If Rohit Sharma's injury was serious, he wouldn't be padded up - Sunil Gavaskar

Russell, du Plessis & Miller among 5 foreign players to pull out of LPL 2020

A string of withdrawals has put a dent on the much anticipated Lanka Premier League. Andre Russell, David Miller, Faf du Plessis are among the five foreigners who have pulled out from the LPL a week ahead of the start of the tournament. South Africa plays England in the same window hence the likes of Dawid Malan, Miller and du Plessis would commit to their respective national duties. Russell has pulled out due to an injury. India’s Manvinder Bisla, who was instrumental in KKR’s victorious IPL campaign in 2012, has made an exit as well. The league will start on November 21, with the final slated on December 13. "The franchises that had these players will have to negotiate with other players to take their place," LPL director Ravin Wickramaratne told ESPNcricinfo. Russell, Miller, du Plessis and Malan had all been selected as marquee players, which means the franchises are not bound by the constraints of the draft payment structure when they seek new players. Russell has suffered from a knee injury and he hasn’t been part of the playing eleven for KKR since the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad on October 18. However, the Jamaican all-rounder hasn’t pulled out of the IPL. The Sri Lanka Cricket Board is optimistic of going ahead with the tournament even though certain players have expressed their dissatisfaction regarding the country’s health minister’s statement of mandatory 14-day quarantine for the players on arrival.

IPL 2020 | KXIP vs KKR: Hits and Flops as Mandeep Singh and Chris Gayle lead Kings to fifth consecutive victory

In Sharjah, if you score below 150 in the first innings, the chances of defending it become very low, mainly because of the smaller dimensions of the ground, and the same happened with Kolkata Knight Rider who were thoroughly beaten by Kings XI Punjab by eight wickets.Mandeep Singh and Chris Gayle were heroes with the bat for the Kings while Mohammad Shami and the two leggies in Ravi Bishnoi and Murugan Ashwin were handy with the ball. For Kolkata, Shubaman Gill’s fifty was the consolatory positive from an otherwise disappointing outing.On that note, here are the Hits and Flops of the game.Hits#1 Chris GayleWhen KL Rahul got out early in the game and with no Mayank Agarwal and the wicket gripping the oddball, Chris Gayle’s arrival at the pitch wasn’t really giving many hopes to the KXIP fans, especially after the way he was beaten a few times of both Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy. But the 40-year-old dug in. He stood his ground and once the rhythm was found, he just couldn’t be stopped. The Gayle storm wrapped Sharjah in its presence and by striking at more than 175; he not only brought the run rate down but also helped his partner at the crease, Mandeep Singh, to calm his nerves.Gayle made 51 off 29 balls before holding out to Prasidh Krishna at short third man off Lockie Ferguson in a very soft dismissal.#2 Mandeep SinghGetting a chance to represent his team because of regular opener Mayank Agarwal’s injury, Mandeep Singh made the best of the opportunities reaching his sixth IPL fifty and carrying his bat to see the team home. Also, the fact that Mandeep was playing this innings just a few days after his father’s death and the gesture towards heaven after reaching his fifty, was heart touching for any fan.The Punjab born after remaining not out at 66 off 56 deliveries also said that his father always wanted him to be not out in his innings and today when he led his team to victory being not out, he dedicated the inning s to his father.#3 Mohammed ShamiSince the last few matches, the Punjab bowlers have got lethal in their approach and the most dangerous among them is Mohammed Shami. The Uttar Pradesh born was brilliant in this game as well, picking up three precious wickets and bowling in the areas that were hard to hit for any batsman. Perfecting two of the most lethal weapons in the fast bowler’s armory- the bouncer and the Yorker, Shami now looks untameable and at times beastly in his approach to the batsmen.Getting two crucial wickets of Rahul Tripathi and Dinesh Karthik in two balls, Shami literally broke the back of the KKR team. His match ending figures of 3/35 might not show the prowess with which he bossed the game, but KKR batsmen would. With 20 wickets from 12 games, Shami is now just three wickets away from Kagiso Rabada in the race to the Purple Cap.Flops#1 Rahul TripathiEver since his three back to back positive knocks, Rahul Tripathi seems to have got lost somewhere. In the last few innings, he hasn’t looked the Tripathi people have come to know of. 7, 13, 1, 23, 7, 16, and 4 have been his scores in his last seven innings. In this innings too, he got out at a point when he was not settled at all and chased a delivery outside off.These failures have kept piling on him and it would be better if KKR made him realize that instead of Chopping and changing his position.#2 Dinesh KarthikKarthik, the former captain of the team has played only one match-winning innings in their entire tournament so far. He has looked rugged and battered ever since the captaincy has been taken off him. He has not really been able to get runs and the idea of trying him at every batting position by7 the team management is also not working. In this game, he not only got out but also wasted a team review, which if utilized by Pat Cummins (wrongly adjudged LBW) could have fetched different results.If somebody that really deserves the flop tag then it is the management of the KKR which is deciding its batting order. How can somebody justify opening with Nitish Rana and when Rana, the left-hander gets out then sending in Tripathi, a right-hander is sent in, instead of Morgan or Narine, the other two left-handers, if the left-right combination was the sole purpose of sending Rana to open.Also playing Kamlesh Nagarkoti and not giving him the bowl in the entire game is also beyond apprehensions now. If they want to qualify, The Knight Riders really need to get their game in a single frame instead of playing 10 different games at the same time.

KXIP vs KKR: What Experts said as Punjab inch closer to once-impossible Playoff berth

Kings XI Punjab registered their fifth win in a row to boost their chances of making it to the Playoffs of the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League. Their eight-wicket victory in Sharjah over the Kolkata Knight Riders, who are also their competitor for the all-important fourth spot in the points table, lifted the morale of the players, and the captain KL Rahul was delighted as well. Captains’ Viewpoints KL Rahul, who always had a sulking face after the match, during the first phase of the tournament, seemed really happy tonight as he said, “I am very happy. The whole team will be.” He said this while speaking post-match the presentation ceremony Elaborating on the plan that the team had hatched before the start of the game, the 29-year-old said, “We collectively decided to go out there and play positive cricket, and things can turn around. It is different persons putting their hands up at different times. Fingers crossed that we can win a few more games.” Mandeep Singh, who scored a match-winning 66 off 56 balls, lost his father just a few days ago, and to come back so strongly and finish the way he did was an act of inspiration for the skipper. He said, “The kind of toughness Mandeep has shown has rubbed on to others. Everybody is emotional. Just to put his hand up, just to be there, just to finish off the game, makes us so proud.” Answering as to how come two leggies are being played in the same team by the Kings XI, Rahul said, “When we have Anil Kumble as a coach, it is no surprise we are playing two legspinners. He always had that in mind. He has worked really really hard on them. And not just on them, but also those who haven't played yet.” The turnaround that the Punjab unit has seen in the last five games started with the first game that Chris Gayle played in the entire tournament. Praising the Jamaican, Rahul said, “Chris, it was a very hard decision not to play him, he is the hungriest I have seen in the last seven-eight years playing for different franchises.” Answering a question on what is going to be his and the team’s plans in the next two days, he said, “We will enjoy tonight's victory, enjoy tomorrow, and then start thinking about the next game. One game at a time keeps the confidence going and keeps the energy going.” Eoin Morgan, the losing captain from KKR was disappointed that his team wasn’t able to stitch together long partnerships to set up a challenging total “Particularly here at Sharjah, you have to counterattack if you lose early wickets, and identify the wicket early. Disappointed with the partnerships, thought we could have scored more runs,” Morgan said. Saying that 180-190 would have been a good total on the ground, the Englishman criticized the fact that their team has had a lot of challenge changing grounds almost every game. “When we were three down, we wanted a partnership going. Around 180-190 would have been a good score, but we kept losing wickets. That's one of the challenges this year, going from ground to ground. Hopefully, we adjust to the conditions in Dubai,” Morgan said. The 33- year old exuberated confidence saying, “Our faith is in our own hands in the last two games. I think Gill scoring runs and restricting the Kings till the 11th or 12th over, those were the positives.” Expert Opinion Mandeep Singh’s brilliant innings under pressure and also under grief was appreciated by all while the Punjab come back was the next biggest discussion. Veteran cricket analyst Ayaz Memon said that Kolkata batting did not look stable at all and the fact that they are still not able to find their best 11 is a problem that needs addressing at the earliest. The senior journalist also praised the efforts by Kings coach and captain Anil Kumble and KL Rahul respectively for their effort to encourage Mandeep Singh and talk to him after he scored his fifty. Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar also praised the Kings and their heroes Chris Gayle and Mandeep Singh for taking the crucial two points. Boria Majumdar, senior cricket expert pointed out how ill-ordered the planning of the KKR was that they played Kamlesh Nagarkoti, an out and out bowler ahead of Pat Cummins in the batting order and didn't even bowl him a single over. The reasoning for is this is beyond anybody's understanding, maybe apart from the KKR management. Kolkata based senior journalist Joy Bhattacharjya put some 'pun' in the glorious comeback of the Punjab team. As Morgan said, the fate of KKR lies in their hand now, the equation is simple- they have to win both their two games. For Kings too, it is simple- Win the next two get into the top four. It would be interesting to see, which top teams eventually make it to the Playoffs.

KXIP vs KKR: Mandeep, Gayle, Shami extend Punjab's winning streak to five

Kings XI Punjab added yet another chapter to their last-minute resurgence by lording the 150-run chase against Kolkata Knight Riders in the 46th match of the Indian Premier League. Mandeep Singh and Chris Gayle claimed the honours with contrasting fifties after Mohammed Shami ripped apart KKR's top-order with a scorching three-wicket haul. With five victories on the bounce, thieves KXIP haven't just discovered a window of opportunity but shattered the living daylights out of it to create room to sneak into the empire of playoffs. Punjab sling from the blocks KL Rahul and Mandeep Singh scored at a fair clip during the PowerPlay, as KXIP rock and rolled to 36 for naught. Varun Chakravarthy must have been on cloud nine after the unexpected promotion to the blue jersey, and brought home yet another reason to smile with the prized scalp of the Orange Cap holder. The flatter trajectory did the trick, the pushed- through drifter beating Rahul's attempted tuck to ping him on the knee flap. Although Chris Gayle served the mystery dealer a harsh reality check with consecutive thumps out of the park. Mandy-Gayle bully KKR out of the contest Still coming to grips with the emotional trauma, Mandeep anchored the chase with the sagacity of a monk, hefting his bat to the heavens as a tribute to his late father after registering his maiden half-century of the season. Gayle ploughed the same furrow, notching his 30th IPL fifty forthwith as the equation stooped to 14 off 18. The collaboration toasting a ton concurred with the left-handed dasher perishing on the brink of victory for 51 off just 29 balls. But the damage was already done by then. Though a bit trivial in the grander scheme of things, Rahul Tripathi was a force to be reckoned with in the outfield tonight, winging across the turf to produce a rocket side-arm flick from deep square leg which almost nabbed Mandeep short of his ground before forbidding a certain boundary with a goalkeeper dive to his right. Contributors of such value purchase themselves more time in the squad, even if the runs aren't exactly flowing. Punjab a searing goblet of fire The sheer volumes of confidence KL Rahul and his troops have procured from their glorious, come-from behind stint of late was pretty evident to the naked eye. Be it fielders leaving no stone unturned to protect that boundary or pacemen raising hell, KXIP were firing on all cylinders. Part-timer Glenn Maxwell laid the first stone as Nitish Rana buggered up a sweep to short fine leg. Mohammed Shami then put his shoulder to the wheel, peppering the fourth-stump channel to eliminate Rahul Tripathi and Dinesh Karthik in identical fashion, subtle lateral movement grazing the outside edge. The latter even wasted a review owing to the misconception that the inside half of the bat thudded into the pad at the very instant when the cherry wobbled through. Gill back to where he belongs Periods of vigilance generally ensue such top-order implosions, though the advent of the slam-bang format has ruffled up the dynamics a bit. Shubman Gill and Eoin Morgan threw caution to the wind, slaying their blades with unflappable audacity to frame a counter-punching 81-run stand. The salvo from thin air pegged KXIP on the backfoot, but KL Rahul hurled directives from his vantage point to ensure against a dip in intensity. It was only a matter of one miscue, and the moment of triumph arrived in the 10th over with the southpaw hoicking Ravi Bishnoi down mid-wicket's throat for a sly 4o. Floater Sunil Narine followed suit, swinging for the mountains only to witness a hash of his sticks. Having copped a great deal of flak for plying his trade sans urgency in recent times, Gill was a man on a mission to prove his detractors wrong, each stroke from his willow spitting fire en route a brisk 57. No prizes for guessing, Kolkata underachieve Robbed off the strike in the death throes, lone wolf Gill bit the dust when an agricultural heave found cow corner, while Pat Cummins trod back in dejection after being falsely adjudged leg-before, with no reviews left in the tank to call for rescue. Spare for a handy 24 by Lockie Ferguson, the tail didn't wag at all, let alone ferociously, as KKR paused for an exigent, below par total. What's on the cards next? KXIP's ming-boggling revival has now stowed a crackerjack of an eleventh-hour tussle for the semi-final berths that are up for grabs. The IPL caravan hits a half-century as the gatecrashers stumble upon fellow contenders Rajasthan Royals in Abu Dhabi on Friday, October 30. Chennai Super Kings are the official party-poopers and will aim to throw a monkey wrench in KKR's jostle for qualification a day earlier on October 29.