Gambhir: MS Dhoni batting at No. 7 makes no sense (4:14) Gambhir believes MS Dhoni should have been leading from the front in the chase (4:14) 8:52 PM GMT Varun Shetty MS Dhoni batting at No. 7 against Rajasthan Royals was an “absolute miscalculation” according to former India batsman and two-time IPL-winning captain Gautam Gambhir. In a sharp criticism of the Chennai Super Kings captain on ESPNcricinfo’s T20 Time Out,…
MS Dhoni says lack of game time the reason why he batted at No. 7 for Chennai Super Kings
Gambhir: MS Dhoni batting at No. 7 makes no sense (4:14) Gambhir believes MS Dhoni should have been leading from the front in the chase (4:14) 7:46 PM GMT ESPNcricinfo staff Before IPL 2020, MS Dhoni had batted at No.7 – the lowest he’s ever batted in the tournament – only six times in 12 years. In the two matches the Chennai Super Kings have played this year though, Dhoni…
IPL 2020: Sanju Samson, Steven Smith, Jofra Archer help Rajasthan Royals beat Chennai Super Kings in battle of sixes
11:37 PM IST Varun Shetty Rajasthan Royals 216 for 7 (Samson 74, Smith 69, Archer 27*, Curran 3-33) beat Chennai Super Kings 200 for 6 (du Plessis 72, Watson 33, Dhoni 29*, Tewatia 3-37) by 16 runs Sanju Samson, Steven Smith and Jofra Archer managed to out-hit Chennai Super Kings with 17 sixes between them as Rajasthan Royals opened their campaign with a win at Sharjah. The tournament’s first 200-plus…
Somerset talent drain is by-product of success, says captain Tom Abell
6:15 PM GMT Tom Abell has defended Somerset’s record for retaining players despite some high-profile departures in recent times. Over the last few weeks, Somerset have seen Jamie Overton leave for Surrey and Dom Bess announce that he will leave for Yorkshire at the end of the season. Jos Buttler, who left the club at the end of 2013, is another who felt he needed to move away to win…
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Mumbai Indians, IPL 2020, Fantasy Pick, team predictions
Fantasy Pick – Lead your charge with de Kock and Narine (6:44) Aakash Chopra and Deep Dasgupta make their fantasy picks for the game between KKR and MI (6:44) 4:28 PM GMT ESPNcricinfo staff Kolkata Knight Riders vs Mumbai Indians, Abu Dhabi Pro Tip Pack your XI with top-order batsmen and allrounders. Our XI: Quinton De Kock, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Eoin Morgan, Nitish Rana, Hardik Pandya, Andre Russell, Sunil…
Rod Bransgrove warns against 'knee-jerk' reforms to County Championship structure
Rod Bransgrove pictured during the Ageas Bowl Test against India in 2018 © Getty Images Rod Bransgrove has warned against the “knee-jerk” reaction of adopting the format of the Bob Willis Trophy (BWT) beyond the 2020 season. While Brangrove, the chairman of Hampshire and a former member of the ECB board, accepts the merits of the competition in the unique circumstances of this season, he is concerned by the prospect…
Power-packed Kolkata Knight Riders look to extend Mumbai Indians' winless UAE streak
8:15 PM IST Saurabh Somani Close Saurabh Somani is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo Big picture Before IPL 2020 began, Mumbai Indians were everyone’s favourites, and with good reason. A batting order that had four or five players capable of changing a match, a bowling attack that married striking ability with parsimony, great depth, and possibly the best think-tank in the business. All of that still holds true, but the…
Cream rises to the top as Bob Willis Trophy gets a final to savour
8:14 PM IST Big Picture There’s an unmissable irony in the ECB’s decision to name their emergency first-class competition after the late, great Bob Willis. For Willis was not exactly the most enthusiastic defender of the ancient county system. As a player in his international heyday, he was renowned for phoning in the occasional Warwickshire performance to save his best for England, while in 2003, he was at the forefront…
IPL 2020: Delhi Capitals' Kagiso Rabada shares the secret behind his Super Over success
Kagiso Rabada celebrates a wicket © BCCI Kagiso Rabada is one of only two bowlers to have bowled two Super Overs in the IPL, alongside Jasprit Bumrah. Not coincidentally, both times they bowled a Super Over, their teams won the match. Rabada’s Super Over record reads: nine balls bowled, nine runs given, and three wickets taken. Three very impressive wickets too, in Andre Russell, KL Rahul and Nicholas Pooran. The…
'I like to take on the big players' – Trent Boult on the Andre Russell challenge
12:51 PM GMT Vishal Dikshit Entrusted with the final over in Mumbai Indians’ IPL 2020 opener against Chennai Super Kings in the absence of Lasith Malinga, where he was taken for two fours in two balls by Faf du Plessis to end the match, Trent Boult called bowling in the death overs the “biggest challenge in T20 cricket”. “It’s the biggest challenge in the game, to be honest,” Boult said…