Northants are well on top in Cardiff and, if results fall their way, they might just be heading for a pivotal clash with leaders Nottinghamshire next week

ECB Reporters Network13-Sep-20171:36

The latest shifts of fortune encapsulated in our Specsavers Championship round-up

Richard Levi completed an important century on the second day in Cardiff to keep Northamptonshire on course for the win they need to maintain hopes of promotion in the Specsavers County Championship.But Glamorgan fought back in the second half of the day, taking seven wickets for 69 then reducing their deficit to 40 for the loss of a single second-innings wicket.Levi’s 101 from 97 balls included 15 fours and a six and was his first in the Championship in a season in which he missed several weeks because of concussion. He received useful support from Rob Newton and Rob Keogh.After 16 overs were lost to rain in the morning, Newton and Levi made rapid progress against a Glamorgan attack, Michael Hogan apart, that lacked direction and bowled far too many “four balls”.It was no surprise that Robert Croft, the Glamorgan head coach, had his bowlers out on the outfield practising for 10 minutes during the lunch interval, and they did improve as Hogan trapped Newton leg before for 67, made from 119 balls with eight fours.The third wicket pair had added 104 in 21 overs, and with Levi ready to play an attacking role, the South African reached his century from only 95 deliveries. He was then out in the following over when he chased a wide ball from Lukas Carey and was comfortably caught by wicketkeeper Chris Cooke.Richard Levi kept Northants’ ambitions high•Getty Images

Keogh made 45 from 98 balls although he had one escape when he was athletically caught by Craig Meschede off Andrew Salter’s off spin, but the umpire had called no ball for a delivery that was over waist high.Levi and Keogh had put on 88 for the fourth wicket, but Northants then lost four wickets for 19 runs on either side of the tea interval. After Keogh was leg before to Marchant De Lange, Alex Wakeley, the Northants captain, who batted at No. 7 after aggravating a finger injury, was bowled by Hogan without scoring.Rory Kleinveldt struck a breezy 23 before he was caught at cover, then Simon Kerrigan edged De Lange to Chris Cooke, and the innings ended when Richard Gleeson was bowled by Meschede. Hogan ended with four for 58 for Glamorgan, and de Lange three for 85.Glamorgan had 15 overs to face at the end of the day, and soon lost Nick Selman who was bowled by Gleeson’s ninth delivery – a sixth wicket in the match for the bowler. But Jacques Rudolph and Jack Murphy played out the remaining overs without any further alarms.

Although a final decision remains to be made, a BCCI official suggested that the three players could be a combination of two Indians and one overseas player, or two overseas players and one Indian

Nagraj Gollapudi24-Oct-2017The eight IPL franchises are likely to be allowed to retain up to three players each before the player auction in the 2018 pre-season. Such a proposal was discussed by the IPL governing council in Delhi on Tuesday. The governing council will meet again next week to deliberate on the issue before making a final decision on November 14 at a workshop with all eight franchises.Although a final decision remains to be made, a BCCI official suggested that the three players could be a combination of two Indians and one overseas player, or two overseas players and one Indian. ESPNcricinfo understands that not all franchises have been keen on retaining players, but Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, the two teams that are returning to the IPL after serving a two-year suspension, were “keen” to retain a certain number of players.If the IPL allows the retention of a certain number of players, both these franchises would be able to pick their choices from the two teams that replaced them in the last two editions of the IPL: Rising Pune Supergiant and Gujarat Lions.MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Ben Stokes, Steven Smith, Brendon McCullum and Faf du Plessis are some of the prominent names that featured for Supergiant and Lions in the last two years.It is understood that the IPL chief operating officer Hemang Amin met with representatives of the eight franchises in the last few months to gather suggestions before a final plan is laid out at the franchise workshop next month.It is not just the number of players that should be retained that the franchises have different opinions about – they are also concerned by the purse that will be made available to them.Some of the richer franchises are keen to have a maximum purse of INR 80 crore as opposed to some franchises which are happy with INR 75 crore. The IPL governing council is likely to take a final call at its next meeting.One franchise official pointed out that the richer teams might want a bigger purse in order to spend big money to retain marquee players. The official suggested the IPL should consider a smaller purse as well as sticking to the retention policy it had used in the past. In 2014, when the retention policy was introduced for the first time by the IPL, every franchise was allowed to retain a maximum of five capped players. Back then every franchise had a salary cap of INR 60 crore, out of which a fixed amount would be deducted for every player retained. The break-up of the deduction was: Player 1 – INR 12.5 crore, Player 2 – 9.5 cr, Player 3 – 7.5 cr, Player 4 – 5.5 cr and Player 5 – 4 cr.Simultaneously the franchises could buy back additional players through the right-to-match-card option in the 2014 auction. On Tuesday, the IPL governing council discussed the right-to-match-card option, but there was no clarity on the issue. The right-to-match card essentially gives a franchise the first right of refusal to its players, allowing it to buy its player back after other franchises have completed the bidding process for him.In 2014 the number of right-to-match cards available to each franchise was dependent on the number of players already retained. A franchise retaining between three and five players had one right-to-match card, while a franchise retaining up to two players had two right-to-match cards; those not retaining any player had three cards to play.

Through his agent, the allrounder has acknowledged the impact the publicity has had on the game and his team-mates

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Oct-20171:20

Stokes promises to give his story

Ben Stokes has promised a “full explanation” of what went on in Bristol on the night of his arrest for alleged Actual Bodily Harm last month, after acknowledging – via his agent – that his actions have had a negative impact on his team-mates ahead of this winter’s Ashes, as well as the ECB and the wider sport of cricket.Stokes, who was last week withdrawn from England’s Ashes squad pending further investigation into the events outside Mbargo nightclub on the morning of September 25, yesterday parted company with his bat sponsor, New Balance, a contract that is believed to be worth £200,000 a year.He also issued an apology to the British celebrity Katie Price, after being filmed appearing to mock her disabled son Harvey, an incident that generated further negative headlines on the back of the Bristol incident, in which he was shown allegedly throwing punches at two men in a street brawl.However, Stokes’s agent, the former England batsman Neil Fairbrother, has insisted that the player retains the full support of his management company, ISM, and added that the full details of what went on that night would be made public at an appropriate time, after the investigation by Avon and Somerset Police has been concluded.”Ben explained to me the full circumstances of what happened in Bristol and I told him that he has my total support and backing,” said Fairbrother in a statement. “I am aware that he has fully cooperated with the police inquiry and voluntarily provided a detailed statement on the same day as the incident. He will continue to assist the police in any way he can.”Ben will also make public his full explanation and evidence when the time is right. On legal advice, that is not possible whilst the investigation continues and no charges have been brought forward. Ben does not wish to prejudice the process.”He is also concerned about the impact the widespread publicity has on everyone involved including the ECB, his team mates and the game of cricket itself which he loves.”We will not be making any further comment relating to this at this time.”

With Tim Paine surprisingly recalled by Australia, ESPNcricinfo picks out a few other selection calls that came out of the blue

Andrew McGlashan16-Nov-2017Peter TaylorEngland had wrapped up in the 1986-87 Ashes with a match to spare, so the Sydney Test was about saving face for Australia. They pulled a rabbit out of the hat in offspinner Peter Taylor, dubbed ‘Peter, who?’ when he was called up, with one TV crew congratulating Mark Taylor on a maiden call-up instead. Taylor (Peter) had played just six first-class matches, but on an SCG surface which offered some assistance bagged 6 for 78 in England’s first innings to help set up a consolation 55-run victory. He would play another 12 Tests, the last of which came against India at Melbourne in 1991. In the next Test, at Sydney, a certain SK Warne made his debut.Darren PattinsonHeadingley has a history of making England selectors do odd things, but this can claim top billing. Darren Pattinson, brother of James, was born in Grimsby, before being raised in Australia, so had an easy route into English county cricket where he began the 2008 season with a bang for Nottinghamshire, having previously played first-class cricket for Victoria. Still, it was scarcely believable when he was summoned into the side to play South Africa after an injury to Ryan Sidebottom. His first Test wicket was a decent scalp in Hashim Amla but captain Michael Vaughan later admitted the bizarre selection had unsettled the side in what became a heavy defeat. Pattinson was quickly moved aside and didn’t play again.Martin BicknellEngland were not far away from bringing together the fearsome foursome that would power their rise to the 2005 Ashes, but the tail-end of the 2003 season had a more makeshift look to the attack. Martin Bicknell had made his debut in the 1993 Ashes but played just two Tests and despite consistently being among county cricket’s best performers could not earn a recall. That was until he was brought into the side to face South Africa at Headingley in 2003. He struck with his second ball back and claimed a respectable four wickets, but saved his best for his home ground at The Oval. After Marcus Trescothick, Graham Thorpe and Andrew Flintoff had powered England past South Africa’s daunting 484, Bicknell helped dismantled their second innings with 4 for 84. His set-up of Jacques Rudolph on the fourth evening – a series of away swingers before the nip-backer to pluck out off stump – remains a dismissal of enduring beauty. That was it for Bicknell’s England career, but what a way to finish.RP SinghRP Singh was enjoying the sunshine in Miami when he was called to join the rapidly disintegrating India Test side in England. He hadn’t played a Test in two years, or any first-class cricket since January (it was now August), but when Praveen Kumar pulled up lame on the morning of the final Test at The Oval, Singh was parachuted in. His opening couple of spells on a truncated first day were barely threatening at not much more than dobbing medium pace and by the time England declared in 591 for 6 he had 0 for 118 from 34 overs of toil. He has not played another Test since.The reports on the surprise selection of Peter Taylor (left) for the Sydney Test•Getty Images

Michael BeerPerhaps Australia’s selectors were hoping for the Peter Taylor effect when Beer – first included in the squad midway through the series in Perth – was given his debut at Sydney in early 2011 with the Ashes having been retained by England the previous week in Melbourne. It was a more mundane debut. He claimed 1 for 112 as England gorged themselves with 644 – being the last bowler to remove Paul Collingwood in Test cricket – but perhaps is best remembered as the final man dismissed in the series, which led to the line from Nasser Hussain on commentary: “Put the beer away, put the champagne on ice.” Just one more Test followed in 2012 but he became a very effective T20 bowler.Jeff WilsonJeff Wilson’s career is a remarkable tale. As a 19-year-old he made his ODI debut for New Zealand, playing four matches against Australia, before leaving the game to focus on a career in rugby union where he became a 60-cap All Black who scored 44 tries. He retired at 28 and gave cricket another crack, which slowly caught the attention of the selectors. Initially he was called up for the matches against a World XI, which replaced the Sri Lanka one-day series in 2004-05 following the devastating tsunami, and did enough to keep a spot for the visit of Australia. Twelve years after his first cap, he pulled on the Blackcaps shirt again for two more ODIs.Tauseef AhmedA case of being in the right place at the right time. As Pakistan were netting in Karachi the day before the 1979-80 Test against Australia, a bystander sidled over to Mushtaq Mohammad, the former Pakistan captain and at this time coach, and suggested a friend was a better bowler than anything Pakistan had. Offspinner Tauseef Ahmed was asked to show what he could do and caused Pakistan’s batsmen enough problems that Mushtaq told him he was in. However, no one at the team hotel – where he was asked to meet his new team-mates – believed him and he had to sit in the entrance until midnight. Finally identified, he claimed seven wickets on debut in Pakistan’s seven-wicket win and would go on to claim 93 wickets in a 34-match career.

Illness affected final season for Glamorgan stalwart

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Dec-2017Glamorgan batsman Will Bragg has announced his retirement from cricket with immediate effect at the age of 31.Bragg was only able to play a handful of County Championship matches in 2017 due to illness, although he did enjoy a successful Royal London One-Day Cup campaign when he registered a career-best 94 against the Kent Spitfires at Swansea.”It’s been a great experience to come through the age groups of Welsh Cricket and represent Glamorgan for over a decade,” he said.”Last season was a frustrating one for me personally and I believe now is the right time for me to step away from the game and start focusing on building a new career in another area.Born in Newport, Will initially signed for Glamorgan as Mark Wallace’s understudy behind the stumps, before developing into a specialist top-order batsman.He enjoyed his most consistent season for the Welsh county in 2016 when he switched to No. 3 from opening and passed 1,000 first-class runs for the third time, hitting a career-best 161 not out against Essex in Cardiff.He went on to score over 5,500 First-class runs for Glamorgan across an impressive 11-year career.”Will Bragg has been an integral part of Glamorgan for more than a decade,” said Glamorgan’s chief executive Hugh Morris. “He was a big part of the dressing room and a fine batsman for the club, so it’s sad to see his career end prematurely.”

New Zealand’s left-arm spinner claimed Fakhar Zaman with his version of the carrom ball, but now he knows everyone is talking about it

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Jan-2018Inspired by watching R Ashwin. Honed in English county cricket. Unfurled against Pakistan in Hamilton. Mitchell Santner’s new delivery, his version of the carrom ball, has been the talk of New Zealand over the last few days.During the fourth one-day international at Seddon Park, Santner defeated Fakhar Zaman, who was well set on 54, when the opener advanced down the pitch and was bowled. Closer inspection revealed Santner had flicked the ball out of his fingers, rather than spinning it in the traditional way for a left-armer, and the delivery gripped to turn the opposite way, from the left-handers leg to off stump.”I’ve been working on a few things and the grip is very similar to Ashwin’s. He used it against us in the Test series over there and I thought ‘yeah, that’s not a bad ball’ so thought I’d give it a crack,” Santner said after New Zealand wrapped up a 5-0 whitewash in Wellington.”I actually used it in county cricket and some of the T20 stuff over there, but on a pitch that suits, it works better because it’s hard to put a lot on it. I am just flicking it out. If there is a little bit of spin, ideally I’d use it a little bit more.”The challenge now for Santner is that everyone is looking for the delivery, which has been termed the “Santner Claw” in New Zealand.”You guys have been analysing it quite a bit now so I might have to put it away,” he joked. “I might have to disguise it a bit more because every time I look up it’s on the big screen. It adds another element to my game. I tend to just work with changes of pace so if one can go the other way it puts a bit of doubt in the batsman’s mind. If you can stay one step ahead, predict what the batsman can do, then it’s ideal.”Santner chipped in with quietly effective performances with the ball during the five one-day internationals: 1 for 34 in Nelson, 1 for 43 in Hamilton (when the carrom ball came out) and then 3 for 40 in Wellington when Pakistan got closest to nipping a victory.He was aided by New Zealand’s quicks having invariably made inroads to leave Pakistan in recovery mode, although at the Basin Reserve responded to his captain’s call to quell a late charge which put New Zealand under a rare spot of pressure. Santner responded with the wickets of Haris Sohail and Shadab Khan, the two half-century makers, before adding Faheem Ashraf”On a holding wicket like that there was more chance for me to get a few wickets and that’s what happened,” he said.New Zealand are unbeaten during their season – 12 victories alongside an abandoned T20 against West Indies – as their attention now turns to the three T20s against Pakistan followed by the marquee part of their summer with the T20 tri-series involving Australia and England before the latter stay for one-day and Test series.”Looking forward to both those series, they are quite big for us,” Santner said. “But first things first it’s the T20s against Pakistan and hopefully we can take the momentum into the tri-series.”

Fast bowler Michael Neser took 4 for 1 in 3.1 overs to leave South Australia reeling at the Adelaide Oval

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Feb-2018
ScorecardMichael Neser in his follow through•Getty Images

Fast bowler Michael Neser tore through South Australia’s middle order to put Queensland in a strong position on day two at Adelaide Oval.The Bulls added just 16 runs on the second morning before being bowled out for 342 in their first innings. Redbacks quick Daniel Worrall picked up the last two wickets to finish with four for the innings.South Australia moved to 29 for 0 loss before losing three wickets for nine runs, with Brendan Doggett claiming both Jake Weatherald and Travis Head.Callum Ferguson and Jake Lehmann battled briefly before Neser took 4 for 1 in 3.1 overs to leave the Redbacks reeling at 7 for 89. Adam Zampa made a quick-fire 57 to try and salvage something from the wreck but Mitch Swepson put an end to that to hand Queensland a 180-run first innings lead.Left-arm seamer Nick Winter removed both Bulls openers in the second innings but the Redbacks have a huge mountain to climb to get back into the game.

Ross Taylor produced one of the greatest ODI innings – a large part of it on one leg – to help New Zealand level the series 2-2

The Report by Andrew McGlashan in Dunedin06-Mar-20181:57

‘Magnificent’ Taylor levels one-day series

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
New Zealand took a gripping series to a decider as Ross Taylor produced one of the greatest one-day innings in staging a magnificent chase in Dunedin to hunt down an imposing 336. What made Taylor’s career-best unbeaten 181 from 147 balls even more remarkable was that the latter part was played after he injured himself diving to make a second run shortly after reaching three figures.Incredibly, New Zealand got home with three balls to spare when Henry Nicholls swung Tom Curran over the leg side after Colin de Grandhomme hammered 23 off 11 balls to help take the pressure off a limping Taylor. However, in fading light, it was Taylor that did most of the finishing as he took a six and a four in the space of three balls against Chris Woakes in the 47th over, then took him over midwicket again at the start of the 49th to remove any doubt. New Zealand still haven’t lost at this ground. After today, they may feel they never will.It was another wonderfully absorbing contest between these teams, back to the high-scoring variety seen in 2015 in England. Centuries from Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root were the centrepiece of England’s innings, but they suffered a middle-order meltdown as they lost 8 for 46 to slump from 267 for 1 to 313 for 9. Still, it was the second-highest total on the ground – it would become England’s second-highest first-innings in defeat.Ross Taylor struggles to stay on his feet•Getty Images

Taylor combined with Tom Latham – the same pair that did so much to win the opening match of the series – to add 187 in 25.5 overs for the fourth wicket as New Zealand recovered from 2 for 2, and then the loss of Kane Williamson when replays showed he hadn’t edged the ball.Taylor, who gave one chance on 84 when Bairstow couldn’t gather a catch at deep midwicket, brought up his 19th ODI century from 98 balls, but shortly after, on 109, suffered an injury when making his ground for a scampered second. He was patched up by the physio – who made multiple trips to the middle – and hauled himself between the wickets, but largely opted to have a swing. He sent both Ben Stokes and Adil Rashid out of the ground, taking his sixes tally to six, with the fifth of them landing on the roof of a building adjacent to the sightscreen.Latham played superbly in support, having arrived when Williamson was given caught behind pulling at Stokes’ first delivery. Colin Munro had earlier reviewed a stone-dead lbw first ball against Mark Wood, so the New Zealand captain had no recourse. When the asking rate touched nine-an-over, Latham took two sixes in three balls off Wood and Stokes. He might have been lbw twice, once to Moeen Ali and once to Adil Rashid, but was so far down the pitch on both occasions that the umpires were perfectly in their right to say not outLatham fell to Tom Curran’s slower-ball, finding mid-off with 63 needed from 48 balls. De Grandhomme was promoted and struck his first two balls for four, followed by two sixes off Curran in the 44th over to firmly swing things New Zealand’s way. Woakes went for just three off the 45th and Curran then removed de Grandhomme, but there would be no denying Taylor.England will wonder how they have not wrapped up the series. When Bairstow and Root were together adding 190 in 27.2 overs, they were on course to challenge 400. But Bairstow’s dismissal to Munro sparked a horrendous collapse, as Ish Sodhi bagged a career-best 4 for 58. After the top three, the next batsmen to reach double figures were Rashid and Curran at Nos. 9 and 10.England had raced out of the blocks, reaching 77 off the 10-over Powerplay against some inconsistent bowling and fallible fielding. Sodhi broke through with his second ball, Roy top-edging to short fine leg, but that just set the stage for Bairstow and Roy.Bairstow reached his third ODI century – all made as an opener – from 83 deliveries while Root reached his from 99 balls, although that came in the midst of England’s late slump. For Root, it was his first century in 26 international innings – in which time he has passed fifty on 12 occasions – while for Bairstow it broke a sequence against Australia and New Zealand where had missed the chance to convert a few starts.Such was the way Bairstow, given a life on 74 by Mitchell Santner at cover, was progressing, that Roy’s England record 180 – made against Australia in Melbourne – was in danger. Yet things were about to change very quickly. Bairstow skied an off-cutter and Jos Buttler’s promotion to No. 4 lasted two balls when he chipped a catch back to Sodhi.There was no thought of momentary consolidation with Eoin Morgan hoisting Trent Boult into the leg side. New Zealand’s fielding suddenly went up a notch with Munro taking an excellent catch running back. Stokes then picked out deep square leg and Moeen lofted down the ground where Tim Southee made excellent ground running in to take the ball by his bootlaces.When Woakes chipped Munro to long-on, Root was in danger of running out of partners before his century. He, too, fell before the end and it was left to Curran to offer any semblance of a finish as he took 18 off the last over. The days of 336 being virtually unchasable are long gone. Still, this was remarkable.

Peshawar dominated Karachi in a must-win game and completed a massive 44-run victory to open up the race for semi-final spots

The Report by Arun Venugopal15-Mar-2018
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsIn a nutshellKamran Akmal’s 51-ball 75 and Darren Sammy’s blinding assault in the latter half helped Peshawar Zalmi overwhelm Karachi Kings by 44 runs. More importantly for Peshawar, the win helped them remain in contention for the next round. After electing to bat first and racking up 181, Peshawar’s bowlers stifled Karachi, who were already weighed down by scoreboard pressure.It reflected in how Karachi approached their chase – Joe Denly and Colin Ingram played out five and eight balls respectively before departing for ducks even as the Powerplay score read 35 for 2. Babar Azam was the standout batsman with his silken drives and flicks, and notched up his third consecutive fifty, but while he finished with a 50-ball 66, the target was too steep for him to gun down on his own. Karachi’s scoring rate remained a cause for concern for the most part, and they were striking at less than six runs an over even at the end of 10 overs.There were brief spurts of rousing play, particularly when Shahid Afridi struck four sixes off four successive deliveries he faced. But, he perished for 26 off 8 balls when he holed out to long off off left-arm spinner Liam Dawson, who finished with 3 for 17 in his four overs. Azam struck a few sixes towards the end but was eventually dismissed in the 17th over as the closing stages of the match became a mere formality.Karachi’s struggles with the bat mirrored those of Peshawar’s at the start of their innings. They lost Mohammad Hafeez to Mohammad Amir in the second over, and despite Akmal’s brace of sixes, they could only crawl to 31 for 1 in the Powerplay. At the halfway mark, Peshawar managed to reach only 58 for 2, but Akmal, who was dropped on 32, managed to swing the momentum soon after with some audacious hitting. Akmal was backed up by Saad Nasim, who smashed 35 off 18 balls, and Sammy’s unbeaten 15-ball 36, as Peshawar ransacked 123 runs in the last 10 overs.Kamran Akmal lays into a cut shot•AFP

Where the match was wonIt would be fair to say that Karachi had things under control until the end of Peshawar’s 13th over where the score read 82 for 3. But Akmal, having completed his third fifty of the tournament, teed off with two successive sixes of the next over, bowled by Afridi, while Nasim wasn’t to be left behind as he collected a six off his own off the last ball. That 21-run over was followed by 14 runs in the next over before Usman Khan, who remained insulated from Akmal’s clear-the-leg-and-whack carnage and produced a spell of 4-0-11-3, concede only two runs in the 16th. The next over, bowled by Mohammad Irfan, though, was going to be mammoth – Sammy tonked three sixes and Nasim one as they amassed 28 runs. Nasim then smacked Amir for a hat-trick of fours in the next over, as Peshawar managed 64 runs in the last five.The men who won itYou would struggle to look beyond three men – Akmal, Nasim and Sammy. While Akmal and Nasim added 37 runs for the fourth wicket, Sammy and Nasim put on a 42-run partnership for the fifth. That each of the batsmen passed around the hitting baton among themselves ensured that there was no let up in scoring momentum.Where they standPeshawar’s victory takes them to eight points from nine matches, and they remain with a chance of making the playoffs. Despite the loss, Karachi hold on to third position with nine points.

The hosts have been over-reliant on Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers for their runs. Will one of them do the job again against CSK?

The Preview by Sruthi Ravindranath24-Apr-20183:42

Agarkar: RCB over-reliant on Kohli, de Villiers

Big picture

Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. The two usual suspects have been the ones making the runs for Royal Challengers Bangalore, with the rest struggling to find any kind of form. While Kohli’s efforts have come in defeats, de Villiers bailed RCB out in two tense situations – smashing an unbeaten 90 in their previous match and a 57 against Kings XI Punjab.Their opponents at M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday, however, have had different match-winners in their four wins so far. Without being heavily dependent on an individual, Chennai Super Kings had at least one batsman step up in each victory. What looked like a bowling-heavy team with eight bowlers during their first game, is now a well-rounded side with eight batsmen, including a number of finishers to do the job.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Form guide (most recent match first)

Royal Challengers Bangalore: defeated Delhi Daredevils by six wickets, lost to Mumbai Indians by 46 runs, lost to Rajasthan Royals by 19 runs, defeated Kings XI Punjab by four wickets
Chennai Super Kings: defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by four runs, defeated Rajasthan Royals by 64 runs, lost to Kings XI Punjab by four runs, defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by five wickets

Both RCB and CSK seem to unleash their best and the worst in the death overs. They are the best batting sides and the least effective bowling units in this critical period. While CSK have scored at 12.12 and conceded at 10.89, RCB’s numbers are 11.24 and 12.86 respectively. In the match against Delhi Daredevils, RCB let them score 57 runs in the last four overs after having kept the run-rate to 7.31 until then.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Bowling woes aside, RCB also have a batting line-up to be concerned about. They have tried three opening combinations in five games – Quinton de Kock being the only constant – and have had just one 30-plus partnership for the first wicket. Their opening stand lasts 10.6 balls on average, which indicates they have not survived even two overs on an average this season. None of the RCB batsmen apart from Kohli and de Villiers have made a 50-plus score: Mandeep Singh’s 47 is the best of the rest.

In the news

CSK legspinner Imran Tahir, who missed the previous match because of illness, said on Twitter that he was feeling well and was “all set” for the game.

The likely XIs

Royal Challengers Bangalore: 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Manan Vohra 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 AB de Villiers, 5 Mandeep Singh, 6 Corey Anderson/Colin de Grandhomme, 7 Washington Sundar, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Umesh Yadav, 10 Mohammed Siraj/Kulwant Khejroliya, 11 Yuzvendra ChahalChennai Super Kings: 1 Shane Watson, 2 Faf du Plessis, 3 Suresh Raina, 4 Ambati Rayudu, 5 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 6 Sam Billings, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Dwayne Bravo, 9 Harbhajan Singh, 10 Deepak Chahar, 10 Karn Sharma, 11 Shardul Thakur

Strategy punt

CSK could save Shane Watson to stop de Villiers. In T20s, Watson has dismissed de Villiers two times, giving away 55 runs in 49 balls.RCB could use the legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal against the in-form Suresh Raina. Against Chahal in the IPL, Raina has been dismissed four times in eight matches. He has scored just 79 runs in 57 balls.Both the teams are likely to field unchanged XIs. CSK’s strategy to play Ambati Rayudu at No. 4 had paid off; Tahir, although up for selection, might be left out considering he has had a middling tournament so far.

Stats that matter

• While MS Dhoni boasts an average of 61.8 at the Chinnaswamy, Raina has scored only 156 runs there in nine innings.
• Kohli’s tally of 706 runs against CSK is his highest against any team. While he is only 18 short of 2000 runs at the venue, Kohli needs 10 runs to overtake Raina as the top run-scorer in the IPL over 11 seasons.
• Although the record between these two sides in Bengaluru is tied at 3-3, the last two encounters did not go well for RCB – they scored 154 both times and lost.

Fantasy picks

No doubts about this: Kohli and de Villiers would be obvious picks, considering their records at home. Kohli has three centuries and de Villiers has 11 50-plus scores in Bengaluru.Deepak Chahar has the best economy rate during Powerplay for Super Kings this season: 7.50. He has conceded just 98 runs in 13 overs in this period, and also took three wickets at an economy of 3.75 to deny Sunrisers Hyderabad a win on Sunday.

Quote

“It feels like a dream. Even when I was with RPS and when Dhoni wasn’t the captain, he supported me a lot. I was thinking if he’d pick me in the squad for CSK. He’s a very different person. When a person like him gives you confidence then then it’s obviously good for me.” –