The Cricket.com Weekly - Edition 30

The Indian Premier League 2023’s league stage has almost reached the business end, where the battle for supremacy as far as the playoffs position is in full swing. Unlike 2022, this season’s IPL has been a real treat to the eyes, and there have hardly been any dull games.

In this newsletter, we aim to deliver a comprehensive package encapsulating the cricketing world's essence. We've got you covered, from thrilling match summaries to captivating analysis, from insightful features to fascinating video stories. Our goal is to ensure you never miss a beat.

Let’s dive in.

What has made Headlines?

Archer returns to England

Just after reports surfaced that Mumbai Indians offered Jofra Archer a deal to buy his services for the entire year so that England will have to take permission from them to play Archer for the national side, the pacer has been ruled out of the IPL. No coincidence, fellas. He will now "focus on his rehabilitation". He has now been replaced by his England team-mate Chris Jordan in the Mumbai Indians set-up.

SLC, BCB object to PCB’s hybrid Asia Cup model

While Pakistan hoped that they would manage to host most of their matches in England, with India playing in UAE, this has been met with some objections from Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and Bangladesh Cricket Board (PCB). The boards reportedly claimed that the climate is too unfavorable for cricket to be played in UAE in late August and early September, so they asked for a change in the hosting country. 

Reportedly, Pakistan is not very happy with the objection, and they are even considering pulling out of the Asia Cup if their demands are not honored.

New ICC Financial Model set to earn BCCI US$ 230 million per year

With India being the biggest contributor to the revenue generated by the International Cricket Council, they have always demanded the biggest slice of the pie. The latest reports from ESPN Cricinfo suggested that ICC's new revenue-distribution model would ensure BCCI will take home nearly 40% of the ICC's net surplus earnings from its next four-year commercial cycle. That amounts to approximately US$230 million per year between 2024-27 - or 38.5% of the ICC's annual earnings of $600 million.

India-Pakistan World Cup tie to be played on October 15

The much-awaited India vs Pakistan match is most likely to be held on October 15, according to a report on Cricbuzz. It is understood that India will kick-start their World Cup campaign against Australia in Chennai. However, there is no official confirmation from the BCCI or the ICC regarding the schedule. The dates will likely be announced after the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. 

Kishan named KL Rahul's replacement for WTC final

The BCCI has confirmed KL Rahul’s omission from the World Test Championship final against Australia in June. Ishan Kishan has been named as his replacement. Rahul suffered the injury during the Lucknow Super Giants' (LSG) game against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Monday (May 1) and did not take part in the game again, until he came out to bat at No. 11, managing to face just three deliveries as his side lost by 18 runs.

The Surya Namaskar

This has been a truly exhilarating experience in the IPL, with Suryakumar Yadav single-handedly guiding Mumbai Indians to the second spot on the points table. Just imagine this. At one point, when it seemed possible that Mumbai would hold the wooden spoon firmly, they made a solid turnaround on the back of their star batter’s performance.

Jaiswal’s record-breaking year

But is that all? If Surya has ensured everyone has forgotten about triple golden ducks against Australia in ODIs, this week truly belonged to another special talent from Mumbai. Rajasthan Royals opener Yashasvi Jaiswal harnessed his inner demon to demolish Kolkata Knight Riders with an unbeaten 97. The fastest-ever half-century in the IPL shut the door on KKR’s face. 

New Head Coach for Pakistan and West Indies

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have appointed Grant Bradburn as the head coach of the Pakistan national men’s side and will be at the helm of the affairs for the men’s team’s  coaching panel for the next two years. 

Two-time T20 World Cup winner Daren Sammy has been named West Indies' head coach for the two white-ball formats, the West Indies Cricket Board announced on Friday (May 12). Meanwhile, former wicketkeeper-batter Andre Coley has been appointed as coach for the Test and the 'A' teams. The latter’s first assignment will be the home Test series against India in July, while Sammy will start his stint with the three-match ODI series against the United Arab Emirates in June, which will be played just before the ICC Men's World Cup 2023 Qualifier in Zimbabwe.

Shortened BBL from this year

The Big Bash League has decided to bring forward their shortened tournament plan from the 2024-25 season to 2023-24 while striking a deal with broadcasters. The finals series will also be tweaked, going from five teams qualifying to four, with a yet-to-be-determined four-match finals system. The plan to cut short the tournament has been taken after Cricket Australia were criticised for having the tournament way too long.

What’s going on in international cricket?

The biggest news of them all - South Africa have earned a direct qualification for this year’s ICC Cricket World Cup. South Africa, who were No. 8 on the Super League table, earned the rights after the first ODI between Ireland and Bangladesh yielded no result due to rain. Now, the result of the series wouldn’t matter as Ireland can’t surpass South Africa on the Super League points table.

Now Ireland will be taking part in a 10-team qualifying tournament in Zimbabwe that will take place from June 18 to July 9, with West Indies and Sri Lanka amongst participants.

Articles in Focus

“Has Jadeja bowled more on a good length this season than others?”

>>You'd find answers to these kinds of questions nowhere else but only on Cricket.com. Then why don’t you hop on this link to check out this week’s #AskCDC where our statsman Anirudh Kasargod delves deep into questions sent to us. 

>>The Undertaker and Yashasvi Jaiswal have little in common, but our boy Anirudh Suresh can make you believe so in his own inimitable writing style. He writes how 18 years on, the clash between Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals at the Eden Gardens on Thursday brought back memories of the ‘sacrifice’. 

>> In what has been a staggering development from the 2022 IPL, the cumulative Television reach for the live broadcast of the first 48 matches stood at 451 million unique audiences. It's 21% higher as compared to last year's full season's reach and 33% higher than last year's season with the same number of matches. The popularity of the league with a better proposition for the fans ensured that the High Definition reach increased to 86 million, which is 3.4 times higher than the last year's season.

I, Bastab K Parida, delve deeper into the broadcasting numbers from this year’s IPL and how it has impacted the consumption experience. 

>> In a game where the average run rate was 7.7, Shivam Dube batted at a strike rate of 208.3 against Delhi Capitals. Even though his knock lasted only 12 balls, Dube’s three sixes cracked the game for Chennai. MS Dhoni also smashed a nine-ball 20, but Dube’s knock came in the middle overs against the opposition spinners on a slow surface. And that is where his USP lies. 

Our Features Editor Shubh Aggarwal decodes the phenomenon of the six-hitting machine that is Shivam Dube. 

>> Suryakumar Yadav took the audience to another realm that you cannot legally obtain or enter. It was in the slot, but Surya turned the bat around and turned the ball over the third-man region for a six. Not an edge, he flicked his wrist so hard at the last moment that the ball took off from the middle of the bat.

Aakash Sivasubramaniam tells you the story of Suryakumar Yadav’s first IPL century.

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