IPL 2017 Full schedule

(Pic Source: BCCI/IPL)

The schedule for the tenth edition of the Indian Premier League has been announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India.  The tournament will start on April 5 in Hyderabad, while the final will be held in the same city on May 21.

IPL 2017 auction will be held in Bengaluru on February 20, where 351 cricketers will go under the hammer. Out of the lost, 122 have played international cricket at some stage, including six Associate players.

IPL’s 10th edition will be spread over 47 days & across 10 venues with each team playing 14 matches in the round-robin stage. This IPL season will also see Indore hosting games for the first time since 2011(Rising Pune Supergiants on April 8, RCB on April 10 and Mumbai Indians on April 20).

Kanpur will be the home base for Gujarat Lions in two matches, against Delhi Daredevils on May 10 and Sunrisers Hyderabad on May 13.The qualifiers will be held on May 16 and May 19 while the eliminator is scheduled on May 17. Venues of these matches are yet to be announced.

Here is the full list of matches of IPL 2017 :- 

Match 1: SRH vs RCB, April 5 2017, 8 PM

Match 2: Rising Pune Supergiant vs Mumbai Indians, April 6 2017, 8 PM

Match 3: Gujarat Lions vs KKR, April 7 2017, 8 PM

Match 4: Kings XI Punjab vs Rising Pune Supergiant, April 8 2017, 4 PM

Match 5: RCB vs Delhi Daredevils, April 8 2017, 8 PM

Match 6: SRH vs Gujarat Lions, April 9 2017, 4 PM

Match 7: Mumbai Indians vs KKR, April 9 2017, 8 PM

Match 8: Kings XI Punjab vs RCB, April 10 2017, 8 PM

Match 9: Rising Pune Supergiant vs Delhi Daredevils, April 11 2017, 8 PM

Match 10: Mumbai Indians vs SRH, April 12 2017, 8 PM

Match 11: KKR vs Kings XI Punjab, April 13 2017, 8 PM

Match 12: RCB vs Mumbai Indians, April 14 2017, 4 PM

Match 13: Gujarat Lions vs Rising Pune Supergiant, April 14 2017, 8 PM

Match 14: KKR vs SRH, April 15 2017, 4 PM

Match 15: Delhi Daredevils vs Kings XI Punjab, April 15 2017, 8 PM

Match 16: Mumbai Indians vs Gujarat Lions, April 16 2017, 4 PM

Match 17: RCB vs Rising Pune Supergiant, April 16 2017, 8 PM

Match 18: Delhi Daredevils vs KKR, April 17 2017, 4 PM

Match 19: SRH vs Kings XI Punjab, April 17 2017, 8 PM

Match 20: Gujarat Lions vs RCB, April 18 2017, 8 PM

Match 21: SRH vs Delhi Daredevils, April 19 2017, 8 PM

Match 22: Kings XI Punjab vs Mumbai Indians, April 20 2017, 8 PM

Match 23: KKR vs Gujarat Lions, April 21 2017, 8 PM

Match 24: Delhi Daredevils vs Mumbai Indians, April 22 2017, 4 PM

Match 25: Rising Pune Supergiant vs SRH, April 22 2017, 8 PM

Match 26: Gujarat Lions vs Kings XI Punjab, April 23 2017, 4 PM

Match 27: KKR vs RCB, April 23 2017, 8 PM

Match 28: Mumbai Indians vs Rising Pune Supergiant, April 24 2017, 8 PM

Match 29: RCB vs SRH, April 25 2017, 8 PM

Match 30: Rising Pune Supergiant vs KKR, April 26 2017, 8 PM

Match 31: RCB vs Gujarat Lions, April 27 2017, 8 PM

Match 32: KKR vs Delhi Daredevils, April 28 2017, 4 PM

Match 33: Kings XI Punjab vs SRH, April 28 2017, 8 PM

Match 34: Rising Pune Supergiant vs RCB, April 29 2017, 4 PM

Match 35: Gujarat Lions vs Mumbai Indians, April 29 2017, 8 PM

Match 36: Kings XI Punjab vs Delhi Daredevils, April 30 2017, 4 PM

Match 37: SRH vs KKR, April 30 2017, 8 PM

Match 38: Mumbia Indians vs RCB, May 1 2017, 4 PM

Match 39: Rising Pune Supergiant vs Gujarat Lion, May 1 2017, 8 PM

Match 40: Delhi Daredevils vs SRH, May 2 2017, 8 PM

Match 41: KKR vs Rising Pune Supergiant, May 3 2017, 8 PM

Match 42: Delhi Daredevils vs Gujarat Lions, May 4 2017, 8 PM

Match 43: RCB vs Kings XI Punjab, May 5 2017, 8 PM

Match 44: SRH vs Rising Pune Supergiant, May 6 2017, 4 PM

Match 45: Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Daredevils, May 6 2017, 8 PM

Match 46: RCB vs KKR, May 7 2017, 4 PM

Match 47: Kings XI Punjab vs Gujarat Lions, May 7 2017, 8 PM

Match 48: SRH vs Mumbai Indians, May 8 2017, 8 PM

Match 49: Kings XI Punjab vs KKR, May 9 2017, 8 PM

Match 50: Gujarat Lions vs Delhi Daredevils, May 10 2017, 8 PM

Match 51: Mumbai Indians vs Kings XI Punjab, May 11 2017, 8 PM

Match 52: Delhi Daredevlis vs Rising Pune Super Giant, May 12 2017, 8 PM

Match 53: Gujarat Lions vs SRH, May 13 2017, 4 PM

Match 54: KKR vs Mumbai Indians, May 13 2017, 8 PM

Match 55: Rising Pune Supergiant vs Kings XI Punjab, May 14 2017, 4 PM

Match 56: Delhi Daredevils vs RCB, May 15 2017, 8 PM

1st Qualifier: May 16 2017, 8 PM

Eliminator: May 17 2017, 8 PM

2nd Qualifier: May 19 2017, 8 PM

Final: May 21 2017, 8 PM

Ranji Trophy 2015/16 Final Saurashtra v Mumbai - Preview

The Ranji Trophy final begins the same day as the Asia Cup main draw & Mumbai will be seeking their 41st title in their 45th final. If they should emerge victorious against Saurashtra, it will go a long way towards easing the pain of the previous season. 

(Pic Source: BCCI/PTI)

The last time the two teams met in a Ranji Trophy final, Mumbai beat Saurashtra by an innings and 125 runs in three days to lift the trophy for the 40th time back in 2012-13 & Saurashtra are searching for their first title. 

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.