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He has led his team to four successive losses and now they face an in-form Kolkata Knight Riders on home turf in a knockout game

The Preview by Alagappan Muthu24-May-20184:36

Swann: KKR start as favourites against Sunrisers

Form Guide

Kolkata Knight Riders: beat Rajasthan Royals by 25 runs, beat Kings XI Punjab by 31 runs, lost to Mumbai Indians by 102 runs
Sunrisers Hyderabad: lost to Super Kings by two wickets, lost to Knight Riders by five wickets, lost to RCB by 14 runs

Big Picture

Sunrisers Hyderabad play the perfect game. That’s why their wins in the league phase were so remarkable.To defend small totals, Bhuvneshwar Kumar had to outsmart the enemy. Siddharth Kaul had to frustrate them. And Rashid Khan had to deliver the knockout punch. The legspinner’s lucky his googly has top-secret status. Batsmen under the age of 90 can’t read it.And to chase ’em down, they needed Kane Williamson to understand that his mastery of defence has other uses as well. Like, when he extends his arms, while taking his usual care to pick the gaps, he can hit boundaries at will.Elevating their individual skills to insane levels, and combining them seamlessly, is how Sunrisers made the playoffs. But, like any gamer worth his salt would tell you, boss mode doesn’t last forever. You need contingencies.And that’s where Kolkata Knight Riders have been brilliant this season because if Lynn doesn’t hit you, Narine will. If Karthik doesn’t smash you, Russell will. If Narine doesn’t make you question why you ever picked up a bat, Kuldeep will. This from the team that came out of the IPL auction with the smallest squad. Friday’s going to be fun.

In the news

Sunrisers have lost four matches on the bounce – their longest losing streak in the IPL – soon after winning six on the trot – their longest winning streak.KKR have won their last four matches and are relishing playing at home, something which wouldn’t have happened according to the original IPL schedule, which had the playoffs in Pune.Wriddhiman Saha, who was sidelined with a shoulder injury, was seen going through rigorous practice in Mumbai. Nevertheless, it was Shreevats Goswami who took the gloves for Sunrisers in the first qualifier and he may well do so again.

Likely XIs

Kolkata Knight Riders: 1 Chris Lynn, 2 Sunil Narine, 3 Robin Uthappa, 4 Nitish Rana, 5 Dinesh Karthik (capt & wk), 6 Andre Russell, 7 Shubman Gill, 8 Javon Searles, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Piyush Chawla, 11 Prasidh KrishnaSunrisers Hyderabad: 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 Shreevats Goswami (wk), 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Manish Pandey, 5 Shakib Al Hasan, 6 Yusuf Pathan, 7 Carlos Brathwaite, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Siddarth Kaul, 11 Sandeep Sharma

Previous meetings

Bhuvneshwar, Billy Stanlake and Shakib Al Hasan kept KKR to 138 in Hyderabad and chased it down with Williamson scoring a fifty.Chris Lynn and Robin Uthappa brushed aside a target of 173 at Eden Gardens, where the average winning first-innings score this season is 193.

Strategy punt

Andre Russell has faced four kinds of bowling in IPL 2018 and here is how he’s gone about his work: 229 runs at a strike rate of 209 against right-arm quicks, 38 at 237 against left-arm quicks, 16 at 200 against left-arm spinners and 30 at 103 against right-arm wristspinners. Pick the odd one out. Hint: Rashid Khan.

Stats that matter

• Five KKR batsmen have made 300 runs or more: Dinesh Karthik (490), Chris Lynn (443), Robin Uthappa (349), Sunil Narine (331), Andre Russell (313). Sunrisers, meanwhile, have two. Kane Williamson, who is 15 short of becoming only the fifth player to score 700 runs in an IPL season, and Shikhar Dhawan (437)
• Bhuvneshwar Kumar is four wickets shy of joining an exclusive list – bowlers who have picked up 100 wickets playing for one franchise. Awaiting his entry are Lasith Malinga (154 for Mumbai Indians), Harbhajan (127 for Mumbai) and Narine (111 for KKR)
• Considering the quality of other wicketkeeper captains in IPLs – Adam Gilchrist, MS Dhoni, etc – Dinesh Karthik will savour becoming the first of his kind to 500 runs in a season
• Sunrisers’ economy rate in the death overs has risen from 7.49 to 11.87 over the last five games. Individual numbers have taken a hit too. Bhuvneshwar (8.2 to 15.1), Kaul (6.5 to 9.9), Shakib (7 to 13.5)

Fantasy pick

Grab as many as you can – Williamson, Russell, Karthik, Narine. But also keep an eye on Prasidh Krishna. The 22-year-old uncapped seamer has picked up 10 wickets in six matches. All of them have come in overs 16 to 20. Since his inclusion in the XI, KKR’s fast bowlers have conceded 8.5 runs an over. Before that, they leaked 12.6 an over.

Quotes

“Kane’s playing well at the moment. Sometimes people forget to just bowl good balls at him. He’s one of those bowlers who respects a good ball. It’s not to be intimidated and go away from the plan. He’s a good player, if you bowl enough in the right area you will create chances. But right now he’s picking line and length very well, so the margins for error are very tight.”

Joe Root enjoyed a rewarding Champions Trophy warm-up – and saw off his brother for good measure in the first time they had met in county cricket

George Dobell29-Apr-2017
ScorecardJoe Root and his younger brother Billy had fielded together for England•Getty Images

Joe Root began his preparations for the ICC Champions Trophy with his highest and, he felt, best List A innings for Yorkshire to help them to a comfortable victory at Trent Bridge.In a match containing 18 international players, and eight in Champions Trophy squads, Root provided the definitive contribution: an hurried, unfussy and unbeaten innings of 75.In a game where only one other man made 50 and against an attack containing five international bowlers, he was calm and restrained. Against three bowlers who are likely to feature in the Ashes later in the year, he made batting look easy.In truth, this was an anti-climactic encounter. On a ground where the average score in this competition last year was an eye-watering 385, Nottinghamshire provided a reminder of the reasons they were relegated in the County Championship with a feckless batting performance that saw them bowled out with more than nine overs of their allocation unused. Their total was 200 below last year’s average and every bit of 100 below par on a slow and perhaps slightly two-paced surface.Just for a moment, as Stuart Broad charged in from the Pavilion End, it seemed we might see a contest. But for all the pace he generated, for the immaculate length he bowled and for all the intimidating stares he aimed in Root’s direction – several of which were met by a bemused grin – there was no way past Root’s bat and no way to apply pressure with such a paltry score to defend.And, having largely seen off Broad and the accurate Jake Ball, he milked the rest with ease. Shortly before the end he reverse swept his brother Billy Root, a spinner with a hint of Murali in his action, for four and then pulled him for six to complete the victory with more than 17 overs to spare.The pair, who had never faced each other in county cricket – although they have fielded together for England when Billy fulfilled 12th man duties – travelled to and from the game together. After the six had landed, they exchanged a hug. Joe will play the next two Cup games for Yorkshire before departing on England duty. Billy, a terrific fielder and more than competent batsman if his List A debut against Worcestershire on Thursday is any indication, may struggle to retain his place if Steven Mullaney, who missed this game with a foot injury, is fit to return next week.”It was a horrible situation,” Root senior said of his treatment of Root junior in the dying moments of the game. “I do feel guilty, but you’ve got to be professional. I know he’d have done the same to me if I’d been bowling. I might suggest on the way home he doesn’t bowl too many half-trackers.”Stuart bowled really well, with good pace. I think he was trying to create a bit of theatre, but it’s hard to take it seriously when you know someone that well.”Playing against this attack is about as close to international cricket as you get. It probably was my best one-day innings for Yorkshire. We were very clinical all day. It was a good, ruthless performance.”The result gives Yorkshire a perfect start to their white-ball season but means Nottinghamshire have lost both their opening matches in this competition. Bearing in mind that the team which qualified for the quarter-finals last year suffered a maximum of three losses from their eight games and the fact that this year’s qualification process – involving a play-off to reach the semi-finals – is even more stringent and you might conclude that Nottinghamshire have, already, left themselves little margin for further error.Yorkshire’s bowlers deserve credit for applying pressure. Liam Plunkett, who didn’t concede a boundary until his eighth over, and Tim Bresnan, who struck Michael Lumb a blow on the thumb that saw him skip fielding in order to go for an X-ray, were especially impressive.But Nottinghamshire would accept that there was a lot of self-inflicted damage within their batting. Having negotiated the powerplay without much alarm (they were 43 for 0 after 10 overs) Alex Hales chipped Azeem Rafiq’s first delivery straight back to him, Lumb pulled a long-hop to mid-wicket and Samit Patel pulled another long-hop to mid-on.Riki Wessels and Brendan Taylor rebuilt sensibly during a fourth-wicket stand of 65 but when Wessels clipped a leg-stump half-volley to deep backward square, it precipitated a sharp decline.Root, arguably the only man in the top six to be dismissed, edged one angled across him, Taylor picked out deep mid-wicket and James Pattinson was run-out having presumed, wrongly as it transpired, that his drive had beaten Rafiq at short extra-cover. The image of Broad, last man out and caught on the boundary despite having 55 unused deliveries, rather summed up the somewhat overly aggressive nature of the innings.Broad struck with his first ball in reply – Jonny Bairstow shuffling in front of a straight one – but the result was hardly in doubt. Adam Lyth took three boundaries off Pattinson’s first over in reply and, although Lyth fell pulling, Root was not to be denied. It was, perhaps surprisingly, only his third List A half-century for Yorkshire. It was also only his 17th innings.Having caressed Broad for boundary through mid-on – his on drive perhaps the highlight of the day – Root eased him off his hip for four more. He only scored off seven of the 22 balls he faced from Broad (four singles and a two completing the picture), but he recognised that seeing him off was more important than seeing him punished and showed the composure and maturity that was lacking in the Notts innings.”Their bowlers created some pressure and we had a few soft dismissals,” Taylor admitted afterwards. “They made it difficult to score, for sure, but 180 is never going to be enough at Trent Bridge. I’d think 260-270 was on the cards on that pitch.”Yorkshire face Lancashire at Leeds on Monday, meaning Root will face, as he put it, “another grumpy fast bower” – in the presence this time of James Anderson. He will then face Mark Wood and co. when Yorkshire host Durham on Wednesday.The pitches may not be quite as quick as those we anticipate in the Champions Trophy, but the level of competition isn’t far short. It bodes pretty well for England that Root, at least, is finding his form.

Future Sheffield Shield titles would only be awarded to the outright winner of the final, under one of several proposals currently being considered by Cricket Australia to revitalise the competition decider

Daniel Brettig29-Mar-2016Future Sheffield Shield titles would only be awarded to the outright winner of the final, under one of several proposals currently being considered by Cricket Australia to revitalise the competition decider.Planning of the domestic schedule for next summer is at an advanced stage, and ESPNcricinfo understands the Shield final is safe from being cut, as there are no plans to grow the number of Twenty20 Big Bash League games from their present number before the 2017-18 season. Any changes to the final could then be tested before a decision is made on whether it is retained against an expanded BBL.CA, the states and the players have been in talks about ways to revitalise the five-day final, which has run to largely predictable scripts over the years. While outstanding contest like the first final in 1983, a one-wicket win for New South Wales over Queensland in 1985 and South Australia’s last-gasp escape in 1996 have stayed in the memory, most have been duller affairs on flat pitches.This has been largely due to the fact that competition rules allow for the Shield to be awarded to the team finishing top of the table in the event of a draw, meaning the surface is invariably prepared to increase the likelihood of that outcome. The proposal to leave the Shield shared between the two finalists unless there is an outright result is geared towards ensuring a more lively contest on a fairer surface.Pat Howard, CA’s team performance manager, has floated this possibility among numerous other thought bubbles, and it is believed to have met a favourable response from CA Board directors, state associations and players. A five-day final is considered ample time to gain an outright result, provided the pitch offers enough.Ironically, the strip prepared for this year’s meeting between South Australia and Victoria at Glenelg Oval has proven to be an excellent example, affording enough seam movement to the fast men and some appreciable turn for the spinners. At the same time, batsmen have been able to make runs when applying themselves. Outstanding innings by the youthful trio of Travis Dean, Peter Handscomb and Jake Weatherald have underlined the value of the final as a proving ground.”I’m not surprised there has been discussion,” the Cricket Victoria chief executive Tony Dodemaide said. “We’ve had those in meetings with Cricket Australia. The cricket world changes over time, it’s very different to when it was first installed in the early ’80s.”But I think we are seeing today how valuable it can be in terms of this sort of intensity of cricket, particularly for young players, it’s been outstanding in this particular game how young players from both teams have really stood up and shown what they can do under pressure. That is something worth persisting with I think personally.”I think it’s been a very, very good cricket wicket, what it’s done with the new ball, with the spinners and how they’re getting a little bit out of it, there’s a chance for everyone to have some input in the game. The surfaces are crucial in ensuring there’s a decent balance.”Glenelg’s successful hosting of the final, where the smaller ground has leant a pleasant festival air to proceedings while also providing an ideal surface, has not been lost on Victorian administrators as they work on long overdue upgrades to Junction Oval as a cricket hub and secondary venue after the MCG.”I’m very impressed, I’ve done several laps of the ground over three days through nervousness and also wanting to have a look a what they’ve got here,” Dodemaide said. “This is a terrific arena for Shield cricket, it’s an excellent atmosphere and a perfect fit for what Sheffield Shield cricket can be. With what we are looking for at the Junction Oval this will definitely influence it.”

Former chief justice of Bangladesh’s Supreme Court, Mahmudul Amin Chowdhury, will chair the 10-member disciplinary panel that will help conduct the disciplinary proceedings against the nine individuals charged with alleged corruption during this year’s Ba

Mohammad Isam15-Aug-20130:00

Isam: Sense of pride among fans that issue is being addressed

Former chief justice of Bangladesh’s Supreme Court, Mahmudul Amin Chowdhury, will chair the 10-member disciplinary panel that will help conduct the disciplinary proceedings against the nine individuals charged with alleged corruption during this year’s Bangladesh Premier League. Chowdhury’s appointment as panel chairman is the first step of the disciplinary process, according to Article 5 of the BCB’s anti-corruption code.Chowdhury, who was chief justice from March 2001 to June 2002, confirmed to the on Wednesday that he had agreed to take up the role. He will now pick the other nine members of the panel, from which the three-member anti-corruption tribunal that will hear the case – if it goes to trial – will eventually be picked.”I have given my consent to the BCB with regards to heading the panel,” Chowdhury said. “I will appoint the other members of the panel, but I have not reached any decisions yet. I have some names in mind but have not yet made any offers; it will take some time.”The nine persons charged have till August 27 to make their pleas – the tribunal will need to be formed and the case goes to trial only if they plead not guilty. In that case, the ICC will reply to them while Chowdhury picks the members of tribunal.While the case is under the BCB’s jurisdiction, ICC chief executive Dave Richardson had mentioned during Tuesday’s press conference that “the prosecution of the case and conduct of the hearing will be carried out on behalf of the BCB by the ICC”. A senior BCB official told ESPNcricinfo that the ICC will assist in an administrative capacity throughout the proceedings because of its resources and experience in the field. “BCB will only have to appoint the chairman of the disciplinary panel,” the official said. “The ICC will do everything else leading up to the hearing.”According to Article 5 of the anti-corruption code, the convenor of the tribunal could call a preliminary hearing with the anti-corruption officials and the persons charged before the hearing begins, “to address any issues that need to be resolved prior to the hearing date”. That date must be within 40 days of the accused having received the charge letters.If there are no exceptional circumstances arising during this time, the full hearing should begin within the third week of September.

The hard work of the England Under-19s bowlers went to waste after a heavy downpour flooded the pitch at Grace Road

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jul-2012
ScorecardA flooded outfield put paid to England U-19s game against Ireland U-19s•Getty Images

The hard work of the England Under-19s bowlers went to waste after a heavy downpour flooded the pitch at Grace Road and caused the abandonment of their run chase. Set 95 to win by Ireland Under-19s, England had reached 22 for the loss of one wicket off 4.1 overs, before the rain set in.Having put Ireland in to bat, England’s bowlers set about their task by suffocating the Ireland batting. No bowler conceded three runs an over, with Adam Ball, Aneesh Kapil and Tom Knight each picking up two wickets. Ryan Hunter top-scored with 25 but once he was the third wicket to fall in the 19th over, Ireland lost their remaining seven wickets for 44 in 20.3 overs.The amount of water that fell was so great that the second match of the series on Friday has been moved from Grace Road to Loughborough.

Former Sri Lanka fast bowler Rumesh Ratnayake has been appointed as the interim coach for the home series against Australia starting next month

Sa'adi Thawfeeq15-Jul-2011Former Sri Lanka fast bowler Rumesh Ratnayake has been appointed as the interim Sri Lanka coach for the home series against Australia that begins next month.”We have appointed Rumesh Ratnayake only for the Australian tour because there is hardly any time to look for another coach,” Upali Dharmadasa, Sri Lanka Cricket’s interim committee chairman, said.Former Australia batsman Stuart Law, who was appointed the interim coach for Sri Lanka’s tour of England, after Trevor Bayliss relinquished the post after the World Cup, stepped down at the conclusion of the England tour.Ratnayake, 47, who has played 23 Tests and 70 ODIs for Sri Lanka is presently a development officer with the Asian Cricket Council. “We had to get permission from the Asian Cricket Council president Ashraful Haq to have Rumesh released for the series,” Dharmadas said.Ratnayake, who picked up nine wickets in Sri Lanka’s maiden Test victory in the second Test against India in Colombo in 1985, had signed a four-year contract to be Sri Lanka’s assistant coach in 2007, but withdrew citing family commitments.Dharmadasa said that the hunt for a new national coach would begin within the next three months. “We will call for fresh applicants for the post by advertising on the ICC and SLC websites and also in the national newspapers,” he said, adding that candidates who had shown interest in the job after Bayliss stepped down would have to make fresh applications if they are to be considered.Australia are scheduled to play three Tests, five ODIs and two Twenty20 Internationals in Sri Lanka, with the first T20 game to be played on August 6 in Pallekele. Dinesh Chandimal and Dhammika Prasad, who impressed on the limited-over leg of the tour of England and Scotland, will be part of the mix for the Australia series after they have been withdrawn from the Sri Lanka A squad that is due to tour England in July and August. Kanishka Alvitigala and Kushal Janith are their replacements in the Sri Lanka A squad.

England have sent for Beth MacGregor to join their squad for the remaining four ODIs against New Zealand

Cricinfo staff11-Jul-2010England have sent for Beth MacGregor to join their squad for the remaining four ODIs against New Zealand.The 17-year-old left-arm swing bowler will replace Anya Shubsole, who is ruled out for the rest of the series after picking up an injury to her hip muscle in England’s 147-run win against Ireland.In March, MacGregor went with the Academy side to Bangalore, where they played against local teams and received specialist training in the conditions where the next Women’s World Cup will be held.She comes into the senior squad only days after Isa Gua had to be called up to replace Nicky Shaw who retired from the international game after 70 ODIs. Gua had a tough return to the side with her four overs costing 32 in England’s tense one-wicket triumph on Saturday.

His 4 for 15 in nine overs helps restrict Sussex to 132 for 9 in match reduced by rain to 41 overs-a-side

ECB Reporters Network07-Aug-2024Ajeet Singh Dale summoned a blistering career-best performance with the ball to propel Gloucestershire to a eight-wicket win over Sussex Sharks in a one-sided Metro Bank One Day Cup contest at Bristol’s Seat Unique Stadium.Bowling with real venom, the 24-year-old pace bowler claimed 4 for 15 in nine overs to help restrict Sussex to 132 for 9 in a match reduced by rain to 41 overs-a-side. Fellow seamer Zaman Akhter proved almost as deadly, returning figures of 3 for 25, his best in List-A cricket, while Danial Ibrahim top-scored with 30 for the outgunned visitors.Required to chase 132 to win on the Duckworth Lewis Stern Method, Gloucestershire comfortably overhauled their target with 21 overs to spare, courtesy of an authoritative innings of 49 not out from Cameron Bancroft and a whirlwind knock of 46 in 28 balls from Miles Hammond.Victory means Gloucestershire can still qualify for the knockout stages from Group B, providing they win their remaining games against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge on Friday and Leicestershire at Bristol on August 14. Sussex remain bottom of the table after suffering a sixth straight defeat in the 50-over competition.Gloucestershire skipper Jack Taylor won the toss and did not hesitate to insert an inexperienced Sussex batting line-up on a green-tinged pitch beneath cloud cover. It quickly became evident that his decision was the right one as Singh Dale built up an impressive head of steam from the Ashley Down Road end, undermining the top order with a devastating new-ball spell of 3 for 11 in seven overs with three maidens.Henry Rogers pushed at a ball that pitched outside off stump and nicked to Bancroft at second slip, while the in-form Tom Clark sent a thickish edge looping to Hammond at backward point.Charlie Tear may have survived when Matt Taylor put down a sharp chance off his own bowling, but there was no escape when Singh Dale squared him up and Bancroft again demonstrated safe hands in the cordon to reduce Sharks to 19 for 3 in the eleventh.Bowling with genuine pace and accuracy, Singh Dale produced his most incisive List-A contribution since his previous career-best 4 for 58 in a winning cause against Northants at Cheltenham 12 months ago. And things scarcely became any easier for the visitors when he made way for Akhter, the 25-year-old seamer bowling with great accuracy in a six-over burst that yielded 2 for 22.Frustrated at being tied down, Oli Carter was bowled for 10 in the act of driving, while the hitherto obdurate Zach Lion-Cachet played back to a straight one that hit middle and off and departed for a gritty 57-ball 27 as Sussex lurched to 65 for 5.Now in almost complete control, Gloucestershire made further in-roads before the rain arrived, slow left-armer Graeme van Buuren persuading Bertie Foreman to cut uppishly to backward point with the score on 94.Resuming their innings on 101 for 6 with nine overs fewer in which to retrieve a parlous situation, Sussex lost another wicket almost immediately, Ibrahim miss-timing a pull shot and offering a return catch to Akhter after battling his way to 30 from 57 deliveries.Singh Dale then had Aristides Karvelas caught at mid-on to improve upon his previous best return and consign the visitors to 106 for 8 and almost certain under-achievement. Archie Lenham scrambled a valuable 24 before being run out by substitute fielder Joe Phillips in the final over as ball continued to dominate bat in an innings that yielded a modest 11 fours.Hammond and Bancroft were able to raise boundaries far more readily in a progressive stand of 73 in nine overs that set the tone for the chase. Karvelas proved expensive with the new ball, conceding 31 in three overs before making way for Sean Hunt, and Gloucestershire’s openers took full advantage of some loose bowling to advance the score to 50 from seven overs.Demonstrating aggressive intent, Hammond smashed Jack Campbell for three sixes in as many balls on his way to a quick-fire 46, only to blot his copybook by hoisting a delivery from Hunt high to mid-off in pursuit of a sixth four.There was no appreciable let-up in the scoring rate, Bancroft taking advantage of a free hit to raise an imposing six over mid-wicket at the expense of Ibrahim as the home side kept their foot to the floor. Hunt had Ollie Price held at backward point, but Bancroft proved unmovable in an innings that spanned 53 balls and included five fours and a six as Gloucestershire moved level on points with Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire and improved their net run rate into the bargain.

Stoneman resists before familiar collapse opens door for Somerset

ECB Reporters Network20-May-2023Somerset 404 (Bartlett 121, Abell 77) beat Middlesex 175 (Simpson 57*, Henry 5-45) and 216 (Stoneman 60, Overton 5-46) by an innings and 13 runsCraig Overton recorded his best figures this summer to propel Somerset to their first LV= Insurance County Championship win of the campaign as they crushed Middlesex by an innings and 13 runs at Lord’s.Overton finished with five for 46, supported by fellow seamer Peter Siddle’s effort of three for 57, to dismiss the home side for 216 second time around, with more than four sessions to spare.Mark Stoneman, who occupied the crease for almost three hours in compiling 60, was the only man to register a half-century in a Middlesex side who have managed to post in excess of 250 only once this season.Somerset’s victory was only their second red-ball success away from Taunton in more than two years, the other coming against neighbours Gloucestershire at Bristol last summer.Stoneman and Stephen Eskinazi, who resumed on a steady 81 for one, ground it out for the bulk of an attritional first hour, with almost five overs from Matt Henry and Overton yielding just a single leg-bye.Although Stoneman tucked Overton away for a single soon afterwards to bring up his second half-century of the summer, Middlesex’s solid base was swiftly demolished by a fiery spell from Siddle at the Pavilion End.The seamer’s first delivery was carved for four by Eskinazi, but his second jagged back to clip the Middlesex vice-captain’s off bail and his departure for 28 signalled a familiar middle-order collapse.Stoneman – bowled by an unplayable Henry delivery first time around – was unlucky to fall victim to another ball of similar quality from Siddle, which seamed and careered into his off stump.Somerset collected three more wickets in the space of 21 balls before lunch, with Overton accounting for Max Holden and John Simpson to sandwich the first delivery of Jack Leach’s spell that pinned Robbie White leg before.Luke Hollman and Ryan Higgins displayed some fighting spirit after the interval, with the left-hander driving Henry twice off the back foot to the short boundary as he contributed 28 to their seventh-wicket partnership of 44.Although Hollman was caught at third slip, Toby Roland-Jones took up the baton by giving Leach the charge and also hammered Overton over long-on for two fours in a cameo of 27 from 24 balls.But Overton had the final word, bowling the Middlesex skipper before completing his side’s win as Higgins (31) hooked him into the safe hands of Lewis Gregory at long leg.

The five-time IPL champions are missing Suryakumar Yadav, but have all their other bases covered

Sruthi Ravindranath26-Mar-2022

Big picture

Rohit Sharma vs Rishabh Pant. The India captain against his possible successor (that’s what Delhi coach Ricky Ponting thinks – he finds their journeys similar too). A predictable narrative but potentially a blockbuster one. The two big Indian names aside, these are two strong sides that have made sure to fill their squads well at the auction. Mumbai may be the five-time champions, but Capitals have been the team to beat in the last couple of years. It’s five-all between these teams since 2018, but Capitals did the double over Mumbai last season. Both the sides have solid top orders and enviable fast-bowling depth, and a number of Under-19 stars in their squads to groom.Related

• Capitals have solid first XI but player availability a concern

• Mumbai tick most boxes, but where's the top-quality spinner?

But Capitals will be missing some of their biggest overseas names for this game. David Warner and Mitchell Marsh are fulfilling their national commitments, Anrich Nortje is continuing his recovery from an injury, Lungi Ngidi and Mustafizur Rahman are in quarantine. This means they only have two overseas players around – Tim Seifert and Rovman Powell – and will have to rely on inexperienced back-ups. That makes it Advantage Mumbai.On that front, Mumbai don’t too much to worry about, but key man Suryakumar Yadav is out with a hairline fracture in his right hand.It was a disappointing season for Mumbai in 2021, but they would be looking to return in . They have managed to assemble their strong core – comprising Rohit, Suryakumar, Ishan Kishan, Kieron Pollard and Jasprit Bumrah – which has been their biggest strength over the seasons. Kishan, who will open with Rohit, has superb numbers at that position – 555 runs in 13 matches at a strike rate of 156 – in the IPL. The middle-order has Pollard and Tim David – they both have struck at 163 since 2020 in T20s. The death bowling has got a massive boost with the addition of Tymal Mills. Their only big concern as of now remains the lack of experience in the spin department – and possibly enough powerplay-specialists among the bowlers.Tymal Mills’ acquisition should add muscle to Mumbai Indians’ death bowling•Mumbai Indians

In the news

Just two overseas players to pick from, which means both Seifert and Powell should play for Capitals. In fact, Pant has already said that Powell will bat at No. 4 or No. 5 this season.Suryakumar linked up with the team after being released on Saturday by the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, where he had been in rehab for the past few weeks. How soon he can get in the middle, though, remains to be seen.

Likely XI

Delhi Capitals: 1 Prithvi Shaw, 2 Tim Seifert, 3 KS Bharat/Mandeep Singh, 4 Rishabh Pant (capt, wk), 5 Rovman Powell, 6 Lalit Yadav, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Khaleel Ahmed, 11 Kamlesh Nagarkoti/Chetan SakariyaMumbai Indians: 1 Ishan Kishan (wk), 2 Rohit Sharma (capt), 3 Tilak Varma, 4 Anmolpreet Singh/ Dewald Brevis, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Tim David, 7 Sanjay Yadav, 8 Tymal Mills, 9 Jaydev Unadkat, 10 M Ashwin, 11 Jasprit Bumrah

Strategy Punt

Pant in the middle, doing just Pant things? Call Bumrah. Bumrah has dismissed Pant the most number of times in T20s – six in 12 innings. Since Pant’s IPL debut in 2016, it’s been a one-sided rivalry between the two. Pant has also struck at just 112 against the quick.

Stats that matter

• The last time Mumbai won their opening game of any IPL season was in 2012
• Fast bowlers have picked up more than 75% of the wickets at this venue – Mumbai’s Brabourne Stadium – in the IPL
• Axar Patel needs to strike five more times to tally 100 wickets in the IPL