Singh (20 lakh), Chaitanya Bishnoi (20 lakh).

Delhi Daredevils Squad (Total Players-25, Money Spent-78.4 crore): Rishabh Pant (retained 15 Cr), Chris Morris (retained 11 Cr), Shreyas Iyer (retained 7 Cr), Glenn Maxwell (9 Cr), Gautam Gambhir (2.8 Cr), Jason Roy (1.5 Cr), Colin Munro (1.9 Cr), Mohammed Shami (3 Cr), Kagiso Rabada (4.2 Cr), Amit Mishra (4 Cr), Prithvi Shaw (1.2 Cr), Rahul Tewatia (3 Cr), Vijay Shankar (3.2 Cr), Harshal Patel (20 Lakh), Avesh Khan (70 Lakh), Shabaz Nadeem (3.2 Cr), Dan Christian (1.5 Cr), Jayant Yadav (50L), Gurkeerat Singh (75 L), Trent Boult (2.2 Cr), Manjot Kalra (20L), Abhishek Sharma (55L), Sandeep Lamichanne (20L), Naman Ojha (1.4 Cr), Sayan Ghosh (20L).

Kings XI Punjab Squad (Total Players-21, Money Spent-79.90 crore): Axar Patel (retained 12.5 Cr), R Ashwin (7.6 Cr), Yuvraj Singh (2 Cr), Karun Nair (5.6 Cr), KL Rahul (11 Cr), David Miller (3 Cr), Aaron Finch (6.2 Cr), Marcus Stoinis (6.2 Cr), Mayank Agarwal (1 Cr), Ankit Rajpoot (3 Cr), Manoj Tiwary (1 Cr), Mohit Sharma (2.4 Cr RTM), Mujeeb Zadran (4 Cr), Barinder Sran (2.2 Cr), Andrew Tye (7.2 Cr), Akshdeep Nath (1 Cr), Ben Dwarshius (1.4 Cr), Pardeep Sahu (20L), Mayank Dagar (20L), Chris Gayle (2 Cr), Manzoor Dar (20 L).

Kolkata Knight Riders Squad (Total Players-19, Money Spent-80 crore): Sunil Narine (retained 12.5 crore), Andre Russell (retained 8.5), Mitchell Starc (9.4 c), Chris Lynn (9.6 crore), Dinesh Karthik (7.4 crore), Robin Uthappa (6.4 crore), Piyush Chawla (4.2 crore), Kuldeep Yadav (5.8 crore), Shubman Gill (1.8 crore), Ishank Jaggi (20 Lakh), Kamlesh Nagarkoti (3.2 crore), Nitish Rana (3.4 crore), Vinay Kumar (1 crore), Apoorv Wankhade (20 lakh), Rinku Singh (80 lakh), Shivam Mavi (3 crore), Mitchell Johnson (2 crore), Javon Searles (30 lakh), Cameron Delport (30 lakh)

Mumbai Indians Squad (Total Players-25, Money Spent-79.35 crore): Rohit Sharma (retained 15 crore), Hardik Pandya (retained 11 crore), Jasprit Bumrah (retained 7 crore), Kieron Pollard (5.4 crore, RTM), Mustafizur Rahman (2.2 crore), Pat Cummins (5.4 crore), Suryakumar Yadav (3.2 crore), Krunal Pandya (8.8 crore, RTM), Ishan Kishan (6.2 crore), Rahul Chahar (1.9 crore), Evin Lewis (3.8 crore), Saurabh Tiwary (80 lakh), Ben Cutting (2.2 crore), Pradeep Sangwan (1.5 crore), JP Duminy (1 crore), Jason Behrendoff (1.5 crore), Tajinder Dhillaon (55 lakh), Sharad Lumba (20 lakh), Siddhesh Lad (20 lakh), Aditya Tare (20 lakh), Mayank Markande (20 lakh), Akila Dananjaya (50 lakh), Anukul Roy (20 lakh), Anukul Roy (20 lakh), MD Nidheesh (20 lakh).

Rajasthan Royals Squad (Total Players-23, Money Spent-78.35 crore): Steve Smith (retained 12.5 crore), Ben Stokes (12.5 c), Ajinkya Rahane (4 c), Stuart Binny (50 Lakh), Sanju Samson (8 c), Jos Buttler (4.4 c), Rahul Tripathi (3.4 c), D’Arcy Short (4 c), Jofra Archer (7.2 c), K Gowtham (6.2 crore), Dhawal Kulkarni (75 lakh, RTM), Jaydev Unadkat (11.5 crore), Ankit Sharma (20 lakh), Anureet Singh (30 lakh), Zahir Khan Pakteen (60 lakh), Shreyas Gopal (20 lakh), MS Midhun (20 lakh), Prashant Chopra (20 lakh), Ben Laughlin (50 lakh), Mahipal Lomror (20 lakh), Aryaman Birla (30 lakh), Jatin Saxena (20 lakh), Dushmantha Chameera (50 lakh).

Royal Challengers Bangalore Squad (Total Players-24, Money Spent-79.85 crore): Virat Kohli (retained 17 Cr), AB de Villiers (retained 11 Cr), Sarfraz Khan (retained 3 Cr), Brendon McCullum (3.6 Cr), Chris Woakes (7.4 Cr), Colin de Grandhomme (2.2 Cr), Moeen Ali (1.7 Cr), Quinton de Kock (2.8 Cr), Umesh Yadav (4.2 Cr), Yuzvendra Chahal (6 Cr), Manan Vohra (1.1 Cr), Kulwant Kejroliya (85 Lakh), Aniket Choudhary (30 Lakh), Navdeep Saini (3 c), Murugan Ashwin (2.2 Cr), Mandeep Singh (1.4 Cr), Washington Sundar (3.2 Cr), Pawan Negi (1 Cr RTM), Mohammad Siraj (2.6 Cr), Nathan Coulter-Nile (2.2 Cr), Anirudha Joshi (20L), Parthiv Patel (1.7 Cr), Tim Southee (1 Cr), Pavan Deshpande (20 L).

Sunrisers Hyderabad Squad (Total Players-25, Money Spent-79.35 crore): David Warner (retained 12.5 Cr), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (retained 8.5 Cr), Shikhar Dhawan (5.2 Cr), Shakib Al Hasan (2 Cr), Kane Williamson (3 Cr), Manish Pandey (11 Cr), Carlos Brathwaite (2 Cr), Yusuf Pathan (1.9 Cr), Wriddhiman Saha (5 Cr), Rashid Khan (9 Cr), Ricky Bhui (20 Lakh), Deepak Hooda (3.6 Cr), Siddarth Kaul (3.8 Cr), T Natarajan (40 Lakh), Basil Thampi (95 Lakh), Khaleel Ahmed (3 Cr), Mohammad Nabi (1 Cr), Sandeep Sharma (3 Cr), Sachin Baby (20L), Chris Jordan (1 Cr), Billy Stanlake (50L), Tanmay Agarwal (20L), Shreevats Goswami (1 Cr), Bipul Sharma (20L), Mehdi Hasan (20 L).

IPL 2018: Kieron Pollard thankful to Mumbai Indians

Mumbai Indians (MI) have mentioned about the unity in the ‘MI family’ and it was well reflected during the IPL 2018 auctions. The team retained a good chunk of their core team, including West Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard. Pollard, after being picked by MI once again, thanked the franchise for ‘keeping faith on him’. Delhi Daredevils had won the bid to pick Pollard for INR 5.4 Crore but MI used RTM to retain him.

Pollard said “I just want to thank Mumbai Indians for entrusting faith in me once again,” Pollard told EspnCricinfo. “Going into the auction then hearing that you were going to be retained, you know you have forged a very good relationship. When you talk of commitment to one, you can be committed to. People stand by you in difficult times, in good times and you reward them in the end. I am happy to be back at Mumbai Indians and looking forward to do special things,” he added.

Pollard says he believes he still has cricket left in him and these franchise-based leagues act as parameters.

“We had discussions before, but in auction you never know. But it gives you that sense of belonging. I also want to say this: playing the leagues gives me the fire inside to continue to perform and continue to show what I can do on a cricket field despite what other people think about me, about my performance, if I am good enough, if they want me or it. It gives me that burning desire. That is the motivating factor. They are not going to dampen my spirits. I am young. I have a lot of cricket left in me whichever cricket I play. I am going to give my 100 percent,” he added.

Sandeep Lamichhane opens up on Michael Clarke's influence in his career

Michael Clarke claims to have done nothing but “smile” everytime he saw Sandeep Lamichhane bowl but Nepal’s first IPL-contracted cricketer says he owes his growth to the former Australian captain.

HIGHLIGHTS

The IPL 2018 auction was held on January 26 and 27.

Lamichhane was purchased by Delhi Daredevils for INR 20 lakhs.

Clarke has been like a mentor to the 17-year-old Nepal leg-spinner who has scripted history with a Rs 20 lakh IPL contract with the Delhi Daredevils.

Clarke could never really warm up to the IPL like many of his fellow Australians. A graceful Test batsman, he played just one season with the now defunct Pune Warriors in 2012, scoring 98 runs in six matches.

“Michael Clarke has had the biggest influence on me as a cricketer. From the time, he saw me bowling at the Hong Kong Sixes, he kept an eye on me. He is a kind man, a humble soul, who has helped me grow as a cricketer and a person,” Lamichhane told PTI during an exclusive interview from Dubai.

Clarke, on his part, has been modest about the the “influence” that Lamichhane spoke about.

“I did nothing mate apart from smile every time I watched him bowl,” he had responded on Twitter when his role in his growth was pointed put.

Even before IPL players’ auction, Lamichhane had been in touch with Clarke, calling the interactions therapeutic to an extent.

“Speaking to him helped me relax. It was a lifetime experience to have played under him for Western Suburbs Cricket Club in Sydney grade league. That has been a huge gain for a young player like me,” he said.

The leg-break is his stock delivery but Lamichhane has become more confident about executing the googly as well.

“I always had a good leg-break but I have now developed an effective googly working hard with my Nepal national team coach Raju Khadka,” the teenager said.

“So when Delhi Daredevils summoned me for trials I was fully confident that their coaches would be impressed with my skills. And in any case if you don’t have self-confidence, you can’t play the next level that is IPL,” he added.

While the tiny Himalayan nation still can’t boast of great cricketing facilities, Lamichhane said he is nonetheless indebted to Cricket Association of Nepal for backing him.

IPL auction an undignified, cruel, unnecessary employment practice: Peter Clinton

New Zealand Cricket Players Association chief executive, Heath Mills, believes that "the whole system is archaic and deeply humiliating for the players".

IPL has made teenage cricketers millionaires. There is nothing wrong in making money at such a young age, but New Zealand Cricket Players Association chief executive, Heath Mills, believes that “the whole system is archaic and deeply humiliating for the players”.

Here’s what former Wellington Cricket chief, Peter Clinton, tweeted on Tuesday.

Speaking to Herald, Mills said, “I think the whole system is archaic and deeply humiliating for the players, who are paraded like cattle for all the world to see.”

Mills, however, appreciated the fact that IPL has given a lot to cricket, but the way it has conducted the players remains a disappointing factor for him. He emptied his mind, adding, “There’s lot of good things about the Indian Premier League and it’s been great for cricket but I’d like to see it mirror the rest of professional sport in the way they engage athletes. The auction system is wrong — it’s not professional, far from it. Apart from the public disappointment of players being are passed in, those who are picked up are treated badly by modern standards.

“The players enter the auction not knowing where they’re are going, who their teammates are going be, who’s managing them, who the owners are — no other sports league in the world engages players on that basis.

“We’ve seen some players play for five or six teams over the 10 years the league has been going. Coaches cannot build an affinity with players, they can’t build a long-term culture.

“The whole thing is very poor and players associations around the world would like to see it change.”

IPL 2018 squads: No captain, ’keeper for Kings XI Punjab (KXIP)

Kings XI Punjab do not have a leader (they have not had a proper one for some time); they have to take a tough call for the wicketkeeper’s slot; and they are an Indian fast bowler too short.

Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) had retained only Akshar Patel, much to the surprise of many. They had let go of Shaun Marsh. At the auction, Preity Zinta seemed to bid for everyone. She finalised on one cricketer after another before losing them as the franchises used their RTM cards. In the end KXIP got some high-profile, mercurial men who can win matches on fail altogether. They do not have a leader (they have not had a proper one for some time); they have to take a tough call for the wicketkeeper’s slot; and they are an Indian fast bowler too short.

No captain, no wicketkeeper

Punjab do not have an obvious captain. They have to select one from Yuvraj Singh (their first ever captain who did little of note), Chris Gayle (when did he last lead a side?), David Miller (you know he led Punjab but cannot recall for how long), Aaron Finch (who led Australia in T20Is), and Ravichandran Ashwin (who looks intelligent but is really untested).

And in case they sort that out, they will have to choose one of their two wicketkeepers. The first, Akshdeep Nath, has little credentials of making it to the XI barring the fact that he can keep wickets. KL Rahul, the other option, will make it to batting alone, but does little justice to that wicketkeeper’s tag. In other words, Punjab will either have to make Rahul keep wickets or sacrifice a batsman for Nath: you decide which of the two is worse.

A formidable, if inconsistent, batch of batsmen

Yuvraj, Gayle, Miller, and Finch. Perhaps add Marcus Stoinis to the list, too. Look at the names. Every single of them can decide a match on their own. Every single one can perish in pursuit of the big shots, too.

To provide some sanity in the order, Punjab will probably look at Rahul, Manoj Tiwary, Mayank Agarwal, and Karun Nair. Yes, the reserve bench looks quite good.

Spinners at large

Keep an eye, or perhaps both, on Ashwin and Akshar. Ashwin has not been a part of India’s limited-overs teams of late, but there is no doubting his craftiness. The reliable Akshar will play perfect foil. Both are handy with bat, too. Whether they will play Mujeeb Zadran, the Afghan prodigy, early in the tournament is yet to be seen, but if they do, Punjab will form one of the most deceptively potent spin attacks.

The pace attack is a different story. Andrew Tye is still in form, but his Indian counterparts (Mohit Sharma, Barinder Sran, and Ankit Rajpoot) are hardly as encouraging.

Kings XI Punjab squad: KL Rahul (wk), Akshdeep Nath (wk), Chris Gayle, Yuvraj Singh, David Miller, Ravichandran Ashwin, Aaron Finch, Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, Manoj Tiwary, Akshar Patel, Marcus Stoinis, Manzoor Dar, Mujeeb Zadran, Pardeep Sahu, Mayank Dagar, Ankit Rajpoot, Mohit Sharma, Barinder Sran, Andrew Tye, Ben Dwarshuis

IPL 2018 squads: Chennai Super Kings reunion on cards

MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Faf du Plessis, and Murali Vijay: close your eyes and think of these men playing IPL, and you may find it impossible to visualise them in anything barring yellow.

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) were expected to fill their squad with members of their old brigade for IPL 2018. They have, like Mumbai Indians, placed faith in a core group. It was, thus, hardly surprising that they retained MS Dhoni (presumably in yellow), Suresh Raina, and Ravindra Jadeja, and recalled Faf du Plessis and Dwayne Bravo to the yellow reunion. There were some other big buys too, like Shane Watson and Imran Tahir, but the outfit has a strange, jaded look to it. It perhaps has something to do with that most of their cricketers are on the wrong side of 30. It almost seems that they have not acknowledged that the cricketers have aged over the past two years.

Tried, tested, trusted batsmen

Dhoni, Raina, du Plessis, and Murali Vijay: close your eyes and think of these men playing IPL, and you may find it impossible to visualise them in anything barring yellow. Despite his early stint with Mumbai Indians, Bravo has a similar impact too.

These five men are also near-certainties in the CSK top seven. They know Chepauk inside out and have batted with each other and have won many a battle together. They will be backed by Watson, Ambati Rayudu, and Kedar Jadhav, and if he is picked, Jadeja.

Is it a great line-up? Perhaps not, but it is certainly a line-up as distinctive of Chennai as sambhar and rasam are. Remember, these are men who know what it is like to reach finals and win titles.

Quality spinners, not-so-good seamers

It will be odd to see Harbhajan Singh donning yellow, but he does know a thing or two about bowling in IPL (and slogging in all possible directions). Tahir will be the perfect partner. If there is an overseas player too many, Karn Sharma can replace Tahir; and Mitchell Santner will be there to provide the often-needed left-arm spin variation. If any three, or even two, play together, batsmen may find scoring difficult.

The pace attack is not as formidable. They have an excellent bowler in Bravo, their man for all seasons and winner of the Purple Cap in 2013 and 2015. They have Lungi Ngidi, South Africa’s newest kid sensation. But the rest, including Mark Wood, does not look as impressive. Be prepared for those slow pitches on sultry Chennai evenings.

Chennai Super Kings squad: MS Dhoni (wk and captain in last season), Kedar Jadhav (wk), Ambati Rayudu (wk), Sam Billings (wk), J Narayan (wk), Dwayne Bravo, Harbhajan Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Faf du Plessis, Shane Watson, Imran Tahir, Murali Vijay, Suresh Raina, Chaitanya Bishnoi, Dhruv Shorey, Monu Kumar Singh, Kshitiz Sharma, Karn Sharma, Mitchell Santner, Lungi Ngidi, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, KM Asif, Kanishk Seth, Mark Wood.