Tag Futebol

The 22-year-old MP batsman has cited ‘severe anxiety related to the sport’ as the reason for his decision

Shashank Kishore20-Dec-2019Aryaman Birla, the Madhya Pradesh batsman, has taken an “indefinite sabbatical from cricket”, citing “severe anxiety related to the sport for a while now”. Birla, 22, has been through a number of injury setbacks and hasn’t played competitive cricket since January this year. Rajasthan Royals, the IPL team he was part of for two seasons, released him in November.”I’ve felt trapped. I’ve pushed myself through all the distress so far, but now I feel the need to put my mental health and wellbeing above all else,” he wrote on Instagram. “We all have our own journeys and I want to take this time to understand myself better, open my mind to new and varied perspectives and seek purpose in my findings.”Birla, the son of the billionaire industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla, left his hometown Mumbai as a 17-year old who was unsure of his immediate future as a cricketer trying to “fight for survival” in the city.Not wanting to lose time, he decided to take the plunge by enrolling for district trials in Madhya Pradesh in 2014. Prior to that, he had a three-month stint in England under former Middlesex cricketer Paul Weekes, playing for West Hampstead Cricket Club and the London Schools Cricket Association.Birla spent four years in the junior circuit in Madhya Pradesh before being handed a Ranji Trophy debut in October 2017. He has so far featured in nine first-class games, eight of which came during the 2018-19 Ranji Trophy. The highlight was his backs-to-the-wall maiden first-class century against Bengal at Eden Gardens in his third first-class game, which helped Madhya Pradesh salvage a hard-fought draw.”When I first came to MP, I was known more by my last name,” he told ESPNcricinfo last year. “I kept hearing ‘I was Birla’s son, Birla’s grandson.’ But through my performances, I changed perceptions, they started seeing me differently. That’s been my biggest achievement so far. Recently someone came and told me ‘you’re so (simple and straightforward), we didn’t even know you’re from the Birla family.’ That to me was a sign of change.”He further wrote on Instagram: “This phase has been difficult, but it has also helped me realise who my real friends and well-wishers are. I truly believe I’ll emerge from this phase even stronger than before.”

The former India captain said more questions will be asked of Dhoni’s World Cup spot if he doesn’t do well in Australia and New Zealand

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Dec-2018Shikhar Dhawan and MS Dhoni’s decision to skip India’s domestic tournaments has not gone down too well with Sunil Gavaskar. The former India captain has questioned the selectors for allowing this practice even as India gears up for a hectic next six months, culminating with the World Cup in May-June 2019.”We shouldn’t ask Dhawan and Dhoni ‘Why you are not playing domestic cricket?’. We should, in fact, ask the BCCI and selectors why are they allowing players to skip domestic cricket when they are not on national duty,” Gavaskar told . “If the Indian team has to do well, players have to be in prime form and for that they have to play cricket.”Dhawan isn’t part of the Test squad in Australia, and is currently in Melbourne, where he lives during the off-season. He hasn’t been part of the long-format plans since the tour of England in September and was replaced by Prithvi Shaw for the two home Tests in West Indies.Dhoni who hasn’t played long-form cricket since his Test retirement in 2014, is in the middle of an enforced break in international cricket following the ODI series against West Indies last month. Dhoni was dropped from India’s T20I squad for the series against West Indies and Australia, the first time he’s been dropped since his international debut in 2004.In all likelihood, his next assignment could be the three ODIs in Australia in January, which effectively means he wouldn’t have played any cricket over a two-month window.”He (Dhoni) didn’t play the T20Is against Australia, before that he didn’t play the West Indies Tests, and then he is not playing the Test series against Australia,” Gavaskar said. “So, he last played in October and will next play in January, which is a huge gap. But if he doesn’t do well on tours of Australia and New Zealand, then there will be more questions asked on his place in the World Cup.””As you grow older and if there is a gap in your [competitive] cricket, your reflexes will slow down. If you play any form of cricket at the domestic level, you get an opportunity to play long innings, which serves as a good practice for you.”

The Sri Lanka captain has pinned his hopes on the inexperienced quicks to deliver in the absence of injured seniors Nuwan Pradeep and Suranga Lakmal

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Pallekele11-Aug-2017Sri Lanka are willing to try just about anything to win. There was the “high altitude” training camp at Pallekele before the Champions Trophy, the high profile appointment of Allan Donald ahead of the same tournament, three trips to Kandy’s Temple of the Tooth over the past 13 months, a fast-bowling workshop with Wasim Akram, the appointment of a cricket manager, the appointment of a number of supplementary coaches and the elbowing out of Graham Ford.In this series alone, they have tried to beat India on a flat deck. They have tried to beat India on a dry track. Now, they appear to be pinning their hopes on fast bowling, with what appears to be a seam-friendly surface unveiled at Pallekele. The only problem is that with both Nuwan Pradeep and Suranga Lakmal unavailable for this Test, Sri Lanka are forced to rely on a seam attack even greener than the pitch they will play on. The most experienced frontline quick in the battery is Lahiru Kumara, who has played all of seven Tests. Dushmantha Chameera has played six Tests, Vishwa Fernando has played one, and Lahiru Gamage is uncapped in this format.Despite the inexperience, Dinesh Chandimal did his best to appear upbeat ahead of what could be another rough Test match. Kumara and Chameera have both had impressive outings on such surfaces before, and they will need to recapture that form to end India’s batting dominance in this series. Chameera, in any case, may not play ahead of Vishwa Fernando, who has been in the squad since the start of the series. Chameera was only added to the squad on Thursday.”Lahiru Kumara and Vishwa Fernando are bowling really well these days,” Chandimal said. “As the two senior bowlers are not in contention, it’s a good opportunity for them to put their hands up, put us on track to a win, and show us what they’ve got. I think they’ll take that opportunity. It’s a big challenge for both of them, and for me as a captain.”Among the other things Sri Lanka have tried is trimming their training hours – partly also due to the prevailing bad weather in Pallekele. Though it seems counterintuitive for a losing team to practice less, Chandimal believed refreshed minds could put his team in better stead for this game than further sweating in the nets. In any case, Sri Lanka had had an extensive training schedule ahead of the first two Tests, and that approach had not prevented two thumping defeats.Sri Lanka’s practice two days out from the Test was optional. There was no training at all on the eve of the game.”We did practice yesterday (Thursday) at the indoor nets because it was raining, but certain batsmen are not that keen on batting in indoor nets,” Chandimal said. “Today, we were going to practice in the morning, but it rained and we lost the opportunity. The trainers gave us some exercises and we did them. We also thought it’s good to come for tomorrow’s game with a bit of a rest to the mind as well.”While the team has searched for creative solutions to their many problems, SLC has also intervened, having requested the team to attend a “recoup and regroup” meeting on what would have been the fifth day of the second Test, in Colombo. With SLC’s top coaches also in attendance, presentations had been made and motivational speeches delivered. As is often the case, it is difficult to tell where the PR stunt ends, and where the cricket value of such an event begins. In any case, Chandimal said the meeting, which had also featured a pep talk by Aravinda de Silva, had helped raise spirits.”That was a very important meeting. All the players were there and we discussed how we could take our game forward, and how we’re going to win games. All the players also contributed their ideas to that. A lot of positives came out. At the end of the meeting, all the players were in a bit of an upbeat mood and that looks really good. After Aravinda talked to us, the players also felt confident.”

The team that wins on Tuesday will be guaranteed of a spot in the final, but while West Indies will have a second chance against South Africa, Smith’s men face elimination if they lose

Brydon Coverdale20-Jun-2016

Match facts

Tuesday, June 21
Start time 1300 local (1700GMT)

Big picture

The wash-out between Australia and South Africa in Barbados on Sunday has left all three teams still in with a chance of reaching the tri-series final. Two round-robin games remain – West Indies against Australia on Tuesday and West Indies against South Africa on Friday. Should Jason Holder’s men defeat Australia on Tuesday, the final will be settled – West Indies would play South Africa, and Australia would go home.But if Steven Smith’s team prevails, Australia will be guaranteed of a place in the final and West Indies and South Africa would play off for the other spot on Friday. And despite South Africa’s two bonus points, it would be a straight shoot-out, because the tri-series rules state that number of wins takes precedence if teams are equal on points. A West Indian win on Friday would put them level with South Africa on points, but with one more win.The upshot is that this game is must-win for Australia, but not for West Indies. Like all three sides in this tournament, Australia have been up and down throughout. The likely presence of Mitchell Starc is a potential key – his workload has been managed throughout the series and Australia have only lost the matches in which he did not play. His ability to swing the white ball could well turn a chase – West Indies’ preferred option is always to bat second.

Form guide

Australia LWLWL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
West Indies LWLWL

In the spotlight

It has been a tough tour so far for Glenn Maxwell, who made 0 and 3 in the first two games before being dropped. Maxwell was recalled against South Africa in Bridgetown on Sunday. He is expected to retain his place and Australia need something from him, not only with the bat, but also in the field. Their fielding was sloppy in St Kitts, and Maxwell might be just the man to lift that with his sharp work.Nearly 16 years ago, Marlon Samuels first played Test cricket against Australia. He was still a teenager, and was viewed as a young man of great potential. Say what you will about Samuels’ career, one thing is undoubtedly true: he has rarely shown his best against Australia, averaging 21.06 against them across formats. But if the old cliché is true, that you’re only as good as your last innings, the Australians had better watch out, for Samuels plundered 92 against them to help West Indies to a win in St Kitts. It was Samuels’ highest score against Australia in any format.

Team news

In Sunday’s wash-out, Maxwell, Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland came in for Travis Head, Adam Zampa and Nathan Coulter-Nile. Maxwell and Starc are likely to retain their places but Boland, with little cricket behind him, is expected to make way for this must-win clash. Australia’s selectors must decide whether to go for pace and bring Coulter-Nile back, or perhaps more likely, recall the impressive young legspinner Zampa, who was left out against South Africa only because of the wet conditions.Australia (possible) 1 Aaron Finch, 2 Usman Khawaja, 3 Steven Smith (capt), 4 George Bailey, 5 Glenn Maxwell, 6 Mitchell Marsh, 7 Matthew Wade (wk), 8 James Faulkner, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Josh HazlewoodThe West Indies selectors have dropped Jerome Taylor from the squad, forcing at least one change to their XI. Fast bowler Shannon Gabriel and offspinner Ashley Nurse both must be hoping for an ODI debut in this match. Including Nurse would leave Jason Holder and Carlos Brathwaite as the only pace options, so Gabriel would appear the more likely debutant.West Indies (possible) 1 Andre Fletcher, 2 Johnson Charles, 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 6 Kieron Pollard, 7 Jason Holder (capt), 8 Carlos Brathwaite, 9 Sunil Narine, 10 Sulieman Benn, 11 Shannon Gabriel / Ashley Nurse

Pitch and conditions

The Kensington Oval surface is generally good for batting, but was a little tacky on Sunday, when there was rain around. The forecast for Tuesday does suggest that there is the possibility of rain again, although it looks more promising than Sunday’s weather.

Stats and trivia

• Denesh Ramdin needs 14 runs to reach 2000 in ODIs, and he would be the first West Indies wicketkeeper to reach that milestone
• Marlon Samuels needs 67 runs to reach 5000 in ODIs, and he would be the 10th West Indies batsman to reach that milestone
• Mitchell Starc needs five wickets to reach 100 in ODIs, and if he does so in his next three games he will be the quickest man in history to the milestone

Quotes

“It’s good to see guys under pressure, and this is a little bit more pressure than a normal one-day international, on Tuesday”

Brendon McCullum was conscious not to be drawn into the Kevin Pietersen debate but was happy to expand on his and New Zealand’s team philosophy, which has underpinned their rise up the Test rankings

Andrew McGlashan at Lord's20-May-20152:00

A Lord’s Test is a wonderful experience – McCullum

Trust has been one of the buzzwords around English cricket since Andrew Strauss uttered it when explaining – or trying to, at least – his decision to tell Kevin Pietersen he would not be selected this summer. From many of those desperate for a reason for the continued exile it was not a phrase that went down very well, but in Brendon McCullum, the New Zealand captain, there is a man seemingly of a similar mindset when it comes to values.McCullum was very conscious not to be drawn into the Pietersen debate, but was happy to expand on his and New Zealand’s team philosophy, which has underpinned their rise up the Test rankings to No. 3. It has been a climb engineered by McCullum and Mike Hesson who came together during a fractious change of leadership in late 2012.Although they have not had a situation exactly like that of Pietersen, they had to deal with a disenfranchised Ross Taylor – the man who McCullum replaced as captain – and took the call to abort attempts to find a space for Jesse Ryder at the World Cup.”The way we run a cricket team may not work in other cultures,” he said. “In New Zealand we are small and have the ability to be dynamic, be innovative but you need buy-in to be able to do that. That’s a lot easier to do when you are a small country and have a small nucleus of players. That’s the way we have tried to build our group, there is a lot of trust in that. Guys trust you are leading them in the right direction, but that might not work in different environments. We know that’s the best way for us.”Neither was McCullum willing to take the bait over whether this was in ideal time to be playing England with the pressure surrounding Alastair Cook and Paul Farbrace in temporary charge. In fact, there was a feeling approaching empathy from McCullum, who still has fresh memories of the chaos that surrounded his side not too long ago.”Every team has its challenges, we’ve had ours that I’ve alluded to. The way we skin the cat is that we need everyone having total buy-in to the team environment. Every environment is different and without being among the England team it’s very hard to make an informed decision on KP and the relationships within the group. It would be foolish of me to make outlandish statements.”They are obviously going through some challenges, we’ve been there as well and understand what every team has to go through, but they are still stacked full of world-class players. In their own conditions they will be a tough proposition and we are by no means thinking we have got them. We know we’ll have to play extremely good cricket.”New Zealand’s recent record suggests they are capable of that level of cricket. Last year was their most successful in Tests, with five victories, and they have elevated themselves from seventh in the world rankings. However, despite fewer resources than some nations, McCullum remains far from satisfied.”We’ve made some significant changes and are starting to play some really good cricket, but are only No. 3. Yes, we started down the order but there are still improvements to make,” he said.”You want to get to the top, and when you get there you want to stay there and when you stay there you want to push the game forward. That’s the motivation we’ve got, but it will take a lot of hard work. This will be a tough challenge, but if we can perform here then we take another stride in the right direction.””We also play the game with a level of respect that a couple of years ago we perhaps didn’t have and I think that’s one of the proudest things. We’ve seen guys become good cricketers but good people as well. As a captain, I’m pretty proud of that.”For McCullum and Cook two years has been a very long time. Perhaps, if the chance arises, they can share a chat over beer. They would have a few tales to tell.

Richard Pybus has been given time till October 24 to decide if he wants to continue as the Bangladesh coach for the forthcoming West Indies series

Mohammad Isam19-Oct-2012Richard Pybus has been given time till October 24 to decide if he wants to continue as the Bangladesh coach for the forthcoming West Indies series. The Bangladesh Cricket Board has written to him, the outgoing chief Mustafa Kamal said on his last day at the board headquarters.”The BCB will write to him officially to come before our West Indies series. If he doesn’t decide to come then we will take a decision based on his action,” Kamal said, flanked by Nazmul Hassan, the man succeeding him as the BCB president, after a five-hour meeting on Friday. Kamal had to chair the meeting as issues such as the one concerning Pybus and the Bangladesh Premier League franchises’ non-payment remain unresolved. Kamal, however, said that both issues will be tackled in the October 24 meeting, which he will also attend.”We will have another meeting on October 24. There have been family issues with Pybus. He hasn’t been able to convince his family to come here. We can’t agree to his demands. We can’t give him long leaves just for him to meet his family abroad. He is a professional coach, but we can’t make this provision for him.”If he doesn’t come then we’ll have to appoint someone else. I don’t think it’ll be a good idea to appoint Richard McInnes as it will disturb the development aspect of the BCB,” Kamal said, contradicting his earlier statement that the Australian could be appointed on a short-term basis.The other urgent issue for the BCB is the continuous failure of the BPL franchises to complete payments to all players who took part in the Twenty20 competition. It was announced earlier that teams who do not complete payments will be re-auctioned on November 7, but there are 54 cricketers who have remained unpaid including six overseas ones. The board will review the teams’ payment details in its next meeting, Kamal said, which will be four days after the deadline of October 20.”We have asked the franchises to make themselves updated in all areas. They should complete all the payments. We gave them a date till October 20, to complete all their payments, foreign or local.”If they don’t, then we will take a decision on October 24 regarding BCB’s relationship with these teams. We won’t want the BPL’s value to be diluted, this is a cricket board’s property and we want this to run properly.”

On Saturday the final piece of silverware will be contested as Somerset and Surrey go head-to-head for the Clydesdale Bank 40 trophy

Preview by Andrew McGlashan16-Sep-2011

Match Facts

September 16, 2011, Lord’s
Start time: 11.30am (1030GMT)Who will have this tomorrow evening?•Clare Skinner/MCC

The Big Picture

The thrilling conclusion to the County Championship wasn’t quite the end of the domestic season. On Saturday the final piece of silverware will be contested as Somerset and Surrey go head-to-head for the Clydesdale Bank 40 trophy. It’s a match that pits together the recent bridesmaids of the county game with a dynamic, youthful team that appears to have turned the corner.Surrey have already celebrated this week after beating Derbyshire to secure Championship promotion. Under Rory Hamilton-Brown and Chris Adams they have pulled together an impressive team that suggests the dark days may be behind the county. A trophy in the cabinet would further suggest that they are a team who can rise up the domestic scene. They have reached the final playing an exciting brand of cricket led by fearless batsmen – Hamilton-Brown, Steven Davies, Jason Roy – and backed up by a powerful bowling unit that includes pace and spin.The batting feeds off the confidence instilled in the dressing room and they back themselves to attack throughout an innings. In the semi-final against Sussex they made 228 in 24 overs. A key part of their success has been with the spinners and there can sometimes be five options available to the captain even before Pragyan Ojha, the India left-armer, is considered.Somerset, meanwhile, continue to find that final hurdle the hardest one to cross. Runner’s up three times last season they have already finished second this summer in the Twenty20. At least that means a trip to the Champions League Twenty20 in India, but that also brings some major headaches as the team have to dash out of London on Sunday evening and will arrive in Hyderabad less than 24 hours before their opening match.However, that journey will feel so much easier if they have a victory behind them. The barrier now is psychological rather than a talent issue. Once losing in a final becomes a habit it can be hard to break.

Players to watch

Tom Maynard has excelled in his first season at Surrey after moving from Glamorgan. There is more than a hint of his dad, Matthew, in his strokeplay – especially on the leg side – and he isn’t afraid to go over the top. He is one of a crop of young batsmen who play fearlessly which makes for exciting cricket whether it comes off or not. A Lord’s final is a good stage to catch the eye.He has tried everything to be fit for this match, including an oxygen chamber, and Marcus Trescothick will battle through the pain to try and secure that elusive trophy. He damaged his ankle last month and is still someway short of full fitness but is confident he can last 80 overs of cricket. His presence at the top of the order will be a huge boost for Somerset.

Team news

Barring any last-minute issues, Trescothick will resume his role at the top of the order while Somerset will have both Craig Kieswetter and Jos Buttler once they make a late-night dash back from Cardiff where they have been playing for England.Somerset (possible) 1 Marcus Trescothick (capt), 2 Craig Kieswetter (wk), 3 Peter Trego, 4 James Hildreth, 5 Nick Compton, 6 Jos Buttler, 7 Craig Meschede, 8 Lewis Gregory, 9 Alfonso Thomas, 10 Murali Kartik, 11 Steve KirbySurrey have Jade Dernbach available and plenty of options to chose from. Yasir Arafat is set to be the overseas player ahead of Ojha, while Mark Ramprakash hasn’t been part of the one-day side.Surrey (possible) 1 Rory Hamilton-Brown, 2 Steven Davies (wk), 3 Jason Roy, 4 Tom Maynard, 5 Zander de Bruyn, 6 Chris Schofield, 7 Matthew Spriegel, 8 Gareth Batty, 9 Yasir Arafat, 10 Jade Dernbach, 11 Tim Linley

Pitch and conditions

Lessons have been learnt after staging last year’s final under floodlights and it’s a late-morning start which means the chilly evening will be avoided. That should also mean no undue advantage with the toss and the forecast is also pretty good although there could be the odd shower.

Stats and trivia

• Surrey last reached a Lord’s final in 2001 when they beat Gloucestershire by 47 runs with Ben Hollioake Man of the Match
• All Surrey’s likely top order, apart from Zander de Bruyn, have scored at over a run-a-ball in this season’s CB40
• Somerset’s last trophy came in the 2005 Twenty20 Cup

Quotes

“It’s never nice coming second as we know. We’ve done it a few times in the last couple of years. Hopefully the boys can use that inspiration to overcome it.”
Marcus Trescothick hopes to go one better“I’d like to think we are underdogs to be honest. Somerset have had a lot of success over the past couple of years in one-day cricket. Within our dressing-room we think we are good enough to win.”

A round-up of the first round of matches in the SuperSport Series

Firdose Moonda05-Oct-2010When Graeme Smith stepped down as South Africa’s Twenty20 captain in August this year, he made a point of speaking about how he had softened as a person over time. When he was first made captain, Smith was cocksure, bordering on arrogant, but once he made it clear that he could stamp his authority, a real personality began to emerge. It was out in full force during the SuperSport Series match between the Cobras and the Lions at the Oppenheimer’s private ground in Randjesfontein.Smith tiptoed on his heels because he was wearing spikes on the pavilion floor. He grinned as he imitated an injured duck and explained, “This floor is probably worth more than my house.” That was the only thing that associated the burly left hander with the bird with webbed feet. He scored a magnificent double-hundred, 217 off 220 balls, in the Cobras’ second innings to take the game away from the Lions.The Cobras were bowled out for 197 in their first stint at the crease, with all the Lions bowlers among the wickets. Cliffie Deacon led the pack with 3 for 41. On a pitch that is known to flatten as the match goes on, the Lions had perfect batting conditions to amass 416 for nine. None of the batsman managed a century in that total. Vaughn van Jaarsveld came closest with 87, followed by Zander de Bruyn’s 76.Then came the magnificent Smith, who shared in a 333-run first-wicket partnership with Andrew Puttick (111). Wickets for the Lions came from unlikely sources, as Neil McKenzie (1/14) dismissed Smith, and Alviro Petersen (1/17) got rid of Puttick. JP Duminy added 69 and the Cobras posted 499 for five declared, setting the Lions a target of 281.Time ran out for a result, but with the Lions teetering on 55 for four, it looked as if the men from the Cape might get it to go their way. De Bruyn’s 55 and van Jaarsveld’s 44 saved the match for the hosts.That was the only draw of the weekend. Further north in Centurion, the Titans earned a nine wicket win over the Warriors. The Eastern Cape side appeared to have quite a hangover from twenty-over cricket and was skittled out for 89. Ethy Mbhalati took five for 33 while Morne Morkel (2/11) and CJ de Villiers (2/16) chipped in with two apiece. The Titans replied with 318 in their first innings. Heino Kuhn was left stranded on 94 and Jacques Rudolph made his bid for national honours clear with 72.Ashwell Prince led the Warriors line-up in their second knock. He scored 144, Jon-Jon Smuts made 78 and Arno Jacobs 71. Morne Morkel took four for 81 as the Warriors were bowled out for 380, leaving the Titans with 152 to win. Vice-captain Blake Snijman scored the bulk of the runs with an unbeaten 78 as the Titans wrapped up the match inside three days.In Kimberley, the newly-named Knights beat the Dolphins by 128 runs. Batting first, the Knights recovered from 76 for three to post 407. Morne van Wyk’s 97 and Ryan Bailey’s 70 were the two biggest contributions. The Dolphins were clearly at sea with the bat and were bowled out for 167 as Victor Mpitsang claimed 6 for 30.The Knights had a lead of 240 and declared their second innings closed on 140 for five, setting the Dolphins 381 to win. Dean Elgar scored 53 in the hosts’ second knock. It was always going to be a tough ask for the men from Durban, and they were bowled out for 252. Ryan McLaren took 5 for 35 for the Knights and earned a call-up to the South African Twenty20 squad to replace the injured Albie Morkel.Batsman of the week: For growing his legendary status, Graeme Smith earns the award for his double hundred at almost run-a-ball for the Cobras.Bowler of the week: He bowled the Knights to victory and earned a national call up, albeit in a different format. Ryan McLaren for his five-wicket hall against the Dolphins gets this week’s accolade.

RCB have lost all three games at home this season while DC are entering the contest as table-toppers

Sruthi Ravindranath28-Feb-2025

Who’s playing

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) vs Delhi Capitals (DC)
M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, 7.30pm IST

What to expect

A big win against Mumbai Indians (MI) was just what DC needed to shake off any tiredness going into the next game. They will be facing a bruised RCB less than 24 hours after their match against MI, but will have a lot to cheer about. Firstly, they are at the top of the table with eight points from six games. Their bowling in the last two games, where they’ve kept their opponents to sub-130 totals, has been quite excellent. They’ve also been among the best fielding units this tournament, with the likes of Annabel Sutherland, Minnu Mani and Jemimah Rodrigues saving a number of runs with their acrobatics on the field.RCB have lost their last three games at their home venue, but the defeat in the game against Gujarat Giants – where they were restricted to 125 for 7 “affected” them the most, captain Smriti Mandhana said after the game. There are several questions for them heading into this clash: is the batting too dependent on Ellyse Perry? Are they missing their spin trio of Asha Sobhana, Sophie Molineux and Shreyanka Patil, who were their key bowlers at the Chinnaswamy last year? Is Mandhana’s subpar form affecting them a bit too much? RCB will want to quickly find answers and give the home crowd something to cheer about for one last time this season before moving to the Lucknow leg.

Form guide

Royal Challengers Bengaluru LLL (last three matches, most recent first)
Delhi Capitals WWLMinnu Mani has had an impact despite bowling just 14 overs across five games•BCCI

Team news

RCB made one change in the last game, bringing back legspinner Prema Rawat for left-arm spinner Ekta Bisht. Rawat, however, bowled just one over in the game and conceded 19 runs.Royal Challengers Bengaluru (probable XI): 1 Smriti Mandhana (capt), 2 Danni Wyatt-Hodge, 3 Ellyse Perry, 4 Raghvi Bisht, 5 Richa Ghosh (wk), 6 Kanika Ahuja, 7 Georgia Wareham, 8 Sneh Rana, 9 Kim Garth, 10 Prema Rawat/ Ekta Bisht, 11 Renuka SinghDC are likely to persist with the winning combination.Delhi Capitals (probable XI): 1 Meg Lanning (capt), 2 Shafali Verma, 3 Jemimah Rodrigues, 4 Annabel Sutherland, 5 Marizanne Kapp, 6 Sarah Bryce (wk), 7 Jess Jonassen, 8 Niki Prasad, 9 Minnu Mani, 10Titas Sadhu, 11 Shikha Pandey

Players to watch: Minnu Mani and Georgia Wareham

Be it with the ball or as a fielder, Minnu Mani gave it her all in the game against MI. After bowling a quiet 12th over, she dealt Mumbai a double jolt in the 17th, dismissing S Sajana and Amelia Kerr. She came back to remove Sansriti Gupta in the 19th to finish with figures of 3 for 17 from three overs on a sluggish surface. Her flying one-handed stop to her right to save a boundary in the 13th over highlighted why she’s one of the best fielders going around in the circuit. She’s bowled only 14 overs across five matches and has taken five wickets. DC will want to make use of her bowling more, allowing her to bowl her full quota which she’s done only in two games this season.Georgia Wareham has picked up nine wickets so far•BCCI

Georgia Wareham bounced back well after conceding 50 runs in the first match of the season, picking nine wickets in five matches so far. She picked two crucial wickets against Giants, removing Harleen Deol and top-scorer Ashleigh Gardner, although it was a bit too late. She has played at No. 3 for Australia before – even has a half-century playing in the position – and RCB could use her as a floater in the middle order in case of early wickets.

Stats that matter

• This season’s top four wicket-takers so far – Jess Jonassen (9 wickets), Renuka Singh (9), Georgia Wareham (9) and Annabel Sutherland (8) – will be part of this match
• Meg Lanning has the most fifty-plus scores in the WPL (eight), going past Ellyse Perry
• Toss has been decisive at the M Chinnaswamy, with chasing teams winning six out of the seven games

Labuschagne wasn’t anywhere near Australia’s World Cup squad until two months ago… but fate had something else in store for him

Shashank Kishore20-Nov-20232:15

Moody: Labuschagne perfectly suited for pitches like these

Marnus Labuschagne’s most significant contribution at the 2023 ODI World Cup until the final was his assist in a run out from the deep to help seal a tense game against New Zealand in Dharamsala.With the bat, he had made 304 runs at a strike rate of 75.62. It raised questions – did it make sense, especially since Australia had another anchor, Steven Smith, who they wanted in the XI.As it turned out, Australia kept the faith, and Labuschagne delivered in the final with a made-for-the-situation innings, an unbeaten 58 off 110 balls, to help take Australia home.Related

• Australia player reactions: 'I think this is bigger than 2015'

• Head's magnificent 137 leads Australia to sixth World Cup title

• Cummins pleased Australia 'saved the best for last'

• How Australia silenced 90,000 voices

• Advance Australia, inevitably

It was tailor-made for him, to stand alongside Travis Head, who had built a strong platform on his way to a barnstorming century. The target was just 241. Labuschagne had walked out at 47 for 3. He said later that he didn’t need any clarity on how he had to approach it. By the time their 192-run stand ended with Head holing out in the deep, the trophy was just two runs away.”I was quite nervous when I was waiting to bat,” Labuschagne told reporters afterwards. “But when you get on the field, nothing really changes. You’re watching the ball, and you just try and get in the zone, trying to focus, the noise sort of gets blocked out, it gets into the periphery, but it was loud. There was a bit of pressure there, but it was good.”My mindset was you treat it like a Test match. When you’re batting with Travis Head, there’s usually no run-rate pressure. When you’re chasing a lower total like 230 [241], unless you’re really struggling, there’s not going to be much run-rate pressure. It was just about being nice and positive, but also lock-in like I would if I was playing a Test match, just making sure I was defending the ball well and when they bowled a bad ball, score off that. Just make sure you’re building a partnership with your partner out there.”Labuschagne showed off his World Cup medal as he spoke. Prior to speaking to us – when Pat Cummins was speaking to the media – Labuschagne had stood at the corner of the room, clicking selfies as he tried out a few different poses while clutching his medal, chuckling to himself all along.Perhaps there was realisation at how things can change when you least expect. Labuschagne wasn’t anywhere near Australia’s World Cup squad until two months ago. He’d even been left out of their tour party to South Africa, a precursor to their World Cup campaign, after averaging 22.30 at a strike rate of 69.87 in 14 innings prior to that. But fate had something else in store.Marnus Labuschagne acknowledges the applause on registering a half-century in the World Cup final•ICC/Getty Images

As he was preparing to play for Australia A against the touring New Zealand A in Brisbane, he was summoned to South Africa as a batting cover for Smith following an injury scare (wrist tendon). At the time, it was seen as nothing more than a trip to the country he hails from, except his mum, Alta, had an inkling that Labuschagne would play the series opener in Bloemfontein. Maybe it was just a mother’s instinct, but it was prophetic.Labuschagne came in as a concussion sub for Cameron Green in the first ODI and finished the match 80 not out to seal a tense three-wicket win. The situation was similar to the Ashes Test at Lord’s in 2019, when he walked out to bat after Smith had been concussed, and then batted with poise against a raging pace attack like he hadn’t experienced before.”It’s hard for me not to believe in miracles,” he said. “There’s someone above putting the pieces of the puzzle together. I think unofficially I was dropped five times. I wasn’t in the squad in South Africa, someone got concussed, I got an opportunity, got some runs and pushed my case. Then I got on the squad, and played 19 games in a row, since the first South Africa match. I’m very thankful to the coaches and selectors for sticking by me. There are some really good players. Marcus Stoinis missed out this game, and he’s a phenomenal player. I’m just very thankful they stuck by me and I lucked out.”Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne’s partnership pretty much did it for India•ICC/Getty Images

Labuschagne admitted that while his overall output was far from satisfactory, there had been shades of form in the nets. When he saw the surface for the final – a black soil deck that ended up aiding slow turn – he knew it was right down his alley. It also helped that the slightly bigger ground dimensions in Ahmedabad suited him, in terms of being able to hit the ball into the open spaces to milk runs.”I didn’t get a hit against Bangladesh, I missed out on a few games to bat, but I felt like since the start of the South Africa tour, I’d been batting really well. Some of the scenarios that I came in during this World Cup have been tough. Three-four down early, trying to navigate those scenarios have been tough. That contributed a little bit of my demise,” Labuschagne said. “At times, I didn’t score as fast as I would’ve liked but the most important thing is winning games and today was a great example of just absorbing that pressure and making sure that I was there at the end.”I wasn’t going to give it up for anything at the end. They could’ve brought all the fielders around me, inside the circle, I was still going to block it and make sure I wasn’t getting out now.”As victory neared, Labuschagne derived satisfaction from silencing the home crowd. He touched upon how banking on past experience – he played a Test match here earlier in the year – had been beneficial in trying to keep out the noise.”The sound of silence is a great sound in India because it means you’re on top,” he said. “When me and Travis were batting, we were discussing about making sure we got them here, everything’s quiet, just keep playing. We played two different styles, he played an unbelievable innings, but it was about keeping engaged every ball, play every ball on merit and keep the crowd out of it.”