Mumbai Indians party with fans at the Wankhede Stadium

The Mumbai Indians stars, waving the team flag and led by team owner Nita Ambani, made their way on to the ground for a victory lap. Though Sachin Tendulkar was not a part of the team this IPL, the Wankhede crowd showed that their love for him will never die. 

Tendulkar won the spectators' hearts further when he addressed them in Marathi. He acknowledged the crowd for their relentless support to the Mumbai Indians despite a poor start to IPL-8. Tendulkar lauded MI's character. 

(Pic Source: BCCI/IPL)

Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar Thanked Them In Marathi In Front Of Thousands Of Fans In Wankhade: - 'Hello Mumbai, Whatever Support You Had, We Were Able To Do It. There Are Very Few Such Moments And I Am Very Happy To Be Able To Spend These Moments With You. "

MI skipper Rohit Sharma may have a special liking for the Eden Gardens, but the stylish right-hander too won Mumbaikars' hearts. "More than anything else, I like Mumbai," he said in response to whether the Kolkata ground is dearer to him. "This is where I started my career. Nothing comes close to this ground." 

Kieron Pollard, in his true Caribbean style, said if Mumbai Indians wins more championships. "Mumbai is a home away from home for the last six years. I will try entertaining the crowd more. I will tape my mouth, give more trouble to the opposition and win more matches for MI."

 The underprivileged kids of Ambani's social initiative Education for All brought the IPL trophy on stage to present it to Rohit.

Harbhajan returns to India's Test squad

Offspinner Harbhajan Singh has returned to India's Test squad for the first time in two years after he was picked for the only Test in Bangladesh from June 10 to 14.

(Pic Source: BCCI/AFP/AP)

Harbhajan last played a Test for India in 2013, against Australia, and has since lost out to R Ashwin & R Jadeja, who has become India's first-choice spinners. Harbhajan made his debut in 1998 and is the third highest wicket-taker for India in Tests with 413  wickets, and has also picked up 259 ODI wickets. 

"The Bangladesh batting order has six left-handers, keeping that in mind, we discussed with the captain and we felt it was necessary to have a second offspinner," Patil said. "I also want to point out we not only discussed Harbhajan. We also discussed other youngsters and considered them. Ultimately the selection committee and the captain felt this was the right choice for this particular tour."

"It feels like a fresh beginning for me," the off-spinner said. "It's a new inning which I want to start on a confident note and make the best possible use of the chance that I have got In an interview with PTI.

Indian teams for the Test match and ODI series against Bangladesh, to be played in June 2015.

INDIAN TEAM – TEST MATCH

Virat Kohl( Captain), Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, K.L. Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha, R. Ashwin, Harbhajan Singh, Karn Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron, Ishant Sharma.

INDIAN TEAM – ODI SERIES 

M.S. Dhoni (Captain) ,Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, R. Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Mohit Sharma, Stuart Binny, Dhawal Kulkarni.

Alterations made in domestic structure

Alterations made in domestic structure & Duleep Trophy rescheduled for World T20

1) Ranji Trophy was discussed with an objective to encourage teams to aim for outright      victories. It was proposed to abolish the current system of awarding 3 points for the first innings  lead and 1 point for the other team, and introduce a bonus point system for batting and  bowling, applicable in the first innings only. One bonus point will be awarded to a team scoring  300 runs in 85 overs and one bonus point for a team taking 7 wickets in 85 overs. However,  the current system of awarding 6 points for an outright win and a bonus point if applicable, will  continue. Ranji Trophy points structure is the most important as the issue has generated a lot o  of debate over the decades. Many different systems have been used but domestic teams  continue to be predominantly conservative by opting for a draw and setting for three first- innings points. In Ranji Trophy 2014-15, 51 of the 108 league matches finished in draws.

2) Considering that India is hosting the ICC World T20 2016 in March-April 2016, the Committee proposed to postpone the Duleep Trophy, which is scheduled during that period. It was also proposed to revamp the current format of the Deodhar Trophy and have three teams participating - the winner of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, and two teams picked by the national selectors. It is understood that with the Deodhar Trophy modified, the BCCI has indirectly scrapped the NKP Salve Challenger tournament.

3) It was also proposed to reformat the One-Day Inter-State Seniors’ tournament and the Syed  Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament by forming four groups from across the country, as against the  current zonal system.

Mumbai Boy Suryakumar shines as KKR start title defence with win over MI

Suryakumar Yadav drove them to a seven-wicket win over Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2015 tournament opener. Chasing 169 for a win, Gambhir's 43-ball 57 (7x4, 1x6) led the KKR charge, while Suryakumar's unbeaten 46 off 20 deliveries helped them canter to their target in 18.3 overs. 

(Pic Source: BCCI/IPL)

Enter Suryakumar Yadav at No.4. It took just one ball for Yadav to get his eye in; the next was dispatched for a six over the deep square leg with a touch of Viv Richards in it. For Yadav, the target was just another number that he would whiff off with his nimble wrists and effortless stroke play.

Half an hour and five sixes later, he hit a crisp drive to the extra cover boundary to win it for KKR. Yadav is a proud and relieved man as he walks back to the dressing room with nothing but content and smiles to share with his teammates.

Suryakumar Yadav after the game:- Today I was being promoted up the order and given an opportunity to the captain and the support staff. Any player in any team would like to bat at the top of the order in this format. I am grateful to them for that. The team management has given me a lot of confidence over the last year. I have got a great chance here with KKR and I am trying to finish games for the team. I hope I have played my role well in this game and am confident there are many more performances to come to the games to come. 

Team India for tri-series and World Cup 2015 announced

 Indian selectors sat down in Mumbai for the toughest task of the year and have picked the 15 best cricketers from the country to represent the nation with a Billion hopes.

The tri-series will give the players a right chance to get their combination and formula right for the World Cup, as the conditions, pitches and grounds will remain one or less the same.Indian selectors have continued to show faith on the same lot for the tri-series and the ICC world cup 2015 as well.

These four men Virat, Raina, Rayudu, and Dhoni will be the key for the Indian team as the skipper and Indian team management love batting second considering the weaker organ there bowling attack has been.


Indian squad for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 

MS Dhoni (Captain), Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, MnShami, Stuart Binny, Umesh Yadav

The Indian squad for the Tri Series

MS Dhoni (Captain), Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Md. Shami, Stuart Binny, Umesh Yadav, Dhawal Kulkarni, Mohit Sharma.