DTVHINDI“We have seen miracles happening with this team”- Umesh Yadav said on GT’s hope of reaching the playoffs
The ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season has been full of ups and downs for Gujarat Titans (GT). GT’s performance in the last two seasons was quite good. After winning the 2022 title and finishing as runners-up in 2023, GT have had a very disappointing performance this season and their chances of reaching the playoffs are slim. However, the team’s experienced bowler Umesh Yadav has still not given up hope and has faith in the team’s ability to secure a place in the playoffs. GT kept their playoff dreams alive with a crucial win in the last game against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and remain in the race for a playoff spot. Gujarat has 10 points with five wins from 12 matches. However, considering the net run rate (-1.063), Gujarat’s chances of reaching the playoffs depend heavily on favorable results in other matches. GT has two matches left in the current season, which are against Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad. I hope GT will reach the playoffs- Umesh Yadav Umesh Yadav was quoted by NDTV as saying, “There are a lot of possibilities. The plan is to play our matches and try to win both the (remaining) matches. If we try to win by a good margin. Even Gill says he has seen miracles happen with this team. Yadav further said, “We are trying our best. If there is an upset for the top teams, and we get to 14 points, then… everyone wants to be there. The Vidarbha fast bowler got this hope after seeing GT’s remarkable performance in his debut season. The Titans made their debut during the 2022 edition of the cash-rich league and won the trophy under the leadership of Hardik Pandya. In the next edition, they managed to reach the finals, but lost there to CSK, the defending champions.
“Have you seen this happening in any other country?”- Ashwin rebuked the fans who trolled Hardik Pandya.
Hardik Pandya & R Ashwin (Photo Source: Hardik Pandya had a very bad start as a player and captain in IPL 2024. Fans are continuously booing Hardik, while he is also being trolled a lot on social media. Let us tell you that before the 17th season, MI had appointed Hardik Pandya as the captain in place of Rohit Sharma. All the fans were very angry with the decision to make Hardik the captain. Hardik had captained Gujarat Titans (GT) in the last two seasons and performed well as captain there. But since getting the captaincy of MI, he has been continuously the target of fans. Meanwhile, India’s veteran spinner R Ashwin has now come out in support of Hardik. He has scolded the fans for misbehaving with Hardik. Ashwin gave class to fans who misbehaved with Hardik Pandya Ashwin said on his YouTube channel, “Have you seen this happening in any other country? Have you seen the fans of Joe Root and Jack Crawley fighting? Or have you seen the fans of Joe Root and Jos Buttler fighting? this is madness. Have you seen the fans of Steve Smith and Pat Cummins fighting in Australia? I have said it many times. This is cricket. This is a cinema culture. I know there are things like marketing, positioning and branding. I don’t deny it. I don’t believe in all this from my side but it is not wrong to be involved in it either.” The spinner further said, “Fans war should never go down this useless path. We must remember which country these players represent – our country. Then what is the justification for targeting a cricketer? I don’t think why should a team issue an explanation if you don’t like a player and take aim at a player? We behave as if this has never happened before. Sourav Ganguly played under Sachin Tendulkar and later the opposite happened. Both of them have played under the captaincy of Rahul Dravid. All three have played under the captaincy of Anil Kumble and all of them have played under the leadership of Dhoni. When they played under Dhoni, all three were legends. Dhoni has also played under the leadership of Virat.”
IPL 2024: “There is a possibility of it happening for the 13th time” – Sunil Gavaskar made a big prediction regarding CSK.
Ahead of the upcoming edition, all ten franchises have strengthened their squads in the mini-auction and are ready to deliver another amazing performance in the world’s biggest T20 league. With the 17th season being a few months away, the predictions for it have begun. In this sequence, former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has predicted that CSK will once again qualify for the playoffs. Sunil Gavaskar made a big prediction regarding CSK former indian captain Sunil Gavaskar So, I think CSK will definitely finish in the top four like always,” he was quoted as saying by Star Sports. You can’t say ‘definitely yes’ to any team as a favourite. However, the way Chennai Super Kings have performed over the years, they have qualified in 12 out of the 16 editions. So this is likely to happen for the 13th time.” He further said, “If you look at their purchases at the auction table, the aspects they had to strengthen, it seems they were a bit lacking in bowling last year and also in batting, they had to move to the middle order after the retirement of Ambati Rayudu. Had to strengthen a little, he did it, did it all. They have a good mix of young and experienced players. Let us tell you that the upcoming edition is expected to be even more special for CSK as it is likely to be the last season of their great captain MS Dhoni. The wicketkeeper batsman has led the franchise since his debut season in 2008 and CSK has won a joint-highest number of five titles under his captaincy.
