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Annabel Sutherland made 42 not out and took for 3 for 17 while Sophie Day bagged 4 for 19 as Stars routed Renegades in Ballarat

AAP and ESPNCricinfo staff29-Oct-2022Fine bowling efforts from Sophie Day and Annabel Sutherland set Melbourne Stars up for a six-wicket win over Melbourne Renegades, their first victory of the WBBL season.Playing in Ballarat, Renegades batted first and were bowled out for 91 with one over to spare in an innings in which they struck just six fours.Spinner Day and seamer Sutherland were the chief destroyers, setting Stars on the path to their first WBBL win over their crosstown rivals in almost three years. Day returned her best WBBL figures and Australian representative Sutherland bemused the batters with her short balls and changes of pace.Sutherland also played a key role with the bat combining with English batter Alice Capsey in a third-wicket stand of 47. Stars lost both openers inside the first 3.2 overs, but Sutherland and the highly-rated teenager Capsey put their side back in control.Capsey and Kim Garth were dismissed in successive overs, but Sutherland and captain Nicole Faltum steered Stars to victory with 15 balls to spare. They moved off the bottom of the table, jumping above Sydney Thunder and Renegades, with the latter dropping to last.Earlier, Renegades struggled from the start, with captain Sophie Molineux caught behind for a golden duck off Garth off the second ball.A second-wicket stand of 37 looked to have set a decent platform but Renegades lost 3 for 11. Among those dismissed was top scorer Hayley Matthews who looked good until she miscued and gave Sutherland a return catch. Renegades again looked to be rebuilding after a fifth-wicket stand of 25 but lost 6 for 17 with Day slicing through the lower order.Stars suffered a blow in the third over when India batter Jemimah Rodrigues was run out after a mixup with her opening partner Lauren Winfield-Hill. Rodrigues was beaten by a throw over the stumps from Shabnim Ismail, who four balls later had England’s Winfield-Hill caught at second slip.

Usman Khawaja and Joe Burns will enter Australia’s tilt for the Test match No. 1 ranking without a single warm-up innings on New Zealand soil, after the national selectors resisted temptation to significantly alter the ODI squad

Daniel Brettig24-Jan-2016Usman Khawaja and Joe Burns will enter Australia’s tilt for the No.1 Test ranking without a single warm-up innings on New Zealand soil, after the national selectors resisted temptation to significantly alter the ODI squad.The only concession to the two Tests in Wellington and Christchurch was the omission of Nathan Lyon after his indifferent displays against India at home, opening up room for the legspinner Adam Zampa to make his international debut while the panel deliberate on his possible inclusion in the World Twenty20 squad.Lyon will instead play in the Sheffield Shield match being played between New South Wales and Western Australia at New Zealand Cricket headquarters in Lincoln near Christchurch. However, Khawaja and Burns will be expected to make the Trans-Tasman adjustments from home, playing for Queensland.

Australia ODI squad for NZ tour

Steve Smith (capt), David Warner, George Bailey, Scott Boland, James Faulkner, Aaron Finch, John Hastings, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Matthew Wade (wk), Adam Zampa

Despite his stunning run of form in the Big Bash League following on from a breakout Test summer, Khawaja remained surplus to a settled ODI batting line-up, as the captain Steven Smith had predicted. The likes of Aaron Finch and George Bailey are a long way from Test calculation, but have done nothing to deserve omission from the 50-over team.The selection chairman Rod Marsh acknowledged that coping with foreign conditions was the greatest blind spot of the Australian side, something shown in 2015 during the Ashes but also in their lone loss of the World Cup, against New Zealand at a raucous Eden Park.”We know one of the biggest challenges we will face in New Zealand is adapting to the change in conditions,” he said. “It has been well documented that this is something we have struggled with in recent times and a major focus for this squad will be to reverse that trend.”The New Zealand side will be very tough to beat in their home conditions. We know we will need to be at the top of our game if we want to be competitive.”Marsh said the panel’s preference was for Lyon to get some time bowling in a first-class environment before the Test matches, while also deliberating on the value of Zampa, who again bowled well for the Melbourne Stars in the BBL final on Sunday night.”We have selected Adam Zampa as the spinning option for this tour in place of Nathan Lyon,” Marsh said. “We want Nathan to use the NSW versus West Australia Sheffield Shield match in New Zealand as preparation for the Test Series and this will give us a chance to have a good look at Adam ahead of the ICC World T20.”Adam has certainly put forward a strong case for selection through good performances in the Big Bash as well as the Matador Cup earlier in the season and we think he has thoroughly earned this opportunity.”The captain Smith and his deputy David Warner will be leaving Australia on Saturday in order to prepare in advance for New Zealand, having been rested from the latter two T20 internationals against India that follow Tuesday’s opening match on Australia Day in Adelaide.

Nottinghamshire, already assured of a home quarter-final, suffer only second defeat of season

ECB Reporters Network16-Jul-2021Nottinghamshire Outlaws, already assured of a home quarter-final, suffered only a second defeat of the season in the Vitality Blast as bottom-of-the-table Leicestershire Foxes won by two wickets with two balls to spare.Josh Inglis and Arron Lilley were joint top-scorers with 42 and though the Foxes suffered some jitters after needing 35 from 25 balls and six off the last over, Naveen-ul-Haq hit back-to-back fours off former Leicestershire fast bowler Zak Chappell to get them over line after Steven Mullaney had taken 3 for 33 and Calvin Harrison 2 for 21.The Foxes had dismissed Nottinghamshire for 173 in 19.2 overs, Naveen picking up 3 for 33 and Colin Ackermann 3 for 35. Joe Clarke hit 57 in 27 balls and Ben Duckett 45 off 27 but the Outlaws lost their last six wickets for 22 runs, Lilley holding four outfield catches.Ackermann claimed an early blow for the Foxes after winning the toss when Alex Hales hit a full toss straight to deep midwicket but Clarke launched Gavin Griffiths for back-to-back sixes and Naveen for three consecutive fours as the Outlaws ended the Powerplay on 62 for 1.Clarke struck two more sixes off Ben Mike as he reached fifty from 24 balls and cleared long-on for a fifth six as Ackermann returned, only to follow Hales in finding Lilley at deep midwicket. Three fours in a row by Duckett off Ackermann advanced the total to 110 for 2 at halfway.Lilley then applied the brakes with the ball, conceding only 20 in his four overs of off-spin and dismissing Mullaney as the Outlaws innings fell apart. The demise of Duckett, leg before sweeping, sparked the loss of their last six wickets for 22 in 23 deliveries, Naveen taking three wickets in seven balls.The Foxes lost Rishi Patel early but with Inglis hitting sixes off Dane Paterson, Chappell and Matt Carter and Lilley another off Samit Patel, the home side were ahead of what was needed at 75 for 1 after six.Inglis and Lilley fell in turn to Harrison, both perhaps guilty of taking liberties with the young leg-spinner, Inglis hitting straight to long-on, Lilley comfortably stumped, yet at 107 for 3 after 10 overs, the game was there to be won.Scares followed for the home crowds as Harry Swindells was caught behind off a bottom edge, Ackermann sliced to short third man, Lewis Hill ramped straight to short fine leg, Louis Kimber was caught at midwicket and Callum Parkinson at cover but Naveen picked up four off the edge before pulling Chappell for the winning boundary.

Peter Siddle’s quest to show his value as a member of the Australian Test squad was curtailed yet again as only 9.5 overs of play were possible on the first day of the Sheffield Shield match between New South Wales and Victoria

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Nov-2015
ScorecardRain kept the groundstaff busy in Sydney•Getty Images

Peter Siddle’s quest to show his value as a member of the Australian Test squad was curtailed yet again as only 9.5 overs of play were possible on the first day of the Sheffield Shield match between New South Wales and Victoria at the SCG.Heavy rain on Thursday night had affected the condition of the bowlers’ run-ups at the ground, preventing any play until after 1pm. After the NSW captain Moises Henriques chose to bat, Ed Cowan and Ryan Carters reached 0 for 27 while denying Siddle a wicket in his opening spell.However, less than an hour’s play had taken place when another storm enveloped Sydney, sending the players from the field and causing play to be abandoned for the day. Siddle had flown from Brisbane to Sydney in search of a decent bowling stint, but this time he was thwarted by elements rather than selectors.

ESPNcricinfo understands CSA was not intending to stop Lee from participating in the Hundred, but was concerned with a perceived lack of discipline

Firdose Moonda17-Jul-2022Lizelle Lee has accused Cricket South Africa of threatening to deny her an NOC to participate in the Hundred and said national coach Hilton Moreeng was aware of the organisation’s actions, which contributed to her retirement. Both Moreeng and CSA have rejected Lee’s assertions.The opening batter stepped away from international cricket on July 8, saying she was “ready for the next phase of my career”, and would continue playing franchise T20 cricket but provided no other reasons for quitting until today. After Moreeng was asked at a press conference whether CSA’s alleged refusal to let Lee play in the Hundred led to her premature retirement, he said, “No comment, I was not aware of that.” Lee, however, tweeted that Moreeng “was definitely aware”. She also said, “I told him in person and it was said in a meeting with CSA”, but clarified that Moreeng “was not in that meeting.”Lee later reiterated to ESPNcricinfo that Moreeng was aware of the development.ESPNcricinfo understands that CSA was not intending to prevent Lee from participating in the Hundred, but was concerned with a perceived lack of discipline, including not being on time for the team schedule and having a disrupting influence on others. Efforts to bring Lee in line with her team-mates were attempted but failed, leading to her retirement. Sources confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that CSA is willing to provide NOCs to all its players contracted to teams in the Hundred, as usual. The tournament does not clash with any of South Africa’s other engagements.Related

• Marizanne Kapp: Lizelle Lee's retirement has been 'mentally tough' for South Africa

• Lizelle Lee, leading woman cricketer in the world in 2021

• Lizelle Lee retires from international cricket

Lee, who missed South Africa’s recently completed series in Ireland as she recovered from Covid-19, travelled to England and played in the one-off Test. She also played in the warm-up match against England A on July 4. Four days later, she announced her retirement, which blindsided everyone from Marizanne Kapp to Moreeng. “The retirement came as a shock for everyone. It’s not anything anyone expected to happen, especially on a tour that we were looking forward to,” Moreeng said. “It caught everyone by surprise.”Moreeng went on to praise Lee’s contribution over the last nine years, which included two Tests, 100 ODIs and 82 T20Is and, at one stage saw her ranked No.1 in the world among batters in ODI cricket.”Like she highlighted in her statement, she has given her all for the country, she’s enjoyed it and we also enjoyed having her as a player, the players have enjoyed having her as a team-mate and she had an incredible career,” Moreeng said. “At the end of the day, we need to respect the player’s decision although it is tough on everyone, because we didn’t foresee it was going to happen so quickly. We knew that one of these days it’s going to happen and now it’s for us to respect it and just give her some space. She’s made her decision. We thank her for the time she has given to the Proteas and she will always be remembered as one of those that played incredible cricket for the country.”Lee’s absence has affected South Africa’s batting and headspace, as Kapp confirmed after their loss on Friday night. South Africa have been bowled out for under 225 in both matches and their line-up has appeared listless. Moreeng recognised their shortcomings but stressed that it would be difficult to find someone in Lee’s mould immediately.”To try and replace Lizelle is not something that can happen overnight. There are players that are capable and they can still take the game forward but they need to be scoring consistently,” he said. “Lizelle is not a player you can replace overnight because of how explosive and dynamic she was. In the future hopefully we will find a similar player who can go out and be as explosive as her.”

County seeks influential figurehead in the wake of racism allegations

David Hopps20-Aug-2022Yorkshire are expected to sign Shan Masood, the Pakistan opening batter, after he confirmed that he had turned down Derbyshire’s offer of a new contract and would leave the club at the end of the season.Masood, who is regarded in Derbyshire circles as one of their most influential overseas signings, could also be offered the Yorkshire captaincy following Steven Patterson’s decision to step down as leader of the Championship side at the end of last month and the departure of England’s allrounder, David Willey, who was in charge of the T20 side, to Northamptonshire.Masood is seen as a perfect fit for Yorkshire as they seek to promote an all-inclusive culture in the wake of racism allegations from their former player, Azeem Rafiq, which sparked the biggest crisis in the club’s history and brought charges of bringing the game into disrepute from the ECB after a prolonged investigation.As a multi-format player, whose international days might be drawing to a close, Masood could also be expected to become an important figurehead in minority-ethnic communities as Yorkshire work to build trust across all parts of the county.His considered leadership was a prime factor in Derbyshire’s qualification for the Blast quarter-finals, as well as a more stable season in Division Two of the LV= Championship, but he was called up by Pakistan for a Test tour of Sri Lanka and Derbyshire crashed and burned in their last-eight Blast tie against Somerset at Taunton.Related

• 'I have moved on with my life': Andrew Gale refuses to defend ECB racism charge

Derbyshire had been in discussions with Masood, 32, regarding an extended contract for several months and despite a significantly improved offer, he has decided to take on potentially a hugely influential role.Derbyshire’s head of cricket, Mickey Arthur, was philosophical about Masood’s departure but nevertheless it is a blow for his efforts to change the county’s reputation as one of the weakest in the country.”Bringing Shan to Derbyshire was my priority when joining the club last winter,” Arthur said. “He’s shown the performances I knew he was capable of in county cricket and we’ve been keen to extend his deal since very early on in the season.”The contract renewal reflected his performances and value to the club, but ultimately we couldn’t match the offer. The other county set their stall out to bring in Shan and while it is of course disappointing to lose a player of his calibre, I and everyone at the club wish him the very best for the future.”We’ve seen a different Derbyshire this year and the group have surpassed people’s expectations. We’re shaking off that underdog tag and teams know when they play us that it’s going to be a competitive game. There’s more to come from this group and we’ll supplement that core with overseas recruitment, the process for which is already underway.”Masood offered optimistic words in return. “Derbyshire is a great club with a very positive outlook and inclusive culture. Under Mickey’s project I see the group challenging for trophies and reaching greater heights in the very near future. It has not been easy making this decision, but I feel this move is the next phase of my life and career.”He is on course to finish the season with more than 2,000 runs across all formats, including a double century against Sussex.Yorkshire explored the possibility earlier in the summer of signing Moeen Ali as another statement signing, although that prospect was always unlikely. Moeen said in June that he would be open to joining Yorkshire for cricketing reasons but “not as a publicity stunt” before making an expected switch from Worcestershire to his first county Warwickshire and his home city of Birmingham where his popularity is evident, not least in his leadership of Birmingham Phoenix in the Hundred.Yorkshire would welcome a similar impact from Masood as they try to reinvigorate a county where membership has fallen to historically low levels and debts remain around £20 million.

South Africa captain AB de Villiers has been fined 40% of his match fee for maintaining a slow over rate during the first ODI against India in Kanpur, while his team-mates were docked 20%

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Oct-2015South Africa captain AB de Villiers has been fined 40% of his match fee for maintaining a slow over rate during the first ODI against India in Kanpur, while his team-mates were docked 20% of their match fees.The charge was laid by the on-field umpires Aleem Dar and Vineet Kulkarni, the TV umpire Chettithody Shamshuddin, and the reserve umpire Anil Dandekar. The fine was imposed by the match referee Chris Broad, who ruled that South Africa were two overs short of their target after time allowances were taken into consideration. De Villiers pleaded guilty to the offence and accepted the proposed sanction, so there was no need for a formal hearing.De Villiers had previously been found guilty of minor over-rate offences on two occasions in the last 12 months, and subsequently served a one-match suspension during the first ODI against Bangladesh in July. If South Africa commit another over-rate breach in ODIs within 12 months with de Villiers as captain, it will be deemed a second offence by de Villiers and he will again face a suspension.South Africa won the first ODI by five runs, thanks to a 73-ball 104 from de Villiers, who was named Man of the Match.

A round-up of The Ford Trophy games played on December 30, 2015

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Dec-2015Corey Anderson celebrated his return to the national side with an 87-ball 88, but his effort was not enough to help Northern Districts chase down 279 against Auckland in Hamilton.ND began shakily in the chase, losing Dean Brownlie for a five-ball duck. Daniel Flynn and Daryl Mitchell then laid a strong base, adding 76, before Anderson took over. He struck six fours and two sixes, and was aided by contributions from BJ Watling and Tim Seifert. However, fast bowler Lachie Ferguson dismissed Anderson in the 46th over to tilt the contest in Auckland’s favour. ND ran out of fuel, losing their last four wickets for 21 runs.The match was set up for Auckland, thanks to fifties from Brad Cachopa and Robert O’ Donnell, after they were reduced to 109 for 4 in 20.2 overs. The pair repaired the early damage and then lifted the innings with a 130-run partnership off 142 balls. The stand ended when Scott Kuggeleijn got rid of Cachopa for 93, but O’Donnell ensured that his side passed 250 and eventually finished with 278, which proved 11 more for ND.Peter Fulton’s half-century, followed by a collective bowling effort, led Canterbury to their second successive win in the competition, after beating Otago by 65 runs in Alexandra.Having been inserted, Canterbury lost their openers cheaply before Fulton revived the innings with his 36th List A fifty, which contained 10 fours and one six. Each of the middle-order batsmen had starts but failed to build on it, with allrounder Sam Wells claiming three wickets. However, it was enough to haul Canterbury to 228.Otago’s chase had begun on a poor note with both the openers falling for ducks. It was a sign of things to come with Otago sliding to 163 all out within 40 overs. Hamish Rutherford and James Neesham mounted some resistance with a 45-run fourth-wicket partnership, before No.9 Neil Wagner swung his way to an unbeaten 37. Todd Astle, one of the three bowlers to pick up two wickets, put the seal on Canterbury’s win when he bowled Warren Barnes for a duck.George Worker’s century trumped Luke Woodcock’s, helping defending champions Central Districts to a 32-run win against Wellington at the Basin Reserve.After Ben Smith was dismissed by Dane Hutchinson for 4, Worker and Jesse Ryder added 126 together at a rapid pace only for the middle order to fumble. From 139 for 1, Central Districts slumped to 199 for 6 and Worker soon followed for 114 off 120 balls. Marty Kain’s (22) cameo lower down the order meant that Central Districts were pushed to 241.Woodcock followed three wickets with a counterattacking century, his first in List A cricket, and helped Wellington close to the target from a shambolic 35 for 5. The collapse seeped into the lower order as well as the hosts were skittled for 209. Woodcock hit two fours and six sixes before he was the last man dismissed. Central Districts’ new-ball bowlers – Seth Rance and Bevan Small – claimed combined figures of 17-3-65-7 to trip up the chase.

Ned Eckersley hit a superb 118 as Leicestershire fought hard to avoid defeat against Surrey following Kevin Pietersen’s epic 355 not out in the Second Division match at the Kia Oval

Press Association12-May-2015
ScorecardNed Eckersley ensured a strong Leicestershire retort•Getty Images

Ned Eckersley hit a superb 118 as Leicestershire fought hard to avoid defeat against Surrey following Kevin Pietersen’s epic 355 not out in the Second Division match at the Kia Oval.Pietersen did not field before lunch, or for much of the day’s last session, because he needed ice treatment on a slight calf strain, but he fielded throughout the afternoon session with Alec Stewart, Surrey’s director of cricket, confirming that Pietersen “felt let down” by Strauss’s comments at Lord’s earlier in the day.His remarkable innings meant an eventual Surrey total of 557 and a 265-run first innings lead, but by stumps on day three Leicestershire had worked hard to get themselves 45 runs in front at 310 for 5 in their second innings.Eckersley struck a six and 17 fours in a fluent and attractive knock, dominating a second wicket stand of 161 with Angus Robson, who made 55 from 110 balls before becoming the first of three scalps for Zafar Ansari’s left-arm spin.Ansari and Gareth Batty, the Surrey spinners, chipped away at Leicestershire after Eckersley’s tenth first-class hundred ended when he was beaten by Ansari’s turn and edged to Jason Roy at slip.Offspinner Batty then snared Leicestershire captain Mark Cosgrove, who also survived a stumping chance off Ansari on 14 but was caught at short leg by Rory Burns for 44 as he tried to flick away a ball to leg from a couple of paces down the pitch.Leicestershire were still five runs short of making Surrey bat again when Neil Pinner, with whom Cosgrove had added 42, was leg-before to Ansari for 24 after resisting for 74 balls.Niall O’Brien and Ben Raine battled hard until the close, however, seeing off the second new ball too as they added an unbroken 50 for the sixth wicket.Earlier, Pietersen had been left just two runs short of Bobby Abel’s 116-year-old record for the highest individual innings by a Surrey player, set against Somerset at the Oval in 1899, when last man Matt Dunn’s brave resistance finally came to an end 4.5 overs into the third day.Dunn, though scoring only five in 104 minutes, had stayed with Pietersen while a remarkable 139 runs were added for Surrey’s final wicket. Pietersen’s historic knock contained 15 sixes and 36 fours and occupied 396 balls.It was the sixth highest score ever made in the County Championship and the seventh highest first-class innings made in England. It was also the highest first-class innings against Leicestershire, eclipsing Yorkshire legend George Hirst’s 341 in 1905.All eyes were on Pietersen, 326 not out overnight, when Surrey resumed on 528 for 9 in reply to Leicestershire’s 292, especially as the resumption of his innings coincided with the announcement at Lord’s, by newly-installed England director of cricket Andrew Strauss, that an international recall for Pietersen was “not in the short-term interests of the England team”.Twenty-nine runs were added to Surrey’s overnight total, and all of them by Pietersen. There was a flipped four to fine leg, from a ball pitching outside off stump, a five when he tipped and ran for a short single to keep the strike and a run-out attempt ricocheted off the stumps to the boundary, a six slammed high over long off against Raine’s fast-medium, and then a four launched over mid off to go to his 350.When Dunn popped up a catch to short square leg off a lifting ball from Raine, every Leicestershire player ran to congratulate Pietersen on his magnificent seven-and-a-half hour innings. Pietersen, with 467 runs from five innings, now averages 233.50 in championship cricket this season.Leicestershire’s second innings began badly, with first innings century-make Lewis Hill leg-before to Dunn for a duck to the fifth ball of the opening over, but Eckersley and Robson both impressed in the big partnership which followed.

Royal Challengers will be without Harshal in the game against captain du Plessis’ former side

S Sudarshanan11-Apr-20222:35

How do RCB cope with Harshal’s absence? Who should be CSK’s overseas four?

Big Picture

One has to go way back to 2010 to find the last time Chennai Super Kings lost four IPL matches on the trot. And they’ve never lost four at the start of the season. In this ten-team tournament, they are already in a situation where another defeat could all but end their season. Their opponents, Royal Challengers Bangalore, are being led by one of their own in Faf du Plessis and are in the top half of the table with three wins in four outings.Super Kings are indeed missing the du Plessis touch at the top with the bat. A struggling Ruturaj Gaikwad has taken sheen off the quick, fiery starts Robin Uthappa has been getting off to, which has hampered the side. That head coach Stephen Fleming lamented the batting, bowling and fielding after the loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad indicates that the self-belief of the four-time champions is on shaky grounds.But Gaikwad takes a liking to Mohammed Siraj’s pace, having a strike rate of 147 against the fast bowler without being dismissed. He also enjoyed playing Wanindu Hasaranga with a strike rate of 162 in three innings.Related

• Fleming admits CSK's self-belief is shaken

• Who is Anuj Rawat, and why did RCB pay big for him?

• Harshal Patel leaves RCB bubble after sister's death

Super Kings have a run rate of just over seven in the middle overs – between the seventh and the 16th overs – just a shade better than that of the low-ranked Mumbai Indians. Royal Challengers, on the other hand, have been accelerating in the same phase, as evident from their run rate of 9.13, which is the second-best.But throw in a Siraj and a Siddarth Kaul, who could make his way in for a bereaved Harshal Patel, against MS Dhoni and Ambati Rayudu, the picture could be a touch different. Rayudu’s strike rates against Siraj and Kaul are 158 and 174, with Dhoni’s corresponding numbers reading 182 and 172.Even though both teams haven’t picked up wickets in clusters in the powerplay – Super Kings have one while Royal Challengers have four to show – the latter have managed to keep the run-scoring under eight while the former have conceded runs at 8.62 an over. Eight sixes have been hit against the Super Kings bowlers in the first six overs, which is the joint second-most in the season so far.With Anuj Rawat also showing his six-hitting prowess in the game against Mumbai Indians, Super Kings have another top-order left-hander to contend with after Abhishek Sharma pummeled them into submission. With Dinesh Karthik striking at over 200 – the most by anybody to have batted at least in three innings – Royal Challengers seem to have their batting sorted, with all of du Plessis, Virat Kohli and Shahbaz Ahmed having contributed in one game or the other. Karthik also strikes in excess of 155 against Chris Jordan, Dwayne Bravo and Ravindra Jadeja.While the Super Kings have had the upper hand over their southern neighbours winning 18 off the 28 encounters, the time seems opportune for Royal Challengers to better that record.Shivam Dube muscles one over the leg side•BCCI

In the news

Royal Challengers will be without Harshal Patel, who has left the bubble due to the demise of his sister. It is not known yet when he would return. In order to re-enter the IPL bubble, he will have to undergo a three-day quarantine. Australia quick Josh Hazlewood is available for the game.

Likely XIs

Chennai Super Kings: 1 Robin Uthappa, 2 Ruturaj Gaikwad, 3 Moeen Ali, 4 Ambati Rayudu, 5 Shivam Dube 6 Ravindra Jadeja (capt), 7 MS Dhoni (wk), 8 Dwayne Bravo, 9 Dwaine Pretorius 10 Chris Jordan, 11 Mukesh Choudhary/Tushar DeshpandeRoyal Challengers Bangalore: 1 Faf du Plessis (capt), 2 Anuj Rawat, 3 Virat Kohli 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 6 Shahbaz Ahmed, 7 David Willey, 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Siddarth Kaul, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Akash Deep

Strategy Punt

Out of Wanindu Hasaranga’s eight wickets thus far, seven have been against right-handers. He has an economy over nine against left-handers and Super Kings have three in Moeen Ali, Ravindra Jadeja and Shivam Dube, who can pose problems. In the two matches where Dube got a score of note – 57 versus Punjab Kings and 49 against Lucknow Super Giants – he had come in to bat in the sixth and eighth over respectively. Super Kings need to back Dube to bat more overs by having him enter around the seventh or eighth over mark. That could help them minimise the Hasaranga threat as the legspinner is not quite at home against left-handers. Moreover, Dube’s strike-rate against spin since IPL 2021 is 135 and he has been dismissed by spinners just three times in 12 innings.

Stats that matter

• Moeen has been out to Glenn Maxwell twice in four innings and averages just 5.5 against him with a strike rate of 73.
• Dhoni has scored 51 off the 28 balls he has faced against Mohammed Siraj and is yet to be dismissed by the pacer.
• Although Dinesh Karthik has a strike rate of 155 and 159 against Dwayne Bravo and Jadeja, he has been dismissed three times each by them.
• Super Kings will be the sixth team to play 200 IPL matches after Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings.