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Ajit Chandila, the suspended Rajasthan Royals cricketer, has been sent to three-day police custody by a Delhi court for interrogation under provisions of Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Jun-2013Ajit Chandila, the suspended Rajasthan Royals cricketer, has been sent to a further three days in police custody by a Delhi court. He was arrested for his alleged involvement in the IPL spot-fixing case, along with his Royals team-mates Sreesanth and Ankeet Chavan.”The matter is being investigated under the provision of Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA),” the judge Ajay Kumar Jain said. “The prosecution is to be given full chance to unearth the entire crime. The accused is remanded in 3-days of police custody.”Chandila is required to corroborate evidence collected from the other accused cricketers after invoking MCOCA, which is a special law passed by the Maharashtra state government to tackle organised crime syndicates and terrorism and contains far stricter provisions relating to bail and admissibility of confessions compared to the Indian Penal Code. It allows police longer spells of custody of the accused.Chandila has been directed to be produced in court on June 20. The court also deferred the hearing on bail applications of Chandila and five others, including former Ranji player Baburao Yadav, to June 22 after being informed by the police that some statements of the bookies arrested in the same case have to be placed on record.Chandila was arrested on May 16 and remained in police custody till May 28 before he was remanded to judicial custody.While Sreesanth and Chavan were granted bail on June 10 and released the next day, Chandila had not applied for bail.The three Royals cricketers were arrested, along with 11 bookies, and were charged under the Indian Penal Code section 420 and 120B, which deal with fraud, cheating and criminal conspiracy.

Herschelle Gibbs thrashed an unbeaten 83 off 58 balls as Durham beat Derbyshire by eight wickets

27-Jun-2012
ScorecardHerschelle Gibbs scored his second half-century in three games•Getty Images

Herschelle Gibbs thrashed an unbeaten 83 off 58 balls as Durham beat Derbyshire by eight wickets with 17 balls to spare in Wednesday night’s Friends Life t20 match at Chester-le-Street.Derbyshire’s 131 for 7 was more than had looked likely for most of their innings but 45 came off the last four overs as former Durham player Garry Park made an unbeaten 29 off 20 balls.Derbyshire chose to bat on a cloudy evening and took 10 off the first over but needed a further four overs to double that tally, while losing two wickets. Wes Durston pulled Chris Rushworth to Ben Stokes on the square leg boundary, while Graham Onions conceded only two runs in his first two overs and struck with his ninth ball.He swung the ball away from left-hander Ross Whiteley, who followed it and edged to Phil Mustard, recording a five-ball duck. Usman Khawaja and skipper Wayne Madsen put on 52 in eight overs before spinners Gareth Breese and Scott Borthwick both struck with their sixth ball.Khawaja was well caught just inside the long-on boundary by Onions for 33, made off 38 balls, then Chesney Hughes went down the pitch and was bowled by Borthwick. Madsen had made 27 off 30 balls when he skied a straight drive off Borthwick and Johann Myburgh ran in from long-on to hold a well judged catch.Jon Clare boosted the total with a swift 17, but it was plain sailing for the Durham openers as Gibbs and Mustard had 60 on the board after seven overs before spinner David Wainwright applied a brake.With the opening stand worth 70 in nine overs, Mustard went down the pitch and was stumped for 35 as Wainwright conceded only eight runs in his first three overs. Dale Benkenstein made seven off 12 balls before driving Hughes to long-off but Gibbs hurried Durham home.He had seven fours in his 42-ball half-century then added three sixes, two of them off Rana Naved-ul-Hasan.

Mohammad Amir, the banned Pakistan fast bowler, has confirmed that he played for Addington in a Surrey Cricket League Division One match on June 4

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jun-2011Mohammad Amir, the banned Pakistan fast bowler, has confirmed that he played for Addington in a Surrey Cricket League Division One match on June 4 but said that he took part only because he was told playing would not violate his ICC ban. His comments come in the wake of revelations in the that the ICC is investigating whether he violated his five-year ban for spot-fixing by turning out for Addington.”I was informed by club representatives before the game that it was a friendly match, being played on a privately owned cricket ground,” Amir told . “I asked the club representatives if the match fell under the jurisdiction of the ECB and they informed me that the match did not. I spoke to several club representatives about the issue and they all told me that it was a friendly match and therefore would not contravene my ban from the ICC. I was informed that I was fine to play.”Amir also denied that he had signed any registration documents with the club and insisted that he would never have taken the risk of playing had he known it was an official match.”I would not be stupid enough to knowingly play in a match that I knew would contravene my ban. Wherever I am going to play cricket, the world will know about it. I would not be stupid enough to play in a match where I knew that I would be taking a risk”.Amir was central to Addington’s 81-run victory in the game, against St Luke’s CC. He surprisingly opened the innings and scored 60 before returning figures of 4 for 9 in seven overs.This is not the first time Amir has appeared in a game which has had to be investigated by cricket authorities. Earlier this year in January, when he was under provisional suspension and still awaiting punishment for the Lord’s scandal, he turned out for a Rawalpindi club to play a friendly game. That prompted the ICC and PCB to investigate the nature of the game before the former eventually concluded that it was an unofficial game and the club wasn’t registered with the Rawalpindi cricket association; Amir was thus found to have not broken the ICC’s anti-corruption code of conduct.

An extraordinary return of 3 for 5 by Isle of Wight-born spinner Danny Briggs eased Hampshire to an emphatic 45-run Friends Provident t20 win over Kent in Canterbury

02-Jul-2010
ScorecardAn extraordinary return of 3 for 5 by Isle of Wight-born spinner Danny Briggs eased Hampshire to an emphatic 45-run Friends Provident t20 win over Kent in Canterbury.
The 19-year-old slow-left arm spinner ran through the Kent middle order in the space of four overs to secure Hampshire’s sixth win in 11 in the South Group, while inflicting an eighth defeat on the Spitfires, who now look unlikely to qualify for the knockout stages.Batting first in what transpired to be a low-scoring clash on a spin-friendly pitch, Hampshire limped along at seven an over – a sedate pace for t20 – especially against an injury-ravaged Kent attack.Sean Ervine comfortably top-scored for the visitors, clattering 44 from 26 with six fours before he top-edged a catch to the keeper off Malinga Bandara.Otherwise none of the Royals top order moved to 20 as Sri Lankan legspinner Bandara took 3 for 14 and occasional offspinner Martin van Jaarsveld 3 for 25, a haul that included the experienced scalps of Nic Pothas (13) and Dominic Cork for a first-ball duck.Kent lost Joe Denly early in the reply when a crisp pull-shot against Chris Wood, which the right-hander believed might sail for six, simply picked out Jimmy Adams at deep square leg.Spitfires skipper Rob Key (22) and van Jaarsveld coaxed the home score through to 28 before Key, in looking to pull a short one from Wood through the leg side, bottom edged the ball onto his foot only to see it trickle back onto the stumps and remove one bail.Without the experienced duo of Darren Stevens and James Tredwell, both absent on England Lions duty, Kent’s rookie middle order struggled to hit boundaries as Hampshire skipper Cork took pace off the ball through Briggs.The teenage slow left-armer, who said afterwards he “didn’t bowl one bad ball”, had left-hander Alex Blake caught at backward square-leg off a miscued paddle and Matt Coles (one) snaffled at deep cover.Kent’s last hope rested on the shoulders of former Pakistan allrounder Azhar Mahmood, who reached 16 from 17 balls, but when he slogged across the line to be bowled, Kent’s hopes of progressing beyond the knockout stages went with him.Talking after securing the win with 21-balls to spare, Briggs said: “It came out well. I just kept to my plans and have got more confident as the tournament has gone on.”

“I’m going to play the way I’ve been playing so far, nothing will change,” says India’s new T20I captain

Andrew Fidel Fernando26-Jul-20243:31

Suryakumar: ‘Nothing changes, will play the same way I have been so far’

In the cliche, the new leader of any organisation comes in, shakes things up for the sake of stamping their identity on the outfit, springs new ideas, and puts themselves at the centre of all things. It happens often in TV comedies. Perhaps even more so in real life.If we are to believe what he is saying, Suryakumar Yadav might not quite be kind of leader though. Ahead of his first match as permanent captain (he has led India in seven matches in an interim capacity before), he promises to be a steady hand on the rudder. And why would he be anything else? India don’t have Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli to call on any more in T20Is, but the majority of their World Cup-winning troupe is still intact, even if all of their stars are not on show in this series. Why try to fix what is not broken?”The same train will continue,” Suryakumar said. “Only the engine has changed. The bogies (carriages) are the same.”Related

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If this sounds jovial, it’s because India’s new captain has cause to be. His opposite, Charith Asalanka, is inheriting a team that is struggling to qualify for major global tournaments.India, meanwhile, do not just have a World Cup-winning team, they also have an IPL-winning coach in Gautam Gambhir. He and Suryakumar have worked together before at Kolkata Knight Riders. Suryakumar described their connection in glowing terms.”It’s now been 10 years since we’ve been working together, even though I went into a different franchise in 2018 and he also went to another. We used to keep in touch, talk about the game, even if we were in different teams. There have been learnings in the last six years too when I was not with him.”Our bond is special, we have spoken about the upcoming three T20s, not in great detail but we know each other fairly well, we can read each other’s body language. There are some things he understands even if I don’t say them in words. There’s a special bond between a captain and coach. I’m very excited for this journey.”Gambhir is not the only one who has sowed into the Suryakumar journey, however. Rohit has been his captain, both in the India side and in previous seasons of the IPL. Rohit has taught him plenty, Suryakumar said.”What I’ve learned from Rohit is that he is always a leader on and off the field, not just as a captain, there’s a big difference in the two. A leader stands with his players and guides them about how to play T20s, how to win games, and that’s what I’ve learnt from him.”On his own, explosive batting style, Suryakumar does not expect the captaincy to be any impediment.”I don’t think my batting style will change, as such. There will be pressure, but pressure is always there, otherwise there’s no fun in playing. I’m going to play the way I’ve been playing so far. Nothing will change. It’s better for me, in fact, because I can tell the team openly what brand of cricket we have to play in T20s going forward. I’ll enjoy it more and can probably pass on the pressure on to others (laughs) and enjoy my game.”

Gujarat Giants suffer second loss in two days after final-over drama, heightened by DRS and wides

Abhimanyu Bose05-Mar-20235:37

WPL: A double-header Sunday that did not disappoint

In the first two games of the Women’s Premier League (WPL), the team batting first scored more than 200 and the chasing side failed to challenge the total. On Sunday night, Grace Harris bucked the trend to help deliver the tournament its first proper thriller.Harris starred for UP Warriorz with the kind of devastating knock that has brought her back to the top level and made her a mainstay in the Australian team. A day after going down by 143 runs to Mumbai Indians and losing their captain Beth Mooney to injury, Gujarat Giants recovered from 76 for 4 in ten overs to put up 169 for 6. Then they had Warriorz down at 105 for 7, but not out. With 65 needed off 26 balls, Harris stole Warriorz a win out of nowhere.Related

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Harris predominantly targeted the leg side but was also happy to go down the ground or over the covers, and even played a lap shot as she clobbered 59 off 26 deliveries.But the win didn’t come without its fair share of drama, which peaked in the final over of the game bowled by Annabel Sutherland, and it centred on the new provision that allows teams to use DRS for wide and no-ball decisions.Giants tried to get a wide overturned on review after the first legal ball and failed. Two balls later, the TV umpire upheld Harris’ review for a delivery that was not called a wide on the field. It was a marginal call leading to an equation that could have been 6 off 2 balls, but became 5 off 3.By then, the crowd was entirely in Harris’ corner, and when the wide was awarded, there were loud cheers all around. There were cheers in the UP Warriorz dugout, too, though captain Alyssa Healy said later that it was a lucky break for her team.”What a bizarre rule that’s been brought into WPL but it paid off tonight for us,” Healy said at the press conference after the game. “It felt very dirty cheering a wide. I think our dugout felt a little bit dirty about cheering an opposition wide but, at the end of the day, it helped us, the review system. I guess that’s what it’s there for.””Hopefully it doesn’t come down to the last over a lot so it has to be used. Tonight it fell in our favour but in two nights’ time, it might go in someone else’s favour.”3:15

Player reviews for wides and no-balls: yay or nay?

While the wide was being reviewed, Healy was gesturing to Harris, who was in the zone, from the dugout.”I was just trying to tell her to calm down. She was obviously very excited, in the moment. More than anything, I didn’t want her to get in trouble by the umpires,” Healy said. “I was just trying to keep her calm, keep her in the moment and focus on getting the job done and she did just that.”Harris walked out when Deepti Sharma fell, and having faced just two deliveries, saw Kim Garth dismiss half-centurion Kiran Navgire and Simran Shaikh off consecutive deliveries to complete her five-wicket haul.Just seven deliveries, and Harris was on her way, hitting her first boundary. But two balls after she hit her second, Devika Vaidya fell to Sutherland. With Sophie Ecclestone for company, Harris let loose, hitting left-arm spinner Tanuja Kanwar for a six off the last ball of the 17th over. When she returned to the strike in the next over, she took down Garth, Gujarat’s best bowler on the night, for three consecutive boundaries.”I can tell you I’ve not seen anyone hit the ball like Grace Harris,” Garth said after the match. “When we were with Australia in the nets, nobody wants to bowl to her because you just have balls flying back at you.”Only one boundary came in the next over – a six from Ecclestone – and left Warriorz needing 19 off the last over. Harris ensured it was achieved.1:27

Knight: Being able to have the option of reviewing wides is a good thing

“A very special cricketer, Grace. I think you saw Grace’s personality out there on the field,” Healy said. “I think she batted through the whole innings in the sidelines, before she even went out there. That’s exactly why she’s in our side, to do something as special as that.””I started poorly and I thought I was fluffing around,” Harris said after winning the Player-of-the-Match award on the official broadcast. “You need to get the conditions of the wicket and I was thankful that Sophie also motored along.”I knew what I wanted to do. I was getting antsy when there were so many breaks in the DRS. I was able to compose myself, but I was psyched to get to bat and score. I love batting with freedom. The coach [Jon Lewis] is supportive and tells me to be free.”Earlier in the day, Giants had put in a much-improved batting display, with Harleen Deol anchoring the innings. She made 46 off 32 deliveries and found support from Ashleigh Gardner (25 off 19) and D Hemalatha (21* off 13). The highlight for Deol was when she hit Vaidya for four consecutive boundaries in the 17th over.Giants had a great start to their defence as well, as Garth took three wickets in her second over to leave UP stuttering at 20 for 3. With Garth generating some away swing, which led to Healy getting a leading edge back to the bowler and Shweta Sehrawat slicing the ball to short third, stand-in captain Sneh Rana brought in a slip for Tahlia McGrath. The move paid immediate dividends as McGrath edged her first legal delivery to Hemalatha at first slip.Navgire and Deepti put on 66 runs for the fourth wicket, with Navgire going on to score a half-century off 40 deliveries. In the same over – the 12th – Mansi Joshi knocked Deepti over with one that tailed back into the left-hander.Garth came back into the attack immediately and had Navgire gloving a short ball behind to Sushma Verma and she then castled Simran Shaikh with a yorker. When Sutherland had Vaidya caught at mid-on in the 16th over, it looked like the end of the contest. It turned out to be a new beginning.

Allardice says it’s “a balance between the risk of catching the virus versus the freedom that young people are going to be looking for”

Sreshth Shah13-Jan-2022Despite Covid-19 causing disruptions in international cricket as recently as this week – with the T20I series between West Indies and Ireland in Jamaica being called off and two ODIs being rescheduled – ICC CEO Geoff Allardice has said that the bio-bubble at the Under-19 World Cup starting January 14 in the West Indies will work in such a way that players can enjoy what is probably their very first international competition in the environment.Allardice instead used the phrase “managed-event environment” to describe the robust precautions in place from the ICC for the smooth conduct of the event after considering the young age of the participating players and from lessons learnt from the Men’s T20 World Cup in the UAE and Oman last year.Related

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He said that the ICC’s main challenge will be to juggle keeping players safe while also providing them with an experience to cherish. Given the lengthy nature of the tournament – 23 days of competition in addition to the pre-tournament quarantine requirements and warm-up games – Allardice said that it was important for ICC to make the tournament “memorable” for players from all 16 countries.One strategic decision to mitigate the concerns of Covid-19 infections possibly ravaging the tournament is the ICC’s choice to host the event across four islands in the West Indies, namely Antigua, Guyana, St Kitts, and Trinidad and Tobago. This strategy is vastly different from the main competition of the T20 World Cup last year, which was held between three cities that were close to each other in the UAE.This plan will allow the ICC to move games to one of the other three venues and complete the tournament in case infection cases rise in any one location. “It’s a balance between the risk of catching and passing on the virus versus the freedom that young people are going to be looking for and allow them to enjoy the experience of being involved in an Under-19 World Cup as well,” Allardice said on Thursday. “I think the management of that environment over the next few weeks is probably the challenge and being able to react to whatever gets thrown our way.”Another way the ICC has looked to protect their players is to ensure they play their group-stage games in quick succession rather than over a long period.”We are following a similar model to the Men’s T20 World Cup in the way that we manage the type of accommodation that we are using and the [Covid] testing frequency,” Allardice said. “They play their matches at a reasonable frequency. So you go to the cricket ground, you play your match, you go back to the hotel accommodation, recover, and then a day or two later, you are back again.”At the Men’s T20 World Cup last year, the ICC had kept a 24×7 mental-health and wellness service around for the players to use to deal with the complications of staying in a strict bio-bubble. As part of ICC’s “managed-event environment” plans, the same processes will be in place for the teenagers taking part in the West Indies too.With the majority of players vaccinated, Allardice said that the risk of illness is going to be low, but said that the ICC remained committed to completing the 14th edition of the Under-19 World Cup while making sure that the players compete in a “positive environment.”The tournament will kick off in Guyana with hosts West Indies taking on Australia in Providence on Friday, with a concurrent second game between Sri Lanka and Scotland taking place in Georgetown.

A number of big-name players are currently off contract ahead of a season of huge challenges

Andrew McGlashan01-Sep-2020The Big Bash contract embargo has been lifted with clubs now set for a hectic period of completing their lists ahead of a season full of uncertainty and with the league facing significant pressure from broadcasters amid concerns over a lack of star names.There had been plans to hold a first BBL player draft this year but that has been shelved due to the complexities created by Covid-19 meaning that squads will be completed in the traditional way of individual signings.However, a report in Nine Newspapers has said that consideration is being given to a central pool of funds to help clubs attract big-name overseas players in an attempt to balance the likely absence of more Australian players due to the need for larger international squads in hubs.That was one of the major issues at the centre of heated remarks by Channel 7 CEO James Warburton last week when he threatened to walk away from the broadcast deal if the BBL was stripped of a large number of big-name players.CA has occasionally helped bulk up the pay of major names in the league previously with a marketing element to their contracts, as was the case with AB de Villiers at Brisbane Heat last season and Kevin Pietersen in the past. However, this latest plan would be for the benefit of the all the clubs. Last month, CA brought onboard T20 specialist Trent Woodhill to work alongside BBL boss Alistair Dobson on reshaping the league and attracting players from around the world as the tournament prepares for its 10th edition and attempts to regain its sweet spot which came prior to expanding into a full home-and-away season.This year’s tournament is currently scheduled to be longest in terms of duration, penciled in to start on December 3 and finish on February 6, although changes are expected to the schedule with the likelihood that it will be played in hubs.”In terms of players wanting to play in it and its standing in the world game I think it does just sit behind the IPL,” Woodhill said from the Australia camp in Southampton where he is an assistant coach on the tour. “Every tournament has got to have an aspect of wanting to improve and I saw that in 10 years of IPL.”Being around the international stage and being all over the world, people love the Big Bash. People love the colour, love the entertainment, they want to tune in and watch it and overseas players want to come play in it, domestic players love it. It’s a great sense of fun but we also find it’s a stepping stone for others as well to push for IPL, push for [the] Hundred and international call-ups.”Adam Zampa was pumped after removing Steven Smith•Getty Images

Although there remains significant uncertainty over the international schedule later in the year as countries continue to map out a return to action amid the pandemic, it could be that there is less cricket – and competing T20 leagues – being played than would traditionally be the case meaning more players available for the Big Bash.The league is confident overseas players will be able to take a full part in the tournament – they are also expected to feature in the WBBL which is due to start in mid-October – despite the various travel restrictions around the world and quarantine requirements in Australia.”There’s constant dialogue,” Woodhill said. “We are really excited for the tournament and I’m really excited about overseas players wanting to participate.”Various in-play tweaks are also expected to be introduced for the new season which could include free hits for wides, bonus points and substitutions although Woodhill declined to go into any detail about changes while on Australia duty in England. “I think this season you will see some great innovation,” he said.While the lack of a player draft reduces the chance of a major overhaul of which teams players are based at, there are a number of high-profile names currently out of contract including Alex Carey, Rashid Khan, Peter Handscomb, James Pattinson, Sandeep Lamichhane and Mujeeb Ur Rahman.

A loss won’t finish off Sunrisers Hyderabad’s playoff chances, while a win will almost certainly give them the final spot in the last four

The Preview by Saurabh Somani03-May-20193:26

Murali Kartik: Kane Williamson’s form is a big worry

Big picture

One team has everything on the line. The other team has nothing to aim at.If Sunrisers Hyderabad had won their Super Over against Mumbai Indians, they would have been sitting pretty on 14 points and a net run-rate far in excess of what any of the teams that can get to 14 points could realistically get. That would have pretty much guaranteed them a playoff spot, but Jasprit Bumrah proved too difficult to handle, leaving Sunrisers in a must-win position against Royal Challengers Bangalore in what is the last league game for both sides.

Form guide

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Lost to Mumbai Indians in the one-over eliminator, beat Kings XI Punjab by 45 runs, lost to Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets
Royal Challengers Bangalore: No result against Rajasthan Royals, lost to Delhi Capitals by 16 runs, beat Kings XI Punjab by 17 runs

Royal Challengers were the first side to be knocked out of the running for the playoffs, hardly surprising given that they have spent the majority of IPL 2019 at the bottom of the points table. Virat Kohli has reiterated for the past few matches that his side has nothing to lose and will only ‘enjoy themselves’ in the game, and he was right for all practical purposes. This time, he will be right mathematically too, with Royal Challengers truly having nothing to lose, or gain, for that matter.This will once again be a contest between the Sunrisers bowling and the Royal Challengers batting. The departures of David Warner and Jonny Bairstow, coupled with Vijay Shankar’s tapering off, has meant Sunrisers’ batting wears a thin look – only Manish Pandey is carrying it at the moment. For Royal Challengers, losing Dale Steyn was a big blow, and now they’ll be without Marcus Stoinis too. Navdeep Saini has been impressive in patches, but even with the last game here, they still seem unsure of what their best pace attack is. In contrast, Sunrisers’ bowling has looked in fairly good shape, while Royal Challengers’ batting has been spearheaded, as ever, by Kohli and AB de Villiers.

In the news

• Stoinis has left Royal Challengers to link up with the Australian team for their World Cup camp. With him in the XI, Royal Challengers were playing only three overseas players. Without him, they have the option of bringing back Shimron Hetmyer, or giving another go to Colin de Grandhomme or Tim Southee.
• Billy Stanlake hasn’t got a game yet for Sunrisers, but his pace and bounce could be useful on a batting-friendly venue. But including him will mean dropping Martin Guptill and an Indian pacer, and probably bringing back Yusuf Pathan to the middle order.

Virat Kohli reacts after dropping a catch•BCCI

Previous meeting

Centuries by Bairstow and Warner were followed by Mohammad Nabi’s 4 for 11 as Sunrisers trumped Royal Challengers in style. Both Bairstow and Warner are no longer there, but Royal Challengers will no doubt remember that exchange, and will want to exact revenge – for pride, if nothing else.

Likely XIs

Sunrisers Hyderabad: 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 3 Manish Pandey, 4 Kane Williamson (capt), 5 Vijay Shankar, 6 Mohammad Nabi, 7 Abhishek Sharma, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Basil Thampi, 11 Khaleel Ahmed Royal Challengers Bangalore: 1 Parthiv Patel (wk), 2 Virat Kohli (capt), 3 AB de Villiers, 4 Shimron Hetmyer, 5 Heinrich Klaasen, 6 Shivam Dube, 7 Colin de Grandhomme, 8 Washington Sundar, 9 Umesh Yadav, 10 Navdeep Saini, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal

Strategy punt

• Given Royal Challengers’ opening combination of Kohli and Parthiv Patel, it might be a good idea for Nabi to take the new ball for Sunrisers. This year, Nabi has bowled ten overs in the Powerplay for an economy rate of 4.5 – the best in IPL 2019 (with a minimum of ten overs). His numbers against left-handers are also striking, with an average of 11.5 and an economy rate of 4.5. With Parthiv taking on the aggressor’s role for Royal Challengers and Kohli preferring to play himself in, the introduction of Nabi could stifle Royal Challengers in the Powerplay. Parthiv’s own numbers against offspinners are among his weakest – his strike rate is just 73.7 and he averages only 7.
• Royal Challengers’ run rate in the middle overs since IPL 2018 is 7.6, the lowest among the eight teams. They are particularly vulnerable against spinners, scoring at just 6.6 against them in the middle overs. Can Hetmyer provide the middle-overs thrust they need? Hetmyer’s returns against spin in this IPL haven’t been encouraging but, on the flip side, he’s not had too many opportunities either. If he comes off, he could provide the cushion that Kohli and de Villiers seem to perennially lack.

Stats that matter

• This will be Parthiv’s 200th T20 match.
• Kohli is six runs away from completing 4,000 runs as a captain in the IPL.
• Sunrisers have won four of the last five meetings between the two sides, and hold an 8-5 edge overall.
  

Sophie Devine’s 3 for 12, Amy Satterthwaite’s unbeaten 71, and Katey Martin’s 65 gave New Zealand a 2-0 lead in the T20I series against West Indies in Mount Maunganui

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Mar-2018Sophie Devine’s three-wicket haul – including contributions from the rest of the bowling unit – handed New Zealand a mammoth 106-run victory and a 2-0 lead over West Indies in Mount Maunganui. Earlier, half centuries from Katey Martin and Amy Satterthwaite had propelled the hosts to 185 for 3.Devine picked Deandra Dottin and Reniece Boyce in a space of three balls to reduce the visitors to 30 for 4, before accounting for top-scorer Kyshona Knight (20 off 35 balls) in the 17th over.Devine, who was instrumental in New Zealand’s ODI series win, posted a 33-run partnership with captain Suzie Bates before the latter was bowled by Shamilia Connell in the fifth over. Devine gave away her wicket to Akeira Peters two overs later after scoring a 21-ball 27. Martin then struck a 42-ball 65, while Satterthwaite notched up 71 off 42, and together put on a 124-run stand.In reply, West Indies fell flat in their chase as they slipped from 30 for 2 to 69 for 7, with none of the batsmen scoring over 20. Offspinner Leigh Kasperek contributed with 2 for 13, while Kate Heffernan, Anna Peterson and Lea Tahuhu picked one each to restrict them to 79 for 8 at the end of 20 overs.