Ahmedabad franchise already has finalized the players before the 2022 IPL Mega Auction. Hardik Pandya, Rashid Khan, and Shubman Gill are all set to play for the Ahmedabad franchise from the upcoming IPL 2022. CVC Capital Partners bought the franchise in October 2021.
The two new teams of IPL; the Ahmedabad franchise and the Lucknow franchise got a chance to pick up 3 cricketers each ahead of the IPL mega auction to build their team from scratch. On the other hand, the existing teams got the option of retaining a maximum of 4 players.
The selected members of the franchise:
According to a report of ESPNcricinfo, the Ahmedabad franchise will sign the all-rounder Hardik Pandya, Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan, and the Indian top-order batter Shubman Gill in the upcoming IPL mega auction. Also, Hardik Pandya is supposed to lead the team. It will be an absolutely new experience for him to be a captain of a franchise.
The franchise decided to rope in Hardik Pandya and Rashid Khan for the same amount; INR 15 crore. On the other hand, a young batter Shubman Gill will be roped in for INR 7 crore. As a result, the Ahmedabad franchise will enter the auction with a purse of INR 53 crore
Meanwhile, the CVC Capital Partners bought franchise has already finalized their coaching staff and members. The former Indian bowler Ashish Nehra will be the head coach, the former Indian head coach Gary Kirsten is likely to be the mentor of the team, and the former Indian battle Vikram Solanki is likely to be the batting coach of the franchise.
ENG vs IND 4th Test: Rishabh Pant to available for batting; Jurel will do wicketkeeping
India vice-captain Rishabh Pant, on Thursday, joined the Indian camp at the Old Trafford ground on Day 2 of the ongoing ENG vs IND fourth Test, a day after he sustained a foot injury.
Indian team's star wicketkeeper batsman Rishabh Pant will be available to bat. However, he will not do wicketkeeping. Dhruv Jurel will take over wicketkeeping in his place. BCCI confirmed this news on Thursday through their X handle.
India vice-captain Rishabh Pant, on Thursday, joined the Indian camp at the Old Trafford ground on Day 2 of the ongoing ENG vs IND fourth Test, a day after he sustained a foot injury.
โRishabh Pant, who sustained an injury to his right foot on Day 1 of the Manchester Test, will not be performing wicket-keeping duties for the remainder of the match. Dhruv Jurel will assume the role of wicket-keeper. Despite his injury, Rishabh Pant has joined the team on Day 2 and will be available to bat as per team requirements,โ BCCI wrote.
๐จ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ: Rishabh Pant, who sustained an injury to his right foot on Day 1 of the Manchester Test, will not be performing wicket-keeping duties for the remainder of the match. Dhruv Jurel will assume the role of wicket-keeper.
Despite his injury, Rishabh Pant has joined theโฆ
However, the board has not said whether he is out of the series or not. Earlier, news agency PTI had informed that Pant is out of the remaining series.
Pant looked in a lot of pain
Pant was batting on 37 runs in the first innings when the ball hit his foot while attempting a reverse sweep. In the 68th over of the Indian innings, a ball from Chris Woakes hit his right leg. After this, he lay down on the ground and looked in a lot of pain.
Even when the physio arrived, he was seen groaning in pain. Then an attempt was made to lift him up and take him away, but he could not walk. Then he was taken to the ambulance. Blood was seen oozing from Pant's right leg, and there was a lot of swelling in that part of the body.
Post stumps, Pant was taken for scans, which confirmed a toe fracture.
โYes, Rishabh Pant is ruled out of the series. He went for scans last night, and the reports have revealed a toe fracture. There is just no chance of him batting as he is in a lot of pain right now.โ Source said.
Jurel to keep the wickets
The board may also ask KL Rahul to keep wickets, but he has not performed this responsibility since the South Africa tour in the 2023-24 season. The team's other wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel was not included in the playing XI for the fourth Test match.
This is the second time Pant has suffered an injury in the series. He injured his finger while wicketkeeping during the third Test at Lord's due to which he was unable to keep wickets in England's second innings. Dhruv Jurel had kept wicket as a replacement then. He will be seen keeping wicket in place of Pant in the ENG vs IND 4th test as well.
ENG vs IND 4th Test: 14 times in a row, Team India loses toss again, the odds of that are apparently 16,384-1
India's captain Shubman Gill lost the toss in the ENG vs IND fourth Test at Old Trafford. With Gill losing the toss, India have now lost 14 Test tosses in a row.
India's captain Shubman Gill lost the toss in the ENG vs IND fourth Test at Old Trafford. With Gill losing the toss, India have now lost 14 Test tosses in a row. The odds of that are, apparently, 16,384-1.
India is trailing the series 2-1 after a dramatic 22-run defeat at Lordโs.
India has lost the toss 14 times in a row since January 31, 2025. Earlier, this record was in the name of West Indies. West Indies had lost 12 consecutive tosses between February 2, 1999 and April 21, 1999. England is at number three in this list. England lost 11 consecutive tosses between December 17, 2022 and March 12, 2023.
Ben Stokes won the toss
England captain Ben Stokes won the toss on Wednesday and chose to field on an overcast morning in their crucial fourth Test against England at Old Trafford. History is against Stokes, though, as no team winning the toss and opting to bowl first has ever won a Test at Old Trafford.
India's result at Old Trafford
India has yet to win a Test at Old Trafford, having faced four defeats and five draws in nine previous matches at the Manchester ground.
India made three changes
India has made three changes in playing XI, with batsman Sai Sudharsan replacing Karun Nair, and Shardul Thakur and debutant Anshul Kamboj coming in for injured pacemen Nitish Kumar Reddy and Akash Deep.
Jasprit Bumrah was named to play by India. Before the ENG vs IND series commenced, it was announced that Bumrah, the worldโs top-ranked Test bowler, would participate in only three of the five matches to safeguard his fitness following a back injury.
England had previously named their side, making just one change by recalling Liam Dawson for the left-arm spinnerโs first Test in eight years after Shoaib Bashir suffered a series-ending finger injury at Lordโs.
ENG vs IND 4th Test Preview | Head-to-head stats, Possible XI, streaming details
In the third Test, England registered a thrilling win by 22 runs. Here is everything you need to know before the ENG vs IND fourth test match at Old Trafford, Manchester.
The fourth match of the five-Test series between India vs England will be played at Old Trafford, Manchester from July 23. England is currently leading the series by 2-1, so it is very important for India to win this match. If India loses here, England will win the series.
In the third Test, both teams scored equal scores in the first innings, but England registered a thrilling win by 22 runs. However, England were deducted two WTC points due to slow over rate.
So far, India has played 9 Tests in Manchester, out of which four have been lost and five have been drawn. India has not won a single Test here till date. The first Test between India and England was played here in 1936. Team India will play a Test match on this ground for the first time after 2014. On the other hand, England has won 14 out of 20 Tests on this ground since 2000. They have lost two matches while 4 were draws.
Here is everything you need to know before the ENG vs IND fourth test match at Old Trafford, Manchester.
The ENG vs IND 4th Test will be streamed live on the JioHotstar app and website.
The viewers can watch the England vs India 4th Test live telecast on the Sony Sports Network.
ENG vs IND: Head-to-head stats
England and India have locked horns 137 times in the history of Test cricket so far. Out of these 137 matches, England defeated India 53 times while India come out victorious on 36 occasions with 50 games ending in a draw.
Matches played
139
England won
53
India won
36
Drawn
50
Pitch Report
The surface of the Old Trafford Cricket Ground in Manchester can turn out to be beneficial for the batters during the first hour but tends to slow down as the match progresses.
The team winning the toss is likely to go for batting first at this ground. Out of 86 Test matches played at Old Trafford Cricket Ground, the team batting first won 32 times while the chasing side came out victorious on 17 occasions.
Weather Report
According to the Met Office, Manchester weather will be much colder than Londonโs, with rain predicted during the five-day encounter from July 23 to 27. The temperatures are expected to range between 14 degrees Celsius and the mercury will rise to 23 degrees Celsius.
ENG vs IND Predicted XI
England:Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith (wk), Ben Stokes (c), Chris Woakes, Liam Dawson, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer.
India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Anshul Kamboj, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.
ENG vs IND, 4th test: Three Indian players ruled out, what could be possible Indian lineup?
Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, along with Nitish Kumar Reddy have been ruled out of the ENG vs IND, 4th test in Manchester. Here is the possible lineup of the Indian cricket team in the fourth test.
Indian cricket team management suffered major setbacks ahead of the ENG vs IND, 4th test in Manchester, starting from Wednesday. Two Indian pacers, Akash Deep and Ashdeep Singh, have been ruled out of the 4th test along with all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy.
With three players already ruled out due to injuries, Shubman Gill and company will have to find solutions within the squad to name a strong playing XI at Old Trafford.
Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh, who was hit on his bowling hand, needed stitches. As per the reports of the Indian Express on Sunday, the Medium Pacer will need at least 10 days to recover. This has already ruled him out of the fourth test, and he is unlikely to return for the final test starting on 31st July.
Arshdeep Singh suffered a finger injury while bowling at the nets. Image | BCCI on X
As per the same report by The Indian Express, another pacer, Akash Deep, who was India's hero in their first-ever Test win in Birmingham, has issues with his groin and back. The Indian team management does not want to take risks with his injuries, and thus, he will be monitored as a precaution.
On the other hand, Hindustan Times reported that all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy suffered an injury during the gym session on Sunday. So he is also ruled out of the fourth test at Old Trafford Stadium.
In the situation where India are trailing by 1-2 in the Test series and needs to win the 4th test, to be in contention to win the series, Gautam Gambhir and company will have to dig deep to find solutions.
Here are the solutions India can go for during the 4th test.
#1 Bumrah, Siraj, Shardul, and who?
Shardul Thakur during a parctice session. Image - BCCI on X
With both Akashdeep and Arshdeep Singh being ruled out, there is certainty that Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Siraj will be India's leading pacers in the fourth test. Although our questions on the workload management of both those pacers, they will have to be at their best if India wants to bring balance to the series.
Now, with Nitish Kumar Reddy's injury, India will have to go back to Shardul Thakur, who played in the first test in Leeds. The Mumbai all-rounder only scored 4 runs and took two wickets in that match.
But if India wants to go for another pacer, they will have the option of Prasidh Krishna and newcomer Anshul Kamboj. Krishna, who did not do very well in the first two test matches, might not be brought back. In that case, Kamboj, who has done well in the first-class games he has played so far, is likely to get his test cap.
Kuldeep last played a test match in 2024. Image | BCCI on X
Now, this has been an inclusion that Indian fans have been waiting for from the first test. Kuldeep, who last featured in test matches for India in 2024 against New Zealand at home, can bring the ex-factor in the bowling lineup. But this will leave the batting lineup a bit thin.
Since Gautam Gambhir has always looked to go for that added batting cushion, it will be hard for Kuldeep to find his place. Even if he plays, will India look to sacrifice Washington Sundar? This would be a very hard question to answer.
#3 Jurel to keep, Pant to play as a specialist batter
Jurel kept wickets for India during the Lord's test. Image | BCCI on X
Along with these three injuries, we had already reported that Rishabh Pant has not recovered fully from the finger injury he suffered during the Lord's Test. In that case, Dhruv Jurel, who kept wicket at Lord's, is likely to play as a wicket keeper while Rishabh Pant could play as only a specialist batter.
If Jurel comes in, India can leave Shardul out and bring Kuldeep Yadav into the playing XI. However, it will only depend on the pitch condition.
ENG vs IND, 4th test: India's possible lineup
Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
Despite a great fight on the last day at Lord's, India suffered a heartbreak defeat by 22 runs in the third Test against England. Along with this, the discussion has intensified about the batting order of the team, especially the batting at number 3.
After the defeat at Lord's, the Indian menโs cricket team would like to come up with a big show in the fourth Test to level the series. The fourth red-ball match of the ongoing ENG vs IND five-match series will be played at Old Trafford in Manchester from July 23 to 27. For the match at Old Trafford, Indian team management could make multiple changes to the playing XI.
Karun Nair looked solid whenever he was on the pitch in the 6 innings so far. But he could never take his innings beyond 50. Nair scored 0, 20, 31, 26, 40 and 14 runs in the 6 innings so far. During this time, he got out unlucky many times. But it is possible that the team management may now plan to try talented and young cricketer Sai Sudharsan in his place.
23-year-old Sai Sudharsan from Chennai got a chance to debut in the ENG vs IND Leeds Test. But the first opportunity slipped from his hands like sand from his fist. He played innings of 0 and 30 runs in Leeds. The team lost the Test and he was also dropped from the playing XI.
Kuldeep can make a return
Discussions have once again intensified about the inclusion of 30-year-old left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who has taken 56 wickets in 13 Tests, in the playing XI. This tour could prove to be a good opportunity to include Kuldeep in the team.
Bumrah and Rishabh Pant out
Before the start of the series, chief selector Ajit Agarkar, head coach Gautam Gambhir, captain Shubman Gill, and even Bumrah himself confirmed that he will play only three matches in England, and since the pacer has already featured in two matches out of three played so far, there is a high possibility that he will miss the game in Manchester to return for the final fixture at The Oval in London from July 31 to August 4.
In addition to Bumrah, wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant could also miss the match in Manchester. Pant suffered a finger injury during the first dayโs play of the Lordโs Test, and as a result, he didnโt keep after 34 overs in the first innings. There is still no clarity over Pantโs injury. If he misses out, then Dhruv Jurel will replace him in the playing XI.
The 24-year-old stumper from Agra impressed with his glovework during the third Test, and he has amassed a total of 202 runs in six innings of four Tests played so far. Jurelโs best score in Test cricket is 90, which he registered against the English team in Ranchi last year.
Akash Deep likely retain Bumrah's place
Akash Deep could only manage to take one wicket in the third Test, but if Bumrah misses out due to workload management, then he is likely to retain his place.
Prasidh Krishna, Shardul Thakur, Arshdeep Singh, and Kuldeep Yadav are the other four bowlers in Indiaโs Test squad for the England series, and for the game at Old Trafford, Arshdeep could come in for Bumrah. Arshdeep is a left-arm pacer, and his inclusion will bring variety to Indiaโs bowling attack.
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