Delhi Capitals inflicted a 46-run defeat on Rajasthan Royals at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on October 8 in Match 23 of the Dream 11 IPL season currently staged in the UAE. Delhi now top the points table with 10 points.

Between them, DC bowlers Kagiso Rabada, Ravichandran Ashwin and Marcus Stoinis shared seven wickets as they bowled out Rajasthan for 138. Ashwin’s two wickets for 22 runs earned him the Man of the Match.

Delhi’s batting performance at 184/8 was disappointing too, save for Stoinis (39 off 30 balls) and Shimron Hetmyer (45 off 24). Among Rajasthan bowlers, Jofra Archer took three wickets.

Batting second, Rajasthan suffered their fourth straight loss despite the efforts of Rahul Tewatia (38) and Steve Smith (24). Good bowling and fielding helped DC win comfortably. Hetmyer and Shikhar Dhawan netted some brilliant catches.

Dhoni’s daughter receive rape threats

Meanwhile, in a disturbing development, Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s five-year-old daughter Ziva received rape threats from social media trolls following Chennai Super Kings’ loss to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by 10 runs on October 6. The incident has been condemned by women leaders and organisations in particular, who decried the misuse of social media platforms and the rape culture permeating the country.

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Dhoni’s wife Sakshi is the managing director of this production company, and during an interview with Mid Day, she revealed that their banner will soon produce a web series based on an unpublished book.

“We have acquired the rights of an unpublished book of a debutant author. We will adapt it into a web series. It is a mythological sci-fi story that explores the journey of a mysterious Aghori and is set at a high-tech facility on a remote island,” Sakshi told Mid Day.

Dhoni Entertainment is also bankrolling another web series named ‘Roar of the Lion’ which will be premiered in Disney’s Hotstar.

“When we were developing Roar of the Lion, we thought it was the perfect time to venture into the entertainment industry. We aim to give a platform to deserving talent to showcase their skills along with providing fresh and original content to the audience. Mahi will be partially involved,” added Sakshi.

Sakshi also added that the ultimate aim of this production company is to make good stories in the future, and she made it clear that they are trying to ensure the quality of web series coming out in their banner.

On the other hand, MS Dhoni is currently going through the roughest patches of his career, as it has been a tumultuous start for him and his team, as Chennai Super Kings is currently seated at the bottom half of the points table.

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At the inaugural match in the Abu Dhabi Cricket Stadium on September 19, Chennai Super Kings beat defending champion Mumbai Indians by five wickets with four balls to spare.

At 6 pm, Sheikh Nahyan Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister for Tolerance and chairman of ECB, declared the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League, IPL 2020, open.

There were no crowds, cheerleaders or flamethrowers but the aura of a regular exciting match was recreated with the spectator noise and blaring trumpets.

MS Dhoni’s team avenged last year’s loss in the IPL final with a thumping 166/5 victory. After winning toss, CSK sent MI to bat and restricted it to 162/9 in 20 overs.

Ambati Rayudu was adjudged man of the match for his brilliant 71 off 48 balls. His partnership with Faf du Plessis, who remained unbeaten on 58 off 44 balls, saved CSK after the early loss of two wickets.

Left-hander Saurabh Tiwary top scored for the Mumbai Indians with 42 from 31 deliveries, before du Plessis caught him. Quinton de Kock scored a brilliant 33 off 20 balls. Lungi Ngidi was CSK’s most successful bowler with 3/38.

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“Seeing him the last couple of seasons, he (MS Dhoni) is past the best cricket of his and what he’s capable of doing – turning around matches from losing positions, with sheer intelligence and power. And the way he motivated his players too,” Binny told SportsKeeda in an interview.

“He’s lost a bit of fitness and there are younger players coming through the system. He’s past his best really, and he would be the right judge for that.”

Dhoni last played for India in the World Cup semi-final against New Zealand. He was expected to lead Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 2020, but could not do so considering the league’s postponement.

However, at the same time, Binny also hailed Dhoni as India’s most successful ODI captain and said Dhoni always had immense respect for all his seniors and those in charge.

“One thing we admired MS Dhoni for was that he had great respect for past cricketers. He was a very down-to-earth person and had a lot of respect and time for cricketers. He’d come and discuss with you and tell you what he wanted,” Binny added.

“He was the man on the field and we had to give him what he wanted but he wouldn’t demand it. He’d speak with the Chairman and the selectors and we didn’t have any arguments or fights. It was excellent to work with him.”

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While the event’s Governing Council will meet next week to chalk out the final details and approve the schedule, it is understood that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has informally intimated the franchises about the plan.

“The GC will meet shortly but we have finalised the schedule. It will run from September 19 to November 8. We expect the government approval to come through. It is a full 51-day IPL,” Patel confirmed.

The IPL has been made possible by the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) decision to postpone the October-November T20 World Cup in Australia owing to the covid-19 pandemic.

BCCI and GC are preparing Standard Operating Procedure to combat the COVID-19 and BCCI will formally write to the Emirates Cricket Board.

While there was speculation that the IPL will start from September 26, BCCI decided to advance it by a week in order to ensure that the Indian team’s tour of Australia is not jeopardised.

“The Indian team will have a mandatory quarantine of 14 days as per the Australian government rules. A delay would have sent the plans haywire,” the official said.

“The best part is that 51 days is not at all a curtailed period and there will be much less double headers. We could stick to the original five double headers in a seven week window,” he said.

The Indians are set to play a four-match Test series against Australia starting December 3 in Brisbane.

It is expected that with each and every team needing at least a month’s time to train, the IPL franchises will be leaving base by August 20 which gives them exactly four weeks time to prepare.

There are three grounds available in the UAE – Dubai International Stadium, Sheikh Zayed Stadium (Abu Dhabi) and the Sharjah ground.

Now with the confirmation of the IPL dates, it is certain Dhoni will lead the Chennai Super King troops in the tournament and as expected, set Twitterverse ablaze.

Great to know #IPL2020 is happening.
I’m excited and looking forward to see @msdhoni play again! 💪🏻

— Kidambi Srikanth (@srikidambi) July 24, 2020

#IPL2020 to be held in UAE

Dying to see him playing once again 😍♥🙏@msdhoni pic.twitter.com/74Y2hBWQSO

— VIDHI (@VidhiBhatia7) July 24, 2020

Waiting for Thala Entry#IPL2020 #MSDhoni #CSK pic.twitter.com/PnZ4q2vj6J

— Ak Kumar (@Arun_kumar846) July 24, 2020

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