The Rajasthan Royals opener has put a premium on boundaries in his three centuries this IPL, but there’s more to his box-office knocks

Nagraj Gollapudi22-Apr-20223:43

Did Delhi Capitals get their plans all wrong against Buttler?

It is scary to think what Jos Buttler can do this IPL. Only because of what he has already done this season (which is just on the verge of reaching the halfway stage). Most runs, most hundreds, highest individual score, most fours, most sixes… Many feats, one name: Jos Buttler.At the moment, Buttler is scoring centuries wilfully and making batting look ridiculously easy. He already has three centuries in seven matches this season. The record for most centuries in IPL history is held by Chris Gayle, who had six in 141 innings. The next best haul belongs to Virat Kohli, who has five in 206 innings. Buttler, who is joint-third on the list, has four centuries in just 71 IPL innings. David Warner and Shane Watson, who also have four tons each, got there in 155 and 141 innings, respectively. Don’t bother betting on Buttler leaving Gayle in the wake as you won’t win much.Related

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Interestingly, though, Buttler is using the same modus operandi that Gayle deployed to leave the opposition think tanks numb and their bowlers dumbfounded. Of his 491 runs this IPL, Buttler has got 356 just in boundaries. And that is the ethos of Buttler’s T20 batting: hack runs relentlessly in fours and sixes without bothering about breaking a sweat running twos and threes. Preserve, and not waste energy has been Buttler’s success mantra, which has helped the Rajasthan Royals opener smack some of the biggest boundaries even in the death overs.His match-winning 65-ball 116 against Delhi Capitals on Friday was no different. Having put Royals to bat, Capitals captain Rishabh Pant said his bowlers would get good purchase bowling first on the green-tinged Wankhede pitch. He felt if Capitals could restrict Royals to 150-160, that would put his side in the driver’s seat.ESPNcricinfo LtdAfter five overs, Royals were 29 for 0, so timely accelaration was going to be key to Royals’ chances of putting up a formidable total. And Buttler seemed the perfect fit for the job. After all, a slow start has become his default approach to setting up his base. Or so has been a consistent feature across all the three centuries he has hit this season. Against Mumbai Indians, his hundred saw him crawl to 12 off the first 15 deliveries. Against Kolkata Knight Riders, he made 103, scoring his first 17 runs in 15 balls. On Friday, while he got two boundaries in the first over of Royals’ innings, neither was in control. After 14 balls, Buttler was on just 11.In all three centuries this season, Buttler’s dot-ball percentage was one of the highest. In fact, against Mumbai he had 28 dots in 68 balls. That is 41.20% – the highest in a century in the IPL. Against Knight Riders, it was 34.40% (24/65) and against Capitals it was 36.90% (21/61). In comparison, the dot-ball percentage in Kohli’s five centuries ranged between 17% and 30%. Gayle, though, had similar numbers to that of Buttler with an average of 34%. The median dot-ball percentage for Buttler stands at 35.70% while Gayle’s was 34.20% and Kohli’s 20.70%.Against Mumbai, Buttler had ransacked 26 runs in a single over off Basil Thampi in the powerplay which was one of the turning points in the game. On Friday, in the final over of the powerplay, bowled by Khaleel Ahmed, Buttler stepped deep into the crease and unleashed a powerful hoick over deep midwicket for a six. Next one the ball flew over mid-off and was racing to the boundary except it ended being a double after David Warner plunged forward to stop the ball crossing the rope. Next ball, though, Buttler once again picked another length ball and sent it over deep midwicket. With a grimace, Pant, shaking his head, looked at Khaleel.Pant wouldn’t let go of that cringed look on his face during Buttler’s stay, which went as deep as the 19th over. No Capitals bowler was able to put an iota of doubt into Buttler’s mind, not even Kuldeep Yadav, who was the second-highest wicket-taker before the match. Kuldeep also had a favourable match-up against Buttler: in all T20s he had given away just 36 runs off 25 deliveries while getting the Royals batter twice. On Friday, Buttler hit the left-arm wristspinner for 31 runs off 12 balls, including two fours and three sixes, when coming into this game, Kuldeep had been hit for just four fours across six T20 innings by Buttler.And it wasn’t Kuldeep alone who bore the brunt of Buttler’s blitzkrieg. As late as the 19th over, Mustafizur Rahman attempted a yorker which turned into a low full toss, and Buttler swept it by dissecting the deep-square leg and the long leg region. Next ball, with the delivery angled wide outside off stump, Buttler moved deep into the crease, used a top-handle grip and wedged the ball over long-off while treating it like a golf club.The mechanics of Buttler’s batting is pretty simple: once he has got his eye in, he uses the crease smartly, uses the angles wisely and puts to use those powerful, rubbery wrists to send the ball wherever he wants. In the power-hitting hall of fame, Buttler occupies a singular place: the throne.As far as IPL 2022 is concerned, it is just about mid-season and Buttler is nine short of 500 runs. Can he score 1000 runs this season – a feat never achieved in any edition before? Can he overtake Gayle on the list of most IPL hundreds, soon?It is scary to think what Buttler can do.

The opener’s 137 in Durban was an exercise in patience, sticking to the plan, and great mental strength

Mohammad Isam02-Apr-2022Mahmudul Hasan Joy was born in Chandpur on November 13, 2000, the same day Bangladesh crashed to 91 all out and lost their inaugural Test in Dhaka, some 115 kilometres away to the north.It was an uplifting time, Bangladesh had just become the ICC’s tenth Full Member. But the cricket team has had to evolve considerably over the years, in fits and starts, and has taken a long time to compete with the higher-ranked teams. So, when 21 years on, Mahmudul dominated South Africa in Durban, it was a giant leap forward, especially for Bangladesh batting.The 137 was Mahmudul’s second significant knock for Bangladesh. After his 78 in Mount Maunganui blunted the New Zealand attack for close to five hours. Then, it allowed Bangladesh to bat big, and keep New Zealand under their thumb for the rest of the game. He missed the rest of the Test series because of a finger injury, so this effort at Kingsmead was his next Test innings.Mahmudul picked up where he had left off in Mount Maunganui, batting time, letting plenty of balls go, and forcing the bowlers to bowl to him. He was the last man out with Bangladesh on 298, having batted for seven hours and 22 minutes this time. There was not one phase of the innings when he didn’t play according to the situation or the team’s blueprint. Not many batters could really give him the necessary support, but Mahmudul kept his part of the bargain.

“We are really proud of the way he batted. Batting through the whole innings is special for Bangladesh. I am not sure there have been many better innings for Bangladesh in Test cricket”Jamie Siddons

The TV commentators talked about how he had changed tactics on the third morning by attacking Simon Harmer, South Africa’s best bowler on the second day. Despite being an opener, Mahmudul farmed the strike smartly with the tail. And his attack on Wiaan Mulder at the end added priceless runs for Bangladesh, who only conceded a 69-run first-innings lead. What went somewhat under the radar was how Mahmudul soaked up the pressure when Najmul Hossain Shanto got stuck at one end against Harmer for a long period during their 55-run stand for the second wicket.Those were all impressive performances at different phases of the game. Other young Bangladesh openers, over the years, have shown little stomach for a fight in any of those junctures, let alone four or five of them. Mahmudul looks like he is made quite differently.There will, of course, always be an asterisk next to this show, since South African are without their top bowlers. But Mahmudul is playing his first Test in South Africa, and that’s important to note.”Things might have fallen into place for him with the spinners having to bowl most of the afternoon yesterday,” Jamie Siddons, Bangladesh’s batting coach, said afterwards. “There was only ten overs of new-ball bowling. But you rarely see his levels of patience from our batsmen. There’s always some loose batting. Although in this innings, the batsmen didn’t play a bad shot to get out. It was all really good bowling and one bad run-out. Everyone was patient and played to their strength.”Mahmudul manipulated the field quite well. He hit over the top when the field was up. When they put a fielder back, he knocked it for one. He believed he could bat for six hours. All the young players have self-belief. We just need bigger scores more often from them.”Mahmudul Hasan Joy was last man out, after scoring 137 runs•Gallo Images/Getty ImagesHaving arrived in Bangladesh only in early February this year, Siddons hasn’t seen much of Mahmudul apart from a few knocks in the BPL and net sessions in Gary Kirsten’s cricket academy in Cape Town ahead of this Test series.”I am only here for two months, and he is one of the boys who really caught my eye in terms of talent, work ethic and patience when he bats – the dedication to working on his game,” Siddons said. “I think it is only his second [third] Test, so no one really knows a lot about him, unless you’ve been watching Bangladesh’s domestic cricket.”Today’s innings was one of patience and a great game plan. He stuck to what he knows. He didn’t try to play any expansive shots that weren’t in his repertoire. We are really proud of the way he batted. Batting through the whole innings is special for Bangladesh. I am not sure there have been many better innings for Bangladesh in Test cricket.”The first glimpse of Mahmudul’s mental strength was during his match-winning century against New Zealand in the 2020 Under-19 World Cup semi-final, in South Africa. It was the first time Bangladesh had reached the tournament final, which they went on to win. Test captain Mominul Haque said a couple of months back that the 78 against New Zealand suggested Bangladesh had a “superstar” in their midst.If you have followed Bangladesh’s cricket in recent years, Mominul’s hyperbole wouldn’t seem out of place. Finding an opening partner for Tamim Iqbal has been a long-drawn search, and the right result has never really come. Of late, Tamim’s absence has given the likes of Mohammad Naim, Shadman Islam and Saif Hassan opportunities, but none of them could grab those like Mahmudul has. If he can stay the course, he could well be the answer to one of the Bangladesh team’s biggest problems.

Composure in the midst of controversy epitomises captain’s influence on title-winners

Vithushan Ehantharajah17-Jul-2022James Fuller dropped to his knees, visibly distraught. Chris Wood looked angry, flinging the stump he had grabbed as a souvenir in the general direction of where he’d ripped it from the ground. Liam Dawson turned away in disbelief, crouching down with his head in his hands, perhaps because he had turned to face the big screen which had “NO BALL” in big block letters staring back at him.All three were representative of the grief among the Hampshire players when television umpire Paul Baldwin called down to the standing Graham Lloyd to let him know Nathan Ellis had overstepped when yorking Richard Gleeson. Suddenly four off one was two off one, with all modes of dismissals aside from a run-out not in play with the free hit. And as Hampshire went into their fielding positions, the smoke from the premature victory fireworks still hanging in the air, they must’ve wondered if that was it. Lancashire were back from the dead and surely could not die again. Just as the feeling of inevitability descended on Edgbaston, James Vince shouted to his players to come meet him at mid-off.”We just had to take our time,” Vince said, sensing at the time that the shell-shock of the no-ball had not worn off. “We weren’t under any time pressure at that stage, so had to take a deep breath, make sure everyone was aware of the situation and just slow the game down a bit, make sure we were re-focused. That was just a moment where we had to regroup.”They did, and after another slower ball from Ellis, a bye and a mess of bodies and regulations that were still trying to be untangled on Sunday, Hampshire had secured a third T20 Blast trophy, and first at Edgbaston, by a single run.The calmness Vince showed is perhaps one of the most under-rated elements of him as a cricketer, and was particularly evident not just with the impromptu huddle but when he ran out Luke Wells with a direct hit off the final ball of the 19th over. A clutch moment, both in getting rid of the last recognised batter, and saving a precious run.Nathan Ellis kept his cool after Vince instigated a break before the final ball, and delivered the T20 Blast trophy•Getty ImagesThe shapes and sounds of Vince’s batting tend to take the headlines, whether prim and middled or loose and edged. It’s consistently been the former in the Blast, as he finished as the outright top run-scorer with 678 runs at 48.42 and a strike-rate of 146.12. But the latter has always been used to extrapolate a flightiness, even unreliability to Vince’s career. Of someone who isn’t that keen on responsibility. Perhaps the average England supporter carries that view off the back of a high-profile Test career of 13 caps and an average of 24. Everyone associated with Hampshire, however, are under no illusions as to his merits. Even the ones who haven’t been there long.”He’s definitely one of the calmer captains I’ve played under,” Ellis said, and that is saying something given the Australian has international, Big Bash League and Indian Premier League experience. “Then on top of that, he’s obviously had an amazing tournament and led from the front with his performances. That’s all you can ask for.”It’s quite a big role with that amount of cricket over here in all formats. I can’t imagine being up and about and being able to lead from the front, day in, day out like he does. I’ve obviously got a small glimpse of it in the Blast. He’s been phenomenal.”Ellis was sitting next to Vince at the time, but was unafraid to big him up late on Saturday evening while Vince looked the most uncomfortable he had all day. “That’s the contract secured for next year,” he joked once Ellis had said his piece.There has always been a belief at Hampshire that they are one of the luckiest counties going. But in Vince they have someone who doubles up as the best batter in domestic cricket and the best captain, and so – with the availability of England players a contentious issue in the latter stages of the Blast, and indeed Finals Day – Vince’s presence throughout the season ranks as something of an unexplainable boost.His absence from international white-ball cricket is bemusing, given he scored a century against Pakistan in his most recent ODI appearance last summer and a fifty in a T20I against West Indies in March, his last appearance in any format. At 31, he has plenty more to offer England, perhaps even in Tests. But while they continue their considerations, Hampshire will continue to benefit handsomely from his quality and nous.ESPNcricinfo LtdA campaign beginning with four straight defeats is usually one to write off altogether. Vince, however, remained steadfast in his belief that outright victory, not just getting out of the South Group, was still on the cards. That spread throughout the group and, 12 wins out of 13 later, he was proved right. As he was the year before, when things had been a little more precarious.Getting into the quarter-finals required a quick win against Glamorgan and results elsewhere to go their way as Hampshire sat sixth into that final group game. They knocked off 185 inside 14.1 overs, as required, and then benefitted from Gloucestershire’s defeat to Somerset to sneak through in fourth by 0.056 on net run rate. In their first knockout game, they defended 125 against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge after instigating an improbable collapse.They went on to lose in the first match of that Finals Day, by only two wickets to Somerset who they bested this time around in the second semi. But the experience garnered by a young squad has been carried over, likewise Vince’s appreciation of those around him. He mentioned the 2021 game as a reason for taking the group pause before the final delivery on in 2022. “We said after the game that last year, in the semi-final, we maybe sped up a bit under pressure. So today, in the pressure moments, let’s make sure we take our time and give it some proper thought.”No doubt the controversy around the finish will continue, and there is no reason why it cannot be in conjunction with credit for how a total of 152 for eight was defended so well on a prime batting track. The credit belongs to Dawson and Mason Crane for taking 15 for two between them in a four-over period from 66 for one after seven, which tilted the run-rate against Lancashire. Barring a comical misunderstanding between wicketkeeper Ben McDermott and Brad Wheal at third man that gave Wells a life, the fielding, especially along the ground, was clean. The collective nerve-holding at the death was also noteworthy, both Ellis’ pluck after swapping ends in order to bowl the final over, and Vince’s gut feel to give it to him rather than Chris Wood.Related

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“It’s the resilience and the belief within the group,” Vince explained. “It probably comes through winning. You’ve got to experience those situations to build the belief, not just in T20 but across four-day cricket as well. Now that we’ve been able to lean on a few occasions where we have defended low totals or come back from games we’ve been behind in, that belief grows and grows.”Tonight is another example of where, going forward, we know we’re never out of the game. It would have been easy after the start they got off to sit back and let them cruise to victory, but there was no point just me saying it. The guys had to act it as well and they did brilliantly as they have done all year.”The last slide of Hampshire’s presentation ahead of Finals Day was of former Hampshire legend Shane Warne and his famous words, “Never give up. Just absolutely never give up.” But, for all that a county boosted by Warne paid the late Australian the perfect tribute with a spectacle he would have loved, the team and the performance on the night were very much the product of Vince.

What exactly was said, we’ll never know but Kohli didn’t awaken a beast – he’s been up for a while

Vithushan Ehantharajah03-Jul-20225:48

#PoliteEnquiries: Is Kohli allowed to sledge Bairstow?

The easiest excuse – indeed the best for Search Engine Optimisation purposes – is to blame Virat Kohli.Jonny Bairstow was just 13 from 61 deliveries, with only a single four to his name. He’d survived an lbw appeal from Jasprit Bumrah, and had just about made it through a stern examination from Mohammed Shami, who beat both edges of Bairstow’s bat five times up to that point. England’s hero of the summer so far was in desperate need of rescuing.And then Kohli decided to engage Bairstow. What exactly was said, we’ll never know. But there he was, personifying India’s bolshiness at the time, with the Dukes ball doing just as much baiting of the opposing batters as the former captain. Bairstow boomed a drive at the next delivery, missing completely. Kohli bellowed with laughter. Then Bairstow struck 93 off his next 79 deliveries and moved onto his 11th Test hundred.Kohli, however, did not awaken a beast. “There was literally nothing to it,” said Bairstow with a smile in his press conference at stumps.Besides, the beast has been up for a while. And no longer is it fuelled by antagonism. New Zealand didn’t say a word to Bairstow and look what happened to them.Related

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Test century No. 5 of 2022 means Bairstow is well on course to beat the English record of six in a calendar year, with an innings to come here, three Tests against South Africa before the summer is over, then a couple of Tests in Pakistan in December. Joe Root equalled that record only last year, and no one in their right minds would have thought it would be under threat so soon. We’ve only just got into July.Weird as it feels to say when someone blitzes the last 87 runs of their 100 from 58 balls, but this was pretty regulation by Bairstow’s new standards. Shami and Bumrah were tonked down the ground, and by the time Shardul Thakur and Mohammed Siraj came on, the Jonny Eyes were in. Both were taken for six deep into the leg side in among the fours flicked off the pads and slapped straight or driven square. The boundary that took him over the line, a punch to the cover-point boundary, was more of timing than malice, and still beat the fielder to the sponge.You’d think after three hundreds in the last 20 days, in which time he has scored 8.96% of all his Test runs, we’d have a better answer than “clarity” when asked to explain this absurd hot streak. But that’s exactly it.”I’ve never been a great technician, have I?” he joked. “That’s why you lot have torn me to shreds a few times: going leg side of it, going off side of it, bowled through the gate. Nah, genuinely, I’ve not really thought of technique and stuff like that to be honest with you. I’ve just stripped everything back and trying to focus on watching the ball. There’s my honest answer.”The result is a man batting in a way that is uniquely him. If Root is the poster boy of conforming, perfecting the side on, straight lines of this world, then Bairstow is the radical who is thriving by being himself. No longer is he hamstrung by the need to make all the necessary shapes to fit in. He’s simply trusting his eyes and hands, in turn making believers of countless doubters who had made their minds up on him after, in their defence, averaging 21 in 18 Tests between the start of 2019 and the end of 2021, while he was still trying to do an impression of a Test cricketer.Jonny Bairstow scored his fifth Test century of 2022•Getty ImagesWe should also note, it hasn’t just been brute thrashing, regardless of what a breakdown of his 485 runs so far this summer suggest. The strike rate is 110, and 67% of his runs have come in boundaries (75 in total, 12 of them sixes), with one every 5.9 deliveries. But only four of those have been what you might term “loose”, meaning even at his most aggressive, the likelihood of him going for a big shot and nailing it exactly where he wants is 94.7%. Of the 44 batters who have hit 50 or more to the fence in an English summer, no one has exhibited more control.The other conclusion to take from all of this is that “Bazball” is nothing without Bairstow. In fact, had he not batted as he did at Trent Bridge, blitzing 136 from 92 to see England most of the way to a chase of 299 from 50 overs, “Bazball” might not even be a thing. The broader concept of getting players to express themselves and play for enjoyment and entertainment might still be there, but the scale of belief, the sense of altruism and the fearlessness would not. All of which has come almost exclusively from Bairstow.On Sunday, we perhaps got our clearest indication he can only do so much to carry the team, and that his clear thinking isn’t quite catching on. Root’s tame demise for 31 on the evening of day two, edging behind when trying to cut Siraj when the ball was too close, was compounded by captain Ben Stokes slapping Thakur to Bumrah at mid off. Having been dropped twice, including the ball before by the Indian skipper, Stokes offered an immediate chance to make amends. England were eventually 284 all out and trail India by 257 going into day four, with seven second-innings wickets still to be taken.For all the excitement of Stokes’ charges down the wicket and Root’s reverse lap sweeps, their method carries a freneticism that Bairstow’s does not. They are both more than capable of pumping up the run rate and moving games along, as they’ve shown in previous eras, without needing to take the kind of risks they are. No need to chug – just sip the Kool-Aid.”Whatever they set, they set, and we’ll go about it whatever,” announced Bairstow, reading straight from the pamphlet. “We’ll be going about it in the same manner and we’re looking to take the game forward. Why not?”We know he will. The question is – who else is going to join him?

Here’s everything you need to know about the 2023 IPL auction

Deivarayan Muthu22-Dec-2022When is the IPL auction 2023 taking place, and where?
It’s in Kochi on December 23 from 2.30pm IST. It’s a regular auction this time, as opposed to the mega version last held ahead of the 2022 season, when the ten franchises had to rebuild their squads virtually from scratch.Okay, who has the most money to spend this time? And who has the least?
Sunrisers Hyderabad, who released as many as ten players ahead of the auction, have the largest purse – INR 42.25 crore. Kolkata Knight Riders also made wholesale changes to their squad by letting go of ten players, but they were active during the trading window. Having traded in Shardul Thakur from Delhi Capitals, and Lockie Ferguson and Rahmanullah Gurbaz from Gujarat Titans, Knight Riders now have the smallest purse to spend – only INR 7.05 crore.Follow the 2023 IPL auction LIVE

You can watch the auction live in India on Star Sports, and follow live analysis with Tom Moody, Ian Bishop, Wasim Jaffer and Stuart Binny right here on ESPNcricinfo.

How many players are in the auction?
The longlist originally included 991 players, the final list has 405: 273 from India and 132 from overseas, including four from Associate nations. A maximum of 87 players, of which 30 can be from overseas, can be bought at the auction because of the limited slots available.IPL 2023 auction – key numbers before the action begins•ESPNcricinfo LtdTell me about player availability.
The Australian and English players will be available for the entire IPL season, despite the Ashes scheduled to begin in mid-June. West Indies and New Zealand players will also be available for the entire season. However, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka players will likely miss a chunk of the tournament because of international commitments.There is plenty of buzz around Sam Curran. What are the chances of him fetching the highest bid in IPL auction history?
In 2021, South Africa allrounder Chris Morris became the most expensive player when Rajasthan Royals snapped him up for INR 16.25 crore. The chances of Curran breaking that record are fairly high.The left-hander can bat anywhere in the XI and is capable of pulling off those super-specialist roles, like disrupting a spinner’s work in the middle overs or even finishing an innings. With the ball, Curran fronts up during the tough overs in the powerplay and at the death. After having recovered from a stress fracture, Curran has transformed himself, becoming England’s designated death bowler at the 2022 T20 World Cup. He did such a good job that he won the Player-of-the-Tournament award.Fellow England allrounder Ben Stokes and Australia’s Cameron Green are also part of the high-profile Set 2 at this auction, but expect Curran to be in greater demand because he is only 24, can perform any role, and is more likely to pay off as a long-term investment.Amit Mishra is 40, had gone unsold at the last auction, but remains the fourth-highest wicket-taker in IPL history•Delhi CapitalsAny less-known Indian names I must keep an eye out for?
Well, quite a few. Punjab allrounder Sanvir Singh could be in demand, given his ability to smash big sixes and bowl handy medium-pace. Sanvir is also a good player of spin, thanks largely to his stints in Chennai’s first division league. With many franchises on the lookout for an Indian wicketkeeper-batter, Tamil Nadu’s N Jagadeesan, who reeled off a record five successive hundreds in the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy, could also cause a stir.Vidarbha fast bowler Yash Thakur, Himachal Pradesh finisher Akash Vasisht, and his team-mate Vaibhav Arora, who can swing the ball both ways, are the others you should watch out for. Then there are a bunch of young quicks from Jammu & Kashmir, including Sharukh Dar and Mujtaba Yousuf.Who are the major attractions from outside the top-tier cricket-playing countries?
Well, there’s Ireland left-arm quick Josh Little, who claimed a hat-trick against New Zealand in the recent T20 World Cup. He has already had a small taste of the IPL, having been a net bowler with Chennai Super Kings during their camp in Surat in 2022. Has he done enough for Super Kings to bring him into their main squad?UAE legspinner Karthik Meiyappan, who had also bagged a hat-trick during the T20 World Cup and was more recently picked by Sharjah Warriors for the inaugural ILT20, could pique the interest of franchises. Karthik is a modern wristspinner and has the experience of having been a net bowler for CSK and Royal Challengers Bangalore.Who are the youngest and oldest players at this auction?
Fifteen-year-old Afghanistan mystery spinner Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar is the youngest. Ghazanfar has played three T20s so far but has impressed the franchise scouts so much that he has made it to the IPL auction shortlist. Ghazanfar was also part of Australia’s BBL draft but didn’t find any takers there.Former India legspinner Amit Mishra, who turned 40 last month, is the oldest player in this auction. He was unsold at the 2022 auction, but considering the recent dearth of Indian wristspinners, he might work his way back into the IPL.Any prominent players that aren’t part of this auction?
IPL stalwarts Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard have retired from the league to become coaches at CSK and Mumbai Indians respectively. England allrounder Chris Woakes has pulled out of the IPL for a crack at the Ashes through county cricket. The Australian trio of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Steven Smith have decided to skip the auction as well, as has Sam Billings who withdrew from his deal with Knight Riders. West Indies opening batter Evin Lewis, who was part of Lucknow Super Giants last season, and Tim Seifert, the New Zealand and Trinbago Knight Riders wicketkeeper-batter, are also missing from the IPL auction.Some major international players have opted out of the auction•Getty ImagesWill there be any left-field picks from the SA20 player pool?
It can’t be ruled out as franchises are looking to maximise their global presence and grow players within their set-up. Titans’ wicketkeeper-batter Donovan Ferreira, who was picked up by Johannesburg Super Kings, and Dolphins’ yorker specialist Ottniel Baartman, who was among Sunrisers Eastern Cape’s first signings, might be on the wishlist of their IPL teams as well.Tell me about the accelerated process of bidding at the auction
After the first 86 names have been presented for bidding, the “accelerated process” will enable franchises to nominate a set number of players from the remaining ones. Players from the unsold list can also enter the accelerated round, subject to the franchises’ request.Will the introduction of the Impact Player impact the auction?
In the 2023 season, the IPL will introduce a tactical sub – the Impact Player – which it says will add a new dimension to tactics. Details of how the new rule will work were made public only on December 21. It’s all very new, and it remains to be seen whether franchises factor the Impact Player into their auction strategies.Is there a stipulation on squad strength?
Each franchise can have a minimum of 18 players and a maximum of 25. The number of overseas players in the squads has been capped at eight.

A bilateral ODI series might not get too many excited at the moment but, for context, there’s a World Cup spot to nail down for these two teams

Andrew Fidel Fernando24-Nov-2022So, we’ve arrived at another ODI series. While Tests enjoy the affections of the purists, and T20s set the world alight, bilateral ODIs have become the quiet presence in the corner of the party. They used to be the cool kids, and occasionally still have their moments. But when you think of the world of cricket, these are the series that seem least likely to stimulate.Add to this the fact that Sri Lanka and Afghanistan have played surprisingly little cricket against each other for teams in the same global neighbourhood and, as such, have not developed tantalising narratives. When Sri Lanka play Pakistan, it’s all smiles and saccharine affection. When Afghanistan play Pakistan, you need extra security in the stands.Sri Lanka v Afghanistan? There’s not a lot there. Yet.So why should we care?
Perhaps the greatest triumph of the ODI Super League structure is to bring context to series like this. These three ODIs are, in fact, vital to both teams. The rules are that after 24 ODIs (four away series, four home series, three ODIs each), you’ve got to place in the top eight, out of 13 teams, to gain automatic qualification for next year’s ODI World Cup. If you don’t you will have to play a qualifying tournament.Afghanistan are sitting in a relatively pretty good spot. After having played only half their Super League games, they’re at 100 points, having won 10 matches and lost two (their opponents so far have been Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, Netherlands, and Ireland). This puts them at seventh on the Super League table – essentially on the cusp of qualification. Three wins here might just seal their World Cup place.Sri Lanka, meanwhile, essentially need to win all their remaining six matches. After 18 games, they have a paltry 62 points, which puts them at 10th on the table. The likeliest outcome for them is that they will have to play the qualifying tournament, as they are probably in a three-way battle with Ireland and South Africa to claim the last automatic-qualification spot. Even a rained out match – which is very possible in Pallekele in November – is a bad result for them.Their best ODI series in recent times – the victory over Australia in a five-match series this year – didn’t count towards the Super League at all.What will conditions be like?
In some ways, the conditions in Pallekele might even out the bowling attacks. It is one of Sri Lanka’s livelier pitches for seam bowling, with the ball tending to do plenty under lights, particularly when there’s a bit of moisture around, as there usually is in November.With Dushmantha Chameera likely out for several more months following ankle surgery, and Dilshan Madushanka still unavailable, the hosts’ seam attack will be led by Lahiru Kumara, with Kasun Rajitha likely being the second seam option. Pramod Madushan is available as well. Afghanistan, meanwhile, have Fazalhaq Farooqi, who has done well against Sri Lanka in T20Is, as well as left-armer Fareed Ahmad, and Yamin Ahmadzai.Owing to little more than familiarity with the conditions, though, Sri Lanka will hope they have the higher ground on the batting front. Afghanistan’s arrival having been only several days ago, they’ve not had a lot of time to familiarise themselves with conditions either.Battle to watch
Sri Lanka’s spinners vs Afghanistan’s
Twenty-nine ODIs into his career, Wanindu Hasaranga is a decent one-day spinner, but not quite the phenomenon he is in T20Is. In this format, he has 34 wickets in 31 matches, at an average of 35.55, though with a half-decent economy rate of 5.09. His counterpart, Rashid Khan, has corresponding numbers of 18.65 and 4.16.The caveat is that 46 of Rashid’s bowling innings have been against Zimbabwe and Ireland – teams he has absolutely dominated. But even against the likes of Pakistan, or West Indies, or Bangladesh, his record is much more impressive than that of Hasaranga, who is frequently an economical spinner, but not a penetrative one in this format. Hasaranga, though, did claim career-best figures of 4 for 58 against Australia, in the last ODI series he played, so he will hope his ODI trajectory has shifted.Mujeeb Ur Rahman has also got significantly better numbers than Maheesh Theekshana, averaging 23.43 a wicket to Theekshana’s 33.40, although their economy rates are both excellent, a tick either side of four.Theekshana, though, is only nine ODIs into his career, and has proved an excellent throughout-the-innings operator already. There have been few situations, across formats, in which he has seemed overwhelmed.

South Africa’s new T20I captain begins his long-awaited tenure with a three-match series against West Indies

Firdose Moonda24-Mar-2023It has been more than nine years since Aiden Markram captained South Africa’s Under-19 side to victory at the World Cup, and more than five since he led the senior side in five of the six ODIs they played in a marathon series against India. Those were tasters of what seemed to be Markram’s birthright as skipper of South Africa’s men’s national team, and they gave him opposite experiences of what the role would ultimately entail.His U-19 experience was successful and fun. “Everyone just wanted to play and you just had to make sure the team was getting on and guys understood their roles and that was pretty much as simple as it was,” Markram said at a press conference on the eve of the first T20I against West Indies.The ODI experience was chastening, for both the team and for him. South Africa lost the series 5-1. Markram’s top-score was 32. He was dropped from the side shortly after and was bitterly disappointed with how things had gone because he expected much more from himself. “I was quite fresh back at that young age, I was quite hard on myself,” he said. “I always wanted to do well and we know that in sport, it doesn’t always work out that way.”Related

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In between that, Markram was led by Faf du Plessis, Quinton de Kock, Temba Bavuma and Dean Elgar at national level; by Sam Northeast at Hampshire and by Kane Williamson and KL Rahul at the IPL. Of those, du Plessis made the biggest impression. “How Faf managed to marshal his troops was something I really looked up to and something I strive to become. I’ve learnt a lot from him – probably without him knowing – just observing from the side,” Markram said. “The years of being in this environment has helped. We’ve had some great leaders around, so to sponge information off them and see how they operate has also shaped the way I am starting to think as well.”Now, after cutting the last of his teeth at Sunrisers Eastern Cape, the team he led to the inaugural SA20 title, Markram is finally, really ready to fulfil what many thought was his destiny. He has been named South Africa’s new, permanent T20I captain and begins his tenure with a three-match series against West Indies this weekend.As far as challenges go, although playing the former world champions always asks questions of a team, there is not much in the way of consequence for Markram’s inaugural outing. It’s not a T20 World Cup year, so the squad does not need to stack up a string of good results for anything other than pride and putting in place a few foundation stones for his tenure. Still there is excitement in the air. “West Indies are a great team to be able to test our skills against, see where we are with regards to our T20 side,” Markram said.

“You have to try to take performances and outcomes out of things and focus on the things that give you the best chance to succeed on the day, whether it works or not”Aiden Markram

South Africa have already had their high this year. Their franchise T20 tournament was played to mostly sold-out crowds, and even better than that, their women’s team made it to the T20 World Cup final. “We are almost seeing it as them setting the standard, and it’s something for us to chase,” Markram said. “They’ve inspired us to try and get there as well.”But there’s no expectation on the men’s team to reach those heights anytime soon. South Africa aren’t yet sure of a place in the 2023 ODI World Cup. Their set up, led by white-ball coach Rob Walter, are focused on 2027. By then, Markram will be 32 and there is a strong chance he will be captaining his team in a home World Cup.Before getting there, he will first need to accumulate a wealth of knowledge and maybe take some of his own advice as well. “You have to learn to take things in your stride,” Markram said. “You have to try to take performances and outcomes out of things and focus on the things that give you the best chance to succeed on the day, whether it works or not. Those things have helped me so far.”

The Afghanistan spin ace had a bad day, but his team-mates Josh Little and Noor Ahmad covered for him beautifully

Sreshth Shah29-Apr-20232:33

Moody: Little is getting better and better with experience

On most days, Rashid Khan’s performance mirrors the performance of the team he represents. But this time it didn’t. Against Kolkata Knight Riders, he conceded 54 runs in his four overs – 23 in his first spell and 31 in his second. And still ended up on the winning side. There were two reasons for this, and their names are Noor Ahmad and Josh Little.Knight Riders will be hard pressed to explain how it all happened. Rahmanullah Gurbaz had got on top of Rashid early. He was in the form of his life, actually charging towards a hundred. But the problem was, nobody stuck around to help him, and in the end, after being put in to bat, they could only muster up 179 for 7.Titans were thrilled, and once again they had unheralded talents working incredibly well together. Noor and Little bowled eight overs for 46 runs and four wickets. That combined economy rate of 5.75 and the quality of the Knight Riders batters they dismissed effectively bailed Rashid out, and despite his off day, gave Titans the upper hand at the end of their bowling innings. It was an advantage they held on to right till they hit the winning runs 90 minutes later.It started off with Little frustrating Gurbaz by getting length balls to go across the right-hander. While Gurbaz was timing the other Titans bowlers beautifully, he struggled against the Irish left-arm seamer who did well to mix his cutters and stock deliveries. Little gave away only ten runs in his first two overs, and by the time he came onto bowl his third, he had frustrated the Knight Riders batters enough that they began taking a few risks. A couple of them didn’t come off – Venkatesh Iyer lbw attempting the scoop and Nitish Rana finding the fielder at point – and suddenly he had two wickets in four balls.Even though Little conceded 12 in his final over later on, his match haul of 2 for 25 earned him the Player-of-the-Match award.”I just spoke to Hardik [Pandya] before we played and just talked about keeping it as simple as possible on this pitch, just bowling hard lengths,” Little said after the game. “Just smashing it back of a length and let the ball do the talking.”Noor Ahmad goes up in celebration•AFP/Getty ImagesNoor was having an even better day because everyone, including Gurbaz, struggled for fluency against him. He got length balls to fizz across right-handers’ bodies after pitching on leg stump, and teased left-handers with deliveries that tested both edges.One such delivery even picked off Rinku Singh, but the moment of the innings was when Noor ended Gurbaz’s blitz on 81, caught in the deep by a sliding Rashid in what was an all-Afghan affair. Gurbaz was on his knees, having thrown away a great opportunity to continue hitting, while Noor ran across to Rashid to celebrate.”Noor and Rashid have a very good rapport,” Vijay Shankar told reporters after the game. “They communicate very well in their own language.”Rashid had an off day but Rashid was still communicating with Noor today. And Noor was doing it for the team. The communication that Rashid and Noor had actually helped Noor come out and do well on this type of surface. The best thing about our team is that even last game Abhinav [Manohar] came in and batted brilliantly. That’s the biggest plus point we have. Everyone is stepping up when the game is in a difficult situation. Noor and Little did exactly what the team needed.”Shankar’s own 24-ball unbeaten 51 showed that the pitch offered enough rewards for those willing to play good shots. The rest of the Titans batters – plus Gurbaz and Andre Russell for Knight Riders – showed evidence of that too. But when Iyer, Rana and Rinku faced Little and Noor, they struggled. Even Gurbaz struggled when Little and Noor operated, even though his overall strike rate was 207.”I felt Noor and Little… they bowled really good lengths,” Shankar said. “In any format, especially T20s, good length is a good option. That’s why they call it a good length. It was just an off day for Rash. He has been the No. 1 bowler for whichever team he has played for. This is a great learning for us, to know what lengths to bowl on this kind of pitch. It was good to see someone else – Noor and Little today – step up.”Last season when Titans won the IPL title, eight different squad members picked up Player-of-the-Match awards. This season, in six wins, they have five different award winners already, with three of them bowlers. And when Titans cruise to victory with Rashid having one of his worst days, it only spells trouble for the teams they are up against next.”I feel that’s the biggest strength we have,” Shankar said. “We have five-six regular bowlers who are doing it again and again. If someone is going for runs, there is another guy coming in and getting you wickets. In most games, we are taking at least six wickets. That has been our strength.”It is just about finding ways to come out good in every situation. The amount of practice we do is a lot. We actually do it for hours and hours. We find ways to come out good in difficult situations.”

Back in Ahmedabad for the second Qualifier, Shubman Gill scored his third century in four matches. Here is how the cricket community reacted

ESPNcricinfo staff26-May-2023

His ability to identify moments and accelerate, with consistency, puts him in a class of his own. Also keep in mind, most of his games have been at Ahmedabad, one of the bigger grounds around. Well played Shubman

— AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) May 26, 2023