IPL bubble most vulnerable, UAE extremely safe, says Zampa

Australian cricketer Adam Zampa said that the bio-bubble for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 is the most vulnerable one he has been in so far due to the Covid-19 situation in India.

“We’ve been in a few (bubbles) now, and I feel like this is probably the most vulnerable,” Zampa told The Sydney Morning Herald.

Zampa said that the tournament should have been held in the UAE, as it was last year.

“I just feel like because it’s India, we’re always being told about the hygiene over here and being extra careful .

“I just felt like it was the most vulnerable. The IPL that was held in Dubai six months ago didn’t feel that way at all.

“I felt like that was extremely safe. Personally, I feel like that would have been a better option originally for this IPL but obviously, there’s a lot of political stuff that goes into it,” said Zampa.

“Obviously there’s the T20 World Cup that’s meant to be happening here later this year. That’s probably going to be the next discussion in the cricket world. Six months is a long time,” he said.

Kuggeleijn joins RCB: Bangalore on Wednesday announced that New Zealand fast bowling all-rounder Scott Kuggeleijn will replace Richardson in the IPL after the Aussie pacer left the tournament.

Kuggeleijn was part of the Mumbai Indians set-up as a net bowler and was in Delhi when the call came for him to join RCB in Ahmedabad.

“We are happy to announce the arrival of Scott Kuggeleijn, New Zealand fast bowling all-rounder, as a replacement for Kane Richardson,” said a statement from RCB.

Chennai win:  A 129-run opening stand between Ruturaj Gaikwad and Faf du Plessis helped Chennai Super Kings (CSK) beat SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) by seven wickets in an Indian Premier League contest at the Arun Jaitley Stadium here on Wednesday.

Gaikwad made 75 off 44 balls (12x4) while du Plessis scored 56 off 38 balls (6x4, 1x6) as CSK chased down 171/3 put up by SRH with nine balls to spare.

SRH struggled to get wickets, as their pace trio of Sandeep Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed and Siddarth Kaul couldn’t get any assistance from the placid pitch. The three conceded 92 runs in 11.3 overs as the CSK openers made merry.

Leg-spinner Rashid Khan took 3/36 in his four overs but he was far from miserly on a pitch that helped strokeplay. CSK raced to 50 without loss in the powerplay stage.

Both Gaikwad and du Plessis have had successful opening partnerships in the past few matches. They added 115 in the game against Kolkata Knight Riders, 74 against the Royal Challengers Bangalore and 129 against SRH on Wednesday.

By the time both were dismissed by Rashid, CSK were already on course for a win.

Earlier, Kane Williamson’s 10-ball 26 at the back-end of the SRH innings helped his side score 58 runs in the last five overs to reach a fighting total of 171/3 in 20 overs.

Williamson arrived at the crease with SRH needing a fillip as CSK’s fielding and tight bowling had restricted the Hyderabad franchise.

After opener Jonny Bairstow was dismissed early, skipper David Warner and No. 3 Manish Pandey added 106 runs for the second wicket in 13.5 overs. While there was no loss of wicket, Warner struggled to get his shots going and couldn’t increase the run rate. He fell for a 55-ball 57, which included two sixes and three fours.

Pandey, who was included in the side after being benched in the previous game, looked more fluent as he hammered his way to a 46-ball 61 (5x4, 1x6).

However, it was Williamson who turned it on for SRH. The New Zealand captain, who walked in to bat at No. 4, took 19 runs (20 overall) off Shardul Thakur’s final over, the innings’ 19th.

Williamson hit one six and four fours during his innings, while Kedar Jadhav chipped in with 12 off four balls.

miletsone for De Villiers: AB de Villiers hit a landmark 75 as Royal Challengers Bangalore beat Delhi Capitals by just one run to go back top of the Indian Premier League on Tuesday.

The South African veteran’s unbeaten 42-ball blitz made him only the sixth batsman to pass 5,000 runs in the tournament, and only the second foreigner.

De Villiers said he spends much of the time in the team’s pandemic bio bubble working out in his hotel room. “You have to stay fresh,” said the 37-year-old.

“He keeps doing it again and again for us,” said Kohli.

Agencies