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Time of India
3 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
RCB fans don't want MI in final? Netizens share 'cheating' controversies, umpire decisions & owner influence ahead of Qualifier 2
It's Qualifier 2! Table-toppers Punjab Kings (PBKS) are set to face five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) in a high-stakes showdown that will determine who earns the right to meet Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the IPL 2024 final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. MI arrive with serious momentum—eight wins in their last ten matches have transformed them into a formidable force. With a history of rising to the occasion, MI are no strangers to knockout success. PBKS will be wary of this ever-charging team and will hope to stop them to secure a place in the final. A 𝘾𝙤𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙖𝙡 Clash ❤️💙A 𝙂𝙞𝙜𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙘 Venue 🏟️And all to play for in #Qualifier2 🔥@PunjabKingsIPL 🆚 @mipaltan - Who will blink first? 🤔#TATAIPL | #PBKSvMI | #TheLastMile But while the cricketing world gears up for a blockbuster clash, RCB fans have made their feelings clear—they don't want MI in the final. And it's not just because Mumbai are tough competitors. The distrust runs deeper. Many in the RCB fanbase have pointed to past controversies and what they perceive as questionable decisions involving the MI camp—be it umpiring calls or broader issues of fairness with the influence of their owners. Here are some of the videos and incidents circulating that have RCB fans questioning MI's fair play in the IPL. R Ashwin's take on MI Chennai Super Kings (CSK) spinner R. Ashwin, in a video with journalist Vimal Kumar, pointed out that Mumbai Indians (MI) always seem to get lucky in crunch situations. Recalling a specific incident from the 2018 IPL season—when he was leading Punjab Kings (then Kings XI Punjab)—Ashwin highlighted a moment that still baffles him. He shared, "I've seen one thing about Mumbai Indians—every single time, something happens. In 2018, I was leading Punjab against MI. They were 80-odd for five wickets in 13 overs. They weren't anywhere in the game. Suddenly, the floodlights lost power and we had a 20-minute break. When play resumed, Kieron Pollard went ballistic, and they ended up scoring around 180–200 runs." Ashwin added, "Of course, you earn your luck. But MI always gets lucky. We need to find out how they keep getting so lucky." One of the biggest indian cricketer saying this openly but they want us to believe all those ambani allegations are just social media memes.😹 The no-ball not given in 2019 In 2019, MI clinched a 6-run win in a nail-biting final-over thriller against RCB at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. However, the Rohit Sharma-led side's victory was overshadowed by a major umpiring blunder. With RCB needing 6 runs off the final ball, Lasith Malinga overstepped—but the umpire failed to call the no-ball. MI walked away with the win, but controversy erupted immediately after the match. A visibly furious Virat Kohli didn't hold back while slamming the officials. 'We are playing at IPL level, not club cricket... That's just a ridiculous call off the last ball. The umpires should have their eyes open—it was a no-ball by an inch. It's a completely different game altogether. So if it's a game of margins, I don't know what's happening. They should have been more sharp and more careful out there,' Kohli said during the post-match presentation. In an era of so much technology and with so much at stake NO BALLS should never ever be missed .... #JustSaying #IPL2019 Virat Kohli unhappy with umpire's decision vs MI During another controversial moment in IPL 2018, then RCB captain Virat Kohli was involved in a heated exchange with the umpires in a match against MI. In the penultimate over, Chris Woakes bowled a sharp delivery that beat Hardik Pandya, prompting a caught-behind appeal from wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock. The on-field umpire gave it out, but Pandya opted for a review. Replays showed a faint spike on UltraEdge, suggesting the ball had brushed the bat. However, the third umpire ruled there was no contact and overturned the decision, granting Pandya a lifeline. A frustrated Kohli protested the call, firmly believing the evidence confirmed an edge and that the original decision should have stood. The incident added to growing concerns over inconsistent umpiring in high-stakes matches. When Faf du Plessis recounted the MI vs RCB toss incident Before the SRH vs RCB clash in IPL 2024, then RCB captain Faf du Plessis was seen chatting with Pat Cummins, seemingly recounting the controversial toss from the MI-RCB match. In that incident, MI skipper Hardik Pandya flipped the coin so high that it landed behind everyone, prompting match referee Javagal Srinath to retrieve it. Du Plessis's animated conversation with Cummins quickly went viral on social media, with many fans convinced he was referencing the toss controversy. The moment further stoked ongoing discussions around the MI-RCB fixture and added to the sense of tension heading into another knockout match. Now, as MI prepare to face PBKS in Qualifier 2, RCB fans are hoping the Punjab franchise can halt Mumbai's charge—so that RCB, already in the final, might finally have a fair shot at lifting the IPL trophy and ushering in a new champion in 2025.
New Indian Express
10-05-2025
- Sport
- New Indian Express
Will the Indian Test team take fresh guard in England?
ON a rainy Tuesday evening on December 18, the press conference room at The Gabba was filled with an air of suspense. India had held on to a draw in a rain-affected third Test. In the midst of all this, murmurs had spread that a senior India player was about to quit. Soon after, R Ashwin made a statement announcing his retirement from internationals. In that same press conference, Rohit Sharma suggested that there would no other retirements for the time being. However, fewer than five months later, Sharma himself announced his retirement from Tests on May 7. On Friday night, it emerged that Virat Kohli was also planning to retire from Tests and had conveyed his decision to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The Board, it was reported, have asked him to reconsider his decision. Considering Kohli had refuted any sign of retirement talk only two months ago at a chat in a Royal Challengers Bengaluru event, what changed? Only on March 15, the former India captain had said: "Me playing is not for achievement," he had said. "It's for the joy, enjoyment and love for the game. As long as that is intact, I will continue to play. I have to be honest about that with myself... at this point of time in my life, I feel pretty happy. I still love playing the game."
Hindustan Times
01-05-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
CSK ‘to free up purse for IPL 2026' by releasing R Ashwin: Former India coach makes bombshell claim
R Ashwin rejoined CSK for Rs. 9.75 Crore in the mega auction last year, but the veteran spinner has failed to justify the massive price tag. In seven matches, Ashwin has taken only five wickets at an economy of 9.29. The former India cricketer's form has been reflective of CSK's, who have been knocked out of the playoff race after their defeat to PBKS on Wednesday. After CSK's defeat to PBKS, former India cricketer and coach Sanjay Bangar predicted that Ashwin would be released ahead of IPL 2026. 'Whether they retain Ashwin or not is going to be another big question because that's where the money is locked in. If they want to free up their purse a little bit, in the knowledge that they might not want to use Ashwin as much as they have used in this particular season. So, probably out of those big-ticket players, those are the two players (Ashwin and Pathirana) that they might just think of whether they want to keep them or maybe find a replacement for them,' he said. Meanwhile, former India player Harbhajan Singh has criticised CSK's decision to hardly use Ashwin this season, and questioned the reason behind paying such a huge amount for the spinner. 'Chennai didn't select the team based on conditions. Had Noor Ahmad, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja played together against Punjab Kings, Chennai Super Kings could have won the match. You didn't pay INR 10 crore for Ashwin to bench him. I don't know why he is not playing, but it seems he might have fought with someone,' he said. 'He is not the only one who hasn't performed. Others are still playing despite their ordinary performances, but Ashwin is out of the team. He should have played against Punjab, as the ball was spinning.' Out of the playoff race, CSK are bottom of the standings with four points in 10 matches, packed with two wins and eight defeats.
NDTV
29-04-2025
- Sport
- NDTV
R Ashwin Reveals What Made Him Contemplate Retirement: "When I Didn't Start In Perth..."
Former Indian cricket team spinner R Ashwin finally revealed what led to his international retirement midway through the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. Ashwin decided to announce his retirement after the third Test match at The Gabba - a decision that took the cricketing world by surprise. During an interaction on the Mike Testing 1, 2, 3' podcast, Ashwin said that he wanted to retire after the Test match against Bangladesh in Chennai where he scored a century and claimed a six-wicket haul. However, he decided to prolong his career due to his good form and sensational run of results. 'To be very honest, I wanted to do it after my 100th Test. And then I thought, Ok, let me give it a go in the home season. Because, I mean, you're playing well, and you're getting wickets, you're making runs," Ashwin told CSK batting coach Michael Hussey in the podcast. "I thought it does make sense to play a bit. I was having a lot of fun, but the whole hard yards that I had to put through to put myself in the park again, physically and mentally, one of the most important things that was pulling me down was the family time," he added. Ashwin further claimed that not playing the first Test match against Australia in Perth took an emotional toll on him and that also indirectly led to him considering retirement from international cricket. "I thought I'd probably close off with the Chennai Test here. I ended up getting a six-wicket haul and a hundred. So it's very tough to quit when you're doing very well. So, I went on with the series, and we lost against New Zealand. So, one after the other, it was just building up. And then I thought, okay, let me go to Australia. Let me see how this goes. Because the last time I was in Australia, I had a great, great tour," said Ashwin. "And when I didn't start in Perth, it was like, okay, this whole circle keeps going again. People add very little value to what you're going through emotionally. They don't really consider that because your emotions are yours, and it doesn't matter to anybody else. So I had been contemplating that, and then I thought, okay, maybe it is time," he added. Listen to the latest songs, only on
Indian Express
29-04-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
Ashwin reveals his reason for announcing his retirement during the Australia tour
R Ashwin who received the Padma Shri award on Monday, has revealed that he wanted to retire from international cricket after the conclusion of the Chennai Test against Bangladesh where he scored a century and picked up a six-wicket haul. The all-rounder had send shock waves announcing his retirement in the middle of the Australia tour as he returned mid-way through the series before featuring in the ongoing IPL for Chennai Super Kings. Ashwin had previously revealed that retirement thoughts were playing un his mind twice, once during the home series against Australia in 2023 and then a year later when India humbled the Bazballers. Speaking on the franchise's podcast show Mike Testing 123 with former Australian and CSK batsman Mike Hussey, who is currently the batting coach at the franchise, Ashwin spoke his decision to retire. 'To be very honest, I wanted to do it after my 100th Test. And then I thought, Ok, let me give it a go in the home season. Because, I mean, you're playing well and you're getting wickets, you're making runs. So I thought it does make sense to play a bit. I was having a lot of fun, but the whole hard yards that I had to put through to put myself on the park again, physically and mentally, one of the most important things for me that was pulling me down was the family time,' Ashwin said. Ashwin then went on to reveal that how he wanted to carry on in the home season before the script went downhill in Australia. He also spoke about the emotional aspect, particularly after he warmed the bench during the first Test at Perth where Washington Sundar was preferred over him. 'I thought I'll probably close off (with) the Chennai Test here. I ended up getting a six-wicket haul and a hundred. So it's very tough to quit when you're doing very well. So, I went on with the series and we lost against New Zealand. So one after the other, it was just building up. And then I thought, okay, let me go to Australia. Let me see how this goes. Because the last time I was in Australia, I had a great, great tour. And when I didn't start in Perth, it was like, okay, this whole circle keeps going again. People add very little value to what you're going through emotionally. They don't really consider that because your emotions are yours and it doesn't matter to anybody else. So I had been contemplating that and then I thought, okay, maybe it is time.
