Virender Sehwag has stepped down as captain of Delhi Daredevils, the franchise said on Monday. Sehwag is coming out of a shoulder injury and said he wanted to focus on his batting. Gautam Gambhir will lead Delhi in next month’s Champions League Twenty20, and is expected to remain captain in next year’s IPL, with wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik as his deputy.
“I would like to thank GMR [the franchise owners] for their understanding in accepting my request to step down,” Sehwag said. “Personally, I would like to concentrate on my own batting and contribute to the team.”
Sehwag, 30, said he had full faith in Gambhir, who had captained the side during the second edition of the IPL and had also been a Ranji Trophy-winning captain for Delhi. “Gautam did a great job of captaining Delhi and also during IPL 2 in South Africa this year,” Sehwag said. “He has shown very good leadership skills and will bring fresh energy into the Delhi Daredevils.”
Gambhir, on his part, said he would draw from his experience of leading Delhi on the domestic circuit. “I am delighted at my selection as captain of Delhi Daredevils and I am committed to deliver my best,” Gambhir said. “I have led Delhi in the past and it was an enriching experience. Hopefully, I can put into practice all that I have learnt.
“I have always looked up to Viru [Sehwag]. He has been a guide and friend for me. It is always difficult to fit into the shoes of someone as illustrious as him. I can always turn to him for any advice, as also to the other seniors in the team. We have had great camaraderie in the side and this will help us reach greater heights.”
Andrew Flintoff has returned home from the Indian Premier League to undergo surgery on a torn meniscus in his right knee.
Flintoff had been appearing for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL when he felt discomfort in his right knee. The Chennai medical staff immediately contacted ECB’s chief medical officer Dr Nick Peirce. Scans were taken of the right knee in a Durban hospital and they detected a slight medial meniscal tear and after these were viewed by Peirce it was decided that Flintoff should return to London.
The IPL’s new ‘tactical timeout’ is hampering the momentum of a team in a Twenty20 match, Mumbai Indians captain Sachin Tendulkar has said. The seven-and-a-half-minute break in the middle of an innings has also been criticised by Mumbai offspinner Harbhajan Singh, who told NDTV he did not like it because it “breaks the rhythm”.
“Yes, we have done well in our last match but I think the strategy breaks are hampering the momentum of a team,” Tendulkar said. “The seven and a half minute breaks are a bit too long.”
Heavy fines ranging from USD 20,000 to USD 360,000 await captains and teams which fail to bowl their 20 over’s inside stipulated time during the Indian Premier League starting here tomorrow.
Each team will get 80 minutes to bowl its 20 over’s with breaks of seven and a half minutes each after every 10 over’s in the matches that will last for three hours and 15 minutes.
Failure to complete the overs in time at first would invite a USD 20,000 fine for the captain, the ‘Beeld’ newspaper reported, quoting IPL chairman Lalit Modi.
A second transgression would lead to a USD 220,000 fine for the entire team, while a third offence will mean a USD 360,000 fine and a one-match suspension for the captain.
The IPL starts at Newlands tomorrow with Chennai Super Kings taking on Mumbai Indians, followed by a clash between Bangalore Royal Challengers and defending champions Rajasthan Royals.
