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In the match of the tournament, Scotland pulled off a stunning heist in defence of 148 to defeat Netherlands by seven runs

The Report by Peter Della Penna in Abu Dhabi17-Jan-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsCon de Lange produced a telling spell to slow Netherlands’ chase•Peter Della Penna

In the match of the tournament, Scotland pulled off a stunning heist in defence of 148 to defeat Netherlands by seven runs. Only two of the first eight matches have been won by the team fielding second and on both occasions Scotland has been the one to do it, but this victory was particularly remarkable considering the positions they clawed back from in both innings.Sent in to bat, Scotland ended the first six overs at 17 for 3, the worst start in the first six by any side in this event. The middle order led the rescue effort as Richie Berrington and Calum MacLeod added 57 for the fourth wicket. Scotland were seven down though by the end of the 18th over but Netherlands failed to land the knockout punch and paid the price. Safyaan Sharif hit two sixes among the 27 runs that came off the final 12 balls, including one off the final ball of the innings.Netherlands’ batting script was almost a 180-degree flip from the Scotland innings. They raced away in the Powerplay to reach 49 after five overs. Man of the Match Josh Davey sparked Netherlands’ slide by getting Ben Cooper out pulling to deep square leg for 24 and then nailed Tobias Visee on the crease three balls later. An hour later, Davey came back to take two more – Max O’Dowd pulling a bouncer to deep midwicket and Pieter Seelaar lacing another short ball straight to point – and Netherlands were on the verge of a complete meltdown entering the final over needing ten to win with two wickets in hand. Berrington and Sharif then teamed up for run outs off back-to-back balls to seal a memorable escape for Scotland.MacLeod-Berrington déjà vuThe two middle-order batsmen put on a Scotland T20I record 127-run stand for the third wicket against Oman on Saturday. In that situation, they were piling on to the robust start provided by George Munsey and Kyle Coetzer. On Tuesday night, the scenario was far more perilous with both openers plus Matthew Cross all dismissed on 4.Paul van Meekeren had claimed Coetzer and Cross, but Berrington took him on in the 10th, cracking a four through midwicket off a no ball and then used the free hit to smash him past mid-off to spark the Scotland revival. MacLeod targeted Michael Rippon’s left-arm wrist spin, sweeping him both ways for a pair of boundaries until his innings ended in fluke fashion when he chopped the bails off the stumps going back to cut. The pair had done the dirty work to dig Scotland out of the early hole though and give them a fighting chance through the rest of the match.Con Artist Netherlands looked like they were running away with victory behind Cooper and Rippon’s opening partnership. Davey may have struck twice in the sixth to thwart the stand, but it was left-arm spinner Con de Lange’s four-over spell that turned the tide Scotland’s way. He gave up just two off his first over, then struck on the second ball of his second by inducing Wesley Barresi to drive in the air to long-off.Borren swept him in the air barely wide of short fine-leg in his third over for the only boundary he conceded but he bounced back at the start of his final over, beating Rippon’s charge down the wicket to bowl the opener for 42. De Lange never takes big hauls, but the deft brushstrokes he paints on a match canvas via clever flight and control leave a distinct impression on the opposition.Action replayTimm van der Gugten was the man on strike to begin the final over bowled by Sharif. Berrington, arguably Scotland’s best all-round fielder, was positioned at long-on. Tasked with defending ten runs, Sharif was honed in on the blockhole to near perfection.Van der Gugten dug out the first ball back down the ground and it rolled gently to the edge of the circle at mid-on. Van der Gugten was desperate to stay on strike and called Malik back for a desperate second. Berrington charged and fired to Sharif over the stumps to put Scotland one wicket away from victory.Van Meekeren replaced Malik at the non-striker’s end with nine needed off five balls. Sharif ran in again and the sequence that followed was a virtual carbon copy of the previous delivery. Full and straight, chipped down the ground, Berrington locking in like a cyborg to scoop and throw almost all in one motion, Sharif with a clean take and break of the stumps. The second decision for the umpire wasn’t nearly as close as the first as Van Meekeren’s bat got stuck in the turf while his body momentum continued forward. A theatrical tumble to the ground ensued, providing a symbolic ending to the series of Netherlands’ missteps that led to defeat.

Uncapped left-arm seamer Vishwa Fernando has been named in Sri Lanka’s squad for the three-Test series against India, while Shaminda Eranga and Suranga Lakmal are unavailable due to injury

Andrew Fidel Fernando07-Aug-2015Uncapped left-arm seamer Vishwa Fernando has been named in Sri Lanka’s squad for the three-Test series against India, while Shaminda Eranga and Suranga Lakmal miss out due to injury.Fernando had featured in the Test squads to the UAE and Bangladesh in 2014, but had not been picked to play. He has won his way back to the side largely through his excellent 2015 first class season. He was the most penetrative pace bowler in the Premier League Tournament, with 40 wickets at 21.97. Fernando is part of the Sri Lanka Board President’s XI that is playing the ongoing tour game against the Indians in Colombo and took the wickets of Rohit Sharma and Wriddhiman Saha on the second day.Eranga had been sidelined by a back complaint during the home Tests against Pakistan, and though he had recovered from that injury, he picked up another injury, chief selector Kapila Wijegunawardene said. “He was bowling well in the nets, but there is now an issue with his groin. It’s too early to tell whether he is out of the whole series. We’re waiting on the physiotherapist’s report.”Lakmal played against Pakistan, but has been ruled out because of a side strain. He and Eranga had been Sri Lanka’s top pace bowlers in 2014, featuring heavily in wins in Dubai and Dhaka. Eranga had also played a pivotal role in the victory at Headingley against England last year.Dhammika Prasad now leads the pace options in the current squad, with Nuwan Pradeep and Fernando in support. Dushmantha Chameera – who was impressive in his debut against Pakistan – has been named in the squad subject to fitness, however Wijegunawardene said he was “confident Chameera would be ok for the Galle Test”, though “whether we will risk him in that match or not is a decision that’s yet to be made”.The batting and spin departments feature no major surprises. Lahiru Thirimanne has been retained despite a slim run of Test scores and a score of 5 in the first innings of the practice match in Khettarama. Kithuruwan Vithanage, who played in the first two Tests against Pakistan, has been dropped from the squad. Kusal Perera has been named again, as have Jehan Mubarak and Upul Tharanga, who both played in the third Test in Pallekele.Spinners Rangana Herath, Dilruwan Perera and Tharindu Kaushal all find places in the squad. Dinesh Chandimal is the frontline wicket keeper, though Kusal is also an option behind the stumps, if he can find a place in the XI.The series will be Kumar Sangakkara’s final Test foray. Sri Lanka Cricket has granted free entrance to the Galle Test for school children.The first Test begins on August 12.Squad: Angelo Mathews (capt), Lahiru Thirimanne, Kaushal Silva, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kumar Sangakkara, Dinesh Chandimal, Upul Tharanga, Jehan Mubarak, Kusal Perera, Rangana Herath, Dilruwan Perera, Tharindu Kaushal, Nuwan Pradeep, Dhammika Prasad, Vishwa Fernando, Dushmantha Chameera (subject to fitness)

An astonishing innings from Alex Hales, studded with eight sixes, installed the Melbourne Renegades as firm favourites to claim the BBL crown and ended the Sydney Sixers’ defence of their title

The Report by Alex Malcolm09-Jan-2013
ScorecardAlex Hales smashed eight sixes in his 89•Getty Images

An astonishing innings from Alex Hales, studded with eight sixes, installed the Melbourne Renegades as firm favourites to claim the BBL crown and ended the Sydney Sixers’ defence of their title. Hales, fresh off the plane from the UK having been flown in to replace the injured Marlon Samuels, smashed 89 from 52 balls to guide the Renegades to a match-winning total of 178 after they elected to bat. It was a one-sided affair as the Sixers fell 29 short.Many wondered how the Renegades batting would fare without their dominant captain Aaron Finch, absent with international duties, but Hales answered that with a hailstorm of sixes – eight in all, along with five fours.The Renegades started poorly when the out-of-form Daniel Harris faced nine balls for just one run, before being stumped off the Sri Lanka offspinner Sachithra Senanayake. Hales also began cautiously, managing three runs from his first 11 balls, before tearing into Josh Hazlewood. He clubbed two fours, two sixes, and was dropped by the bowler in his follow-through in a frenetic fifth over. Alex Doolan fell off the first ball of the next to leave the Renegades at 2 for 38 after the Powerplay.It brought Ben Rohrer to the crease. The acting Renegades captain was released by the Sixers after the Champions League and has proved a brilliant acquisition for the Melbourne side. He continued his red-hot form, combining with Hales for a 112-run partnership in just 10.3 overs.
Rohrer found the gaps while Hales peppered the crowd with big hits, with both gaining reprieves from a woeful Sixers fielding effort.Steve O’Keefe felt the brunt of Hales’ brutality. Twice in the 11th over, Hales slog swept O’Keefe into the Members Stand. Then in the 15th Hales clobbered O’Keefe again, clearing the fence four times. One landing on the roof of the Members Stand was measured at 111m, with the following ball travelling 109m in the same direction. Hales holed out to Moises Henriques in the next over but the damage was done.Rohrer quietly passed fifty for the second time in the tournament, off just 33 deliveries. The Renegades scored 113 from the last ten overs, the anomaly being that Senanayake and Brett Lee each bowled their full quota of four overs for just 19 runs, with the other four bowlers getting smashed for more than 11 runs-per-over.The Sixers’ chase started horrendously, losing four for 46 inside seven overs. Three fell meekly pulling soft catches to midwicket. The exception was Nic Maddinson who nicked Nathan Rimmington to the keeper.O’Keefe arrived, intent on erasing the 50 runs he conceded with the ball. He played some unorthodox strokes, found the rope five times and cleared it once. Hales gave him a life when he lost the ball in the lights at deep midwicket.O’Keefe’s unorthodoxy proved his undoing. He walked well outside the off stump to paddle Darren Pattinson fine, only to find the keeper’s gloves, although replays suggested it might have been pad rather than bat causing the deflection. Daniel Smith holed out to Pattinson in the same over to give the seamer his third scalp.Rimmington returned to clean up Senanayake and Hazlewood to also claim three wickets. The Renegades’ 29-run win was all the more impressive, given the absences of Finch, Samuels, and Muttiah Muralitharan who was rested. Asylum-seeker Fawad Ahmed got an opportunity to play his first professional match in Australia, in Murali’s place, to cap an uplifting night for the Melbourne side. They now wait to see who they will host a home semi-final next Tuesday.

The PCB has denied Umar Akmal, Saeed Ajmal and Shahid Afridi permission to play this season’s Big Bash League (BBL) to ensure the trio’s participation in their domestic Twenty20 tournament ahead of the tour of India

Umar Farooq15-Nov-2012The PCB has denied Umar Akmal, Saeed Ajmal and Shahid Afridi permission to play this season’s Big Bash League (BBL), the Australia Twenty20 league, to ensure the trio’s participation in their domestic Twenty20 tournament ahead of the tour of India. Akmal had signed with Sydney Sixers and Ajmal with Adelaide Strikers for the season, while Afridi would have moved from Melbourne Renegades to Sydney Thunder.The PCB had earlier issued the players No Objection Certificates to play in the BBL that begins on December 7. The PCB’s national T20 championship is set to be played between December 2 and 10, and will be followed by a week-long conditioning camp before the team leaves for India on December 22.Ajmal and Akmal, who signed with their respective BBL teams earlier this month, had not played in the league’s inaugural edition. Afridi had moved to Thunder during the transfer window in July. In the last season, for Renegades, while he did not have much of an impact with the bat – he made 69 in four innings – he was their leading wicket-taker, with 10 scalps at 20.80 apiece.Sydney Thunder will now move to find a replacement for Afridi. The franchise’s general manager, John Dyson, said he was disappointed with this late development: “Afridi is one of the most exciting and popular T20 players in the world. It is a pity that our Thunder supporters, many of whom follow Afridi closely, will miss out on seeing him first hand this season at our home ground.”Adelaide Strikers have also begun the hunt for Ajmal’s replacement. “We’ve already started hunting for an international replacement and, let me assure you, there are some really exciting prospects out there, ” Jamie Cox, SACA’s Director of Cricket, said. “Once we’ve finalised Ajmal’s replacement, Striker fans will be the first to know.”

Ben Stokes rewrote Durham’s one-day record books with a superb unbeaten 150 but still finished up on the losing side after Warwickshire stepped up their defence of their Clydesdale Bank 40 title at Edgbaston

22-May-2011
ScorecardBen Stokes rewrote Durham’s one-day record books with a superb unbeaten 150 but still finished up on the losing side after Warwickshire stepped up their defence of their Clydesdale Bank 40 title at Edgbaston.Stokes’ innings was the highest by a Durham batsman in one-day cricket, surpassing the 145 that former England batsman John Morris made against Leicestershire in a Benson and Hedges Cup match 16 years ago.However, Warwickshire’s batsmen also enjoyed themselves on a flat pitch to seal a seven-wicket win. Ireland captain William Porterfield and Varun Chopra launched the run chase with an opening stand of 144 in 18 overs and Mohammad Yousuf and Darren Maddy accelerated Warwickshire to their fourth win in six matches with an unbroken fourth-wicket partnership of 109.Chopra passed 1,000 runs in all cricket this season in his stylish 80, made from just 70 balls – although he was outscored by Porterfield, who turned a 30-ball 50 into 84 from just 51 balls. Last week Porterfield and Chopra shared a Warwickshire one-day record opening stand of 189 against Leicestershire – and a severely-depleted Durham attack was no match for them today.Durham managed to dislodge the openers and Jim Troughton but there was no respite for their bowlers as Yousuf swept Warwickshire to victory with 21 balls to spare, with a brutal unbeaten 74 from 55 balls. The visitors’ total of 286 for three was their highest one-day score against Warwickshire and it owed much to Stokes and support from Gordon Muchall and Dale Benkenstein.Muchall passed 50 for the fifth time in six matches this season and shared a third-wicket stand of 157 in 24 over with Stokes before he holed out to long-on aiming for his second six. Benkenstein played a resourceful innings, with 42 not out from 27 balls, while Stokes was at his most aggressive.The 19-year-old left-hander used superb timing and brute strength to flay a toiling Warwickshire attack as he accelerated a run-a-ball half-century to an 88-ball century and 150 from just 113 balls when he scrambled a single from the last ball of the innings.His seven sixes included an audacious reverse paddle off slow left-armer Paul Best, which landed halfway up the Eric Hollies Stand. Stokes, who toured the West Indies with England Lions earlier this year, also drove Maddy for a six out of the ground over long-on in an innings of controlled aggression.

Sourav Ganguly, who led India to the final of the 2003 World Cup, has termed MS Dhoni as the best captain in the team’s history

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Apr-2011Sourav Ganguly, who led India to the final of the 2003 World Cup, has called MS Dhoni the greatest Indian captain. Dhoni led India to victory in the 2011 World Cup, with a crucial unbeaten 91 in the final against Sri Lanka and Ganguly said Dhoni’s leadership record in each of the game’s three formats spoke for itself.”There can’t be any doubt about it,” Ganguly told . “Dhoni is the greatest captain of our country. His record is proof of that. Under Dhoni, India have won the Twenty20 World Cup and the Asia Cup. Under him, India have become the No. 1 ranked side in Test cricket. And now, we have won the World Cup. Obviously, he is the greatest ever captain to lead India.”Ganguly’s pronouncement came a day after Sachin Tendulkar rated Dhoni as the best captain he had played under. Dhoni made his international debut under Ganguly, before becoming a key player under Rahul Dravid’s captaincy. Eventually, Dhoni took over the reins of the side and Ganguly even played under him in the closing stages of his international career.Ganguly said he was sure India would win the tournament once they got past their 2003 nemesis, Australia. “When they beat Australia in the quarter-finals, I knew India would win the World Cup,” Ganguly said. “A lot of people thought Sri Lanka would win, but I was confident.”

He suggested the spinners needed a bit of time to get back into the groove in Galle

Andrew Fidel Fernando19-Sep-2024Sri Lanka have not played a Test in Galle in over a year, while one of their main spinners has not played long-format cricket for many months. Could this be why Sri Lanka’s slow bowlers were inaccurate on day two of their Test against New Zealand?Spin bowling coach Craig Howard wasn’t exactly trying to absolve the Sri Lanka spinners, but did suggest they needed a bit of time to get back into the groove in Galle. Still, they could have done better than they did, he said.”If we’d bowled the way we’d have liked to, we’d be in a much better position,” Howard said. “If we were able to hold our line and length for longer, it would have been much more difficult for the New Zealand batters to rotate the strike the way they did, and we’d have limited the boundary balls as well. We pay heavy attention to controlling the run rate, and we didn’t do that today.”Related

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On a Galle track taking plenty of turn, Sri Lanka’s primary spinners – Ramesh Mendis and Prabath Jayasuriya – took just a wicket apiece on Thursday. Jayasuriya gave away 99, in his 31 overs.”Prabath was fractionally off. He’s a very proud man,” Howard said. “You average 22 at Galle for a reason, so I’m sure he’ll come back, and I’m sure he’ll have a major impact on this Test.”Ramesh was more expensive than Jayasuriya, however, going at an economy rate of more than four in his 17 overs. Where Jayasuriya had played in two of Sri Lanka’s three Tests in England, Ramesh had been on the sidelines throughout.”Ramesh Mendis hasn’t played a red-ball game for probably a few months now,” Howard said. “He’s been on an England tour not playing, and the LPL (Lanka Premier League) prior to that. He was probably a fraction off from a length-and-line point of view.”The New Zealand batters’ shot-making did present a challenge, Howard said. But he had confidence that if Sri Lanka’s spinners bowled accurately, the match could turn in their favour.”Control of line and length is the first thing. If we do that there’s enough in this wicket. The game can speed up very quick in the back end. We could be on or two wickets away from having a first-innings lead. Ideally we can go through them in a hurry and end up with a lead, but if not have a small target to catch up.”

The former allrounder had worked with the team over the last 12 months

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Aug-2024Jacob Oram has been appointed the bowling coach for New Zealand Men, filling the role vacated by Shane Jurgensen.He had previously worked with the side as bowling coach during last year’s Test tour of Bangladesh, the T20I series against Australia and the T20 World Cup earlier this year.”I’m really excited to have the opportunity to be involved with the Blackcaps again,” Oram said. “To be back involved with a team that means so much to me and has been a big part of my life is a real honour.”The recent opportunities I’ve had have been a great insight into where this team is going and I’m excited to continue that work in the coming seasons.”There’s a fresh new wave of talent coming through in the Blackcaps bowling ranks and I hope that I can share my knowledge and experience to help best prepare them for the challenges of international cricket.”Oram will work with a New Zealand attack that includes some newer faces, including exciting pace duo Ben Sears and Will O’Rourke.He began his coaching career in 2014 with New Zealand A then worked with New Zealand Women as bowling coach from 2018. He was named head coach of Central Hinds last summer with the team reaching the Super Smash final. Oram has also been an assistant coach in the Abu Dhabi T10 and bowling coach of MI Cape Town in the SA20.”Jake’s a great operator,” said head coach Gary Stead said. “His career as a player and his experiences as a coach speak for themselves. He brings a deep understanding of the international game, but also experience in franchise cricket which will be worthwhile in understanding the modern player and the changing landscape of the modern game.”Oram will begin his role on October 7, shortly before the start of New Zealand’s three-Test series in India.

Yorkshire fight in follow-on but title could soon be decided with Hampshire struggling

Vithushan Ehantharajah21-Sep-2022The Micky Stewart Oval was not immune from the cluster of wickets afflicting this round of the County Championship. However day two’s tally of 16 did at least speed us along to a conclusion of the season overall in a match of consequence.It is probably worth starting at the end of Wednesday, when Yorkshire walked off 65 behind in their follow-on innings. In skittling the visitors out for 179, Surrey had established a first-innings lead of 154, even after they started the day flunking their own first effort for a respectable 333 that should have been more. Considering second-place Hampshire are 105 for four in pursuit of a target of 378 set by Kent, this has been one of the better days for Rory Burns’ charges.If Hampshire lose, then Surrey can claim Championship No. 21 with victory, given they arrived with an eight-point cushion. And should they do so without needing to worry about Friday’s rain, it will be largely because of the work of 19-year-old Tom Lawes, who capped off a breakthrough summer with career-best figures of four for 31 in Yorkshire’s first innings.Accounting for three of the top four shows the value of his work, and the dismissal of Finlay Bean – swinging in, then seaming away to clip off stump from around the wicket – showcased real skill. Contrary to popular belief, they don’t like to talk up their younglings around here, but as he set about chipping away at the rest, you realised plenty of others would do the talking for them.It was one thing to excel during the Royal London Cup given the higher profile absentees, but standing out alongside an experienced bowling attack was noteworthy. Lawes had Hill and Kohler-Cadmore caught by Ben Foakes before a quality yorker did for Ben Coad, who was already backing away. There is more work to do tomorrow but, for now, Lawes’ season average sits at 19.16 with 18 wickets. Expect the latter to sit below 20, while the other doesn’t, by the time this match is over.Surrey arrived in control of their own in-game destiny, especially with Jordan Clark and Jamie Overton still at the crease and both more than capable of combining for most of the 108 runs needed for all five batting points. Alas, within 21 deliveries, both they and Kemar Roach had departed for the addition of just seven runs.Clark failed to add to his overnight 55 – bowled by Ben Mike – and Overton departed with the nine he brought with him from Tuesday. Hill, having trapped Overton in front, then bowled Roach for his eventual two for 46, which left Surrey 299 for nine. What followed was an engaging last-wicket dart from that man Lawes and Dan Worrall, the kind that starts off as a bit of fun before morphing into something really quite serious.It had surpassed humour by 80 overs, certainly from Yorkshire’s perspective. The pair had managed five boundaries between them, including a six when Worrall leant back and smoked Steven Patterson (four for 69) over wide long-off. With that, Jonny Tattersall called for the new ball and Coad from the Pavilion End with a view to ending this nonsense. And though Worrall would follow up with a gorgeous flick over square leg for six and and a smear through midwicket, bringing hope of 350 and a fourth batting point, a third hoick to the leg side nestled into the hands of Mike running in from the fence.That final stand of 34 went some way to reminding the visitors of some of Tuesday’s struggle, and it was brought back to the forefront of their minds when experienced opener Adam Lyth was squared up by Roach to skew a shoulder-height catch to Ryan Patel at third slip.It was somewhat remarkable that Lyth was the only wicket to fall in the opening spell between Roach and Worrall, particularly given how much movement the latter was getting from the Vauxhall End. He did managed to snare Will Fraine in his second spell to make it 67 for three, caught by Ollie Pope at second slip having had a chance dropped by Patel two balls before. All the while Lawes was getting into his work with great skill and a helping hand from Tom Kohler-Cadmore, who had looked dangerous for his boundary-filled 55 – 10 to the fence, including a six – before an ugly hack across the line that might explain why this was only his third score above fifty in eight innings this season.Clark’s brace accounted for the sting in the tail, bowling Dom Bess and nicking off the left-handed Jordan Thompson from around the wicket, before a bonus for part-time leg spinner Cameron Steel who bowled Mike with very much a full-time googly. And rounding off the first 10 Yorkshire wickets was Jamie Overton snaring Patterson at second slip (Pope) for a first wicket since a foot injury interrupted his season on July 25.Overton’s second would be Surrey’s final of the day: extra lift from that extra pace forcing Hill to fend when he initially planned on defending, for Pope’s third catch of the day. And with that, Hill got an early look about how little this game cares about you. Twice he showcased pluck and judgement, first for 28 stretched out over an hour and now a sharp 35 from 68 deliveries that probably ensured Surrey will have to bat again to win this.Worrall had the first of the second innings, finding prestigious movement from around the wicket to bowl the left-handed Bean between bat and pad from around the wicket. Otherwise, it was a relatively comfortable end to a chaotic day for Yorkshire, and no doubt Surrey’s quicks will be better for a night’s rest ahead of what should be one final push on day three.

At an event to rename the Daredevils, Parth Jindal indicated his franchise might not show much interest in English or Australian players, since they were set to leave early

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Dec-20181:08

‘We wanted to give the team a new identity’ – Delhi Capitals co-owner

Availability of players, and not the venue, will be the key factor ahead of the forthcoming IPL auction, scheduled on December 18. That is is the opinion of Parth Jindal, co-owner of the Daredevils franchise which was renamed Delhi Capitals on Tuesday.IPL 2019 is likely to be advanced, keeping in mind that most international players will have to attend preparatory camps for the World Cup, which starts in England on May 30. The IPL had already informed franchises earlier this year that both CA and ECB would be restricting the participation of those in their World Cup squads till May 1 only. Moreover, the venue for IPL 2019 is still undecided, with the tournament being held at the same time as the general elections in India.Jindal confirmed that English and Australian players in particular, were likely to be less desirable at least for Delhi at the auction. “We’ll plan to target players more based on availability,” Jindal said. “Where the IPL is held is obviously relevant, but having players who are available throughout the season is very important. We know that the English players will leave after May 1, as will the Australians. Barring those two countries, as of now we are given to understand that most of the other countries’ players will be available.”Jindal also said that franchises were yet to get clarity on the availability of marquee Indian players, especially the fast bowlers, following media reports that Indian captain Virat Kohli had told the BCCI that the workload of certain key players should be managed in the IPL to keep them fresh for the World Cup. The BCCI is likely to bring the IPL start date forward to March 23 as a part-solution to this, which would also help Indian players get a two-week break before they start their World Cup campaign. “There is talk that Virat Kohli wants some of the Indian fast bowlers to be rested,” Jindal said. “Luckily we don’t have anyone in our team who is in the Indian ODI squad. But as much of an unknown it is to us, it’s the same for the other seven teams. So everyone will go into the auction on an even playing field.”The Delhi Daredevils franchise was remaned Delhi Capitals•Delhi Daredevils

The IPL 2019 auction will be held in Jaipur on December 18, and Delhi will have a purse of INR 25.50 crore, second only to Kings XI Punjab’s INR 36.20 crore. Jindal, who took charge of the franchise when JSW bought a 50% stake in the franchise in March 2018, said that since Delhi had deep pockets, they just needed to invest wisely.Jindal was also optimistic about bringing back Shikhar Dhawan, who was traded in from Sunrisers Hyderabad in exchange for Shahbaz Nadeem, Vijay Shankar and Abhishek Sharma. “I’m still wondering why Hyderabad released him. He was Man of the Series in Australia too,” Jindal said, adding that having the best set of frontline Indian batsmen gave him confidence Delhi could reach the play-offs next season. “We are banking on our Indian players. Our core is Indian. If you look at our top four of Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant, it’s very strong. You look at any IPL team, none of them have four Indian players who are so dynamic at the top of the order.”Dhawan had played for Delhi in the inaugural edition of the IPL in 2008, and will be returning for the first time since then. “I can’t tell you how happy I am to play for Delhi again,” he said in a video message at the team’s renaming event. “I’m coming back after 11 years, and we are going to play with a lot of passion.”Without divulging the auction strategy, Jindal said Delhi wanted to strengthen their bowling reserves. “We need bowling – Indian and foreign. We need allrounders, though we have Chris Morris, we need one more. And we have a big purse for the auction, so we’ll spend from that.”