Dubai: Kings XI Punjab captain KL Rahul lauded his pace spearhead Mohammed Shami for his ability and clarity of thought to bowl six yorkers in the Super Over while defending just five runs in their dramatic IPL match against Mumbai Indians here.

The match on Sunday night ended in a tie in the regulation 20 overs and KXIP could only score five runs in the first Super Over but Shami bowled brilliantly to restrict MI to the same score.

KXIP eventually won the match in the second Super Over.

“You can never prepare for Super Overs. No team does. So you have to trust your bowler’s gut. You trust your bowler, and let them believe their instinct and gut,” Rahul said at the post-match presentation.

“He (Shami) was very clear he wanted to go with six yorkers. He has been phenomenal, and keeps getting better every game. It is important that senior players win the games for the team.”

Rahul, who was named man of the match for his 77, expressed happiness at the victory but said his side would not want to make a habit of winning like this. Even in the last game against RCB, KXIP could have finished the job earlier than they eventually did.

“It is not the first time. But we don’t want to make a habit out of it. We will take the two points in the end. It doesn’t always happen the way you plan so you don’t really know how to stay balanced.

“I was just hoping we get over the line because the boys have been working really really hard. In the games that we have lost, even then we have played well and just not been able to get over the line.”

He said the wicket was slightly slower, increasing the significance of scoring quick runs in the Powerplay.

“I knew Chris (Gayle) and (Nicholas) Pooran… I trust them to take down spinners. So Chris coming in has made my job easier as a batter.”

On his side winning two back-to-back close matches, he said, “We still want to take it one game at a time. It is sweet after the kind of matches we have lost but the talk in the dressing room is to focus on the process.

“We know we need to win everything from here, but we can’t forget the processes that lead to a win.”

Mumbai Indians batsman Kieron Pollard said the match showed that every run counted.

“In T20 cricket, 1 run and 2 runs are very very crucial. I am sure it was great for viewership. KXIP got the better of us and deserved the two points. KL again batted beautifully, going down to a Super Over, congratulations to them,” he said.

“Around the 11-12 over, we knew we were a couple of overs behind. Getting 170-odd, that was a good total – above-par on a track that was on the slower side. With the dimensions, we thought we can defend that.”

Despite the loss, Pollard said his side played good cricket.

“It’s a matter of trying to improve each and every time. There are a couple of areas we need to improve on. We have a four-day break, enough time to reflect. The guys are confident in the dressing room.

“I was told that he (Rohit) is not feeling well (after the loss). We’ll see what happens. He’s a fighter,” said the West Indian who remained not out on 34 off just 12 balls.

A loss would have almost killed off MS Dhoni and co’s chances of qualifying for the knockout stages.

CHENNAI: Stop the press. Maybe Chennai Super Kings’ demise was exaggerated a touch. There is still some life left in the old dog yet. On Tuesday, they played a near-perfect T20 match against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Dubai for their third win this year. A loss would have almost killed off their chances of qualifying for the knockout stages.

The 20-run win was based on a few things they did for the first time this IPL. After their last match against Royal Challengers Bangalore, skipper MS Dhoni spoke about the importance of being more expressive with the bat. “Our main worry remains the batting department. In the coming games, we will try to be more expressive.”

There was more than a grain of truth in that statement. They had been unsure, there was next to no intent and some of the batsmen had used the middle overs to further the art of the perfect forward defence.
There was none of that against David Warner & Co., at least in the opening exchanges.

Right from the get go, Chennai showed intent. After winning the toss, MS Dhoni opted to bat — a first this season — and the sight of Sam Curran walking out was a further indication that the penny had dropped.
The way the southpaw attacked the powerplay suggested that. His 31 off 21 allowed the ones who followed to play the game at their own pace.

Shane Watson scored 42 off 38 and Ambati Rayudu made 41 off 34. After the finishers — Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja — helped the team to 75 runs in the last seven overs, the target of 168 on a slowish, wearing wicket was always going to be tricky.

And that’s what transpired as the bowlers mixed and matched their pace. They were also aided by a lethargic Hyderabad batting unit, whose work was reminiscent of some of Chennai’s previous batting displays.

Brief Scores: Chennai Super Kings: 167 for 6 in 20 overs. (Shane Watson 42, Ambati Rayudu 41; Sandeep Sharma 2/19, T Natarajan 2/41). Sunrisers Hyderabad: 147 for 8 in 20 overs. (K Williamson 57, J Bairstow 23; K Sharma 2/37, D Bravo 2/25).

Kolkata lost wickets at regular intervals and never looked in the zone during the chase. Bangalore bowlers did not give any freebies.

SHARJAH: Sharjah has been a batting paradise this IPL, but things are changing. Sixes have reduced in numbers from the first game, which witnessed 33. Ten sixes were hit in the contest between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders on Monday. Pitches have become slower. Both teams saw that the ball did not come on to the bat, and strokeplay was difficult.

But, AB de Villiers has this uncanny habit of playing those scintillating knocks and taking everyone by surprise. It makes him one of the most feared batsmen in world cricket. After a decent start by Aaron Finch and Devdutt Padikkal, finding the ropes was difficult during the middle overs for Virat Kohli, but the South African, who walked into bat in the 13th over, counterattacked, scoring a 33-ball 73 and steering his team to 194/2. It proved to be the difference between two teams with Bangalore winning the contest by 82 runs. Bangalore thus climbed to third on the points table.

Kolkata lost wickets at regular intervals and never looked in the zone during the chase. Bangalore bowlers did not give any freebies. Their struggle with the bat made De Villiers’ innings look even more special. It was from the 16th over, when the 36-year-old unleashed mayhem, finishing the innings with five fours and six sixes. Andre Russell, Pat Cummins and Kamlesh Nagarkoti were at the receiving end.

By the look of his innings, it seemed as if De Villiers was batting on a highway while the rest were on a different surface.

Brief Scores: Royal Challengers Bangalore: 194 for 2 in 20 overs (AB de Villiers 73 not out, Aaron Finch 47; Prasidh Krishna 1/42).

Kolkata Knight Riders: 112 for 9 in 20 overs (Shubman Gill 34; Chris Morris 2/17, Washington Sundar 2/20).

Paris: Rafael Nadal tied Roger Federer with 20 Grand Slam titles by producing a nearly perfect performance against Novak Djokovic in the French Open final.

Nadal equalled long-time rival Federer for the most major singles tennis championships won by a man and added to his own record at Roland Garros with No 13 on the red clay, courtesty of a surprisingly dominant 6-0 6-2 7-5 victory over the No 1-ranked Djokovic on Sunday.

When Nadal ended it with an ace, he dropped to his knees, smiled widely and pumped his arms. He did not cede a set in his favorite tournament this year.

Nadal, No 2 in the rankings, improved to 100-2 at the French Open, including a combined 26-0 in semifinals and finals, and picked up his fourth consecutive title in Paris.

The 34-year-old left-hander from Spain previously put together streaks of four French Open championships from 2005-08, then five in a row from 2010-14, to go alongside his four trophies at the US Open, two at Wimbledon and one at the Australian Open.

Nadal is now even with Federer for the first time since each man had zero Slams to his name in 2003. Federer’s first arrived at Wimbledon that year; Nadal, naturally, earned his first in France in 2005, by which point he trailed 4-0.

Djokovic’s loss left him at 17 majors; had he won, the trio’s standings would have read 20-19-18.

Nadal is the oldest French Open champion since 1972 and the more than 15 years between his first and most recent Grand Slam titles is the longest such span for a man.

This was the 56th installment of Nadal vs Djokovic, the most meetings between any pair of men in the professional era, and their ninth in a Grand Slam final, equalling Nadal vs Federer for the most.

Djokovic had won 14 of the last 18 matchups against Nadal, and led 29-26 overall, including a 6-3 6-2 6-3 win at the 2019 Australian Open final. Nadal allowed Djokovic one fewer game this time. 

DUBAI: Royal Challengers Bangalore beat Mumbai Indians in a thrilling Super Over contest in the Indian Premier League on Monday after the match was tied.

Bangalore’s Navdeep Saini came up with a brilliant over, giving away just seven runs. It was a surprise that Ishan Kishan did not walk into bat as he had made 99 runs earlier in the second innings. Pollard and Hardik Pandya, who came onto bat, did not make great connection when it mattered most while Bangalore’s Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers reached the target in Jasprit Bumrah’s last delivery.

It is quite unbelievable that the game actually went to a super over, considering Mumbai were 35/2 in six overs while chasing 202. But Pollard and Ishan Kishan had some other ideas and kept on fighting even when things looked improbable.

In fact, Pollard and Ishan, at one point, needed 104 from 36 balls, but a last ball four by Pollard meant the game was tied. The duo’s heroic partnership of 119 runs and Ishan’s 58-ball 99 went in vain.

Chasing a target of 202, Mumbai Indians managed 201 for 5 after Ishan Kishan (99 off 58 balls) and Kieron Pollard (60 off 24 balls) nearly pulled off an incredible chase but could manage 8 off the required 19 runs in the last over.

Bangalore should, more importantly, thank their batsmen for putting up a good score. Else, they would have suffered another loss. Finch starred with 35-ball 52 and laid the foundation with a partnership of 81 alongside Devdutt Padikkal. Kohli failed, but De Villiers (55 n.o) and Padikkal (54) delivered.

Padikkal, at one point of time was 25 from 23, and he made his intent clear with back-to-back sixes off James Pattinson. But, when the South African smashed two sixes and a four off Bumrah in the 17th, and there was no holding back despite Padikkal’s wicket.

Whatever was bowled to him resulted in a four or a six, such was De Villiers’s form. It was a special innings considering the likes of Bumrah, Trent Boult and Pattinson were on the receiving end. Shivam Dube also played his part, smashing Pattinson for three sixes in the last over.

Abu Dhabi Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Dinesh Karthik finds it extremely “unfair” that his premier pacer Pat Cummins is being criticised after just one bad performance that too when he played straight after completing his quarantine.

All eyes were on Cummins, this edition’s highest paid overseas recruit and he was taken apart by Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma as he went for 49 runs in 3 overs during KKR’s 49-run IPL defeat on Wednesday.

“It is very unfair to judge him (Cummins) right now. He is just off quarantine, (it is) at 3.30/4.00 PM when he got permission to come and play the match itself. We are just happy to have him and I don’t think this is a game where we need to judge him at all,” Karthik said at the post-match press conference.

The KKR skipper termed Cummins as a champion bowler who will eventually come good.

“Just the fact that he is a world champion bowler, from whatever I have heard and seen he is one of the best going around in the world. I trust him and I’m sure, he will come good,” said Karthik.

Karthik also had a word of praise for young Shivam Mavi, who returned with figures of 2/32, with wickets of Rohit and Quinton de Kock.

“Upfront he (Mavi) was very good. The poor guy missed out due to an injury last year and he is looking forward to this competition and he is shaping up well and that’s a good sign for KKR,” he added.

While someone like Andre Russell once again batted down the order at No 6, Karthik defended the decision, saying that it was more to do with keeping a left-right combination going.

“I think it is a strategy because it is done universally only simply because it is not easy for a bowler to bowl consistently to left-hander and a right-hander (and) even if they get their line a little wrong, it could go for runs. Because we have the advantage of doing that, sometimes we tend to do that,” he said.

Karthik said his side didn’t execute the slower deliveries well enough in these conditions.

“Some didn’t execute slower balls) that well because it was a little shorter and that is why the square boundaries came into play a lot more.”

For Mumbai Indians, Suryakumar Yadav, who came in at No 3 was one of the architects of MI’s victory with 47 off 28 balls, said that he won’t mind opening the innings if required.

“That is the team management’s call. I have loved opening for Mumbai Indians in the last two years and whenever they give me that opportunity, I would love to do that”.

While the ground dimensions are different, it didn’t change their game plan insisted Surya.

“Yes, the boundaries are big but I don’t think there was any drastic change in his batting, he just kept things very-very simple, played his natural game, what he is known for and the result is there in front of you,” sais the MI batsman.

“We were actually keeping things pretty simple, we were just backing ourselves and we knew we had played one game here and what strokes are to be executed on this ground, so we just stuck to our plan and it went out really well, he explained.

Jasprit Bumrah had a rare off-day against CSK, but he bounced back in style and Surya termed the India pace-spearhead as the “best bowler in the world.”

“His rhythm, his work ethics and his discipline during the training sessions is unbelievable as I have been seeing in the last few days. He came back stronger and he will keep getting stronger as the game progresses,” he added. 

Manchester City had already confirmed that Riyad Mahrez and Aymeric Laporte have tested positive for COVID-19.

LONDON: The Premier League on Monday announced three new coronavirus cases after the latest round of testings.

The league said it tested 1,605 players and club staff from August 31 to September 6.

“The Premier League can today confirm that between Monday 31 August and Sunday 6 September, 1,605 players and club staff were tested for COVID-19. Of these, there were three new positive tests,” Premier League said in a statement.

“Players or club staff who have tested positive will self-isolate for a period of 10 days. The Premier League is providing this aggregated information for the purposes of competition integrity and transparency. No specific details as to clubs or individuals will be provided by the League and results will be made public after each round of testing,” it added.

Manchester City had already confirmed that Riyad Mahrez and Aymeric Laporte have tested positive for COVID-19. However, the identity of the third player is unknown.

“Manchester City FC can confirm that Riyad Mahrez and Aymeric Laporte have tested positive for COVID-19,” Manchester City had said in a statement.

“Both players are currently observing a period of self-isolation in accordance with Premier League and UK Government protocol on quarantine. Neither is displaying symptoms of the virus,” the statement had added.

The 2020-2021 season of the league is set to begin on September 12.