Warner shows Ashwin how to avoid Mankading

Mohali, April 9 

Sunrisers Hyderabad's David Warner was extra cautious while Ravichandran Ashwin was operating during their match against Kings XI Punjab on Monday night, dragging his bat inside the safe zone in an exaggerated manner to avoid becoming a victim of Mankading.

Warner was seen taking precaution by staying inside the crease while at the non-striker’s end when Ashwin was bowling. The Australian kept dragging his bat well inside the safe zone to ensure that he did not become Ashwin's Mankading victim. The Australian's antics were quickly picked up by the cameras and replayed on the big screen. Warner was either trying to provoke the Indian off-spinner or be funny — or perhaps both. Earlier in the tournament, Ashwin had run Rajasthan Royals' Jos Buttler out at the non-striker’s end for backing up too far. Ashwin had not given a warning to Buttler — he was not required to, as per the rules — and had come in for a lot of criticism from the cricket fraternity. 

Starc sues insurer over injury payout 

Melbourne: Australia left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc has sought legal remedy to get $1.53 million from his insurer over an injury payout for his IPL contract after he failed to turn out for his franchise Kolkata Knight Riders in a single game last year. 

According to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald, Starc, who didn't figure in any game for KKR last year after getting injured in the Test series against South Africa, has filed a lawsuit in the Victorian County Court last week against the insurers of his IPL deal.

Starc was one of the most sought-after Australian players at the 2018 IPL auction when KKR snapped him up for $1.8 million. But Starc didn't feature in the T20 tournament last year after suffering a calf injury in the Test series against South Africa.

The news report stated that Starc had bought an insurance policy that would pay him $1.53 million benefit if he missed the IPL season because of an injury. Starc, who is represented by Mills Oakley lawyers, has sued a syndicate of Lloyd's of London, the long-running insurance market where coverage can be bought for unique circumstances that traditional insurers don't offer.

According to the court documents accessed by the Sydney Morning Herald, Starc paid a premium of $97,920 to be covered between February 27 and March 31 in 2018. But on March 10, Starc claimed he started feeling pain in his right calf while bowling during the second Test against South Africa in Port Elizabeth.  — Agencies

IPL insurance: Money for just showing up!

Players get 50 per cent of their salaries for merely showing up fit for the IPL. Due to this, players from England, South Africa and West Indies took up personal insurance policies against injuries suffered while playing for their country in international matches. Last month, the Guardian reported that such insurance policies had mushroomed from one or two before the IPL in 2018 to a “significant number” this year. “In the last month, our cricket business has underwritten more than 20% of the total value of all the overseas players’ contracts from England, West Indies and South Africa — a figure more than $4m,” said the chief executive of London-based Vantage Sports Finance, Paddy O’Clery. He added that most players were not aware they could insure themselves this way until recently. “They know that once you have been auctioned, you are entitled to half the fees for the tournament if you arrive fit and ready to play. And that if they injure their knee, say, during a Test or One-day series beforehand and aren’t able to play, they could easily forfeit a six or seven-figure sum,” he said.