Gayle twisted his back: Ashwin

Mumbai, april 11

Kings XI Punjab captain Ravichandran Ashwin says the team’s in-form swashbuckler Chris Gayle “twisted his back” during the three-wicket loss to Mumbai Indians in their IPL game which required his side to be “steelier and smarter” than what it was. “He (Gayle) said he twisted his back. We have to go check and how he is,” Ashwin said of the 39-year-old West Indian. Gayle did not take the field during Mumbai Indians’ successful run chase and KXIP coach Sridharan Sriram also said the Jamaican needs to be monitored over the next few days. “He felt a twitch in the back — that’s what he said. We need to assess and monitor what he’s going to do over the next couple of days,” he said. In another injury worry for KXIP, Ashwin said medium-pacer Ankit Rajpoot has a niggle too. 

Delhi Capitals’ Harshal Patel ruled out of IPL

Kolkata: Delhi Capitals seamer Harshal Patel was ruled out of the remainder of the IPL owing to a fracture in his right hand, coach Ricky Ponting said. “He has suffered a fracture in his right hand in the game against Kings XI Punjab on April 1. It took us a few days to actually get to the bottom of the problem. He’s been ruled out for three-four weeks, which basically ruled him out of the tournament. We need to find a replacement,” Ponting said. — PTI

Ganguly conducts capital's  training, to sit in dugout 

Kolkata: Facing conflict of interest allegations, Delhi Capitals advisor Sourav Ganguly was seen conducting the team’s training session and made it clear that he would sit in the visitors’ dugout in their IPL match against KKR on Friday. Sporting the Delhi Capitals jersey, Ganguly, who is also the president of the Cricket Association of Bengal, arrived at the Eden Gardens before the team and inspected the pitch which wore a greenish look. He was later seen in a lengthy discussion with team head coach Ricky Ponting who said at the press conference that they may go for an all pace attack against KKR. Asked how it feels to work with Ganguly, Ponting said it’s fun. “We have got very similar ideas and views on the game which has made us work well together. I love working with him,” he said. — PTI