BCCI looking to add extra fast bowler as Hardik Pandya’s cover in India’s T20 World Cup squad

IPL 2021 | Eliminator | RCB vs KKR: Knight Riders’ fairy tale comeback faces Royal challenge

It has come down to the main stage of the Indian Premier League 2021. After going through a lot of ordeals which included facing a huge setback in terms of postponement due to Covid-19, the tournament, which was started in April, is now finally coming to its thrilling end in October. The two teams facing each other for a place in the qualifier have been on totally different sides of the spectrum as far as the qualification to the Playoffs is concerned. But come to the Eliminator and all the lines of ‘concern’ would be blurred when Eoin Morgan’s men clash against the team led by Virat Kohli, in his last season as the captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore. Kolkata would back its spin-trio in Sharjah The entire UAE leg of the IPL 2021 has been a breath of fresh air for the Knight Riders who had only one way of qualifying to the Playoffs, by winning at least five games of the seven left in the second leg. They did exactly that thanks to some brilliant performances from their newfound talent Venkatesh Iyer, Shubman Gill, who is back in form and the backing by others such as Nitish Rana and Rahul Tripathi. However, what has been the biggest plus in the second leg for KKR is its spinners in Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine getting the pitches that support them and Sharjah has been one such stadium with pitches of the liking of spinners. The Eliminator is also scheduled to be played at Sharjah and although the wicket has gotten better a bit, the trio of Shakib Al Hasan, Narine and Chakravarthy would be more than handy against the batting lineup of Bangalore. Also, it is not just spinners, the change of pace by Lockie Ferguson, and inform Shivam Mavi could be very beneficial on this ground as well. Moreover, with Kolkata having won two out of two games played at Sharjah and RCB winning only of their two games, the Knight Riders would back themselves to make it three in three. RCB to take inspiration from its last victory RCB have been in the Playoffs (Semi-Finals combined) five times so far and they have made it to the Final, which makes a success rate of 20%. Also, the last time they were in the Playoffs, they were beaten in the Eliminator by Sunrisers Hyderabad. So, for Virat Kohli and his men to make a mark, they would have to do something they did way back in 2016—make it past the Eliminator. And what could be better for the men in red and gold than their last match experience where out of nowhere, Srikar Bharat had a poetic justice to his innings, hitting the last ball for a six to win a game for RCB. The last time that happened, was done in the Champions League, a tournament that does not exist anymore and by a player called Arun Karthik, way back in 2011. Thus, they already have something to lean back on in terms of repeating history and thus in form players like Glenn Maxwell, Harshal Patel and Bharat will back themselves to get their team past the Eliminator hurdle. Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Kolkata Knight Riders: Details Match Number: Eliminator Date and Time: October 11, 2021, 07:30 pm IST (10:00 GMT), 06:00 pm Local, 02:00 pm GMT Venue: Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah Broadcast and Livestream: Star Sports and Hotstar Pitch Report The pitch at Sharjah has gotten better, but with the amount of heat in UAE, even a fresh wicket would have something on offer for spinners, especially in the second inning with the amount of dew remaining negligible. A total of more than 160 in a match of the stature of the Playoffs could be more than competitive. Weather Forecast The temperatures would be in the mid-thirties and humidity would remain low and thus there might be chances of dew later on. A captain winning the toss would look to bowl first in such conditions. However, with it being a knockout game, having run on the board is not a bad option either as the dew might not be as poignant as to affect the grip of the spinners or to make the wicket a sliding one. Team News Royal Challengers Bangalore The RCB have seemed to have finally hit the right nail and Bharat could be their right number three, especially after his match-winning knock in the last game. With Maxwell at four and AB de Villiers at five, the Bangalore batting packs a real punch. No changes seem to be the mode to go for the RCB as well. Having played the last three games with the same XI, there is not even a need to change it right ahead of an important game. Dushmantha Chameera and Wainindu Hasaranga have been released from the IPL bio-bubble for Sri Lanka's World Cup qualifiers but that would not be an issue for them since RCB have clicked with their current combination. Probable XI Virat Kohli (c), Devdutt Padikkal, KS Bharat (wk), Daniel Christian, Glenn Maxwell, AB de Villiers, Shahbaz Ahmed, Harshal Patel, George Garton, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal Kolkata Knight Riders Kolkata would also look to go with the same XI as players have performed well in their roles and have been on the money in all the last few games. If Andre Russell gets fit before the game, they might just try and fit him in the playing XI, but that looks like a very rare possibility. There is an off chance that Shakib Al Hasan might have to leave the IPL bubble as well for Bangladesh's World Cup preparations, but there has not been any confirmation from KKR or BCB yet. Probable XI Shubman Gill, Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, Eoin Morgan (c), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Shakib Al Hasan/Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Lockie Ferguson, Shivam Mavi, Varun Chakravarthy CE Fantasy XI team Wicketkeeper: Srikar Bharat Batters: Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Shubman Gill All-rounders: Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Glenn Maxwell Bowlers: Lockie Ferguson, Shivam Mavi, Varun Chakravarthy, Harshal Patel Vice-Captain: Shubman Gill Captain: Glenn Maxwell

IPL 2021 | Qualifier 1 | DC vs CSK: Prithvi Shaw hits first fifty from Capitals side in UAE leg

Prithvi Shaw hit the first fifty for a Delhi Capitals batsman in the UAE leg of the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League 2021. The milestone was achieved during the first qualifier of the tournament against the Chennai Super Kings. He reached the milestone in 27 balls and led the Capitals batting after being asked to bat first by the Super Kings captain MS Dhoni. Shaw was not at the top of his game initially and got some streaky boundaries against Josh Hazlewood but found his A-game quickly enough to put the Super Kings bowlers on the sword. He was particularly severe on Deepak Chahar and smashed him for four boundaries in an over and Shardul Thakur and despatched him for two colossal sixes to put Dhoni’s men under pressure. Shaw’s belligerent innings was instrumental in Capital’s progress in the game as his opening partner Shikhar Dhawan, and number three Shreyas Iyer were dismissed cheaply by Hazlewood. The Capitals are playing a batsman less in the game and they have lost their four wickets inside the first 10 overs of the game and the move to include Tom Curran in place of a batsman who could have been Sam Billings can very well prove costly for the men in blue.

IPL 2021 | Qualifier 1 | DC vs CSK: Capitals bring back Tom Curran in interesting selection call

In a rather surprising move, the Delhi Capitals brought back England pacer Tom Curran in the playing XI for the first qualifier of the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League against the Chennai Super Kings. The Capitals have been exposed on numerous occasions due to lack of depth in their batting department in the season and hence the inclusion of Curran, who is supposed to be the sixth bowler alongside Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Avesh Khan, Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel. The Capitals have scored 164/5, 127/9, 132/6, 139/7 in their last four games and hence the choice of strengthening the bowling department instead of the batting unit seems to be an interesting choice. Curran last played for the franchise in the first phase of the tournament played in India when the men from Delhi were without the services of the South African pace duo of Rabada and Nortje. The Chennai Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni won the toss and asked the Capitals to bat first in the big game that will pave the way for either their or the Capitals’ entry to the finals of the tournament. The team that will face the defeat tonight will go head to head against the winner of the eliminator game between the Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Kolkata Knight Riders.

AUS W vs IND W | 3rd T20I: Indian Women succumb to run rate pressure as Australia take T20I series 2-0

India Women suffered yet another defeat to go down 2-0 in the three-match T20I series against Australia Women, and also lost the all-format series by a margin of 5-11. Tahlia McGrath, who was the lone ranger and hero from the last game for Australia, played yet another brilliant innings and supported Beth Mooney as the two helped Aussie get to a total, which was troublesome for the Indian women. Along with McGrath and Mooney, economical spells from Sophie Molineux and Annabel Sutherland also played their part in getting Indian batter bogged down and commit mistakes under the pressure of the required run rate. India, who were set a target of 150 to win in the match and draw the T20I series, got off to the worst possible start, losing Shafali Verma in the very first over. Smriti Mandhan and Jemimah Rodriguez then stitched a partnership to get things moving. But in an attempt to up the ante, Rodriguez was caught by Tayla Vlaeminck off the bowling of leg spinner Georgia Wareham. Smriti also got out after completing her fifty in the 15th over as the required rate pressure kept piling up. Soon, skipper Harmanpreet and Pooja Vastrakar, who was sent up the order, also went back to the pavilion. With Harleen Deol’s wicket on the first ball of the 18th over, women in blue lost four wi kets in a span of 10 runs and 14 balls, making the already difficult chase even more difficult. With 18th and 19th over resulting in a total of just 12 runs, India Women needed to get 35 off the last over to win the game. Though they couldn’t get 36, some brilliant shots from Richa Ghosh meant that the loss didn’t look that bad, as India remained only 14 short of the Aussie total. Earlier in the day, after winning the toss and deciding to field first, the Indian team did get the early breakthrough in the form of Alyssa Healy. But the Aussie thereafter kept building required partnerships to eventually end with 149-5 in their 20 overs. Tahlia McGrath was awarded both Player of the Match as well as Series. Having already lost the ODI series 2-1, which could have had a different outcome if the second match, which was decided on the last ball had a different outcome. In the Test match, India were once again the better team but had to settle with a draw due to rain. However, in T20Is, the difference between the two teams was stark. And even as the first game was washed out, the hosts won the remaining two.