A look at the form in the first half and the challenges ahead for the top four teams on the points table

Gaurav Sundararaman15-Sep-2021The IPL resumes on September 19 with its El Clasico, Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians. A lot has happened since it came to an abrupt halt in early May after the growing number of Covid-19 cases in the tournament bubble. Players have pulled out due to fatigue, workload management and injuries. Not only will there be some new faces, but the remaining 31 matches will also be played at different venues – Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah – as opposed to the first half of the IPL, which was played at four venues in India.The second half of the IPL is vastly significant not just for the franchises but also the players and the various international teams as the men’s T20 World Cup will be played in the UAE and Oman from October 17. ESPNcricinfo runs a comb through the eight teams identifying not just the strengths but also the areas they need to work on.Related

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• IPL returns to UAE as familiar foes Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings take centre stage

• IPL 2021: Rishabh Pant to continue as Delhi Capitals captain

• IPL 2021 returns: Rajasthan Royals, Punjab Kings, KKR and Sunrisers Hyderabad look to turn fortunes around

Delhi Capitals

Squad changes from first phase
In: Shreyas Iyer, Ben Dwarshuis, Kulwant Khejroliya
Out: Aniruddha Joshi, Chris Woakes, M Siddharth
Strengths
A strong start in the first half has ensured Delhi Capitals are now favourites to make the playoffs for the third consecutive season. Two further victories will assure them of that prize. Despite the absence of regular captain Shreyas Iyer (who is back having recovered from shoulder surgery), Capitals’ batting did not suffer with the opening pair of Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan adding 512 runs at a run rate of 9.25 and a handsome average of 64. It was in the powerplay phase where Capitals sealed the deal in most games. They also displayed adaptability in terms of conditions by winning in Chennai, Mumbai and Ahmedabad. They boasted the best performing spin attack in the competition during the first phase.2020 UAE strategy
Their bowling was their strength last time around. Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada were crucial to their success as was the variety provided by spin twins Axar Patel and R Ashwin.Challenges for 2021
While Avesh Khan emerged as a match-winner during the first phase, the rest of the Capitals fast men struggled. They took just nine wickets at an economy of 11.17, which was the second-worst among all teams. Avesh’s success meant Capitals could afford to leave out Nortje but expect him to be back in the UAE. The other issue will be picking between Steven Smith and Shimron Hetmyer for the middle order, which will be reinforced by Iyer’s return. Last year in the UAE, both Shaw and Rishabh Pant, who will continue as captain*, had struggled. How they fare this time could decide whether Capitals win a maiden IPL title.Potential XI: 1 Prithvi Shaw, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Steven Smith/Shimron Hetmyer, 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 Rishabh Pant (capt, wk), 6 Marcus Stoinis, 7 Axar Patel, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Anrich Nortje, 11 Avesh Khan

Chennai Super Kings

Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians will kick off the second phase•BCCISquad changes from first phase
In: Josh Hazlewood
Out: Jason BehrendorffStrengths
If not for a Kieron Pollard blinder in Delhi, Chennai Super Kings would have been sitting on top of the table with six wins from seven matches. Having finished in the bottom half in 2020, MS Dhoni’s team surprised everyone by shedding their usual conservative approach to batting. With an unmatched depth – Deepak Chahar slots in at No. 11 – Super Kings scored at a rate of 9.47 between overs 7 to 16. A lot of credit goes to the opening pair of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Faf du Plessis who set strong foundations upon which the likes of Moeen Ali and Ravindra Jadeja could build big totals. On the bowling front, Chahar and the spinners were the key playmakers.2020 UAE strategy
The UAE was not a happy hunting ground for Super Kings last season. Injuries, absentees and lack of practice meant they peaked too late. Hardly any of their moves worked because virtually everyone was out of form. This time around they have been practising for over a month and would look to keep faith in what has worked in IPL 2021 rather than going back to what worked in previous seasons.Challenges for 2021
The form of their fast bowlers – Lungi Ngidi, Josh Hazlewood, Shardul Thakur and Dwayne Bravo – will be crucial for the multiple-time champions to extend their good start. There will be pressure on Suresh Raina too, who has managed 123 runs in six innings at an average of 24 with a solitary half-century. If Raina can perk up the middle order with some impactful cameos, it will ease the burden on the finishers.Potential XI: 1 Ruturaj Gaikwad, 2 Faf du Plessis, 3 Moeen Ali, 4 Suresh Raina, 5 Ambati Rayudu, 6 MS Dhoni (capt, wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Sam Curran, 9 Shardul Thakur, 10 Deepak Chahar, 11 Dwayne Bravo/Josh Hazlewood/Imran Tahir

Royal Challengers Bangalore

Will Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore make it to their second straight playoffs?•BCCI/IPLSquad changes from first phase
In: Tim David, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dushmantha Chameera, George Garton, Akash Deep
Out: Finn Allen, Adam Zampa, Daniel Sams, Kane Richardson, Washington SundarStrengths
Contributions from Harshal Patel, Glenn Maxwell and Devdutt Padikkal showed that Royal Challengers Bangalore were no more dependent on just Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. The franchise has also got some attractive replacements who have the potential to be X-factor players.2020 UAE strategy
That revolved around Yuzvendra Chahal and Chris Morris, both of whom played a key role in the last IPL. Chahal will be hurting after failing to make the World Cup squad, but he remains the lead spinner for Royal Challengers and his form could once again be a key factor.Challenges for 2021
Can Royal Challengers qualify for the playoffs as they did last year? Perhaps, if they find the right balance in the absence of Washington Sundar, who is recovering from a finger injury picked up at the outset of the Test series in England. For a like-for-like replacement, they might have to look at their overseas contingent, which will force at least one more change. Also, in case Harshal’s cutters fail on the faster UAE pitches, the team will need to find the right bowling combination without losing momentum.Potential XI: 1 Devdutt Padikkal, 2 Virat Kohli (capt), 3 Rajat Patidar, 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 AB de Villiers (wk), 6 Shahbaz Ahmed, 7 Kyle Jamieson, 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Harshal Patel, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal

Mumbai Indians

Despite being blitzed for the most part of the Test, hosts ended day three in a position to make England worry

Vithushan Ehantharajah26-Feb-2023There’s an argument to say Sunday was New Zealand’s best day of the series.Tom Latham and Devon Conway scored fine half-centuries, registering New Zealand’s highest partnership of the series, beating the previous best set a few hours earlier. They frustrated England no end, almost mockingly chipping away at a bumper lead steadily, at odds with the manner it was accrued. Context, though, is important.Latham and Conway’s stand of 149 in 320 balls was coming in a follow-on innings, the first England had imposed on their opponents since August 2020. New Zealand trailed initially by 226, and it was that much because of skipper Tim Southee’s blitz of 73 from 49 deliveries. He forged a partnership of 98 with Tom Blundell, which at the time was the team’s highest of the series.Related

Tom Latham, Devon Conway lead fight after New Zealand made to follow on

What frustration England had was relative. An entire day in the field was taxing work, particularly for a three-prong seam attack who were sore after the intensity of last week’s victory in the first Test in Mount Maunganui. For a team that likes to win in a hurry, the 94.2 overs in the dirt on the third day would have grated. Nevertheless, the spinners showed up – Jack Leach with two, Joe Root with one – to do their bit. Leach’s dismissal of Will Young, pitching around middle stump, taking the top of off, showed signs the pitch is taking turn more than it usually does at the Basin Reserve in Wellington.Ultimately, the only reason the game is at this stage going into day four is because of the weather. A scheduled 50 overs have been lost, split evenly across days one and two. The latter might have seen New Zealand’s first innings end earlier and cheaper, the follow-on still instigated to expose cracks in a frail batting line-up from Saturday evening into Sunday morning.Ben Stokes arrived at the ground on Sunday morning with a view to enforcing no matter what, which is what he relayed to his charges before heading out there. Across the corridor of the player’s pavilion, things were far less certain.Tom Latham and Devon Conway put a 149-run stand for the opening wicket•AFP/Getty ImagesFast forward to the end of the day and things are a little clearer. A little more hopeful. England have a second go to come – but the arrears are just 24, Kane Williamson and Henry Nicholls set and there is a quiet sense New Zealand could be onto something here.Learning from mistakes has been key. As much as batting coach Luke Ronchi rallied against the idea England’s attacking mantra seeping into the subconscious of their opponents was not the issue with the batting missteps on day two, it was hard not to think otherwise. Latham and Nicholls’ reverse sweeps, Williamson’s uncharacteristic looseness out wide. Issues were trying to be forced when that’s not really the Kiwi way.It was under Brendon McCullum’s leadership, of course, and there’s something neat about him being here for this. You wonder if he is secretly relishing the prospect of a slobberknocker of a finish, as much for another test of the mettle of those now under his care as simply putting on a show.That McCullum is sat in the “other” balcony in “their” stash is something of a sore point for locals. They get it, no doubt, but the transformation of the England team has made them yearn for more excitement from theirs.

“Absolutely. Whether it’s 200, 250 – you just never know. We’ve seen the wicket, it’s still doing enough with the old ball and the new ball, and there’s plenty of turn there.”Latham on whether New Zealand had a chance to force a win

They might still get it in the next couple of days, but it’s worth noting the path to that point began with the kind of grind that led to the 2019 World Test Championship win.”The character of this group, we stand up when things aren’t going so well,” said Latham, who was a surprise runner-up in the leadership race after Williamson stepped down. His role is still as a big personality in the dressing room, not least on ability alone. He became the seventh New Zealand batter to pass 5,000 Test runs, and primarily did that by packing away most of his shots.”We probably didn’t quite do that quick enough the other day,” he said of a lack of leaving in the first innings. In turn, England’s bowlers “came to” the New Zealand batters, trying to target the stumps which allowed enough deliveries to drive or pop into gaps to keep the scoreboard ticking over steadily. Scoring more or less stopped for the second noteworthy partnership between Williamson and Nicholls which was more about the 128 balls than the runs (35) for the fourth wicket.They made it to the new ball, then survived three overs of it. They will rest knowing they have to go again from scratch in the morning, but also aware the overs taken out of James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Ollie Robinson today will count against them tomorrow. And having seen Stokes bowl two poor overs in which he was warned twice and then no-balled for overdoing bouncers, there is reason to believe they can begin to dictate a little more once the AM movement has subsided.Tom Latham scored 83 off 172 balls his second innings•Getty ImagesEven Latham, a pragmatist at heart, admitted to a degree of excitement heading into Monday. The prospect of a series-squaring result and first win under Southee is not something New Zealand are shying away from.”Absolutely,” was Latham’s immediate response to the prospect becoming only the fourth side to win after following on. “You’ve always got to look at [different] ways to win a Test match. We certainly know there is a lot of work to do before that point.”Whether it’s 200, 250 – you just never know. We’ve seen the wicket, it’s still doing enough with the old ball and the new ball, and there’s plenty of turn there.”Just as the weather delayed the progress of this game, it may also curtail the end, to a point. England fell victim to the unpredictable Wellington rains in 2013, similarly asking New Zealand to bat again in the third innings. But respective desire and need for a result other than a draw could win out.After getting pasted in the first Test and blitzed for the best part of three days here, New Zealand are somehow still in a position to make England worry. Granted there is still a lot to be done, and even then Stokes and McCullum run a worry-free dressing room that will back themselves to knock off any total, no matter how big.But that New Zealand are an outside shot is in its own way something to savour. This two-match series could be set for a thrilling finale and, moreover, a smash-and-grab that could give a much-needed push to a transitional era for the hosts.

At 17, he had Ashwin going “Wow, look at this boy”! Four years later, he had many others reacting the same way to his knock in the IPL final

Deivarayan Muthu31-May-20231:05

Sudharsan: ‘After having to retire out, I realised it’s best to be calm’

Baby Malinga Matheesha Pathirana marginally misses a wide yorker. B Sai Sudharsan stretches out, extends his hands, and laces Pathirana over the extra-cover boundary. Ravi Shastri, on commentary, describes it as the “shot of the match so far”. Sudharsan then immediately betters that shot by launching a 147kph fuller delivery over the bigger long-on boundary. MS Dhoni keeps his poker face and follows the trajectory of the ball. Sudharsan’s captain Hardik Pandya is so impressed that he walks up to Sudharsan, puts his left arm on Sudharsan’s shoulder, and wraps him up in a hug.Sudharsan’s parents Bharadwaj, a former athlete, and Usha, a former volleyball player who has also worked as a strength and conditioning coach with the Tamil Nadu cricket team, had travelled from Chennai to Ahmedabad for a three-day T20 final for these special moments. Sudharsan’s elder brother Sairam, who is pursuing Masters in supply chain and logistics management at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, had originally planned to fly from Australia to Ahmedabad for the final, but he couldn’t get tickets in the end.Related

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Sudharsan and Gujarat Titans didn’t get the fairytale ending that Ravindra Jadeja and Chennai Super Kings did, but once he returned to his hotel room in the wee hours of Tuesday, he watched the highlights of his shots against Pathirana and savoured them.”In the last over, the shot over extra-cover off Pathirana was my favourite,” Sudharsan tells ESPNcricinfo. “On such a big stage, on such an occasion, I didn’t expect to perform like this. But I was very happy. The trust that GT management gave [me]; in between I didn’t play a few games, but the management always had trust in me. I was ready to play any game. I was definitely very happy; I came back to my room, and I was seeing [highlights] of my shots. It took a long time for me to process it.”For Sairam, who had stayed up until 8am AEST in Melbourne for the IPL final, that extra-cover six made everything worth it. “I’ve always been a big fan of his extra-cover shot,” Sairam gushes. “We worked on it for months along with our parents during the Covid lockdown in Chennai. And the next shot I loved was his slog sweeps [off Maheesh Theekshana and Ravindra Jadeja]. I get nervous and start sweating whenever Sai bats, even during his [Chennai] league games. I feel sad that I couldn’t watch it live this time. Being in Australia and following IPL is one of the toughest things. But I’m very happy that his hard work is slowly reaping the benefits.”B Sai Sudharsan with his elder brother B Sairam, who followed Sudharsan’s sensational innings from Melbourne•B SairamSudharsan was even more emotional when asked about the standing ovation he had elicited from Titans’ dugout after he fell for 96 off 46 balls – the third-highest individual score in an IPL final. Rashid Khan tapped Sudharsan’s gloves as he walked in. Shubman Gill, David Miller, Jayant Yadav, Mohit Sharma and the support staff were all were on their feet. Sairam couldn’t make it to Ahmedabad, but Sudharsan’s ‘big brother’ in the Titans and Tamil Nadu dressing room, Vijay Shankar, welcomed him back with a bear hug. R Sai Kishore, also one of Sudharsan’s closest friends, kept clapping for him until his hands hurt.”I still get goosebumps when I think about the reception from the dugout,” Sudharsan says. “The amount of confidence or the amount of support from my team-mates or support staff… Obviously me, Vijay (brother)… Sai Ki (Sai Kishore) are very close and share everything together. Vijay gave me my first TN cap. We speak a lot about cricket and life as well. To contribute in a big final and put the team in a superb position gives me a sense of satisfaction. Obviously, I didn’t score a hundred, but I felt a sense of satisfaction when I walked back to the dugout.”Sudharsan also received a message from Kane Williamson whose role he had slotted into after the New Zealand captain returned home with a knee injury.”My role was to take the game deep – same as Kane’s role,” Sudharsan says. “Even a few weeks back, after he had left for New Zealand, I was having a conversation with him over the phone. He’s sweet. How sweet? He himself messaged me saying I could call him anytime and have a conversation over cricket anytime. Even last night, Kane texted me: “Very happy. You’ve done a great job!” I feel very happy that I tried my best to fill in Kane’s role. Our roles were fixed during the preparatory camp before the start of the IPL. With that role, I tried to enhance my game and it worked out I feel.”At the innings break, Sudharsan was subbed out for left-arm quick Josh Little. He perhaps thought that he could just put his feet up and chill, but a tense finish left him anxious.”Actually, I didn’t have dinner after the innings,” Sudharsan recalls. “Around the first strategic time-out, I went upstairs [from the dugout to the dressing room] and then in the next over, we got the wickets of both Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway. So, I didn’t even move from that place and so I watched the entire game from that place (laughs) on TV. But, yeah, mixed feelings. I finished the first innings on a happy note, but the end was a little upsetting. But I feel we can learn from that and get better next year.”Wow, look at this boy: The Gujarat Titans dugout welcomes B Sai Sudharsan back after a stunning knock•Associated PressDespite the defeat, this was an incredible turnaround from Sudharsan, who had been retired out by Titans in the second qualifier against Mumbai Indians after he struggled to find a higher gear. It might have dented the confidence of most 21-year-olds. But Sudharsan is not most 21-year-olds. He took that strategic move in his stride and spoke about the significance of emotional detachment in T20 cricket.”I had mixed feelings during that game too,” Sudharsan says. “I think the first 20-25 balls went well for me. After a matter of a few dots, we had to make that strategic move, but that’s 100% accepted and I took it in my stride. Because the way our batters were playing – Nos. 4,5,6,7 were explosive this year and also last year. I also felt, instead of me, it would be more fruitful for the team if those power-hitters were there in the middle at that point. I take it as an opportunity to learn because if I want to be there with the best, in terms of skill, I have to get better. In a way, I’m happy that it happened on such a big stage because it is now known to me that I’ve to get better in certain aspects of the game.”I also had a chat with Vijay about retiring out after the MI match. If you’re emotionally connected to the match, it becomes difficult because the IPL happens very quickly. They come thick and fast. It’s about forgetting the previous game and moving onto the next game. If you do that, your season will be better. That was our conversation.”After being bought for his base price in the IPL 2022 auction, B Sai Sudharsan became the highest-paid player at the inaugural TNPL auction in 2023•ESPNcricinfo LtdSudharsan started slowly against CSK in the final, too – he was on 36 off 27 balls at one point – but he cranked up the tempo to smash 60 off his last 20 balls. Against Pathirana alone, he scored 34 off 14 balls. In the second qualifier against Mumbai, Sudharsan had tried to over-hit the ball and kept losing his shape. Against Pathirana, he sussed out that his balls were skidding on from the Ahmedabad pitch and focussed on maintaining his shape while meeting the ball.”Pathirana is a very skiddy bowler. If you go too hard at him, you find there’s less time,” Sudharsan says. “If you try to time it rather than over-hit it, you can hit the right spot on the bat. The more side-arm [darts] you face, you might get used to that speed too and you can develop the habit to time the ball.”As a batter, you have less exposure to such actions from a different release. I’d say I have a bit of an advantage facing slingers like R Silambarasan (net bowler at SRH) and G Periyaswamy (net bowler at RR) in the TNPL. I think subconsciously it might have been a little bit easier to face Pathirana.”The Junior CSK side during their tour of Yorkshire in 2018. Sai Sudharsan is seated to the left of Ambati Rayudu (second from right, middle row); S Sharath is to Rayudu’s right•Chennai Super KingsSudharsan also had a plan against R Ashwin when he was just 17. He had stayed back to defend balls, forcing the spinner to overpitch. Ashwin had left midwicket open, as he often does against left-handers, but Sudharsan stayed deep in his crease until he got a ball full enough to hit against the spin. He then played a cover drive, forcing Ashwin to adjust his line. Sudharsan then stepped out to hit Ashwin over midwicket for four. Recalling that Chennai league battle on his Youtube channel, Ashwin marvelled at Sudharsan: (Wow, look at this boy!)This boy has since won the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, TNPL, IPL and helped Titans defend their title this season. Sudharsan has been rated highly in the Tamil Nadu cricket circles since his age-group cricket days. Also, around the time he was 17, he was picked in Junior Super Kings’ side, CSK’s grassroots programme, for a tour of Yorkshire under the mentorship of Ambati Rayudu. How strange was it to go up against Rayudu in his last game in Indian cricket?”More than being strange, I enjoyed playing against CSK,” Sudharsan says. ” (Chennai is CSK). (Chennai is Thala). It was a great opportunity to represent CSK’s Junior team. Reading the game was something I learnt from the Yorkshire tour. The conditions were cold, and it was new for me to play cricket there. I remember I used to ask Rayudu how he bats in the IPL, how he tackles bowlers in the IPL, and I used to ask him questions.”Sudharsan just has a two-day break in Chennai before he travels to Coimbatore to join Shahrukh Khan’s Lyca Kovai Kings for TNPL 2023. His TNPL contract (INR 21.6 lakh) is worth higher than his IPL contract (INR 20 lakh). If he keeps levelling up, the rest of the world will also go: “Wow, look at this boy!”

On Tuesday, Stoinis muscled LSG to an elusive home win with a takedown of Mumbai’s fast bowlers

Deivarayan Muthu17-May-20232:52

Moody explains how Stoinis outsmarted Mumbai Indians

The Ekana Stadium didn’t roll out the black-soil turner for the final league game in Lucknow this IPL, but the red-soil one was just as difficult for all batters – except Marcus Stoinis.He was the only one to strike at over 170 on that track, his expertly-paced unbeaten 89 off 47 balls being the difference on Tuesday. Like most other batters on the day, Stoinis had started slowly, scoring 35 off his first 29 balls, but cranked up to top gear to smash 54 off his last 18.This was Stoinis’ best IPL score. This is already Stoinis’ best IPL season in terms of both runs (368) and strike rate (151.44). Before this game, a large chunk of Stoinis’ runs had come away from Lucknow on better batting tracks. Lucknow Super Giants might have been tempted to bump him up to the top, where he has been successful for Melbourne Stars in the BBL, once they decided to bench Kyle Mayers for their last home fixture. Instead, LSG promoted Deepak Hooda to open with Quinton de Kock and backed Stoinis’ muscle in the middle order.ESPNcricinfo LtdStoinis channelled all of that power in the 18th over, bowled by Chris Jordan. He went 6, 4, 4, 6, 4. The first ball was a 144kph length ball on the stumps that disappeared beyond the bigger long-on boundary. It brought up Stoinis’ half-century and had LSG’s mentor Gautam Gambhir on his feet, applauding the landmark. Jordan then took pace off the ball, but Stoinis still picked away him for fours on either side of the wicket. Then Jordan marginally missed the yorker and bowled a low full toss. It was still a hard-to-hit delivery, but Stoinis extended his arms and launched another six over the long-on fence. Jordan was left scratching his head in utter disbelief.Related

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But this sequence wasn’t particularly special because Stoinis always dominates Jordan in T20 cricket. Overall, Stoinis has taken Jordan for 151 runs off just 61 balls at a strike rate of almost 250 without being dismissed in T20s. However, the one-handed sixes off both Jason Behrendorff and Akash Madhwal in the 19th and 20th overs were truly remarkable.Both Behrendorff and Stoinis play for Western Australia in domestic cricket. The left-armer knows that Stoinis relishes pace on the ball, so he denied him pace and pushed a dipping yorker away from his swinging range. Stoinis got beaten by the change-up, and his bottom hand flew off the bat on impact, but he still manufactured enough power and elevation with one hand to clear long-off. Madhwal then just missed his middle-stump yorker on the final ball of the innings, but Stoinis created swinging room and enough power with just one hand again to clear long-off.2:31

Bishop: The way Stoinis paced his innings was superb

The yorker is arguably the bowler’s best delivery in T20 cricket, but Stoinis’ swing is so powerful that he can hit sixes off that length with just one hand on a used pitch. Kieron Pollard, who used to do this often on the field, was helplessly watching all the carnage unfold from Mumbai’s dugout.Tom Moody, the former Australia allrounder and an analyst at ESPNcricinfo, tried to make sense of Stoinis’ one-handed bombs.”It’s been done with the pace of the delivery, so therefore he gives his bottom hand away, but still the velocity of the swing coming down through the arc and he just extends the swing through with the top hand in control of the striking of the ball,” Moody said on ESPNcricinfo’s T20 Time:Out. “It takes strength, it takes balance and control because you still have to have your head in a strong position. If you throw your head back from that position, the ball is going nowhere. It’s a case of he’s been done [in] there, but he just extends that top hand through the ball to make sure he gets maximum contact.”That ability to hold his shape and use his reach has also helped him get on top of spinners this IPL. It was on display against Mumbai Indians again, with punchy sixes off Hrithik Shokeen and Piyush Chawla soon after the powerplay. With LSG currently third, this skill could also prove useful in spin-friendly Chennai for the playoffs. Throw in the pace dominance, and Stoinis has proved to be a man for all surfaces this season.

Andre Russell had another unbelievable week in the IPL, while Royal Challengers Bangalore continued to struggle despite some luck going their way

ESPNcricinfo stats team08-Apr-2019Two-hundred-and-seven runs, dismissed twice, strike rate 268.83; Smart Runs 310, Smart Strike rate 402.6. Whichever way you look at it, Andre Russell has been player of the first two weeks of IPL 2019.ESPNcricinfo’s Smart Stats corroborates this view, and puts a number to just how far ahead of the pack he has been in the first fortnight. Russell’s Impact Score after five games is 470, which is 130 points more than the second-placed Jonny Bairstow, who has 330.ESPNcricinfo LtdThe Impact Score of a player is the sum of his batting and bowling contributions in each match, and includes the following factors:- The Smart Runs, which takes into account runs scored, relative strike rate compared to other batsmen in a match, bowling quality, and the pressure the batsman was under in terms of match context when he scored his runs
– The Smart Economy Rate, which factors in the relative economy rate compared to other bowlers in the match, the batsmen he bowled to, and the pressure on the bowler in terms of match context when he bowled his overs
– The Smart Wicket Value, which values each wicket taken by the bowler in terms of the quality of the batsman, the score he was dismissed at, and the match context – in terms of how important that was wicket was, given the match situation.Taking all these factors into account, Russell’s 207 runs are worth 310 Smart Runs, which is the highest so far: David Warner’s 279 runs are worth 306, and Bairstow’s 262 gives him 304 Smart Runs. That is because almost all of Russell’s runs have come in high-pressure situations: against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore, he singlehandedly won the matches when, in both cases, 53 were required off 18 balls. In the other two matches when Knight Riders batted first, he smashed 110 off 45 balls and significantly boosted the totals in both innings.Warner and Bairstow take the next two places on the MVP table, but in fourth spot is Mohammad Nabi, who makes it to the top five despite having played only three of Sunrisers’ five games. Nabi has been sensational with the ball so far, taking seven wickets at an economy rate of 3.75.ESPNcricinfo LtdThe conventional numbers are impressive enough, but his Smart Stats are even better. Nabi’s Smart Economy Rate is an incredible 1.58, which is the best among all bowlers who have bowled at least five overs this season. Of the 12 overs he has bowled so far, eight have been in Powerplays, where he has conceded only 33 runs, taking five wickets.Also, his seven wickets are worth 9.6 Smart Wickets, given that he has dismissed AB de Villiers, Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant early in their innings.The luckiest teams and batsmen of IPL 2019Mumbai Indians might have felt that the rub of the green didn’t go their way in IPL 2018, but this year it’s been an entirely different story. According to ESPNcricinfo’s Luck Index, they are the luckiest team two weeks into the tournament. Mumbai have accumulated a total of 62 runs due to lucky events in the second week of this IPL. Overall in 2019 IPL, lucky events have helped Mumbai score 119 additional runs.Luck doesn’t help if you don’t make it count. Royal Challengers Bangalore had their share of luck too – in terms of impact runs they are the second luckiest team of the week. But their shabbiness in the field has worked against them by doling out lucky runs to the opposition. The Luck Index framework considers that mistakes by fielders, while lucky events for the batting team, are not bad luck for bowling teams. Royal Challengers committed as many as 21 mistakes – by way of drops, misfields and missed run-outs – that have resulted in lucky runs for their opposition.ESPNcricinfo LtdNot surprisingly then RCB find themselves at the bottom of the points table without a win from six matches in spite of having two of the top-five luckiest batsmen in the week. AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli are at Nos. 4 and No. 5 respectively on the leaderboard for the luckiest batsmen from the second week. Chris Lynn finds himself at the top of the list being the beneficiary of two separate lucky breaks. He was dropped on 1 by Navdeep Saini – albeit a tough chance – in the game against RCB where he went on to score 43. The other event epitomises how lucky the week has been for Lynn: in the match against Rajasthan Royals, an inside edge off Dhawal Kulkarni hit his stumps only for the bails to pop out and fall nicely back into the grooves. Shreyas Iyer and Steven Smith, at Nos. 2 and 3 respectively, complete the top five luckiest batsman of the second week of the IPL.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“It was never easy to just beat us in a Test, and we proved that again” – Rabada on the series-squaring win

Firdose Moonda01-Mar-2022They are a long way from the team that went nine years unbeaten on the road between 2006 and 2015, but South Africa’s victory in the second Test in Christchurch served up a reminder of their ability away from home. Not only did they beat New Zealand, the defending Test world champions, but they also did it at a venue they had never played at before this tour, and where conditions are considered to be heavily stacked in favour of the home side.Related

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New Zealand had only lost one out of ten Test matches at Hagley Oval before this Test, and of their eight wins, three had come by an innings. On a seamer-friendly surface, they are known to bowl the opposition out cheaply and then bat as though they are operating on a completely different pitch. The first Test was a case in point.Despite all of that, Dean Elgar went against the grain by choosing to bat first and including Keshav Maharaj, the only specialist spinner in the XI, in anticipation of pitch deterioration. History suggested Elgar was making a mistake, but the last five days proved him right.And Kagiso Rabada explained the decision was made on evidence, not the ground’s reputation.”This wicket was a lot drier [than in the first Test], from looking at it with the naked eye and had a lot less grass on it,” he said after South Africa squared the series. “When you walked on it, the spikes almost sunk in. That tells you it’s going to be a bit slow. We knew when the Test moved forward, it would get drier and the footmarks would be created for Keshav to exploit. That was the thinking. In the end, it was the right decision.”

“If you have a look at previous teams, the word that always fits us best is resilience. It was never easy to just beat us in a Test, and we proved that again”Kagiso Rabada

South Africa scored their first total of over 300 batting first since April 2018, and after that, Maharaj took four wickets – including three in the second innings – to justify all of Elgar’s decisions and underline South Africa’s capacity to come back after a heavy defeat in the first Test. After that defeat, no one – not coach Mark Boucher or Elgar himself or any of the players who were put up for the media – could explain why the team was so low on energy, and neither did they make it a priority to find out.”There was no use harping on about how badly we played,” Rabada said. “As much as we needed to recognise the faults we made, we still needed to put game plans in place to make sure we adapt as quickly as possible. It was about understanding where we went wrong and coming up with game plans and tactics, and also mentally coming back and winning the second test. It was about waking up and rocking up, and executing game plans.”One of the main things South Africa needed was a better start with the bat, and a 111-run opening stand between Elgar and Sarel Erwee in the first innings gave them that. They also needed players to score centuries, and Erwee and Kyle Verreynne ticked that box too. Their batting showed depth and fortitude, which allowed the bowling attack to operate with a degree of freedom and natural aggression.Put together, it was among the most complete performances South Africa have delivered in recent times, not least because it came on the back of their second-biggest defeat ever.South Africa needed big innings, and Sarel Erwee (as well as Kyle Verreynne) did it for them•AFP via Getty Images”If you have a look at previous teams, the word that always fits us best is resilience,” he said. “It was never easy to just beat us in a Test, and we proved that again.”Ultimately, New Zealand were also unable to beat South Africa because of the momentum Rabada himself seized with a 34-ball 47 with the bat as well as two wickets in his opening spell in the second innings, which set the visitors up for a series-equalling win. Together with Marco Jansen, Rabada is the joint-leading wicket-taker in Tests this year so far, but he cautioned against over-hyping his current form.”It’s very seldom that you feel at your best,” he said. “It’s all about adapting and trusting your strengths, and trying to do all you can. You try and create your own luck with hard work and tactical thinking, and let the rest just happen. It’s about trying to stick to the process and keep refining.”That is what South Africa as a unit have been saying for more than two years, as they have rebuilt, stumbled and rebuilt again under Boucher. Their record is not what it used to be, but there are “good signs for the future,” as Rabada put it.And good signs from the past too. Since March 2017, New Zealand have lost only three out of 23 Tests at home, two of those to South Africa. Since the start of 2021, only Pakistan (five) and India (four) have won more Tests away from home than South Africa, with both teams having played more Tests in the same period.In an era where winning on the road is becoming increasingly difficult, South Africa are showing that they are among the teams that can do it, still, which only bodes well for their next overseas assignment – in England this winter.

Autobiography provides insight into defining traits of England’s new MD

Matt Roller18-Apr-2022Rob Key was appointed as the ECB’s new managing director of men’s cricket on Sunday. A leading broadcaster for Sky Sports since his retirement from the professional game, Key has often been forthright in his opinions about English cricket and his new role casts a different light on his previous takes.As well as Sky podcasts and columns for the , Key brought out an autobiography two years ago, titled . He told ESPNcricinfo at the time that it contained “a few tales, and a few views on the good things and the bad things” about the game, but with several big decisions due over the next two months, some excerpts now read like Key’s own manifesto.

Coaching

Key has often been cynical about the value of coaches, to the extent that one chapter of his book is called ‘A Coach is What You Get to the Ground In’. He hinted earlier this year that he believes England should split the role in two: a Test coach and a white-ball coach.”Essentially, there are three types of coaches,” he wrote. “Those who have a positive influence, those who have a negative influence, and those who are neutral. While many coaches would like to see themselves as a positive influence, the truth is, such people are actually few and far between.”Key sees a major difference between coaches at county and international level, suggesting that Peter Moores struggled with the step-up because he failed to take into account that “he was dealing with elite players”. “An international coach is more of a manager,” he writes. “They don’t actually have to do much. In fact, they are better off doing nothing.”

Australian coaches

Key’s own career was influenced by Neil ‘Noddy’ Holder, the batting coach who encouraged him to keep his backlift high, and John Inverarity, who coached him at Kent. Do not be surprised if he hires an Australian as England’s coach.”Aussie coaches, with their ‘can do’ attitude, certainly offer a refreshing and powerful input,” he wrote. “They have the ability to set off little explosions in your head. When the fog clears, you see everything with absolute clarity.”Steve Harmison, Rob Key and Andrew Flintoff played significant roles in England’s 2004 series win against West Indies•Getty Images

Captain-coach relationship

Key will need to ensure that his new Test captain and coach do not clash. “[There is] one absolute truth about the captaincy/coach dynamic,” he wrote. “It’s imperative they’re on the same page.”He details the failings of England’s Ashes tour in 2006-07, and the shortcomings of Duncan Fletcher’s relationship with Andrew Flintoff. “[Flintoff] would still end up trying his very best to make sure that that partnership worked,” he writes. “The question is whether he had any give or take coming back to him.”I know how important co-operative thinking is,” he continued. “As Kent captain, I found Graham Ford a great coach to work with… we had a joint focus on taking the team forward. Because of our shared attitude to betterment, we never really had a clash.”

Test captaincy

Key was highly critical of Joe Root’s captaincy during England’s Ashes defeat and Ben Stokes is the early favourite to replace him. While some have raised parallels with Flintoff’s ill-fated stint as captain, Key’s own view of his close friend’s time in charge suggests that will not put him off.Related

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“Fred was a better England captain than he – and many others – ever thought,” Key wrote. “The circumstances were tough… he simply couldn’t have picked a worse time to be captain of England. The team had gone from the perfect balance of 2005 to Saj Mahmood batting at number eight. It was always going to be 5-0. They were throwing stones at bazookas.”He is full of praise for Stokes, too, who would fit Key’s idea that a captain should be an inspirational figure. “Since the nightclub incident in Bristol, Ben Stokes has put so much into his game,” he said. “He trains so hard – harder than anyone around him, by a distance. Great talent delivers a focus. It did so for Fred in 2005 and is doing the same now for Stokes. Without the hardship, neither would have reached those incredible high points.”

White-ball captaincy

Key’s relationship with Eoin Morgan dates back to 2009, when he was captaining England Lions on a tour to New Zealand. “What I found was a cricketer who never missed a trick,” he wrote. “When the coaches asked who should be vice-captain, straight away I said Morgs. I saw somebody who wasn’t willing just to say what people wanted him to say.” They are unlikely to clash too much.

Style of play

Key favours an attacking style of play in Test cricket, which could spell bad news for Alex Lees, Rory Burns and Dom Sibley. “We accuse people of playing too many shots but as a batsman your only currency in the game is runs,” he wrote. “For some reason, we seem to be happier if people are out blocking.”I admire Trevor Bayliss because is a believer in positive cricket. His view is that it’s possible to defend positively as well as attack. That means committing to the shots, having purpose. Is scoring 10 in a hundred balls all right? I don’t know if it is.”Often players get blamed for losing their wicket by using an attacking mindset, as if they never get out while playing defensively. When Jason Roy was opening in the Test team… pundits were saying there are no good old-fashioned openers anymore. The fact is, we had already tried ten openers, most of whom were exactly that.”Rob Key captained Kent in their promotion-winning season in 2009•Getty Images

County cricket

Perhaps Key’s biggest challenge will be leading the ECB’s high-performance review into the domestic game. He has previously outlined a draft schedule for the English season featuring a one-day competition in April, a ‘best of the rest’ first-class tournament running parallel to the Hundred, and three divisions of six teams in the Championship.In , it seems he views the county game through the prism of England’s Test team, rather than something valuable in its own right. “Four-day cricket as a business is completely bankrupt,” Key wrote. “It makes no money and costs a hell of a lot to put on. Compared to other formats, it simply makes zero financial sense.”Championship cricket really has only one card up its sleeve. The TV rights for the game are linked to Test cricket, and Test cricket can only survive so long as there is a production line of players from the Championship.”County cricket exists only because of the money from Test cricket, the England Test team only because of the Championship conveyor belt. They are the ultimate odd couple: worlds apart, but unable to get divorced because they are so utterly reliant on each other.”

Stats highlights from Navi Mumbai, where India completed the highest-ever chase at the Women’s ODI World Cup

Sampath Bandarupalli30-Oct-2025339 The target chased by India against Australia in the semi-final. It is the highest-ever chase in women’s ODI cricket, bettering the 331-run chase by Australia against India earlier in the tournament in Visakhapatnam.India’s previous highest successful chase was 265 against Australia in 2021, and they had never chased a 200-plus target at a World Cup.15 Consecutive wins for Australia at the Women’s ODI World Cup, coming into Thursday’s semi-final. Their previous defeat was also against India, in the semi-final in 2017.Related

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It is the joint-longest winning streak for any team in the Women’s ODI World Cup, equaling Australia’s earlier streak of 15 wins between 1993 and 2000.341 for 5 India’s total in the chase is their highest at the Women’s ODI World Cup, a run more than the 340 for 3 they posted against New Zealand in Navi Mumbai last week.It is also the second-highest total by any team against Australia in women’s ODIs, behind their 369 in Delhi last month. In fact, that is the only total in a women’s ODI chase higher than India’s 341 on Thursday.679 Runs by India and Australia on Thursday in Navi Mumbai, making it the highest aggregate for a Women’s ODI World Cup game. The previous most were 678 runs between England and South Africa at Bristol in 2017.The 679 runs are also the second-most for any women’s ODI, behind the 781 runs in last month’s Delhi ODI, also featuring India and Australia.3 Number of successful chases of 300-plus targets in a knock-out match across men’s and women’s ODIs. The previous two were by India in men’s ODIs, who chased 315 against Pakistan in the third final of the Silver Jubilee Independence Cup in 1998 and 326 against England in the 2002 NatWest tri-series final.127* Jemimah Rodrigues’ score against Australia is the highest for India in an ODI chase, bettering the 125 by Smriti Mandhana, also against Australia last month in Delhi.167 Partnership between Rodrigues and Harmanpreet Kaur for the third wicket – the highest by any pair against Australia at the Women’s ODI World Cup.It is also the third-highest partnership against Australia in all women’s ODIs and the highest for the third wicket.3 Fifty-plus scores for Harmanpreet in the three knockout matches she has played in the Women’s ODI World Cup. Only Belinda Clark, with four, has more fifty-plus scores in World Cup knockouts than Harmanpreet.Harmanpreet aggregated 311 runs across those three games, the second-most in Women’s ODI World Cup knockouts, behind Clark’s 330 runs.Hug it out: Smriti Mandhana congratulated Jemimah Rodrigues after India’s epic chase•ICC/Getty Images77 Balls Phoebe Litchfield needed for her century against India, the fastest in any knockout game in women’s ODIs. The previous quickest was off 90 balls, by Harmanpreet against Australia in the 2017 World Cup semi-final and by Nat Sciver-Brunt against Australia in the 2022 Women’s ODI World Cup final.Litchfield is also the youngest batter to score a hundred in a knockout match in women’s ODIs.23.3 Overs bowled by Australia’s spinners in the semi-final. They also conceded 157 runs without taking a wicket. These are the most overs the spinners have ever bowled in a women’s ODI while being wicketless. The previous highest by Australian spinners was the 23 overs against New Zealand in 2012 at SCG.0 The 2025 edition will be the first Women’s ODI World Cup final to not feature either Australia or England. At least one of the two teams have featured in all the previous editions of the World Cup which have had a final.

Australia have qualified already, with South Africa, India, England and West Indies still in contention

S Rajesh22-Mar-2022
India
India’s convincing win against Bangladesh has not only lifted their points tally to six, but also pushed their net run rate (NRR) to a healthy 0.768, which is easily the best among all the teams in contention. That means India’s fortunes now rest in their own hands: if they beat South Africa on Sunday, then they qualify for sure, regardless of other results. Even if India beat South Africa by just one run after scoring 225, their NRR will be 0.656. Neither South Africa nor West Indies can match that if it comes down to NRR.If South Africa beat West Indies on Thursday, India can qualify even if they lose to South Africa and stay on six points. In that case, India, West Indies and New Zealand will all be on six points with England on eight, assuming New Zealand beat Pakistan and England win their last two games. India’s NRR should be enough to see them prevail over West Indies and New Zealand. For instance, if India, chasing 251, lose by 100 runs, and New Zealand score 300 and win by 150, then India’s NRR will be 0.363, and New Zealand’s 0.272.However, if South Africa lose to West Indies but beat India, then Australia, England, South Africa and West Indies could all finish on more than India’s six points.For West Indies to qualify, they will have to beat South Africa, who will in turn have to beat India•ICC via GettySouth Africa
West Indies’ defeat against Pakistan means South Africa should be through unless they suffer big defeats in their last two games. That is because West Indies can only get to a maximum of eight points, and among the five who can get there, their NRR will probably be the worst.For South Africa to be knocked out, they will have to lose their last two games by huge margins. If, say, they lose by a combined margin of 200 runs, with West Indies beating them by 100, then South Africa’s NRR will slip to -0.509, and West Indies’ will lift to -0.417. However, if the margins aren’t so big, then South Africa will still qualify as the fourth team behind Australia, India and England (if England win their last two) despite losing both their remaining matches.West Indies
For West Indies to qualify, they will have to beat South Africa, who will in turn have to beat India. In that case, India get eliminated, and Australia, South Africa, England – assuming they win their last two – and West Indies qualify.West Indies’ NRR is so poor that they will have no chance of qualifying with six points.Two wins for England against Bangladesh and Pakistan will confirm their qualification for the semi-final•Getty ImagesEngland
Two wins for England against the relatively weaker Bangladesh and Pakistan will confirm their qualification for the semi-final, given that their NRR is already impressive at 0.327. If they don’t take the full four points, though, then South Africa, India and West Indies could all finish ahead of them.Even if Bangladesh or Pakistan pull off an upset win, England’s NRR will still give them a good chance of qualifying if West Indies lose to South Africa and stay on six points.New Zealand
As mentioned earlier, even a 150-run win against Pakistan in their last match will only improve New Zealand’s NRR to 0.272, which will almost certainly be below that of India’s even if India lose their last game. With England’s NRR much higher too, New Zealand’s only chance is if South Africa beat West Indies, and England get no more than one point from their last two games. (Or if England get to six points with both their matches rained out, as the number of wins takes precedence over NRR if teams are level on points.) For all practical purposes, New Zealand can consider their home campaign over.Bangladesh and Pakistan have both had their moments in the tournament, but they are languishing on two points with poor NRRs. Given the quality of opposition they are up against, neither team has a realistic chance of going further in the tournament.

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