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David Willey got replaced by Matt Henry in the Lucknow Super Giants.

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The fast bowler of team New Zealand Matt Henry has signed with the Lucknow Super Giants for the 17th edition of the Indian Premier League 2024. Henry takes David Willey's place, the England all-rounder, who pulled out of the competition for private reasons. The 32-year-old Kiwi joined the Lucknow franchise at a base price of ₹1.25 crore. Henry has so far played for New Zealand in 17 T20 internationals, 82 one-day internationals, and 25 Tests. He has played in the Tata IPL for both the Chennai Super Kings and the Punjab Kings. He has so far appeared in two Tata IPL games, both in 2017 for the Punjab Kings. Ahead of the Indian Premier League season 2024, it was reported that Willey would miss the start of the league due to personal reasons.   The English left-arm seamer was signed by the Lucknow Super Giants at his base price of Rs 2 crore in December's auction in Dubai last year.

Ahead of RCB vs KKR, Shane Watson gifts Virat Kohli copy of his book

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Leading up to their IPL 2024 showdown against Kolkata Knight Riders, Royal Challengers Bengaluru stirred emotions on social media with a heart-warming image of Shane Watson alongside Virat Kohli, thus evoking memories of their bond during Watson’s stint with RCB in 2016 and 2017. “This is giving 2016 Friends, captains and most importantly Royal Challengers! So good to see you, Watto. ” the post said on Twitter. Later, Watson also presented Kohli with a copy of his book, “The Winner’s Mindset,” In "The Winner's Mindset," Watson's rise to prominence in international T20 cricket is chronicled, and the tactics and inner strength that drove him are revealed. Released recently, the book provides a first-hand account of Watson’s experiences, coupled with scientific insights and practical techniques for achieving peak performance. As RCB enter the match with two points from two games, they seek to maintain their momentum following a thrilling victory over Punjab Kings.

Despite mixed form, Steve Smith is set to open the India vs Australia Test series

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Steve Smith is going to retain his spot as Test opener for the upcoming India vs. Australia five-match Test series this summer. This comes despite his inconsistent performances in recent matches against the West Indies and New Zealand. The selectors believe that Steve Smith’s four-test stint as an opener wasn’t a large enough sample size to judge his effectiveness. They’re willing to give him a shot against India, a much tougher opponent. This decision means the battle for the opening spot in the future will be between other players. With Steve Smith and current partner Usman Khawaja nearing the twilight of their careers, a spot will eventually open for a new opener. Players like Matt Renshaw, Cameron Bancroft, Marcus Harris, and Nathan McSweeney are all vying for this position. Their performances in domestic cricket and Australian A matches will be crucial in determining who gets the call-up.  

Fit & firing Shivam Dube isn’t just need of Chennai, but Team India’s as well

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There is one reason why the Indian players are excited about this IPL 2024. In addition to helping their individual sides win the competition, strong performances could guarantee the players a spot in Team India's T20 World Cup. Without a doubt, CSK all-around standout Shivam Dube is one of those players. All eyes will be on the hard-hitting batsman, who produced a match-winning 34 off 28 balls in the opening encounter against RCB on Friday, when Chennai plays Gujarat Titans on Tuesday. Whether it was during the IND versus AFG series, when he hit two fifties, or the Ranji Trophy after that, the man has been in exceptional form with the bat for a good while. For Team India, his form is encouraging. Due to his batting and quick bowling skills, Dube may also be included in the squad if he continues to play well in the IPL. Hardik Pandya, in good form, appears certain to join the squad. Dube has featured in 52 league games so far, during which he has amassed 1140 runs at an avera

Ahead of the IPL 2024 opener, Virat Kohli catches up with MS Dhoni

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Ahead of the start of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season opener, the star batsman of team Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Virat Kohli, opened up on their clash against Chennai Super Kings and said that it would be “good” to catch up with the legendary cricketer MS Dhoni.  Kohli is the highest run-getter in the IPL of all time. In 237 matches and 229 innings, the India talisman batter has scored 7263 runs at an average of 37.24 with a strike rate of 130.02. His best score is 113. He has scored seven centuries, most by a batter, and 50 fifties in his IPL career. In a recent episode of RCB’s Bold Diaries, Kohli said that it’s been a “while” that he has met Dhoni. Watch the video here. The former captain of Team India said that it would be “nice” to play in front of the “passionate” CSK fans at the iconic Chepauk Stadium. He also added that the season opener of the IPL 2024 will be a “big game.”. Kohli said, “Playing against Chennai is obviously always a special occasion, a big game

Aakash Chopra is excited to see Rishabh Pant in action once again

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The anticipation for Rishabh Pant's 14-month absence from professional cricket is growing every day. Pant will make his return to cricket with the IPL 2024, where he will lead the Delhi Capitals. Pant has been absent from cricket since December 2022, and the southpaw’s return has got many cricketing fans excited. Former Indian batter Aakash Chopra is one such person. Chopra is thrilled to watch the southpaw play again following a prolonged absence. But he also emphasized the difficulties that the IPL's wicket-keeper hitter would run into when he goes back to playing in the big leagues. Chopra said in his video, “Opportunities are absolutely plentiful." Our emotional quotient has gone very high for Rishabh Pant. We are all waiting for Rishabh Pant to come, hit, and shine. Everyone has even started talking about the T20 World Cup, saying that he will reach there if he scores runs.” “At the moment, we are riding high on emotion because we all love him so much. However,

At M Chinnaswamy Stadium, RCB unveiled their new red and blue jerseys

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The franchise of Indian Premier League Royal Challengers Bangalore has finally launched their long-awaited new jersey for the upcoming and highly anticipated IPL 2024 season. The men’s side of RCB have donned their new red and darkish-blue jerseys during the stat-studded RCB Unbox event at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Despite the widespread buzz around their new design, the new look has received mixed emotions from fans of cricket and franchises on social media. Watch it here . Both the men’s and women’s teams of RCB were present in front of a stacked-up crowd. Treading away from their usual red, black, and yellow color combination, the red and blue jerseys certainly raised a few eyebrows amongst the fans, both at the stadium and on social media. Apart from their jersey reveal, RCB has also declared that from the upcoming IPL season they will feature under their new name, Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The first match of RCB in their new colors will be in their IPL 2024 opener aga