Royal Challengers blasted their highest powerplay total, after having consigned Titans to their worst showing in the phase

Sampath Bandarupalli04-May-20241 – Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s 92 runs in the powerplay against Gujarat Titans were by far the most by the franchise in this phase in any IPL game. The previous highest was 79 against Kochi Tuskers Kerala in 2011 and against Sunrisers Hyderabad earlier this year. The 92 runs today also ranked joint-fifth among the highest totals in the powerplay in IPL.69 – Difference in runs between the powerplay totals of RCB (92 for 1) and Gujarat Titans (23 for 3). It is the biggest difference in powerplay totals in an IPL match, surpassing the 65-run difference for Kolkata Knight Riders (105 for 0) against RCB (40 for 3) in 2017.18 – Balls Faf du Plessis needed for his fifty. It is now the second-fastest fifty for the RCB, behind the 17-ball fifty by Chris Gayle against Pune Warriors in 2013.Related

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64 – Runs scored by du Plessis before his dismissal in the sixth over. These are the most runs scored by a batter for RCB in the powerplay in an IPL match. The previous highest was by Gayle, who scored exactly 50 runs in the powerplay on three occasions. The 64 runs by du Plessis are the sixth-most by any batter in powerplay overs in an IPL match.23 for 3 – GT’s total in the powerplay on Saturday is their lowest in the IPL. Their previous lowest was 30 for 4 against Delhi Capitals earlier this year when they were bundled out for 89. Gujarat’s 23 for 3 is also the lowest powerplay total by any team in this year’s IPL.38 – Balls remaining when RCB reached their target. It is the biggest win for any team in terms of balls to spare in the IPL when having lost six or more wickets. The previous biggest in such a case was by 34 balls for KKR, who chased down a 161-run target against Sunrisers in 14.2 overs despite losing six wickets.8 – Runs aggregated by RCB’s Nos. 3, 4, 5 and 6 in the chase. These are the second-fewest runs by a team’s Nos. 3-6 in an IPL innings. Kochi Tuskers Kerala’s 3, 4, 5 and 6 bagged ducks against Deccan Chargers in 2011.8 – Eight out of the 11 wickets taken by pacers today came off short and short-of-a-good-length deliveries – four in the GT innings and four in the RCB chase.

Coach Jon Lewis said it was “pretty brutal” to bow out this way and was seemingly frustrated at not getting to train at match venues

Firdose Moonda16-Oct-20240:35

England disappointed at lack of training at match venues

Frustrations boiled over on and off the field for England after they failed to make their first T20 World Cup semi-final in seven editions. The last time England missed out on the knockouts was in 2010, and their disappointment after a meticulously planned campaign, which included a two-week camp in Abu Dhabi and simulating being without their captain Heather Knight in a game, was on full display.As West Indies began to hunt down a target of 142 by putting on the best powerplay score of the tournament, England dropped catches and their shoulders. Although this was their last match of the group phase, it was their only one in Dubai, where they encountered the ring of fire for the first time. They put down five catches, all of West Indies opener Qiana Joseph and she went on to score a decisive, match-winning half-century.Asked whether England would have liked to have had a training session at the ground before match day, coach Jon Lewis said: “No one’s had an opportunity to train here. We’ve been training in the ICC Academy down the road.”Related

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All ten teams have used the ICC Academy as a training base, apart from Scotland, who had a session in Sharjah early on, and India, ahead of their crunch clash against Australia. India’s training took place after the match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka on Saturday and included a middle practice. When Lewis was asked if he knew about India’s practice he said: “I didn’t know they did that. I didn’t know. India can pretty much do what they like, can’t they? Is that how it works?”An ICC spokesperson clarified to ESPNcricinfo that, “All other teams had the opportunity of training in Sharjah like India did on that day,” and it is understood no other teams asked to use the facilities at Sharjah. New Zealand and West Indies will have a practice session there on Thursday, ahead of their semi-final on Friday.England would have eyed that game as theirs, after they won their first three matches, with increasingly larger margins, but their net run-rate meant the West Indies clash was effectively a quarter-final. Lewis called it “pretty brutal” to bow out this way, particularly given the form England brought into the tournament.”I’m pretty gutted, to be honest. We’ve worked incredibly hard over a long period of time working towards this point,” he said. “We feel like we had a really good formula to come and play our best cricket out here and we haven’t done that today. And it’s really disappointing. You put a lot of time and effort and thought into the process of getting to this point, and then you put the players out on the field and you want the players to go and play their best cricket, because you know that at their best, this group of players is a really good cricket team.”Since the last T20 World Cup, where England were losing semi-finalists, they have won 21 of 28 matches, including the T20 component of the Ashes and an 11-match winning streak against New Zealand, Pakistan and Ireland. Of the teams at this World Cup, only Australia, with 17 victories from 22 matches, have a better win percentage over the same period. Given those numbers, it would not be exaggerating to say that England had realistic expectations of making it out of the group stage but did not deal well with being put under real pressure in the field for the first time in the tournament.

“It seemed like maybe after six or seven overs we were starting to think, ‘Oh crikey, we’re up against it here,’ and you could see a lot of the players just starting to drift off. Especially with our energy in the field and our tempo.”Jon Lewis

After Hayley Matthews took the fight to them with 14 runs off the first over, Joseph showed a willingness to take risks with a few big hits that ended up being half-chances. She edged her first four, then got a leading edge which fell safely, then was dropped on the boundary by Sophia Dunkley, then hit a ball just over backward point, and then top-edged a sweep which did not carry to short fine. In between that, Hayley Matthews spliced a pull shot off Charlie Dean that landed in front of Danielle Gibson. England’s fielders were frantic and soon became too frazzled to hold on, even to easier opportunities. At point, Alice Capsey dropped Joseph when she skied one straight up and again at deep mid-wicket for what was a simple chance. It appeared that England’s drops were the result of things happening in fast-forward but, as Lewis pointed out, they were not the only team whose hands let them down in Dubai. “It’s obviously something that’s been reasonably common at this stadium,” he said.According to ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball data, there have been 75 catches dropped in the 20 group-stage matches, which is the most in the last four tournaments. Of those, 39 have been put down in Dubai, and 33 of those in night matches. The numbers suggest that difficulty of catching under an unusually configured circle of lights is not mere mythology and perhaps more practice at the match venue would have helped. But there was more to England’s defeat than just that set of circumstances.They unravelled in other ways too. After the powerplay, Ecclestone and Bell both bowled tight overs but Maia Bouchier put Joseph down twice in two overs. At one point, she had her head in her hands and her team-mates’ expressions gave away their disbelief. By this point, Lewis knew something was not quite right.”It’s not a reaction you want as a coach when you’re on the sidelines. It seemed like maybe after six or seven overs we were starting to think, ‘Oh crikey, we’re up against it here,’ and you could see a lot of the players just starting to drift off. Especially with our energy in the field and our tempo – we played a lot slower today.”Sarah Glenn reacts to England’s sloppy fielding•ICC/Getty ImagesLewis went out himself at the drinks break to calm things down. “I rarely go on the field after a drinks interval, but I went on today just to remind them what we’re all about as a cricket team,” he said. “They responded to that really well after the drinks break. There was a period, yeah, for three or four overs where we looked a little deflated as a side because we took some punches and when you’re on the ropes, you’re taking punches, it can be hard to keep bouncing back. But I thought they did after the drinks interval, they came back, took some wickets, got back on our plans, and actually executed much better after that point.”By then, it was all but too late. Joseph brought up fifty in the over after the break and then Bouchier dropped her again before Danni Wyatt-Hodge finally held on to one. Bouchier did not join the celebratory huddle. England also removed Matthews and Deandra Dottin, who was bowled by the player who talked up the mini-battle between them, Sophie Ecclestone, but she was too annoyed to care about bragging rights. She’d spent some of the rest of the time muttering to herself in irritation as runs flowed and she could do little to stop it.The other face like thunder was Knight’s. She was not able to join the team on the field and offered advice from the sidelines but it was not the same as calling the shots in the middle, which is something she values doing. “The reason you’ve seen emotion from Heather is that she’s really committed and really cares about England cricket and not being out there would have been incredibly frustrating for her,” Lewis said.England have gone from a team who had the knockouts in their sights to taking the early flight home, with the knowledge that they simply “weren’t at our best today.””The reality is we didn’t play well enough today and we got beaten by a better side on the day. That’s sport and that’s World Cup sport and it’s a knockout game,” Lewis said. “We knew that coming into the game, so, we’ll dig into that and we’ll work out why that is, and we’ll try and move the team forward from there.”England’s next assignment is a tour to South Africa starting next month.

Gus Atkinson and Jamie Smith burst onto the scene as Bazball 2.0 began to take shape

Vithushan Ehantharajah10-Sep-2024″Coldplay can’t be number one every week.”So said Joe Root after England succumbed to an eight-wicket defeat to Sri Lanka in their final Test of the 2024 home season. His point being that their style is such that, while they have reeled off five wins in a row, results like this are “going to happen from time to time”.It’s not quite how recording artists operate, of course. Certainly not a band who, if they were so inclined, could industrialise the production of their cookie-cutter tear-jerkers. One thing Coldplay do, however, is sell out stadiums, which England have not this summer. The Kia Oval was only a third full for what is usually a showpiece event in the calendar.To be fair to England, that’s not so much on them. Inclement weather and broadly uneven Tests have contributed to an unspectacular home season. Prevalent themes include underfunded opposition and overpriced ticketing.Related

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And yet at the same time, few summers have been this transitional as new blood was sourced to build towards the 2025-26 Ashes. Such has been the rate of change, the average age of England’s XI at the Oval was 26, compared to 32 for the corresponding 2023 Ashes fixture. In pursuit of Bazball refinement, England gave us a Bratball summer.

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James Anderson knew something was up when all of Ben Stokes, Brendon McCullum and Rob Key invited him to a Manchester hotel in April. Good news is rarely delivered by three messengers.The meeting itself lasted 90 minutes, not that Anderson was oblivious to what was to be discussed before he walked through the door. England’s greatest ever bowler, fresh from breaching the 700 Test wickets mark, was being put out to pasture.Lord’s would be the farewell, creating a peculiar atmosphere around the season opener against West Indies. On the one hand, Anderson hated the fuss of his 188th and final Test appearance, though did grow to enjoy it. On the other, it acted as a neat distraction for those taking the team forward in a post-Anderson world.Shoaib Bashir played his first home Test after an impressive tour of India was followed by a loan move from Worcestershire to Somerset for first-team action. The Surrey duo of Gus Atkinson, a quick with just 19 first-class appearances to his name, and Jamie Smith, picked as wicketkeeper despite not doing the job for his county, made their debuts. All three were ever-presents for the summer.

“The flipside of introducing new faces is saying goodbye to old ones. Broad, Anderson, Bairstow and Foakes, staples of the first two years of McCullum’s era, are already fading in the rearview mirror”

Bashir came off a “thanks for coming” appearance in that first Test to bowl England to victory over West Indies at Trent Bridge. Second-innings figures of 5 for 41 made him the youngest English spinner to take a five-wicket haul at home, which also happened to be his third outright.Atkinson started with a bang, taking 12 for 106 in his first outing – the best figures for an Englishman on Test debut since 1890 – turning Anderson’s grand closing into his grand opening. A return to Lord’s against Sri Lanka brought with it another five-wicket haul, as well as completing the honours board set with a maiden Test century. All in, 34 dismissals at 20.17 represents an exceptional home summer. Particularly given Atkinson’s front-on, into-the-pitch action, along with his scrambled stock ball, which sets him apart from traditional English seamers.It was perhaps Smith who was the real find. The 24-year-old made the earliest impression – ultimately, by doing nothing at all. With McCullum and Stokes maintaining their stance on leaving training attendance in the hands of the individuals, Smith, ahead of his first cap, decided on having the day off.It was a bold call for someone ahead of such a big moment in their career. But with the team announced 48 hours early, Smith informed Stokes that he felt he had done all his necessary preparation and could probably do with a more relaxed lead-in. The skipper was impressed by the clarity, and, though he would not judge, the bravery of the call. Smith went out and strummed 70 in his maiden Test knock.A century would come at Old Trafford against Sri Lanka after a near-miss in his previous knock against West Indies. And with 23 catches to go with his 487 runs, Smith has rectified a problem position. The keeping conundrum of Jonny Bairstow or Ben Foakes has been solved swiftly and with remarkable distinction.It’s worth noting that all three youngsters have encountered challenges. Smith, a three-format player, noted the grind of Test cricket is something he must manage, even if it had not caught up with him just yet.Jamie Smith has nailed down the wicketkeeper position•Getty Images”Looking back on these six matches has been a learning experience for me of just day-to-day how I need to go about things, in terms of preparation,” he said. “There’s quite a quick turnaround between games.”So [it’s] almost, ‘what do I need to do to be ready?’ It’s a slightly unique situation that I’ve been full at it since back in April, and played nine Championship games in the lead up to these six Test matches. So it’s 15 first-class games, plus the T20s and the Hundred. It’s been a lot.”By the last Test at the Kia Oval, Atkinson’s pace was noticeably down, in part because of a thigh injury that has subsequently seen him rested for the upcoming ODI series with Australia. From a technical point of view, Bashir’s lack of “go-to” ball is something he needs to work on.

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With six Tests still to come this year, split evenly between Pakistan and New Zealand, such learnings will have to come on duty. McCullum and Stokes are keen to hot-house talent within the confines of the Test squad, as much because of the proximity of the next Ashes and the fact they believe their environment promotes accelerated progress.Josh Hull is the latest example of that. After being called up to replace Mark Wood – now out until the new year – Hull spent a week grooving in the Lord’s nets.Just seven weeks after walking out at the same venue, Anderson was back on the Nursery Ground. This time, as the team’s bowling consultant, fine-tuning a kid born 15 months after he made his Test debut.Josh Hull claimed three wickets on debut against Sri Lanka•Richard Heathcote/Getty ImagesTall, left-arm, but with a Division Two bowling average of 182.50 this season, Hull needed work. Anderson set about shaving off a couple of rough edges. A slightly skittish run-up was tidied. An alignment at the crease that led a collapsed front leg was adjusted.There was nothing overly technical, but enough for Hull to shine in the lead-up to the final Test of the summer and sneak a spot in the XI. Impressing McCullum and Stokes with his movement and bounce helped, as well as a handy spell against stand-in captain Ollie Pope in the nets.Three wickets, all in the first innings, showcased promise, though the rawness was evident throughout with a lack of control. Nevertheless, a spot for Hull on the tour of Pakistan came through on Tuesday. England are keen on an extra month to polish, believing they are onto something special.

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The flipside of introducing new faces is saying goodbye to old ones. Broad, Anderson, Bairstow and Foakes, staples of the first two years of McCullum’s era, are already fading in the rearview mirror.Dan Lawrence, a passenger for the last 18 months, has been dropped off after unsuccessfully moonlighting as an opener in the absence of Zak Crawley. Jordan Cox, four years Lawrence’s junior, is now riding spare.The other knock-on effect comes within. Established players like Pope and Harry Brook have been shifted up in responsibility. In turn, the acting skipper and vice for Sri Lanka’s tour have been shunted into intriguing junctures as far as their Test careers are concerned. Neither can rest on “figuring things out” around more inexperienced company.By the end, England called upon 16 players during the Test season. Of the 15 still active, only six have experience in Australian conditions. It speaks to the volume of change, but also the need to try different things ahead of the next Ashes to rectify consecutive 5-0, 4-0 and 4-0 losses.As such, the value of this near-perfect home season against imperfect opposition is something of an unknown. It may not have been a memorable summer, but it could be remembered fondly depending on how things pan out in two winter’s time.

A senior ticket collector at the New Delhi Railway Station, Sangwan sent Kohli’s off stump cartwheeling for 6

Daya Sagar31-Jan-2025On Friday, when the second day of the Delhi vs Railways Ranji Trophy match began, the fans were waiting eagerly for a Delhi wicket so that they could see their hero, Virat Kohli, bat. But Delhi’s overnight batters Sanat Sangwan and Yash Dhull made them wait for an hour. During their 67-run partnership for the second wicket, the spectators kept getting impatient and kept demanding a wicket from the Railways bowlers.However, when their wait ended, the joy did not last long. After only 23 minutes and 15 balls in the middle, Kohli was back in the pavilion for 6. This was a disappointing end to Kohli’s first innings in the Ranji Trophy after 12 years, and the stadium, which was reverberating with chants of “Kohli, Kohli… RCB, RCB” a while back was now completely silent.The man responsible for this was Railways’ right-arm fast bowler Himanshu Sangwan. Posted as a senior ticket collector at the New Delhi Railway Station, Sangwan bowled a good-length ball to Kohli. The batter took a step forward to drive it down the ground but the ball came in, beat his inside edge, and sent his off stump cartwheeling. Just one ball before this, Kohli had nailed the same shot off a similar length. Not this time.Related

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In the previous over, Kunal Yadav had beaten Kohli outside off stump on two successive deliveries. Perhaps to avoid that, Kohli charged at Sangwan and lost his wicket in the process. It was undoubtedly the biggest wicket of Sangwan’s career, and he celebrated it by punching the air and clenching his teeth.”We did not have any special plan for Kohli,” Sangwan said after the day’s play. “Since all Delhi batters play aggressive cricket, our plan was to bowl in the channel. If you do not give runs to an aggressive batter, he will try a big shot and get out. Perhaps the same happened with him.”Talking about his reaction after the wicket, Sangwan said: “That was my natural celebration. If you have seen me playing before, I always celebrate my wicket like this. I did not do anything different there.”Sangwan, 29, was born in Charkhi Dadri, Haryana. But his father’s job meant he spent his childhood in Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan. Like most Indian boys, he has been playing cricket since childhood, but in 2008, when Virat Kohli’s team won the Under-19 World Cup, he was very impressed by fast bowler Pradeep Sangwan, the guy with the same surname as him, and started dreaming of becoming a fast bowler like him.To focus on cricket, he moved from Jhunjhunu to his uncle’s place in Najafgarh, Delhi and started taking coaching there. Incidentally, Pradeep also hails from Najafgarh.After playing school and club cricket for four-five years, Sangwan was selected in Delhi’s Under-19 team and made his debut with Rishabh Pant in the 2013 Vinoo Mankad Trophy. In that 50-over game, he took 1 for 30 from eight overs. But after that, he was never selected for Delhi’s junior or senior team.Disappointed by this, Sangwan decided to play for his home state Haryana. He played district and university cricket there for about three-four years but did not get a chance in senior cricket.During this time, Sangwan got a job in Indian Railways as a ticket collector through sports quota. In 2018-19, he represented Railways in the Under-23 CK Nayudu Trophy, where he took 37 wickets in seven matches at an average of 18.21. That earned him a place in the senior team for the next season.Since then, Sangwan has been a key part of Railways’ bowling attack. Before the match against Delhi, he had 77 wickets in 23 first-class matches at an average of 19.92. His tally includes international names such as Ajinkya Rahane, Mayank Agarawal, Prithvi Shaw and Ishan Kishan. Apart from this, he has taken 21 wickets in 17 List A matches and five in seven T20s.”When I was not getting any opportunity, Railways supported me,” Sangwan said. They gave me chances, so my first priority is the Railways team. It is nothing like I had to prove something to Delhi for not giving me a chance.”

Australia have not found a replacement for Warner yet in Tests, and it’s not necessary the gap will be filled soon

Andrew McGlashan20-Dec-20241:33

Cummins: ‘Top three is a really hard place to bat’

A year that started with David Warner playing his final Test will draw to a close with Australia still searching for his long-term replacement, and a reality dawning that it might be sooner rather than later that they need another new opener as well.Rohit Sharma batted away suggestions that India had over-celebrated avoiding the follow-on at the Gabba and Pat Cummins said “can’t say I’ve ever been scared of momentum” when asked if the visitors took more from how that Test finished, but it feels like Australia have blinked first ahead of the crunch encounter at the MCG.Australia’s opening batting position was the major talking point heading into the series and whoever is selected in the role on Boxing Day – Sam Konstas is favourite but it may not be him – will mean that three players have had the job alongside Usman Khawaja, himself desperately short of runs this year, since the middle of January.Related

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Australia tried to manufacture openers out of Steven Smith and Nathan McSweeney with both being aborted. Josh Inglis has never opened in first-class cricket. Beau Webster has done it seven times, and scored 136 against New South Wales, but not since 2019. The door isn’t completely shut on someone else moving up.Konstas is a specialist opener and may yet prove to be the answer – it has felt like an inevitable path to international cricket and plenty of good judges have already anointed him – but the selectors didn’t think he was ready a month ago. He has, however, taken his opportunity to keep his name in lights in the last few weeks with a century for the Prime Minister’s XI against the Indians (minus Jasprit Bumrah), 88 against a good Western Australia attack and a dashing BBL debut, although caution needs to be used when assessing the latter.”What I can say is Sam has a self-confidence you don’t see in very many,” Sydney Thunder coach Trevor Bayliss said this week. “I’ve only seen it in a few over the years, and all of those players were outstanding Test players and international players, guys like [Michael] Clarke and [Brad] Haddin, Warner and Smith.”This decision will be picked apart a few days after former Australia coach Darren Lehmann said chair of selectors George Bailey was too close to the players and couldn’t make hard decisions. But it feels McSweeney, who had not opened before this season, has had the rough end of the deal having come up against Bumrah who is putting together one of the great series.His axing has come two Tests after his 39 in the first innings in Adelaide was lauded by team-mates as having been key in helping set up victory when he and Marnus Labuschagne survived the first evening under lights. He also came through a tricky opening day at the Gabba in the 13 overs sent down before the rain. However, perhaps crucially to his ambitions, he could not go on with either innings on the second day.1:37

Clarke: Everyone wants to see Rohit back to his confident self

Whoever gets the nod at the MCG is effectively being asked to do something no one else in that position has been able to manage: keep out, and score runs off, Bumrah.There has been much talk of the success of enabling Travis Head to come in after the 30-over mark in the first innings of the last two Tests when he has flayed thrilling centuries, but today’s decision appears to signal a change of tact from purely soaking up deliveries. It’s unlikely to signal a switch to something close to Bazball, but perhaps Ronball is going to make a comeback. Bailey stressed the importance of a left-hander opening, so the similarities between McSweeney and Labuschagne in the top three may have proved too great for not enough output.While McSweeney is the one to have paid the price, the sense is that plenty of the top are now on notice. “If you look more broadly I don’t necessarily the top six as quite functioned to the level that we need in this series as a whole,” Bailey said.Head is flying and Smith’s century was very timely, but Khawaja, Labuschagne and, lower down, Mitchell Marsh have made 214 runs in the series between them at 14.26. All three have credit in the bank, but it will be starting to run low.It is true that the evidence backs up what is becoming a well-worn trope about batting having become harder in Australia since the altered Kookaburra was introduced, combined with more grass being left on pitches – the “perfect storm” as Smith termed it after his century – but KL Rahul has shown that it is possible to make runs as an opener in the first innings, while Yashasvi Jaiswal had to get through the new ball before he could compile 161 in Perth.Amid all this, regardless of what happens in the final two Tests against India – and if Australia don’t regain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy it will lead to a lot more questions being asked – there is likely to be plenty more movement at the top of the order in the next 12 months. Head is a good chance of opening in Sri Lanka, which is admittedly a very conditions-based call, and even if Khawaja gets his wish of finishing at next summer’s Ashes, it means we’ll be back here having another debate on replacements this time next year.Warner was joking when he said his phone was always on before this series began but, wherever anyone stands in their views of him, there can be no doubt the size of the task to filling those shoes. In a few days it will be someone else’s turn. Bumrah will be waiting.

Playing against his former team, he silenced the Chinnaswamy with a spell of 3 for 19

Shashank Kishore03-Apr-20251:30

‘A bit more fire in the belly for Siraj after Champions Trophy snub’

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) fans need no reminding of two things. First, the seemingly harmless slogan that has become an albatross around their necks. Second, a long list of players they let go of only to watch them flourish elsewhere and, at times, haunt them.KL Rahul, Travis Head, Yuzvendra Chahal, Shane Watson, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube – enough heartbreaks? On Wednesday night, another name was added in bold to that illustrious list – Mohammed Siraj, the one they let go of before the IPL 2025 mega auction.Siraj now plays for Gujarat Titans (GT) but RCB was his IPL home for seven seasons, where he rose from a rookie to their pace spearhead. Yet, being overlooked in favour of Yash Dayal – an uncapped signing – for retention must have stung, especially after finishing as their joint-highest wicket-taker in 2024. He claimed 15 wickets in 14 games, though his economy rate, at 9.18, was on the higher side.Related

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At the time, the rumblings within the camp pointed to Siraj’s underwhelming record at the Chinnaswamy, and that his prolific years with the franchise had come when the IPL moved to the UAE during the Covid years. A look at his record, however, suggests there’s very little to choose from. His economy for RCB at the Chinnaswamy (8.81) was only marginally higher than elsewhere (8.53), while his average at home was significantly better (26.84 as opposed to 33.54 away).How poetic, then, that one of his best IPL spells – 3 for 19 off four overs, a fine follow-up to the one against Mumbai Indians in Ahmedabad last week – came at the very ground where he was once deemed to have fallen short. His execution was just as impressive as his pace and zip on a surface that, as RCB coach Andy Flower noted, “wasn’t a typical Chinnaswamy pitch”.Mohammed Siraj thought he had dismissed Phil Salt but Jos Buttler ended up dropping the catch•BCCIThe evening began with warmth – plenty of bonhomie and backslaps with former team-mates. But the competitive fire took over quickly, igniting further when Virat Kohli elegantly drove him through extra cover for a boundary off his second ball.The Chinnaswamy erupts at the slightest spark when RCB play, and it takes something extraordinary to silence it – and that’s exactly what Siraj did. After sending Devdutt Padikkal’s stumps cartwheeling, he sprinted the length of the pitch before unleashing his trademark Cristiano Ronaldo celebration. The silence in the stadium that followed was telling.”I was a little emotional, because I played here for seven years in the red jersey,” Siraj said later, after being named Player of the Match. “Now it’s a different colour. I was a little nervous and a little emotional, too. But as soon as I got the ball in my hand, I was full on.”Siraj’s full-on avatar truly sparked life into the GT camp when he dismissed the in-form Phil Salt. Siraj should have had him in the very first over when he edged a pull but Jos Buttler put it down. It seemed Siraj and GT had done their homework: In the IPL, Salt strikes significantly better (227.36) against full deliveries than he does against deliveries bowled on a good length or just short of it (146.64).

“I was a little emotional, because I played here for seven years in the red jersey… But as soon as I got the ball in my hand, I was full on”

GT’s plan was evident from the outset when Salt mistimed a pull on the very first ball, the delivery from Siraj thudding near his bat sticker. The struggle against those lengths nearly led to Salt’s downfall. He was on 7 off ten when he had a mix-up with Rajat Patidar as he attempted a tight single to get off strike. But Siraj, despite all three stumps in sight, missed the direct hit at the non-striker’s end.Much to Siraj’s frustration, Salt countered with a monstrous 105-metre pulled six that sailed into the adjacent metro sheds – a premeditated response to a 144kph bouncer. Such a blow can dent a bowler’s confidence, even shake his resolve. But not Siraj’s. Unfazed, he struck back in style, landing the ball on a good length, getting it to nip away off the seam, and splattering Salt’s stumps as the batter attempted an ambitious golf swing. It was as if Siraj was engulfed by a mystical power that stayed with him all night.He didn’t need to push the speed gun to its limits to be RCB’s wrecking ball. It was all about skill, a deep understanding of his craft, and the unwavering belief that his body would respond exactly as he intended. This was Siraj at his peak – far removed from the bowler who ran out of steam in the latter stages of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, only to return home and find himself sidelined from India’s white-ball plans.Siraj roars after eventually getting Salt•BCCI”I was playing matches consistently, so, I wasn’t realising the mistakes I was making,” he said when asked about his rhythm. “I took a break and focused on my fitness and bowling. It also helped mentally. Then when I joined GT, I spoke to Ashu [Ashish Nehra, coach] . So it’s coming out well and I am confident. Ashu tells me to go out and have fun. There’s no bigger confidence-booster than that.”Siraj’s first two wickets came from his potent mix of hard lengths and sharp movement off the pitch, his third – dismissing half-centurion Liam Livingstone – was just as crucial, potentially denying RCB vital runs at the death. More than the runs, though, it took the momentum away from RCB just as Livingstone was igniting a late surge. His brutal assault on Rashid Khan – who registered 0 for 54, his joint-second-most expensive T20 spell – had begun to turn the tide, only for Siraj to snatch it back.”I have only one mindset that as a bowler, it is very important to have belief,” he said. “If you don’t have belief, then obviously you will panic from inside. Then when you hit a six, then you tend to try something else. So, the most important thing is to have the belief that I can do it. No matter which wicket I am bowling on, I have belief. That is my mindset that I can do it.”Bowling the way he did, Siraj looked unshackled, free from the mental cobwebs that may have weighed him down in recent times. His fiery start to IPL 2025 could well mark the beginning of a happy chapter with GT.

The league has morphed into a mature, austere version that suits it better than the glamour and grandeur it initially aimed for

Danyal Rasool09-Apr-2025A decade is never not a milestone, but it can also be an awkward period of time to draw any conclusions from. It’s probably a bit too late to begin evaluating whether you have made the right career choice, and hopefully too early to determine if you have got enough by way of retirement savings. It’s often best looked at through the softened sepia tint of hindsight, which has its own gentle way of smoothing out the roughest edges of circumstance, superimposing melancholy contentment where raw pain once existed. That might make any objective assessment difficult, but it’s always deeply personal.As Pakistan’s own T20 competition hits that milestone, what to make of it remains elusive, and personal. The Pakistan Super League launched its own official song for the tournament a few days out from its start, predictably drawing strong opinions on ultimately inconsequential promotional filler. The slogan it came up with – X – could perhaps be characterised the same way, though, corny pun aside, it gets something fundamental about this tournament right. This is an X to be interpreted rather than solved, with the PSL choosing to focus on the sense of belonging and connection with Pakistan, not the glamour or any delusions of grandeur that, at present, are hard to seriously keep up in Pakistan cricket.Much as the PSL would like to stand out as an independent entity, its fanbase is primarily Pakistan cricket’s fanbase, and the league starts at a time when Pakistan’s worn-down supporters have flitted from hope to disappointment and heartbreak in six months of non-stop international cricket. It’s impossible to say this is the nadir, but it does feel Pakistan appear to have left no stone unturned in their search. Stop-gap solutions for structural problems, the hounding out of high-profile coaching staff they had spent a fortune chasing, the appointments and sackings of captains on an almost monthly basis all culminated in an embarrassing early exit in a Champions Trophy they hosted before three weeks of humbling defeats in New Zealand rubbed salt into their wounds.Related

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That is the backdrop to the tenth anniversary of a league that deserves better. It has become a financial lifeline for the PCB over the years, one of the few brands associated with Pakistan that has actually appreciated in value. It laid the groundwork for Pakistan’s international isolation to end, and has inculcated a sense of regional identity that was never possible in the domestic first-class structure due to perpetual rejigging. Now, perhaps, it is also an escape if you want to watch Pakistan cricket without the sadness that watching Pakistan cricket evokes in so many.The danger of stagnation, though, is ever-present, and, with all six franchises up for rebidding at the end of its tenth year, potentially existential. The most dominant theme in the build-up week of the tournament, tellingly, has been a constantly escalating attack on the management of the PSL by one of the franchise owners. Multan Sultans’ Ali Tareen accused the PCB of letting the league embrace mediocrity, sparking a contretemps with Karachi Kings owner Salman Iqbal, who accused Tareen of “ridiculing and disrespecting” the league. They would later de-escalate, but it has shone a spotlight on how insecurities and fears about the future of the PSL run right to the top.No cricketer possibly did as much for the PSL – and Pakistan cricket – as Darren Sammy did•AFP via Getty ImagesThe PSL appears to have accepted that days of the league attracting the hottest properties in franchise cricket are behind them. The first pick for the first two seasons of the draft were Chris Gayle and Brendon McCullum; this year it was Daryl Mitchell, last year David Willey. The glut of T20 leagues in a window the PSL believed it had to itself saw it constricted from either side when the UAE’s ILT20 and South Africa’s IPL-owners-backed SA20 popped up in the January-February window, drawing talent away. At the other end, the ever-expanding IPL began to spread into March, further reducing the PSL’s breathing space.As a result, the PSL made official what had been a de facto reality for several seasons, accepting its status as a second-tier league and moving directly into the IPL window. This change may not be permanent, and it divided opinion among the franchise owners, but operating in the IPL’s slipstream all but ended any issues around international clashes. While past seasons involved multiple late withdrawals, the replacement draft this time around comprised just two new picks, as just about every player who went unpicked at the IPL was available to the PSL.In its second season at the launch ceremony, the then PCB chairman unveiled the Spirit Trophy for the PSL, which, the official claim went, included 50,000 double-pointed Swarovski crystals. It took, the PCB’s website said, “inspiration from the brilliance of the universe”.Lahore Qalandars winning back-to-back PSL titles buoyed the city•AFP/Getty ImagesThat sort of vapid optimism of the early seasons has dulled, and, as the league bids farewell to its first decade, the pragmatism of middle age has replaced it. The aspiration for the PSL to become a global glamour brand never seemed tenable, but it has carved its way into Pakistan’s cultural identity. No one is pretending it will compete for international eyeballs while games clash directly with the IPL, but there is a recognition Pakistan was never doing this for anyone else, just for Pakistan.And a decade leaves memories Pakistan fans may cling to as a crutch in these unhappy times. Lahore’s overwhelming gratitude when Daren Sammy’s million-dollar smile lit up the Gaddafi Stadium for the first time in 2017 remains one of cricket’s most iconic recent days. So were Kings’ dismantling of arch-nemesis Lahore Qalandars at the National Stadium, Lahore’s emotions overflowing when they went back-to-back after years of propping up the table.It is perhaps the purest and least problematic fun to be had in Pakistan, something cricket fans may want more of, not less, as the international side recedes in relevance at the top end of the global game. Qalandars will take on Islamabad United – two sides as diametrically opposed as you’ll find anywhere in the franchise game – on the opening day. Perhaps, Kings have finally got it right this time under David Warner. Maybe Sultans will stop losing finals. None of it will make a cosmic difference large enough to suggest any inspiration from the brilliance of the universe. It is, after all, everyone’s ” X”. Not a bad way to end a decade.

Archer is back and Dravid heads a new coaching group, but can RR handle the loss of Buttler and Chahal?

Himanshu Agrawal16-Mar-20253:04

Is the lack of Indian bowling options a worry for RR?

Where they finished last yearAfter starting the season with eight wins in their first nine games, Rajasthan Royals (RR) looked set for a top-two finish. But four successive losses and an abandoned match later, they ended third. RR then beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Eliminator, but lost Qualifier 2 to Sunrisers Hyderabad.What’s new in 2025RR revamped their bowling unit in the mega auction after not retaining or buying back Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal and R Ashwin. They went on a bowler shopping spree – Jofra Archer, Tushar Deshpande, Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana cost INR 28.65 crores – and did not buy any overseas batters. Shimron Hetmyer, who was retained, is their only overseas batter. He is a certain starter, but if form or fitness becomes an issue, RR have few back-up options.Related

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It isn’t common for a team to have an entirely Indian top five for the majority of the season. It’s happened in 37 games in the IPL over the years: MI did it ten times last season and finished bottom; KKR did it seven times in 2015 and finished fifth; the other 20 instances were scattered, not Plan A for the teams. So if RR have Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel as the top five, as it looks like they might, they will be attempting something that hasn’t taken teams into the playoffs in the past.They also signed the 13-year-old batter Vaibhav Suryavanshi at the auction. He is the youngest player to earn an IPL deal and made his debut for Bihar across formats in domestic cricket in 2023-24. Overall, the squad seems to lack depth, and this season could be a test of their domestic bench strength.RR also have a new coaching team. Former India captain and coach Rahul Dravid is their head coach, and Vikram Rathour their batting coach. They appointed former India legspinner Sairaj Bahutule as their spin-bowling coach.Likely best XII1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Sanju Samson (capt & wk), 3 Nitish Rana, 4 Riyan Parag, 5 Dhruv Jurel, 6 Shimron Hetmyer*, 7 Wanindu Hasaranga*, 8 Shubham Dubey/Akash Madhwal, 9 Jofra Archer*, 10 Maheesh Theekshana/Fazalhaq Farooqi*, 11 Sandeep Sharma, 12 Tushar Deshpande
Full RR squadBig questionWatch out forJofra Archer returns to RR after almost five years, having spent three seasons there from 2018 to 2020, and arrives in the IPL after an injury-free 2024 following chronic elbow and back problems. Archer has played 19 T20Is since his comeback in May, bagging 23 wickets at an average of 24.26. But with his history of injuries, RR will want to manage his workload carefully. RR also have Fazalhaq Farooqi and Kwena Maphaka as overseas pace options, and both are left-armers.Jofra Archer will be back in pink for the first time since IPL 2020•BCCIAfter more than three months out with a shoulder injury, Riyan Parag returned to action when he led Assam against Saurashtra in the Ranji Trophy towards the end of January. It took Parag six seasons to finally repay RR’s faith in him, and he smashed 573 runs at an average of 52.09 and a strike rate of 149.21 in 2024. That was more runs than Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal or Jos Buttler, and that performance helped him earn T20I and ODI debuts. With Buttler now gone, RR will depend on Parag even more.Key stats Samson enters the IPL on the back of scoring just 51 runs in five T20Is against England in January-February. He had cracked three centuries in five innings before that and was dismissed for ducks in the other two. With 12 wickets, Hasaranga was Desert Vipers’ second highest wicket-taker in the ILT20 held earlier this year in the UAE. His economy rate of 5.88 was the best among all bowlers to have bowled at least 100 balls in the tournament, with Sunil Narine second at 6.17.Who’s out or in doubt?While Samson had finger surgery last month, he is awaiting fitness clearance from BCCI medical team. There is no confirmation yet on whether that might impact his availability for RR’s first match on March 23. Samson had suffered the blow while batting during the fifth T20I against England in early February, when he was, coincidentally, struck by a ball from Archer, his RR team-mate.

England have been nowhere near India all series, and the way they have been outplayed in the middle overs has a lot to do with it

Sidharth Monga12-Feb-2025During the last ODI of a dismal tour for England, commentators Ravi Shastri and Kevin Pietersen made stinging criticism of their attitude based on non-facts. With another team, there would have been outrage from fans, and possibly cricketers themselves. There wasn’t any here possibly because England’s performance through the series has suggested a team that has not been in the nets at all.So any achievement against such a team has to be taken with caution, but India have displayed here a new brand of ODI cricket they want to play. Every change in leadership brings new ideas, and this transition from Rahul Dravid to Gautam Gambhir suggests India want to make middle overs the point of difference.If you break this series down, the two sides have been quite close to each other during the first powerplay. India scored 200 runs and lost three wickets in the three first powerplays, while England scored 236 and lost two extra wickets. The death overs were not even relevant because India killed all three games off in the middle overs. India took more wickets in fewer balls while being more economical in the middle overs.ESPNcricinfo LtdEven as a captain, Gambhir had a liking for spin. In one series that he captained India in, Gambhir used R Ashwin for the batting powerplay overs back when batting teams could choose a set of five overs at any time from overs 11 to 40 as a powerplay. At Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), he used spin liberally. His stamp is all over India’s move from a 4-2 attack to a 3-3 attack. And, at least one of those spinners has to be a point-of-difference spinner in either Kuldeep Yadav or Varun Chakravarthy.This plan is fit for purpose till at least the Champions Trophy 2025 after which there might be a reset in order as the ODI World Cup 2027 will be played in different conditions in South Africa. It has also resulted in a last-minute change to the squad for the Champions Trophy with India foregoing a reserve batter for the mystery spin of Varun.”The only reason was, we wanted another wicket-taking option in the middle,” Gambhir said of the late change. “And we know what Varun brings to the table. We know that Varun can be a massive threat with a lot of teams who haven’t played him. He could be an x-factor as well. I’m not going to say that he’s going to start, and all that stuff, but it’s always good to have a strong bowl line-up because we know that if we can actually get those wickets in the middle, it’s always going to be an advantage. Otherwise, we know that Yashasvi Jaiswal has got a fabulous future ahead. It’s just that we could only pick 15.”Gautam Gambhir interacts with Rohit Sharma at the training session•Associated PressEven with the specialist fast bowlers, in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, India have trusted someone who is best suited for the middle overs. Harshit Rana is tall, bowls hard lengths, and thus extracts unevenness from surfaces. He has replaced in India’s plans Prasidh Krishna, who unfortunately was often unfit when he would have got his chances. Rana is also a better batter.”If you try to manage and squeeze in wickets in those middle overs, it gives you a chance to not worry so much about the death overs,” Rohit Sharma said after the second match. “When you look at this format, people talk about up front and the death, but the middle overs are very very crucial. That is where we squeezed in, took wickets in the middle. That’s how you stop the run-scoring.”Related

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With the bat too, especially in chases, the onus seems to be on finishing games early as opposed to taking them deep. That translates to continued impetus during the middle overs. Shreyas Iyer responded to crisis with a counterattack in the first match, Rohit killed the second one off, and Virat Kohli, who usually drops anchor, showed intent to sweep and hit sixes against offspin when batting first in the third ODI.Again, as a batter, Gambhir never wanted chases to go into the final few overs, which can be a bit of a lottery. That and MS Dhoni’s were the two different schools of chasing that co-existed in India’s limited-overs sides for a while. Gambhir once even said in a press conference that a match that Dhoni tied should never have gone to the last over.Of course, it will not always be this easy. You can’t have your way with every team. England were especially ordinary against spin, failing to score at five an over without taking risks. The versatility of India’s personnel and their strategies will be tested when they come up against stronger opposition, but you can see what India are thinking: use resources other teams don’t usually come up against and you have plenty of.

Having endured two difficult IPL seasons after rushing back into action following back surgery, the legspinner took two months off and has returned rejuvenated

Nagraj Gollapudi09-Aug-20254:23

Rashid: ‘Made a mistake’ by rushing back after back surgery

Afghanistan’s bowling allrounder Rashid Khan says he committed a “mistake” by rushing back to play cricket just a few months after a back surgery that immediately followed the 2023 World Cup. The long-term impact, Rashid said, told on him during his last two IPL seasons for Gujarat Titans (GT), especially in 2025, his worst IPL ever.Rashid conceded 33 sixes, the most by a bowler in a single IPL season, as batters both capped and uncapped dominated him. Post-surgery, Rashid’s speed, the backbone of his bowling, depleted considerably, in addition to a loss of accuracy. However, after a two-month post-IPL break, Rashid has returned rejuvenated, and showed that on Tuesday in the opening contest of the Hundred 2025, with a match-wining 3 for 11 in defending champions Oval Invincibles’ victory over London Spirit at Lord’s.In a chat with ESPNcricinfo organised by Red Bull, which unveiled the Afghanistan great as an ambassador on Saturday, Rashid said he had failed to grasp the advice the doctors had given him after his surgery.Related

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“After IPL, I needed the kind of break where my body gets back to normal,” Rashid said. “I worked a little bit on my strength. And especially coming back from back surgery, I hadn’t had much time to rehab properly. That’s where I did a bit of mistake to restart my cricket so quickly at that time. And I feel like I didn’t let myself properly recover, and I pushed it a little bit at that time, and I can see the disadvantage of that now. But after IPL [2025], I felt like I needed that kind of two months off where I can just focus on my fitness.”And when I came yesterday [on Tuesday], I felt so good, in a good rhythm, and the ball was coming nicely out of my hand, and [my] body was allowing me to go through. So these things matter a lot – sometimes you don’t think about that a lot; you just try your best to push yourself. But I feel to be out of the game for some time and focus on my fitness – and also [focus] mentally and physically – that really played a huge role.”On a sluggish Lord’s surface, Rashid bowled between 94 and 98kph, speeds he feels more comfortable with, and in control. The absence of zip in his deliveries, Rashid felt, was a key reason behind his failing to dictate terms in the last two IPL seasons.”On Tuesday, I was bowling at 94-98 kph – that’s my pace, [and the] speeds I am known to bowl at. I feel I was missing that before because my body was not allowing me to go through [my action] with that full energy. Last night, [against Spirit], when I came to bowl, I was getting that good feeling, and I was touching that speed with which I could put the batsman in trouble, and also not allow him much time to read from the surface.”Rashid conceded 33 sixes in IPL 2025•BCCIBarely a few months after the back surgery, despite medical experts warning him to pay careful attention to his rehab, Rashid resumed playing, though mostly T20 cricket. He started with the series against Ireland in March 2024, followed by the IPL and the T20 World Cup, where he led Afghanistan into the semi-finals. Soon after, back and hamstring niggles surfaced, forcing Rashid to skip the BBL and PSL. In early January 2025, Rashid played the second Test against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo, and finished as the Player of the Match, bowling 55 overs (27.3 in each innings) and picking up 11 wickets to enter the record books. But the toll exacted by those marathon spells was evident during the Champions Trophy, and then IPL 2025.”When I came back to cricket after surgery, I was told not to rush back in the longer formats [Tests and ODIs] that quickly as that was not going to help me,” Rashid said. “About eight to nine months after I had started to play post surgery, I bowled 65 [55] overs in the Bulawayo Test. That really pushed my back a little bit, and I felt it at that time. I shouldn’t have been in whites [to play Tests].”In T20s, it’s fine – you can manage yourself – but for the longer formats, I was advised that you should be away from that format for some time. That is the kind of mistake I have made. But the team needed that. At that time, we had lost a few games in Test cricket, but that’s something where I rushed myself a little bit, and I didn’t give myself time and I felt it later on. Yes, I think I have done a mistake where my body was not allowing me that and I’m facing a problem. The thing is the stiffness in your back doesn’t allow you to go with full rhythm.”From the time he entered the IPL in 2017, Rashid maintained an economy rate of just over six runs an over until 2022. But since 2023, batters, especially right-handers, have played him with a lot more freedom. In 2022, Rashid’s economy rate against right-hand batters was 5.95. Over the next three seasons, it increased to 8.57 (2023), 8.84 (2024) and 9.69 (2025). If a few seasons ago his balls-per-six ratio in the IPL was 43, by 2025, it had plunged to 10. Rashid is aware of the numbers, but not overly concerned.”Before, when I was bowling 24 balls [over an innings], I was missing pitching [them] on length [for] like four or five balls. But then the number went [up] to eight or nine balls. And in those eight to nine [balls], they are scoring those extra couple of sixes and couple of big boundaries. I just needed to decrease that. Nothing else. It’s not like of the 24 balls, I was bowling every ball badly, [or] I was bowling wides and full tosses. [I knew] it’s going to be fine.”The realisation that his body was not allowing him to go with what he calls “the full flow” forced Rashid to have a chat with his coaches, who felt that he needed to take time off. Rashid duly pulled out of the MLC, where he plays for MI New York. During the break, he did a lot of strength training, especially in his lower back, and spot bowling two or three times a week, along with a bit of batting. But the focus was more on gym work. Outside of that, Rashid, who got married last October, spent a relaxed time with his family, which he says has now left him refreshed.”After IPL finished, for three weeks, I didn’t touch the ball. I spent most of my time with my family, [and] my nephews – going around with them, [and] had fun – just to take all those memories and stuff and bad days out of my mind, and then restart with the cricket. That’s what I did just to be refreshed, and then got back on track and got back bowling in the right spot.”At the SA20 this year, Rashid overtook Dwayne Bravo to become the highest wicket-taker in all T20s•SA20The break seems to have had a positive impact on Rashid. Before coming to the Hundred, he played four matches in the Shpageeza Cricket League, Afghanistan’s domestic T20 tournament, where he led Speen Ghar Tigers, and picked up 4 for 19, including three wickets in his final over, in their last match. Having made a strong start to the Hundred, Rashid will now hope to carry forward the momentum as Invincibles look for a three-peat, having won the title in the last two seasons.This February, while playing in the SA20, Rashid, who plays for MI Cape Town, overtook Dwayne Bravo to become the highest wicket-taker in all T20s. He recently became the first bowler to cross the 650-wicket mark, and is three wickets behind the retired Tim Southee on the all-time leading-wicket-takers chart in T20Is. Rashid was also ranked No. 1 among ESPNcricinfo’s 25 Greatest T20 players. He chuckled when asked whether he had read that story, and said he had, and that it made him just as proud as being chosen as the ICC’s T20I Cricketer of the Decade (2011-20) despite playing just four years of international cricket in that period.”People don’t just give it to you. It means like you have done something special, [and] you have done something unbelievable – and at different stages, in different countries. And that’s how you get that kind of appreciation. So it gives me so much energy, [and] it gives me so much positivity, and that for me is more important. And it does allow you to work harder, and to be number one again.”Rashid is the latest player to join Red Bull which also has on its roster Ben Stokes, KL Rahul, Kagiso Rabada and Riyan Parag. Rashid said it was a “huge and proud moment” to be the first Afghanistan player on the list and is “excited” to visit the Red Bull Athlete Performance Centre in Salzburg later this year.