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Kings XI Punjab find themselves in a complex qualification battle; but their fate will depend on how they take charge of the controllable factors

The Preview by Varun Shetty08-May-2017Match factsKings XI Punjab v Kolkata Knight Riders
Mohali, May 9, 2017
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)4:18

KKR’s brave strategic punts paying off

Head-to-headOverall: Kolkata Knight Riders command a comprehensive 14-6 lead over Kings XI Punjab. Knight Riders have won eight games in a row against Kings XI since 2014.This season: Sunil Narine’s Powerplay blitz, followed by Gautam Gambhir’s unbeaten 72, helped Knight Riders chase down 171 with eight wickets in hand and 21 balls to spare.Form guide

Kings XI Punjab (fifth): lost to Gujarat Lions by 6 wickets, defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore by 19 runs, defeated Delhi Daredevils by 10 wickets
Kolkata Knight Riders (second): defeated Royal Challengers by 6 wickets, lost to Rising Pune by 4 wickets, lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad by 48 runs

In the newsKings XI will be without Hashim Amla, who scored his second century of the season on Sunday. Amla and David Miller have left for national duties. Either allrounder Darren Sammy or fast bowler Matt Henry is likely to replace Amla, considering Australian allrounder Marcus Stoinis was ruled out of the IPL with a shoulder injury last week.Robin Uthappa is still being monitored by the Knight Riders medical staff. There’s no confirmation on whether fast bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile will be available for selection either.Qualification scenarioFor Kings XI to make the top four, they will need to win their remaining three games, and then hope that other results go their way. If Sunrisers lose their remaining fixture against Gujarat Lions, then Kings XI will make the cut with 16 points, but Rising Pune could also be pushed out if they lose their remaining two matches and Sunrisers win their last game. Rising Pune have a NRR of -0.060 compared to Kings XI’s 0.242, so any situation that comes down to run rates will clearly favour Kings XI.Knight Riders are tied on 16 points with Rising Pune Supergiant, and are in second place by virtue of a better net run-rate. A win will help them create a two-point gap in the battle for a spot in the first qualifier.The likely XIsKings XI Punjab: 1 Manan Vohra, 2 Martin Guptill, 3 Shaun Marsh, 4 Glenn Maxwell (capt), 5 Gurkeerat Singh, 6 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 7 Axar Patel, 8 Matt Henry/Darren Sammy, 9 Mohit Sharma, 10 Varun Aaron/T Natarajan, 11 Sandeep SharmaKolkata Knight Riders: 1 Chris Lynn, 2 Sunil Narine, 3 Gautam Gambhir (capt), 4 Robin Uthappa/Sheldon Jackson (wk), 5 Manish Pandey, 6 Yusuf Pathan, 7 Suryakumar Yadav, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Nathan Coulter-Nile, 10 Umesh Yadav, 11 Kuldeep YadavStrategy puntGlenn Maxwell might bowl with the new ball if Sunil Narine opens the batting again – he has conceded only 26 runs in 31 balls against the left-hander in previous meetings, and has dismissed him twice.However, when he had brought himself on in the Powerplay against Knight Riders in their last meeting, he was taken for 18 runs. To avoid an encore, Varun Aaron’s pace and bounce could be utilised instead.Stats that matter Wriddhiman Saha (11.25 in eight innings) has the second-worst average among batsmen who’ve played more than five innings in the top seven. He is led and trailed by Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Shane Watson (11.16 in six innings) and Knight Riders’ Colin de Grandhomme (14.33 in six) respectively. Kings XI’s recent success is down to drastic improvements in bowling: in the first six games, Sandeep Sharma, Mohit Sharma and Axar Patel had taken 15 wickets at an economy of 8.71 and an average of 38.06. In the last five, they’ve taken 23 wickets with an economy of 7.48 and an average of 16.00. Glenn Maxwell has also chipped in to Kings XI’s improved bowling – he has taken six wickets at an economy of 5.92 in their last five games. Gautam Gambhir has hit Maxwell for 42 runs from 24 balls. Maxwell has been dismissed thrice by Umesh Yadav in 19 balls, and twice by Narine in 31 balls. He scores at less than a run-a-ball against both of them.

The Australian batsman was unfazed by the prospect of a law that could put a limit on bat sizes

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Mar-20170:51

David Warner on the proposal to restrict bat sizes

David Warner, who is likely to be among the batsmen impacted if the MCC’s proposal to limit bat sizes is passed into law, has said playing with a slimmer piece of willow would not to make too much of a difference to his game.”We’re just going to have to adapt to the changes,” Warner said on Saturday. “And, you know what, the ball’s still going to go the same distance, the ball will still go to the fence, and we’re still going to get our ones and twos, and the odd nick might not carry this time.”Warner’s T20 bat reportedly measures 85mm at its thickest part. Under the proposed rule, bats will be limited to a thickness of 67mm at the spine and 40mm at the edge.Warner reckoned that these limits would force a number of batsmen to trim down their bats. He said he had been to his bat-maker to have his bats checked by a gauge, and that even the bats from the start of his career did not go through it. He still reckoned he would cope with a slimmer bat, referencing the double-sided model he had used a few years ago in domestic T20 cricket.”I was down there previously, about six months ago, and I had a look, and we put a whole various range of bats, from when I started and a few other guys started, and I’m not sure if they were the correct measurements , but they weren’t going through the measurement thing they were doing,” he said. “But at the end of the day they’ve got to govern that as well.”For us, we’ve just got to use whatever the bat-maker brings us, but remember, I used a double-sized bat which wasn’t even 30 mils or 40 mils. I used that quite well as well.”

Aston Villa are well-placed to sign Matteo Guendouzi should he leave Marseille this summer, according to reports.

Is Matteo Guendouzi leaving Marseille?

The central midfielder still has another two years to run on his contract with Marcelino’s side, but having only completed one full set of 90 minutes across April, May and June combined, Le10 Sport have reported that he has started to “ask questions” about his future.

The France international was attracting significant interest from the Midlands outfit back in January but a deal failed to materialise, though during a Q&A for Birmingham Mail, journalist John Townley recently revealed that Unai Emery is a big fan of the player and is therefore considering making a second approach.

The Premier League boss already holds an existing connection to the 24-year-old having managed him during his time at Arsenal, and the tough-tackling ace also used to be teammates with Boubacar Kamara, so should he be looking for a new club, there’s a chance that a double reunion could be on the horizon.

Italian reporter Fabrizio Romano additionally revealed early on Tuesday morning that NSWE and Monchi are "open to offers" for Leander Dendoncker who despite being "rated" by the boss, is facing a "lot of competition" to nail down a regular starting spot, so a reinforcement will be needed should he depart which is where the former top-flight star comes into play.

Are Aston Villa signing Guendouzi?

According to French outlet La Provence (via Sport Witness), Aston Villa and West Ham United are the two “hottest leads” should Guendouzi leave Marseille. The Ligue 1 ace is “not in the plane just yet” because he’s still in the process of waiting to find out if he figures in his new manager’s plans, but should he be excluded from the fold, a move to B6 or E20 “could be on”.

Emery is clearly serious about securing his services to still be hovering in the background should a deal become available, and having helped him kickstart his career at the Emirates, he could want to unite and start afresh once again.

Would Guendouzi be a good signing for Emery?

Aston Villa will no doubt be attracted to the fact that Guendouzi has Premier League experience under his belt having made 57 appearances here before, and the central midfielder’s relationship with both Emery and Kamara seems to make him even more of a logical target.

The World Cup participant, who earns £63.5k-per-week, posted six goal contributions (four assists and two goals) in 33 Ligue 1 appearances last season and ranked in the 97th percentile for progressive passes by central midfield players, showing his desire to push his team up the pitch and contribute to efforts in the final third.

Guendouzi, who is a versatile operator with his ability to play everywhere across the centre of the park, was previously dubbed the “heart and lungs” of Arsenal’s engine room by talent scout Jacek Kulig for his "amazing" work rate, so he is an extremely well-rounded player and one who could once again excel under the guidance of Emery.

Chelsea will have to spend £50m in order to sign Southampton youngster Romeo Lavia this summer, according to renowned journalist Fabrizio Romano.

How good is Romeo Lavia?

The Belgian is a wanted man this summer, with some of the biggest clubs in the Premier League battling to acquire his signature before the new season gets underway in August.

Lavia enjoyed a highly impressive 2022/23 campaign on a personal level, throwing in some excellent performances for Saints, despite them ultimately propping up the rest of the table in the end.

At just 19, the midfielder was often superb in the No.6 role, playing with eye-catching levels of maturity and class in front of the defence, enjoying an 86.4% pass completion rate.

Chelsea are one of a number of huge clubs thought to be interested in signing Lavia in this current transfer window, but it won't be easy to snap him up, considering the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United are also in the mix.

Are Chelsea likely to bid for Lavia?

Speaking to Caught Offside, Romano gave an update on the situation surrounding Lavia, admitting that Chelsea will have to spend fairly big on him:

"There’s no further news on Romeo Lavia yet; Chelsea links are normal as director Joe Shields had Lavia at Southampton and City, but it’s still not time for advanced talks now. In general, I think the player’s final price tag will be around £50m."

Whoever ends up signing Lavia this summer will be getting a special young prospect, which highlights why Chelsea must do all they can to get him, even if £50m sounds like a lot of money for a teenager who remains relatively unproven.

United legend Paul Scholes has said the Saints gem has "so much potential" as a player, while Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has called him "incredible", even though the Belgium international was allowed to leave the Etihad on a permanent basis last summer.

Chelsea's midfield is such an important area to improve upon in the coming weeks, with N'Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic both moving on, and finding the right partner for Enzo Fernandez is essential, in terms of balance and longevity.

Lavia could be perfect in that respect, as would Brighton star Moises Caicedo, arguably providing a little more pace and legs than Fernandez, and coming in as not only an immediate key figure but also a regular for many years to come.

Kent’s wily seamer Darren Stevens bagged 6 for 22 to help his side to secure a dramatic three-day victory in Canterbury

ECB Reporters Network09-Apr-2017
ScorecardKent’s wily seamer Darren Stevens bagged 6 for 22 to help his side to secure a dramatic three-day victory in Canterbury where Gloucestershire were skittled for 61 in the space of 93 minutes.Stevens, 41, joined forces with James Harris – making his on-loan debut from Middlesex – to dismiss the visitors inside 21 mid-session overs and wrap up an emphatic win with four sessions of this Specsavers County Championship clash remaining.”It’s a great shame because we kept on scrapping in the field and our four lads, Liam [Norwell] in particular, bowled really well throughout for us, but we can’t afford to keep batting like that. We just didn’t stand up,” Richard Dawson, the Gloucestershire coach, admitted. “There’s not much you can say after being bowled out for 61 on a good cricket pitch. We had a quick two-minute chat and will all have time to think it over on the way home. We’ll then have a de-brief back in Bristol and re-group before we take on Leicestershire.”Gloucestershire’s unlikely victory target of 396 on a sporting St Lawrence pitch, suddenly became an insurmountable task once Kent’s new ball pairing of Stevens and Harris reduced the visitors to 14 for 4 in the space of 28 deliveries.Cameron Bancroft appeared bemused as he played down the wrong line to lose off stump to Harris, then first innings top-scorer Chris Dent suffered a similar fate when shouldering arms to a Stevens in-swinger.Will Tavare prodded forward at Harris to feather a catch to the keeper and, next ball up, George Hankins threw the kitchen sink into a drive only to be caught in the cordon by Will Gidman at third slip.Visiting skipper Phil Mustard survived the Harris hat-trick delivery but, without scoring, he nicked behind when aiming to drive a drifting in-ducker from Stevens.Graeme van Buuren withdrew the bat against Stevens to lose off stump, as did Craig Miles after groping inside the line of an away swinger to make it 24 for 7.As they moved past 31 David Payne at least spared Gloucestershire the ignominy of posting their lowest total against Kent – mustered at the Angel Ground, Tonbridge in 1903 – but, with 36 on the board, Payne sliced a back-foot force against Stevens to backward point where Daniel Bell-Drummond pouched a diving catch.Jack Taylor pushed defensively outside the line of another Stevens in-swinger to depart lbw then Liam Norwell, Kent’s tormentor with the ball, top-scored with 24 before he skied an attempted pull against Mitch Claydon to the keeper to finish the game by 3.50pm, while Harris completed his excellent debut with figures of 3 for 26 and six wickets in the game.”I certainly didn’t see that coming,” Stevens said. “There was plenty in the pitch for the bowlers if you put it in the right places and when we spoke after day one I thought 250 was a par score.”We felt Gloucestershire bowled too short in our first innings and we went on to bowl better lengths and got dramatic rewards. It was a really good cricket pitch; plenty in there for the bowlers, but if you applied yourself with the bat you could score runs on it too. Joe Denly played brilliantly for us, I scraped a 50 and I felt Chris Dent was outstanding for them in their first innings. You needed to bide your time and wait for bad balls. It was old school cricket on a great cricket pitch.”There was little or no sign of the drama that would follow at the start of day three as Kent batted on until shortly after lunch in adding 128 to their overnight total. Resuming on 118 for 4 the hosts were soon in trouble against fiery opening bursts from Norwell, who bagged 3 for 0 in five balls.Nightwatchman Harris sparred at a Norwell lifter and edged through to keeper Mustard, Stevens lost his off stump when aiming an airy drive to a full delivery then, two balls later, Rouse also departed without scoring when he feathered one from Norwell to third slip where Tavare took a sharp chance.With a five-wicket haul to his name and eight in the match, Norwell took a deserved rest, allowing experienced left-handers Gidman and James Tredwell to forge a vital eighth-wicket partnership that added an unbroken 60 through to the interval. In the process, Gidman scored a 101-ball 50 with eight fours.The hosts came out swinging for late runs after lunch, but Gidman was bowled by Taylor without addition and, two balls later, Matt Coles fell to the same bowler after heaving across the line. Tredwell (47*) and Mitch Claydon added 52 for the last wicket before Claydon clipped to mid-on.Kent banked 21 points for their opening Division Two win of the campaign while Gloucestershire headed home with only three.

South Africa legspinner Imran Tahir has claimed the top spot in the ODI rankings for bowlers, to go with his No. 1 rank in T20 internationals

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Feb-20170:45

Tahir tops ODI rankings for bowlers for the third time

South Africa legspinner Imran Tahir has claimed the top spot in the ODI rankings for bowlers, to go with his No. 1 rank in T20 internationals. South Africa have also overtaken Australia to become the No. 1 ranked ODI team after their 5-0 whitewash of Sri Lanka at home.Tahir passed New Zealand fast bowler Trent Boult and West Indies spinner Sunil Narine in the ODI charts, after claiming ten wickets at 20 apiece against Sri Lanka. Kagiso Rabada, at No. 7, is the only other South African bowler in the top ten.South Africa batsman Faf du Plessis also achieved a career-high rank in ODIs – climbing seven places to No. 4 – after making 410 runs in five innings against Sri Lanka, at an average of 102 and strike rate of 105. His team-mates Quinton de Kock and Hashim Amla are at No. 5 and 7, while AB de Villiers is at No. 2.After taking a 3-0 lead in the series against Sri Lanka, South Africa were in with a chance of taking the No. 1 spot from Australia because Aaron finch’s side lost the Chappell-Hadlee Series 0-2 in New Zealand.. AB de Villiers’s team duly went on to complete the 5-0 result.

Manchester United may have been handed a boost in their pursuit of a striker with the news from O Jogo, via Man United News, that Goncalo Ramos may now be available for cheaper than initially thought.

How many goals has Goncalo Ramos scored?

The Portugal international has really come into his own this season for Benfica and has had by far his best campaign yet in terms of his output. Prior to 2022/23, the player's best league goal tally was seven.

This year though, the youngster has thrived in attack for his team and has gone on to bag 19 goals in the league, with a further two assists. That took his goal contribution rate to 21 in just 30 starts, or a rate of 0.83 goals and assists per 90. It went a long way towards helping Benfica reclaim the league title.

The 22-year-old's impressive performances have led to interest in his services from the Premier League and, most notably, Man United.

The Red Devils are on the hunt for a striker and one of the names on their list has been Ramos. However, they were initially quoted a fee of around £80m to land the international forward – and told that Benfica were not prepared to sell him for any less than that amount.

Are Manchester United signing Ramos?

However, according to a report from O Jogo, via Man United News, that fee may now have changed. That's because their information claims the Portuguese outfit are prepared to flog the striker this summer but for 80 million euros, rather than pounds, which brings it down to about £68m.

That's a discount of roughly £12m on the initial fee and might be more appealing to United, who do still have an interest in signing the player – although it adds that no official bid has been made for his signature yet. With this new amount cheaper than originally thought however, they may soon be tempted into making a formal offer.

It could be quite a coup for United if they manage to sign Ramos, especially when you consider how impressive he has been for Benfica. Football journalist Josh Bunting for example stated that the striker has been "outstanding" in 2022/23 for his club, and the aformentioned numbers certainly back that up.

It shows that he is a player right at the top of his game currently – and that the Red Devils would be getting a very exciting player if they do opt to now bring in the player this summer window.

A new era is on the horizon for Liverpool as they aim to get back to the frighteningly high standards they used to keep under Jurgen Klopp.

The Reds disappointingly finished outside of the top four of the Premier League for the first time since 2016, and this is set to be a transformative window in which they rebuild the squad.

The club have already sealed the signing of Brighton’s imperious Alexis Mac Allister for a modest fee of £35m and have seemingly turned their attention to Federico Chiesa.

What’s the latest on Federico Chiesa to Liverpool?

According to Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness), the Merseyside outfit are believed to be leading the race for the 25-year-old.

Klopp has been described as a “great sponsor” of the transfer and “big manoeuvres have already begun” with the player’s agent, Fali Ramadani. However, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich remain in the race.

The 2019 Champions League winners are “willing to guarantee” Chiesa wages that Juventus cannot afford, as this was a stumbling block when he was discussing a new contract with the Turin club.

The report crucially details that Liverpool could bid as early as next week for the Italian with an offer of around €45m (£39m).

How would Federico Chiesa fit in at Liverpool?

The former Fiorentina gem has dazzled for club and country in the last few seasons, with the Italian playing a starring role for Juventus and the Azzurri in recent years.

The winger played every game of his nation’s Euro 2020 triumph and recently scored in the 3-2 Nations League win over the Netherlands.

His progress in Italy had been halted by a long-term injury that saw him make just six Serie A starts this past season. Nevertheless, throughout his time in northern Italy, he has displayed impressive numbers, with 42 goal involvements in 94 outings.

Italian legend Gianluigi Buffon has applauded Chiesa’s talent and said: “When he arrived at Juve I didn’t think he was so good. I am honest. In the European Championship, he was unbelievable.

“If you do those things at such a high level, then it means that you are really special.”

From a Liverpool perspective, the 41-cap international could form a dominant partnership with Andrew Robertson on the left-hand side.

The Scotsman absolutely thrives off getting forward and is currently the defender with the most assists (57) in top-flight history.

The full-back ranks within the top 13% for progressive passes and shot-creating actions per 90.

Given Chiesa’s extraordinary mastery and Robertson's elite offensive capabilities, Liverpool could be on their way back to the top by forming a partnership between the two.

Only one match of the four-team, 12-round tournament has been completed so far, after player strikes and non-payment of salaries affected the games after the first round

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jan-2017Zimbabwe’s domestic first-class competition, the Logan Cup, is set to resume from January 17. Only one match of the four-team, 12-round tournament has been completed so far, after player strikes and non-payment of salaries affected the games after the first round.The second round of the tournament was originally scheduled to be held between January 5 and 8, and these matches will be played from January 17. The tournament has been postponed three times this season.First, the tournament began a week later than scheduled after which the third day of the first-round match between Mid West Rhinos and Matabeleland Tuskers was delayed as players refused to take the field over the issue of non-payment of salaries. The domestic players, not nationally-contracted ones, led the strike because they were left without pay. The nationally-contracted players had received salaries, but the domestic players were only remunerated for one month instead of a promised two. The other match in the first round, between Mountaineers and Mashonaland Eagles, was abandoned without a ball bowled.Zimbabwe Cricket, in a press release issued on Friday, said that disruption of the first-round match happened after “an unfortunate misunderstanding over provincial salaries”.”Some players on provincial contracts were not happy when their December salaries were delayed because the provinces they represent had not submitted their paperwork in time for the Zimbabwe Cricket secretariat to include them on the December payroll together with the other players on central contracts and non-playing staff,” the board said. “All salaries are now up to date.”

Australia’s workplace oversight body, the FairWork Ombudsman, has queried Cricket Australia’s contract clauses around female players

Daniel Brettig17-Dec-2016Australia’s workplace oversight body, the FairWork Ombudsman, has queried Cricket Australia’s contract clauses around female players, compelling the chief executive James Sutherland to state that policies relating to “pregnancy, maternity leave and carer support” are all under urgent review.Sutherland confirmed that the ombudsman had been in contact with CA on Friday, following the raising of issues around female contracts in news coverage of ongoing pay negotiations between the board and the Australian Cricketers Association. While stating that CA will co-operate fully with any investigation, Sutherland lashed out at the ACA for how the contract clauses had come to light, adding that the players association had agreed to them in the first place.”We will co-operate fully with the Ombudsman, and welcome their inquiries because it is always our intention to provide the best support for all our players,” Sutherland said. “We are extremely disappointed that this issue has been raised by the ACA.”Their senior executives were fully involved in negotiating, amending and then agreeing on the contract for women players in the first half of 2015. As the ACA has shown no objection to this contract, they should take responsibility for their role in developing the current policy.”Late on Saturday the ACA responded to Sutherland’s criticism of the decision to publicly raise the issues around CA’s pregnancy policy for female players.* “In the formation of the ACA’s MOU submission, female players having to warrant they were not pregnant was one issue among many that was raised by our members throughout our consultation,” the ACA said in a statement.”The ACA rejects the proposition that it should not have raised the issue; silence is not the solution. It is critical that these areas are addressed throughout the MOU process.”Furthermore, to hear that female players stand to receive better terms and conditions under a new MOU is pleasing and we will be working to ensure that all players are protected under a new agreement. Eighteen months ago, the ACA was consulted on the development of the relevant policy and contract, and suggested some improvements which CA accepted. CA said yesterday it took expert advice on the policy at the time it was issued.”Further heat had been placed on CA by a interview overnight with the ECB director of cricket Clare Connor, who stated that all England women players were eligible for the same maternity leave entitlements offered to all ECB employees, and that they were not required to declare whether or not they were pregnant before signing a contract.”The situation with England players is very different from that,” Connor said. “We treat our centrally contracted players as we would treat any other female non-playing ECB employee. So, they are supported by the full terms of our maternity conditions for all employees, so Heather Knight would be treated the same as me, for example. And they are certainly not required to declare if they are pregnant before signing their ECB contract.”I think Cricket Australia have responded to what came out in the press by saying that this clause is to protect the players and to make sure that the medical officers and the physios and everybody are fully aware of the health status of their players. I think, in this day and age, you can’t mandate such things. I think it is up to an individual to take responsibility for their own health and whether they are putting themselves or an unborn baby at risk by playing sport, and in terms of the progression of a possible pregnancy. So, it doesn’t make great reading, does it?”Sutherland denied the above clause had been a stumbling block for women players signing to play in CA sanctioned competitions. “As I said yesterday, the pregnancy clause has never affected a female player’s right to sign a contract, and we have never, nor would we ever, discriminate against anyone on those grounds,” he said. “It has only been about ensuring the safety of our players.”Despite this, we will continue to focus on ensuring Cricket Australia does the very best for our women players to grow their game and encourage more girls and women to pick up a bat and ball, with their health and safety always at the forefront of everything we do.”Another issue expected to be placed under the spotlight is the discrepancy in medical support offered to women players in the Women’s National Cricket League, the equivalent of the Sheffield Shield. A doctor is a mandatory presence at all men’s matches, plus Women’s BBL games, but WNCL matches are only served by the presence of a paramedic.*09.55GMT, December 17: This article was updated with the ACA statement