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Trinbago Knight Riders 136 for 3 (Narine 53, Munro 49*, Mujeeb 1-13) beat Jamaica Tallawahs 135 for 8 (Phillips 58, Seales 2-21, Ali Khan 2-25) by seven wicketsAn incisive new-ball display from Ali Khan and Jayden Seales put the Jamaica Tallawahs into a hole which they could not climb out of as the Trinbago Knight Riders dominated wire to wire in a seven-wicket win on Thursday night. Sunil Narine and Fawad Ahmed continued to keep the Tallawahs pinned down in the middle overs, including a wicket maiden from Ahmed, while Andre Russell failed to launch at the death – scoring 25 at under a run a ball – as the Tallawahs sputtered to 135 for 8.Fidel Edwards produced a wicket maiden of his own for the Tallawahs at the start of the chase, claiming Lendl Simmons with a skied slog to mid-off. But Narine bashed his second fifty in a row to steady the Knight Riders, and teamed with Colin Munro in a 75-run stand before falling in the first over after drinks on a top-edged sweep off Sandeep Lamichhane to deep fine leg for Carlos Brathwaite’s second catch. But Brathwaite grassed two subsequent efforts in the field to sum up a subpar night for the Tallawahs. Munro ended unbeaten on 49 as a wide from Brathwaite down leg clinched the match with 11 balls to spare.Ameri-KhanThe Knight Riders’ favourite son from the USA struck in the first over for the second match running, this time getting a top-edge from Chadwick Walton to swirl into the hands of Ahmed at short fine leg on the second ball of play. Seales then followed that up by trapping Nicholas Kirton on the back leg in front of middle with a beautiful inswinger before Khan induced a mistimed pull from captain Rovman Powell that travelled gently to mid-on where Dwayne Bravo’s tumbling effort made it 19 for 3 in the third over.Glenn Phillips did his best to breathe life back into the innings. He struck five fours and four sixes in his measured knock but his good fortune departed when he whipped a leg stump half-volley from Seales straight to Bravo on the rope at deep backward square leg in the 16th over to make it 99 for 6. Solid death bowling from Khan and Bravo ensured Russell was held in check until he drove Bravo to Munro at long-off to extinguish the last remaining threat.Narine stays hot at the topThe new-age allrounder pounded the boundary all around the ground in his 53 off 38 balls, but perhaps most impressive were a pair of lofted drives over extra cover on one leg against Russell. The left-hand batsman showed his flair with a pair of pirouette punches to clear the off side and leave the Tallawahs flummoxed.For the most part, both he and Munro countered the challenge of Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Lamichhane well. Munro took guard well outside off stump to counter Mujeeb’s line of attack that aimed for the wide lines while both Narine and Munro mostly stayed deep to play Lamichhane late with his steady diet of googlies landing short enough to be worked comfortably through the off side. Narine was finally undone trying to go through the leg side against the turn of Lamichhane’s wrong-un, but not before he had put the Knight Riders on course to complete a mostly stress-free chase.

Salman Butt has refused to play the National T20 Cup after he was demoted from the first XI of Central Punjab.Since his return from a five-year ban for spot-fixing in 2016, Butt averaged 51.28 in T20 cricket for Lahore Whites. He was picked up last year by Central Punjab but didn’t get a chance to make it to the playing XI. With Ahmed Shahzad, Babar Azam, Kamran Akmal and Umar Akmal in top order for Central Punjab, Butt asked the PCB to put him in a different team but his request was denied and he was left on the bench.This year, Butt has been axed from the squad entirely after the PCB selectors brought in Abid Ali. Central Punjab needed reinforcement after Shehzad picked up an injury and Umar Akmal picked up a ban. Their head coach Shahid Anwar brought in two under-19 players – Abdullah Shafiq and Qasim Akram. ESPNcricinfo understands that Butt was moved into the second XI so that he can be captain but with his refusal Nauman Anwar, a 24-year-old Gujranwala born opener, will take up the role.A PCB statement said, “Salman Butt, 36, was not selected in the first XI after he failed to feature in any of his side’s matches in the National T20 Cup 2019-20. In the HBL Pakistan Super League 2020, he has played only one game to date for Lahore Qalandars. However, considering his experience, he was offered to lead the second XI side, which he declined.”Before Butt was banned, his T20 strike rate was 107.98. His overall domestic T20 strike rate is 112.98, and he has scored 2349 runs at an average of 35.05. Last year, he was chosen to play the PSL by Qalandars as a replacement for Mohammad Hafeez.Butt marked his comeback in January 2016 with a century in the National One-Day Cup, and went on to finish the tournament as its second-highest run-getter, with 536 runs at an average of 107.20. He then led his first-class team, Water and Power Development Authority, to the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy title, scoring twin hundreds in the final to finish the season with 741 runs at 49.40. He was also the second-highest run-getter in the National T20 Cup in 2018, with 350 runs at 70.00.The PCB named Azam to lead the Central Punjab first XI but he will only join the squad in the second round after fulfilling his commitments with Somerset in England’s T20 blast. Hasan Ali continues to miss out as he recovers from his back injury.The PCB is aiming to have a full domestic season with the National T20 cup starting from September 30 in Multan and Rawalpindi. With three ICC tournaments due to be played over the next two years, the PCB have doubled the number of white-ball games in their domestic structure. The National T20 Cup, ODI Cup and the Under-19 one-day tournament will now be played in a double round-robin league format.

Thabang Moroe, Cricket South Africa’s former CEO, was found to have breached the Companies’ Act several times, bringing the organisation into disrepute and failing to act in its best interests, according to a forensic report, the summary of which was made public on Monday morning. The report also listed incidents in which CSA’s acting president Beresford Williams, the entire CSA board and former independent board member Iqbal Khan were in contravention of the Act.The full report remains under restricted access with CSA’s lawyers, Bowman’s, and anyone who wants to view is required to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA). That includes members of the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC), the umbrella body under which all sports federations in the country operate. SASCOC has demanded to see the full report and that CSA’s board and executive step aside while it conducts an investigation into CSA’s administrative and legal affairs. CSA’s refusal to grant SASCOC’s requests had them referred to the country’s sports’ ministry last week and could still result in further action.Sports minister Nathi Mthethwa met with CSA last week and gave them until Tuesday to comply with SASCOC. CSA is also scheduled to appear before the parliamentary portfolio committee for sport, art and culture tomorrow, and the forensic report is expected to be among the main topics of discussion.Moroe was also found to have not kept CSA’s board informed of developments at the Western Province and North West unions, the two affiliates with which CSA exercised step-in rights, including the dissolution of the provincial boards. In the Western Province case, Williams and Khan were both found to have had a conflict of interest by being present at a meeting in which CSA approved a loan to Western Province, thereby contravening the Companies’ Act.The most serious findings against Moroe relate to finances. He used his CSA credit card for irregular purchases of alcohol to the value of R64,830.50 (USD 3,952 approx), and acquired the services of a company (listed only as Service Provider X) for R3,019,244.82 (USD 183,068 approx) without following procurement procedures. The report also found that no service from that company was delivered to CSA, and oversaw a commercial deal with Global Sports Commerce (GSC) for the MSL, which resulted in major financial losses for CSA. While no details are available in the summary of the report about Service Provider X or the kind of service it was due to provide to CSA, more is known about GSC.ALSO READ: CSA, SASCOC at impasse over forensic report disclosure disagreementThe company is headquartered in Singapore and has offices in Johannesburg and it is the official broadcast and commercial partner for the MSL, which means that it was part of GSC’s job to on-sell television rights for the MSL. A due diligence report was not presented to CSA’s board on GSC, and Moroe and former chief operating officer Naasei Appiah (who has been dismissed and is appealing) had also failed to obtain a bank guarantee from GSC. CSA’s board approved the agreement with GSC without the due diligence report and has been found to be in breach of their fiduciary duties while the agreement with GSC led to losses of R12,370,691 (USD 754,135 approx) over the 2019 MSL season. Moroe was found to have failed to “act with the degree of care, skill and diligence that may be reasonably expected of a person carrying out,” his function (that of CEO) in relation to the deal. CSA also entered into a production agreement with GSC, which was initially only for the inaugural edition of the MSL but was renewed for four more years.The process of securing that deal was also improperly conducted, according to the report, thereby adding to Moroe’s contraventions.CSA has not been able to “investigate, corroborate or clarify in its totality” the report as yet, according to a statement by John Mogodi, a non-independent director on CSA’s board. “While we are not claiming the report to be inaccurate, it is important to understand that the forensic analysis is a single-sided report, and not all of the individuals or parties mentioned, have had the opportunity to provide responses to the findings as yet,” Mogodi’s statement read. That indicates CSA may yet conduct further enquiries before acting on the report.However, CSA decided to release the summary of the report following weeks of pressure. The board said of its decision to release the summary of the report: “[Following] requests from the Ministry of Sports, Art and Culture, South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC), members of the media, and concerns from sponsors and employees about the contents of the Fundudzi Forensic Report, CSA has, with legal counsel, decided to make a summary forensic report available to all stakeholders, including cricket-loving members of the public, via the media and other distribution channels.”

Bio-bubble life can be difficult, and keeping in mind the impact it can have on players mentally, the length of tours need to be considered going forward. These are the thoughts of Virat Kohli, the India and Royal Challengers Bangalore captain.By the time they get on to the field for the IPL 2020 Eliminator against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kohli, like most other players and support staff featuring in the IPL playoffs, would’ve been a part of the IPL bubble for 75 days, with potentially five more days left. Soon after the IPL finishes, players part of India’s touring squad for Australia will fly out directly from Dubai.India’s Test specialist and coaching staff have just finished quarantining themselves in another bio-bubble in Dubai and will link up with the IPL squad members before flying out.With the Australia series due to finish on January 19, it potentially leaves players away from their homes and extended families for over five months. India is also due to immediately host England for five Tests and a limited-overs series, which the BCCI hopes to host in India within another bio-bubble.There is, however, some sort of consolation in that the BCCI has ensured immediate families can travel with the players to Australia, even though there won’t be any concession on the bio-bubble rules.”It’s repetitive, it’s not as tough when the group of guys is amazing, which we have,” Kohli told RCB TV. “Everyone part of that bio-bubble is really nice, the vibe has been so good. That’s precisely why we’ve enjoyed playing together, just enjoyed our time in the bubble as well, but it does get difficult at times because it is repetitive.”While the Royal Challengers management has put together a setup to help players unwind – like having a team room for games, indoor game zones, private pools, entertainment zones for karaoke nights, team dinners at private beaches – Kohli believes such things can help take the pressure off only a little but not entirely. Therefore, he wants conversations on mental wellness and other aspects of bio-bubble life to take place regularly.”These things will have to be considered,” he said. “Like what length of the tournament or series one is going to play and what impact it will have on players mentally to stay in a similar environment for 80 days and not do anything different.”Or have space to just go and see family or small things like that. These things have to be thought about seriously. At the end of the day, you want the players to be in the best state mentally, based on how they’re feeling. Those conversations should take place regularly.”Last week, England allrounder Sam Curran, who was part of the Chennai Super Kings, felt players won’t hesitate from opting out of national selection “in the near future” due to the mental strain of going from one bio-bubble to another.”It is very tricky,” Curran told Sky’s IPL Cricket Show, “but we’re in a very fortunate situation, playing the game we love, going out there and trying to entertain people at home – there’s a lot of people in tough situations. It can be tough – if you’re in all three formats, you’re obviously travelling into different bubbles, not being able to spend time with family, loved ones, things like that.”I know speaking to the other England players that it is tricky. You look at the tours coming up and there’s going to be a big schedule for all-format players. Some guys, I’m sure, will have to pull out at different stages. Some guys react to it differently: there are days when you’re struggling and days when you feel like you’re coping okay.”We’ve just got to keep trying to enjoy it: it can be tough at times, and it’s just about trying to speak to the right people around you, and trying not to get too down on the down days because there can be quite a few.”Curran’s England team-mate Jofra Archer, who has spent time in bio-bubbles since June, more than any other player currently, had admitted that he was counting down days to going home from the UAE, where he was part of the Rajasthan Royals.

Former Bangladesh Under-19 player Mohammad Sozib has died in Durgapur at the age of 21. Local police confirmed it was a case of suicide.Sozib was a right-hand opening batsman and last played competitive cricket in the 2017-18 Dhaka Premier League for Shinepukur Cricket Club. He also played three Youth ODIs for Bangladesh against Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, in 2017, and was among the standby players for the 2018 Under-19 World Cup.Khaled Mahmud, the BCB director who is also the head coach of Bangla Trac Academy in Rajshahi where Sozib started training in 2008, remembered him as a talented cricketer.”I can’t believe what I heard,” Mahmud was quoted as saying by Bengali daily . “I am feeling extremely sad hearing the news. He was an opening batsman who bowled medium-pace, and he played for Shinepukur Cricket Club.”Tanumoy Ghosh, a first-class cricketer from Rajshahi said: “I always believed that he could play for a long time because he was so hard working in the academy. It is sad to hear what happened to him.”There’s no service that provides institutional support for mental health issues to sportspersons in Bangladesh. Only BCB has provided mental health specialists from time to time in the past.

The ongoing series between South Africa and Sri Lanka will continue despite the country moving to a stricter level of lockdown. In the face of an increasing number of Covid-19 infections, the South African government has moved the country from level one to level three, prohibited all gatherings for two weeks and enforced a stricter curfew.The regulations allow for international sports to take place involving countries with a low or medium infection and transmission rate (which includes Sri Lanka). Matches must take place behind closed doors, and venues have to be closed by 8pm.”Only journalists, radio, television crew, security personnel, emergency medical services, and the necessary employees employed by the owners of the venue of the sport match, are allowed at the venue of the sport match and only the required number of players, match officials, support staff and medical crew required for the sport match, are allowed at the venue of the sport match,” regulation 36 (17) reads.CSA confirmed that the new regulations will not impact the series.No fans have been in attendance at any of South Africa’s international fixtures this summer, including the Boxing Day Test. Similarly, domestic matches have also taken place inside empty stadiums.South Africa’s borders remain partially open and international flights are allowed subject to travelers producing a negative test for Covid-19, obtained no less than 72 hours before the flight. South Africans are also allowed to leave the country with the same rules. That means that the national men’s tour to Pakistan, which takes place in January, is still set to go ahead.

Somewhere amid their 36 all out at Adelaide Oval, the remarkable comeback at the MCG and the rearguard for the ages at the SCG, the story of India’s Test tour of Australia has been about the injuries.There was a short list even before India left for Australia, with the names of the Sharmas – Rohit and Ishant – in it, but since then, the number has increased alarmingly. So much so that the team for the series-deciding final Test at the Gabba will likely look very different from anyone’s idea of the best Indian Test XI.Virat Kohli was always going to leave after the first Test, and Rohit was going to be available for the third and fourth Tests – nothing has changed there. But elsewhere…Yes, that was the first of those. Pat Cummins making sure Mohammed Shami – the new-ball partner to Jasprit Bumrah – isn’t around to trouble them for the remainder of the series, adding injury – a fractured forearm – to insult as India completed their 36 all-out show.Mohammed Siraj replaced him for the second Test, but then it was Umesh Yadav’s turn to limp out. Not an impact injury, but a calf strain. And Yadav was back home not long after.Worried Indian faces all around as Umesh Yadav hobbles off the field•Getty Images

The pace attack would ideally have had Bumrah, Shami and Ishant, with Yadav the spare. Bumrah had a group of rookies to do the job with him after that and, it appears, he might himself miss the final Test now because of what might be an abdominal injury.Poor KL Rahul, he wasn’t even out in the middle, just a back-up, when his tour was cut short by a training injury. And it appears that Mayank Agarwal is injured too, while R Ashwin and Hanuma Vihari, who were so heroic on the final day at the SCG, are not fit enough to play the final Test. Wait and watch on those for now…It’s the hamstring for Vihari… and the back for Ashwin.Vihari couldn’t run because of a hamstring injury… Ashwin couldn’t sit down because of a tweak in his back•Getty Images

But before Ashwin and Vihari did what they did, there were Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja.Pant copped a blow to his elbow while batting in the first innings in Sydney, didn’t keep in the Australia second innings, and then came out to play a remarkable knock on the final day. He should make the XI for Gabba.But Jadeja won’t. That was a first-innings injury too. He didn’t bowl in the Australia second innings. Was possibly not in a condition to bat on the final day. And has since had surgery to fix a dislocated thumb.That’s the story so far… one Test to go, but more than winning the match, and the series, getting a fit XI on the field might be India’s bigger worry.

Sri Lanka fast bowler Dhammika Prasad has announced his retirement from international cricket at age 37.Prasad played the last of his 25 Tests in October 2015, following which a serious shoulder injury impeded his career. Prasad eventually made a first-class comeback, following surgery, but could not quite break back into the national team.Before that injury, however, he was one of Sri Lanka’s premier quicks, remembered with particular fondness for his second-innings 5 for 50 at Headingley in 2014, which led to Sri Lanka winning their first series in England. That was his only five-wicket haul in Tests, but he was nevertheless impressive at home in 2015, taking four wickets in an innings consecutively against India.Prasad finished with 75 Test wickets at an average of 35.97, and also took 32 ODI wickets at 30.50 in 24 games. He has a further 276 first-class wickets, largely for his Sinhalese Sports Club side, whom he has played for since 2002.Rangana Herath, a long-time Sri Lanka team-mate, paid tribute to Prasad’s exploits on Thursday.”We had never won a series in England, and when Dhammika took wickets on that fourth day in Leeds, it set us up for victory and that was a remarkable thing,” he said. “When he and I bowled together, I knew he would be putting pressure on the batsman from the other end – either keeping the runs down, or threatening their wickets.”I also remember something to laugh about. In 2015, when we played India at home, he had a heated argument with Ishant Sharma on the field. At the time we all thought it would be something that went on for a long time. But that same evening, we saw him and Ishant having a coffee together at the hotel. They hadn’t waited for the end of the match – they made up that evening itself.”Marvan Atapattu, another SSC stalwart, and Prasad’s coach in 2014 during that memorable Headingley spell, was also effusive in his praise.”Generally fast bowlers like to bowl with the new ball first thing in the day when the conditions suit them, but Dhammika was someone you could call on anytime,” Atapattu said.”He’d want the ball at all times of the day, no matter what condition it was in. If it was 5pm, and he was bowling with an old ball, and there was a batsman batting on 150, he’d still take the ball, because he wanted to get that breakthrough for the team. Those are rare qualities from a cricketer.”Prasad had spent the last few years attempting to make a comeback for Sri Lanka, but his bowling had not quite been the same since the shoulder injury and consequent surgery. He hopes to play another domestic season for SSC before quitting entirely, though this year’s season may not be played, due to Covid-19.

India captain Rohit Sharma, suffering a stiff back, did not take the field at the start of the third day of the the fifth Test against England in Dharamsala. The designated vice-captain, Jasprit Bumrah, took charge of the team.Rohit has enjoyed rich returns over the back end of the series, scoring centuries in two of the last three Tests. He was instrumental in establishing India’s advantage in Dharamsala, bringing up his 12th Test century and his 10th at home. With all five of the top-order making fifty-plus scores, the hosts were able to take a lead of 259 as the game moved forward.Related

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Rohit had partnerships of 104 and 171 with Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill respectively as India took hold of the game despite losing the toss. Jaiswal made 57, his fifth score of 50 or more in this series – two of which he converted into double-centuries. Gill went on to score his second century of the series.India have faced a spate of injuries over the course of the series. Mohammed Shami (ankle injury) and Virat Kohli (birth of his second child) have not been involved at all. KL Rahul has missed all but the first Test, recovering from a quadricep tendon injury. Ravindra Jadeja wasn’t available for the second Test with a hamstring injury. R Ashwin had to leave the team in Rajkot briefly to attend to a family emergency. Bumrah was rested for the fourth Test in Ranchi. And Rajat Patidar has been nursing a sore ankle. All of India’s first-choice players have the IPL coming up, on March 22 through to May, which then leads into the T20 World Cup in June.India are leading the series against England 3-1, bouncing back from a defeat in Hyderabad to win three on the trot.

Big Picture

It’s been a good beginning for the Royal Challengers Bangalore to IPL 2021, winning a hard-fought encounter against defending champions Mumbai Indians on the opening day. They looked like they had the chase well in hand, before letting it slip away and needing AB de Villiers to haul it in for them. In that respect, things haven’t quite changed for the Royal Challengers, and you suspect de Villiers will still be the man they will look to as saviour, especially given the form he showed against one of the IPL’s most formidable bowling sides.The team that vies with Mumbai Indians for the title of the best bowling side are the Sunrisers Hyderabad, but their bowling was a bit off the boil in their opening encounter against the Kolkata Knight Riders, which ended in a 10-run defeat. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, fresh off a star turn in India’s white-ball series against England, was uncharacteristically expensive, going for 45 runs in four overs and only picking up a wicket with the final ball of the innings.The conditions at Chepauk have traditionally favoured spinners. In the first two games at the venue in IPL 2021 though, that’s been uneven. The ball was sticking in the surface for the opening match, but the batsmen seemed to have an easier time of it in the second game. However, what remained consistent was that the top-notch T20 bowlers continued to be tough to face, such as Rashid Khan and Jasprit Bumrah. You suspect that if a bowling group that has reasonable pedigree fires cohesively, the surface could still pose a challenge to the batsmen.

In the news

The Royal Challengers are likely to welcome back Devdutt Padikkal in the playing XI. The 20-year-old left-handed opener was among their success stories in IPL 2020, and was in great form in domestic cricket before this edition too. Laid low by Covid-19, he had rejoined the team before the first game but was still advised rest for the first match. Padikkal’s return will mean Washington Sundar no longer has to play the makeshift opener’s role. Who will sit out for Padikkal will be interesting – with the choices appearing to be between Rajat Padiar and Shahbaz Ahmed. Given they are likely to have seven bowling options without Ahmed, he might be the one to sit out.The Sunrisers might also be able to have Kane Williamson available for selection, although fitting him into the XI is another issue. Williamson was pronounced not ‘match fit’ by coach Trevor Bayliss, which was why he missed out in the first game. But with Jonny Bairstow being the Sunrisers’ best batsman in the opening match – coming on the heels of a Man of the Series show against India in the T20I series – it’s unlikely that he will have to make way. Rashid Khan is of course undroppable, and Mohammad Nabi’s bowling might be of vital importance in Chennai.The Sunrisers might also want to consider whether to continue with Wriddhiman Saha as the keeper and opener or bring in a young batsman who can bat in the middle order instead among Priyam Garg, Virat Singh and Abhishek Sharma. After all, in Bairstow, they have someone who can open and keep.

Likely XIs

Royal Challengers Bangalore: 1 Virat Kohli (capt), 2 Devdutt Padikkal, 3 Rajat Patidar, 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 AB de Villiers (wk), 6 Daniel Christian, 7 Washington Sundar, 8 Kyle Jamieson, 9 Harshal Patel, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal.Sunrisers Hyderabad: 1 David Warner (capt), 2 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 3 Manish Pandey, 4 Jonny Bairstow (wk), 5 Vijay Shankar, 6 Mohammad Nabi, 7 Abdul Samad, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Sandeep Sharma, 11 T Natarajan

Strategy punt

Among the Royal Challengers bowlers, the ones David Warner finds toughest to score off are Washington Sundar – and Glenn Maxwell. Against both offspinners, Warner’s run-rate hovers at around seven, but against the other bowlers the Royal Challengers have, Warner is destructive. Sundar already has an acknowledged expertise at bowling in the powerplay, while Maxwell was used upfront too on occasion last year for the Kings XI Punjab. The Royal Challengers may not want to have offspin from both ends to start with, but at least one of the two could be given the new ball to try and rein Warner in.The Sunrisers’ trump card remains Rashid Khan, and they might be best served by using him in the middle, particularly if Maxwell and de Villiers are batting next to each other. Of all bowlers the Sunrisers have, only Rashid has had some measure of control against de Villiers, while he has bossed Maxwell, conceding less than a run a ball against him. He has been terrific against Kohli and Padikkal too, but if the pacers can do the job upfront for the Sunrisers, it leaves Rashid free to control the middle overs.

Stats that matter

• Virat Kohli is all-time leading run-getter in IPL history, while David Warner sits fourth. However, if you compare only the years in which both played, Warner has an edge on Kohli. In the years both have played the IPL, Warner has 5257 runs at an average of 42.39 and a strike rate of 141.46. Kohli, who has played 166 games to Warner’s 143 in those years, has 5216 runs at 39.21 and a strike rate of 130.82.
• Since Rashid Khan began playing in the IPL, in 2017, no bowler has a better economy rate than his 6.24 in the competition, even when setting a limit as low as 30 balls bowled. The only one who compares in terms of having an economy of less than seven with more than 50 wickets is, expectedly, Jasprit Bumrah, who has conceded runs at 6.90, and has taken 85 wickets to Rashid’s 77.