However, Samson also hinted that he and Jurel might also share the responsibility of keeping the wickets.

“I have not said this on air but we feel where Dhruv Jurel is at this point of his career as a Test wicket-keeper, he needs to wear the gloves in the IPL. That was a discussion. I think we will be sharing gloves. I have never captained as a fielder. That might be challenging. I have told him ‘Dhruv, I understand where you are coming from and I think as a leader of the team, you should also keep for a few games.’ We will see how to play around with that but nothing should come before the team. The team should come first and the individual must be given importance,” Samson said during a chat on AB de Villiers’ YouTube channel.

Jurel made his Test debut for the Men in Blue earlier this year in a home series against England. However, the youngster soon lost his place to the experienced Rishabh Pant, who made a fantastic comeback to red-ball cricket in the series against Bangladesh.

Jurel did feature for India during the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar series in Perth, but wasn’t able to find a place in the next 2 Tests of the series that were played in Adelaide and Brisbane respectively. It is unlikely that Jurel will play any further part in the series, unless there is an injury.

The post Sanju Samson to be seen in different role in IPL 2025? RR skipper gives MASSIVE statement appeared first on Cricket Country.

However, Gaikwad gave a glimpse of his humour by suggesting “Might be someone from RCB”. A video of the exchange also made rounds on social media.

Gaikwad is set to lead Maharashtra in the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy which is set to commence from December 21. He also led the side during the recently concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy where he wasn’t really able to perform well, scoring just 193 runs in 5 group games.

Earlier, Gaikwad was retained by CSK for the 2025 IPL season for a whopping fee of INR 18 crore.

The post WATCH: ‘Someone from RCB…’: Ruturaj Gaikwad takes BRUTAL dig on IPL rivals during live event appeared first on Cricket Country.

He landed at the Chennai International Airport early this morning and was escorted out by officials of the state cricket association. The 38-year-old didn’t speak to the waiting media as he hopped into his car where his wife Prithi and 2 daughters were waiting for him.

“It’s emotional for a lot of people, and may be it will sink in (in some time) but for me, personally, it is a great sense of relief and satisfaction. It was very instinctive and it has been running in my head for a while. I just felt (it) on Day 4 and I just called it a day,” Ashwin said, referring to the drawn third Test in Brisbane.

Did Ashwin regret not captaining the national side?

Asked if he regretted not being the captain of the national side, Ashwin dismissed the suggestion.

“I can’t do it now. I have no such regrets. In fact, I have zero regrets. I have seen from a distance those people with regrets but I don’t have any such regrets,” Ashwin added.

“I never thought so many people will come here. I just wanted a quiet entry, and was looking forward to relax at home. But you have made my day. I have played Test cricket for so many years, but the last time (I saw something) like this was after the 2011 World Cup,” Ashwin further said.

Ashwin retired midway through the Border-Gavaskar series

Ashwin on Wednesday announced retirement with immediate effect in the middle of the five-match Test series that is currently locked 1-1 after three games.

“To be honest, we all go through a lot in our career, not only for cricketers but in general. Generally, when I go to sleep I remember a lot of things like taking wickets, making runs, but those memories are not there in the last two years. So, that was a clear indication that we need to take a different route now,” Ashwin said.

“I have not set any new goals, as I just want to relax now. Actually, it’s difficult for me to stay inactive, but I want to try that now,” Ashwin added.

Ashwin will continue to feature in club cricket and IPL

After announcing his retirement, Ashwin also stated that he will continue to play club cricket and will also feature for the Chennai Super Kings in IPL next year.

“I think that part for me is still burning bright. I am going to play for CSK and don’t be surprised if I aspire to play for as long as I can. I don’t think Ashwin the cricketer is done, I think only Ashwin the Indian cricketer called time. That’s it,” Ashwin concluded.

The post ‘A great sense of relief…’: Ravichandran Ashwin gives MASSIVE statement after announcing retirement appeared first on Cricket Country.

The franchise sank in the first season, as they finished second from the bottom and finished as runner-up on the following year. However, before the start of the IPL in 2017, before the player auction, RPS dropped a shocking bomb when they decided to replace Dhoni and make Steve Smith their captain.

This all made sense in the long run as Steve guided RPS to their maiden final, and when it happened, everything went downhill. As he replaced someone of Dhoni’s caliber was a big move, as it led to a lot of backlash from the fans. No one knows what happened between Dhoni and the team owner Sanjiv Goenka. But even to this day, Sanjiv, the current owner of Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) shares a wholehearted relationship wit Dhoni.

“That was a long time ago. But whatever happened, it happened with a very clear dialogue. I share a very close and warm relationship with MS Dhoni even today. Decisions could be right or wrong – only time will tell. But whether a decision is logic or illogical is a point that matters. Why did I make the decision? That becomes the perspective. And I said it back then and will say this again today ‘Every interaction with Mahi, I walk out after learning something‘,” Goenka told Ranveer Allahabadia on his podcast TRS Clips.

Days before the change got announced, Dhoni has left his position as India’s limited-overs captain, as Steve Smith was at the top of his batting and captaincy powers. When Sanjiv recalled the older times, he said he stands strong on going with his decision to take Steve Smith as the captain of RPS and letting Dhoni know about this decision all those years ago.

“I recently met him. He was telling my son Shashwat about what all he can learn from cricket to help his business. This warmth, this feeling, this spirit means a lot. Beyond a point, you just not letting it impact you. To see it doesn’t impact is false. I am a very self-assured person. I know in my own heart whether my decision is sincere or not. Sincerity gives you that confidence. And no matter what anyone says, the truth will come out one day,” added Goenka.

“Who did it I am not sure, but MS hasn’t spoken a word and will not. And it’s a private relationship. It was a communication that was between two individuals, and they came to a conclusion. And that was that. What is important is that we still share a warm relationship,” he concluded.

Since it is evident that when enquired about the conversation, Goenka said that it will remain a secret forever, so we might never ever get to know what had happened between Sanjiv and Dhoni. There might even be a possibility that Dhoni might keep this conversation and keep it to himself till his time comes, no one knows.

The post ‘Hasn’t spoken a word and…’: IPL team owner believes MS Dhoni to keep 7-year-old controversy a secret appeared first on Cricket Country.

In a recent interview, Harbhajan confirmed that he and Dhoni no longer speak to each other. The former India spinner revealed that him and Dhoni haven’t had a proper chat for over 10 years now. Though they were teammates for IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings between 2018 to 2020, their conversations only included of on-field talks about the game.

“No, I don’t speak to Dhoni. When I was playing at CSK, that’s when we spoke, but otherwise, we haven’t spoken. It’s been 10 years and more. I have no reason; perhaps he does. I don’t know what the reasons are. When we were playing in the IPL at CSK, that’s when we used to talk, and that, too, was restricted to the ground. After that, he did not come to my room, nor did I go to his,” Harbhajan told CricketNext.

Harbhajan also hinted that he has tried to have a chat with Dhoni a couple of times, however hasn’t received any reply due to which he has decided to refrain from doing so again.

“I don’t have anything against him. If he has something to say, he can tell me. But if he did, he would have told me by now. I never tried to call him because I have a lot of passion. I only ring up those who pick up my calls. I don’t have the time otherwise. I stay in touch with the ones I am friends with. A relationship is always about give and take. If I respect you, I hope you will respect me back. Or you respond to me. But if I call you once or twice but don’t get a response, I will probably only meet you as much as I am needed to,” Harbhajan added.

The post ‘Haven’t spoken with Dhoni for 10 years’: Harbhajan Singh drops MASSIVE statement appeared first on Cricket Country.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Chopra compared DC’s captaincy situation to that of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and said that Axar commands respect in the dressing room and has been one of the most underrated performers for the Delhi-based franchise.

“Who will be the captain? Their situation is like KKR. It could be Axar Patel. I don’t mind him being the captain. If you give me the option, I would say make Axar the captain. He is extremely underrated, very mature, fantastic performer, and he will run the team very well. He is someone who will command respect,” Chopra said.

Chopra also talked about how the captaincy can also be handed to the experienced du Plessis, however he added that the former South Africa cricketer will not be featuring over explosive Australia batter Jake Fraser-McGurk.

“KL Rahul could be the other option. The third could be Faf du Plessis if they wish so, but they might not play Faf from the start because they used the Right To Match card for Jake Fraser-McGurk. So I am thinking between Axar and Rahul but the management hasn’t given any clarity yet. My vote goes towards Axar because his performances on this ground have been exceptional,” Chopra said.

The post NOT KL Rahul: Ex-India star wants THIS player to lead the Delhi Capitals in IPL 2025 appeared first on Cricket Country.

The IPL founder made massive revelations in a recent interview, stating that the IPL governing body did “bid rigging” during auction for the second edition to make sure Andrew Flintoff went to CSK. He added that this was done in order to fulfill Srinivasan’s wish.

“Pick out everything-auction rigging. I gave Flintoff to Srinivasan. Yes, we did it. No doubts about it; every team knew about it. Srinivasan wasn’t going to let the IPL happen. He was a thorn in our Board. Yes, we told everybody not to pick (Andrew) Flintoff. Yes, that I did-because Srinivasan said ‘I want Flintoff’,” Lalit Modi mentioned,” said Lalit Modi on Raj Shamani’s YouTube podcast.

Modi revealed that the CSK owner would even change umpires for some matches and also alleged him and his franchise of ‘indirect fixing’.

“When everybody started going on the bandwagon, he was also a member of the board. He was a big adversary of mine. I went up against him, and he did many things. Umpire fixing-he accused me of it, and I accused him right back. He would change the umpire. At first, I didn’t think much about it. But when I realized he was putting a Chennai umpire on a Chennai game, it became an issue for me. That’s called indirect fixing. When I started exposing those things, he went totally against me”, Modi said.

Notably, CSK also served a 2-year ban (2016 and 2017) after their involvement in a spot-fixing and betting scandal.

The post “Every team knew about it”: IPL founder alleges CSK of ‘indirect fixing’ in MASSIVE statement appeared first on Cricket Country.

 “I’m quite happy. I had hoped to continue with CSK, but no regrets. Now, I’ll be playing for another great franchise that has won five IPL trophies. I’ll obviously miss playing with MS Dhoni. Mumbai Indians is a great franchise, so I’m really looking forward to playing for them,” Chahar said.

“After the last IPL season, I went to the UK for training. I was training with a big football club there. Then, I came back and played five Ranji Trophy matches, bowling about 150 overs. Now, I’m playing in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. So, I’ve been playing cricket regularly for the past six months and training well. My main goal is to play for India again. To achieve that, I need to play all 14 matches, perform at my full potential, and hopefully make a comeback for Team India. This is going to be a very important season for me,” Chahar added.

Speaking about his season ahead with MI, Chahar said that the team is quite strong and added that there is a reason why they have won the IPL title for a record 5 times. He also added that he hopes to win more trophies with the side in the future.

“The MI team for this season looks strong. They have always been a dominant side in the history of IPL, and they’ve won five seasons for obvious reasons. I’m happy to be a part of this team and hope to win more trophies in the coming seasons. Also, I’m hoping to get the opportunity to bat as well, as that’s something I didn’t get much chance to do at CSK. So, I’ll definitely look to give my best with both bat and ball,” Chahar said.

The post “Hoped to continue with CSK”: Deepak Chahar gives MASSIVE statement after getting sold to MI appeared first on Cricket Country.

“The journey with Delhi Capitals has been nothing short of amazing. From the thrills on the field to the moments off it, I’ve grown in ways I never imagined. I came here as a teenager and we grew together over the last nine years,” Pant wrote in a social media post.

“What made this journey all worthwhile is you, The fans. You’ve embraced me, cheered for me an stood by me in one of the toughest phases in my life. As I move on, I carry your love and support in my heart. I’ll look forward to entertain you whenever I take the field. Thank you for being my family and making this journey so special,” Pant added.

Pant made his IPL debut in 2016 with the Delhi-based franchise which at that time, was called Delhi Daredevils. Pant’s move to LSG brings an end to a 8-year relationship between him and the Delhi-based franchise. DC’s fans are definitely going to miss Pant in the upcoming season of the IPL.

The post “Came here as a teenager…”: Rishabh Pant pens emotional note following departure from DC appeared first on Cricket Country.

The bowler hasn’t played any match in the Indian Premier League but in the last season, was brought in by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as a replacement to another Afghanistan spinner in Mujeeb Ur Rahman.

The 18-year-old has so far only made his debut for the national team in the ODI format where he has played 8 matches. In those matches, he has picked up 12 wickets with his best bowling figures being that of 6/26 against Bangladesh at Sharjah.

Ghazanfar has previously featured in T20 leagues of Afghanistan and Sri Lanka. He has a decent record in T20 cricket, picking up 29 wickets in 16 matches with best figures of 4/12.

The player will definitely be one to watch out for in the upcoming season of the IPL and with the Mumbai-based franchise and he is expected to feature in a lot of matches as he is the costliest spinner that the franchise has bought so far.

The post Who is Allah Ghazanfar? The unknown Afghanistan spinner who fetched MASSIVE price at IPL auction appeared first on Cricket Country.