IPL 2020: RCB pacer Navdeep Saini doubtful for Mumbai Indians game

IPL 2020 | SRH vs DC: Match Preview, Predicted XI & Dream11 Fantasy Picks

The Sunrisers Hyderabad will start an uphill task of toppling the top three sides in the IPL 2020 in terms of their standings in the points table in order to stand any chance of making it the playoffs. The task will begin with the clash against one of the table-toppers Delhi Capitals who have been quite phenomenal apart from some hiccups here and there. The Sunrisers Hyderabad have looked like a fragile team with weakness at almost every level but the failure of David Warner and Jonny Bairstow could well have turned out to be their biggest nemesis this year as the team has struggled to chase even modest scores such as in the last game against the Kings XI Punjab. The Sunrisers’ bowling attack has come up impressively after their leader of the pack Bhuvneshwar Kumar was ruled out of the tournament very early along with the setback of the all-rounder Mitchell Marsh. The game against the Delhi Capitals will be a do or die game for the Sunrisers who have to go past their ‘complacency’ in batting and post a huge total on the board just like the Kolkata Knight Riders did in the last game against the Delhi Capitals otherwise the flamboyance in the Delhi’s team will run through men in orange in no time. David Warner has been a pillar of success for the Sunrisers since the time has made his entry to the franchise but his bat has been searching for fluency in the season and he looks desperately out of form. He started to look good in the last game against the KXIP but could not convert the start into a big and match-winning one while Jonny Bairstow is looking half the player he used to look in the match preceding the IPL this year. It looks like he is mentally not in with his technique and lacing the self-confidence to chart out ways to dominate bowlers. These two batsmen are the best openers a team can get and the worst combination for any bowling attack given the difference in stroke-making and areas they score heavily in. If the Sunrisers have to dare to take a punt on the fortune by winning their last three games, both Warner and Bairstow will have to muster back with their usual style of batting and partnership. On the other hand, the Delhi Capitals will be itching to get back on the winning ways after facing defeats in their last two matches. In the last game, the Shreyas Iyer-led side was outplayed by the KKR in all the departments and it will be a chance for the Delhi’s men to run riots against the Sunrisers, in the same manner, they have been doing against almost all the teams in the IPL 2020 so far. The team had started well against the KKK taking early wickets but the pair of Nitish Rana and Sunil Narine took on the bowlers after the initial burst of outstanding blowing spells by the both Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje. The spinning duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Axa Patel could not contain the KKR batsmen in the middle overs and ended up leaking too many runs that helped the struggling KKr side run away with a big total. Shreyas Iyer would hope both Ashwin and Axar will find their rhythm back and with two Indian batsmen in the SRH’s middle order, their role will be as crucial as of Nortje and Rabada in the initial overs. In the batting department, the lack of form shown by Ajinkya Rahane will be a point of concern for the Delhi management and the team would be hopeful of settling the opening woes before the playoffs begin in the tournament. Shreyas Iyer, too, has looked ominous with classy shots in the last few innings but a big and decisive knock has eluded him for a period longer than he would like and will be looking to correct the record against the Sunrisers. Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Delhi Capitals: Match details Match Number - 47 Date: 27th October 2020, at 7:30 PM IST Venue: Dubai Pitch and weather The pitch hat was used in the low scoring game between the Chennai Super Kings and the Royal Challengers Bangalore will be used for this game as well. This implies that the pitch will get very slow and will make stroke playing extremely difficult except the dew may play a major role and helps the ball to come on the bat nicely. The pitch in the last game was a new one and still, it made batsmen like Virat Kohli, and AB de Villiers struggled for timing and big hits and it is more than likely the pitch will offer less and less pace for batsmen to work with in the next game between the Sunrsiers and the Delhi Capitals. The weather conditions in the UAE have been superb to play cricket and in the night time, the atmosphere becomes pleasant for players as the temperature dips below the 30 degrees point. Team News Sunrisers Hyderabad The Sunrisers lost their last game from a situation where their win was almost inevitable but the lack of firepower in the lower middle overs along with the inexperienced players may well have tipped the balance against their favour. Priyam Garg might well have run out of chances based on his potential but lack of depth in terms of the Indian batting talents will force the Sunrisers to carry on with him while Abdul Samad will be persisted with for his ability to hit lusty shots at the end of the innings along with useful leg-spin that may come handy on a slower pitch in Dubai. Mohammad Nabi might just be the player that can bring balance into the Sunrisers playing Xi with his all-round ability but it will be a tough call for David Warner and Trevor Bayliss to pick him in place of either Jonny Bairstow and Jason Holder. Expected XI David Warner (c), Jonny Bairstow (wk), Manish Pandey, Vijay Shankar, Priyam Garg, Abdul Samad, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Khaleel Ahmed, Sandeep Sharma, T Natarajan Delhi Capitals The team had dropped Prithvi Shaw in the last game due to his poor run of form and identical ways of getting out that have exposed his perennial weakness against raw pace and bowlers who can extract bounce from a length. However, Ajinkya Rahane has not been able to capitalise on the chance she has been presented with due to Rishabh Pant’s injury and now Shaw’s lack of form and that leaves the team in a bit of catch-22 situation. Looking at the way Ricky Ponting and Shreyas Iyer have gone about so far in the IPL this year, the Capitals are likely to field an unchanged XI. Expected XI Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Marcus Stoinis, Shimron Hetmyer, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada, Tushar Deshpande, Anrich Nortje Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Delhi Capitals: Dream 11 team and suggestion Rishabh Pant (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Shikhar Dhawan, Manish Pandey, David Warner, Vijay Shankar, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Rashid Khan, Khaleel Ahmed, Sandeep Sharma Captain: Shreyas Iyer Vice-captain: Shikhar Dhawan

CSA board resigns, uncertainty over interim committee

A day after the resignation of six CSA board members, the remaining members of the board followed suit and stepped down from their respective positions. Former acting president Beresford Williams was one of the first high profile names to make an exit from the panel. Angelo Carolissen, Donovan May, Tebogo Siko, John Mogodi and Dheven Dharmalingham soon followed. On Monday, CSA took to micro-blogging site Twitter and stated, "After the members' council had deliberated and resolved that in order to best serve the interest of cricket in South Africa, the entire board should resign - which they did. All independent and non-independent directors have now resigned." An interim committee will be formed soon. However, as per reports, there seems to be support for a senior player representative and ICC voice. The CSA board members had earlier called for a meeting to work on various strategies for the betterment of the body. Dharmalingham was the only non-independent board member to quit on Sunday. As per the current scenario, the entire CSA board have quit. Rihan Richards is in control of cricket in the African nation currently. He was installed as president of the member council - CSA’s highest authority. The domestic season will commence on November 2 while England’s men’s team will arrive next month to participate in a white-ball series

India's U-19 World Cup hero Tanmay Srivastava retires at 30

Tanmay Srivastava, 2008 U-19 World Cup’s highest run-scorer, announced his retirement from competitive cricket. Tanmay was an integral part of the Virat Kohli-led victorious U-19 team. He took to Twitter to announce his retirement. "It’s time to bid adieu to my cricketing playing career! I’ve built memories, made friends, achieved the best I could in these years playing Junior Cricket, Ranji Trophy and most importantly being a good performer in U-19 World Cup,2008 and bringing the cup home with the team," the 30-year-old wrote. The southpaw had scored 262 runs in 6 matches at an average of 52.40 in the 2008 edition of the ICC tournament. He represented Uttarakhand in first-class cricket and went on to lead the side as well after Unmukt Chand was sacked as skipper of the side. In 90 first-class games, Tanmay amassed 4918 runs. "I have had some very good memories on and off the field. As a child, when my father took me to the stadium, many times I got injured and could not play. He always told me that there will be many moments like these in life when you will face a fall, they must not make you weak but motivate you to come back stronger," his statement read.

NCA asks BCCI to take a call on injured Ishant Sharma and unfit Pant ahead of Australia tour

The National Cricket Academy (NCA) has put the ball in BCCI’s court in the matter involving the fitness of India pacer Ishant Sharma. The Indian team is set to travel to Australia next month and there is uncertainty over Sharma’s availability as the Delhi Capitals bowler sustained an abdominal muscle tear in IPL 2020. The support staff at the NCA have carried out a clinical assessment report and informed the BCCI that Sharma will need recovery time until November 18 to regain full fitness. The 32-year-old will then undergo a three to four week training period before rolling his arm at the international circuit. The NCA led by Rahul Dravid has also recommended that the bowler should ideally play one or two warm-up games before getting drafted into the playing eleven. “Suppose the Test series is beginning earlier than December 17, let’s say the first week of December – Who knows? The schedule is not out yet – then Sharma won’t even be available. Are the BCCI and the selectors willing to take that risk? Is the NCA guaranteeing that Sharma will not suffer a break-down again?” sources told The Times of India (TOI). Furthermore, sources also stated that an ‘overweight’ Rishabh Pant is a concern as he is not fully fit yet. It was earlier reported that due to Covid-19 protocols, India won’t opt for replacements once the side leaves for Australia.