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Durham have given themselves the opportunity of claiming their first County Championship win of the season after their seamers led a fightback on the second day against Sussex at Arundel.

19-Jul-2012
ScorecardScott Borthwick made a vital half-century in the middle order•Getty ImagesDurham have given themselves the opportunity of claiming their first County Championship win of the season after their seamers led a fightback on the second day against Sussex at Arundel.After a half-century from Scott Borthwick had helped them to 231 and only their ninth batting bonus point of the season. They then reduced Sussex to 59 for 3 when Calum Thorp claimed two wickets in 12 balls. But Mike Yardy and Murray Goodwin used all their experience to steady Sussex who closed on 100 for 3.A subtle shift in the contest came after an unlikely ninth-wicket stand between Borthwick and Mitch Claydon of 55 in 10 overs. Borthwick, who was named in England’s provisional squad for the World Twenty20 on Wednesday, scored his first Championship half-century of the season off 68 balls with eight fours and timed his strokes well on a two-paced surface.Chris Nash, bowling his occasional off-breaks, made the breakthrough when Borthwick was leg before playing back and Claydon followed three balls later for 15.A combination of accurate Sussex bowling and a sluggish pitch meant Durham’s run rate never climbed above three an over with Steve Magoffin the outstanding bowler on show with 3 for 28 from 22 overs, including nine maidens. He struck in the fifth over of the day when Durham captain Paul Collingwood was caught behind nibbling at a ball which left him but Phil Mustard joined Dale Benkenstein in a stand of 60 in 26 overs which frustrated the Sussex attack.Monty Panesar broke the partnership just before lunch when Mustard clipped the ball into the hands of short leg and shortly after the resumption Benkenstein’s 200 minute vigil ended on 43 when he mis-timed a pull at Magoffin and was caught at mid-wicket. That made Durham 170 for 7 and they added just five runs before Luke Wright returned to the attack and immediately had Thorp taken at extra cover off a mis-timed drive.However, Sussex’s hopes of wrapping up the innings quickly were frustrated in particular by Borthwick who eased to his first Championship half-century of the season with six boundaries. Chris Rushworth, making only his third Championship appearance of the season, began with four maidens and also picked up the wicket of Nash who was leg-before to a ball that nipped back.Thorp then struck twice after tea, defeating Joe Gatting’s push before producing a beauty which left Luke Wells off the pitch and clipped his off stump after the left-hander had struck seven fours in his 41.

India B crushed India A under the weight of their big total of 356, as they won the Challenger Trophy final by 139 runs in Rajkot

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Oct-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAfter two close games, the final of the Challenger Trophy was one sided. India B crushed India A under the weight of their big total of 356, as they won the final in Rajkot by 139 runs. M Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara and Kedhar Jadhav did the bulk of the scoring, with Vijay scoring 155. India A had four batsmen who made double figures but none of them lasted long enough for a spirited reply.India B opener Vijay, who had scored 93 against Bengal on Monday, took 121 balls to lead his team to a strong position at 277 for 3, when he departed in the 41st over. He and Baba Aparajith added 68 for the first wicket, after which Pujara joined him to add 192 more. With 80 scored in the final ten overs, courtesy of Kedar Jadhav’s quick 60, India B crossed the 350-run mark.India A were jolted early when they lost their first wicket, Robin Uthappa, in the second over. Ajinkya Rahane and Shikhar Dhawan put on 115 runs in 123 balls to keep them in the hunt, but a collapse ensued, helped by two wickets and a run out from Ravindra Jadeja, to leave India A at 150 for 6 in the 31st over.A required run rate of 10.89 with only tailenders to bat swung the game in India B’s favour. And although Manish Pandey played a determined knock of 47 in a seventh wicket stand of 64 with Abhimanyu Mithun, his departure in the 40th over ensured the contest was virtually over. Seamer Stuart Binny was the top wicket-taker with three scalps, as four bowlers proved economical, going for less than five runs per over each.

With the series against England level at 1-1 India need Sachin Tendulkar to deliver more than ever, the former captain Rahul Dravid has said

Siddhartha Talya27-Nov-2012With the series against England level at 1-1, and following the poor performance in Mumbai, India need Sachin Tendulkar now more than ever, former captain Rahul Dravid has said, and he has backed him to perform in the rest of the series.Tendulkar has not scored a half-century in his last ten Test innings and has managed just 29 runs in the three innings he’s played against England so far in which he’s been dismissed each time to spin. Dravid, however, said Tendulkar looked better than he did in the previous home series against New Zealand, and “who better than Sachin” to deliver in the next two games.”I thought he was a little scratchy and looked a little under-prepared against New Zealand,” Dravid said of Tendulkar, who prepared for the England series with a century for Mumbai in their opening game of the Ranji Trophy against Railways at the Wankhede Stadium. “Here, I know it seems strange to say after he’s had three failures, but he’s actually looking quite good.”He’s played a couple of straight drives, he’s played a couple of shots that when I was playing with him, you knew he was playing well if he was playing those shots.”Tendulkar, Dravid said, had also been a little unlucky in this series. “He’ll be disappointed with the shot he played to get out in Ahmedabad on a relatively flatter wicket, and then to see other people score runs. Here, he was a bit unlucky: the first ball that really spun on the first morning was the one that got him. Until then there weren’t too many balls spinning. And then he played for the spin in the second innings and the ball straightened on a track on which every ball was spinning.”India need him now more than ever. At 1-1 in a tight series, it’s going to be very important for senior players to stand up and who better than Sachin to do that.”India went in with three specialist spinners for the Mumbai Test, on a surface that turned from the outset, but Dravid said, given that the conditions in Kolkata would be different, India would be better off with a combination of two spinners and two seamers.Sachin Tendulkar has played ten Test innings without a half-century•BCCI”It’s a different kind of soil, it does not break up,” he said. “It’s black soil, red soil [like in Mumbai] tends to deteriorate very quickly and if you leave it dry, it can turn and bounce a lot more than the black soil does.”I think that’s a blessing in disguise from India’s point of view. They might have to work harder for the wins but it’ll also give their batsmen a chance to be able to put up big scores, and to be able to show they are good players of spin.”Dravid admitted Dhoni had problems using his spin resources in Mumbai, especially with the availability of two other part-time options. “He’s going to have to re-look at his combination, simply because it’s going to be difficult to manage three spinners and especially having Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag in the side who can also bowl spin.”The combination they had in Ahmedabad was the best one, where they had two seamers and two spinners. Hopefully we’ll see a normal Kolkata wicket. India have a great record in Kolkata, we’ve had a lot of success in Kolkata, because it is a typical subcontinental wicket. As it starts off, you can play your shots, there is something in it for the fast bowlers but it does spin.”Umesh Yadav will miss the Kolkata Test due to injury, and Ashok Dinda has been included in the squad having been named as cover last week. Should Dinda be picked in the XI, Harbhajan Singh, who bowled the least number of overs among India’s spinners in Mumbai, may be left out.

AB de Villiers has pulled out of South Africa’s Twenty20 internationals against New Zealand in December, citing the need for extra rest before the Tests in January

Firdose Moonda18-Dec-2012AB de Villiers has pulled out of South Africa’s Twenty20 internationals at home against New Zealand in December, citing the need for extra rest before the Tests in January. Justin Ontong, the Cape Cobras captain, has been called into the squad.”It’s been an exhausting few months and I feel that I need some extra rest before the Test series,” De Villiers said. “It’s for this reason that I have put in the request and I’m grateful to the team management for supporting this decision.”When the squad was announced on December 13, South Africa’s selectors had named Faf du Plessis as captain in order to reduce the workload on de Villiers, who was included as a player. Quinton de Kock, who was part of South Africa’s Under-19 squad for the 2012 World Cup, had been designated as wicketkeeper for the T20s, and ESPNCricinfo understands he will also keep in the one-dayers after the Tests, although the ODI squad has not been named yet.De Villiers has a history of back problems that have worsened because of wicketkeeping, and this request for a break will fuel speculation that he is in trouble again. After the World Twenty20 in September, de Villiers needed three weeks of rehabilitation for his back, and South Africa’s management denied the injury has recurred again.”There is nothing imminently wrong with his back, it is just about managing workload,” Mohammed Moosajee said, the team manager, told ESPNcricinfo. “The plan is to rotate players like Morne Morkel, Dale Steyn, Jacques Kallis and Hashim Amla because of the schedule. Morne and Dale will probably only play one or two matches each. With AB, it’s about getting his mindset right and getting him energised. It’s physical and mental.”De Villiers had complained of stiffness and fatigue after playing in the domestic one-day cup playoff match on December 9. Moosajee said that could be a result of jetlag, as the team had only arrived from Australia four days before. De Villiers’ role in the game could also have contributed to the fatigue. He scored a century and fielded for the entire duration of Cobras’ innings because Heino Kuhn kept wicket.Three days after that match, De Villiers said the game was “hard on my body,” and that he was glad he was a wicketkeeper for South Africa “because the time in the field was tiring.”However, ESPNcricinfo understands wicketkeeping is partly responsible for de Villiers’ back injuries. He became the permanent Test wicketkeeper after Mark Boucher retired and wants to continue in the role. A source close to Cricket South Africa said de Villiers had been initially reluctant to take on the job but had “changed his mind” since. With Tests the focus for de Villiers, despite his role as limited-overs captain, he will be rested when the schedule allows, although he will play the IPL.De Villiers’ replacement Ontong captained Cobras to the final of the domestic one-day cup. He scored 268 runs in 12 matches at an average of 44.66. He was part of South Africa’s squad at the World T20, although he did not play, and will lead the A side in a practice match against New Zealand this afternoon.”Justin has been in our limited-overs plans for some time now and he has underlined his worth during the recent one-day cup, when he excelled as a finisher,” Andrew Hudson, the convenor of selectors, said. “As we all know he is also an outstanding fielder with his direct hits and a more than useful spin bowler. We are fortunate to have a player of his calibre to replace AB and the loss of one is certainly an opportunity for the other.”Revised Twenty20 squad: Faf du Plessis (capt), Farhaan Behardien, Henry Davids, Quinton de Kock, Justin Ontong, Rory Kleinveldt, Richard Levi, David Miller, Morne Morkel, Chris Morris, Wayne Parnell, Robin Peterson, Aaron Phangiso, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe.

Otago won the HRV Cup in Dunedin on Sunday, beating Wellington by four wickets

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Jan-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details Otago bowler James Fuller took four wickets for 24 runs against Wellington•Getty ImagesOtago won the HRV Cup in Dunedin on Sunday, beating Wellington by four wickets. Otago chased down Wellington’s target of 144 with 9 balls to spare. This is Otago’s tenth consecutive Twenty20 win and they will represent New Zealand at the Champions League qualifiers later this year.Wellington, who chose to bat, were reeling at 20 for 3, as the Otago bowlers, led by pacer James Fuller, struck at regular intervals. Wellington lost opener Michael Pollard, Michael Papps and Cameron Borgas for ducks in two consecutive overs, with Fuller dismissing Pollard and Papps in the second.Jesse Ryder put up some resistance but his wicket, in the sixth over, triggered another small collapse, before Harry Boam and allrounder Luke Woodcock added 72 runs for the seventh wicket, taking their side to 126. While Boam holed out to long on off Duffy’s bowling, Woodcock remained unbeaten on 40 as Wellington eventually finished at a respectable 143 for 9.Otago’s chase had some early hiccups, with left-arm spinner Mark Houghton dismissing opener Hamish Rutherford and Aaron Redmond in the second over. Neil Broom and Derek de Boorder then dominated the Wellington attack, adding 71 runs for the third wicket. After Boorder’s wicket, Broom put together a 32-run partnership with Ryan ten Deoschate for the fourth wicket. Broom’s dismissal in the 18th over, with Otago needing 14 runs off as many balls, brought Wellington right back into the game. However, Ian Butler took Otago home comfortably by hitting two fours and a six in a space of five balls.

Chris Gayle will join the Jamaica squad in the ongoing Caribbean T20 as a replacement for the injured Andre McCarthy

Nagraj Gollapudi17-Jan-2013Chris Gayle will join the Jamaica squad in the ongoing Caribbean T20 as a replacement for the injured Andre McCarthy. Expected to fly in to St Lucia immediately, Gayle is likely to be available for selection for Jamaica’s final league match against the Combined Campuses and Colleges on Friday.Gayle’s inclusion is bound to inject confidence into the Jamaicans, who are currently lying second behind table-toppers and defending champions Trinidad & Tobago, on 13 points. But their batsmen have failed to dominate, with not a single player scoring a fifty.Gayle would also expect to set his own record for Jamaica straight: in the eight Twenty20 matches he has played for Jamaica, he has managed just 136 runs.The explosive opener, who topped the run charts in the last two editions of the IPL with powerful batting performances, has been low on form after his below-par performances for Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League. Thunder were the poorest team in the tournament, failing to notch a single win in eight matches. Gayle just got one fifty, departing the tournament with 137 runs from seven matches.Still, an aggressive 65, including a 25-ball half-century, in the final match would have boosted his morale and that of Jamaica now.Last month, the Jamaican selectors were forced to omit Gayle from the final squad after the batsman said he would be available in the event Thunder failed to qualify for the knockouts. According to the tournament rules, the only way Gayle could be included in the squad was a replacement for an injured player.Currently second on the points table, Jamaica are favourites to qualify for the play-off stage when they play on Saturday.

Shane Watson is confident he has the technique to handle a middle-order position on spinning Indian pitches if he is not restored to his preferred opening position on the upcoming Test tour

Brydon Coverdale09-Feb-2013Shane Watson is confident he has the technique to handle a middle-order position on spinning Indian pitches if he is not restored to his preferred opening position on the upcoming Test tour. Watson’s new role as a non-bowling specialist batsman will provide the Australian brains trust with its biggest conundrum in the lead-up to the first Test in Chennai as they decide not only where to bat Watson, but also how to balance the team’s make-up without him as a fifth bowling option.Since his decision to temporarily give up bowling in an attempt to avoid injury, Watson has spoken of his desire to return to the top of the Test order instead of filling the No.4 role he occupied against Sri Lanka. One of the reasons Watson was moved down the order last year was to allow him to juggle his batting and bowling responsibilities more easily; now that is not a consideration, although looking ahead to the Ashes tour when he wants to bowl again, it will be relevant once more.However, Watson’s impressive form against the new ball in the past two one-day internationals against West Indies has been a timely reminder of what he can do against fast men and a hard ball, even if it is in the 50-over game. Over the next week, Michael Clarke and his fellow selectors must decide whether to reinstall Watson at the top of the order in India, which would mean splitting up one of the most successful Test opening partnerships of the past couple of years.Since Ed Cowan and David Warner came together in the Boxing Day Test against India in 2011, they have scored more runs as an opening pair than any other combination in the world, and their partnership average of 44.59 is the best of any pairing who have opened in at least 10 innings together. By comparison, in the same time Graeme Smith and Alviro Petersen have averaged partnerships of 38.28 and Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir’s figure is 32.82.”It certainly is different batting at No.4, 5 or 6 compared to opening,” Watson said. “You do know that batting through the middle order you’re going to be coming in against spin the majority of the time and also reverse swing, which provides big challenges. I know that’s part of what it would be to bat in the middle order but I also know that I’ve got the game to be able to negate that.”If that’s what the selectors and the captain and coach see as the best opportunity for me to score runs then I’m certainly willing to take that on. I’ve played a lot of cricket in India now in all forms of the game so I suppose I am one of the more experienced guys to be able to take on the conditions and take on the Indian bowlers. I’ve played a lot of cricket against the majority of their bowlers so I know them very well and I know the conditions.”Watson is one of only four members of Australia’s squad who has played Test cricket in India, along with Clarke, Peter Siddle and Mitchell Johnson. In his first Test series there in 2008, Watson was a No.6 whose bowling, and especially his ability to reverse-swing the ball, was important. He averaged 24.48 with the bat on that trip. When he returned for a two-Test tour in 2010 he opened, averaged 67.75 and scored his second – and still most recent – Test century.”That is where I feel most comfortable, there’s no doubt about that,” Watson said of opening. “Even opening the batting over the last couple of nights … I love taking on the quick bowlers with the brand new ball and challenging myself against the best bowlers in the world. That’s what really gets me up and going. That certainly is the exciting thing about opening the batting.”I’m not here to put extra pressure on Ed at all, because I know he wants to be doing as good a job as he possibly can. All I’ve said is the reasons why I got moved down the order was mainly to do with my bowling, to be able to get the balance exactly right. But moving forward I really don’t want my bowling to get in the way of my batting.”Cowan scored his first Test century during the home summer against South Africa but despite reaching fifty two more times, he wasn’t able to post another big score. But he has consistently shown that he can take the shine off the new ball and occupy time at the crease, an important role for a Test opener, and the Cowan-Warner partnership was solid during the summer.Cowan was part of the advance group that has already arrived in India and will take part in a two-day tour match in Chennai, before the rest of the squad lands in time for a second warm-up game, a three-day contest. Watson said it was disappointing that the squad was unable to travel as one group due to the crossover with the one-day series against West Indies, but he said a jam-packed schedule meant it could be no other way.”To think that there are different stages of the group going over, it’s not a whole team going across to make our mark straight up, makes it very disappointing,” Watson said. “But that’s just the way the schedules have worked. You’ve just got to make the most of the situation. It’s not ideal but it is part and parcel now of trying to fit all the amount of cricket in that there is at the moment.”For me, I just want to play. There’s no doubt you want to represent your country and I’ve missed quite a bit of the summer. The most exciting thing about representing your country is playing in front of your home fans, so for me I certainly would prefer to be playing here because that’s what really excites me … I’m going to be lucky enough to have a three-day tour match [in India] and I think that will be a perfect lead-in.”

Allan Donald knows his main job as head coach is to turn Pune Warriors’ fortunes around after two poor seasons

Firdose Moonda27-Mar-2013While Gary Kirsten and Russell Domingo will spend the next two months playing with their kids, the other member of South Africa’s coaching staff, Allan Donald, has adopted what looks like a set of problem children. Donald will spend time as head coach of the Pune Warriors squad, who he meets on Thursday, and has been tasked with changing their fortunes.Pune finished IPL5 at the bottom of the table and won only four of their 16 matches. The best they’ve performed in a season is in second-last spot after their maiden run in 2011. Since then, instead of positive results, they have racked up controversies.Their first campaign was nearly aborted because of sponsorship disputes. When it was decided they would play, Sourav Ganguly was picked as their captain and his relationship with the franchise appeared to deteriorate steadily. He was appointed their mentor for the second season.In their playing group was Jesse Ryder, who was going through a personal crisis and travelled with a personal psychologist, and Wayne Parnell and Rahul Sharma, who were involved in a drug raid at a party. In an effort to change things, they bought Michael Clarke to captain them this season but before it could begin, he was ruled out of the tournament with a back problem.Donald admits things have not been easy and knows his main job is to turn that around. “We’ve had two tired years so this season is about finding some confidence,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “In a tournament like the IPL, it’s a difficult thing to understand. How do you gain confidence and momentum?”Last year, we started pretty well and then things backfired massively. It was quite a nightmare. But we’ve looked at a bit of restructuring and I think this is still a great stage to take on a team.” Ganguly is no longer involved and Donald is taking South Africa’s conditioning coach Rob Walter, who was with Delhi Daredevils, with him to try and bring in some of the culture that has made the national team so successful.”We’ve got a good blend of younger players to mix with the leadership group but now we’ve got to get it together,” Donald said. “There’s been a bit of reworking and we seem to have good systems in place so I am looking forward to a better season.”For Donald, the way the team performs is a direct reflection on his ability as a coach, something he wants to develop over the next two months with a view to future endeavours. “Every time challenges get thrown at you, you should take them and this is a massive challenge. It doesn’t get any bigger than the IPL. Ultimately I want to become a head coach and I think this will be step in that direction.”Donald has served as bowling coach to England, New Zealand and South Africa but he has never been the head coach. Bangladesh were interested in him for the main job shortly after he joined Kirsten’s ranks and he turned them down. With Kirsten having made it clear he does not intend to stay involved indefinitely, Donald may be eyeing taking over if the opportunity comes up in the future.He will be one of two South African head coaches at this year’s tournament. The other is Ray Jennings who has been in charge of Royal Challengers Bangalore since the second season. Shaun Pollock, Jonty Rhodes, and Doug Watson worked at the Mumbai Indians in the past and Kepler Wessels was with Chennai Super Kings in the first season. On face value, Donald has a tougher task than any of his compatriots, especially because he has not had a break.Donald will depart just four days between the end of the South African series against Pakistan and the start of his new job. He could be in India until May 26, should Pune reach the final. Five days after that, South Africa will play Holland in a warm-up match for the Champions Trophy. Even if his stay with the IPL ends with the franchise’s last match on May 18, Donald will only have little more than a week before he has to resume his national duties.His travels will be made easier because his family is accompanying him for a longer period for the first time. His wife and two children will be at the IPL and it will be his daughter’s first visit to India which he said she is very excited about. But before he can make time to show her the sights, he wants to concentrate on mentoring Pune’s young bowlers.Donald identified recent Test debutant Bhuvneshwar Kumar as one he would like to mould. “He is not express pace but he is very skilfull. There is a lot to work with there,” Donald said. Others who will hope to benefit from Donald’s experience are Ashok Dinda, Mitchell Marsh, Kane Richardson and someone who has worked with him before, Parnell. “I always enjoy working with talented bowlers and I hope to make able to make some sort of impact.”

Jim Allenby remains committed to Glamorgan after considering leaving the county having been stripped of the T20 captaincy for 2013 in favour of Marcus North.

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Apr-2013Jim Allenby, the Glamorgan allrounder, remains committed to the club after considering leaving the county.Allenby, 30, was stripped of the T20 captaincy for 2013 in favour of Australian overseas player Marcus North after leading the side in just five matches last season.He and Mark Wallace, the four-day captain, had shared the one-day captaincy in 2012 but now North will take on the role in both T20 and YB40 cricket.”Initially I was extremely disappointed,” Allenby told the “I felt after only captaining for five games I was not given a proper run at it. I would be lying if I said I had not considered my future and whether my ambitions might be met elsewhere.”But these things happen in sport where decisions are made which you don’t agree with. I have accepted the decision and completely moved on and I am 100% behind Mark and Marcus. I am absolutely committed to Glamorgan.”In a campaign ruined by the weather, Allenby only had five matches to make his mark as captain. Glamorgan lost three matches but did manage to do the double over Warwickshire. But he is keen for another crack at leadership.”It has been an ambition of mine for a long time to captain sides because I enjoy the role and feel I am good at it,” Allenby said, having missed the club’s preseason tour to Potchefstroom with an ongoing medical condition. “Whether I am a future Glamorgan captain we will have to wait and see who is making the decisions. But I still have those ambitions and feel the experiences I have had over the last couple of years will stand me in good stead.”Allenby was the leading allrounder in first-class cricket last season and was named Glamorgan’s player of the year. But he is is out of contract at the end of the season and a move away from Cardiff could be his next step.Since joining from Leicestershire, initially on loan in August 2009, only in 2010 – when Glamorgan missed out on Championship promotion by five points – have Glamorgan been challenging for honours.”I have a mortgage and only one career which I am in the middle of,” Allenby said. “I have spoken with the club this year and last year and told them my ambitions are to win trophies and play at the highest level I can. This has not changed and I would love for at least one of those things to happen here and all problems would be solved.”I will be playing my cricket where I think I can achieve those goals. I have made no secret of that and will tell anyone who asks me. I want to fulfil my goals here but if it is not we will look at things again. We will see how the next few months go.”

A preview of the match between Pune Warriors and Royal Challengers Bangalore

The Preview by Rachna Shetty01-May-2013Match factsMay 2, 2013
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Big pictureGiven their current form, Pune Warriors will be desperately hoping their match against Royal Challengers Bangalore isn’t a repeat of the carnage that took place in Bangalore a little over a week ago.Since that match, Royal Challengers have lost consecutive away games but still are favourites going into this encounter. While it’s easy to pin the losses on Chris Gayle’s poor scores, the other batsmen haven’t really had a substantial stay at the crease. They need this win to correct their dismal away record this season (four losses in four games) and get closer to sealing their playoff spot. Royal Challengers will need to be wary of Warriors, given that the tournament is almost over for the hosts and they will be looking to upset the chances of the bigger teams.Inconsistent batting has dragged Warriors down this season and they seem like a team pulling in different directions. The failure of Indian batsmen, especially Robin Uthappa and Yuvraj Singh, has been damaging for them. Death bowling is another area where Warriors have suffered – in their last two matches, against Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Daredevils, Warriors conceded 62 and 63 runs respectively in the last five.Yuvraj Singh’s struggle with fitness and his lack of form have hampered Pune Warriors•BCCIForm guidePune Warriors LLLLL (Most recent first)
Royal Challengers Bangalore LLWWWWatch out for..After having spent most of the season on the bench and an insipid first game against Daredevils, Kane Richardson got a chance to showcase the skills that earned him $700,000 at the auction earlier this year. He took the big wicket of Michael Hussey with one that left the batsman after pitching, and also generated pace. He contributed with the bat, helping Warriors to a face-saving total after their line-up imploded.After a string of good scores early on, Virat Kohli has suffered a slight dip in form. His last four innings have produced 45 runs. The focus in the last few days has remained on the Wankhede crowd controversy and the four away losses, but this match is a chance for the captain to get the team back on track.Stats and trivia Royal Challengers have an away win-loss ratio of 0.83 (15 victories in 34 games), which is fifth among all teams. Mumbai Indians are on the top with a win-loss ratio of 1.43 (23 victories in 40 games). Rahul Sharma’s duck – his eighth – in the last match has put him level with three other batsmen in the list of most ducks in the IPL. Virat Kohli needs 10 fours to become the eighth batsman to score 200 fours in the IPL.Quotes”The boys are a good bunch and keep motivating themselves. But then I think we are not clicking together.”