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حقق توتنهام فوزًا صعبًا بهدف نظيف على نظيره لوتون تاون، في المباراة التي جمعت بينهما ضمن الجولة الثامنة من الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

توتنهام دخل المباراة باحثًا عن سلسلة اللا هزيمة منذ بداية الموسم، تحت قيادة المدرب الأسترالي أنجي بوستيكوجلو.

طالع أيضًا.. توتنهام ينافس ليفربول وآرسنال على خليفة محمد صلاح

أهدر توتنهام فرصتين في أول 4 دقائق عن طريق كولوسيفسكي وريتشارليسون.

المباراة انحصرت في وسط الملعب، مع فرص متبادلة لم ترتق لمستوى الخطورة الحقيقية لكلا الفريقين، قبل أن يحصل بيسوما على كارت أصفر في الدقيقة 38 بعد تدخله على أوجبيني.

سجل لوتون هدفًا في الدقيقة 40، لكن الحكم ألغاه باحتساب مخالفة لصالح روميرو بعد دفع أديبايو للمدافع الأرجنتيني.

وتلقى توتنهام ضربة قوية بطرد يفيس بيسوما بعد ادعاء السقوط على حدود منطقة الجزاء للحصول على مخالفة، ليخرج سبيرز بـ 10 لاعبين.

في الشوط الثاني، خرج ريتشارليسون ودخل هويبيرج بسبب النقص العددي، من أجل سد ثغرة الطرد التي تركها بيسوما بخروجه.

في الدقيقة 50 كانت النقطة المضيئة في المباراة، بعد تسجيل فان دي فين هدف الفوز بعد ركنية تم تنفيذها بطريقة رائعة ومراوغة ماديسون لدفاع لوتون، وتمرير الكرة للمدافع الهولندي الذي لم يتهاون في اسكانها في شباك أصحاب الأرض.

وفي الدقيقة 56 كاد لوتون أن يتعادل سريعًا، ولكن أديبايو أهدر أخطر فرص المباراة بعدما مرت الكرة من أمامه على خط المرمى.

ظل لوتون يحاول من خلال تسديدات من الخارج والعرضيات، لكن فيكاريو حارس توتنهام كان بالمرصاد، بمساعدة فان دي فين وروميرو اللذان قدما أداءً دفاعيًا رائعًا.

وفي الدقيقة 96 احتبست أنفاس جماهير توتنهام ولاعبيه ومدربه، بعد أن سقطت الكرة للبديل تشونج داخل منطقة الجزاء بدون رقابة لكنه لم يتمكن من التسديد لتبتعد الكرة، ويطلق الحكم صافرة النهاية.

بهذه النتيجة يصبح رصيد توتنهام 20 نقطة في الصدارة، منتظرًا مواجهة مانشستر سيتي وآرسنال غدًا، بينما لوتون تاون في المركز السابع عشر برصيد 4 نقاط. هدف فو توتنهام على لوتون تاون في الدوري الإنجليزي

Heather Knight has been named as England Women vice-captain ahead of their international summer against India and South Africa.

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Aug-20143:37

‘We won’t underestimate India’ – Edwards

Heather Knight is England’s new vice-captain•Getty ImagesHeather Knight has been named as England Women vice-captain ahead of their international summer against India and South Africa.Knight has become a feature at the top of the order for England, topping the averages at the recent Women’s World T20 where England reached the final, and has now been given the vice-captaincy as England enter a new professional era.The first set of central contracts was awarded to England’s women in May and the first standalone commercial deal for the England Women’s team was signed last month.England’s first fixtures as a professional outfit are against India, in a one-off Test and three-match ODI series – part of a new ICC Women’s Championship. Three T20s follow against South Africa in September.Katherine Brunt, the experienced seamer, is included in the one-day squads having recovered from the injury she suffered at the end of the Ashes tour in January. Natasha Farrant, the Kent left-arm seamer, also returns. Both players missed the Women’s World T20 in March.The Test squad includes Sonia Odedra, from Nottinghamshire, who could be in line for an international debut. But Georgia Elwiss, the Sussex right-arm seamer, has been ruled out of action for the rest of the summer with a broken hand.”The three squads for the series against India and South Africa have been selected from a position of real strength,” the ECB head of women’s cricket, Clare Connor, said. “I am delighted that both Katherine Brunt and Natasha Farrant will return to international action this summer.”Appointed to the role of vice-captain, Heather Knight now has the opportunity to learn from the most experienced international captain in the world as she works alongside Charlotte Edwards to help lead the England women’s team at the start of a new professional era for the women’s game.”

ESPNcricinfo previews the Group 1 clash between England and South Africa with the game set to play a major part on deciding their fates

The Preview by Firdose Moonda28-Mar-20141:56

Crowe: SA relying on too few players

Match FactsMarch 29, 2014, Chittagong
Start time 1930 (1330GMT)Big PictureWhen South Africa and England have met at World T20s in the past, it has always been accompanied by pressure. In 2007 and 2009, they clashed in the first match of the second round, in which all teams started with no points and making a statement early was imperative.South Africa succeeded both times. In 2010, they shared top spot in their group before locking horns and England’s triumph put them on course for the trophy. This time it is must-win for both of them and even that may not be enough to secure a semi-final spot.For South Africa there is a simple scenario of this match: win and they are into the semi-finals as Sri Lanka and New Zealand still need to play each other so only one of those can end of six points. If they lose, the equation becomes far more complicated and given South Africa’s history in global tournaments that version of events would be no surprise. And now they have to factor in being without their captain, Faf du Plessis, who has been suspended for a slow over rate against Netherlands.Lonwabo Tsotsobe’s place could be under threat after an expensive showing against Netherlands•Getty Images

A defeat for England and it would be all-but over, just 48 hours after the blitz by Alex Hales. If New Zealand have overcome Netherlands and Stuart Broad’s team then lose, they are out of the tournament.It would be ideal if the fate of the semi-finalists was not clear until the final group matches on Monday. That is the way a multi-team tournament should play out and with both in patchy form and everything to play for, their desperation to do well should provide more than enough excitement.Form guide(completed matches, most recent first)South Africa WWLLLL
England WLWLLWatch out for They will not have anything to do with the outcome of the match but the twin beards of Hashim Amla and Moeen Ali will be impossible to miss. It is not the first time these two magnificent manes will be on the same field – they met when South Africa played a warm-up match in Worcester on their 2012 tour to England – but it is their maiden international outing together. Don’t be surprised if Amla and Ali share trimming tips in between overs.With so much at stake for both teams, you can expert raging tempers in this match, especially among the bowlers. Dale Steyn’s dancing eyes look to intimidate England’s line-up, Jade Dernbach’s will try and dig holes into South Africa’s. The teams have enough history between them to rub each other up the wrong way and send off some fireworks in the process.Team newsEngland have a small concern over Broad’s knee. He did not train on Friday to rest it but said he “should be okay,” for the match. Ian Bell has recovered from his upset stomach but is unlikely to make an appearance in the XI which could see England field an unchanged side.England (probable) 1 Michael Lumb, 2 Alex Hales, 3 Moeen Ali, 4 Eoin Morgan, 5 Jos Buttler (wk), 6 Ravi Bopara, 7 Tim Bresnan, 8 Chris Jordan, 9 Stuart Broad (capt), 10 James Tredwell, 11 Jade DernbachAB de Villiers will captain in place of the suspended du Plessis while Farhaan Behardien is likely to come into the middle order. Wayne Parnell has rejoined the South African camp after attending a court hearing in Mumbai and may be slotted straight into the XI at either Lonwabo Tsotsobe or Beuran Hendricks’ expense. South Africa may also want to bring Morne Morkel back, which could see both left-armers, Tsotosbe and Hendricks benched.South Africa (possible) 1 Hashim Amla, 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 JP Duminy, 4 AB de Villiers (capt), 5 Farhaan Behardien, 6 David Miller, 7 Albie Morkel, 8 Dale Steyn 9 Wayne Parnell, 10 Morne Morkel 11 Imran TahirConditionsThe surface on which South Africa played Netherlands showed signs of sluggishness and the most effective bowlers were those who took the pace off the ball. There were no similar problems in the England-Sri Lanka match though, so perhaps not much should be read into the behaviour of the first track. Saturday is set to be the warmest day out of the last week in Chittagong with the mercury rising to 34 degrees and no rain is forecast.Stats and trivia The head to head T20 record between South Africa and England is tight. They have played eight matches, South Africa have won four and England three with one no result. Alex Hales has the most runs in T20 cricket this year with 241 from eight matches while Imran Tahir is third on the highest wicket-takers list for 2014 with 11 scalps from just four matches.Quotes”There’s more for the seamers than we were anticipating when we got to Bangladesh. England have got a quality attack and we’ll have to work hard on our strategies. We know we’ve got to beat England to try and progress. It might still come down to run-rate. There’s still a lot to play for.”
“South Africa probably haven’t fired as you would expect in this tournament so far with the danger they’ve got but they had key men getting them over the line.”

Hashim Amla may have had a rare lean spell in the Tests against India, but isn’t too worried about his form ahead of the Australia challenge

Firdose Moonda10-Feb-2014

Batsmen from both South Africa and Australia have promised to be as positive as possible in this series but Hashim Amla will employ a more careful than usual approach to one thing: he decides to leave the ball, given his recent Test dismissals.”I will try not to get out freakishly again,” he said, making no effort to hide his grin. Amla was dismissed both times in the Johannesburg Test against India when he didn’t offer a shot – first by shouldering arms to Ishant Sharma and then when he misjudged his attempt to take evasive action against an Mohammed Shami delivery that kept low.With just 3 in the only innings of the second Test in Durban, Amla had a rare quiet time. The 43 runs he scored was the least he has managed in any series since the second one after he made his debut, against England in 2004-05 when he compiled 36. Given Amla’s prolific run in recent years, South Africa’s management are unlikely to be too concerned about that statistic, because they will probably expect Amla to come back in a big way against Australia.That is, after all, the Amla world cricket has come to know. Someone who responds to being dropped by going on to make the opposition pay. Someone who, despite his shying away of leadership in an official sense, is willing to fulfil the role through his own example.Amla has not spent the past six weeks fretting over his form. He turned out for his new franchise, the Cobras, where he played a massive part in their march to the final. For about the first three-quarters of the league stage of the competition, Amla was the leading run-scorer. He scored three half-centuries to add to the 57 he made in an exhibition north-south derby to prove his touch was fine as it ever been.Because the national players were instructed to take a seven-day break from active competition, Amla could only play in eight of the ten matches the Cobras and he missed yesterday’s final because the Test squad was already in camp. His absence meant he was pipped at the post by David Miller and Quinton de Kock on the run-scorers’ chart but still ended up third on the list.Amla said time in the middle rather than any change to his approach helped him get his groove back. “As a batsman you keep things the same wherever you play,” he said. “You assess the pitch on the day, the tempo of the game and the circumstances on which you are going to be batting. Sometimes the game of cricket requires a combination of many things to succeed.”One of those factors is the venue and it seems Amla has taken a special liking to SuperSport Park. It is the ground on which he averages 84.75 from seven Test matches, including three centuries. Another factor will be team dynamic. For the first time in 18 years, South Africa go into a series without Jacques Kallis and although Faf du Plessis will bat in his place at No. 4, Amla will have to shoulder some of the responsibility.”We’re not going to replace Jacques and we know that,” he admitted. “It’s given the team a different dynamic and a different way of approaching things. It will be quite exciting. We will have a different type of flavour.”South Africa will likely add a lower-order allrounder to their XI in Kallis’ absence, which will mean a different line-up to the seven specialist batsmen they have gone in with since July 2012. The Australians have spoken about that being an area they can exploit but Amla doesn’t think so.Despite all the hype about the quality of Australia’s attack, Amla explained South Africa are familiar enough with their opposition to know what to expect and how to succeed against them. “We’ve played against Australia with the same bowling attack quite recently. There won’t be much difference in how we approach this series,” he said. “In the last few series, we’ve had some good success over Australia away. It would be nice to translate that into a good series at home this time.”Amla did not even buy into the big build-up, much of which has centered on the fact that South Africa have an opportunity to beat Australia in a home series for the first time since readmission. “I don’t think it’s felt different to when we’ve played Australia before,” he said, shouldering arms to the journalists probing far more than he will at the crease against Australia’s bowlers.

أعلن الاتحاد المصري لكرة القدم برئاسة جمال علام عن موعد فتح وغلق باب الترشح وإجراء انتخابات رابطة الأندية المصرية المحترفة.

وتواصل رابطة الأندية عملها منذ تأسيسها في سبتمبر قبل الماضي، والتي يترأسها أحمد دياب.

طالع | ثروت سويلم: بيريرا سيرحل عن لجنة الحكام.. وإعادة تشكيل رابطة الأندية الأسبوع المقبل

وكشف اتحاد الكرة عن فتح باب الترشح اليوم لانتخاب مجلس إدارة لرابطة الأندية المحترفة للموسم الجديد 2023-2024 على أن يتم غلقه يوم 13 أغسطس الجاري.

و تقرر إجراء الانتخابات لاختيار مجلس إدارة لرابطة الأندية المحترفة يوم 15 أغسطس من الشهر الجاري بمقر اتحاد الكرة.

ومن المقرر أن ينطلق الموسم الجديد من بطولة الدوري المصري في سبتمبر المقبل، بمسماه الجديد “دوري النيل”.

South Africa overpowered India by ten wickets in Jacques Kallis’ final Test to give one of the greatest of Test careers the perfect end

The Report by Siddarth Ravindran30-Dec-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
South Africa overpowered India by ten wickets in Jacques Kallis’ final Test to give one of the greatest of Test careers the perfect end. Kallis will retire satisfied at having been an integral part of a South Africa side who are the undisputed No. 1 in Tests, having lost just one of their previous 25 series stretching back to 2006.It was a wonderful summer day to sign off. A 40% chance of rain was expected to be one of India’s allies on a day that was the biggest challenge for their young batting line-up. Instead, they were greeted by clear blue skies and pleasant sunshine. And their chances worsened dramatically within 15 minutes of the start of play, as Dale Steyn removed their two best batsmen, Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara, in a fierce spell of fast bowling.India managed to clear the deficit just before lunch, but South Africa had mopped up five wickets in the first session to put themselves on the verge of a series victory. Though it was the fifth day, the track was still reasonably good for batting, but only Ajinkya Rahane stuck it out with a hugely impressive 96 before becoming the last man out.A target of 58 proved little challenge to South Africa’s openers, who knocked it off in less than 12 overs to end a Durban ‘jinx’ that lasted since early 2008, with the home side failing to win four previous Tests.SouthAfrica’s dominance began with the first ball of the day itself when Steyn struck a big blow, getting a shortish delivery to rear up to have Kohli caught behind. Kohli couldn’t believe the decision, as the ball had brushed his shoulder on the way through to the keeper but he was on his way.Dale Steyn picked up two wickets in a fiery spell•Associated Press

If Kohli couldn’t be faulted for his dismissal, very little blame could be attached to Pujara for his exit as well. Steyn produced the ball of the match – a quick delivery that angled in and then nipped away to beat Pujara’s attempt at keeping it out and clip the top of offstump. India were left shellshocked by that early burst as Steyn gave another reminder of why he remains the most lethal fast bowler around.Rohit Sharma had shouldered arms and lost his middle stump first ball in the first innings, but he fared better this time around. There was plenty of chat with a fired-up Steyn, who sledged him with lines like “I’ve got more runs than you this series,” and “You have done nothing in your career.” Rohit survived both Steyn’s spell and the verbals, but there was no redemption on a disappointing tour for him as he was caught lbw by a ripping incutter from Vernon Philander for 25.His Mumbai team-mate Rahane, though, has vastly enhanced his reputation on this series. After nearly two years with the Test squad without getting a proper look-in, he has finally got a couple of games on this challenging tour, and he has locked in his place with a bunch of gutsy knocks. There were an array of classic drives in his fighting innings, one of the highlights of which was a gentle straight drive for four off Steyn.Rahane’s defensive solidity was on display as he kept out the hostile South African quicks, again showcasing his temperament. He also showed that he had that vital quality for a No. 6, the ability to bat with the tail as he and the lower order frustrated South Africa for more than an hour after lunch. He was marching towards a maiden Test century, going for his shots – including a seemingly effortless six over point off Philander – before he was bowled for 96.India’s chances had withered long before that. Robin Peterson stuck twice in an over – MS Dhoni chipped a catch to midwicket, to bring back the questions over his ability to bat in away Tests, and Ravindra Jadeja holed out to long-off. India had slumped to 154 for 7. Zaheer Khan, unlike in recent innings, showed some application before falling to a carrom ball that rounded off a great day for Peterson.South Africa may be the winners, but India have had plenty to gain from the series as well. Widely expected to be thrashed 2-0 on this tour, they showed they could hold their own against the toughest team around. It is a certainly a massive step up from their two previous high-profile overseas series, which ended in disastrous 4-0 losses, something to cheer their fans despite the Durban defeat.

If Australia’s top-order struggles again at The Oval and the team’s new No. 7, James Faulkner, finds himself walking to the crease at five for not many, he at least has something from which to draw inspiration. In the Sheffield Shield final earlier this year, Faulkner watched from the dressing rooms as a highly credentialed batting line-up featuring Ricky Ponting, George Bailey, Alex Doolan, Mark Cosgrove and Jordan Silk crumbled against Ryan Harris.Tasmania were 6 for 56 when Faulkner walked out to bat in the second innings; Queensland had the chance to run through the Tigers and set themselves a gettable chase. Michael Clarke and Darren Lehmann have spoken often in this series about the failure of the Australians to stand up in the big moments. This was a big moment. Faulkner stood up with a career-best 89 in a match-saving partnership with Tim Paine. Lehmann was then coach of Queensland, and saw it all.”Looking at it now, it’s probably one of my better innings,” Faulkner said on Tuesday, after being named in Australia’s top seven for The Oval Test. “The form [Harris] is in at the moment, he’s right up there with the best. It’s good to be in the same team as him this time around. There was a new ball and then reverse swing later on, so it was quite tough and he’s one of the best. It was a good contest.”Faulkner is a bowling allrounder but scored 444 runs in the 2012-13 Sheffield Shield summer and he said the prospect of coming in at No. 7 in a Test team was exciting, given the way his batting has improved over the past couple of years. Faulkner has been Tasmania’s Player of the Year for the past three seasons, a period of great success for the state, and he hopes that experience in three straight Shield finals will help him stand up in the Test arena.”I wouldn’t like to think it’s daunting, I’d like to think it’s a good opportunity that I’ve been given and it’s a privilege,” Faulkner said of batting at No. 7. “I’ve just got to go out there and back my preparation and my skill and let it take over. The last couple of seasons I think [my batting] has improved a hell of a lot.”I’ve been lucky enough to play some finals for Tasmania and any time you play a final it’s a lot different than what it is for a normal game. I’m grateful for that and hopefully it keeps me in good stead when it comes to tomorrow.”Faulkner has had limited opportunities on this trip but in the tour matches he has batted five times and been dismissed only once in accumulating 111 runs. While it is hard to measure his batting against county and England Lions attacks as compared to James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann, the selectors have been impressed by the high price he has placed on his wicket.”In the past, when I’ve come in at seven, eight or nine, a lot of the time in the second innings you might be throwing the bat a little bit and you can throw your wicket away every now and then,” he said. “Now batting up a little bit, I’ve really put more emphasis on that and not throwing it away as much. Definitely that’s what I’ve been trying to do and I’m sure I won’t be throwing it away this game.”But Faulkner, 23, is primarily a bowler – his left-arm swing and seam has earned him 111 Sheffield Shield wickets over the past three summers. He made his debut for Tasmania as an 18-year-old, following in the footsteps of his father Peter, who played 54 first-class matches for Tasmania as a medium-pace, bowling allrounder. Faulkner senior was Tasmania’s chairman of selectors until James, in his own words, “gave him the boot” when he starting pressing for state selection.”My dad is coming over. I always said that if I was ever going to play he’d be the first one I’d call and the first one I would get over,” Faulkner said. “He didn’t really say much on the end of the line when I told him but I’m looking forward to seeing him tomorrow morning.”Growing up he’s always been a pretty big influence. He’s just let me enjoy the game and hasn’t really got too much involved. He just let me do what I do and I’m grateful for that. He has never put any pressure on me to play cricket. As long as I was enjoying it, he was happy.”

MatériaMais Notícias

Cruzeiro e Atlético-MG entram em campo neste domingo, 27 de janeiro, às 11h, no Mineirão, em jogo válido pela terceira rodada do Campeonato Mineiro. A semana que antecedeu o clássico foi cheia de declarações de ambos os lados, numa disputa que parecia ter terminado após gestos de cooperação entre as duas diretorias.

Mas, o “caldo entornou” novamente quando o Galo não aceitou as condições do Cruzeiro para ter o estádio meio a meio. Sem um acordo, ficou decidido que o Mineirão terá 90% de cruzeirenses e 10% de atleticanos.

Dentro de campo, Levir Culpi e Mano Menezes fizeram testes nas equipes durante a semana e pouparam alguns dos seus principais nos jogos contra Tombense e Patrocinense.
Pelo lado da Raposa, Thiago Neves pode voltar à equipe após um estiramento na panturrilha direita, sofrida nos treinamentos. No Galo, Levir terá seus principais atletas à disposição.

O duelo tem um peso importante para as duas equipes, pois uma derrota neste momento pode afetar o planejamento dos time para o seguimento da temporada, principalmente os jogos da Libertadores da América.

RelacionadasFutebol NacionalClubes mineiros e Mineirão receberão doações para BrumadinhoFutebol Nacional26/01/2019CruzeiroCruzeiro tem parte da venda de Arrascaeta bloqueada por dívidaCruzeiro25/01/2019CruzeiroFábio defende Cruzeiro e pede transparência sobre o clássicoCruzeiro25/01/2019

CRUZEIRO X ATLÉTICO-MG
Estádio: Mineirão, Belo Horizonte (MG)
Data-hora: 27 de janeiro de 2019, às 11h
Árbitro: Wanderson Alves de Souza (MG)
Assistentes: Ricardo Junio de Souza e Felipe Alan Costa de Oliveira(MG)
Onde acompanhar: Tempo real do LANCE! e Premiere

CRUZEIRO (Técnico: Mano Menezes)
Fábio; Edilson, Dedé, Léo e Egídio; Henrique, Ariel Cabral, Jadson (Thiago Neves) e Robinho; Rafinha e Fred.

Suspensos: Ninguém
Pendurados: Ninguém
Lesionados: David

ATLÉTICO-MG (Técnico: Levir Culpi)
Victor; Patric, Igor Rabello, Réver e Fábio Santos; Zé Welison e Elias (Adilson); Chará, Cazares e Luan; Ricardo Oliveira.
Suspensos: Ninguém
Pendurados: Ninguém
Lesionados: Gustavo Blanco(Fase final de recuperação)

PALPITES: Na redação do LANCE!, 45% dos jornalistas apontam vitória do Cruzeiro, 35% acreditam em vitória do Galo e 20% acham que vai dar empate.

Bedi has been sidelined from the rest of the season with an ankle injury

ESPNcricinfo staff05-May-2025Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have signed Gujarat wicketkeeper-batter Urvil Patel as a like-for-like replacement for Vansh Bedi, who has been ruled out of the rest of IPL 2025 with injury. Urvil, 26, will join CSK for his base price of INR 30 lakh.Bedi, who was picked for INR 55 lakh at the mega auction last November, didn’t get a game for CSK in IPL 2025, and has now been sidelined with a ligament tear in his left ankle.Urvil had been invited to the CSK camp for a mid-season trial, along with Ayush Mhatre, after their captain Ruturaj Gaikwad was ruled out of the tournament with an elbow injury. Urvil will now work with Mhatre, CSK’s youngest-ever player at 17, in the main squad.This will be Urvil’s second stint in the IPL – he had been part of Gujarat Titans (GT) in IPL 2023 – but is uncapped in the league.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Urvil turned heads in the 2024-25 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, scoring 315 runs in six innings at an average of 78.75 and strike rate of nearly 230. Though his team, Gujarat, didn’t qualify for the knockouts, Urvil came away as the top six-hitter in the competition, with 29 in six games. Rajat Patidar was the next best on the list with 27 sixes in ten matches.Against Tripura in Indore, after his name hadn’t even come up for bidding in the IPL 2025 auction, he smashed a 28-ball hundred, the joint second-fastest in T20 cricket. In all, Urvil has 1162 runs in 47 T20 innings at a strike rate of 170.38.Related

• Another day, another must-win game for KKR against CSK

• Urvil Patel waits for big break after smashing Pant's record

• Urvil Patel continues to churn out sixes and centuries

After setting the Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament alight, Urvil was also at it in the Ranji Trophy, scoring a career-best 140 off 197 balls against Saurashtra in the quarter-finals in Rajkot in February earlier this year.CSK were the first team to be knocked out of contention for the IPL 2025 playoffs, and will likely use their remaining three games to blood new talents like Urvil into their team as they rebuild for the next season.

ESPNcricinfo previews the opening match of IPL 2012 between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians in Chennai

The Preview by Kanishkaa Balachandran03-Apr-2012Match factsWednesday, April 4, Chennai
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Harbhajan Singh, the Mumbai Indians captain, could use the IPL as an opportunity to make a comeback•Mumbai IndiansBig pictureA year ago, the hangover of the World Cup had barely ended before another exhausting tournament started. Fans dehydrated by the emotions of India’s World Cup victory were now expected to show up in those numbers for the IPL. The fans and players had one thing in common – both were knackered. The scenario this year is not entirely different. India’s horrific season must have drained them mentally. Their followers are tired of defeat. The next two months will reveal the fans’ true faith in their own players.Indian cricket has come a full circle in a year, and the man at the epicentre is MS Dhoni, who’s back to leading Chennai Super Kings tomorrow in the IPL opener against Mumbai Indians. Public memory is short, and all it could take is a few victories for his fans to restore their faith. The reshuffling of squads last year didn’t affect the defending champions Super Kings. They thrived on a power-packed batting line-up, backed by a competent spin attack. They spent their auction purse in getting hold of a spinning-allrounder in Ravindra Jadeja. Dhoni, unfortunately, found himself shouldering too much burden as India captain, which affected his performances. If Super Kings are to succeed again, this squad, with varying degrees of experience, need to rally around him.His Mumbai counterpart, Harbhajan Singh, was largely disconnected from India’s plunge because he was dealing with a slump of his own. Poor form and injury kept him on the sidelines, but he regained pride by leading Mumbai to the Champions League title last year. He finds himself in the same role this year, after Sachin Tendulkar decided to step down as captain. Mumbai may be missing Andrew Symonds, but the squad’s intimidating enough without him. It’s fitting that the defending champions are taking on the team to beat in the opener.Mumbai are lucky to have their entire international contingent available for the season. Super Kings have a couple of injury concerns, but the core of their squad – barring Michael Hussey who is to join at the end of the month – is available.Players to watchSince his 95 in the IPL final last year (and 434 for the tournament), M Vijay has had a quiet 11 months. He underperformed in the West Indies and found himself out of contention. He had his moments of success during the domestic season, but this IPL will again be crucial towards making a return to the national side, at least when it comes to auditioning for the World Twenty20. Another chance beckons for the opening batsman.Harbhajan Singh is another player who could use this tournament as an opportunity to make a comeback. The criticism was that he had become a defensive bowler, bowling flatter lengths which weren’t fetching him enough wickets. His domestic season wasn’t good enough to force a return either. R Ashwin’s mixed returns in Australia should improve Harbhajan’s chances. But Harbhajan will know that he will be up against the likes of Pragyan Ojha and Rahul Sharma, at least in the limited-overs formats. He needs wickets, and plenty of them.2011 head-to-headMumbai and Super Kings played each other just once last year. Rohit Sharma’s 87 off 48 balls took Mumbai to 164. Super Kings were well-placed at 98 for 2 in the 12th over, but Harbhajan inflicted a collapse, taking five wickets to give Mumbai an eight-run win. S Badrinath was the last-man standing with 71.Stats and triviaSuper Kings’ overall win-loss ratio across four seasons (1.54) is comfortably ahead of second-placed Mumbai, who have a corresponding value of 1.26.Chepauk, traditionally a high-scoring venue, experienced a drop in the run-rate in 2011 to 7.86. The rate was above 8 in the first and third IPL seasons.Mumbai and Super Kings have played eight games against each other and the head-to-head record is locked at 4-4.Quotes”If you notice we have done exceedingly well when the pitch has been responsive with good bounce. So for us one of the first things to check will be the bounce of the pitch.”
“My body is shaping up well; I am very much in the rhythm. I have been playing a lot of domestic T20 games, so yes I am very positive about it.”