Stats highlights from the high-scoring thriller between KKR and LSG at Eden Gardens

Sampath Bandarupalli08-Apr-20252:04

Does Nicholas Pooran have any weakness?

5 Consecutive wides bowled by Shardul Thakur in the 13th over of Kolkata Knight Riders’ chase at Eden Gardens. No bowler had done that before in the IPL. Four bowlers have bowled four wides in a row previously – Jasprit Bumrah (2015), Praveen Kumar (2017), Mohammed Siraj (2023) and Khaleel Ahmed (2024). Thakur also equalled the record for the longest over in the IPL (11 balls).15 Number of wides Lucknow Super Giants bowled against KKR, the most by a team in an IPL innings. Thakur bowled eight, the most by any bowler in an IPL match.1198 Number of balls Nicholas Pooran took to complete 2000 runs in the IPL – the second quickest behind Andre Russell (1120 balls).238 for 3 LSG’s total against KKR at Eden Gardens – their second highest in the IPL. It was also the second highest total against KKR in the IPL.Shardul Thakur bowled five wides in a row, a first in the IPL•Associated Press70.81 Win probability as per ESPNcricinfo’s forecaster for KKR in the chase after 12.5 overs, when they needed 77 runs with eight wickets in hand. It came down to 21.99 % at 16.1 overs after they lost five wickets for 23 runs in the space of 20 balls.87* Pooran’s score against KKR is the second highest in the IPL by any batter coming in after ten overs. Andre Russell’s 88 not out against CSK in 2018 is the highest.12.64 Combined economy of the pace bowlers in the KKR-LSG game, having gone for 316 runs in 25 overs. It is the fourth highest economy for fast bowlers in an IPL match, for a minimum of 150 balls bowled.

Two coaches detail the LSG bowler’s transformation from unremarkable offspinner to un-pickable man of mystery

Hemant Brar11-Apr-20251:17

What makes Digvesh Rathi such a tricky bowler?

“Hard work, it is said, beats talent, and Digvesh Rathi is a prime example of it.” That’s Sachin Shukla, Rathi’s coach at the Dronacharya Cricket Academy in Delhi.Rathi, the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) mystery spinner, has caught everyone’s attention at IPL 2025 with his frugal bowling and extravagant celebrations. In five matches, he has picked up seven wickets at an economy rate of 7.75 and has been penalised twice for his “notebook” celebration. His long hair and a Sunil Narine-inspired run-up further add to his persona.Shukla, though, has known Rathi from a time before he had fancy celebrations, long hair, or mystery spin.Related

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“Digvesh bowled offspin with a typical offspinner’s action when he first came to our academy around 2017,” Shukla tells ESPNcricinfo. “He was 17 then and, in his very first year, took 40-odd wickets in 14 matches for our club Delhi Blues.”He is a completely different bowler now. He hides the ball behind his back in his run-up and bowls at a much quicker pace. His carrom ball is very difficult to pick as he uses a similar grip for his googly as well. That’s how he bowled Naman Dhir in the Mumbai Indians game.”Even though Rathi had not played any age-group cricket previously, he was shortlisted for Delhi’s Under-19 side. But there were many more talented players in that group and he failed to make the cut.Shukla remembers the day the squad was announced. “He came to me around noon, visibly upset and emotional. I asked him what had happened. He replied, ‘ [I couldn’t make it].’ When a boy from a middle-class family chooses this field, he is putting his everything at stake. Because in many cases, the whole family is dependent on you. And when you don’t get selected despite your best efforts, only you know how hard it hits.”Rathi was a net bowler for Delhi Capitals during IPL 2022 and 2023•Digvesh RathiAnother setback followed soon. Rathi fractured his right collarbone while fielding in a match. Rathi doubled down and worked harder. He also realised it was not easy to stand out as an offspinner. So, around 2020, he decided to add some mystery to his bowling.Rathi was always a Narine fan. He used to use Narine’s photo as his profile picture on Facebook and WhatsApp. Now he began emulating his bowling style too. When Covid-19 brought cricket to a halt, Rathi worked on his fitness.”People had many excuses during Covid but not Rathi,” Shukla says. “He set up a small gym on his terrace. He was already fit and got even fitter. Once cricket resumed, he would bowl for long hours in the nets.”After the match against Mi in Lucknow, LSG head coach Justin Langer spoke about Rathi’s love for bowling: “If he could bowl for 16 hours a day, he would bowl for 16 hours a day.”

“I have come across many passionate players, but the hard work Digvesh put into becoming a mystery spinner was of a different level. He would bowl non-stop for six-seven hours on a single wicket”Sachin Shukla, Rathi’s coach

Shukla witnessed this before anyone else. “I have come across many passionate players, but the hard work Digvesh put into becoming a mystery spinner was of a different level,” he says. “He would bowl non-stop for six-seven hours at a single stump. At times, the wicketkeeper would say he was tired. But Digvesh was never tired. It’s the same even now.”Those long hours in the nets helped Rathi develop his carrom ball, googly and seam-up delivery. It also improved his accuracy, which is the bedrock of his bowling.The rewards came on cue. For IPL 2022 and 2023, Delhi Capitals (DC) picked him as a net bowler. Last year, he was with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the same role and got to learn from his idol Narine. In between, he got a chance to play for Delhi when the BCCI made the CK Nayudu Trophy an Under-25 rather than Under-23 tournament. During this time, he also picked up the signature celebrations of Wanindu Hasaranga and Kesrick Williams.Rathi was now waiting for a bigger platform to showcase his talent. That came in the form of the 2024 Delhi Premier League, where he was picked by South Delhi Superstarz. But that brought its own set of challenges.Rathi brings out the notebook celebration after dismissing Naman Dhir•BCCI”He had never bowled with a Kookaburra ball,” Sarandeep Singh, the former India offspinner and team director at South Delhi Superstarz, says. “Apart from that, he was bowling too fast. We advised him to slow down a bit, especially against a new batter, so that he could get more turn.”We told him, ‘You are a wicket-taker. Even if you get hit for two sixes in an over, you should go for wickets. We don’t expect economical overs from you.'”Rathi levelled up quickly and emerged as the fourth-highest wicket-taker in the DPL with 14 scalps from ten games at an economy rate of 7.82. After the tournament, Sarandeep, who was named the coach of Delhi’s domestic team two weeks later, asked Rathi to “keep practising the same way.”Two months later, Rathi was selected for Delhi’s senior team at the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He was a back-up for Suyash Sharma and got to play only two games, against Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh. His combined figures in those matches were 7-2-19-3.

“He [Rathi] is very disciplined, likes to be with himself, trains well and bowls to his heart’s content. [No show-off]. It’s rare to come across such kids these days, especially in Delhi”Sarandeep Singh

But even before that, LSG had picked him at the mega auction for IPL 2025. He has since become their go-to spinner, outperforming India legspinner Ravi Bishnoi, whom the franchise had retained between seasons. Of the 120 balls Rathi has bowled so far, 44 have been dots. Among spinners, only Varun Chakravarthy, another idol of Rathi, has bowled more dots this season (49 out of 114). And Rathi has been hit for just three sixes, the fewest among all bowlers who have bowled at least 15 overs.”I spoke to Rathi recently,” Sarandeep says, “and told him that it’s his hard work that has brought him till here, and he must keep at it. Because right now not many have seen him, his variations. Once everyone knows what he is doing, then the real test will begin.”He is not someone who has come via the Under-19, Under-23, Ranji Trophy route. Till last year, he was playing in corporate leagues. Suddenly, the DPL happened. Then he made his debut for Delhi and now he is playing in the IPL. So the more he bowls, the more he will learn about his bowling.”I think he is on the right track. He is very disciplined, likes to be with himself, trains well, and bowls to his heart’s content. [No show-off]. It’s rare to come across such kids these days, especially in Delhi.”

Meeting your idol in front of your squad be like… pic.twitter.com/9UeoAGxpxr

— Lucknow Super Giants (@LucknowIPL) April 6, 2025

The shape that defines this Test series is a sphere, and it comes in various forms

Alan Gardner16-Jul-2025There’s nothing the Light Roller likes more than panto season – especially when it arrives during the height of the English Test summer. England versus India began with lots of apparent bonhomie between the teams – most international players are IPL frat bros, one way or another, these days – so the introduction of a little niggle, the grit in the Lord’s oyster, was timely.Nobody threw any jellybeans, which is a pity, but there was lots of finger-pointing, verbal battles and crowd involvement as both sides sought an extra edge. We often talk about the “theatre” of Test cricket, which is presumed to mean heroic exploits, epic plotlines and grandiloquent stanzas of play. But it’s also worth getting in the popcorn when players start prancing around like they’re putting on at the Bedford Corn Exchange.The first shouts of “He’s behind you!” might have begun with England’s cute ploy of bringing the keeper up to the stumps in order to stop the Shubman Gill run machine in its tracks. But Gill then assumed centre stage during a fractious mini-mini-session at the end of day three, yelling at Zak Crawley to “grow some f***ing balls” and then miming for an impact substitute (back to the IPL again) when the England opener opted for the blatant time-wasting tactic of calling on the physio after a ball hit the middle of his bat.Related

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India unhappy with replacement ball as Dukes loses shape too soon again

Perhaps, given the problems with the Dukes balls in this series, Gill was just trying to come up with a practical solution. Of all the England players, Crawley most looks like a member of the landowning class who might be able to dedicate farming resource to cultivating some sort of new-age alternative to cork and leather.Okay, so it’s more likely he was talking about cojones, certainly giving the accompanying hand gestures. And while Lord’s might be an improbable venue to stage a royal rumble – even with Alex Carey’s underhand/underarm antics to stir things up – there was an air of WWE to proceedings as Mohammed Siraj played to his “heel” status, copping a fine for his efforts, and Washington Sundar baited all and sundry with some ballsy chat of his own.To cap it all off, England tore up the saintly playbook they have adhered to under Brendon McCullum in order to generate a last-day atmosphere that harked back to the time when men were men and teams bowled 100 overs in a day. Then, when the dust settled, there were handshakes and hugs, solemn gestures of respect and brotherly love between combatants. Which is fine, so long as they go back to the Punch and Judy stuff when the series resumes at Old Trafford next week.Wiaan Mulder: not yet a legend•Zimbabwe Cricket

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“New balls, please!” It’s been Wimbledon fortnight, but nowhere has the demand for a replacement batch of projectiles been louder than at Test matches in England. The Dukes ball, as mentioned, apparently goes soft quicker than a millennial faced with an awkward social situation, and needs to be changed more often than Gen Z change their pronouns. Is this because the cricket balls of today can’t withstand a little corporal punishment? Are the cows of Brexit Britain no longer the leathery leaders in their field? Maybe it’s another symptom of the inexorable decline of Western liberal values? Answers on a postcard to the ECB.`

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Of all the things we were not expecting to write about this month, the question of whether Wiaan Mulder should have backed himself to go on and break Brian Lara’s record for the highest individual score in Test history would be right at the top of the list (or maybe, after some time to consider over lunch, fifth). Mulder said afterwards that he felt “Lara keeping the record is exactly the way it should be”, clearly fully aware of the pelters he would have received had he gone on past 400 in what was a Test in name only, and effectively South Africa B against an under-strength Zimbabwe. As an aside, Mulder revealed that it was Shukri Conrad who advised: “Listen, let the legends keep the really big scores.” Never mind what the public thinks of him, perhaps Mulder should be more worried about how highly he’s rated by his own coach.

New Zealand legend on novelty of coaching England’s men and trying to dismiss them in same summer

Matt Roller18-Aug-2025Tim Southee grinned as his team-mates engulfed him. After two-and-a-half months in England training gear in his role as bowling coach – or, officially, “specialist skills consultant” – he was back in playing kit for Birmingham Phoenix. More pertinently, he had just cleaned up Trent Rockets’ Joe Root with the first ball he had bowled to him, which crashed into his leg stump.It was a wicket that epitomised cricket’s gig economy. Southee, 36, retired from Test cricket after New Zealand’s home series against England last year and is still working out his next steps. He spent the start of the year at the ILT20 in the UAE, and is now juggling franchise contracts with his first steps into coaching in an arrangement he describes as “the best of both worlds”.It led to the unusual sight of Southee bowling long spells in the nets to England’s batters during their recent series against India to prepare himself physically. “A few opportunities presented themselves in the nets, especially the day before a game where bowlers don’t bowl a lot,” he explains. “I had to get through some overs at some stage, having not played since January.”Related

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The Hundred has been a challenge for him, with three expensive wickets in five appearances compared to 14 cheap ones in nine games last season. But he has enjoyed the “Kiwi flavour” at Phoenix, with head coach Daniel Vettori recruiting Southee’s long-term new-ball partner Trent Boult for the 2025 season, joining Adam Milne in an all-New Zealand fast-bowling attack.As the Hundred started, New Zealand’s next generation of fast bowlers were spearheading a dominant 2-0 Test series win in Zimbabwe, and Southee has helped to oversee a similar transition with England’s seamers in the world after James Anderson and Stuart Broad. Their depth and resilience was tested in the 2-2 draw with India, but Southee was impressed.”There’s a lot to be excited about,” he says. “You’ve got to also realise that the guys like Brydon Carse, Gus Atkinson and Josh Tongue, they’re very new to Test cricket still. Someone like Brydon Carse feels like he’s played a lot of cricket – he has, across three formats in the last 12 months – but he’s still very, very new, very raw in his Test career.”Gus Atkinson has achieved so much in his first 10 [13] Test matches: a 10-for, a hundred, a hat-trick… Josh Tongue as well, you see how exciting he is when he gets it right: he’s got pace, bounce, skills. Combine that with the way that Ben Stokes is bowling… and throw in the likes of Mark Wood, Jofra Archer. It’s pretty hard not to get excited about that group of bowlers.”He was particularly impressed by Carse’s gruntwork, believing he bowled much better than a series haul of nine wickets at 60.88 might suggest. “He didn’t have a lot of success on some pretty tough surfaces… But [I loved] the way that he kept coming, his attitude towards it, his ability to reach 90mph at his peak but also operate in a pretty skilful way.”Southee believes that the dramatic final day of the series at The Oval will make England “a little bit hungrier” when they return to Test cricket in three months’ time: “It was a disappointing way to finish, but there’s still plenty of good things to take out of the series.” Does he believe they have the resources to take 20 wickets regularly in the Ashes this winter? “Yeah, I certainly do.”Southee and Brendon McCullum played together in 170 internationals for New Zealand•Mike Egerton/PA Images via Getty ImagesClearly, Stokes’ recovery from his latest injury – a torn shoulder muscle – will be a key determinant. “He put a lot of hard work in to get himself back for such a big series… The more he does it, the more he believes in his body and knows that he can do extraordinary things… For him to have an impact with the ball is massive for the side. Hopefully, that can continue.”Incredibly, after a Test career spanning 17 years, this was the longest series that Southee had been involved in. “We looked forward to three-match series,” he recalls. “A lot of them were two-match series… It was awesome to experience. This is the first time I’ve been part of a five-match series, and I loved every second of it.”Southee’s role was primarily the result of a long-standing relationship with Brendon McCullum, his long-term New Zealand captain and now England’s coach. His short-term contract expired after the fifth Test at The Oval but he is “working through” the prospect of renewing down the line: “There’s a couple of leagues I’m still playing in, but this is an opportunity that I’ve loved.”He has been a long way from his home in Hamilton. His family visited for four weeks during the India series – “to escape the winter back home and enjoy what’s been a lovely summer over here” – but he has spent much of the summer racking up hotel loyalty points. “I’m used to living out of a suitcase. That’s nothing too new to me.”Southee is unlikely to be involved in England’s Ashes staff – he is due to return to the ILT20, which clashes – but has caught the coaching bug. “It’s probably come a little bit quicker than I would’ve expected… It’s a game I love and a game that has given me so much. If I’m able to give back and help other people enjoy the game as much as I did, then hopefully there’s that opportunity there.”But more immediately, he has another head-to-head with Root to worry about next week. “Sharing a dressing room with the English guys, and getting to know them, makes playing against them slightly different… He’s such a great player: any time you get him out, it’s always a nice feeling. Nothing’s been said backwards and forwards. We’ll wait for the rematch.”

“I don’t sleep easy with the loss of Rahul Dravid and Sanju Samson, who’ve been personal friends for 15 years,” Manoj Badale says, but explains that all decisions were taken transparently and for the best of the team

Nagraj Gollapudi18-Nov-2025Bringing back Ravindra Jadeja and releasing Sanju Samson – is this what you expected once IPL 2025 got over?Definitely. What was on my mind when the 2025 season finished was that we needed to very quickly do what we do at the end of every year, which is [to conduct] a thorough, independent review of why we performed so badly. To be clear, we do these reviews when we perform well [too]. So there was nothing unusual about the process at the end of 2025 other than the reality that we were reviewing a very poor season. In fact, our poorest season in 18 years. What I had on my list was: understanding why and what were the recommendations and changes that we could make to put us in a better position for 2026.Related

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In the media release announcing the exit of Rahul Dravid as head coach, you pointed out that a structural review had been conducted. Who conducted it and who were spoken to?We always try where we can to have some independence in the review. So, for example, we had a tough year in Dubai [IPL 2020, where RR finished last with six wins] and Andrew Strauss led the review and then subsequently joined the RR Board; Strauss sat across the reviews for many years subsequently and he would bring that impartiality, if you like. This year we didn’t have Strauss because by mutual agreement he stepped away to focus on his other business interests.So the review this time was led by Stuart Lancaster [former England men’s rugby coach], which to some of the readers may seem a strange choice given that he’s a rugby coach, but he’s actually passionate and highly interested in cricket as well. And someone that I’d got to know through my work on the FA technical advisory board and someone who has been through his own ups and downs as a head coach. So we had him lead the review, supported by my business partner Charles Mindenhall, who again brings 18 years of Board context, but again, a real independence in terms of his own opinions.All the key members of the support staff and most of the key players [were spoken to in the review].That included the head coach [Dravid], the captain [Samson], the assistant coaches and Kumar Sangakkara [director of cricket]?Of course. In fact, there were multiple meetings with Dravid and Sangakkara.What were the major recommendations after the review?There were basically three themes. One was that the structure was too complex. Two, that we needed a simpler, more aligned structure. And thirdly, that in the IPL, player connectivity is critical. The core issue was we had allowed it to get too complex. And, actually, the person who has to own [up to] that is me.Can you break that down for us?We needed a simpler, more aligned structure. The review suggested there were areas we could improve in our decision-making.Among the big decisions you took post IPL 2024 was to bring in Dravid as head coach. From the outside, it was a surprise considering RR had made two playoffs, including a final, and finished fifth between 2021 and 2024 under Sangakkara at the helm as both team director and head coach. What made the reshuffle necessary?Actually, that wasn’t when the decision was taken [to appoint Dravid]. The conversations had been ongoing for multiple years. He is, and will always be, one of the greatest Indian coaches that’s ever lived. And if you remember, his coaching career started at RR. He’s a good personal friend. He’s been an informal kind of mentor and advisor even when he is not been with RR. So I’d always had an aspiration for him to return, but he was also clear that he wasn’t going to be available until he delivered a trophy for India, which he did [T20 World Cup 2024].How difficult then was it to speak to Dravid on the plans to reshuffle the main coaching positions?The conversations were actually about him taking on a broader role in the franchise, not about him leaving. Actually, my ambition was for him to take a much bigger role in the franchise, but his ambition was to continue being a head coach. It was that divergence that led him to decide to move on.Associated PressHow much of what has happened in the last six months is down to the retentions before the 2025 mega auction?Look, there is no question that with the benefit of hindsight some auction calls did not work as we had hoped, but that’s almost always going to be the conclusion when you’ve had a bad season. That’s not the reason we parted company. It would be a sign of naive management if you connected dots like that so explicitly. And the reality of any sports franchise is you have multiple people contribute to big decisions like that. But ultimately, I have to own the decisions. I can’t pass them on to other people just because they prove to be right or wrong.What you are perhaps suggesting is that because we got that [retention picks] wrong, this event seven months later happened. But I don’t think it’s as simple as that kind of cause and effect. We shouldn’t also forget we had a bad season [IPL 2025] but we lost four games where we had about 95% win prediction going into the last over. The ESPNcricinfo predictor had us at 98% in three of those four games going into that last over – you win those four games, everyone’s looking at the season differently. I like to think, though, that we would have done exactly the same review and we would have made exactly the same conclusions. The bit I am unequivocal about is: we absolutely would have done the review.How difficult was it to know that Samson, a player who has grown with the franchise and become the captain, wanted to be released? When did he tell you about his decision?Look, he sort of made indications towards the end of the [IPL 2025] season that he was emotionally [drained]. A friend of mine always says to me, you’ve got three types of capital in your life: you have physical capital, you have intellectual capital, and you have emotional capital. And the way I describe what Sanju said to me – he didn’t necessarily use these words – is he was drained of the emotional capital that he had put into RR.Now, when you run an IPL franchise, players ask to leave, stay, get retained, put in the auction all the time because ultimately their primary lookout, as it should be, is themselves. And whether it’s their earnings or whether it’s their prospects of making the Indian team, that’s true.
In the case of Sanju, that was never been the case.So when he says, ‘Sir, I want to move on, I’m emotionally drained; I almost care too much and I feel like I need a fresh chapter’, when asks that, you have to listen. I was really clear with him that we would cooperate and try to seek an alternative chapter for him, but we would only do it if it was a player trade and we would only do it if view was that the trade made the franchise stronger. And to be fair to him, he respected that. He agreed with that and he abided by that.

“Sanju Samson is so authentic, we just respected his desire. But we were clear with him that we would only satisfy that desire if it made the franchise as strong or stronger”Manoj Badale

But I’m sure you tried hard to convince him to stay on.Actually, I didn’t. Of course, your heart tells you to get on a plane and fly to India and try and convince him, but I didn’t. No, nor did Sanga. Nor did Rahul. The man Sanju Samson is so authentic, we just respected his desire. But we were clear with him that we would only satisfy that desire if it made the franchise as strong or stronger.If the trade had not gone through, would you have released him or retained him? And what convinced you the CSK offer was a good trade deal?We would retain him. The other two conditions of the process were: one, I would personally lead the process so that we had no leaks. It’s a sensitive thing doing trades, because owners have to declare which players may be available in the knowledge that they may then be playing for them next year. You are also dealing with human beings. You are not dealing with robots. The second condition for the process was I would personally contact every franchise so that no franchise could ever say, ‘oh, he did a deal with him because he’s a friend of his’. So I did call every single franchise quite quickly.It was clear there were sort of five teams, very, very interested. As for why CSK, we went through a five to six week process of negotiation, analysis, review, as well as discussions with Sanju. And that’s how we got to the answer we did.So you involved Samson, too?Hundred per cent. We spoke lots and lots.The media narrative fascinated me because the media narrative was this is a franchise in chaos. Rahul leaves, there’s management changes, Sanju’s asking to leave. There were three or four big figures that left the franchise in quick succession. Actually, that could not be further from how it felt internally. The season finished in June, my message to everyone was, ‘listen, decompress for the end of June’. We started the review, I think, on July 1, and we finished the review exactly when we wanted to, I think at the end of the first week of August, because Stuart was starting a new coaching job and people were going to start disappearing on a holiday. I said I wanted till August to digest the review. I had multiple conversations with Sanga and with Rahul and with Sanju through that period. And September and October have been the implementation months.Kumar Sangakkara has been reappointed head coach while still being the director of cricket•SA20What tempted you to agree on bringing Jadeja in?Personally, any owner would be mad not to be tempted by Jadeja. I don’t need to talk about his cricket credentials: he’s won trophies in the IPL, he’s won trophies on the international stage. He’s arguably one of our best batters, one of our best bowlers, one of our best fielders.Even though he played for us [in 2008-09], I didn’t really know him as a person. And also the person I knew was a 19-year-old. I mean, obviously there’s a nice narrative about returning home and coming back to where he started, but in truth, that’s been a bigger theme for him. He called me when CSK informed him that he was up for trade. He was so happy to be coming back to RR. Actually, that made me smile and laugh. But it wasn’t just about Jadeja – it was about Jadeja and [Sam] Curran.Curran is a key part of this trade because it’s the combination of the two that fill three or four slots that you and your colleagues identified were big weaknesses. And it’s stating the obvious, but when you get players that can bat and bowl, it just allows you to change the balance. I think we spent 68 of our 90 crore last year on batting. And that inevitably kind of drives an imbalance. The exciting part from our perspective is arguably one of India’s greatest superstars and one of England’s all-round superstars added to the team.Jadeja, I believe, is keen on captaincy. Was that part of your conversation with him?Not really. And it’s not part of the conversation right now. We actually have got the player leadership group together twice, once including him, to make it clear that we are going to go through a process over the next couple of months. We’ve got probably six or seven players that could be RR captain. We didn’t want to get into that and embark on that part of the process until we knew the trade was happening. Otherwise, it becomes a futile process. Now that the trade is done, our absolute short-term focus is the auction. Once the auction is done, our next focus then will be the captaincy process.5:40

What will RR’s rejig look like?

Moving away for a bit, what are your thoughts on mega auctions, and whether they should remain?I do. The thing that makes the IPL the tournament that it is, and I personally think it’s the essence of sport, is unpredictable outcomes. So we can go from, in my humble opinion, certainly being one of the best two teams in the last three-year cycle to being one of the worst two teams last year. Now, while that’s frustrating and leads to conversations like this and hours of work, protecting the unpredictability of the outcomes should be the central objective of any of the governors of the IPL.The only way you do that is with really robust salary caps – otherwise it becomes a tournament for the richest owners – and a very transparent procurement process. And whether it’s the NFL Draft or the IPL auction, I can’t think of a more transparent approach. Clearly, the teams with the deepest pockets will always push for more retentions, they will push for abandonment of the auctions, but then you end up with the challenge that you have had in other sporting leagues like soccer, where it’s a league of ten teams on paper, but it’s four teams that are really competing for the final. I don’t think that’s good for the fan. We sometimes forget these tournaments exist for the fans and they are the people that pay for it with their eyeballs. And fans want to watch games where they don’t know who’s going to win, even if their team is playing.Why I asked that was because owners have to bother about retentions and negotiations every three years.It’s part of the strategy. As long as you know the rules and as long as the rules don’t keep changing at the last minute, it’s part of the fun of plotting, which is thinking two years ahead to the players that you are going to retain, thinking one year ahead to what does this mean for that mega auction.

“The conversations with Sangakkara were not about any sort of rebuilding or radical transformation, but how do we sort of return to the things that made us successful from 2022 to 2024”Manoj Badale

With Sangakkara back as head coach, can you talk about the conversations you have had with him to drive the strategy forward?The conversations with him were not about any sort of rebuilding or radical transformation, but how do we sort of return to the things that made us successful from 2022 to 2024. We were the worst fielding side in the IPL last year. We have always believed that culture is incredibly important. So how do we double down on some of those weaknesses and some of those historic strengths? And it was a reasonably quick conclusion that that sort of stability and evolution rather than revolution would be best managed this year if he took the helm.What are the short- and mid-term goals you have set for the team?The media has been always very kind describing us as India’s most important talent factory. And, of course, the stats bear that out pretty unambiguously. But I’ve always had a wry smile when I read those things because we’ve never had any other objective – certainly for the past four years – of doing anything other than winning the IPL. We are not only here to develop young talent. We are here to compete and win.Again, I come back to the unpredictability of the IPL. As stakeholders, as shareholders, as owners, it’s too tough a competition to set goals in terms of outcomes. It’s naive to say we must win the IPL this year because the margins between the teams are so thin and a couple of tosses here or there, a couple of umpiring decisions here or there can take that away from you. So we don’t define our goals in terms of outcomes, we define our goals in terms of inputs. The things that you can control, like squad selection, like behaviours, like culture, like leadership, structure, those are the things you have to focus on, not the outcomes.Another key parameter is winning at home. There’s always this question about whether RR will play in Jaipur or whether they will go to Guwahati. What will be the home base in IPL 2026?Our home is, has been, and will always be Rajasthan. Whether it’s this season, next season, the season after, we are the Rajasthan Royals. Our heart is in Rajasthan. The only reason we will ever not play in Rajasthan is because of stadium security, stadium infrastructure, fan protection, fan safety. If we cannot guarantee those things, then we’ll play wherever we need to. That’s what makes the decisions. It’s not about the location. It’s about making sure we can play in high-quality stadiums, making sure we can ensure great fan experiences. And that’s going to be a challenge this year as it has been for the last 15 years.11:36

Samson-Jadeja trade – shocking, or not?

Have the past few months been the most challenging during your time in the IPL? And are you convinced what you have chosen is the right path to go forward?This has been the toughest pretty much since RR started. This has been a really tough period.
All you can ever be confident of is: have you made the decisions with the best available information? You can’t be confident of outcomes in sports. There are too many variables that you can’t control. Injuries, weather, tournament location, pitch location. So after doing this for 18 years, again, it’s naive to say I’m confident that these will be proven to be the right decisions. You cannot be. What you can be is be true to yourself is that you have made decisions with care, courage and based on the right information. And I sort of sleep easy with that. I don’t sleep easy with the loss of two people – Rahul and Sanju – who’ve been personal friends for 15 years. And I still get emotional thinking about the fact that they won’t be there in 2026; in the same way, by the way, I felt very emotional last year about not having Jos Buttler in then squad, but you’ve got to keep looking forward.Since you mentioned Buttler, given another chance would you revisit the 2025 retentions and releases?It’s a surefire way of going mad if you spend your life revisiting decisions that perhaps weren’t the right ones. I mean, it’s like you have got to keep looking forward. I’m hugely excited about this squad. I hope our fans are excited and I hope they just appreciate the amount of work, care and thought that goes into these decisions. And now I think on paper we’ve got a team that can absolutely compete.

He has been one of the star performers in the domestic circuit in the recent past, and has done his bit to put Central Zone in pole position to win the Duleep Trophy title

Ashish Pant15-Sep-2025In the last 12 months, no offspinner has more wickets in first-class cricket in India than Saransh Jain’s 44. Add to that his 311 runs, and he is one of just four players with the double of 300-plus runs and 40-plus wickets in the last one year. In a country with an abundance of left-arm orthodox spinners, Jain falls in the rare category of an offspin-bowling allrounder. And often, he’s been the difference in bowling attacks for whichever team he has played for.Think back to the Irani Trophy last year when, playing for Rest of India, he picked up 6 for 121 in Mumbai’s second innings, which included the wickets of Prithvi Shaw, Shreyas Iyer and Sarfaraz Khan.Or in the 2025-26 Duleep Trophy semi-final, where he beat Ruturaj Gaikwad in flight and had him stumped on 184, finishing with eight wickets for the match.Related

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In the final as well, Jain’s flight and dip, coupled with his high-arm action, troubled the South Zone batters in the first innings as he returned 5 for 49. And then, in the second innings, he added three more to his tally to make it 16 wickets for the tournament, taking Central Zone to the doorstep of a first Duleep Trophy title in 11 years.”I am pleased that I have given a good performance in both these matches because it is very important,” Jain, now 32, told ESPNcricinfo after the fourth day’s play in the final. “The season starts with the Duleep Trophy, so the momentum that you get here carries through the season.”If you remember, I also had a good performance in the Irani tournament last year. See, the thing is, if you want to get highlighted, you need to give back-to-back performances. Only then will the national selectors look at you and select you.”A key feature of Jain’s bowling is adapting to different situations. In the semi-final on the black-soil surface of Ground B of the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, he varied his pace and got the ball to skid, apart from deceiving the batters in the air.On the opening day of the final, on realising he was extracting extra bounce, he gave the ball a lot more air, getting it to grip and jump. Then, on the fourth day, when Ankit Sharma and C Andre Siddarth were involved in a 192-run seventh-wicket stand, he was prepared to take a step back and play the containing role, waiting for the batters to make a mistake.

“When I bat, I compare myself with Rajat [Patidar] and other good batsmen. In bowling, I know what I have to do. But in batting, I try and see how these top-order batters go about their innings and I play accordingly”Saransh Jain

“I have been playing cricket for a long time, so I have faced such situations,” Jain said of his fourth-day tactics. “We were not panicking. This happens in cricket. We can’t always have all five days going our way. One session, one-odd day, can belong to the opposition as well.”We were fine with them having a few sessions going their way. It is not that tough a wicket where the runs wouldn’t get scored. Our main aim was to not leak too many runs. We just wanted to take the game as deep as possible as we were already on top.”A major reason behind Central Zone’s dominance in the final has been the partnership between Jain and Kumar Kartikeya, the duo – who have played for Madhya Pradesh together for a long time – picking up 16 of the 20 South Zone wickets to fall.”We have a clear mindset,” Jain said. “If he bowls well, I support him. And vice-versa. And if he is having an off day, or I am having an off day, we tell each other where we are going wrong. We give each other a lot of input.”Like Rajat [Patidar] and Shubham [Sharma] are my batting partners, Kartikeya is my bowling partner, and has been for a long time.”Saransh Jain punches the ball away during his half-century in the Duleep Trophy final•PTI While bowling is Jain’s stronger suit, he takes a lot of pride in his batting. He said he talked a lot with his Madhya Pradesh team-mates Patidar and Shubham on how to improve his skills and trained a lot. In the last 12 months, Jain has scored three first-class fifties, including back-to-back half-centuries in the Duleep Trophy semi-final and final.”I have liked batting since childhood. If you want to play cricket as a spinner, you can’t just be a bowler. You have to be a proper batter,” Jain said. “I have opened the batting, played at No. 3 in the Ranji Trophy, in a semi-final [against Bengal in 2022-23], and have scored runs.”When I bat, I compare myself with Rajat and other good batsmen. In bowling, I know what I have to do. But in batting, I try and see how these top-order batters go about their innings and I play accordingly.”Jain had won the Lala Amarnath Award for the best allrounder in the Ranji Trophy after the 2022-23 season. With the next Ranji season a month away, it’s a feat he said he wanted to repeat in his quest for the bigger goal, which is “to see the India logo on my jersey”.

Southampton are currently on the search for their next permanent head coach after they made the decision to part ways with Will Still earlier this month.

The former Lens boss only won two Championship matches during his time at St. Mary’s, and the club must, simply, find a manager who can bring a winning mentality back to Hampshire.

Southampton, as shown in the graphic above, have had a run of less-than-successful head coach appointments, which may not fill supporters with too much hope for the next one.

The latest on Southampton's managerial search

The Telegraph reports that former Wolverhampton Wanderers and Bournemouth manager Gary O’Neil is in pole position to land the job, having left Wolves last year.

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It states that he is the leading contender for the role at this moment in time, but that it is still early on in the process and there are other managers are in the frame.

The Telegraph adds that Michael Carrick, who is also out of a job, is a head coach who is being considered and could come into the running to replace Still in the coming days.

The former Middlesbrough boss, who was hailed as an “insanely talented coach” by former Boro player Lukas Engel, has been a free agent since the end of last season, and could be a dream alternative to O’Neil.

Why Southampton should hire Carrick over O'Neil

Parking any concerns about O’Neil’s Portsmouth ties to the side, given that he previously stated a desire to manage Pompey, the former Wolves boss has yet to show that he can coach a team to dominate and win games consistently.

As shown in the graphic in the post above, his Bournemouth and Wolves teams consistently conceded more chances than they created, and both clubs improved statistically after he left.

There should, therefore, be concerns about whether or not he is the right profile of coach to lead Southampton to promotion back to the Premier League as a side that needs to win consistently to gain promotion.

Carrick, meanwhile, has a proven track record of coaching a dominant team in the Championship, as well as taking over in a similar situation to the one that Saints find themselves in.

The English boss joined Boro after they had won two of their first 11 league games in the 2022/23 campaign and led them to a fourth-place finish, per Transfermarkt, whilst Southampton have won three of their 14 league matches this term.

League finish

8th

10th

xPTS (Expected league finish)

73 (5th)

71 (6th)

xG

69.5

67.4

xGA

55.0

56.4

xGD

+14.5

+11.3

As you can see in the table above, Carrick also coached expected play-off finishes in his two full seasons at Middlesbrough, but his squad did not deliver results that matched the performances.

Some may point to the fact that Boro are currently third in the Championship after his departure, but they are sixth for xPTS and have failed to win any of their last three games, per FotMob, which suggests that their fast start is slowing down to match their performance level.

Overall, Carrick could be a dream alternative to O’Neil because he does not have links to Portsmouth, he does have relevant Championship experience, and he has achieved a play-off finish after taking over a club in a similar position.

Whereas, O’Neil has never managed in the Championship and has lost 52 of his 100 games as a manager, per Transfermarkt, which shows that he has yet to prove himself as a coach who can deliver winning football.

Southampton manager update now shared on Tonda Eckert and full-time move

He’ll be in the St Mary’s dugout against Sheffield Wednesday.

ByCharlie Smith Nov 7, 2025