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Mumbai will need a run of wins to ease their route to the playoffs, a situation they are not unaccustomed to

Karthik Krishnaswamy01-Oct-20211:34

Is Krunal Pandya’s form a concern for Mumbai?

Big picture

In 2014, Mumbai Indians sneaked into the playoffs in dramatic fashion (Aditya Tare loses his shirt, Rahul Dravid loses his cap, everyone loses their minds) despite starting the season with five straight losses. A season later, they began with four Ls in a row, and went on to win the title.They didn’t begin quite as poorly this season, but in the context of their recent domination of the league, this has been their worst IPL in quite a while. It’s now that time in the season, however, when they invariably build serious steam, and they’re now in fifth, with only net run-rate separating them from fourth, with three games left to play.Two of those games, their last two league matches, are against the bottom-two teams, Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad.This is why every other playoffs contender would want Delhi Capitals to beat Mumbai Indians on Saturday. If you’re hunting for an IPL title, you want the team with the most experience and title-winning knowhow out of the picture as soon as possible.Capitals are currently in second, in the playoffs, but cast your mind back to last season, when they were in a similar situation only to lose five of their last six league games and find themselves with a more or less must-win fixture on their last day of league play.They wouldn’t want that sort of drama this time around. After Mumbai, the Capitals’ last two league opponents would be the teams currently in first and third, Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore. Given the importance of a top-two finish, neither will be in any mood to do a title rival any favours.

Qualification chances

Kolkata Knight Riders’ defeat against Punjab Kings is a result that both Mumbai and Capitals will be happy with. Mumbai now have a chance of qualifying without relying on other teams doing them any favours – all they need to do is win their last three games. Sixteen points will guarantee them a playoff spot, as Knight Riders can only get to a maximum of 14.However, if Mumbai lose to Capitals, things could get complicated for them as Knight Riders and Kings both have better net run rates, with all three teams currently on ten points. If qualification comes down to net run rate, Mumbai could lose out.Friday’s result also means Capitals have qualified for sure; their next target will be to finish among the top two. Currently, it is possible for three teams to reach 20 points, so even a win against Mumbai won’t assure them of a top-two position, but it will certainly be a big step in that direction. Their last two games are against teams that are currently in the top three, so it won’t get any easier for them.

In the news

Prithvi Shaw sat out Capitals’ match against the Kolkata Knight Riders with an injury, and their captain Rishabh Pant said after the game that there was an 80% chance he would be fit to face Mumbai. Pant, meanwhile, said it might take Marcus Stoinis “a match or two” before he’s fully recovered from the hamstring issue that’s been keeping him out of the Capitals’ recent games.While Steven Smith took Shaw’s place against Knight Riders, Capitals may now have one other option for that slot, with Sam Billings out of quarantine and available for selection.

Likely XIs

Delhi Capitals: 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 Prithvi Shaw/Steven Smith/Sam Billings, 3 Shreyas Iyer, 4 Rishabh Pant (capt & wk), 5 Shimron Hetmyer, 6 Lalit Yadav, 7 Axar Patel, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Avesh Khan, 11 Anrich Nortje.Mumbai Indians: 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Suryakumar Yadav, 4 Saurabh Tiwary/Jayant Yadav, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Krunal Pandya, 8 Nathan Coulter-Nile, 9 Rahul Chahar, 10 Trent Boult, 11 Jasprit Bumrah.

Strategy punt

Of the seven matches Jayant Yadav has played for Mumbai over three seasons, four have been against Capitals. In three of those four games, he’s returned exactly the same figures, 1 for 25, while finishing with 0 for 18 from three overs in the other game. In short, he’s been a Capitals specialist, and he’s done his job with an almost machine-like precision each time.The reason why Mumbai use the offspinner so often against Capitals is, of course, their left-hander-heavy line-up. Jayant has terrific IPL records against Shikhar Dhawan (41 balls, 47 runs, one wicket), Rishabh Pant (23-21-0) and Axar Patel (10-5-0), but as a welcome byproduct for Mumbai, he’s also done well against Capitals’ right-hand batters. He’s gone 17-19-0 against Shreyas Iyer, 11-11-1 against Prithvi Shaw and 13-10-0 against Ajinkya Rahane. It’s quite likely, then, that he’ll be matched up against his favourite opposition once again.

Stats that matter

• The Capitals have lost four out of their five games against Mumbai in the last two seasons, but R Ashwin has still managed an excellent record in those games, going 31-32-2 (balls-runs-wickets) against Quinton de Kock, 29-28-0 against Ishan Kishan, and 22-28-1 against Rohit Sharma, while only conceding one run in five balls against Krunal Pandya. He has struggled against Suryakumar Yadav, however, returning a 29-46-0 record.
• Rohit Sharma is two big hits short of becoming the first Indian batter to hit 400 T20 sixes. The others who have achieved the feat are Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell, Brendon McCullum, Shane Watson and AB de Villiers, with Aaron Finch currently on 399.
• Mumbai have struggled with the bat in the death overs this season, with a scoring rate of only 8.23. It’s the worst they’ve ever done in that phase in any season of the IPL. For some context, they went at an all-time-best 12.56 last season.

Glamorgan allrounder advised to quit after being diagnosed with Neurogenic Thoracic Outlet Syndrome

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jun-2020Craig Meschede, the Glamorgan allrounder, has been forced to retire at the age of 28 due to a shoulder injury. Meschede was diagnosed with Neurogenic Thoracic Outlet Syndrome last year and took the decision to end his playing career on the advice of specialists.Meschede said that the syndrome, which can cause pain, tingling and weakness in the arm, had “taken a massive toll physically and mentally”. He underwent months of rehabilitation, in an attempt to regain shoulder strength and mobility, but has now called time on a nine-year career that saw him represent Glamorgan, Somerset and Germany in T20 internationals.”The last few weeks have been very emotional for me as cricket has played such a big part of my life,” Meschede said. “Saying that, I have to do what’s best for my health and there is life after cricket. The physio and support staff and everyone at Glamorgan have been brilliant throughout this process and I can’t thank them enough.”The syndrome has taken a massive toll on me physically and mentally and it’s been hard to perform skills at a level I know I’m capable of. I now need to undertake an operation and period of rehabilitation in order to get my quality of life back.”Playing at Somerset and Glamorgan has presented me with many great opportunities as well as making a number of friends for life. I will always be grateful for the opportunities cricket has provided me. I wish all the players and staff great success in the future and hope the lads can get on and play this year.” Born in South Africa but educated in Somerset, Meschede came through at Taunton as a hard-hitting allrounder. His maiden first-class wicket was that of Sachin Tendulkar, during a 2011 tour match, but he found his opportunities limited and moved to Glamorgan, initially on loan, in 2015.At Glamorgan, he scored both of his first-class centuries, as well as taking a maiden five-wicket haul. He helped the club reach T20 Finals Day in 2017, and recorded his career-best T20 score – 77 from 47 balls – the following season, batting in the top three. Meschede also took advantage of his German parentage to be selected for the 2018 T20 World Cup regional qualifier in the Netherlands.Injury limited his opportunities in 2019, but he made his full T20I debut for Germany in the European regional finals in Guernsey, scoring 179 runs at a strike rate of 155.65 to go with six wickets in five matches.Glamorgan’s director of cricket, Mark Wallace, said: “It’s always very sad when a player is forced to retire through injury and especially in Craig’s case at an age when many are reaching the peak of their careers.”Craig’s natural talent and skill always stood out and he had a flair and talent for the game, which made him exciting to watch and play with. Moreover, off the field, Craig was a committed professional and popular member of the squad who always worked hard to give himself and the team the best chance of success.”I’m sure I speak for everyone at the club in thanking Craig for everything he has done both on and off the pitch during his time here and we wish him well for a bright future outside of the playing field.”

West Indies opener suggests he could still change his mind after rolling back the years in ODIs against England

George Dobell in St George's 27-Feb-2019Chris Gayle never was the retiring sort, really. And so much did he enjoy the run-soaked fourth ODI in Grenada that he confessed afterwards he just might be rethinking his decision to retire from the format at the end of the World Cup.Gayle struck 14 sixes in his innings of 162 – the second-highest score of his ODI career – on the way to leading West Indies to their highest total in this form of the game. It was his second century of a series in which he has now amassed 347 runs from three innings at an average of 115.66 and a strike rate of 120.06. During the innings, he became the 14th man, and second from the Caribbean after Brian Lara, to reach the milestone of 10,000 ODI runs.As a consequence, he has proved to himself he still has the ability to contribute at this level. So while it is only ten days since Gayle announced he intended to retire after the tournament, he has suggested that, if he were able to regain some fitness, he might decide to extend his career.”I think this is one of the most entertaining games I’ve ever played in,” Gayle said. “It was a fantastic game of cricket. I’ve been playing a lot of T20 cricket so it’s always going to be a difficult coming back into 50-over cricket. But eventually the body gets accustomed to the 50-over format.”I just have to work on the body and then maybe you can see a bit more Chris Gayle, maybe. Things change quickly. Hopefully the body can change in the next couple of months and we can see what happens.”To get the 10,000-run milestone is a great feeling. I’ve done it in T20 as well. It’s a fantastic achievement from my point of view. Doing it for West Indies as well, that makes it even more superb.”What’s the matter with the body? I’m nearly 40. But could I un-retire? We’ll see. We’ll take it slowly.”While Gayle enjoyed the game, he felt West Indies could have won if they had played “a bit smarter”. They allowed England to put on a century opening stand and then plunder 154 from the final ten overs, then fell away with the bat from a position of strength at 220 for two.”We didn’t utilise that new ball well,” Gayle said, referring to England’s opening stand of 100 within 14 overs. “If we had, we would have been chasing 380.”I’m sure the team are all disappointed. I can see the expression on their faces. It’s a learning process for the young players. If they do things differently they could have won. So it’s good to see that body language when you lose. When that situation comes again I’m sure it will be totally different.”

Moeen Ali has admitted England’s ‘off-field behaviour needs to improve’ after Ben Duckett was suspended for the remainder of the England Lions tour

George Dobell in Perth11-Dec-20171:21

‘ECB will take dim view of Duckett’s behaviour’

Moeen Ali has admitted England’s “off-field behaviour needs to improve” after Ben Duckett was suspended for the remainder of the England Lions tour.Duckett, who was due to play for the England XI in the weekend’s warm-up match against a CA XI, was also fined around £1,500 and given a final warning over his conduct after he poured a drink over James Anderson in a bar in the early hours of Friday morning.While Moeen, captain of the England XI in the warm-up match, said he thought the portrayal of the team as “out of control” was “unfair”, he urged his teammates to be mindful of the influence their actions – on and off the field – could have on young spectators.”The off-field behaviour needs to improve,” he said. “We all know that and hopefully that will happen in the future.”It’s not as bad as people make out, but these days small things are made into big things.”The incident, however, occurred in the Avenue Bar in Perth, the same venue that England had been frequenting on the first night of the tour, when Jonny Bairstow greeted Cameron Bancroft with a “head-butt”. It also took place on the first night on which England’s midnight curfew had been lifted.”We’re all grown men and should know how to behave,” said Moeen. “Through county cricket all the way up to international cricket, the individual needs to be responsible for his behaviour.”I think the image of the team is unfair but, as cricketers and professionals, with scrutiny on us, we have to be careful and behave ourselves.”With young kids watching and hearing the news, we have to be on our best behaviour and I think it’s really important that we inspire the younger generation to take up the game. Any poor behaviour could turn them away and that’s not what we want.”

auren Winfield top-scored with 79 and Nat Sciver made 58 as England’s women reclaimed the lead in their ODI series against West Indies

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Oct-2016England Women 220 (Winfield 79, Sciver 58) beat West Indies Women 108 (Gunn 2-8) by 112 runs

ScorecardLauren Winfield restored England’s series lead•Getty Images

Lauren Winfield top-scored with 79 and Nat Sciver made 58 as England’s women reclaimed the lead in their ODI series against West Indies in Jamaica with a crushing 112-run victory at Sabina Park.Despite a repetition of the batting frailties that cost England dearly in the second match of the series in Trelawny earlier in the week, Winfield and Sciver’s efforts proved more than enough as West Indies crumbled to 108 all out in reply to 220.Jenny Gunn, recalled to the side in place of Anya Shrubsole, who was ruled out of the remainder of the tour with a side strain, was the pick of England’s attack with 2 for 8 in five overs.After winning the toss and choosing to bat, England started badly with the loss of Tammy Beaumont and Georgia Elwiss inside the first eight overs. When Heather Knight fell for 22 to make it 74 for 3, Winfield and Sciver combined for a fourth-wicket stand of 95 to lay the foundations of victory.However, from the moment Winfield was bowled by Deandra Dottin, England lost their last seven wickets for 53, including five for 12 in 17 balls as Shaquana Quintyne finished with 3 for 36.England’s total, however, proved to be more than enough. Katherine Brunt trapped Hayley Matthews lbw for 5 before Gunn prised out Stafanie Taylor and Quintyne in quick succession, and when Merissa Aguilliera was run out for a duck, West Indies were 4 for 48 and sinking fast.

A round-up of the NCL 2015-16 matches that finished on October 20, 2015

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Oct-2015A counterattacking hundred by Nurul Hasan was the highlight of Khulna Division‘s drawn game against Dhaka Division in Fatullah. Khulna remained on top of the Tier-1 tournament standings with 39 points, followed by Dhaka Division on 34 points.Khulna batted first and were bowled out for 117, with Dhaka’s seamer Nuruzzaman Masum taking four wickets in his first NCL match in nearly two years. But any hopes of a sizable lead came crashing down as Mustafizur Rahman picked up four wickets of his own to restrict the lead to 37.Mahedi Hasan and Anamul Haque then added 148 runs for the second wicket to drive Khula forward – Mahedi making a run-a-ball 104. Two quick wickets fell thereafter, but Anamul and Hasan’s 153-run stand for the fifth wicket took the team out of troubled waters.Anamul made 100 off 267 balls, while Hasan went on to make an unbeaten 182 off 223 balls. Hasan and Ziaur Rahman added 154 for the sixth wicket, with the latter hammering 89 off 113 balls in the team’s 506 for 7. Dhaka needed to bat out time, and they did by surviving 40 overs on the final day. Saif Hassan top-scored with an unbeaten 67, and Abdul Mazid made 60 in the drawn contest.Tanveer Haider came up with fine all-round display in Rangpur Division‘s draw against Dhaka Metro at the Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium in Khulna.Batting first, Dhaka Metro were bowled out for 242 with Tanveer taking four wickets with his legspin. Shamsur Rahman and Asif Hossain wasted strong starts, and were dismissed for 51 and 56 respectively. Rangpur took a 57-run lead in the first innings, with Tanveer making a patient 78 thanks to support from the tailenders. Sharifullah took four wickets.Dhaka Metro were then helped by Mehrab Hossain jnr’s 109 as they declared the second innings on 352 for 7. Tanveer got into the act again, picking three wickets, but Rangpur managed to walk away with a draw. They finished with 72 for 3 in chase of 296 when the game ended.In Tier-2, Barisal Division crushed Sylhet Division by 150 runs at the Shaheed Chandu Stadium in Bogra.What started as a low-scoring game turned dramatically courtesy a 230-run fourth wicket partnership between Salman Hossain and Al-Amin in Barisal’s second innings, after they conceded a 17-run lead.Al-Amin made 157 off 197 balls with 16 fours and three sixes, while Salman’s 146 came off 284 balls. Barisal declared on 464 for 7, leaving Sylhet a target of 448. Zakir Hasan apart, none of the other Sylhet batsmen offered resistance. Zakir brought up his maiden first-class hundred, remaining unbeaten on 137 with 20 boundaries. Offspinner Sohag Gazi took five wickets in the second innings to take his match haul to 8 for 156.Chittagong Division took the honours in their drawn game against Rajshahi Division at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium.Batting first, Rajshahi were bowled out for 208 runs after offspinner Iftekhar Sajjad took five wickets. Chittagong then took a lead of 142 courtesy Tasamul Haque’s second consecutive first-class hundred. He batted for nearly eight hours on his way to an unbeaten 134. Sunzamul Islam took eight wickets for 106, his second best first-class innings bowling figure.Rajshahi had to bat out for over five sessions to walk away with a draw. Nazmul Hossain Shanto rose to the occasion and made 101, his second first-class century, after batting for more than 80 overs. Shanto had earlier top-scored in the first innings too by making 63.

Unmukt Chand continued his habit of scoring hundreds in a final when he scored 116 against Assam in the Vijay Hazare Trophy in Visakhapatnam

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Mar-2013
ScorecardThe victorious Delhi team with the Vijay Hazare Trophy•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Unmukt Chand continued his habit of scoring hundreds in a final with a 116 against Assam in the Vijay Hazare Trophy in Visakhapatnam. After scoring 290 for 9, Delhi’s bowling and fielding ensured they won the final by 75 runs as they dismissed Assam for 215 within 45 overs.Once Assam chose to field, Chand and Puneet Bisht provided Delhi a steady start, putting on 97 for the first wicket. Bisht scored a brisk 64-ball 52 but was dismissed in the 21st over. Gautam Gambhir was soon sent back to the pavilion 10 runs later when he was caught by AK Das off Syed Mohammad for 5.Chand and Jagrit Anand steadied the ship again, putting together 115 in 100 balls for the third wicket. When Anand got out for 48, Delhi were 222 for 3 in 40.1 overs and were set for a big score but Assam, led by Pritam Das, ensured they were kept to 290 as they took the next seven wickets for 55 runs. Chand scored his maiden List A hundred which included eight fours and three sixes. Milind Kumar’s unbeaten cameo of 31 from 22 balls meant that Delhi’s lower order didn’t collapse completely and they set up a competitive score.In reply, Assam lost opener Pritam Debnath to a run-out in the third over, and four overs later, Sibsankar Roy was dismissed by Parvinder Awana for 10. Pallavkumar Das and Dheeraj Jadhav put on 30 runs in the next eight overs but Pallavkumar was also run-out, for 31, in the 15th over. Varun Sood capitalised on the opportunity and dismissed the new batsman Tarjinder Singh, leaving Assam at 72 for 4. Before Gokul Sharma and Jadhav could consolidate the innings, Sood struck again, getting Gokul caught for 11.Assam only managed to build small partnerships throughout the match which wasn’t enough to chase a target of 291. Jadhav held one end but his knock of 87 from 114 could not take them close to victory. Rajat Bhatia picked up three wickets from there, including Jadhav’s, and finished with figures of 3 for 36 from his seven overs which sealed the victory for Delhi. Sood finished with 2 for 46 in 10 overs.

A round-up of matches that took place on February 19 in the MiWAY T20 Challenge

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Feb-2012Dolphins held their nerve to beat Impi in a tight game at the City Oval in Pietermaritzburg. After opting to bat, Dolphins reached a competitive score of 151 thanks to steady contributions from captain Imraan Khan (34) and Vaughn van Jaarsveld, who top-scored with 43. The pair added 59 for the fourth wicket; Dolphins were 42 for 3 at one stage. Supported by a couple of handy cameos from the middle order towards the late overs, Dolphins managed a score they were just about able to defend.Impi began their chase positively, openers Khayelihle Zondo (54) and Adrian McLaren adding 46 in quick time. At 122 for 2 in the 17th over, with Zondo and a set Paul Collingwood (42) at the crease after having added 65 for the third wicket, Impi were in control. But Imran Tahir dismissed Zondo and Robert Frylinck went on to pick up four wickets, including Collingwood, to restrict Impi, who lost five wickets for 23. Impi needed six to win off the last two balls but could only manage three and lost their second straight game.Knights overcame Titans in a high-scoring encounter at SuperSport Park in Centurion. Titans were asked to bat first and they would, presumably, have been happy with a score of 165 in 20 overs. They lost two wickets inside the first two overs but Jacques Rudolph staged a mini-recovery, making a quick 43. The situation was still tricky for Titans when Rudolph fell to make it 69 for 4 but Farhaan Behardien counter-attacked, smashing 70 in 44 balls, including four sixes, to boost them. His effort, sadly for him, was in vain.Knights were pegged back early, losing three for 39, but they remained in contention throughout, thanks to captain Morne van Wyk’s positive approach at the top. His partnership of 97 with Reeza Hendricks was a match-winning one. Both hit half-centuries to lead their team’s revival, but were dismissed with the job yet unfinished. After van Wyk went in the penultimate over, having scored 62 off 50, Ryan McLaren and Werner Coetsee completed the task with four balls to spare.

A round-up of the matches from the third match-day of the Faysal Bank One Day National Cup Division One

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Jan-2011

Group A

Danish Kaneria took four wickets in HBL’s big win•Associated Press

Habib Bank Limited maintained their perfect start with their second successive win, a 155-run thumping of Karachi Dolphins in Rawalpindi. The match started badly for them as opener Imran Farhat fell for 1, but solid contributions from the rest of the top order and half-centuries from Aftab Alam and Hasan Raza pushed them to what looked a competitive 262. It proved much more than sufficient as Dolphins collapsed to 107 all out. Medium-pacer Fahad Masood did the early damage, taking three top-order wickets, before legspinner Danish Kaneria ripped out four wickets for 28 to confirm a big victory.In another one-sided match, Sui Northern Gas Pipelines crushed Islamabad Leopards by 109 runs at the Diamond Club ground in Islamabad. Opener Sohail Ahmed’s half-century guided SNGPL to a solid start but a slew of wickets left them wobbling at 157 for 5. The experienced Saleem Mughal stabilised the innings with a 55 that took them to 271. In response, Islamabad’s batsmen flopped with only opener Zeeshan Ali making it past 16. He went on to make 63, but hardly had any support as Islamabad subsided to 162 all out.The most competitive match in the group was the one between the table-toppers and the team at the bottom. Pakistan International Airlines kept a spotless record by picking up their third win in three matches, beating Rawalpindi Rams by 45 runs in Islamabad. Faisal Iqbal’s century was the centerpiece of PIA’s innings, with support from opener Agha Sabir’s 53 before a flurry of late hitting lifted PIA to 290. They seemed set for a huge victory when Rawalpindi slid to 61 for 4 but Rawalpindi’s middle-order put up some resistance, with Zahid Mansoor and Jamal Anwar helping them to 245 limiting the margin of defeat.

Group B

It was a match that was decided by the how the lower orders batted. Water and Power Development Authority‘s bowlers added some crucial runs while Multan Tigers‘ last five wickets collapsed for six runs to hand WAPDA a comfortable 77-run win at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground. Both innings had followed a similar pattern after Multan opted to field. WAPDA were struggling at 52 for 4 but Sohaib Maqsood launched a counter-attack, smashing 77 at more than a run-a-ball. After Maqsood fell caught behind, each of WAPDA’s last four batsmen made more than 10 to carry their side well past 200. Multan began poorly as well in their chase of 224, Kashif Raza ripping through the top order to leave them tottering at 39 for 3. Waqas Sharif did what Maqsood had done earlier, slamming eight fours in his 61 as Multan fought back. But Zulfiqar Babar nipped the recovery with three wickets, including that of Sharif. And Raza returned to clean up the tail as Multan were dismissed for 147 after having been 141 for 5 at one stage.Majid Jahangir’s maiden List A century was not enough to save Sialkot Stallions from losing to National Bank of Pakistan by 46 runs at the Jinnah Stadium in Sialkot. Jahangir and Shehzad Malik (67) had lifted Sialkot from a precarious position, almost doubling the score after they had slumped to 113 for 5 chasing a stiff 312. But their dismissals took the wind out of Sialkot’s sails, and they were soon bowled out for 265. National Bank’s Uzair-ul-Haq was the best bowler on both sides, taking 4 for 46. Half-centuries from Hammad Azam, Nasir Jamshed and Qaiser Abbas had earlier set up National Bank’s huge total. After opener Jamshed (75) had provided a solid platform, Azam (76 off 54) and Abbas (56 off 34) took the score beyond 300 in an unbeaten 114-run partnership for the fifth wicket.Half-centuries from Babar Azam and Shahid Yousuf and left-arm spinner Raza Hasan’s four wickets took Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited to an emphatic 81-run victory against Faisalabad Wolves at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad. The 158-run stand between 16-year old Azam (78) and Yousuf (76) formed the bulk of ZTBL’s score after they were inserted by Faisalabad. ZTBL were 219 for 2 at one stage, but left-arm spinner Hasan Mahmood took his best List A figures of 5 for 40 to restrict them to 269. It was young Raza’s turn to respond, and he grabbed 4 for 46 as Faisalabad lost regular wickets. All but two Faisalabad batsmen made double-digit scores, but none more than 33 as they limped to 188.

Cricinfo previews the 16th match of the IPL, between Chennai and Punjab at Chepauk

Siddarth Ravindran20-Mar-2010

Match facts

Chennai v Punjab in Chennai
Sunday, March 21
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)

Big picture

Kings XI Punjab will be wary of Matthew Hayden and his Mongoose which wreaked havoc against Delhi•Indian Premier League

Kings XI Punjab’s horror start to the IPL, continued on Friday when they were defeated by a team they had never lost to before. Kumar Sangakkara would love to set the balance right on Sunday by winning against a team they have never beaten.Punjab may have lost all three matches so far, but none of them have been knock-outs. They will also take heart from the performance of fellow strugglers Rajasthan Royals, who shrugged off their long injury-list to get the better of Kolkata Knight Riders in Ahmedabad on Saturday.Punjab’s opponents, Chennai Super Kings, are again going to miss their star player and regular captain, MS Dhoni, but are high on confidence after two impressive wins in a row. Their home fans will also be eager to see the Mongoose bat which Matthew Hayden used to such brutal effect in the victory over the fancied Delhi Daredevils. That win featured the first significant batting performances from Hayden and stand-in captain Suresh Raina, their two most important batsmen along with Dhoni.However, Chennai’s bowling, with the exception of the accurate Muttiah Muralitharan, remains a source of worry – they have conceded 185 or more twice in three matches.

Team talk

Chennai’s batting wears a settled look, and they are likely to go with the same top seven they played against Delhi. The only major selection headache for the Chennai think-tank is which of the Indian seamers should partner L Balaji – Sudeep Taygi, Manpreet Gony and Joginder Sharma have all got a game each without inspiring confidence.Punjab will have to decide whether they want to pick four overseas batsmen again, or whether to choose one of the South African fast bowling pair of Yusuf Abdulla and Rusty Theron, especially after Sreesanth’s two horror matches, where his seven overs have leaked 93 runs. If they stick with the four foreign batsmen policy, medium-pacer Love Ablish, who had a solid domestic season, is a potential starter.

Previously…

Chennai 5 Punjab 0
Chennai have won all five previous encounters between the two sides, including the semi-final of the first season in Mumbai. Most of Chennai’s batsmen have had at least one good game against Punjab: in the first game the two teams played in the IPL, Michael Hussey’s century overpowered Punjab, in the next it was 60s from Subramanian Badrinath and Dhoni, and Raina’s brisk half-century finished off the semi-finals early. Hayden bludgeoned 89 in the first encounter in 2009, and Parthiv Patel top-scored with 32 in a low-scoring skirmish the last time the teams met.

In the spotlight

Yuvraj Singh’s return from injury hasn’t quite gone to plan, failing to get into double-digits in each of his three innings so far. A return to form is vital for Punjab’s most imposing batsman.Chennai’s fielding was one of the factors in their win over Delhi Daredevils – Justin Kemp’s one-handed effort ended Virender Sehwag’s onslaught, and Raina held a couple of smart ones to send back two other dangerous batsmen – Tillakaratne Dilshan and AB de Villiers.

Prime numbers

• Yuvraj may not have contributed with the bat, but he is Punjab’s most economical bowler this season, giving away only 5.55 runs each over
• Suresh Raina is third on the list of most sixes hit in the IPL, behind only Adam Gilchrist and Yusuf Pathan

Chatter

“I am surely happy on winning two games. But there are another eleven matches to go. We have experienced that one can go in superb form and suddenly lose the momentum.”

“We executed our plans on the field well but it was the first six overs that cost us the match… Hopefully we can turn around the results in the next games. The guys are working very hard.”