CSK CEO 'very, very hopeful' of Dhoni playing IPL 2025

Kasi Viswanathan says that he does not expect Stephen Fleming to be interested in the role of India head coach

The question has been doing the rounds from even before IPL 2024 started: is this MS Dhoni's last IPL as a player?

"I do not know," Chennai Super Kings (CSK) CEO Kasi Viswanathan said in answer to the question on the CSK YouTube channel. "It is a question which only MS can answer. The question for us, we have always respected the decisions taken by MS, we have left it to him.

"As all of you know, he has always taken his decisions and announced it at the appropriate time. We do expect that we will get a decision as and when he decides. But we are very, very hopeful that he will be available for CSK the next year. That is the view and expectations of the fans and mine."

Over the last few years, Dhoni has been asked this question directly and repeatedly by broadcasters. But his quiet handover of the CSK captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad ahead of this IPL meant Dhoni, now 42, went through the tournament without a media interaction.

By the time next season comes along, Dhoni will be 43 and CSK will need new plans before a mega auction. If Viswanathan is to be believed, Dhoni, who hit 161 runs in 73 balls at strike rate of 220.55 this season - the second-highest behind Jake Fraser-McGurk (min. 25 balls) - and kept competently, will have a place in the squad if he returns.

As for Stephen Fleming, CSK's long-time coach who has recently been linked to a possible role as India head coach, Viswanathan said he does not feel Fleming is changing roles just yet.

"I jokingly asked Stephen, 'have you applied to the Indian coaching assignment? Stephen just laughed and said: 'Do you want me to?'," Viswanathan said. "I know that it's not going to be his cup of tea because he doesn't like to be involved [in coaching] for nine-ten months in a year. That's my feeling. I have not discussed anything more on him."

When asked about CSK's retention plans for the big squad shake-up expected before IPL 2025, Viswanathan said the matter would be discussed only after clarity from BCCI's side to the franchises.

"It is too early because we have still not heard from BCCI on the kind of retentions which are going to be part of the next cycle of auction," he said. "So we are expecting that the BCCI would discuss with all franchise owners before they take a decision on retention."

Five-time IPL champions CSK finished fifth this season, missing out on the playoffs for only the third time, with 2020 and 2022 the previous occasions. In each of those occasions, they bounced back to finish champions the following season.

LPL in 'final stages' of confirming new owners for Dambulla franchise

Dambulla Thunders' contract was terminated on Wednesday following the arrest of team owner Tamim Rahman in Colombo

Lanka Premier League organisers have said they are "in the final stages of confirming the new ownership" of the Dambulla franchise, a day after Dambulla Thunders co-owner Tamim Rahman was arrested.

As a result of the arrest, under Sri Lanka's Prevention of Offences Related to Sports Act, the Thunders franchise was terminated by Sri Lanka Cricket and the IPG group (which runs the tournament), on Wednesday. Although the scheduled start of the next LPL is a little over five weeks away, IPG has announced that the tournament will go ahead with its "full schedule and roster of matches, featuring five teams."

Since its inception in 2020, the LPL has been a five-team competition. On Tuesday, SLC hosted the player auction for this year, with Dambulla Thunders filling out their roster. If new owners take over, they will likely inherit that roster, with the other teams having also filled out their player lists.

Through the course of its history, the LPL has struggled to hold on to its franchise owners. In fact, Dambulla's next owner would be the fifth owner of that franchise in five years, with previous teams having been called Dambulla Aura, Dambulla Giants and Dambulla Viiking.

"IPG has always upheld the highest standards of propriety and integrity as the Event Rights Partner of the Lanka Premier League," IPG said in the same statement. "Our dedication to maintaining these standards remains unwavering. We assure all players, fans, and stakeholders that the league's integrity and the spirit of cricket will be preserved throughout the tournament."

The tournament is scheduled to run from July 1 to July 21. Matches will be played in Pallekele, Dambulla, and Colombo.

 

Bangladesh, USA face off to fine-tune for T20I World Cup

This is the first time they are facing each other in international cricket and have a chance to acclimatise to the Texan conditions

Tuning up for the T20 World Cup

Thunderstorms with hurricane-forced winds welcomed Bangladesh in Texas last week. The weather cleared up a day later and they had their first training session at the Prairie View Cricket Complex on Sunday. Bangladesh and USA will have one more practice session before the first match on Tuesday. All three games of the T20I series will be played at the Grand Prairie venue. It could serve as good practice for Bangladesh who start their T20 World Cup campaign here against Sri Lanka on June 7. USA also play their first two World Cup games in Grand Prairie against Canada and Pakistan.

Bangladesh batting in focus

Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto had blamed the pitches in Chattogram and Dhaka for the team's unconvincing batting performance against Zimbabwe at home earlier this month. While Bangladesh won the series 4-1, the three out of five times they batted first, the highest score they posted was 165. Will the Bangladesh batters wait to see how the conditions play out in Texas, or are they going to switch to T20 mode from the get-go?

Shanto and Litton Das haven't shown great form while Soumya Sarkar is recovering from a knee injury. Shakib Al Hasan has just returned to T20I side after almost a year, which means for now much of Bangladesh's batting rests on Towhid Hridoy and Mahmudullah. Promoting them up the order could be a way to give them more time in the middle, though the likes of Shanto, Litton and Soumya also need to get some runs to build their confidence ahead of the T20 World Cup.

What will Stuart Law bring to the table?

Bangladesh will be greeted by a familiar face in the opponent camp: Stuart Law. The former Australia batter was Bangladesh's head coach in 2012, and more recently the Bangladesh Under-19 coach. Law, who was last month appointed the USA head coach, brings years of coaching experience with him.

Law's immediate challenge would be to help USA get a good start against Bangladesh, in what is only their second bilateral series against a Full Member nation. Law would know many of the Bangladesh players well, especially the younger lot who worked under him recently.

Time to fix Bangladesh's catching

Bangladesh would want to improve their catching going into the T20 World Cup. According to ESPNcricinfo's logs, they have dropped eight out of 42 catching chances in the bilateral series against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe this year. Taking high catches has particularly been in focus after both wicketkeepers Litton and Jaker Ali spilled three skiers between them. Several dropped chances at crucial moments this year are eating into the slight uptick in catching from last year.

A familiar foe awaits

Although Bangladesh will play against the USA in international cricket for the first time on Tuesday, they know Corey Anderson, who made his USA debut last month, very well. Seven years ago, Anderson, playing for New Zealand, struck ten sixes in his unbeaten 41-ball 94 against Bangladesh in Mount Maunganui. It is the most sixes hit against Bangladesh in a T20I innings, and the third-highest strike rate for a 75-plus run knock. This is the destructive Anderson that USA will be hoping to see against Bangladesh.

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Australia's opponents confirmed for 2024 T20 World Cup

 Alyssa Healy's side to face India, New Zealand, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Group A in Bangladesh in October

Australia will begin their quest for an unprecedented women's T20 World Cup four-peat against Sri Lanka after they beat Scotland in the final of the qualifiers overnight.

Bangladesh are hosting the tournament for the second time from October 3-20 after previously staging the 2014 edition, which Australia won to claim the T20 World Cup's first ever three-peat.

After winning the 2018 tournament in the West Indies, the 2020 edition in front of 86,174 fans at the MCG, and last year's event in South Africa, Australia have again lifted the trophy on three consecutive occasions and will be searching for a fourth straight title later this year.

But they enter the 2024 tournament with a new captain following Meg Lanning's international retirement with Alyssa Healy to lead the country for the first time in a World Cup.

The ICC released the schedule for the 2024 event on Sunday with six-time champions to face India, New Zealand, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Group A. Sri Lanka were confirmed as the final team in the pool on Tuesday after beating Scotland by 68 runs in the qualifying event in the UAE.

Skipper Chamari Athapaththu was again in sensational touch with a dazzling 63-ball 102 to power Sri Lanka to victory, putting them into Group A where they will face Australia in their tournament opener on October 4.

Scotland will join Group B as the second-placed qualifier alongside Bangladesh, England, South Africa and West Indies.

They secured passage to their first-ever women's T20 World Cup on Sunday after knocking out favourites Ireland by eight wickets in the first semi-final on the back of an outstanding 4-8 from skipper Kathryn Bryce.

Australia then face Pakistan (October 8) and New Zealand (October 11) before rounding out the group stage with a mouthwatering match-up against India on October 13, with all Group A matches to be played in Sylhet.

Group B matches will all be played at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka where Australia had their first experience of the conditions they'll face in Bangladesh during this year's World Cup when they swept the hosts in three ODIs and three T20Is last month.

"Everyone in the squad is taking something home that they can work on for when we come back here in September, so it's been hugely worthwhile for us," Healy said following the series.

"The results went our way but from a big picture perspective, and what we're building towards in September, October, I think we got everything we possibly could out of this series."

The 10 teams will play 23 matches across 18 days culminating in the final in Dhaka on October 20.

Last year's runners-up South Africa will launch the tournament against England on October 3 before hosts Bangladesh face Scotland in the evening match in Dhaka.

Pakistan will battle fierce rivals India in their first match of the tournament in Sylhet on October 6, with India having already opened their campaign against New Zealand two days' earlier.

The top two teams from each group will qualify for the semi-finals, scheduled for October 17 in Sylhet and October 18 in Dhaka before the champions are crowned at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium two days later.

ICC chief executive Geoff Allardice said this year's event had the "potential to transform women's cricket in Bangladesh".

"We have seen the impact and success of each of the women's World Cups over the last few years, building significant momentum for women's sport," he said.

"As a strategic priority, we are excited to see the positive impact it will have on and off the field in South Asia and across the world."

Each team will play two warm-up matches each from September 27 to October 1 at the Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protisthan cricket grounds in Dhaka to prepare for the tournament with Australia's two opponents the second-placed qualifier, Scotland, followed by Ashes rivals England.

2024 ICC Women's T20 World Cup

Warm-up matches

September 28: v Scotland, BKSP 3 Dhaka, 2pm AEST

September 30: v England, BKSP 3 Dhaka, 2pm AEST

Australia's Group A fixtures

October 4: v Sri Lanka, Sylhet International Stadium, 7pm AEST

October 8: v Pakistan, Sylhet International Stadium, midnight October 9 AEDT

October 11: v New Zealand, Sylhet International Stadium, 8pm AEDT

October 13: v India, Sylhet International Stadium, midnight October 14 AEDT

October 17: Semi-final 1, Sylhet International Stadium, midnight October 18 AEDT

October 18: Semi-final 2, Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka, midnight October 19 AEDT

October 20: Final, Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka, midnight October 21 AEDT

Pakistan confident quick Rauf on track for Cup impact

 Pakistan fast bowler Haris Rauf remains a chance of recovering from a shoulder injury in time to play at the T20 World Cup

Pakistan captain Babar Azam is hoping Haris Rauf will regain full fitness after a shoulder injury and make an impact at next month's T20 World Cup.

Fast bowler Rauf has been included in an 18-man squad for the upcoming tours of Ireland and England, with Pakistan delaying the announcement of their 15-player World Cup squad for the tournament in the United States and West Indies until May 22.

The fitness of Rauf, Mohammad Rizwan, Irfan Khan and Azam Khan will be assessed during the seven T20Is against Ireland and England.

"I wasn't expecting that he (Rauf) would recover so early and start bowling again," Babar told reporters in Lahore on Monday as the team prepared to fly out to Ireland, where the first T20 will be played in Dublin on Friday.

"There's lot of talk going around on his injury and how he will respond to it. But I think he will make a good response because when you give yourself proper rest mentally and physically, you can make a different impact."

Rauf has been out since dislocating his shoulder in late February during the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

The seven-member selection committee, which also includes Babar, have named fast bowler Hasan Ali, who last played a T20 international in 2022, as a back-up for Rauf.

Babar backed the inclusion of Hasan after pace bowlers Zaman Khan, Mohammad Wasim and the PSL's top wicket-taker Mohammad Ali were omitted.

"There's no injustice with anyone. We debated a lot on the World Cup combination and Hasan is there as back-up for Rauf because of his experience," Babar said.

"Zaman and Ali are new-ball bowlers but we already have enough new-ball bowling options."

Fast bowler Mohammad Amir, who played in two T20s against New Zealand after ending his retirement, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Abbas Afridi are Pakistan's pace options.

Under Babar, Pakistan have done well in the last two men's T20 World Cups, reaching the 2021 semi-finals in the UAE and losing to England in the final at the 2022 tournament in Australia.

"What happened in the past is in the past, unfortunately we couldn't finish the way we wanted," Babar said.

"We're doubly confident and believe we can bring the trophy home."

Pakistan start their campaign against the USA in Dallas on June 6 before taking on arch-rivals India in New York three days later.

Marsh progress 'slower than expected'

 Marsh progress 'slower than expected'

No fears for T20 captain's involvement as non-IPL members of World Cup squad assemble in Brisbane

Mitch Marsh is on track to lead Australia in their T20 World Cup opener against Oman on June 5 (June 6 AEST) but his recovery from an injured right hamstring has been "a little slower than expected".

Marsh left the Indian Premier League in early April after suffering the injury while playing for the Delhi Capitals but was back in the nets with a handful of his Australian teammates in Brisbane on Tuesday.

Members of Australia's World Cup squad who aren't taking part in the IPL will be put through their paces in a training camp at the National Cricket Centre over the coming weeks before they jet off for the Caribbean in late May.

Marsh was one of those who had a hit in the nets on Tuesday morning, but coach Andrew McDonald told reporters while it was promising to see the newly-appointed captain have a hit, he is still a couple of weeks away from returning to the bowling crease.

"He's progressing well. Probably a little slower than expected," McDonald said.  

"But we've got plenty of time now that he has been ruled out the IPL.

"(Our) first game is just short of a month away now. So ample time for him to get ready.

"You probably won't see him bowl in the next couple of weeks here. It'll probably happen the week before we leave. And then he'll be able to ramp that up when we're over there.

"We'll be able to cherry pick the moments during the tournament where he'll be useful with the ball, (and) we've got some all-round depth in the squad, which gives us good coverage anyway."

The allrounder told reporters last week that he was still some way off full fitness, but the Australian coach isn't concerned about lack of match fitness for the 32-year-old, whose last competitive hit was on April 4.

Although yet to be confirmed by the ICC, Australia are expecting to play some warm-up fixtures in Trinidad and Tobago in the week leading into the tournament proper, giving the likes of Marsh the perfect opportunity to tune up for the opening match.

"No real concern about match fitness," McDonald said.  

"We've got a couple of practice games when we get to Trinidad in the support period, so he'll have plenty of match opportunities, and if not we'll be able to simulate those through practice/

"By the first game against Oman, we're confident he'll be up and running."

Marsh was officially named captain of the squad on May 1 after a successful run in the role on the tour of South Africa in August and September 2023, paving the way for him to take the reins at home against West Indies and away to New Zealand over the summer.

But should Marsh not be fit enough in time for the first match of the World Cup – for which McDonald flagged he would not be rested for – there is no shortage of leadership options in the squad.

Test and ODI captain Pat Cummins is a staple of the XI, while Matthew Wade captained Australia in India late last year, as well as in the third T20 against New Zealand in February. Nathan Ellis, Glenn Maxwell, Travis Head and Adam Zampa have all captained their respective Big Bash teams too.

"We've got ample depth in the leadership space there with Matthew Wade, who's led before when Mitch hasn't been available. And obviously Pat Cummins has some leadership qualities," McDonald said.

More broadly, the coach is content with how the wider squad is placed.

Although selection chair George Bailey didn't nominate any travelling reserves for the World Cup, he did confirm a decision on those players would be made at a later date. The ICC's deadline for finalised squads is on May 25.

And McDonald said the selection staff would be keeping their options open, with up to seven additional players in consideration for the travelling reserves positions.

As per ICC regulations, teams are permitted to name up to three travelling reserves, although Australia opted to pick only one for their successful ODI World Cup campaign last year – spinner Tanveer Sangha.  

 "Should anything shift or move, or new information comes our way and then we'll have to make some decisions from there," McDonald.

"But we'll have 20-22 players up and running, should anything go amiss with the people that have been picked in the 15."

2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup

Australia's squad: Mitch Marsh (c), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa

Australia's Group B fixtures

June 6: v Oman, Kensington Oval, Barbados, 10.30am AEST

June 9: v England, Kensington Oval, Barbados, 3am AEST

June 12: v Namibia, Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua, 10.30am AEST

June 16: v Scotland, Daren Sammy Stadium, St Lucia, 10.30am AEST

Super Eights, finals to follow if Australia qualify

For the full list of fixtures click here. All matches will be broadcast live on Amazon Prime