"We are making good preparations for playoffs": GT seamer Arshad Khan ahead of MI clash
Punjab stayed at the top of the standings, while RCB moved to the second spot. RCB have booked a date with Punjab Kings in Qualifier 1 on Thursday, while Gujarat Titans, who slipped to third, will face Mumbai Indians in the Eliminator on Friday.
'We are making good preparations for the play-offs. We have discussed the mistakes that we have made in the past. And we are preparing to make it better. And we are planning well for the upcoming matches,' Arshad Khan said in a media interaction.
Arshad also spoke about Gujarat's middle order.
'I think our middle order is not getting exposed. So, no one knows how strong our middle order is... And our lower order is also very good. So, I think that is why everyone is not getting exposed. But it is nothing like that. Our middle order is very strong. And we are preparing for the upcoming matches.'
Arshad Khan also reflected on their previous fixture against Chennai Super Kings, acknowledging it wasn't their best. He emphasised the importance of winning in the eliminator or qualifier, viewing the extra game as an opportunity to reach and win the final.
'I think our last game was not that good. But now that we are talking about our eliminator, whether we play the eliminator or the qualifier, it is important to win. So, we are getting to play an extra game, which is God's plan. So, we will try to play an extra game and reach the final and then win the final,' he added. (ANI)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hans India
24 minutes ago
- Hans India
Hyderabad Pickleball League set to begin on October 10
Hyderabad: Pickleball, the world's fastest-growing participation sport, is about to make history in Hyderabad with the launch of the Hyderabad Pickleball League (HPL), a first-of-its-kind franchise league that blends grassroots accessibility with elite entertainment. Conceptualised and founded by Centre Court Sports and Entertainment, the league is set to kick off on October 10, 2025, bringing a festival of sport and community every Friday night. The HPL is built on a hyper-local model designed to take pickleball to the grassroots, making the sport fun, engaging, and accessible to everyone. The format features 8 franchise teams, each comprising of 10 players, led by an Icon Player. Each team must also pick a minimum of two female players and at least one player aged over 35. Teams will battle it out in a round robin format across eight venues, followed by IPL-style playoffs that will culminate in the Finals on November 28, 2025. Players will be paid to play, a first for Hyderabad, and the league will also host a live auction on August 20, where franchises will bid for top talent from the community. To give fans the full entertainment experience, every match will feature live streaming, professional referees, real-time scoring, and electrifying venues, with the aim of creating Friday Night Pickleball, a calendar event for Hyderabad's sports lovers. With a total prize pool of Rs 12,00,000, the stakes are high, ensuring both fierce competition and professional rewards for athletes. Speaking on the launch Aditya Dumpala from Centre Court Sports and Entertainment said, 'Our vision is to take pickleball beyond just being a sport, we want it to become a cultural movement in Hyderabad. By blending grassroots participation with a professional, franchise-based league, we're building a platform where everyday players can rise as community heroes while fans enjoy a premium entertainment experience.' At its heart lies the league's mission of creating local heroes and bridging the gap between amateur and pro play. With its player-first approach, strong community connect, and cutting-edge entertainment model, the Hyderabad Pickleball League promises to usher in a new era for Indian pickleball.
News18
32 minutes ago
- News18
'No Chance Of Winning T20 World Cup With...': Ex-IND Selector Slams Asia Cup Team
Last Updated: Kris Srikkanth has said India will fail to defend its T20 World Cup title next year with the team selected for Asia Cup 2025. Former India selector and batter Kris Srikkanth believes India has gone 'backwards' with their Asia Cup 2025 squad selection. Soon after the Ajit Agarkar-led committee announced the squad on Tuesday, he said even if this team wins the ACC tournament, it won't be good enough to defend the T20 World Cup crown next year. Srikkanth's major apprehension was with the selections of Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, and Harshit Rana. Rinku is the team's designated opener since his excellent showing in IPL 2023, while Dube and Rana got into the side with consistent performances in IPL 2024. But all three were out of form in the recent 2025 edition. Srikkanth also took exception to removing Axar Patel from the team's vice-captaincy for Shubman Gill, who hadn't played any T20 cricket since 2024. 'We might win the Asia Cup with this team, but there is no chance of winning the T20 World Cup with this bunch," Srikkanth said in a video on his YouTube channel, as quoted by Sportskeeda. 'Are you going to take this team to the World Cup? Is this the preparation for the T20 World Cup, which is hardly six months away? They have gone backwards. Axar Patel has been axed from vice-captaincy. I don't know how Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube and Harshit Rana have come in. IPL is considered the main criteria for selection, but the selectors seem to have considered performances before that." Srikkanth believes that the team lacks a natural number five. In the team's last T20, Dube batted at that spot and scored 30 off 13 with India putting up 247/9. 'Who will bat at No. 5? Five has to be either Sanju Samson, Jitesh Sharma or Shivam Dube or Rinku Singh. Hardik Pandya usually bats at No. 5, so now, Patel Axar cannot bat at six. I can't understand how they picked Dube. Yashasvi Jaiswal have performed in international cricket and IPL as well. What does he do?" Srikkant said. India's Asia Cup campaign begins on September 10 against the UAE. view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Loading comments...
India Today
an hour ago
- India Today
Asia Cup 2025: Shreyas Iyer knocks hard, but T20I doors stay shut
The India selection committee left the fans with several questions while announcing the squad for the Asia Cup 2025, as many deserving candidates failed to make it to the 15-member team. Given the cut-throat competition on the Indian T20I circuit, several names were bound to be left out. However, none of the missing players were as deserving as Shreyas Iyer, who's revamped himself and shut down his critics with his stupendous performances over the past two being thrown out of the BCCI Central Contracts in 2024, Iyer took the setback on his chin and redeemed himself by leading Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to their third IPL title. Fast-forward to the 2025 edition of the tournament, Iyer even revamped his game and managed to get rid of the only chink in his armour – short-pitched star batter dazzled at the crease as he hooked and pulled fearlessly, taking on fast bowlers and depositing them into the stands with utmost ease. Moreover, Iyer's strike rate was also through the roof—a whopping 175.07, a sensational improvement from his previous best of 146.86. However, none of his immaculate leadership, revamped batting, and altruistic approach were deemed worthy enough by the Ajit Agarkar-led Indian selection committee, who left Iyer's behemoth T20I comeback go into the wham-bam from Iyer's willow was left to rot in a corner, it was the newly crowned prince of Indian cricket who found his way back into the T20I reckoning based on 'some promise shown in his recent performance in Test cricket,' as said by the chief metrics for different players?Shubman Gill was named the vice-captain of the shortest format on the tour of Sri Lanka 2024, but couldn't match the high-risk template of the Suryakumar Yadav-led side, which starts its innings infifth gear itself. Despite not being known to play flashy strokes from the word go, Gill has been entrusted to adapt to the role as the management foresees him as the future all-format Gill has been backed to eventually transition into the role, Iyer, whose hands are itching to launch massive sixes for India in T20Is, has been asked to wait for his opportunity.'In terms of Shreyas, it's again unfortunate. You tell me who he can replace in this squad. It's not his fault, nor ours—it's just that only 15 can be picked, and at the moment, he has to wait for his chances,' said Agarkar in the press Agarkar mentions that they only have 15 slots to fit, he also implied that Iyer wasn't even worth including in the reserves, as those five spots have been taken by Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, and Yashasvi India cricketer Abhishek Nayar, who also recently served as the assistant coach of the team, couldn't get his head around the fact that Iyer didn't deserve a place even in the top 20."I can't fathom or understand what reason could justify Shreyas Iyer not being part of the 20-member squad. I'm not even talking about the final 15, but the 20 itself, which sends a clear message that Shreyas Iyer is not in the selectors' scheme of things, at least from a T20 perspective,' said Abhishek Nayar on 'Dark Knight' of the ODI sideIyer has been the silent guardian and the watchful protector of the Indian ODI team in the past two years. However, India's own commissioner, Gordon in Ajit Agarkar, feels that he isn't the hero the T20I team needs right now. Iyer's performances have often gone under the radar as he's silently done his job under the shadows of the big stalwarts.A world-record 530 runs batting at number 4 during the ODI World Cup 2023 and a well-compiled 243 runs in the victorious Champions Trophy 2025 campaign – the highest in the team—have all raised Iyer's stocks as a true unprecedented T20 peakMoreover, having led his teams to successive IPL finals – KKR in 2024 and Punjab Kings (PBKS) in 2025 – Iyer has also proven his worth as a leader. The PBKS skipper truly led his team from the front in 2025, scoring 604 runs from 17 innings at an average of 50.33 with six Iyer's impact on the team was beyond numbers, as he left a golden chance to complete his maiden IPL century in the first match itself by deciding not to farm the strike and let Shashank Singh finish the innings with a flurry of boundaries. The selfless act sent the right message across the team as the leader was ready to sacrifice his personal milestones in pursuit of the team's the knockouts, Punjab faced the Herculean task of chasing 204 against the best bowling attack of the tournament, but Iyer took it upon himself to take them over the line as he even took on the beast named 'Jasprit Bumrah' to seal the deal for his more does the BCCI want?Before IPL, Iyer had also proven his worth as a captain by leading Mumbai to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy triumph with another thunderous show with the bat, which saw him score 345 runs from eight innings at an average of 49.28 with one hundred and as many it seems that the selectors have turned a blind eye to Iyer's performances, who continues to knock hard on their doors, only to remain unheard. The Mumbai batter has done everything in his control to deserve to don the T20I jersey. From successful leadership tenures to audacious strokeplay at crease, Iyer boasts a strong CV which could've easily made him the captain in any other BCCI and the team management don't even consider him worthy enough to be in the team, let alone give him any leadership position. As Iyer remains out of contention for the T20I side, the question remains: what more does he have to do to find a place in a team that is willing to tinker with its settled combination to accommodate some players, while his unprecedented performance continues to be ignored?- EndsTune InMust Watch
