Cricket

Former Australia wicketkeeper-batter Matthew Wade has revealed that his team’s defeat to India in the T20 World Cup earlier this year was probably the moment that ended his career, as it was the first time that the thought of retirement crossed his mind. India, led by skipper Rohit Sharma’s superb 41-ball 92, defeated the Aussies by 24 runs in a crucial Group 1 Super Eight match at St Lucia to book a semifinal berth and eventually went on to bag the title. “It (the thought about retirement) probably hit home after we lost against India. That was when I sat down and reflected that that was probably the end of my career. That was an emotional moment,” Wade, who announced his retirement from international cricket on Tuesday, told cricket.com.au Wade, who generally batted down the order in T20 Internationals, said the arrival of Josh Inglis as a wicketkeeper who could bat top of the order too influenced his decision. “The time was right for ‘Ingo’ (Josh Inglis) to come in. You can see what he’s done in the last few months that he’s been in the team as the No. 1 ‘keeper. He was certainly ready to come in and take that role. “They’re looking for maybe someone who can bat more top to middle order now as well, and that suits him well.” The Tasmanian also said he is unlikely to participate in the upcoming IPL mega auction as it will be tough to make himself available for the entire duration of the event. Wade has been a part of Gujarat Titans over the last two seasons. “I’m doing the ILT20, which will be straight after the BBL. I’m doing the Abu Dhabi T10, which leads straight into BBL. “So, I’m going over to Dubai at the end of this month. I’ve got some Tassie (Tasmania) one-dayers that I’ve been playing as well. I won’t be in the IPL,” said Wade, who will be Australia’s wicket-keeping and fielding coach during the white ball series against Pakistan. The story has not been edited by 24x7sportshub and is published from a syndicated feed.

IPL 2025 Retentions, Live Updates: Cricket fans around the world are eagerly waiting for the announcement of the players’ retentions for the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The BCCI has set a deadline till October 31 for the franchises to finalize their retentions. As this year will be a mega auction, the franchises are allowed to retain as many as six players, of which at least one has to be an uncapped Indian player. Lot of big names like KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant have been rumoured to be entering the auction pool.  Here are the Live Updates of the Indian Premier League 2025 Retentions:

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) need a wicket-keeper batter after the retirement of Dinesh Karthik. With KL Rahul all but set to be released by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), the India star has been linked with a return to RCB, a franchise he started his IPL career with. Being a local boy, Rahul is undoubtedly a natural choice for the spot behind the stumps for the Royal Challengers. However, the auction dynamics don’t make it easy for any franchise to go out and get a player of its choice. Yet, RCB dropped a massive hint ahead of the IPL retention announcements. In a video shared by the Bengaluru franchise, Rahul was the only non-RCB player seen as the team’s bosses discussed retention and auction dynamics. The presence of Rahul in the video sent fans on social media buzzing, with many suggesting that the LSG star’s cameo in the video all but confirms RCB’s intention. “We will be looking at specific roles” KL Rahul’s Homecoming is almost done, RCB will Go all out from him https://t.co/J5heo6Rw9C pic.twitter.com/NNggRlOvhA — (@KLfied_) October 29, 2024 Of the players that RCB are likely to retain, the names of Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar and Mohammed Siraj have arguably garnered the most attention. The franchise also has overseas options like skipper Faf du Plessis, Will Jacks and Glenn Maxwell to consider. It is quite likely the Bengaluru side would go after some of these players through Right To Match in the auction, if not retained. RCB’s likely retentions ahead of IPL 2025 auction: – Virat Kohli: Batsman (INR 18 crore) – Mohammed Siraj: Bowler (INR 14 crore) – Will Jacks: All-rounder (INR 14 crore) – Yash Dayal: Bowler (Uncapped, INR 4 crore) Captaincy also remains a big issue for RCB if Du Plessis isn’t retained or bought back in the auction. But, if the franchise manages to buy KL Rahul in the auction, he doesn’t just solve the problem of a reliable wicket-keeper batter but can also be seen as a leadership option. However, there are also suggestions that Virat Kohli could be interested to take up the franchise’s captaincy again. This is another facet of the game that RCB would need to consider.

Former Pakistan cricketer and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ramiz Raja feels that star batter Babar Azam has yet to achieve his best in the Test format. Babar was rested for the last two Tests against England after his poor form. Pakistan won both the matches and secured the series 2-1, the first under Shan Masood’s rein. In 55 Tests, Babar has scored 3,997 runs at an average of 43.92. However, he has not scored a Test half-century since 2022 and has seen a dip in form in a year where he was made captain and then left the post after Pakistan suffered a group-stage exit in this year’s T20 World Cup in June. Talking about Babar’s recent form, Raja feels that former captain has to show that he has potential like legendary Viv Richards. “I feel Babar has to achieve a lot more in Test cricket. He plays the white-ball format really well, has an average of 50-plus in both the formats (T20I and ODI)…There is so much potential in Babar Azam,” said Raza on his YouTube channel. “Ab unko apne temperament se batana hai duniya mei ke woh ek Viv Richards hain (now he has to prove to the world with his temperament that he is Viv Richards). Bigger the contest, bigger the innings Richards used to play,” he added. Meanwhile, Babar will look to make his Test case strong with the stellar form in next month’s white-ball series against Australia. He was named in both ODI and T20I squads for the tour. It will be Pakistan’s first ODI since the World Cup 2023 where they failed to qualify for the semifinal under Babar’s captaincy finishing on the fifth spot. The right-handed batter was awarded ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year back-to-back in 2021 and 2022 respectively and continues to sit on the top of the ICC ODI batters rankings. His performance in the tour will decide his Test future with Pakistan set to tour South Africa and host West Indies for five Tests combined. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 Retentions, former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh said that Delhi Capitals (DC) should retain Rishabh Pant, Axar Patel, Tristan Stubbs and Jake Fraser-McGurk. In 2020, Delhi Capitals reached their first-ever final. However, in the last season, they narrowly missed the playoffs based on net run rate, with seven wins, seven losses, and a total of 14 points. In the 2024 season of the IPL, Pant played 13 matches and scored 446 runs at a strike rate of 155.40. Star India all-rounder Axar Patel appeared in 14 matches in IPL 2024 and scored 235 runs at a strike rate of 131.28. He also picked up 11 wickets at an economy rate of 24.00. Tristan Stubbs also played in 14 matches in IPL 2024 and scored 378 runs at a strike rate of 190.91. Jake Fraser-McGurk made his debut in the IPL in 2024 season and played 9 matches, in which he scored 330 runs at a strike rate of 234.04. Speaking with Star Sports, Harbhajan Singh named five players who should be retained by the Delhi-based franchise. The former India cricketer also named Mitchell Marsh who should be retained for the upcoming season of the T20 tournament. “We have heard a lot of speculation on whether Rishabh Pant will be retained or not. Time will tell, but if I was a part of the management there, then I would have retained him. Rishabh Pant should be retained. Axar Patel should be retained. Stubbs should be retained. And the 4th player to be retained will be Fraser McGurk. And if you want to retain the 5th player, then it could be Mitch Marsh. Apart from that, I think there is no other player that you would want to retain. Out of those 5 players, I think Delhi Capitals should retain at least 4 of them,” Harbhajan was quoted in a release from Star Sports as saying. Earlier in the month, former Indian cricketers Hemang Badani and Venugopal Rao joined the coaching staff of Delhi Capitals as head coach and director of cricket, respectively, ahead of the next season of the IPL. Meanwhile, cricketing icon and one of India’s most successful captains, Sourav Ganguly has been named as Director of Cricket for JSW Sports.

The Hong Kong Sixes 2024 tournament will run from November 1 to November 3 and promises to unleash some thrilling encounters at the Tin Kwong Road Cricket Ground, featuring 12 teams, competing in six-a-side matches. The spectators will have a fascinating and very different experience as the cricket carnival will be decorated with some mind-blowing performances, great music and amazing food. The 12 teams have been divided into four pools of three each and will compete in a round-robin format. India who will be led by Robin Uthappa are a part of Pool C and also have arch-rivals Pakistan alongside UAE. Hosts Hong Kong will be up against South Africa and New Zealand in Pool A while Pool B comprises Australia, England and Nepal. Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Oman will battle it out in Pool D. The first match will be played between South Africa and Hong Kong to kick start the tournament while the high-voltage clash between India and Pakistan will also take place on the first day. The top two sides from each pool will play the quarter-finals and the winners of the quarter-final round will further move into the semi-finals. The teams who will lose in the quarters will play the Plate semifinals. The bottom-placed team in each pool will play the Bowl Competition. A total of 29 matches will take place across three days of the competition. A Women’s Exhibition Match has also been scheduled on the final day of the tournament to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Schedule & Timings: November 1: South Africa vs Hong Kong: 6 AM (IST), 8:30 AM (Local time) England vs Nepal: 6:55 AM (IST), 9:25 AM (Local Time) Pakistan vs UAE: 7:50 AM (IST) 10:20 AM (Local Time) Sri Lanka vs Oman: 8:45 AM (IST), 11:15 AM (Local Time) New Zealand vs Hong Kong: 9:40 AM (IST), 12:10 PM (Local Time) Bangladesh vs Oman: 10:35 AM (IST), 13:05 PM (Local TIme) India vs Pakistan: 11:30 AM (IST), 14:00 PM (Local Time) England vs Australia: 12:25 PM (IST), 14:55 (Local Time) South Africa vs New Zealand: 1:15 PM (IST), 15:45 (Local Time) Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh: 2:10 PM (IST), 16:40 (Local Time) November 2: Australia vs Nepal: 6 AM (IST), 8:30 AM (Local Time) India vs UAE: 6:55 AM (IST), 9:25 AM (Local Time) Bowl Match 1: A3 vs D3 7:50 AM (IST), 10:20 AM (Local Time) Bowl Match 2: B3 vs C3 8:45 AM (IST), 11:15 AM (Local Time) Quarterfinal 1: B1 vs A2 9:40 AM (IST), 12:10 PM (Local Time) Quarterfinal 2: A1 vs C2 10:35 AM (IST), 1:05 PM (Local Time) Bowl Match 3: A3 vs C3 11:30 AM (IST), 2:00 PM (Local Time) Bowl Match 4: B3 vs D4 12:25 PM (IST), 2:55 PM (Local Time) Quarterfinal 3: D1 vs B2 1:15 PM (IST), 3:45 PM (Local Time) Quarterfinal 4: C1 vs D2 2:10 PM (IST), 4:40 PM (Local Time) November 3: Bowl Match 5: A3 vs B3 6 AM (IST), 8:30 AM (Local Time) Plate Semifinal 1: LQ1 vs LQ2 6:55 AM (IST), 9:25 AM (Local Time) Plate Semifinal 2: LQ3 vs LQ4 7:50 AM (IST), 10:20 AM (Local Time) Bowl Match 6: C3 vs D3 8:45 AM (IST), 11:15 AM (Local Time) Women’s Exhibition Match: 9:40 AM (IST), 12:10 PM (Local Time) Semifinal 1: WQ1 vs WQ2 10:20 AM (IST), 12:50 PM (Local Time) Semifinal 2: WQ3 vs WQ4 11:10 AM (IST), 1:40 PM (Local Time) Bowl final: 12:05 PM (IST), 2:35 PM (Local Time) Plate Final: 12:55 PM (IST), 3:25 PM (Local Time) Cup Final: 1:55 PM (IST), 4:25 PM (Local Time) Squads: India: Robin Uthappa (C), Kedar Jadhav, Manoj Tiwary, Stuart Binny, Shreevats Goswami, Bharat Chipli, Shahbaz Nadeem Official: Deepak Dangayach Pakistan: Faheem Ashraf (c), Muhammad Akhlaq, Asif Ali, Danish Aziz, Hussain Talat, Amir Yamin, Shahab Khan Official: Saleem Yousaf South Africa: JJ Smuts (c), Matthew Boast, Evan Jones, Modiri Litheko, Don Radebe, Jacques Snyman, Aubrey Swanepoel Official: Malibongwe Maketa Hong Kong: Nizakat Khan (c), Zeeshan Ali, Imran Arif, Ehsan Khan, Jason Lui, Sahal Malvernkar, Benny Singh Paras Coach: Mark Farmer Australia: Dan Christian (c), Alex Ross, Andrew Fekete, Fawad Ahmed, Jack Wood, James Pattinson, Sam Heazlett Official: Brendan Drew New Zealand: Todd Astle C), Harmeet Singh, Henry Mclntyre, Raunaq Kapur, Sam Cassidy, Siddesh Dixit, Xavier Bell Official: Carl Frauenstein UAE: Asif Khan (C), Ansh Tandon, Khalid Shah, Mohammad Zuhaib, Raja Akif Ullah Khan, Sanchit Sharma, Zahoor Khan Manager / Coach: Rejith Arjunan Kurungode Bangladesh: Yasir Ali Chowdhury Rabbi (C), Abdullah AL Mamun, Abu Haider Rony, Jishan Alam, Mohammad Saifuddi, Nahidul Islam, Shohagh Gazi Official: Md. Monjurul Islam Sri Lanka: Lahiru Madusanka (C), Dhananjaya Lakshan, Lahiru Samarakoon, Nimesh Vimukthi, Sadun Weerakkody, Thanuka Dabare, Tharindu Rathnayake Official: Samantha Dodanwela Nepal: Sundeep Jora (C), Bibek Kumar Yadav, Dipendra Rawat, Lokesh Bahadur Ram, Narayan Joshi, Pratish GC, Rashid Khan Coach: Gyanendra Malla Oman: Sandeep Goud Shreematula (C), Vinayak Shukla, Asif Khan, Hassnain Ali Shah, Shoaib Al Balushi, Zikria Islam, Mujibur Ali Coach/Manager: Syed Amir Ali England: Ravi Bopara(C), Sumit Patel, Ed Barnard, Ethan Brookes, James Coles, Jordan Thompson, Alex Davies Official: Paul Nixon.