The National Cricket League 2024 will start on October 5 and run till October 15 in Dallas, Texas.

As many as six teams will compete in a total of 19 T10 matches in the National Cricket League 2024.

Atlanta Kings CC, Chicago CC, Dallas Lonestars CC, Los Angeles Waves CC, New York Lions CC and Texas Gladiators CC are the teams that are participating in the T10 cricket tournament.

As per the National Cricket League 2024 schedule, each team will play the other five sides one in a single round-robin format. The top four teams in the standings after all the league matches will qualify for the playoffs.

The top two teams in the standings will clash in the Qualifier 1 for a place in the final. The third and fourth-placed teams will square off in the Eliminator to stay alive in the tournament.

The winner of the Eliminator will then face the loser of Qualifier 1 in Qualifier 2 for the other spot in the final.

The National Cricket League 2024 final will take place on October 15.

All matches in the National Cricket League 2024 will be played at the University of Texas in Austin.

Suresh Raina, Robin Uthappa, Sam Billings, Tim David, Chris Lynn, Dawid Malan, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Mohammad Hafeez, Ben Cutting, Colin Munro Ashton Agar, Jason Behrendoff, Tabraiz Shamsi and Dominic Drakes are some of the well known cricketers that are featuring in the T10 tournament.

Where to watch National Cricket League 2024 live in India

Live streaming of the National Cricket League 2024 will be available on the FanCode app and website in India.

There will be no live telecast of the T10 tournament on any TV channel in India.

National Cricket League 2024 schedule and live match start times

All match times are in India Standard Time (IST)

Saturday, October 5

Dallas Lonestars CC vs Texas Gladiators CC - 6:00 AM

New York Lions CC vs Los Angeles Waves CC - 8:30 PM

Atlanta Kings CC vs Chicago CC - 11:00 PM

Sunday, October 6

Texas Gladiators CC vs Los Angeles Waves CC - 8:30 PM

New York Lions CC vs Dallas Lonestars CC - 11:00 PM

Tuesday, October 8

Atlanta Kings CC vs Los Angeles Waves CC - 5:30 AM

Chicago CC vs Texas Gladiators CC - 8:00 AM

Wednesday, October 9

Dallas Lonestars CC vs Chicago CC - 5:30 AM

New York Lions CC vs Atlanta Kings CC - 8:00 AM

Thursday, October 10

Atlanta Kings CC vs Dallas Lonestars CC - 5:30 AM

Friday, October 11

New York Lions CC vs Chicago CC - 5:30 AM

Dallas Lonestars CC vs Los Angeles Waves CC - 8:00 AM

Saturday, October 12

Atlanta Kings CC vs Texas Gladiators CC - 5:30 AM

Chicago CC vs Los Angeles Waves CC - 8:00 AM

Qualifier 1 - 9:30 PM

Sunday, October 13

Eliminator - 12:00 AM

Qualifier 2 - 11:00 PM

Tuesday, October 15

National Cricket League 2024 final - 5:30 AM

National Cricket League 2024 teams and squads

Atlanta Kings CC: Shivam Sharma, Angelo Matthews, Tom Bruce, Baswant Rao, Danish Aziz, James Neesham, Karthik Gadeela, Sam Billings, Tom Moores, Ansh Patel, Ben Russell, Imran Tahir, Naseer Jamali, Shubham Chopra

Chicago CC: Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Chris Lynn, Hamid Wafa, Ian Souness, Michael Leask, Ravi Bopara, Simon Harmer, Arjun Mahesh, Leonardo Julien, Robin Uthappa, Kaleem Sana, Karthik Gattepalli, Rehman Qaiser, Sohail Tanvir

Dallas Lonestars CC: Colin Munro, Gourav Bajaj, Sohaib Maqsood, Chris Green, Matt Critchley, Sai Praveen Posani, Saikanth Akunuri, Samit Patel, Dinesh Karthik, Binura Fernando, Chris Wood, Hayden Walsh, Naqash Basharat, Pragyan Ojha

Los Angeles Waves: Joe Burns, Tim David, Majjid Zubair, Pankaj Kampli, Rumman Raees, Shakib Al Hasan, Waqas Saleem, Adam Rossington, George Munsey, Stephen Eskinazi, Jagpreet Singh, Rishi Ramesh, Todd Astle, Tymal Mills

New York Lions CC: Abdullah Syed, Ben Cutting, Saurish Chakraborty, Suresh Raina, Asad Shafiq, Mohammad Hafeez, Sujit Nayak, Manvinder Bisla, Upul Tharanga, Awais Tariq, Dominic Drakes, Oshane Thomas, Shaurya Gaur, Tabraiz Shamsi

Texas Gladiators CC: Dawid Malan, Jathin Varijakshan, Nick Kelly, Romeel Afzal, James Fuller, Ashton Agar, Keemo Paul, Shahid Afridi, Kennar Lewis, Smit Patel, Jason Behrendoff, Nisarg Patel, Usman Rafiq, Wahab Riaz

Photo credit: Imago

The inaugural Max60 Caribbean League will start on August 18 and run till August 25 in the Cayman Islands.

Organised by the Cayman Islands Cricket Association (CICA), the Max60 2024 is a new T10 format-based franchise league.

As per the Max60 2024 schedule, as many as five teams will compete in a total of 24 matches across eight days.

Boca Raton Trailblazers, Caribbean Tigers, Grand Cayman Jaguars, Miami Lions and New York Strikers are the five teams that will battle for the Max60 2024 title.

Each team will play the other four sides twice in a double round-robin format. The top three teams in the standings after all the league matches will qualify for the Super Three stage.

The top two teams will later clash in the Max60 Caribbean League final on August 25.

All matches of the Max60 2024 will be played at the Jimmy Powell Oval Cricket Ground in George Town.

David Warner, Sikandar Raza, Alex Hales, Dwayne Bravo, Robin Uthappa, Shoaib Malik and Sunil Narine are some of the high profile cricketers that will feature in the upcoming T10 cricket tournament.

Where to watch Max60 2024 live in India

The Max60 2024 will be telecast live on Sony Sports Ten 1 SD and Sony Sports Ten 1 HD TV channels in India.

Live streaming of the Max60 Caribbean League will be available on the SonyLIV app and website.

Max60 2024 schedule and live match start times

All match times are in India Standard Time (IST)

Sunday, August 18

New York Strikers vs Caribbean Tigers - 9:30 PM

Miami Lions vs Boca Raton Trailblazers - 11:45 PM

Monday, August 19

Caribbean Tigers vs Grand Cayman Jaguars - 2:00 AM

New York Strikers vs Miami Lions - 9:30 PM

Boca Raton Trailblazers vs Grand Cayman Jaguars - 11:45 PM

Tuesday, August 20

Caribbean Tigers vs Miami Lions - 2:00 AM

Miami Lions vs Grand Cayman Jaguars - 9:30 PM

Caribbean Tigers vs Boca Raton Trailblazers - 11:45 PM

Wednesday, August 21

New York Strikers vs Grand Cayman Jaguars - 2:00 AM

Caribbean Tigers vs Miami Lions - 7:30 PM

New York Strikers vs Boca Raton Trailblazers - 9:45 PM

Thursday, August 22

Caribbean Tigers vs Grand Cayman Jaguars - 12:00 AM

New York Strikers vs Miami Lions - 2:15 AM

New York Strikers vs Grand Cayman Jaguars - 7:30 PM

Miami Lions vs Boca Raton Trailblazers - 9:45 PM

Friday, August 23

New York Strikers vs Caribbean Tigers - 12:00 AM

Boca Raton Trailblazers vs Grand Cayman Jaguars - 2:15 AM

Caribbean Tigers vs Boca Raton Trailblazers - 9:30 PM

Miami Lions vs Grand Cayman Jaguars - 11:45 PM

Saturday, August 24

New York Strikers vs Boca Raton Trailblazers - 2:00 AM

Super Three, Match 1 - 10:30 PM

Sunday, August 25

Super Three, Match 2 - 12:45 AM

Super Three, Match 3 - 3:00 AM

Max60 2024 final - 9:30 PM

Max60 2024 teams and squads

Boca Raton Trailblazers: David Warner, Beau Webster, Evin Lewis, Peter Hatzoglou, Colin de Grandhomme, Pat Brown, Matthew Calder, Jack Wood, Steven McGiffin, Vriitya Aravind, Jack Jarvis, Jonty Jenner, C. Jermaine Blackwood, Romario Edwards, Clint McKay, Guni Siroya, Antwan Lightbourne

Caribbean Tigers: Sikandar Raza, Nicholas Hobson, Andrew Tye, Chris Lynn, Suranga Lakmal, Kobe Herft, Ashley Nurse, Patrick Dooley, Cameron Hemp, George Munsey, Sam Currie, Thomas Draca, Sacha Allan Baker de Alwis, Charlie Dean, Antwan Lightbourne, Cameron Burgess

Grand Cayman Jaguars: Alex Hales, Robin Uthappa, Joshua Little, Ben Dunk, Mitchell McClenaghan, Jake Lintott, Saif Zaib, Ross Whiteley, Sajid Ahmedzaia, Logan van Beek, Brad Currie, Mark Deyal, Antwan Lightbourne, Patrick Heron, Asgar Afghan

Miami Lions: Dwayne Bravo, Shoaib Malik, Ravi Bopara, Corey Anderson, Joe Burns, Nikhil Chaudhary, Josh Kann, Chadwick Walton, Jonathan Carter, Dipendra Singh Airee, Gage Sullivan, Anton Devcich, Anmolpreet Singh, Antwan Lightbourne, Daniel Zahran, Andy Risley

New York Strikers: Thisara Perera, Sunil Narine, Isuru Udana, Carlos Brathwaite, Ambati Rayudu, Angelo Perera, Kennar Lewis, Mitchell Swepson, George Thomas, Chad Bowes, Jayden Seales, Antwan Lightbourne, Jonathan Trott, Mark Chapman

Photo credit: Imago

The India vs Pakistan, World Championship Legends League Cricket 2024 final will be played at the Edgbaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham, England on Saturday, July 13.

The India vs Pakistan World Championship Legends League Cricket 2024 final will start at 9:00 PM IST.

Under the leadership of Yuvraj Singh, India Champions thrashed Australia Champions by 86 runs in their World Championship of Legends 2024 semi-final clash at County Ground in Northampton on Friday.

Put in to bat, India rode on blitzkrieg fifties from wicketkeeper-batter Robin Uthappa (65), captain Yuvraj Singh (59), Yusuf Pathan (51 not out) and Irfan Pathan (50) to post a mammoth score of 254/6 in their 20 overs.

Later, Dhawal Kulkarni and Pawan Negi bagged two wickets each to help India Champions restrict Australia Champions to 168/7 in their allotted overs to register a dominant victory in Northampton.

Earlier, India qualified for the WCL 2024 semi-finals after finishing fourth in the league standings with two wins and three losses.

On the other hand, Pakistan Champions defeated West Indies Champions by 20 runs in their WCL 2024 semi-final encounter at County Ground in Northampton to set-up a mouth-watering World Championship Legends League Cricket 2024 final.

Pakistan Champions captain Younis Khan led from the front with 65 off 45 balls along with contributions from wicketkeeper-batter Kamran Akmal (46), Aamer Yamin (40) and Sohail Tanvir (33) to post 198/8 in their 20 overs.

Right-arm pacer Sohail Khan later scalped four wickets for just 21 runs in his 3.5 overs to help Pakistan Champions bowl out West Indies Champions for 178 in 19.5 overs.

With four victories and one defeat, the Younis Khan-led Pakistan earlier finished second in the WCL 2024 league standings to qualify for the semi-finals.

India vs Pakistan World Championship Legends League Cricket head-to-head 

Pakistan Champions defeated India Champions by 68 runs in their previous meeting in the ongoing World Championship of Legends 2024 at the Edgbaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham.

Fifties from Kamran Akmal (77), Sharjeel Khan (72) and Sohaib Maqsood (51) powered Pakistan Champions to a huge score of 243/4 in their 20 overs.

Chasing a mammoth total, the Yuvraj Singh-led India Champions could only manage 175/9 in their allotted overs.

Where to watch India vs Pakistan World Championship Legends League Cricket 2024 final live in India 

The India vs Pakistan World Championship Legends League Cricket 2024 final will be telecast live on Star Sports 1 Hindi and Star Sports 1 Telugu TV channels in India.

Live streaming of the India vs Pakistan World Championship Legends League Cricket 2024 final will be available on the FanCode app and website.

Photo credit: Imago

The Legends Cricket Trophy 2024 is scheduled to start on March 8 and run till March 19 in Pallekele, Sri Lanka.

The second edition of LCT will see seven new teams compete in a total of 22 matches to be played in the 90-ball format.

Colombo Lions, Delhi Devils, Dubai Giants, Kandy Samp Army, New York Superstar Strikers, Punjab Royals and Rajasthan Kings are the teams that will participate in LCT 2024.

Each team will play the other six sides once in a single round-robin format. The top two teams in the standings after all the league matches will qualify for the LCT 2024 final.

All matches of the upcoming Legends Cricket Trophy will be played at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium.

The first season of the LCT witnessed six teams compete against each other in T20 format matches at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Ghaziabad.

Indore Knights and Guwahati Avengers were joint inaugural winners in 2023 after the final was washed out.

Chris Gayle (Colombo Lions), Suresh Raina (Delhi Devils), Harbhajan Singh (Dubai Giants), Aaron Finch (Kandy Samp Army), Yuvraj Singh (New York Superstar Strikers), Tillakaratne Dilshan (Punjab Royals) and Robin Uthappa (Rajasthan Kings) have been named as captains and icons for the second season of LCT.

Where to watch Legends Cricket Trophy 2024 live in India

The Legends Cricket Trophy 2024 will be telecast live on Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 Hindi and their respective HD TV channels in India.

Live streaming of the LCT 2024 matches will be available on the Disney+ Hotstar app and website.

Legends Cricket Trophy 2024 schedule and live match start times

All match times are in India Standard Time (IST)

Friday, March 8

Dubai Giants vs New York Superstar Strikers - 7:00 PM

Saturday, March 9

Rajasthan Kings vs Kandy Samp Army - 4:00 PM

Dubai Giants vs Delhi Devils - 7:00 PM

Sunday, March 10

Punjab Royals vs Rajasthan Kings - 4:00 PM

Colombo Lions vs Dubai Giants - 7:00 PM

Monday, March 11

Delhi Devils vs New York Superstar Strikers - 4:00 PM

Kandy Samp Army vs Colombo Lions - 7:00 PM

Tuesday, March 12

New York Superstar Strikers vs Punjab Royals - 4:00 PM

Rajasthan Kings vs Colombo Lions - 7:00 PM

Wednesday, March 13

Delhi Devils vs Punjab Royals - 4:00 PM

Kandy Samp Army vs New York Superstar Strikers - 7:00 PM

Thursday, March 14

Dubai Giants vs Punjab Royals - 4:00 PM

Delhi Devils vs Rajasthan Kings - 7:00 PM

Friday, March 15

Punjab Royals vs Colombo Lions - 4:00 PM

Kandy Samp Army vs Dubai Giants - 7:00 PM

Saturday, March 16

Rajasthan Kings vs New York Superstar Strikers - 4:00 PM

Punjab Royals vs Kandy Samp Army - 7:00 PM

Sunday, March 17

Colombo Lions vs Delhi Devils - 4:00 PM

Dubai Giants vs Rajasthan Kings - 7:00 PM

Monday, March 18

Kandy Samp Army vs Delhi Devils - 4:00 PM

New York Superstar Strikers vs Colombo Lions - 7:00 PM

Tuesday, March 19

Legends Cricket Trophy 2024 final - 7:00 PM

Legends Cricket Trophy 2024 teams and squads

Colombo Lions:  Chris Gayle (captain), Ross Taylor, Ben Dunk (wicketkeeper), Darren Bravo, Jesse Ryder, Asghar Afghan, Nowruz Mangal, Yasir Shah, Zulfiqar Babar, Dawlat Zadran, Robert Frylinck, Muhammad Irfan, Khalid Usman, Khawar Ali

Delhi Devils: Suresh Raina (captain), Shahid Afridi, Jacob Oram, Ambati Rayudu, Sohail Tanvir, Matt Prior (wicketkeeper), Anureet Singh, Praveen Gupta, Saman Jayantha, Ishan Malhotra, Pravin Tambe, Iqbal Abdullah, Nagendra 

Dubai Giants: Harbhajan Singh (captain), Shaun Marsh, Richard Levi, Solomon Mire, Thisara Perera, Jonathan Carter, Samuel Badree, Suranga Lakmal, Sachith Pathirana, Denesh Ramdin (wicketkeeper), Fidel Edwards, Gurkeerat Mann, Vernon Philander, Saurabh Tiwari, Ben Laughlin

Kandy Samp Army: Aaron Finch (captain), Stuart Binny, Joe Burns, Upul Tharanga (wicketkeeper), Yusuf Pathan, Irfan Pathan, Seekkuge Prasanna, Nuwan Kulasekara, Jonathan Wells, Kevin O'Brien, Tino Best, Christopher Mpofu, Liam Plunkett 

New York Superstar Strikers: Yuvraj Singh (captain), Dan Christian, Isuru Udana, Chadwick Walton (wicketkeeper), Jerome Taylor, Ricardo Powell, Alviro Petersen, Nuwan Pradeep, Asela Gunarathne, Chamara Kapugedara, Rahul Sharma, Lahiru Thirimanne 

Punjab Royals: Tillakaratne Dilshan (captain), Martin Guptill, Naman Ojha (wicketkeeper), Miguel Cummins, Dilshan Munaweera, Abdul Razzaq, Monty Panesar, Asad Shafiq, Javon Searles, Phil Mustard, Neil Broom, Siddhartha Trivedi, Upul Indrasiri 

Rajasthan Kings: Robin Uthappa (captain/wicketkeeper), Lendl Simmons, Imran Tahir, Angelo Perera, Sreesanth, Ashley Nurse, Hamilton Masakadza, Chaturanga De Silva, Parvinder Awana, Peter Trego, Pawan Negi, Hamid Hassan, Bipul Sharma, Rajesh Bishnoi

Photo credit: Alamy

The 13th edition of the Indian T20 League got underway in the UAE this year with a curtain-raiser pitting defending champions Mumbai against last year’s runners-up Chennai, and the action has been hot and heavy ever since.

While we continue to bring you up-to-date coverage of all the matches, we have decided to travel back to the years gone by and give you the list of Orange Cap holders right from the start of the league till the present day.

2008 Orange Cap: Shaun Marsh (Punjab)

The inaugural edition of the Indian T20 League saw veterans like Gautam Gambhir, Sanath Jayasuriya and even Graeme Smith battling for the Orange Cap, but a certain Shaun Marsh, playing for Punjab, won the race by scoring 616 runs in 11 games at a whopping average of 51.44. His tenure had five half-centuries and one ton.

2009 Orange Cap: Matthew Hayden (Chennai)

Matthew Hayden had answers to everything that the bowlers had in store, and his best performance came in 2009 with Chennai when he scored 582 runs in 12 innings at an average of 52.00. The southpaw, apart from scoring five half-centuries during the edition, smashed 60 boundaries and 22 sixes.

2010 Orange Cap: Sachin Tendulkar (Mumbai)

In 2010, Mumbai made it to their first final and a majority of the credit goes to Sachin Tendulkar, who topped the batting chart with 618 runs in 15 innings at an average of 47.54. His five half-centuries during the tournament included 86 boundaries and three sixes.

2011 Orange Cap: Chris Gayle (Bangalore)

Arguably the most entertaining T20 player ever, Chris Gayle had to wait as many as four years to get a hand on his first-ever Orange Cap. In 2011, playing for Bangalore, the big West Indian scored 608 runs in 12 innings at an average of 67.55 to finish on the top.

2012 Orange Cap: Chris Gayle (Bangalore)

For the second year running, Chris Gayle topped the run-scoring chart, this time by smashing 733 runs in 14 innings; more than 100 runs clear of second-placed Gautam Gambhir.

2013 Orange Cap: Michael Hussey (Chennai)

In 2013, Chennai made it to their second successive final, only to lose it for the second time against Mumbai. During the campaign, Australia’s Michael Hussey played a big role as he finished on the top of the scoring table with 733 runs in 17 innings at an average of 52.35.

2014 Orange Cap: Robin Uthappa (Kolkata)

Kolkata lifted their second Indian T20 League title in 2014 and a majority of credit for that title triumph goes to Robin Uthappa, who �?after scoring 660 runs in 16 innings �?was given the Orange Cap.

2015 Orange Cap: David Warner (Hyderabad)

David Warner has been one of the most successful batsmen in the Indian T20 League. He is, in fact, the only player to win three Orange Caps, and the first came in 2015 while playing for Hyderabad. That year, the hard-hitting Aussie scored 562 runs in 14 innings to finish on the top.

2016 Orange Cap: Virat Kohli (Bangalore)

In 2016, Bangalore made it to their third final. For the third time running, however, fortunes favoured their opponent, and their captain, Virat Kohli had to settle with the season’s Orange Cap after scoring a whopping 973 runs in 16 innings at an average of 81.08. It remains the record for the most runs scored in a single season.

2017 Orange Cap: David Warner (Hyderabad)

A season after guiding Hyderabad to glory, Warner once again terrorised the opposition bowlers by scoring 641 runs in 14 innings of the 2017 Indian T20 League season.

2018 Orange Cap: Kane Williamson (Hyderabad)

Hyderabad’s domination in recent years has been exhilarating, to say the least. Despite not having David Warner in the ranks for the 2018 season, Kane Williamson managed to win the Orange Cap after scoring 735 runs in 17 innings at an average of 52.50.

2019 Orange Cap: David Warner (Hyderabad)

David Warner’s partnership with Jonny Bairstow blossomed to an entirely new level in the 2019 edition of the tournament. It was, however, the former who ended up as the tournament’s top-scorer despite playing fewer games. The Aussie southpaw scored 692 runs in the season at an average of 69.20.

2020 Orange Cap: KL Rahul (Punjab)

Punjab captain KL Rahul won the Orange Cap in 2020 after he amassed 670 runs in 14 matches at a magnificent average of 55.83 and a strike rate of 129.34. He hit one hundred and five fifties in the tournament. Despite Rahul's staggering form, Punjab finished sixth in the Indian T20 League 2020 standings.

2021 Orange Cap: Ruturaj Gaikwad (Chennai)

Chennai's Ruturaj Gaikwad pipped his opening partner Faf du Plessis to bag the Orange Cap in the 2021 edition of the Indian T20 League. Gaikwad accumulated 635 runs in 16 matches at an average of 45.36 while maintaining a strike rate of 136.27. On the other hand, du Plessis had scored 633 runs in 16 matches at an average of 45.21 and a strike rate of 138.21. The opening duo helped Chennai clinch their fourth Indian T20 League title after they defeated Kolkata by 27 runs in the final.

Featured photo: IPL

Right-handed batsman Robin Uthappa has represented the Indian cricket team in the T20 format and played for several franchises in the Indian T20 League.

The 35-year-old was part of the Indian team that won the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup in 2007. Uthappa was the first Indian to score a fifty in a T20I match which he registered against arch-rivals Pakistan in the T20 World Cup in South Africa. 

However, the Karnataka-born cricketer couldn’t retain his place in the Indian team and last played a T20I for India against Zimbabwe in 2015. 

In 13 T20Is, Uthappa scored 249 runs at an average of 24.90 and a strike rate of 118.

While the wicket-keeper batsman had a short international career, Uthappa has been an integral member of several franchises in the Indian T20 League. He has played for Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune, Kolkata, Rajasthan and now Chennai. 

Uthappa was instrumental in Kolkata claiming two Indian T20 League titles in 2012 and 2014. He formed a formidable partnership with former Kolkata captain Gautam Gambhir, which helped them win several matches.

Uthappa has amassed 4,607 runs in 189 Indian T20 League matches at an average of 27.92 and strike rate of 129.99. 

However, Uthappa has often been criticised for a slow strike rate and struggled against slow bowlers as he prefers balls coming onto the bat.

Bowlers who dismissed Robin Uthappa the most in T20 cricket

Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has dismissed Robin Uthappa six times in T20 cricket - the most by any bowler in cricket’s shortest format. 

 

Apart from Ashwin, medium-pacer Ashish Reddy, leg-spinner Amit Mishra, Mumbai pacer Dhawal Kulkarni and former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan are some of the bowlers who have troubled Uthappa in T20s. 

 

Bowler	Dismissals
Ravichandran Ashwin	6
Ashish Reddy	4
Amit Mishra	4
Dhawal Kulkarni	3
Irfan Pathan	3
Iqbal Abdullah	4
Albie Morkel	3
Kieron Pollard	3
Karan Sharma	3
Murali Kartik	3

Featured photo: PUNIT PARANJPE /Sajjad HUSSAIN / AFP

Rajasthan had enjoyed a strong start to the 2020 Indian T20 League with back-to-back wins against Chennai and Punjab but faltered badly thereafter, winning just one of their six matches.

One individual who played a key role in both those wins was Sanju Samson, who started Indian T20 League 2020 in inspired form and picked up the Player of the Match award in Rajasthan’s opening two encounters. The 25-year-old had since hit a bad patch of form but a healthy knock in Match 40 against Hyderabad sees him back on the top, ahead of Jos Buttler and his captain Steve Smith, while Ben Stokes arrives into the top five courtesy of a superb century-garnering knock against Mumbai in Match 45 and a half-century against Punjab in Match 50.

With that in mind, here’s a list of players with the most runs for Rajasthan in Indian T20 League 2020 so far:

Player	Runs	Average	Strike rate
Sanju Samson	374	31.16	161.20
Steve Smith	307	27.90	131.75
Jos Buttler	293	32.55	142.92
Ben Stokes	267	44.50	141.26
Rahul Tewatia	224	44.80	143.58

Feature image courtesy: Twitter / Rajasthan

After the thrilling action over the weekend, the Indian T20 League is gearing up for another week of intense action, as teams continue to jostle for a place in the top four.

Over the past few days, we have seen players making a return to form or a comeback from injury or simply marking their return in the playing XI with a brilliant performance.

Over the next three matches, I'll be keeping a keen eye on these following players: 

Chennai �?Ambati Rayudu

He was brilliant in the season-opener against Mumbai and I had him primed for a big season in that #3 position vacated by the absence of Suresh Raina. He missed a few games through injury but overall he’s been excellent for Chennai. He has already notched up 237 runs in just seven outings with the bat and for someone who’s never been known for his big-hitting ability, he does have a decent strike rate of 129.50 this season. He played a valuable knock against Delhi after a top-order collapse and was a bit unlucky to end up on the losing side, but regardless, he’s been great and I expect him to continue in the same vein for the remainder of the season.

Rajasthan �?Robin Uthappa

Who doesn’t love a redemption ark? And we might be witnessing one with Robin Uthappa. He was having a pretty mediocre season and was even benched for youngster Yashasvi Jaiswal, but has been drafted back into the playing XI for the past few games. I don’t know what exactly prompted the decision, perhaps it was Uthappa being vocal about it to the team management, but he was sent to open in Rajasthan's last match and we saw a glimpse of the old Uthappa, who was so good for one of my teams, Kolkata, back in the day. He’s bought himself at least a couple of more innings as the opener with his performance against Bangalore and I hope he can capitalise on it.

Punjab �?Chris Gayle 

Punjab finally had Chris Gayle available to play and the Universe Boss showed why they were so desperate for his return to the starting XI. Batting in a new role at #3, Gayle smashed an entertaining half-century, playing a huge role in Punjab's victory over Bangalore and followed it up with a handy 21-ball 24 against Mumbai on Sunday. With Punjab’s middle-order struggle, I really believe Gayle can up the ante and take the team back to the winning ways. 

Delhi �?Axar Patel

One of the unsung heroes of Delhi's incredible season so far has been their lanky all-rounder, Axar Patel. He won them the game with the bat in their last game against Chennai, smashing Ravindra Jadeja for three sixes in the final over when Delhi needed 17. But what has truly gone unnoticed is how good he’s been with the ball for Delhi. Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje may be the ones who are stacking up the wickets column for Delhi, but the pressure Axar builds in the middle overs with his tight bowling and economical spells has benefited the team and its pacers immensely. His economy this season is just 5.50, which is just mind-boggling considering how high-scoring the season has been. I really enjoy watching Axar bowl and he will certainly be one to watch out for from the Delhi team.

Kolkata �?Lockie Ferguson

The bowling action concerns of Sunil Narine forced Kolkata to do something I believe they should have done a while back, which is drafting Lockie Ferguson back in the playing XI. He was exceptional against Hyderabad, giving away just 15 runs in his four overs and also picking three wickets. His Super Over was simply sensational, bamboozling Warner with an off-speed delivery and then dismissing Abdul Samad with a peach. The Super Over may not count in the official statistics, but Lockie picked up five wickets in 4.3 overs for Kolkata while conceding just 17, by far the best I have seen him bowl in the Indian T20 League. Kolkata should persist with Ferguson and Pat Cummins as the two front-line pacers in the team.

Bangalore �?Chris Morris 

Bangalore raised a lot of eyebrows during the auction when they splurged big on Chris Morris, who spent the better part of the last two seasons on the bench at Delhi, but their decision is proving to be a masterstroke and the South African is delivering big time for Bangalore. So far in four matches, his economy rate is a scarcely believable 5.25, and he’s also picked up nine wickets, second behind Yuzvendra Chahal in the leading wicket-takers list for Bangalore this season. He's had only one opportunity with the bat so far and he ended up scoring 25 off eight balls in their loss against Punjab. Morris has elevated Bangalore to a different level since his return from injury and I expect him to continue his stellar form in the upcoming matches. 

Feature image courtesy: Twitter / @IndianT20League

Over 400 runs were scored the last Chennai squared off against Rajasthan in the Indian T20 League, and the fans will be hoping for more of the same when the teams cross paths once again at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium on Monday, October 19.

Rajasthan were scintillating with the bat the last time these two met, winning the game by 16 runs after captain Steve Smith and Sanju Samson had scored half-centuries. A lot has changed since as Rajasthan have welcomed Ben Stokes in the squad, while Chennai are experimenting with their batting order. As things stand, both teams are coming on the back of a defeat and have just six points after nine games.

That said, here are some key figures that you need to take note of before the game:

Rajasthan’s struggles in death overs:

Rajasthan dominated most part of their game against Bangalore on Saturday, but failure to contain AB de Villiers in the end eventually cost them the game. They, in fact, conceded 55 runs in the last 22 balls. Between overs 17-20, Steve Smith’s men have picked just 11 wickets, least by any side in the ongoing edition. Furthermore, an average and strike rate of 39.73 and 19.18 is the worst in the class too.

Teams in Death Overs in 2020	Wickets	Economy Rate	Average	Strike Rate
Delhi	20	9.40	17.10	10.60
Chennai	20	10.74	20.10	10.75
Punjab	16	13.61	22.81	9.81
Bangalore	16	11.02	25.44	13.38
Kolkata	12	10.61	26.33	14.42
Mumbai	12	10.64	26.42	14.75
Hyderabad	10	12.38	33.40	16.00
Rajasthan	11	12.14	39.73	19.18

Apart from Kartik Tyagi, all of their bowlers have been hit for over 11 runs per over at the death, highlighting a dire need of improvement in the contingent. Of all, a certain Jaydev Unadkat has been particularly expensive, going over 13 runs per over while picking just three wickets so far. 

Battle for the playoffs intensifies

Rajasthan and Chennai acquire seventh and eighth spot in the ranking respectively. While Rajasthan have been in the place before, it’s a new territory altogether for the three-time Indian T20 League winners. That defeat against Delhi means Chennai have now lost five games in the league for the first time since 2012. For Rajasthan, they have been at this end (losing five games in one season) in nine of their 11 campaigns.

With only five games to go before the league reaches playoffs, only one amongst the two teams can reach 16 points, meaning that the importance of this fixture is more than ever.

Players to watch:

Chennai - Ravindra Jadeja

All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has been fantastic for Chennai especially in the last couple of games. After what was a rather slow start to the 2020 campaign, the spinner has scored 136 runs in his last five games at a rate of 188.89. He has, in fact, scored second-most runs by a batsman batting in position 6-7 this season. But while he has been excellent with the bat, his bowling figures hasn’t oozed similar confidence, to say the least.

First 3 matches	Metrics	Last 5 matches
23	Runs	136
16	Balls	72
3	Boundaries	20
143.75	Strike Rate	188.89

Table: Ravindra Jadeja with the bat in Indian T20 League

The 31-year-old has picked just four wickets in eight games at an economy of 9.46. Against Rajasthan though, he will be riding on the fact that he has a fantastic record against them, especially against Robin Uthappa and Steve Smith, whom he has dismissed three and five times in the past respectively.

Rajasthan - Robin Uthappa

After a disappointing start to the new Indian T20 League season, Robin Uthappa has appeared to find his lost form. Against Bangalore, on Saturday, the former Kolkata batsman was sent as an opener alongside Stokes, and the pair went on to stitch their team’s first 50-run opening wicket stand of the ongoing season. And that certainly wasn’t it as he went on score a quickfire 41 off 22 balls, giving Rajasthan a perfect headstart in the powerplay overs.

Stats to watch out for:

200: Dhoni will become the first player in the Indian T20 League to play 200 matches.

2: 4s Faf du Plessis needs to reach 200 4s in the Indian T20 League.

6: Runs Dhoni needs to complete 4000 runs for Chennai in Indian T20 League, will become the 2nd player after Raina.

31: Runs Needed by Jadeja to reach 2500 T20 runs.

60: Unadkat’s average vs Chennai his worst against any team.

Writer's pick:

While Rajasthan, on paper, have a better set of players, one just cannot underestimate Chennai's credentials. The team has sure been on the losing side more often than not, but expect the three-time champions to exact revenge on Monday.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Sajjad Hussain

A remarkable chase from Bangalore saw them scoop up their sixth win from nine games so far in the Indian T20 League while by contrast, Rajasthan fell further by the wayside, licking their chops after enduring their sixth defeat in as many matches.

Here are the key talking points from the contest:

Robin Uthappa back to his best?

It was back in 2018 when Robin Uthappa last opened an innings in the Indian T20 League. On Saturday, Rajasthan decided to use Jos Buttler’s hard-hitting prowess late in the game, a decision that paid different dividends as while Uthappa and Ben Stokes stitched together a 52-run stand for the first wicket; their third-highest score in the Powerplay overs of the season, Buttler failed to get the run-rate going. It was, in fact, the first 50-run opening wicket partnership for Rajasthan of the 2020 season.

Uthappa had an underwhelming start to the new Indian T20 League season, failing to reach double figures in each of his first three innings (5 against Chennai, 9 against Punjab and 2 against Kolkata). In the last two innings, however, the veteran has accumulated more runs than he did in his first five appearances, showing signs of his previous self by hitting 32 off 27 balls against Delhi and a fantastic 22-ball 41 against Bangalore on Saturday. Has this shift in the line-up helped the former Kolkata batsmen? Only the time will tell. As things stand, Rajasthan can only hope he continues to wreak havoc going forward.

Chris Morris: Bangalore’s unassailable man-machine

After both Uthappa and Stokes had set the impulse, it was Chris Morris who got the breakthrough in the final Powerplay over, dismissing a dangerous Ben Stokes with a cheeky delivery. It was all Yuzvendra Chahal’s brilliance afterwards but Morris once again stepped up in the second half of the play to finish with figures of 26/4. In his last four innings, the 33-year-old South African has picked nine wickets, including a three-for against Chennai.

Chris Morris in #IPL2020

9 wickets at 5.25 rpo & 10.6 balls per wicket

PP - 1 wicket at 5.5 rpo
Mid - 1 wicket at 3.3 rpo
Death - 7 wickets at 6.4 rpo

Morris is the most economical bowler this IPL. Only M Ashwin & Rabada have a better strike rate of all bowlers.#RRvRCB #RCB

�?The CricViz Analyst (@cricvizanalyst) October 17, 2020

On Saturday, Morris ended his innings as the most economical bowler amongst his teammates, outlining why Bangalore were right to splash out INR 10 crores on him during the auctions. The third most expensive buy of the 2020 auction, Morris has rightly silenced those who questioned why he is worth that kind of money by delivering since his first game of the season. As things stand for the South African, he is bowling at 5.25 runs per over and takes a mere 10.6 balls per wicket.

A further bifurcation reveals that he is bowling at an impressive economy of 3.3 in the middle overs and 6.4 in the death, where he has picked seven of his nine wickets. 

Time for Bangalore to drop Finch?

Australia’s limited-overs captain Aaron Finch was bought by Bangalore for INR 4.4 crores in order to give Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers a much-needed breather. The duo has been carrying the team’s batting fortune since a long time, and while Finch has well and truly showed glimpses of his viciousness this season, he has been more of a miss than a hit as he has failed to cross the 20-run mark in six of his nine innings so far (20 vs Punjab, 8 vs Rajasthan, 13 vs Delhi, 2 vs Chennai, 20 vs Punjab, 14 vs Rajasthan). 

Opening the batting with a young Devdutt Padikkal, Finch is tasked to give his team a headstart on the back of which the middle-order can build the rest of the innings. Contrary to what is expected, the Australian has failed to deliver at times and maybe it is high time for Bangalore to bring in Moeen Ali instead.

BOWLING TYPE	RUNS	BALLS	DISMISSED
Pace	121	119	3
Spin	84	60	6

Table: Aaron Finch's dismissals in the Indian T20 League 2020.

Including the England all-rounder would push captain Virat Kohli to the opening slot, a place where he has thrived to perfection. The skipper, alongside Padikkal, would work on setting a healthy score in the Powerplay overs and Ali would then do his job in the second half of the play. The 33-year-old’s inclusion will also give Bangalore an added option in the bowling.

AB de Villiers eclipses 4000-run mark for Bangalore

Although Rajasthan seemed to have mired Bangalore's men in treacle, AB de Villiers was not one to be contained. Whacking a magnificent 55 off 22 balls, laced with a boundary and six maximums, included the match-clinching six at the end, de Villiers carried Bangalore to the win. In doing so, he managed to surpass 4000 runs scored for Bangalore in the Indian T20 League, becoming only the second player overall and the first foreign player to do so.

Feature image courtesy: Twitter / Indian T20 League