Month: October 2020

1:16 PM GMT Karthik Krishnaswamy Welcome to ESPNcricinfo’s Rolling Report of the 31st game of IPL 2020, between Kings XI Punjab and the Royal Challengers Bangalore. Tonight the likes of KL Rahul, Chris Gayle, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Mohammed Shami, Glenn Maxwell and Mayank Agarwal take on Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, and others. Kings XI Punjab vs Royal Challengers Bangalore If the blog doesn’t load for…

Kings XI Punjab might want to field Chris Gayle keeping in mind the short Sharjah boundaries  1:06 PM GMT ESPNcricinfo staff With just one win from seven matches so far, Kings XI Punjab are rooted firmly at the bottom of the IPL table. In fact, the last time they tasted victory was more than three weeks ago – incidentally against the same team they will face on Thursday – when…

12:26 PM GMT Danyal Rasool It’s often said Pakistan is a nation that places too heavy a burden on young talents looking to make a splash in competitive cricket, a country that expects the world of its youngsters and gives them fame and fortune much too easily. They are showered with praise and swarmed by fans. Everybody wants to be their friend, and everyone is kind to them. There wasn’t…

Mahela Jayawardene said it was Rohit Sharma’s idea to replace Lasith Malinga with James Pattinson  12:04 PM GMT Vishal Dikshit Mumbai Indians coach Mahela Jayawardene says his fast bowlers still have a “bigger role” to play in the IPL even if some pitches have showed signs of slowing down in the UAE. Mumbai will think about changing their bowling attack to bring in a spinner for one of their quicker…

4:59 PM IST Sreshth Shah Big picture It’s time, once again, for the most lopsided clash in IPL history to commence. Irrespective of Kolkata Knight Riders’ form in years gone by, when they face Mumbai Indians, they simply crumble. The data reads 20-6 in favour of Mumbai, and when history combines with form, it’s only fair to say that the defending champions start as favourites. ALSO READ: Fantasy Picks: Here’s…

11:21 AM GMT Rohit Balaji Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders, Abu Dhabi Pro Tip: Suryakumar Yadav and Shubman Gill, the most consistent batsman for either side are your main men. Our XI: Quinton de Kock, Dinesh Karthik, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Shubman Gill(vc), Tom Banton, Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell, Jasprit Bumrah, Rahul Chahar, Varun Chakravarthy Substitutes: Trent Boult, Hardik Pandya, Prasidh Krishna, Pat Cummins NOTE: We might not always…

More to come from Player of the Series Glenn – Keightley (0:37) Coach Lisa Keightley says England are yet to see the best of spinner Sarah Glenn (0:37) 10:31 AM GMT ESPNcricinfo staff Sarah Glenn was understandably daunted by the prospect of spending a fortnight alone in a hotel room ahead of her WBBL debut. But she also fully understands the importance of serving Australia’s mandatory isolation period, having been…

7:27 AM GMT A player, featuring in the ongoing National T20 Cup has reported a “corrupt approach” during the tournament to PCB’s anti-corruption unit. The PCB – after their investigation – has engaged the Federal Investigating Agency (FIA) to probe further. ESPNcricinfo understands that the player in question has not represented Pakistan in international cricket. According to a PCB statement, an unnamed player reported an approach from a suspected bookmaker…

4:17 AM GMT Cricket Australia is confident the WBBL structure can react to a changing Covid-19 landscape as the start of the tournament which will be played entirely in a Sydney hub draws closer. The competition will begin on October 25 and run until the end of November, played at a variety of venues around the city with players based in a ‘village’ at the Sydney Olympic Park. As it…

12:50 AM GMT ESPNcricinfo staff Liam Livingstone, the England and Lancashire batsman, will return to the Perth Scorchers for the BBL following the 2019-2020 season where he was the club’s leading scorer with 425 runs. Livingstone is the fourth English player confirmed for the season following Alex Hales’ return to the Sydney Thunder and the existing contracts held by Tom Banton (Brisbane Heat) and Tom Curran (Sydney Sixers). Internationally, Livingstone…