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“On my part, it was very instinctive. It was not planned or anything like that. It’s there within the rules of the game,” says Kings XI captain

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Mar-20191:15

Buttler dismissal was ‘within the rules of the game’ – Ashwin

R Ashwin has reignited the spirit-of-cricket debate by running out non-striker Jos Buttler without bowling the ball. It turns out the dismissal was touch and go when it comes to being within the laws of the game.Running in to deliver the penultimate delivery of his final over, Ashwin stopped after entering his delivery stride. Buttler didn’t have his eye on the bowler and slipped out of the crease. As soon as he saw that, Ashwin simply turned around and broke the stumps at the non-strikers’ end with the batsman out of his crease. The decision was sent up to the third umpire, who didn’t need much time to send Buttler on his way.Rajasthan Royals’ Buttler had an unpleasant exchange with Ashwin, the Kings XI Punjab captain, while the third umpire made his decision. He walked off angry, and was seen shouting in the general direction of one of the dugouts.Speaking at the post-match press conference, Ashwin said of the incident: “Look, it was very instinctive. On my part, it was very instinctive. It was not planned or anything like that. It’s there within the rules of the game. I don’t understand where the spirit of the game comes, naturally if it’s there in the rules it’s there.”Responding to a comparison drawn between this incident and the 1987 World Cup match between West Indies and Pakistan – where Courtney Walsh did not run non-striker Saleem Jaffar out in the last over of the match, despite the latter being well out of his crease – Ashwin said the question of ‘sporting’ didn’t arise when it came to rules.”I don’t understand the point of sporting or sportive in that point because it’s rules. What applies for one man does not apply for everyone else. Neither was Jos Buttler playing there nor was I played so it’s very pertinent to just not compare two people…”This was not the first time Buttler had been run out backing up too far. On air in host broadcaster Star Sports’ “Dugout”, Kumar Sangakkara pointed out how, in a game against Sri Lanka in 2014, Buttler was run out in a similar fashion after two warnings by Sachithra Senanayake. Ashwin, too, had attempted dismissing a batsman in similar fashion a few years ago. During an ODI against Sri Lanka in 2012, Ashwin had run out Lahiru Thirimanne for backing up too much. The appeal was withdrawn by then India captain Virender Sehwag, who stated that Ashwin had warned Thirimanne before attempting the dismissal.The question here, though, was whether Buttler would have been inside his crease had Ashwin not stopped at the point of delivery. The updated Law 41.16 says: “If the non-striker is out of his/her ground from the moment the ball comes into play to the instant when the bowler would normally have been expected to release the ball, the bowler is permitted to attempt to run him/her out.”The wording “expected to release the ball” leaves room for subjectivity, which is where Ashwin’s assertion that he hadn’t even loaded becomes critical. If the bowler hadn’t even loaded, as Ashwin said, is it possible to estimate a time when he was “expected to release the ball”?Royals’ coach Paddy Upton, though, didn’t bother about the technicalities. He was miffed, and it showed in the press conference. “I think R Ashwin’s actions tonight speak for him and represent him, when I looked at his team-mates,” Upton said, “and I’m not sure it represented his team-mates. I think we’ll leave it up to the IPL fans to decide if that’s the kind of things they want to see, and we’ll leave it up to the cricket world to judge R Ashwin’s actions tonight. But for us, we’re certainly here to play cricket and entertain the fans and be good role models for people who love the game.”R Ashwin mankads Jos Buttler•BCCI

Buttler was looking in control of the chase of 185 at that time, having scored 69 off 43. His wicket, though, triggered a collapse as hosts Rajasthan Royals lost seven wickets for 16 runs to lose by 14 runs. Every wicket brought about loud boos from the Sawai Mansingh Stadium crowd.At the end of the match, Buttler shook Ashwin’s hand, but refused to look his way. Just behind Buttler, Upton seemed to have said something to Ashwin while shaking his hand, which made Ashwin stop in his tracks and give them a bemused look.”Part and parcel,” Royals’ captain Ajinkya Rahane said at the post-match presentation. “Sadly we are not allowed to comment on controversial issues. I am sure the match referee will take a call. We take these decisions sportingly.”

Richard Gleeson’s rise towards an unlikely England career has taken another step after he was called into the England Lions squad in West Indies

Andrew McGlashan08-Feb-2018Richard Gleeson’s rise towards an unlikely England career has taken another step after he was called into the England Lions squad in West Indies as a replacement for the injured George Garton.Gleeson, the 30-year-old Northamptonshire quick, has only been playing the professional game for three seasons having previously plied his trade for Cumberland in the Minor Counties set-up. In 2016 he had a match-by-match deal with Northamptonshire, largely due to the county’s difficult financial position, but impressed enough to earn a three-year contract although little more than a year ago was still working as a community coach.”I was sat having dinner out with a few of the lads when James Whitaker rang. Rips [David Ripley, Northants coach] had said that Andy Flower had been in touch on Thursday night to enquire about my availability, but to actually get the call was just a phenomenal feeling,” Gleeson said.”Just over a year ago I was working as a community coach up at Lancs so to get the opportunity to play for my country is a dream come true, though something I never thought could actually happen. I’m over the moon.”He was already due to head out to Barbados next month for the North v South one-day tournament, but now has the opportunity to get immersed with the England system at a time when his name has been touted as an option to bring some extra pace.Gleeson has a strong record across all three formats: in first-class cricket he averages 24.91, one-day cricket 30.27 and in T20 22.51 with an economy rate just over seven an over.Last season, his coach David Ripley endorsed Gleeson’s T20 credentials for England although admitted that was not the format the county had first earmarked him for.”The white-ball stuff was actually a surprise because he had caught the eye in red-ball cricket,” Ripley said. “He had a little bit of pace and could hold the ball up a little bit from a slightly angular action and we liked the look of him.”But then he got into the white ball team and the speed he bowled with the white ball in short spells, to which he has added a yorker which he has improved this year, means he now looks like a banker in all formats.”Also speaking last summer, Gleeson reflected on his belated journey into the professional game,”What had started out as a six-month position with Lancashire Cricket Board had turned into a full-time job, doing a lot of Chance to Shine work with schools,” he said.”I worked in a factory for a few months after university, so it was great to be working in coaching, which is what I’d set out to do with the course I chose at university.”But when I was playing in a match for Cumberland against Bedfordshire, their captain, James Middlebrook, told me he thought I had something and said he could put me in touch with Northants. They played me in a Second XI game and then threw me in against the Australians in a tour game. I got a couple of wickets and it went on from there.”His Lions chance has come after Garton, the Sussex left-arm quick who was drafted into the Ashes squad as cover early in the tour, suffered a side injury in preparation for the Lions warm-up match against a Jamaica XI. He played in the game, but managed just five overs – taking 2 for 13 – and has now been forced home to recover ahead of the domestic season.Gleeson won’t arrive in Jamaica in time to be considered for the first four-day match against West Indies A which begins on Sunday but will be in the frame for the remainder of the tour.

Mohammad Nawaz came to the fore on the final day of the warm-up match in Cairns, taking three wickets to help skittle Cricket Australia for 109 in 27.3 overs

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Dec-2016
ScorecardRahat Ali finished with a match haul of five wickets•Cricket Australia/Getty Images

Left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz came to the fore on the final day of the warm-up match in Cairns, taking three wickets to help skittle Cricket Australia for 109 in 27.3 overs and complete a 201-run win for the Pakistanis. Rahat Ali and Mohammad Amir took two wickets each, while Wahab Riaz and Azhar Ali claimed one apiece.The lid had been ripped open by the new-ball pair of Rahat and Amir, who reduced CA XI to 4 for 27 in the chase of 311. Nawaz, who had bowled only five overs in the first innings for no wicket, then claimed the wicket of Matthew Short before going on to add the scalp of Arjun Nair, who top scored with 42, to his bag. No other CA XI batsman made more than 20 against the pink ball in the second innings.”For me to express my skills out there was a good opportunity. It felt good out there, decent deck, and to score some runs was a good, positive end to the game,” Nair said. “For me, it’s about building my own game, so getting runs was a good confidence-booster and something for me to work towards in the future. Batting against quality bowlers like Mohammad Amir, top class, and for us to come against those bowlers was a good experience. It’s about taking this experience and learning.”The third and final day of the practice game had begun with the Pakistanis on 5 for 124, with Azhar Ali unbeaten on 44. Azhar went on to make 82 not out and contributions from the lower-middle order took the score to 6 for 216 before the declaration came.”As a batsman, you want to spend time in the middle and get used to the conditions,” Azhar said. “As a bowler, you have got to get used to the lengths according to the pitch, so everyone tried to get the best out of this game.””And, obviously, playing the pink ball in Australia is different to playing in Dubai. During the night, when the lights come on, it starts to do a bit more. I think we are very satisfied with what we got. The wicket was not as quick as we thought it would be, still it was good time in the middle.Azhar also had a word of appreciation for the fielding. “We really worked hard on our fielding. As a team, we want to improve in that regard. Fielding is really important. In Test matches, if you catch well, you generally end up on the winning side.”Cairns has been a lovely experience. The hospitality has been brilliant. We were welcomed here, and obviously enjoyed the game as well. We’re looking forward to the Gabba. Obviously, it will be hard work, but as a batting unit we’re really confident that we have the capability to deliver in these conditions.”The first Test between Pakistan and Australia – a day-night fixture in Brisbane – begins on December 15.

The PCB has made a plan B of holding the Pentangular T20 Cup in case the proposed India-Pakistan series doesn’t go ahead

Umar Farooq28-Nov-2015The PCB has made a plan B of holding the Pentangular T20 Cup in case the proposed India-Pakistan series does not go ahead.Although the Pakistan government has given the nod to play India in Sri Lanka, the PCB has been fretting over the continuous delay from their Indian counterparts. While there were ideas to engage an international team, PCB believes it is not feasible to arrange an international tour in such a short notice.”We are concerned and given the short time we have to have a back-up plan,” a senior PCB board official told ESPNcricinfo. “We were expecting them [BCCI] to respond by this week, but unfortunately news coming from India is extremely discouraging. We, in the meantime, are planning a five-team T20 tournament for next month in case BCCI pulls out of their commitment.”The tournament, which is a new addition to the domestic calendar, will be a one-off and feature provisional sides – Punjab, Sindh, Baluchistan, Khyber Pukhtoonkhwa and Federal Areas. The format is in-line with the already planned Pakistan Super League, with the top 75 players distributed among the five teams. Should it materialise, it would be the third T20 tournament organised by the PCB this year.According to the Future Tours Programme, a series of two Tests, three ODI and two T20 was originally scheduled between India and Pakistan in the UAE in December 2015.With the BCCI insisting they would play Pakistan only at home, which the PCB categorically rejected, a compromise formula appeared to have been reached when Sri Lanka was proposed as an alternate venue for a short limited-overs series following meetings between Shaharyar Khan and Shashank Manohar in Dubai, with Giles Clarke, the ECB chief, playing the role of a mediator.While the Pakistan government has responded positively, there has not been much said by India yet. On their part, the BCCI confirmed earlier that they had written to their government asking for a clearance for the tour. But the delay in granting permission has put a cloud over the revival of the series.

Gurinder Sandhu has been voted the Australian Cricketers’ Association Player of the Month for March

Brydon Coverdale12-Apr-2013Gurinder Sandhu began the 2012-13 season with a state rookie contract for the first time and modest goals in mind. By the end of the summer he had represented Australia A and the Prime Minister’s XI, played all three formats domestically, and won the Steve Waugh Medal as the best New South Wales player of the domestic campaign. That would be enough to satisfy anyone in their debut season.But there is one final honour heading Sandhu’s way: he has been voted the Australian Cricketers’ Association Player of the Month for March. It has been an incredibly rapid rise for Sandhu, a 19-year-old fast bowler who first emerged in the BBL in December while playing for the Sydney Thunder. Last year he was part of Australia’s Under-19 World Cup team; over the coming year a call-up to the senior side is not out of the realms of possibility.”At the start of the season I would have been happy just playing a couple of Ryobi Cup games,” Sandhu told ESPNcricinfo. “I played four of them and then a couple of Shield games at the end of the season and that topped it off even better. The Australia A games came out of nowhere, a bit like the Prime Minister’s XI game. I just ran with it all and tried to do my thing.”And Sandhu’s thing is to take wickets. In six one-day games – including two for Australia A against the England Lions – he has collected 18 wickets at 14.22 and in his two Sheffield Shield appearances he has managed 14 victims at 11.85. At 194 centimetres, Sandhu uses his height to gain bounce and he has shown that he can swing the ball both ways.”I like to keep the batsman guessing,” he said. But Sandhu knows there is plenty of room for improvement. He and another young New South Wales fast bowler, Chris Tremain, recently travelled to Perth for some sessions with Dennis Lillee and Sandhu said Lillee had helped him with some technical issues, including a tweak to the way he positions his front arm.Of course, Sandhu is of a generation that has only heard of Lillee’s exploits rather than witnessing them first hand. The men he wants to emulate are much more modern. Although he hopes to bowl in a similar style to Glenn McGrath, hitting a consistent spot and nibbling the ball around a fraction, Sandhu also sees Andrew Flintoff as another role model.”He’s a pretty big guy as well and I’m trying to work on my batting to become a bowling allrounder,” Sandhu said. “Maybe one day.”An innings of 45 against South Australia in his second Shield match showed that there is some batting potential there, although he is yet to score a half-century in first-grade cricket for Fairfield-Liverpool in Sydney. He is not the only Sandhu to have played at the top level for that club: his younger brother Harmon Sandhu made his first-grade debut this summer.”He filled in for me when I played the couple of Shield games,” Sandhu said of Harmon, who is also a fast bowler. “He played two games before the end of the season. He’s not as quick yet, he’s only 16 at the moment. Hopefully maybe this year we might play a couple of games together.”The Sandhu brothers were born in Australia after their parents Iqbal and Mukhtyar, originally from Punjab in India, moved to Sydney in the 1980s. Iqbal’s job as a taxi driver allowed him to ferry the boys around to all their junior cricket matches, a commitment that has paid off handsomely given his son’s success this season.And while Sandhu dreams of one day earning a baggy green, his ambitions for the coming year – which should feature a stint at the Centre of Excellence in Brisbane and a trip to the MRF Pace Academy in Chennai – are more grounded.”Hopefully I can cement my spot in the New South Wales team in the Ryobi Cup and the Sheffield Shield and then any higher honours are a bonus, like any more Australia A games,” Sandhu said. “One day if I could play for Australia it would be pretty nice.”Sandhu received 23.5% of the votes for the ACA’s Player of the Month award for March, ahead of Michael Hussey on 21.6% and Ryan Harris with 11.8%.

Delhi Daredevils have picked Victoria allrounder Glenn Maxwell and South Africa batsman Gulam Bodi in their squad for the upcoming IPL season

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Mar-2012Delhi Daredevils have picked Victoria allrounder Glenn Maxwell and South Africa batsman Gulam Bodi in their squad for the upcoming IPL season, in place of Colin Ingram and Travis Birt.Maxwell, 23, has played 14 List A games, averaging 25.44 and has picked up nine wickets at 37.55 in the format. He holds the record for the fastest half-century, off 17 balls, in domestic List A cricket in Australia. He’s also played 11 first-class matches, a format he’s fared better in, and as many Twenty20 games.”When Aashish [Kapoor, the Daredevils team manager] and I watched Glenn in the Emerging Players’ Tournament in Australia in July last, we saw him as a player of immense potential who loves being in the contest,” the Daredevils team mentor TA Sekar said in a release. “When we watched him bat, we were reminded of how we had spotted David Warner in 2008. We believe Glenn will play for Australia soon.”Besides being a dashing batsman, Glenn is a solid offspinner and an amazing fielder, with infectious enthusiasm,” Sekar said. “A multi-skilled player like him will add immense value to the side.”Bodi, 33, has played two ODIs and a Twenty20 for South Africa. He made his first-class debut in 1996-97 and since then has played 131 List A matches in which he’s averaged 32.40. He’s also played 64 Twenty20s, averaging 29.29 with a highest of 98 not out. Sekar said he remains a middle-order option.”Gulam was the best available replacement, given that we had to find someone within Birt’s base price,” he said. “Just the other day, he made a belligerent 90 off 51 balls with seven fours and five sixes for the Lions against the Warriors in the Twenty20 Challenge in South Africa.”

Dominic Cork has been named Hampshire captain for the start of the 2011 county season with Dimitri Mascarenhas still recovering from a serious achilles injury

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Mar-2011Dominic Cork has been named Hampshire captain for the start of the 2011 county season with Dimitri Mascarenhas still recovering from a serious achilles injury.Cork, who turns 40 in August, took charge of the team midway through last season and led Hampshire to the Friends Provident t20 title with a tie in the final against Somerset.”It’s a great honour to be asked to captain Hampshire in what should be one of the most exciting years in the club’s history,” Cork said. “As well as aiming to defend the Friends Provident t20 trophy and challenging to win both the County Championship and the Clydesdale Bank 40 competitions, Test cricket will be coming to The Rose Bowl for the first time ever and the ground is undergoing some exciting changes. “The club expect Mascarenhas to be able to return at some point during the summer but feel they have an ideal replacement in the experienced Cork. “Dimi has enjoyed a successful period as captain and continues to be a great ambassador for Hampshire,” Giles White, the manager, said. “However, the focus is now on getting him back to full fitness as soon as possible so that he can have an influence on the season ahead.”Dom’s appointment gives us continuity and he is a natural successor given the team’s achievements under his leadership in 2010.”Cork has been playing first-class cricket since 1990 and had a long stint with Derbyshire, where he was also captain, before joining Lancashire until the move to Hampshire in 2009.

New Zealand didn’t understand the fuss over Doug Bollinger during the one-day series, but they do now after he put Australia on track for a convincing victory

The Bulletin by Peter English20-Mar-2010New Zealand 157 (Vettori 46, Bollinger 5-28) & 187 for 5 (McIntosh 83) trail Australia 459 for 5 dec by 115 runs

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Doug Bollinger led Australia’s attack with two wickets in the second innings to follow his 5 for 28 in the first•Getty Images

New Zealand didn’t understand the fuss over Doug Bollinger during the one-day series, but they do now after he put Australia on track for a convincing victory in Wellington. After struggling through the limited-overs engagements and being attacked by the home batsmen, Bollinger has caused a lot of damage on a fine surface during the opening Test.A career-best 5 for 28 helped floor New Zealand for 157 in their first innings, which ended 65 minutes into the third day and left them 302 behind, and Bollinger returned to cause more difficulties during the hosts’ improved second effort. Despite Tim McIntosh’s obdurate resistance with 83 in 276 minutes, the home side finished at 187 for 5, still needing 115 to make the tourists bat again.Bollinger has played only seven Tests, but he was the attack’s main man as he recorded the second five-wicket haul of his career and followed up with 2 for 30 off 13 overs. There were five breakthroughs in the day as he finished off the first innings and gave his side some inspiration when the visitors were becalmed in the second session.Backing up after a demolition is not always easy for the bowlers, who expect to repeat their exploits despite their fatigue. The fast men didn’t regain the same opportunities until Bollinger stepped up, dismissing BJ Watling and Peter Ingram (1) in the half hour before tea.Watling, who made an unsuccessful challenge, was lbw to Bollinger for the second time in the game and walked off with 33 in 131 minutes, while Ingram flirted at Bollinger to give Brad Haddin an easy catch. Throughout the day he provided extra speed, bounce and a touch of swing to gain his rewards.In the morning Bollinger, the third bowler used, struck twice in three balls, adding the victims to his two of the previous afternoon. Brendon McCullum left after trying a wild pull – he was well caught by Harris at fine-leg – and Bollinger then delivered a beautiful shorter ball angling away to brush Martin Guptill’s edge.Bollinger’s fifth wicket came when Brent Arnel nicked his first delivery to Ricky Ponting at second slip. In celebration he attempted to kiss the team badge on his shirt – but smooched the sponsor’s beer logo instead.New Zealand resumed at a wobbly 108 for 4 and Daniel Vettori started the collapse of 45 for 6 when he edged the debutant Ryan Harris (2 for 42) to Ponting in the day’s opening over. They made a better fight of their second innings thanks to the effort of McIntosh, who settled the team during a 70-run opening stand with Watling.McIntosh, the left-hander, was a great man for the situation and was solid in defence before branching out a little as the afternoon wore on. For most of the time the going was slow, but it was exactly what New Zealand wanted, especially as wickets fell regularly after Watling departed. There were people in the crowd asleep, but they were allowed to dream of a lengthy second innings and possibly some rain over the final two days.Shortly before his dismissal there were two McIntosh fours in a row off Mitchell Johnson, including a crisp cover drive, in a collection of 10 boundaries and a straight six off Nathan Hauritz. However, his resistance ended when he pushed defensively at Hauritz and inside-edged to Simon Katich at short leg.New Zealand were 183 for 5 and Vettori found himself in a similar position to when he arrived yesterday. His side was in danger and needed a lot of runs. He had added 18 before stumps, while McCullum was 4 when bad light intervened.Hauritz, the offspinner, delivered 22 overs in a row after lunch and gained some worrying turn at times. He produced one crucial ball to Ross Taylor that landed in a footmark outside off stump and spun back sharply while keeping low. Taylor, who had earlier hit Hauritz for a six and a four, didn’t play a shot and was hit in front of off stump. The Australians challenged successfully after Asad Rauf initially gave it not out and it was another costly lapse on a bad day for New Zealand.

KKR are top of the table at this stage, but are yet to confirm a top-two finish, which will be their target in Ahmedabad

Ashish Pant12-May-2024

Match details

Gujarat Titans (8th; W5, L7) vs Kolkata Knight Riders (1st; W9, L3)
Ahmedabad, 7.30pm IST (2pm GMT)

Big picture – Rashid might be GT’s best hope

It’s a quick turnaround for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), who on Saturday night confirmed a spot in the playoffs with a win over Mumbai Indians. Though they are table-toppers, they aren’t assured of a top-two finish yet. After finishing seventh in each of the last two seasons of the IPL, that will be KKR’s target when they go to Ahmedabad.The primary reason for KKR’s success this season is right at the top. Each of their top four wickets has added 300-plus runs at a scoring rate of over 10. It’s a first in the IPL. Openers Sunil Narine and Phil Salt have been key – they have had six 50-plus opening partnerships in 12 innings, averaging 46.58 and going at 12.46. Unfortunately for KKR, Salt will be leaving soon, so that will end soon.Related

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But it’s not just the top-order batters. KKR have four batters – Ramandeep Singh, Andre Russell, Salt and Narine – who have scored 100-plus runs at a strike rate of 180-plus in IPL 2024. The only other team to do this in any IPL season is Sunrisers Hyderabad, also in 2024.And what about the bowling? KKR have four – Varun Chakravarthy, Harshit Rana, Narine and Russell – who have taken 15 or more wickets at sub-21 averages – also a first in the IPL.How do GT counter the batters, though?Rashid Khan could be the answer.He has a decent record against most of the KKR batters. He has bowled 25 balls to Narine in all T20s and dislodged him twice. Salt hasn’t faced Rashid in the IPL, but played him once in the Hundred where he fell first ball. The Iyers have fared marginally better against Rashid – Shreyas has been dismissed twice in ten innings by Rashid but strikes at only 107.79 in the IPL against him, while Venkatesh has fallen to him only once in three innings. Russell has been dismissed by Rashid three times in 24 balls in the IPL and averages just 8.0 against him.But that’s where Rahmanullah Gurbaz could come in.With Salt set to miss the playoffs to prepare for the T20 World Cup for England, KKR could make the switch right away, slot in Gurbaz as the keeper-batter at the top, and give him a few games rather than shuttle him in directly for the playoffs. Gurbaz has a stellar record against Rashid, having hit him for 30 runs off 11 balls in the IPL without being dismissed.GT are currently eighth on the points table, and while they are not out of the playoffs race yet, it looks very tough.Titans might have identified their best opening pair with Shubman Gill and B Sai Sudharsan•Associated Press

Form guide

Gujarat Titans WLLLW
Kolkata Knight Riders WWWWL

Team news and Impact Player strategy

Gujarat Titans
GT have been very inconsistent with their selections. They have used 23 players so far in the tournament, the most for any team. But having won their last game comprehensively, they might feel they have struck the right balance. The B Sai Sudharsan-Shubman Gill opening stand worked wonders, and they might go with the same even if Wriddhiman Saha is fit. Depending on the surface, one of R Sai Kishore and Sandeep Warrier could come in as an impact sub for Sai Sudharsan.Likely XII: 1 Shubman Gill (capt), 2 , 3 M Shahrukh Khan, 4 David Miller, 5 Matthew Wade (wk), 6 Rahul Tewatia, 7 Rashid Khan, 8 Noor Ahmad, 9 Umesh Yadav, 10 Mohit Sharma, 11 Kartik Tyagi, 12 Kolkata Knight Riders
KKR had Vaibhav Arora swapping for Nitish Rana in their last game and could do the same. That aside, of course, Gurbaz could come in for Salt, unless they want to leave that for when they have to do it.Likely XII: 1 Phil Salt/Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 2 Sunil Narine, 3 , 4 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 5 Venkatesh Iyer, 6 Andre Russell, 7 Rinku Singh, 8 Ramandeep Singh, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Varun Chakravarthy, 11 Harshit Rana, 12 Varun Chakravarthy is a strong contender for the purple cap this season•BCCI

In the spotlight – B Sai Sudharsan and Varun Chakravarthy

B Sai Sudharsan has been the shining star in GT’s otherwise inconsistent top order. The highest run-getter for GT with 527 runs in 12 innings, he will hope to continue his love affair with the Ahmedabad stadium, where he has scored three half-centuries and a century in 12 outings in the IPL and averages over 50.It’s been an IPL of two chunks for Varun Chakravarthy. In the first eight games, he had only eight wickets at an average of 35.25 and an economy rate of 9.72. In his next four, he’s picked up ten wickets at 8.50 and 5.66. His recent spree has taken him up to third on the wicket-takers’ list, just two behind Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel, both on 20. With Mumbai Indians and Punjab Kings, Bumrah and Harshal’s teams respectively, knocked out, Varun has a shot at winning the purple cap.

Stats that matter

• GT have the lowest run rate in the powerplay of all the teams: 7.72; KKR, meanwhile, have the second-highest: 11.04
• GT have hit the least number of sixes in the tournament so far: 67; KKR have hit almost double that: 125
• Gill has fallen to Narine twice in 13 balls in T20s, averaging just 6.5. But David Miller has fared better against Narine in T20s with 95 runs in 72 balls and just one dismissal
• Nitish Rana has an average of 95.0 against Rashid in the IPL, having struck him for 95 runs in 76 balls and been dismissed just once

Pitch and conditions

The team batting second has won four out of six games in Ahmedabad this season. The dew has made its presence felt more than once, and could be the reason behind captains wanting to chase. Having said that, GT won their last game batting first and piling on a huge score. The average first-innings score this season here is 175.

Quote

“Other teams are trying to get explosive opening partnerships. Our openers have a different style, but we have also been getting 200, or close to it. It’s not like they only played well that day. They’re trying their best – all batters want to score hundreds and bowlers want to take five wickets. Sometimes you try but it doesn’t happen. Since we qualified for the playoffs the last two seasons, the expectations are high. We’re trying our best.”

Grant Bradburn likely to come in as assistant coach; Islamabad United’s Rehan Ul-Haq is expected to be team manager

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Jan-2023Mickey Arthur and the PCB are close to agreeing a deal that will result in Arthur’s return to the Pakistan men’s side – but as team director and not, as previously, head coach. Talks between the two had ended three weeks ago when the PCB announced it was moving on in its search for a replacement for Saqlain Mushtaq, the outgoing Pakistan coach.The two sides had failed to reach an agreement on how such a role could work, given Arthur has a long-term deal with Derbyshire, which he does not want to end. But last week, Najam Sethi, the interim head of the PCB, revealed that he was continuing the pursuit of Arthur. ESPNcricinfo understands that an arrangement is close to being finalised now, with Arthur potentially starting from April 1 as team director.Related

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• Mickey Arthur could return as Pakistan head coach

• PCB's talks with Mickey Arthur to coach Pakistan fall through

That designation, one in which Arthur will be a consultant rather than head coach, will make for an unusual management structure – at international level at least – in which he will not be with the Pakistan team on every tour but will have a handpicked group of support staff running operations. Lead among the support staff is expected to be former Pakistan fielding coach – and one-time head of their High Performance Centre – Grant Bradburn, in the role of a high-powered assistant coach. There will also be three coaches for batting, bowling and fielding, but no traditional head coach.During the English county season, Arthur will not be hands on with the team; Pakistan tour Sri Lanka this July for instance and are scheduled to host the Asia Cup in September. But once the county season is over, Arthur is expected to be with the side at high-profile commitments such as the ODI World Cup in India in October-November this year and the Test tour of Australia later in the winter. The duration of such a contract is one of the points still being worked out but both sides believe Pakistan’s schedule is such that it allows for such an arrangement to work.One of the more interesting appointments under Arthur is likely to be that of Rehan Ul-Haq, the general manager at the PSL franchise Islamabad United and a prominent broadcast analyst. He is expected to be, on paper, the team manager but with a brief much broader than the more traditional administrative role of managers. The role might be more akin to a chief of staff for Arthur, driving the team environment – Rehan is also one of the men credited with creating the data-driven approach at Islamabad United, two-time winners of the PSL.Mickey Arthur with the 2017 Champions Trophy•Getty Images

Arthur was head coach of the Pakistan side between 2016 and 2019, a generally successful white-ball period that included a Champions Trophy triumph in 2017 and the transformation of their limited-overs sides. Having languished behind other Full Members after a poor showing at the 2016 T20 World Cup, Arthur helped transform a T20 side under the leadership of Sarfaraz Ahmed and took them to the number one spot in the ICC rankings. There were notable Test results as well, though the red-ball side proved harder to transform. One big, early defeat at the 2019 World Cup meant Pakistan failed narrowly to reach the last four of the event, and Arthur was replaced by Misbah-ul-Haq soon after.More significantly, Arthur’s return will reunite him with a number of players in whose development he played a key early role in that first stint, not least the captain Babar Azam. Arthur persisted with Babar during a tough initiation into Test cricket and oversaw his white-ball rise. Others such as Sarfaraz, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Fakhar Zaman and Shadab Khan have also spoken in the past of the impact Arthur has had on their careers. Arthur had a stint with Sri Lanka after the Pakistan job and has since been with Derbyshire.