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KL Rahul has been granted time off, while Washington Sundar may feature in the semi-finals of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25, provided Tamil Nadu reaches that stage. Devdutt Padikkal, Prasidh Krishna, and Abhimanyu Easwaran are set to participate in their respective teams’ knockout matches, which commence on January 9 in Vadodara. Padikkal and Prasidh will […]
KL Rahul has been granted time off, while Washington Sundar may feature in the semi-finals of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25, provided Tamil Nadu reaches that stage. Devdutt Padikkal, Prasidh Krishna, and Abhimanyu Easwaran are set to participate in their respective teams’ knockout matches, which commence on January 9 in Vadodara.
Padikkal and Prasidh will travel with the majority of the Indian contingent from Sydney on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Abhimanyu Easwaran received special permission to leave a day earlier. The Cricket Association of Bengal arranged for him to take an earlier flight, enabling him to join the state squad in Vadodara after transit stops in Singapore and Ahmedabad.
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Abhimanyu Easwaran is set to train with the Bengal squad on Wednesday, ahead of their pre-quarter-final clash against Haryana in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. However, Bengal’s Akash Deep, who was part of the Indian squad in Australia, has been ruled out due to a back niggle that kept him out of the final Test. Instead, he will head to the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru (formerly the National Cricket Academy) for rehabilitation.
Prasidh Krishna and Devdutt Padikkal are expected to join the Karnataka squad by January 10, just in time for their quarter-final fixture against Baroda the following day. Padikkal, initially included in the India A squad for the shadow tour before the Border-Gavaskar series, was later added to the Test squad following Rohit Sharma’s late arrival due to personal reasons. While Padikkal played a crucial role in India’s 295-run win in Perth, he was not selected for any subsequent Tests.
Prasidh, on the other hand, made an impactful return to Test cricket in the final match in Sydney, claiming six wickets, including dismissing Steven Smith in both innings. Both players had delivered standout performances in the four-day India A fixtures preceding the Test series, showcasing their readiness for the international stage.
For Abhimanyu, the pre-quarter-final against Haryana will mark his return to competitive cricket after two months of inactivity. Despite being in contention for a back-up opener role during the Australia series, his underwhelming performances for India A — scores of 7, 12, 0, and 17 in four innings — affected his chances of earning a Test debut. This was a stark contrast to his earlier form, where he had scored four first-class centuries across the Duleep Trophy and Ranji Trophy at the start of the season.
India’s 3-1 series loss in Australia, resulting in the relinquishment of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after a decade, has sparked conversations about the importance of domestic cricket. Head coach Gautam Gambhir emphasized the need for Test players to actively participate in domestic competitions to strengthen the talent pipeline. “If you don’t give importance to domestic cricket, you will never get the players you desire,” Gambhir stated, underlining its significance in shaping India’s red-ball future.
Rangpur Riders have dominated the early stages of the 2024-25 Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), opening up a commanding four-point lead at the top of the table with five consecutive wins. Their victories include two each over new franchise Dhaka Capital and Sylhet Strikers, but the highlight was a statement-making triumph against defending champions Fortune Barishal. Fresh off their Global Super League title win in Guyana, Rangpur have sent a strong message about their title aspirations this season.
Fortune Barishal, considered one of the top contenders, suffered a setback with their loss to Rangpur but have otherwise performed well, winning three matches, including one against Sylhet and two against Durbar Rajshahi. Meanwhile, Sylhet Strikers and Dhaka Capital remain winless, with Sylhet losing three matches and Dhaka enduring four defeats, leaving them struggling at the bottom of the standings.
Chittagong Kings’ Usman Khan lit up the 2024-25 BPL season with the first century, a stunning 123 off 62 balls, to secure a match-winning performance against Rajshahi. Hours later, Thisara Perera followed with a valiant 103 not out off 60 balls for Dhaka, though it wasn’t enough to prevent defeat against Khulna.
Rangpur Riders’ Alex Hales added to the batting fireworks with an unbeaten 113 off 56 balls, leading his team to chase down a daunting 206 against Sylhet. His 186-run partnership for the second wicket with Saif Hassan was pivotal, with Saif continuing his strong form after starting the tournament with two half-centuries in three innings.
Taskin Ahmed delivered a sensational performance for Rajshahi, claiming 7 for 19 against Dhaka on a chilly day. It was only the third seven-wicket haul in T20 cricket history and the first in a major franchise league, cementing his place in the record books. Taskin’s brilliance catapulted him to the top of the wicket charts with 12 wickets in just four games, making him the standout bowler of the tournament so far.
Rangpur’s Nahid Rana and Mahedi Hasan have also impressed with the ball, each recording a four-wicket haul in the opening week. Khulna’s Abu Hider joined the list of standout performers with another four-wicket haul, showcasing the depth of bowling talent on display in the early stages of the BPL season.
Tom O’Connell experienced a rare moment of controversy in Chittagong’s opening match against Khulna in Dhaka, where he was recalled after being adjudged timed out. Meanwhile, Thisara Perera’s century for Dhaka from No. 6 was a statistical anomaly, marking only the second time a batter at No. 6 or lower has reached triple figures in the BPL. Despite Perera’s heroic 100*, Dhaka fell short in their match, making his innings a bittersweet achievement.
On the bowling front, Lahiru Samarakoon had a forgettable outing for Rajshahi, recording the most expensive spell of the season so far. His 0 for 64 against Barishal ranks as the third most expensive four-over spell in BPL history, highlighting the high-risk, high-reward nature of T20 cricket.
Jishan Alam, the 20-year-old who earned his BPL spot after shining in domestic T20s, has had a mixed start to the season. After beginning with two ducks, he delivered a promising performance for Rajshahi against Barishal, scoring a solid 38 off 27 balls. Meanwhile, Pakistani left-arm pacer Jahandad Khan, in his debut BPL season, made an impact with three wickets against Sylhet, showcasing his potential with the ball.
Barishal’s 18-year-old seamer, Iqbal Hossain, also made a noteworthy debut, taking 2 for 41 against Rangpur. His performance highlighted the emergence of young talent in the tournament, adding to the excitement of the 2024-25 BPL season.
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