All posts tagged: Noor Ahmad

How MS Dhoni and Sridharan Sriram fixed Noor Ahmad’s broken wrist-spin — and why CSK need it to hold

How MS Dhoni and Sridharan Sriram fixed Noor Ahmad’s broken wrist-spin — and why CSK need it to hold

4 min readUpdated: May 9, 2026 07:51 PM IST When Noor Ahmad runs in to bowl during CSK’s net sessions at Chepauk, MS Dhoni steps out of the dressing room. He walks to the back of the nets, stands there, watches. A word here and there — the same quiet presence he maintains in the middle of matches, standing up to the stumps, making small adjustments with his hands. For Noor, it has been a constant these past weeks. It has also been necessary. Noor arrived in Chennai not in the best of form. He had gone nearly three months without a wicket. The problem had a name — the same problem that had surfaced in 2021, when an arm injury forced him to rely excessively on his googly because bowling leg-breaks caused pain. Five years on, the injury was gone but the habit had stayed. Over-exposure to T20 cricket through a year of globe-trotting had done the same damage more slowly. The googly had become the stock delivery. And when the googly is your …

Spin Twins Akeal Hosein, Noor Ahmad Weave Magic as CSK Crush Mumbai by 103 Runs

Spin Twins Akeal Hosein, Noor Ahmad Weave Magic as CSK Crush Mumbai by 103 Runs

After a stunning century from Sanju Samson, Akeal Hosein, along with Noor Ahmad, shone for CSK with a brilliant bowling performance, setting up CSK’s mammoth 103-run win against the Mumbai Indians at Wankhede Stadium. Akeal Hosein picked four wickets in his four-over spell, leaking only 17 runs at an economy of 4.20 on Thursday’s clash. By this win, Chennai Super Kings went on to fifth position in the IPL 2026 points table. After being invited to bat first, Sanju Samson and Ruturaj Gaikwad opened the innings while Jasprit Bumrah opened the bowling attack. With a 7-run over from Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya delivered a 19-run over where Ruturaj Gaikwad had a decent start. However, AM Ghazanfar bagged the wicket of Ruturaj Gaikwad for 22 runs. He got dismissed after striking the ball too long, where Tilak Varma picked the catch. Sarfaraz Khan, who came to bat, added 14 runs off 7 deliveries before being dismissed by Michell Santner. He got bowled out after attempting a sweep shot. By the end of the power play, Chennai …

How MS Dhoni’s advice helped Noor Ahmad deliver a Player of the Match performance against KKR

How MS Dhoni’s advice helped Noor Ahmad deliver a Player of the Match performance against KKR

3 min readApr 15, 2026 07:00 AM IST Prior to Tuesday’s IPL 2026 outing against Kolkata Knight Riders, Noor Ahmad had endured a tough few months. Since January, he had just one wicket to his name, which came in the previous home match against Delhi Capitals. But on Tuesday, he bounced back to form, picking up 3/21 in four overs in Chennai Super Kings’ 32-run win over Kolkata and walked away with the Player of the Match award for his spell. On a pitch that assisted the spinners, Noor didn’t try anything extraordinary. And more importantly, didn’t overuse his googly and relied on the one that comes back into the right-hander. As he roared back to form, CSK’s bowling coach Sridharan Sriram credited MS Dhoni for having a crucial chat with Noor, where the former captain emphasised not to overuse the googly. “I think it was good, the wicket helped today. There was a little bit of help for him. The other wickets were quite flat. Today, I think he was a little bit slower …

IPL 2026: CSK hammer hapless KKR for second straight win | Cricket News

IPL 2026: CSK hammer hapless KKR for second straight win | Cricket News

SYNOPSIS: In the battle of spinners, Noor Ahmad and Akeal Hosein outshine Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy as Chennai defeat Kolkata The Chepauk pitches have long moved on from the time when spinners licked their lips at the prospect of playing here. The low bounce has made way for good carry. There are hardly any dry patches for spinners to get the ball to grip and turn like a spitting cobra. However, on Tuesday, the Chepauk of old resurfaced much to the liking of the hosts, who had to overcome the choke slam applied by Sunil Narine and Varun Charavarthy, both of whom did a splendid job in the middle overs. Defending 192, Chennai Super Kings spinners Noor Ahmad and Akeal Hosein delivered a masterclass of their own to fashion a 32-run win and keep Kolkata Knight Riders winless. A chase that never started Having witnessed their own spinners dictate the game, Kolkata were proactive in their thinking. With runs against the new ball crucial to stay in the chase, and CSK bringing on Hosein …

Tale of two tweakers: Noor Ahmad and Varun Chakaravarthy have seen their mystery disappear, the slow way back, is underway | Cricket News

Tale of two tweakers: Noor Ahmad and Varun Chakaravarthy have seen their mystery disappear, the slow way back, is underway | Cricket News

Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders. The fixtures involving these two teams usually bring the focus on their spin prowess. An array of finger spinners pitted against two mystery spinners. Eden Gardens or Chepauk, the narrative was largely on the tweakers. As the two prepare to face-off for the first time this season, placed ninth and tenth in the points table, the focus is once again on the spinners. Or rather their dwindling influence given that at both venues, Chennai and Kolkata, the old spin-friendly surfaces have given way to flatter decks neutralising their spinners to a great extent. In a season where scoring rates have already exceeded the previous years, two numbers stand out for Chennai and Kolkata. Beyond Mumbai Indians, whose attack has conceded 11.13 runs per over in the four matches they have played, Chennai and Kolkata haven’t been far off. Chennai have conceded 10.81 runs per over to Kolkata’s 10.68 and much of it is down to how their spinners, who have been their calling cards in the past, have …

Former India pacer slams Chennai Super Kings bowler’s poor form in IPL 2026

Former India pacer slams Chennai Super Kings bowler’s poor form in IPL 2026

3 min readApr 6, 2026 09:09 PM IST Chennai Super Kings have endured a torrid patch early on in the IPL 2026 season, with three defeats exposing a chunk of problems within the five-time champions’ squad. While the inexperience of the bowling attack and the collective failures of the top order stars have hurt CSK big time, former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan picked the failure of a marquee signing as the key reason behind CSK’s early setback. The former T20 World Cup winner observed that the indifferent form of wrist-spinner Noor Ahmad has rendered CSK’s spin department ineffective, exemplified during the 43-run hammering against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday night. The 21-year-old left-arm spinner was taken to the cleaners by the RCB batters, finishing with figures of 0/49 in four overs as the hosts piled on a whopping 250 on the board, their highest-ever score against CSK across 18 years. The Afghanistan spinner has yet to pick up a wicket in three games, worsening CSK’s woes with the ball. Besides …

‘He is CSK’s biggest problem’: Star player faces heavy criticism after flat shows in first three matches of IPL 2026

‘He is CSK’s biggest problem’: Star player faces heavy criticism after flat shows in first three matches of IPL 2026

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has raised concerns over Chennai Super Kings’ struggling campaign in the Indian Premier League 2026, pointing to Noor Ahmad as the team’s “biggest problem” rather than their star batters. Noor Ahmad and Sanju Samson chatting in the middle of an IPL 2026 match. (PTI) CSK have endured a poor start to the season, suffering defeats against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Rajasthan Royals, and Punjab Kings. Their latest setback came in a high-scoring clash against RCB, where the opposition scored a massive 250/3 before bowling CSK out for 207 despite a spirited chase. The defeat exposed serious concerns in CSK’s bowling unit. Apart from Khaleel Ahmed, most bowlers conceded runs at over 10 per over. Noor Ahmad, who had impressed in the previous season, struggled again, giving away 49 runs in his four overs and remaining wicketless this season so far. “He (Noor) is CSK’s biggest problem right now. He has bowled around 10 overs this season and conceded over 100 runs. He does not have a single wicket,” Pathan said, expressing …

The innings that proved he belongs in India’s white-ball plans

The innings that proved he belongs in India’s white-ball plans

It was the shot that liberated Royal Challengers Bengaluru. When Rajat Patidar strode to the middle in the eleventh over, none of their batsmen — including Phil Salt who had just been dismissed — were in complete command. The heavy outfield was holding up the ball. The hard lengths CSK had hit were creating doubt. The run-rate spiked to 10 one moment and dropped to 8 the next. Nobody seemed to know what a par score was. When Patidar left at the end of the innings, RCB had scored 157 off 56 deliveries — mind-boggling carnage, with Devdutt Padikkal’s and Tim David’s knocks sandwiched in between. He started it. After taking a single off the first ball he faced, Patidar fronted up to Noor Ahmad. Spin against Patidar is not a favourable match-up. He strikes at 170.30 against tweakers. Has hit more sixes off spin — 46 — than boundaries — 22. In the middle overs he goes at 174.23 against slow bowling, 44 of those 46 sixes coming in that phase. Not even Shreyas …

‘It was an incredible knock of the highest standard’: Kane Williamson lauds Nitish Rana for 81-run innings vs Chennai Super Kings | Ipl News

‘It was an incredible knock of the highest standard’: Kane Williamson lauds Nitish Rana for 81-run innings vs Chennai Super Kings | Ipl News

New Zealand batter Kane Williamson lauded Nitish Rana’s batting in the Sunday’s match against Chennai Super Kings, calling it a knock of the highest standard. The former Kiwi skipper also praised the fielding of Rajasthan Royals, saying that it was big factor in the Royals’ 6-run win over the 5-time champions CSK. “Nitish is an excellent player of spin, but he got his innings started against the seam, using the pace well. He accessed the areas behind square nicely and perhaps came in at No. 3 due to the left-hand, right-hand combination. It was an incredible knock of the highest standard, and I think that’s key for him moving forward in this tournament,” Williamson said. “Rajasthan Royals have several other talented batters, but today, Nitish was the match-winner. That said, in a game like this—on a surface where the margins are so fine—I believe Rajasthan Royals’ fielding is what truly got them across the line,” he added. Story continues below this ad In the match, Rana’s explosive 81 off 36 balls, laced with 10 fours …

How MS Dhoni and Sridharan Sriram fixed Noor Ahmad’s broken wrist-spin — and why CSK need it to hold

CSK vs MI: Super Kings return to familiar ploy as trio of tweakers take down Mumbai | Ipl News

Chennai Super Kings’ plan to fall back on the spin formula works as Noor Ahmad’s 4/18 chokes Mumbai Indians on way to 4-wicket win With Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra and Rahul Tripathi in the squad, Chennai had a decision to make regarding their openers. With Tripathi mostly batting at No.3 in the past, it looked Rachin and Ruturaj Gaikwad would be the opening pair. But coming out for the chase of 156, Chennai sprung a surprise, as Tripathi walked out with Rachin – the pair were the preferred choice in the practice matches with Gaikwad dropped to No 3. It was a bold call, for the right-hander is known to get off the blocks slowly. Coming out in the second over after Tripathi’s dismissal, it was Gaikwad who took the limelight with his crisp shots as Rachin struggled with his timing. Story continues below this ad The skipper started off with two textbook square drives off Trent Boult and then brought out his cuts as boundaries flowed in the Powerplay. With Jasprit Bumrah missing, Mumbai …