Spencer Johnson and Nathan Ellis have flown back home to recover from their injuries

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Sep-20232:07

Starc: ‘Obviously the priority is the World Cup’

Mitchell Starc is in line to return to the Australian side for the third and final ODI against India in Rajkot. The fast bowler has been out of international action since the Ashes in July but hinted his comeback is on track as Australia try to avoid a whitewash.Starc was ruled out of the South Africa tour with groin soreness that had lingered following the Ashes. He travelled to India ahead of the first ODI but did not play the first two games as he continued to be carefully managed in the build-up to the World Cup.”It’s on track,” Starc said of his recovery. “Obviously, the priority is the World Cup so if that means we have to be mindful of tomorrow that’s one thing, but we’ll see how today goes, see how I pull up in the morning. The goal is to play tomorrow, but what that looks like depends on how today goes, the priority being the World Cup and not compromising that.”Related

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• Cummins: We can't afford to be 'cooked' before World Cup

Glenn Maxwell, too, is likely to return to action after he took part in the nets session on Tuesday. Maxwell’s last competitive game was a first-class appearance for Warwickshire in July. He was set to play in the T20I series in South Africa but experienced soreness in his previously broken leg at the first training session. He was sent home early as a precaution as he was always set to miss the subsequent five-match ODI series to be home for the birth of his first child.Australia will be without Spencer Johnson (hamstring) and Nathan Ellis (groin), though. The pace duo has returned home to begin their recoveries ahead of the domestic season. While Johnson made his debut in the second ODI, Ellis did not feature in the series. Neither bowler is part of the World Cup squad.Glenn Maxwell is also in line to make a comeback•Getty Images

Maxwell played a practice match for Victoria last Wednesday but did not arrive in India until Friday. While Starc did not confirm Maxwell’s inclusion for the third ODI, he suggested the allrounder was “certainly on track for the World Cup”.”Yeah, Glenn [Maxwell] has come back as well,” Starc said. “He is on track. I am not sure about his particular timeline but no doubt he will be looking to make an impact as soon as he gets his chance.”He has got a wealth of experience over here through IPL, through multiple tours. He is certainly an X-factor no matter which team he plays in. This is his third one-day World Cup. He is an X-factor for us and certainly who can take the game on.”His ability with the ball, particularly in these conditions, adds another option in the bowling department as well. He seems in good spirits and going really well, [but] his return I am not sure what that looks like for this week but certainly on track for the World Cup.”Australia haven’t had the best of preparations in the lead-up to the World Cup. They started the five-match ODI series against South Africa with two wins but lost the final three games, each by a margin of 100-plus runs. They then lost the first two ODIs against India by five wickets and 99 runs (DLS method), respectively, leaving themselves on a five-match losing streak.While Starc admitted Australia’s form ahead of the World Cup is a bit of concern, but with one ODI and two warm-up games in hand, he is confident the five-time ODI champions will find a way back.Australia are not concerned about Steven Smith’s form•Getty Images

“Leading into the World Cup, it’s not a position that we want to be in,” he said, “but plenty to play for tomorrow in terms of what our make-up of the team looks like, what we want to take into World Cup campaign. We have two or three opportunities after this game before game one of the World Cup. Another chance to get accustomed to the conditions, to adapt to what’s been thrown at us against probably the favourites at the World Cup. Big day for both teams tomorrow.”Starc also said that the team was not concerned about Steven Smith’s form. Smith missed the South Africa series with a wrist injury and has scores of 41 and 0 so far in the two outings in India.”His numbers speak for him,” Starc said of Smith. “He is a high-class player and has been a massive part of all formats for Australia, so no concern there. It is the adjustment factor.”We have got a lot of guys with IPL experience, we know that the wickets are going to be very different through the night and day, depending on which part of India we play as well. There are not too many grounds where we play back-to-back games so, conditions are going to play a part. We just need to adjust better than what we have in the first two games.”

Trent Boult makes himself unavailable while Matt Henry returns from injury

Deivarayan Muthu06-Nov-2023New Zealand have packed their side with as many as five spin-bowling options, including Rachin Ravindra and Glenn Phillips, for their upcoming two-match Test series in Bangladesh.Ravindra, who was dropped from the Test team after a shock defeat to Bangladesh in Mount Maunganui in January 2022, has been recalled on the back of breakout ODI World Cup. He has rattled off 523 runs in eight innings in the tournament so far, and became the first player to score three hundreds for New Zealand in men’s ODI World Cups.Mitchell Santner also returned to the Test side after having last played the format in June 2021. Santner had a productive 2022-23 Plunket Shield season for Northern Districts, taking 15 wickets and making 312 runs in three games. At his home ground in Hamilton in March, Santner wheeled away for almost 43 overs and picked up four of those wickets in the final innings, including two in two balls to seal a two-run win for Northern Districts.Ajaz Patel, though, will continue to lead the spin attack and brings with him strong long-format form. He recently chalked up his 250th first-class wicket for Central Districts and earlier in May, he had bagged ten wickets in a county game for Durham against Gloucestershire.During the off-season in New Zealand, Ajaz also remodelled his run-up, which he feels has added more fizz to his bowling.”I think the game’s moving forward, and as a spinner you’re always looking for ways to continue to challenge batsmen,” Ajaz told NZC’s in-house media team. “I think the [new] run-up allows things to happen a little bit quicker, from the action as well as off the surface. It’s about creating less time for batters in terms of [their] decision-making. It’s also still a work in progress. It’s something that’s still relatively new for me, so it’s just finding that rhythm, and that balance of getting the pace right.”Phillips and legspinner Ish Sodhi round off the spin attack. The spinners will work with Saqlain Mushtaq, who has been hired as New Zealand’s spin-bowling coach for this tour.”We’ve selected a squad we think can compete and succeed in Bangladesh,” New Zealand selector Sam Wells said. “With Ajaz, Ish, Mitch, Glenn and Rachin, we have a strong spin group that will offer good variety and options during the series.”Mitch had a strong back half of the Plunket Shield campaign last summer and has made good strides in his red-ball bowling. Rachin brings a left-arm orthodox option and has improved considerably over the past 18 months with the ball – and his performances with the bat at the World Cup speak for themselves.”Trent Boult, however, was not considered for selection after he made himself unavailable for the tour. The left-arm seamer, who had stepped away from his central contract last year, will instead be in action for Deccan Gladiators in the Abu Dhabi T10 league post the ODI World Cup.Matt Henry, who hurt his right hamstring during the World Cup fixture against South Africa and returned home from India, was picked in the squad for the two Tests in Bangladesh. Henry, Kyle Jamieson and Tim Southee are the only frontline seamers in the 15-man squad. Left-arm quick Neil Wagner was not named in the side.Kyle Jamieson is currently with New Zealand’s World Cup squad in India•ICC via Getty Images

Jamieson is set for his first Test since undergoing back surgery in February. He is currently with Black Caps’ ODI World Cup squad in India as Henry’s replacement. Before flying out to India, Jamieson had turned out for Canterbury in the Plunket Shield, scoring an unbeaten 44 and collective five wickets against Otago in Christchurch.Batter Henry Nicholls, who had suffered a mild side strain during Canterbury’s Plunket Shield warm-up has recovered sufficiently to make New Zealand’s Test squad. However, allrounder Michael Bracewell hasn’t recovered fully from an Achilles injury.The two-match Test series in Bangladesh marks the beginning of a new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle for New Zealand. Luke Ronchi will be in charge of the squad in Bangladesh, taking over from Gary Stead, who will get a break following the ODI World Cup.Saqlain, Daniel Flynn (batting coach) and Jacob Oram (fast-bowling coach) will assist Ronchi. Oram will fill in for Shane Jurgensen, who will end his ten-year association with New Zealand after the World Cup. NZC will look to appoint a full-time bowling coach after the T20 World Cup in June 2024.While this will be Flynn’s first coaching stint with New Zealand, Oram and Saqlain had previous worked with the team.This will be New Zealand’s first Test tour of Bangladesh in ten years. They were supposed to visit the country in 2020, but that was cancelled because of Covid-19.Squad: Tim Southee (capt), Tom Blundell (wk), Devon Conway, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Kane Williamson, Will Young

“It’s important that we stay in the moment. That’s the constant talk from game one, it’s not like we want to change anything,” he adds

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Nov-20231:51

Kumble on India’s massive win: Perfect, amazing, outstanding

In the end, Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill went so hard at South Africa’s new-ball bowlers that India scored more in their first ten overs – 91 – than South Africa did in their entire innings.Rohit was the firestarter as India raced past fifty in the fifth over and he finished with 40 off 24 balls, having provided the ignition needed to score 326 for 5, a total that was well above par on an Eden Gardens pitch that helped spin. But after the game, he said his approach was not pre-meditated.”Not really, that is something we didn’t discuss, to be honest,” Rohit said at the post-match presentation when asked whether there was a conscious effort to be aggressive against South Africa. “Gill and I have been batting together for a long time now and that’s how we have batted for the majority of our innings together. We let our instincts do the talking for us, we let it take over in the middle and not pre-plan everything. If the wicket is good, we want to go out there and play the kind of cricket we are playing and everything falls in place.”Related

• Relaxed Rohit neither 'too excited' nor feeling 'much pressure' ahead of big final

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• Stats – New highs for Kohli; South Africa hit lowest low

And everything did fall in place for India. After he and Gill were dismissed, Virat Kohli went on to score his record-equalling 49th ODI century and his 134-run partnership with Shreyas Iyer ensured that India were always above par even when the pitch got harder to bat on.”If we look at how we played in the last three games, we played better [against South Africa] in terms of adapting to the situation,” Rohit said. “We were put under little bit of pressure against England where we lost three wickets upfront and then we got ourselves collected and got a decent score and the seamers did the job for us. In the last game as well, we lost a wicket in the first over, but we stitched a very big partnership there and then again got to a good score, and again, seamers came to the party.”Again today as well, it was not an easy pitch, you needed someone like Kohli to go out there and bat the situation. Not to forget [Shreyas] Iyer, creating that partnership for us and getting the runs on the board and then we knew we had the runs on the board and it was time to keep the ball in the right areas, and the pitch will do its thing.”After scoring 326 at Eden Gardens, India dismantled South Africa for just 83•ICC via Getty Images

Rohit had words of praise for Mohammed Shami and Iyer. Despite not playing the first four league games, Shami is India’s leading wicket-taker at the World Cup, with 16 wickets in just 26 overs, at an astonishing strike rate of 9.7, average of 7.00, an economy of 4.30. Iyer, meanwhile, has scored consecutive half-centuries against South Africa and Sri Lanka, after scoring just one in his first six innings of the World Cup.”Honestly, even if they wouldn’t have repaid, I would have still kept that faith,” Rohit said. “It’s important to let guys have freedom in the middle. It is important to make them understand what is expected of them. And I also understand it’s not going to happen every game. You have to keep the trust in the guys who have done the job for the team. It cannot be done every day but when it happens, everything looks good.”That’s what happened with Shami. In the first few games, he was not part of the XI, but for him to come back the way he has in the last four games shows the mindset and the quality of the player. Same with Iyer, wasn’t getting the runs he was expecting by his own standards but [in] the last two games, showed the kind of class he has.”In Hardik Pandya’s absence, Ravindra Jadeja has stepped up to deliver as India’s sole allrounder. After not batting in the first four games, he helped seal the chase against New Zealand (39* off 44), and provided powerful finishes while batting first against Sri Lanka (35 off 24) and South Africa (29* off 15). He’s also taken 14 wickets with an economy of 3.76, including a five-wicket haul against South Africa.”Jadeja has been really good,” Rohit said. “He is a big match-winner for us, playing in all three formats for us for many years now. He keeps doing the job, goes under the radar a lot but today was a classic case of what Jadeja is for us – scores runs at the back end and then to come out and take wickets. Very important player. He knows exactly what is expected of him from the team.”With eight wins in eight games, India have secured the top spot in the league with a game in hand, against Netherlands in Bengaluru on November 12. After that, they will play their semi-final against the team that finishes fourth in the league, but Rohit isn’t looking too far ahead just yet.”This is something that we have been talking constantly in our changing room. Not to get ahead of ourselves. There is still a long way to go in the tournament,” Rohit said. “It’s important that we stay in the moment. That’s the constant talk from game one, it’s not like we want to change anything or we are talking about anything else. When we turn up for the game, we want to play well and to our potential.”

The wicketkeeper-batter was fined 50% of his match fees for refusing to remove the sticker despite being instructed to do so by match officials

PTI28-Nov-2023The Pakistan Cricket Board has waived off the 50% match fee fine it had imposed on Azam Khan for displaying the Palestine flag on his bat during the ongoing National T20 Cup in Karachi.Azam, who plays for Karachi Whites in the tournament, was fined 50% of his match fee by the PCB match referee on Sunday after he refused to remove the Palestine flag sticker from his bat during the match against Lahore Blues. The wicketkeeper-batter was found to have violated Article 2.4 of the PCB Code of Conduct for repeated failure to comply with the instruction or directive of an umpire during a match.The PCB did not give any reason for completely waiving off the fine nor did it explain whether Azam had agreed to take off the sticker from his bat for the remaining matches of the tournament.”Azam Khan’s 50 per cent fine imposed by match officials has been reviewed and waived off by the Pakistan Cricket Board,” the PCB said in a release.”The Karachi Whites wicketkeeper-batter was fined 50 per cent of his match fee for being found guilty of committing a level-1 offence during his side’s National T20 Cup 2023-24 match against Lahore Blues at National Bank Stadium, Karachi.”As per ICC rules, players and team officials are not permitted to wear, display or otherwise convey personal messages on their equipment unless approved in advance by both player or team official’s cricket association and PCB’s cricket operations department.Azam has appeared in five T20Is for Pakistan, including two against Afghanistan earlier this year. He is known for his big-hitting abilities in T20s and is also a regular in the franchise cricket circuits worldwide.During the recent ODI World Cup in India, Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan had also tweeted in support of the Palestinian people in Gaza.

He will go in at the top for the first time in his career against West Indies in Adelaide

Andrew McGlashan13-Jan-2024Steven Smith has laid out his rationale behind pushing for a move to open in Test cricket, and it’s pretty simple: he doesn’t want to wait.Smith had been the only incumbent player to publicly state he wanted to shift up the order to replace David Warner and the selectors ended up taking the option, which has also allowed them to bring Cameron Green back in at No. 4.The new-look batting order will have its first outing in the opening Test against West Indies, in Adelaide, which starts on January 17.Related

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Smith has never opened in Test or first-class before in a career spanning 16 years, but is no stranger to facing an almost new ball, particularly when he was batting at No. 3. However, he cited the 2019 Ashes, where he was No. 4, as an example of when he was frequently been tested early in an innings – in those four Tests (he missed one with concussion) the highest total, and longest wait, he entered at was 60 for 2 in the 23rd over at Lord’s.”Since I guess Marnus [Labuschagne] has been playing at No. 3, I’ve been waiting to bat for quite a long period of time and I don’t really like waiting to bat,” he told while playing for Sydney Sixers on Friday night. “So I thought, why don’t I put my hand up and have a crack up top and that way you can get Cameron Green in and you’re playing your six best batters so hopefully it works out.”I am [excited]. I like facing the newer ball. I think if you look back to the 2019 Ashes I was in pretty early most of the time there where I was facing the new ball. I batted No. 3 for a number of years as well and was in early and did pretty well against the new ball so it’s nothing new or foreign to me. You know I enjoy getting in there and getting amongst it and yeah, I’m looking forward to that challenge.”Steven Smith has faced a lot of short bowling in recent times•Getty Images

Warner, who retired from Test cricket after facing Pakistan in Sydney, believes one of the advantages for Smith is that he will likely face more conventional bowling and tactics early in his innings which may allow him to score more freely.In recent years, oppositions have come up with a variety of plans to Smith – including bouncers from round the wicket and stacked leg-side fields – which, while not often dismissing him quickly, have stemmed his scoring rate.”He likes to walk cross and get onto the legside and get it away there,” Warner said. “People have been bowling short to him when he first gets in. But he finds a way. Early on, they’re going to try and swing the ball and pitch the ball up. And he’s going to be allowed to get into his game and his game plan. Get into the rhythm of how he wants to bat and he can dictate. So I’m actually looking forward to seeing how he goes.”Warner added that he thought Smith and Usman Khawaja both had “another year or two” in them in Test cricket, which could take them up to the 2025-26 Ashes in Australia after next season’s series against India. Matt Renshaw has now been earmarked as the next batter in line, but Warner backed the move to get Green back in the side.”It’s a good taste for Greeny…24 years of age,” he said. “They’re going to have to look for two new guys up the top [of] the order. But to get that No. 4 replacement as well, that’s your foundation at three and four. So if they can knuckle that down, they’ve got a base in the middle. Then they just have a look for some more openers.”

The Sri Lanka selectors do not want to test youngsters this close to the tournament

Madushka Balasuriya04-Mar-2024Sri Lanka’s selectors want to lean on known quantities and experience as opposed to the untested vigour of youth, as they make their final tweaks for the T20 World Cup in June. That was the main reason they recalled Niroshan Dickwella for the T20I series in Bangladesh after Kusal Perera was ruled out with a respiratory infection.This also means the likes of Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Dunith Wellalage, Lasith Croospulle and Shevon Daniel may have to bide their time for further opportunities with the national side. And if so, Viyaskanth might feel the most hard done by, having picked up eight wickets in four games for MI Emirates, at an economy of 5.43, in the recent ILT20.Viyaskanth has also shown himself to be a growing threat throughout his multiple seasons in the LPL. But given he has played just one T20I till now, the selectors felt it would be a risk to blood him in with the World Cup around the corner.Related

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• Kusal Perera ruled out of Bangladesh T20Is with respiratory infection

“In T20s we need a wicket-taking option, which is why we opted for Jeffrey [Vandersay] over someone like Dunith [Wellalage],” Upul Tharanga, the chairman of selectors, said. “We felt that Jeffrey was more of an attacking bowler in T20s.”We [also] had a big discussion regarding Viyaskanth and Jeffrey, and there were differing opinions within the selection committee. But in the end, we went with Jeffrey because the World Cup is coming up soon and there was a question over whether Viyaskanth could suddenly be brought in to play in a World Cup. So that’s why we went with Jeffrey and his experience.”It was a similar story regarding Dickwella, who was picked ahead of Croospulle and Daniel.”We were looking for someone to play in the top order [with the injuries to Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Perera]. We looked at Shevon Daniel, Lasith Croospulle and Dikka [Dickwella], but the first two are still quite young. It was difficult to pick them based purely on their most recent performances.”They’re very talented cricketers, someone like Shevon can play for 10 to 15 years for Sri Lanka. A player like that, do we drop him into a difficult situation? Or do we hold him back and let him play in the NSL, A team, give experience and then bring him into the side?””We spoke to the captain, as well as the coach, and they also felt Niroshan Dickwella was the best option at this time because heading into a World Cup, his experience will be useful.”Apart from his erratic form, among the primary concerns surrounding Dickwella’s inclusion were also his disciplinary issues, most notably when he was among three players banned for breaching bio-bubble protocols in 2021. Tharanga, however, said this was a subject that had been discussed with the player.”Discipline is very important. We spoke to Dikka. The team is playing well, and we really haven’t had any issues with discipline in recent times. That’s a very important thing, it shows the unity of the team as well. Discipline needs to be the number one thing.”

RCB are 10th and in desperate need of a win, but is there any stopping Travis Head and co at the moment?

Sruthi Ravindranath24-Apr-20242:23

Aaron: ‘In-form Siraj perfect bowler to get Head and Abhishek out’

Match details

Sunrisers Hyderabad (3rd) vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru (10th)
Hyderabad, 1930 IST (1400 GMT)

Big picture – Can RCB out-SRH SRH?

If Travis Head doesn’t get you, Abhishek Sharma will. If Abhishek doesn’t get you, Heinrich Klaasen will. If neither gets you, one of the middle-order batters will.Or they will all come at you together, just like they did against Royal Challengers Bengaluru about ten days ago.There were doubts about the Sunrisers Hyderabad bowlers being able to support their star batting line-up. There have been a few noteworthy performances, even though their bowlers have been taken for runs. But in their most recent match, against Delhi Capitals, T Natarajan had an effect in the end overs, and their captain Pat Cummins has been instrumental in slowing the pace down in the middle overs. Mayank Markande has also shown promise.Related

• Du Plessis on RCB's bowling: 'We don't have as many weapons'

• Maxwell takes a break to refresh after asking to be rested by RCB

• It's too many runs, somebody make it stop

• The good man Pattie and the scoundrel Cummins

In a way, SRH and RCB operate similarly: their batters have done the heavy lifting to compensate for their bowling deficiencies. SRH, though, have been more fearless and consistent with the bat. RCB, meanwhile, have had to toil harder. Their captain, Faf du Plessis, had even acknowledged that his bowlers did not have “as many weapons” to restrict the flow of runs.One positive for RCB is that they have fought hard with the bat despite two consecutive losses in their last two games while chasing large totals. They scored 262 in a record 288-run chase against SRH and fell one run short in the 223 chase against Kolkata Knight Riders. They have had some great individual performers too. But they are missing a key player who, on his best day, is capable of SRH-ing the living daylights out of SRH. Is out-of-form Glenn Maxwell feeling rejuvenated enough to return? RCB can only hope, as that will be critical if they don’t want to give up their slim chance of staying alive this season.

Form guide

Royal Challengers Bengaluru LLLLL
Sunrisers Hyderabad LWWWW

Previous meeting

SRH bested RCB on an evening that produced the highest IPL total and the highest match aggregate in all T20s. They posted a record 287 for 3 on the back of Head’s 102 and Klaasen’s 31-ball 67. RCB then finished on 262 for 7, Dinesh Karthik leading the way with 83 off 35 balls as they eventually fell 25 runs short at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.1:40

‘Shahbaz, Samad have given SRH top order confidence’

Team news and impact player strategy

Sunrisers HyderabadSRH are unlikely to change their XI barring any injuries. Head has been the player subbed out when they have batted first and subbed in while chasing. In their last game, against Delhi Capitals, they brought in Washington Sundar as the Impact Player.Sunrisers Hyderabad (probable XII): 1 Travis Head, 2 Abhishek Sharma, 3 Aiden Markram, 4 Heinrich Klaasen (wk), 5 Abdul Samad, 6 Nitish Kumar Reddy, 7 Shahbaz Ahmed, 8 Washington Sundar, 9 Pat Cummins (capt), 10 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 11 Mayank Markande, 12 T NatarajanRoyal Challengers BengaluruRCB brought back Mohammed Siraj, Cameron Green and Karn Sharma for the previous match in place of Vyshak Vijaykumar, Reece Topley and Saurav Chauhan. If Maxwell is good to go, he might slot in for Green. They got Suyash Prabhudessai in as the Impact sub in their second innings, swapping out Yash Dayal.Royal Challengers Bangalore (probable XII): 1 Virat Kohli, 2 Faf du Plessis (capt), 3 Will Jacks, 4 Rajat Patidar, 5 Cameron Green/Glenn Maxwell, 6 Suyash Prabhudessai, 7 Mahipal Lomror, 8 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 9 Karn Sharma, 10 Lockie Ferguson, 11 Mohammed Siraj, 12 Yash Dayal/ Vyshak Vijaykumar

In the spotlight

Abhishek Sharma has been making heads turn. His explosive starts have been crucial in SRH setting up massive totals, his strike rate of 215.96 the second-best for a batter who has faced over 100 balls this season. He’s scored 257 in seven matches so far, but has only one half-century. He will be keen on converting those starts and putting up big scores to strengthen his case with the national selectors.RCB have not been able to get the best out of Rajat Patidar, having used him as a floater in the first few matches of the season. In the last three matches, though, he has played at his usual No. 4 position and has scored two quick fifties, including a 23-ball 52 against KKR in the last match. Patidar has showcased his big-hitting abilities in the past for RCB, his best being a match-winning effort of 112* off 54 against LSG in the 2022 eliminator. RCB’s Nos. 3 to 5 have the lowest collective average of the season (15.7) among all teams, but Patidar’s continued good form in the No. 4 position may help them turn it around.1:29

McClenaghan: Important for RCB to get their angles right

Pitch and conditions

The match will be played on the same pitch as the first game of the season at this ground, where SRH plundered a record 277 for 3 batting first against Mumbai Indians, who in turn made 246 for 5, so expect a high-scoring game. It is expected to be hot on Thursday evening in Hyderabad.

Stats that matter

• Virat Kohli scored 100 off 63 balls at this venue last season and has registered 50-plus scores in each of his last three T20 appearances here. Overall in T20s, he averages 59.20 at this venue.
• How can Sunrisers stop Kohli? Call Bhuvneshwar Kumar. He has dismissed Kohli four times in 15 meetings in T20s.
• Sunrisers batters have struck at 177.79 this season. This is the first time the combined strike rate of batters from a single team has breached the 170 mark in the IPL.

Quotes

“I think the quality of Travis and Abhishek at the top and their their fearless attitude [has been the reason for aggressive batting style]. And I think once the openers do it, it’s pretty contagious. So those two in particular have been fantastic and then we’ve had some players have been really complementary to that style.”
“I think as a batting group, we may have lost the last two games but we scored 262 in a tough chase and then the other night 220 again. We know we’ve got the high scores in us. We’ve been playing with the freedom of chasing a high score. You know you have no option but to go after. We’ll be looking to continue that and play with the same freedom as if we were chasing a 220-plus score.”