Twenty20 is one such format in cricket where a player’s calibre, especially a batter, is judged by their ability to score big runs consistently, which results in a high average. 

For starters, a player's batting average is calculated by dividing the total number of runs scored by the number of times they have been dismissed.

Indian cricket team veteran Virat Kohli boasts the highest average in T20Is, with 52.73 in 115 matches.

The former India captain made his T20I debut against Zimbabwe in the first T20I of the India tour of Zimbabwe 2010. He scored 26 runs in 21 balls to guide his team to a six-wicket win.  

Since then, he has gone on to score 4,008 runs - the most runs in T20 Internationals, striking 37 fifties, which is the most half-centuries in T20Is.

Virat Kohli has remained not-out on 31 occasions and 18 times when chasing. Interestingly, India have never lost a match when Kohli has remained unbeaten in a chase.

New Zealand’s Devon Conway is second on the list of cricketers with the highest batting average in T20I.

The wicket-keeper batter boasts an average of 49.36. Conway made his T20 debut in 2020 and has established himself as a power-hitter. Interestingly, he has never been dismissed for a duck in his international career and is also the third-fastest batter to reach 1000 T20I runs. Overall, he has scored 1086 runs in 33 matches. 

Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan also features on the list of batters with the highest batting average in T20I.

Rizwan has recorded an average of 48.79 in T20Is since making his debut in 2015, scoring 2635 runs in 80 matches. He also shares the record of fastest to 2000 runs in T20 internationals with fellow countryman Babar Azam. 

Moreover, Rizwan has scored the most runs in a calendar year in T20Is. In 2021, he scored a staggering 1326 runs in 29 matches at a brilliant average of 73.66.

Indian batter Manish Pandey is fourth on the list of batsmen with the highest batting average in T20Is. 

The middle-order batter has amassed 709 runs in 39 matches at an average of 44.31. He has recorded three fifties in the T20I format. However, he hasn’t featured for the Indian team in T20Is since 2020.

Canadian batter Navneet Dhaliwal completes our top-five list, having scored 748 runs in 23 matches at an average of 44.00. 

Current Pakistan skipper Babar Azam, Suryakumar Yadav of India and former Netherlands batter Ryan ten Doeschate are among the others with impressive batting averages in the shortest format of the game.

Highest averages in T20 internationals

Player	Team	Matches	Runs	Average
Virat Kohli	India	115	4008	52.73
Devon Conway	New Zealand	33	1086	49.36
Mohammad Rizwan	Pakistan	80	2635	48.79
Manish Pandey	India	39	709	44.31
Navneet Dhaliwal	Canada	23	748	44.00
Sabawoon Davizi	Czech Republic	28	1093	43.72
Babar Azam	Pakistan	99	3355	41.41
Suryakumar Yadav	India	40	1284	41.41
Ryan ten Doeschate	Netherlands	24	533	41.00
Ramesh Satheesan	Romania	28	863	39.22

 

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Featured photo: AFP

Gulbarga Mystics (GMY) will square off against Mysore Warriors (MW) in Qualifier 2 of Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 2022 at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Thursday, August 25. The match will start at 7:00 PM Indian Standard Time (IST).

Under the leadership of Karun Nair, Mysore Warriors beat Hubli Tigers by five wickets in the Eliminator to secure their place in Qualifier 2. Earlier, the Warriors finished third in the Maharaja Trophy T20 standings with 10 points, registering five wins and as many losses.

On the other hand, Bengaluru Blasters defeated Gulbarga Mystics by 44 runs in Qualifier 1 clash to book their place in the final. With six victories and four losses, the Manish Pandey-led side had earlier finished second in the standings with 12 points on the board.

The winner of the Gulbarga Mystics vs Mysore Warriors Qualifier 2 encounter will meet Bengaluru Blasters in the final of the inaugural Maharaja Trophy T20 at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium on Friday.

GMY vs MW Dream11 prediction for Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20

Gulbarga Mystics have a superior head-to-head record against Mysore Warriors in Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20, having secured victories on both occasions in the league phase of the ongoing tournament.

Both Gulbarga and Mysore have won three of their last five matches in the T20 tournament.

Going by their recent head-to-head record, GMY will start as favourites against MW on Thursday.

GMY vs MW Dream11 team tips for Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20

Top Tip: Best batter 

Mysore Warriors�?Pavan Deshpande will be the batter to watch out for in the second qualifier. The 32-year-old is the second highest run-scorer in the ongoing T20 tournament, amassing 396 runs in 11 matches at an average of 44, including four fifties to his name. Deshpande has already accumulated 591 fantasy points and is a worthy fantasy pick at 9.5 credits.

Top Tip: Best bowler

In the bowling department, one must pick Vidyadhar Patil of Mysore Warriors in their fantasy cricket team for this knockout fixture. The right-arm medium pacer is currently the joint highest wicket-taker in the inaugural Maharaja Trophy T20, having picked 16 wickets in 11 matches at an average of 22.25. Patil will look to add to his fantasy tally of 553 points and is available for 9 credits.

Top Tip: Best all-rounder and wicket-keeper

As far as all-rounders are concerned, Mysore Warriors' Shreyas Gopal is the top recommendation for Qualifier 2. The Bangalore-born all-rounder is currently the joint leading wicket-taker in the tournament, having claimed 16 wickets in 11 matches at an economy of 8.02. Apart from his leg-spin, Gopal has also scored 221 runs at a strike rate of 135.58. The 28-year-old all-rounder has already accrued 817 fantasy points - the most by any player involved in this match and is a quality investment at 10 credits.

For the wicket-keeper spot, Mysore Warriors�?Nihal Ullal will be the preferred choice over Krishnan Shrijith of Gulbarga Mystics. While being a safe wicket-keeper behind the stumps, Ullal has scored 271 runs in 11 matches at an average of 30.11 and a strike rate of 120.44. At 9 credits, Nihal Ullal could be a smart addition to any fantasy team, having amassed 549 fantasy points already.

GMY vs MW playing XI (probable)

Gulbarga Mystics playing XI (probable): Jeswanth Acharya, Rohan Patil, Krishnan Shrijith (wicket-keeper), Manish Pandey (captain), Manoj Bhandage, Ritesh Bhatkal, Ajay Gouda, Pranav Bhatia, Kushal Wadhwani, Vidhwath Kaverappa, Dhanush Gowda

Mysore Warriors playing XI (probable): Nihal Ullal (wicket-keeper), Karun Nair (captain), Pavan Deshpande, Shreyas Gopal, Shubhang Hegde, S Shivaraj, Naga Bharath, Bharath Dhuri, Vidyadhar Patil, Aditya Goyal, Prateek Jain

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Featured photo: Mysore Warriors

Established in 1958, the Barabati Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in Cuttack, Odisha.

Operated by the Odisha Cricket Association, the Cuttack stadium is used for cricket, football, hockey and also for live concerts.

It is one of the oldest cricket grounds in India, having hosted several touring teams including the MCC, the West Indies and Australian cricket teams before it staged its first international match in the 1980s.

The venue hosted its first international match between India and England in the ODI format in January 1982. Since then, it has staged 19 ODIs, two Tests and as many T20I international matches.

The Barabati Stadium has also hosted seven Indian T20 League matches and fixtures of the now-defunct Odisha Premier League. It was also one of the grounds which hosted the 2013 Women's Cricket World Cup.

The 48,000-seat stadium also has an indoor cricket hall named after India cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar.

T20I cricket will return to the Barabati Stadium after four years as the Indian cricket team will host South Africa on June 12. The last time India played a T20I match in Cuttack, the hosts thrashed Sri Lanka by 93 runs.

However, India had suffered a six-wicket loss against South Africa in their first T20I match at Barabati Stadium in 2015.

Ahead of the T20I between India and South Africa, let’s have a look at the T20 records at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack.

Barabati Stadium T20I Records

Highest total: India posted the highest team total against Sri Lanka at Barabati Stadium in Cuttack in 2017. Put into bat, the hosts rode on KL Rahul’s 48-ball 61 and MS Dhoni’s unbeaten 38 off 22 balls to register 180/3 in their allotted 20 overs. In reply, Sri Lanka were bundled out for 87 as India secured a massive 93-run victory.

Lowest total: Sri Lanka holds the unwanted record of recording the lowest team total at Barabati Stadium. Chasing a competitive total of 180, the visitors were bowled out for 87. Leg spinner Yuzvendra Chahal was the wrecker-in-chief for India as he picked up four wickets for 23 runs in his quota of four overs. India all-rounder Hardik Pandya also bagged three wickets in the match.

Highest individual score: India opening batter KL Rahul has registered the highest individual T20I score against Sri Lanka at the venue in 2017. The right-handed batter smashed 61 off just 48 balls to help India post 180/3 in their allotted 20 overs. Rahul’s impressive knock was laced with seven fours and one six.

Best bowling figures: India spinner Yuzvendra Chahal has the best bowling figures at Barabati Stadium in the shortest format. The leg spinner claimed four wickets for just 23 runs against Sri Lanka in a T20 match in 2017. 

Most runs: KL Rahul has also scored the most runs at this venue in T20I format. The swashbuckling right-handed batter has accumulated 61 runs at a strike rate of 127.08. Former India captain MS Dhoni is second in the list with 44 runs.

Most wickets: Yuzvendra Chahal has picked the most wickets at Barabati Stadium in T20I format. The leg-spinner has picked four wickets at this venue at an impressive economy of 5.75.

Highest partnership: India middle-order batters MS Dhoni and Manish Pandey have the highest partnership at this venue in the shortest format. The duo recorded an unbeaten 68-run partnership for the fourth wicket against Sri Lanka in 2017.

Barabati Stadium T20 Records

Highest total: The Bengal cricket team has scored the highest team total against Arunachal Pradesh at Barabati Stadium in T20 cricket. During a Syed Mushtaq Ali group match in 2019, Bengal rode on opener Wriddhiman Saha’s 129 off 62 balls and Vivek Singh’s 18-ball 49 to post 234/6 in their allotted 20 overs. In response, Arunachal Pradesh could only manage 127/4 in their 20 overs as Bengal secured a 107-run victory.

Lowest total: The Mizoram cricket team posted the lowest T20 total against Bengal at this venue in the shortest format. Chasing a massive target of 222, Mizoram were skittled out for 62. Leg-spinner Prayas Barman was the standout bowler for Bengal as he picked three wickets for just 14 runs in his three overs.

Highest individual score: Bengal wicket-keeper batter Wriddhiman Saha holds the record for the highest individual score at Barabati Stadium in T20 cricket. Saha smashed 62-ball 129 against Arunachal Pradesh in a Syed Mushtaq Ali group match in 2019. Saha’s scintillating innings included 16 fours and four maximums.

Best bowling figures: Karnataka leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal has the best bowling figures against Arunachal Pradesh at this venue in domestic T20 cricket. Gopal claimed five wickets for just 11 runs in his 3.4 overs to help Karnataka secure a 146-run win in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in 2019.

Most runs: Bengal’s Wriddhiman Saha has accumulated the most runs at Barabati Stadium in T20 cricket. The swashbuckling right-handed batter has amassed 319 runs in the shortest format, including his highest score of 129 against Arunachal Pradesh.

Most wickets: Former Bengal pacer Ashok Dinda has picked the most wickets at Barabati Stadium in domestic T20 cricket. Dinda bagged 12 wickets at this venue - the most by any bowler at this venue in the shortest format.

Highest partnership: Now defunct Deccan franchise batters Cameron White and Kumar Sangakkara recorded the highest partnership at Barabati Stadium in T20 cricket. Playing against the Pune franchise in the Indian T20 League in 2012, White and Sangakkara forged a 157-run partnership for the third wicket. Deccan won the match by 13 runs.

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Two new teams were added to the Indian T20 League ahead of its 15th edition with franchises from Lucknow and Gujarat now a part of the biggest T20 league in the world.

The Lucknow franchise was purchased by renowned businessman and sports enthusiast Sanjiv Goenka, whose RPSG Group conglomerate successfully placed a bid of INR 7,090 crore last year to buy the team.

Ahead of the 15th edition of the Indian T20 League, the Lucknow franchise has been shaping up pretty well behind the scenes prior to their bow in the biggest T20 extravaganza across the globe.

With two-time Indian T20 League winning captain Gautam Gambhir as mentor and the legendary Andy Flower as coach, Lucknow put together strong supporting staff that guided them to plenty of smart acquisitions and prudent buys at the two-day mega auction in Bengaluru last month.

Discuss. Learn. Grow.#AbApniBaariHai#LucknowSuperGiants#TataIPL #IndianPremierLeague #IPL2022 #Mindset pic.twitter.com/rM8F8Io89h

�?Lucknow Super Giants (@LucknowIPL) March 20, 2022

Here we have a closer look at what Team Lucknow will offer in their maiden Indian T20 League campaign.

Team Lucknow squad

Ahead of the Indian T20 League 2022 mega auction, the two new teams were presented the opportunity to sign players who could form their core squad. At the player draft, Lucknow roped in KL Rahul (INR 17 crore) as their team captain alongside Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis (INR 9.2 crore) and leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi (INR 4 crore).

In the two-day mega auction held in Bengaluru last month, Lucknow went on to make judicious acquisitions, buying international stars like wicket-keeper Quinton de Kock (INR 6.75 crore), Evin Lewis (INR 2 crore), Jason Holder (INR 8.75 crore) and Sri Lankan pacer Dushmantha Chameera (INR 2 crore). Andrew Tye makes for another great acquisition in the T20 format for the team as the Australian gets ready to replace an injured Mark Wood.

As far as their domestic talents are concerned, Lucknow secured quite a few noteworthy names. Manish Pandey (INR 4.6 crore), all-rounder Krunal Pandya (INR 8.25 crore), Avesh Khan (INR 10 crore) and Deepak Hooda (5.75 crore) will all be donning Lucknow colours in the upcoming campaign.

Team Lucknow squad for Indian T20 League 2022:

KL Rahul (captain), Ravi Bishnoi, Marcus Stoinis, Deepak Hooda, Jason Holder, Manish Pandey, Quinton de Kock (wicket-keeper), Krunal Pandya, Andrew Tye, Avesh Khan, Ankit Singh Rajpoot, Krishnappa Gowtham, Dushmantha Chameera, Shahbaz Nadeem, Manan Vohra, Mohsin Khan, Ayush Badoni, Kyle Mayers, Karan Sharma, Evin Lewis, Mayank Yadav

Team Lucknow strengths and weaknesses

Strengths

One glance at the Lucknow squad highlights their well-rounded and formidable bowling unit, which will be a big threat for opposition batters in the new season. T20 specialist Andrew Tye could be entrusted to make early in-roads into the opposition along with the experienced Jason Holder.

Avesh Khan is another option they can utilise early on even though he will primarily be responsible for keeping things tight at the death alongside Dushmantha Chameera and Tye. Additionally, Lucknow boasts a variety of spin options as well with the likes of Krunal Pandya, Shahbaz Nadeem and Krishnappa Gowtham, all capable of single-handedly turning the tide of a contest on their day.

Weaknesses

Lucknow’s batting looks slightly limited on paper and it will be interesting to see how they perform with the willow should some of their bigger names fail to get going. While KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock make for a formidable opening pair with Manish Pandey at No.3, it will be intriguing to watch what happens if the aforementioned trio finds it difficult to produce their best.

Their dearth of tried and tested batting options isn’t just limited to the top order since a lot will be riding on their power-hitting middle order that features Krunal Pandya, Marcus Stoinis and Deepak Hooda. If their middle-order fails to perform to expectations, a lot of the onus will be on their top order, which isn’t exactly spoilt for choice as far as established international stars go.

Who can be the highest run-scorer for Team Lucknow?

A proven performer on the Indian T20 League stage, expect KL Rahul to lead from the front and finish as his team’s top run-getter in the upcoming campaign. Rahul, who finished as Punjab’s top-scorer (626 runs) last season, has been in fine form for India recently, consistently scoring runs on the international stage across all formats.

He has made 3,273 Indian T20 League runs at a magnificent average of 47.43 with two centuries and 27 fifties. As already mentioned, he enjoyed a fine campaign on a personal front last time around. The season prior in 2020 witnessed Rahul win the Orange Cap for most runs (670) and he was also adjudged the Game Changer of the Season in that edition.

Who can be the highest wicket-taker for Team Lucknow?

Avesh Khan looks primed to finish as his team’s top wicket-taker in Indian T20 League 2022 and he is likely to be Lucknow’s go-to bowler this season. The 25-year-old enjoyed a fine breakthrough campaign last time around, notching 24 wickets in 16 matches at an average of 25.82.

Avesh’s performances last year didn’t go unnoticed with the selectors handing him his T20I debut. He heads into the new Indian T20 League campaign as a capped Indian talent with a couple of international scalps under his belt. With more confidence and experience now than a year back, expect Avesh to go from strength to strength and be Lucknow’s top wicket-taker. 

Where will Team Lucknow finish in Indian T20 League 2022?

Starting from scratch as a new franchise in any league isn’t easy and that’s even more so in the ultra-competitive environment that’s synonymous with the Indian T20 League. That said, Lucknow can make the playoffs if all their stars stand up and be counted on most occasions although that’s easier said than done with the players still getting to know one another.

Lucknow Indian T20 League 2022 schedule, fixtures and match times

All times are in India Standard Time (IST)

Day and Date	Fixtures	Venue	Time
Monday, March 28	Gujarat vs Lucknow	Wankhede Stadium	7:30 PM
Thursday, March 31	Lucknow vs Chennai	Brabourne Stadium	7:30 PM
Monday, April 4	Hyderabad vs Lucknow	DY Patil Stadium	7:30 PM
Thursday, April 7	Lucknow vs Delhi	DY Patil Stadium	7:30 PM
Sunday, April 10	Rajasthan vs Lucknow	Wankhede Stadium	7:30 PM
Saturday, April 16	Mumbai vs Lucknow	Brabourne Stadium	3:30 PM
Tuesday, April 19	Lucknow vs Bangalore	DY Patil Stadium	7:30 PM
Sunday, April 24	Lucknow vs Mumbai	Wankhede Stadium	7:30 PM
Friday, April 29	Punjab vs Lucknow	MCA Stadium	7:30 PM
Sunday, May 1	Delhi vs Lucknow	Wankhede Stadium	3:30 PM
Saturday, May 7	Lucknow vs Kolkata	MCA Stadium	7:30 PM
Tuesday, May 10	Lucknow vs Gujarat	MCA Stadium	7:30 PM
Sunday, May 15	Lucknow vs Rajasthan	Brabourne Stadium	7:30 PM
Wednesday, May 18	Kolkata vs Lucknow	DY Patil Stadium	7:30 PM

Author: Andre Pitts

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Featured photo: Twitter/KL Rahul

Defending champions Tamil Nadu will take on southern rivals Karnataka in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021 final at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Monday, November 22. 

Tamil Nadu stormed into their third consecutive Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy final after beating Hyderabad by eight wickets in the first semi-final. The Vijay Shankar-led side has been impressive in the ongoing T20 tournament, finishing second in the Elite Group A points table behind Maharashtra. The defending champions then defeated Kerala by five wickets in the first quarter-final to set-up their clash against Hyderabad.

On the other hand, Karnataka beat Vidarbha by four runs in a nail-biting second semi-final on Saturday. Led by Manish Pandey, Karnataka had earlier defeated Bengal in a thrilling quarter-final clash and also won four of their five matches in Elite Group B, finishing second in the points table.

Interestingly, the winner of the Tamil Nadu vs Karnataka SMAT final will become the most successful team in the T20 competition, having already won the title two times each. While Tamil Nadu have won the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in 2006 and 2020, Karnataka have claimed the title in 2018 and 2019. Baroda and Gujarat have also clinched the trophy on two occasions each.

Tamil Nadu vs Karnataka full squads

Tamil Nadu squad: Vijay Shankar (captain), N Jagadeesan (wicket-keeper), Adithya Ganesh (wicket-keeper), T Natarajan, Sandeep S Warrier, R Sai Kishore, B Aparajith, M Ashwin, M Shahrukh Khan, C Hari Nishaanth, M Siddharth, V Ganga Sridhar Raju, M Mohammed, J Kousik, R Sanjay Yadav, R Silambarasan, R Vivek Raj, B Sai Sudharshan, P Saravana Kumar

Karnataka squad: Manish Pandey (captain), Mayank Agarwal, Devdutt Padikkal, KV Siddharth, Rohan Kadam, Anirudha Joshi, Abhinav Manohar, Karun Nair, BR Sharath (wicket-keeper), Nihal Ullal (wicket-keeper), Shreyas Gopal, Krishnappa Gowtham, Jagadeesha Suchith, Pravin Dubey, KC Cariappa, Prasidh Krishna, Prateek Jain, Vyshak Vijaykumar, MB Darshan, Vidyadhar Patil

Where to watch Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021 final live in India?

The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021 final between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka will be telecast live from 12 PM IST on Star Sports 1 and Star Sports 1 HD TV channels in India.

Live streaming of the Tamil Nadu vs Karnataka Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021 final will be available on Disney+ Hotstar app and website. 

SportsAdda will bring you Tamil Nadu vs Karnataka live scores.

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Featured photo: BCCI

SportAdda’s brand ambassador, Brett Lee has been left impressed with the performances of young uncapped Indian players in the Indian T20 League. The former Australia bowler has said that these players will play a key role in the title challenge this season

In a chat with Manish Batavia, the former pacer also talked about the potential role of Manish Pandey for Hyderabad and spoke highly of Sanju Samson’s captaincy,

“That’s what the Indian T20 League is about. We always hear about the overseas players coming in like Chris Gayle and David Warner but I’ve always said that the uncapped Indian players will stand up,�?said Lee. 

“That team that’s going to win the Indian T20 League 2021 in my opinion will be the young uncapped Indian players stepping up to support the overseas players.�?/span>

Binga impressed with captain Samson

Despite a substandard return with the ball, Rajasthan were right on the cusp of a brilliant victory in their tournament opener against Punjab. A certain Sanju Samson, playing his first Indian T20 League match as a captain, scored a brilliant half-century, but his knock was somehow overshadowed by his decision of not taking a single in the penultimate ball of the run chase.

Rajasthan went on to lose the game, but Lee thinks that it was indeed a right call from the batsman.

“The way I looked at it, I believe he made the right call. On one hand, you have Samson who knows the pace of the wicket. Should he have taken the single? I believe no. If Morris had played enough deliveries, I’d have said yeah give it Morris. But in a situation like this where you don’t take the single, you have to finish the show.

“I actually believe he is a fantastic captain. His leadership qualities were outstanding really. His timing, the way he brought the players on in terms of bowlers, the changes; they were all perfect. To me, he ticks every box,�?Lee added.

Russell embodies T20’s unpredictability

Kolkata all-rounder Andre Russell became the first player to pick a five-fer in two overs in the Indian T20 League, but his effort against Mumbai went in vain as his team went on to lose the fixture by 10 runs. A lot has been said about Russell in recent times and this is what Binga had to say about the big West Indian.

“Look T20 cricket is such a fickle format because if you take that five-fer out of the equation and go back just less than a week, there were a lot of speculations about him being out of form last year,�?Lee said.

“The talk of the town was that Russell would not even play the entire tournament this year. But he had a wonderful game and now everybody’s saying he is the best all-rounder,�?he added.

Lee urges Manish Pandey to 'step up'

Manish Pandey has had decent outings for Team Hyderabad and despite his best efforts, the one-time Indian T20 League winners still remain winless in two games. 

Speaking about the batsman, Lee has said that he was very much unimpressed with his shot selections and has urged him to up the ante. “I think he understands what he has to do in order to win the games.�?/span>

“I’m not trying to throw him under the bus, but I was perplexed with his shot selection and the way he got out. He is a senior player now and he needs to step up.�?/span>

The Yo-Yo test has become a talking point in recent years ever since it set the benchmark for selection in the Indian cricket team.

This test is considered to be one of the main reasons for the massive improvement in fitness levels among players today.

Interestingly, several cricketers including Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Mohammed Shami, Sanju Samson and recently Varun Chakravarthy have failed to clear the Yo-Yo test.

Explained: What is the Yo-Yo test?

The Yo-Yo test is a variation of the Beep test, a running aerobic fitness test that involves running between two sets of cones that are 20 metres apart (incidentally the length of a cricket pitch). 

Once the beep is sounded, a player has to reach the cone on the other side at the next beep. The player then has to return to the initial cone before the third beep sounds. Once the return trip is done, it marks the completion of a shuttle. 

The Yo-Yo test in ultra slow-mo #INDvNZ - batch 2 : @ashwinravi99 @imVkohli @SDhawan25 @ajinkyarahane88 @MdShami11 pic.twitter.com/2UkBBtZcbn

�?BCCI (@BCCI) September 18, 2016

There’s a seven second recovery period between each shuttle. As the level of each shuttle goes up, the duration benchmark for the completion of the shuttle decreases. The number of shuttles per level increases too although not mathematically. This leads to an increase in the running speed.

It starts with level 5, which consists of one shuttle, level 11 has two shuttles and so on and gets gruelling as it progresses. Level 23 is the highest.

Once a player misses two beeps, their test ends. The process is software-based and the results are recorded.

The benchmark level for the Indian cricket team is 16:1, which covers 1120 metres.

The level for New Zealand cricketers is set at 20:1.

Who invented the Yo-Yo test?

Danish soccer physiologist Dr Jens Bangsbo had introduced the Intermittent Recovery Test (Yo-Yo test) in the 1990s. The test was initially done on footballers to improve their overall fitness and aerobic capacity. The routine, however, did not follow the template of running long distances. Over a period of time, other sports started embracing the Yo-Yo test.

When was the Yo-Yo test introduced to Indian cricket team?

Former Indian cricket team’s strength and conditioning coach Shankar Basu had introduced the Yo-Yo test to the national side ahead of India’s tour of Sri Lanka in 2017.

How have Indian cricket players fared in the Yo-Yo test?

While India’s benchmark Yo-Yo score is set at 16.1, there are cricketers who have gone beyond it.

India captain Virat Kohli recorded a score of 19 in the Yo-Yo test but he has three strong competitors in domestic cricket who have recorded higher scores.

According to a report in PTI, Indian players Manish Pandey, Karun Nair and Mayank Dagar bettered Kohli’s Yo-Yo test record. While Pandey touched the 19.2 mark, Himachal Pradesh cricketer and a former member of the India Under-19 squad Mayank Dagar recorded 19.3 in his test.

Additionally, Karnataka cricketer Karun Nair has also broken Virat Kohli’s record and was called the fittest cricketer in the Indian set up by Shankar Basu. However, his test results were not revealed.

However, failing the test does not necessarily provide the full picture of the player’s fitness.

“It doesn’t take in account the cricketing ability,�?sports and exercise nutrition specialist Rishi Manuja told the Hindustan Times. “Also, one needs to be at a certain level of fitness to take part in the test. It can’t be the ultimate test of one’s sports ability.�? 

 

Featured photo: NOAH SEELAM / AFP

Check out for the top batsmen in the Indian T20 League this season. Find out who has scored the most runs in the 2020 edition, Orange Cap list and the finest cricketers from the campaign.

As the tally of runs for each of the top batsman changes, the Orange Cap is passed around as the group stages of the tournament progress. It is finally awarded to the batsman with the highest run-tally at the end of the season.

Australians had a stronghold over the Orange Cap at the start of the tournament, as Shaun Marsh donned the Cap in the inaugural edition in 2008, while compatriot Matthew Hayden took over in 2009.

The Orange Cap finally found its place on an Indian in the legendary Sachin Tendulkar in 2010 as the Master Blaster led Mumbai to the title. Another Indian to bag the Orange Cap was Virat Kohli in 2016.

David Warner has adorned the Orange Cap the most, wearing it in 2015, 2017 and 2019 while Chris Gayle has won it twice, in 2011 and 2012.

It remains to be seen who will earn the right to sport the prestigious Orange Cap after the dust settles on the ongoing edition but we'll be tracking the tally throughout the season and keep you updated regularly.

Indian T20 League 2020 Orange Cap holder

The versatile and dependable KL Rahul made a blistering start to the 2020 Indian T20 League season and this sees him winning this year's Orange Cap.

Position	Player	Team	Runs
1	KL Rahul	Punjab	670
2	Shikhar Dhawan	Delhi	618
3	David Warner	Hyderabad	548
4	Shreyas Iyer	Delhi	519
5	Ishan Kishan	Mumbai	516

Feature image courtesy: Twitter.com / Punjab

Hyderabad endured a disappointing start to their 2020 Indian T20 League season and but got back to winnings ways, which they have continued so far by beating Bangalore in the Eliminator to make it to Qualifier 2.

HYD's opening match saw them fall short by 10 runs while chasing a target of 164 against Bangalore and their second encounter turned out to be somewhat of a walk in the park for Kolkata, who comfortably chased down a target of 143 to win the contest by seven wickets and two overs to spare.

A major reason behind their dismal start to the season was their top-order batting woes with skipper David Warner, in particular, struggling to find form. However, Warner has since returned to the standards expected of him and we find him leading the Hyderabad table. Manish Pandey, Kane Williamson and Jonny Bairstow have also been reliable batsmen for Hyderabad, having scored runs quite consistently.

But Hyderabad will still need the likes of Manish Pandey, Rashid Khan, Priyam Garg and Vijay Shankar to step up if they want to be competitive in the all-important Qualifier 2.

With that in mind, here’s a list of players with most runs for HYD in the Indian T20 League 2020 so far:

Player	Runs	Average	Strike Rate
David Warner	548	39.14	134.64
Manish Pandey	425	32.69	127.62
Jonny Bairstow	345	31.36	126.83
Kane Williamson	317	45.28	133.75
Wriddhiman Saha	214	71.33	139.86

Feature image courtesy: Twitter / Hyderabad

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Monday announced Team India's 15-man ODI squad for the tour of Australia starting next month.

The squad has all the usual suspects in skipper Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammad Shami and Jasprit Bumrah, among others. They also deserve credit for selecting batsmen like Shubman Gill and Mayank Agarwal, who have scored heaps of runs in domestic cricket in the last couple of years.

However, as far as picking the other resources is concerned, the selectors seem pretty reluctant to switch away from the tried and tested methods.

Squad: Virat Kohli (Capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul (vc & wk), Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Mayank Agarwal, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Shami, Navdeep Saini, Shardul Thakur

The worst part about the squad is the selection of players like Manish Pandey and Kuldeep Yadav. Pandey has been mainly picked as a lower middle-order batsman in this squad but his previous stints in the same role have shown that he is not quite cut out for this job. He has mainly been a top and middle-order batsman for the major part of his career. Finishing has never been his Cup of tea. Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja are the only other reliable finishers chosen but the squad still cries out for another batsman specialising in that role.

It is quite baffling that someone like Rishabh Pant has been kept out of the squad. The left-handed wicketkeeper-batsman could have given the Indian side a much-needed X factor and firepower in their lower middle-order. Even a batsman like Suryakumar Yadav keeps getting overlooked despite his superb performances across all formats in domestic cricket for a number of years now.

Kuldeep, on the other hand, has become quite ineffective as a bowler over the course of the last year or so. Batsmen have figured him out owing to the slow pace at which he bowls and that's why he isn't the same wicket-taking force he used to be once. There are far better spinners like Rahul Chahar and Ravichandran Ashwin, who have proven themselves in the white-ball format with good performances in domestic cricket in this time period.

Not only that, the pace attack looks quite one dimensional as well. Yes, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami and Navdeep Saini are the best pacers available for white-ball selection at the moment but the selectors could have done better by picking other bowlers in place of Shardul Thakur. All four of them are right-arm pacers, but there is quite a wide gap between the quality of Thakur and the aforementioned pacers. The selectors could have given a chance to left-arm pacers to bring variety into the bowling attack.

T Natarajan and Arshdeep Singh are two left-arm pacers who have impressed everyone in the ongoing edition of the Indian T20 League. So one of them at least deserved a place in this squad.

Overall, it can be said that the selectors have been too conservative with their approach and their decisions lack long-term vision.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Noah Seelam