What happened on May 13, you ask? Well, it was the first time since March 21 that we saw no cricket being played in IPL 2024. Despite that, the Gujarat Titans were knocked out of the tournament. Meanwhile, the Kolkata Knight Riders ensured a top-two finish for the first time in the IPL since the 2014 edition. Talk about the Gautam Gambhir effect.
The bat couldn’t speak for the players, so the coaches did. The Lucknow Super Giants assistant coach cleared the air around recent controversies. Four Englishmen left India for their homes, putting a dent in their respective franchise’s trophy aspirations, while a Chennai Super Kings ace pacer returns to full fitness, days after being declared unfit. Plot twist: he won’t play for them anymore.
Ahmedabad weather betrays Gujarat
The Gujarat Titans have failed to make the IPL playoffs for the first time since the franchise’s inception. Not because of their performance, but because of rain, lighting, and dust storms. Shubman Gill and co. hadn’t had the best season, but going out without the toss and even being flipped isn’t what they would have liked. A picture with Shreyas Iyer is all that Gill left with.
Matheesha Pathirana good to go
The slingy pacer has been declared fit, just a couple of weeks after he suffered a hamstring injury. Unfortunately for Chennai Super Kings fans, the unorthodox pacer won’t be coming back to help Ruturaj Gaikwad gain his maiden IPL trophy as captain.
Jos, Jacks Topley & Livingstone fly away
Four English players have left, and two teams will suffer dearly because of it. After the ECB called back its players, the Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru won’t be happy. Rajasthan lost Buttler with the playoffs coming, while Bengaluru lost Reece Topley and Will Jacks ahead of their do-or-die clash against CSK.
LSG owner & KL Rahul were just ‘having a chat’
Hey, Siri! File these under things no one would believe. Lucknow Super Giants assistant coach, Lance Klusener, has claimed that KL Rahul and Sanjiv Goenka were having a ‘robust discussion‘ and there is nothing more to that. Well, make of it what you want to.
ABD backpedals on Hardik Pandya’s captaincy
AB de Villiers might have been one of the most flawless on the field, but off it, he’s made quite a few unforced errors. Not too long ago, he accidentally revealed to the world that Virat Kohli’s expecting a second child. Now, he’s had to eat his word once again. After calling Hardik Pandya’s captaincy ego-driven, he’s backtracked and said his words were misconstrued.
Sri Lanka jets off to America
The Sri Lankan cricket team has gained a head start. The island nation has become the first team to leave the country and travel to America to prepare for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024. With about three weeks left before their opening clash against South Africa, the Wanindu Hasaranga-led team has made their way to the USA.
