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O São Paulo só volta a campo no dia 10 de agosto, para enfrentar o Santos, no Morumbi, pela 14ª rodada do Brasileirão, mas desde já encara o confronto como decisivo para as pretensões do clube na competição. Se perder, corre o risco de ficar 14 pontos atrás do rival, que pode disparar na liderança. No entanto, para isso, o Tricolor terá de igualar uma marca que não é registrada desde agosto do ano passado: a de três vitórias consecutivas na temporada.

Com os triunfos sobre a Chapecoense, por 4 a 0, e sobre o Fluminense, por 2 a 1, os são-paulinos têm dois seguidos no momento, o que já aconteceu em outras oportunidades neste ano. O entrave tem sido engatar a terceira vitória, o que ainda não ocorreu em 2019. Para levantar a última vez que uma sequência desse tipo foi conquistada, é necessário voltara para 2018.

No início de agosto do ano passado, o São Paulo enfrentou o Vasco, em casa, e venceu por 2 a 1, depois foi até Pernambuco para vencer o Sport por 3 a 1, e conseguiu o terceiro triunfo consecutivo diante do Colón, na Argentina, pelo placar de 1 a 0. Apesar de naquele dia ter sido eliminado da Copa Sul-Americana nos pênaltis, o Tricolor engatou a terceira vitória em sequência, mas não parou por aí. Na volta ao Brasil, recebeu a Chape e venceu por 2 a 0.

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De lá (19 de agosto de 2018) para cá o clube ainda não conseguiu mais do que dois triunfos seguidos. Passou por algumas oscilações, trocas de técnicos, eliminações e más fases. Portanto, atingir essa marca é também motivo para vislumbrar efetivamente a retomada que tem sido buscada há algum tempo. No entanto, o efeito imediato disso é brecar o embalo do Peixe na liderança.

Antes de pegarem os são-paulinos na 14ª rodada, os santistas recebem o Goiás em casa e podem abrir 11 pontos para o Tricolor caso vençam. O time do Morumbi não atuará nessa rodada, já que o duelo com o Athletico-PR foi adiado devido ao compromisso dos paranaense na Copa Suruga, no Japão. Dessa forma, não pontuará e terá de aguardar até o dia 10 de agosto para o clássico, que passa a ser um jogo duplamente decisivo.

Além da importância de bater um rival, o objetivo do São Paulo é vencer para evitar que a equipe da Vila abra 14 pontos e ao mesmo tempo cortar a vantagem, que pode cair para até cinco pontos, dependendo do resultado santista diante do Goiás neste final de semana. Se o Tricolor não for derrotado, também registrará uma marca inédita em 2019: a de sete jogos de invencibilidade. Até aqui, as seis partidas igualam o período entre a última rodada da fase de grupos do Paulistão e a primeira final do estadual.

Até enfrentar o Santos, no Morumbi, às 17h, no dia 10 de agosto, os são-paulinos aproveitam mais um período de treinos para se preparar para o restante do Campeonato Brasileiro. Tudo isso para não desperdiçar o embalo na competição e não perder o rival de vista. O sonho por mais um título nacional permanece vivo no clube e passa por uma vitória no clássico.

Confira a última sequência de três vitórias consecutivas do São Paulo:

5/8/2018 – São Paulo 2 x 1 Vasco – Brasileirão
12/8/2018 – Sport 1 x 3 São Paulo – Brasileirão
16/8/2018 – Colón-ARG 0 (5) x (3) 1 São Paulo – Copa Sul-Americana
19/8/2018 – São Paulo 2 x 0 Chapecoense – Brasileirão

Invencibilidade atual do São Paulo:

2/6/2019 – São Paulo 1 x 1 Cruzeiro – Brasileirão
8/6/2019 – Avaí 0 x 0 São Paulo – Brasileirão
13/6/2019 – Atlético-MG 1 x 1 São Paulo – Brasileirão
13/7/2019 – São Paulo 1 x 1 Palmeiras – Brasileirão
22/7/2019 – São Paulo 4 x 0 Chapecoense – Brasileirão
27/7/2019 – Fluminense 1 x 2 São Paulo – Brasileirão

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has been elected joint secretary of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) while Jagmohan Dalmiya was re-elected unopposed as the association’s president

PTI27-Jul-2014Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has been elected joint secretary of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) while Jagmohan Dalmiya was re-elected unopposed as the association’s president for yet another term.”I think it’s a very good development as when I was the BCCI president, he was the captain (of Indian cricket team). As a team we’ve worked very well. I feel this team will work again,” Dalmiya told reporters after the CAB’s 83rd Annual General Meeting in Kolkata.At the time of the AGM, when Ganguly was being elected joint-secretary in absentia succeeding Sujan Mukherjee, the cricketer-turned-commentator was seen handing over the Test cap to debutant fast bowler Pankaj Singh in Southampton.To many insiders it was ‘unprecedented’ in CAB’s history that a joint secretary was not part of the annual meeting. Dalmiya said Ganguly would do justice to his new role as a cricket administrator.”He has told us that he would be able to devote time (to CAB). Be it cricket captaincy or work related to administration he has done exceedingly well in the past. We’re hopeful he would manage well,” Dalmiya said.Ganguly succeeded Mukherjee, whose four-year term got over this month and his club Barisha Sporting was represented by his maternal uncle and club president Arup Chatterjee. It remains to be seen how Ganguly would manage time as he had also forayed into football, co-owning the Kolkata franchise of the upcoming Indian Super League.Having held some key positions in various sub-committees like cricket development, this would be a full-time entry for the 42-year-old, who quit international cricket in November 2008.Asked what will happen to the Ganguly-chaired cricket development committee, Dalmiya said: “The committee has to be reformed now.” Ganguly is expected to take charge on August 1, after the completion of third Test.Besides Ganguly, there was another cricketer in Bengal captain Laxmi Shukla, who also stepped into administration representing Howrah Saikia Friends at the working committee. “I’ve seen the life on the field. Now it’s time to embrace a little bit of administration off it. I’ve a lot to learn,” Shukla said.Hailing Ganguly’s foray into cricket administration, Shukla said: “It’s really a very good move. Dada’s (Ganguly) entry into CAB as a joint-secretary will give Indian cricket a new voice.”As for Dalmiya, 74, it was just yet another term at the CAB where he has held the chair since 1993 except for a 19-month hiatus after he was unseated in December 2006 following his expulsion from the BCCI on embezzlement charges during the 1996 World Cup.The former ICC president, however, made a resounding comeback, beating Prasun Mukherjee in the 2008 elections.President: Jagmohan Dalmiya; Vice-presidents: Sankar Nath Bagchi, Samar Paul, Amiya Kumar Auddy and Sudip Biswas; Joint Secretaries: Subir Ganguly and Sourav Ganguly; Treasurer: Biswarup Dey

Kumar Sangakkara has confirmed he will represent Durham for two to three Division One matches of the County Championship in preparation for Sri Lanka’s tour of England. He will likely miss Sri Lanka’s two ODIs in Ireland, but will join the squad before their first ODI against England on May 22. He may also be available for one of the two 50-over warm-up matches against Essex and Kent.Sangakkara had sought a short-term county contract in order to acclimatise to England’s early summer conditions and the Duke ball, but had to wait on clearance from the national selectors before confirming the deal with Durham. Sri Lanka play their limited-overs leg of the tour first and switch to Test mode via a first-class match against Northamptonshire starting June 5.Reigning county champions Durham are unlikely to have Sangakkara in their ranks when they face Somerset on April 20, but he might be available for their next game, against Yorkshire.The tour represents an opportunity for Sri Lanka to win their first Test in England since 2006. Sangakkara will also be set on improving an Test average of 30.58 from nine Tests in England – a figure that pales in comparison to his career average of 58.07.In February, Sangakkara said his decision to withhold his name from the IPL auction this year had been partly motivated by the desire to prepare for the England tour, as well as acknowledgement of a tight May schedule. During Sri Lanka’s most recent tour of England in 2011, Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene had missed a warm-up match due to IPL commitments.Sri Lanka play Tests at Lord’s and Headingley, the first of which begins on June 12.

Trinidad & Tobago captain Dwayne Bravo has dispelled notions that his team will be the favourites for the Nagico Super50 clash against Barbados at the Queen’s Park Oval. Bravo believes that Barbados have proved their worth by with an unbeaten run this year, and that home advantage, while welcomed, would not sway the balance in T&T’s favour.”I don’t think we’re favourites. Honestly I believe that we are the two best teams in the tournament and that’s why we are in the finals but we definitely will not start as favourites because they beat us in the group stage,” Bravo said. “As a team, we respect the Barbados team and we expect a good final.”Barbados had beaten T&T by 28 runs in Zone B and Bravo said that the team had learned from the mistakes of that game and were better prepared after their clinical seven-wicket win over Jamaica in the semi-final.”Our strength is our all-round ability and we have great batsmen with international experience, good medium-pacers and we can adjust to any situation,” he said. “We may have a bit of an edge over them in the batting department but both teams have very good spinners also.” Bravo pointed to Sunil Narine, Jason Mohammed as key players for his side and said the Barbadian duo of Ashley Nurse and Suliemann Benn were threats. He leaned towards the pitch being a bowler’s track, pointing at their rout of Jamaica for a meager 49.While Bravo embraced the home support, he maintained that the team that doesn’t crack under pressure will be the one that lifts the trophy- a sentiment echoed by the opposing captain, Kevin Stoute.”There’s going to be a lot of pressure on us as the away team and the crowd will back Trinidad,” Stoute said. “But I think we just need to stick to the basics and fundamentals and treat the game as we’ve done the ones before.Stoute believes that Fidel Edwards’ form will be crucial in the final and backed his pacer to deliver. However, Stoute pointed to Dwayne Smith as the player he expects to lead the team to victory.”Dwayne had a brilliant semis and he’s playing with confidence and maturity. His seniority is helping build the team also,” Stoute said. “I’d say the pitch is a fair one despite some saying it will favour bowlers but I think it comes down to showing up on the match day. I can see him getting some runs.”

MatériaMais Notícias

Diante do Palmeiras no próximo domingo (27), o técnico Rogério Ceni inicia a sua trajetória junto com o Fortaleza no retorno a Série A do Brasileirão. Todavia, o palco do confronto (Allianz Parque) não traz boas lembranças ao comandante do Tricolor do Pici seja nos tempos em que atuava como também na única experiência como treinador, na época, do São Paulo.

Desde que a nova casa palmeirense foi inaugurada em 2014, Ceni teve três confrontos e, em todos eles, saiu sem ver sua equipe sequer marcar uma única vez.

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Em março de 2015, pelo Paulistão, goleada por 3 a 0 e, em junho do mesmo ano pelo Brasileirão, novo revés dessa vez por 4 a 0. No último deles, já como treinador do time paulista, outra derrota por 3 a 0 pelo Campeonato Paulista de 2017.

Na primeira vez em que Rogério Ceni esteve no Allianz, aliás, ele acabou ficando marcado por ter sido alvo de um golaço de cobertura marcado pelo meio-campista Robinho, na época atleta do Palmeiras e que hoje defende a equipe do Cruzeiro.

Porém, se for analisado o retrospecto geral de Ceni diante do Alviverde paulista, os números são positivos. Em 57 oportunidades foram 25 triunfos, 15 resultados de igualdade e 17 derrotas.

Chennai Super Kings’ line-up is one of the strongest around in T20 cricket, but they come into the Champions League T20 with off-field controversy hanging heavily about them

Nikita Bastian20-Sep-2013Overview
Chennai Super Kings finished runners-up in IPL 2013, having lost to Mumbai Indians in the final. They might not be the current IPL champions, but they have consistently been the team to beat in the competition. Five times in six IPLs they’ve made the final, they’ve won the title twice – in 2010 and 2011 – and took home the Champions League T20 title in 2010.The team comes into this tournament with off-field controversy hanging heavily about them. News of one of their top officials Gurunath Meiyappan being arrested for alleged betting – which is illegal in India – broke a week before the IPL 2013 final, and he has been chargesheeted on the eve of the team’s first CLT20 game*. Gurunath is the son-in-law of BCCI president N Srinivasan, and his arrest raked up the longstanding conflict of interest questions over the board president also being managing director of the company – India Cements – that owns Super Kings. MS Dhoni too had conflict of interest queries thrown his way, after it was learnt he temporarily owned shares in a player-management company that looked after the financial interests of his India and Super Kings’ team-mates, Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja.On the upside, Super Kings’ line-up is one of the strongest around in T20 cricket. They have ever-dependable batsmen in Michael Hussey and S Badrinath, big-hitters in Dwayne Bravo and Albie Morkel, and a combination of the two in Dhoni and Raina. Hussey and Bravo topped the batting and bowling charts in IPL 2013. In the spin department they have India’s leading spinner across formats, R Ashwin, and the current No. 1 bowler in ODI cricket, Jadeja. Previously, pace bowling was a bit of a weakness, but they beefed up their attack in the lead-up to IPL 2013, signing lesser known but testing bowlers Chris Morris, Jason Holder and Mohit Sharma.Super Kings will be keen on doing well for another reason. They have had by far the most settled squad in the IPL – Dhoni, Raina, Hussey, Ashwin, Morkel and Badrinath, among others, have all been with the franchise since its inception in 2008. In February, the squad – or most of it – is likely to be disbanded; as per the IPL regulations all players are supposed to go back into the auction in 2014. Given the possibility of this being the last tournament this bunch plays together, and the camaraderie that has built up over the seasons, they’ll be eager to end on a high.Super Kings will not play any matches at home, at Chepauk, but that’s not to say they won’t be treated like the home team: three of their four group games will be in Ranchi, Dhoni’s hometown.Key players
As they have been for years now, MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina and R Ashwin will be the cornerstones on which Super Kings’ campaign is built. Dhoni’s stats for Super Kings are solid – he has 2488 runs at a strike-rate nudging 140, and only two ducks in 97 innings for the team – but it is his temperament that is most prized. How many times has he “taken it late” and, despite it getting to a point when the chase seems beyond the team, delivered with an almost unnatural calm? Suresh Raina is the only player to have featured in every single one of his IPL franchise’s games so far, scoring 3189 runs in 113 matches, while R Ashwin’s economy rate of 6.53 is the best among all IPL bowlers who’ve sent down 150 overs or more for one franchise.Surprise package
Given Super Kings’ line-up has remained largely the same over the seasons, the team rarely fields untested performers. In IPL 2013, though, they did have two new faces: pace bowlers Mohit Sharma and Chris Morris. Both proved to be highly effective and featured regularly in the eleven, and have since gone on to represent their countries in ODIs. Mohit was even named Man of the Match on international debut.Weakness
It’s hard to pinpoint on-field weaknesses in Super Kings’ line-up. Their biggest challenge could be putting the off-field controversies that have recently plagued the franchise out of their minds. Following their deflated showing in the IPL 2013 final, coach Stephen Fleming said the team had “been through a lot and didn’t respond well”. They’ve had more than enough time for the initial shock of Gurunath’s arrest to wear off, but the controversy still rages on. They can’t afford to let it distract them once again.*12.30GMT, September 21: The preview has been updated after Gurunath Meiyappan was chargesheeted

Stumps
ScorecardMichael Clarke looked in no discomfort in his first innings back from injury•Associated Press

Shane Watson followed James Pattinson and Mitchell Starc in providing a tantalising glimpse of the destructive power to be found within this Australian side as they warmed up against Somerset. In sending Watson up to open the innings and promising he will stay there, the new coach, Darren Lehmann, appeared to bring an immediate change to the allrounder’s previously drifting game.An innings of 90, on a blameless pitch against presentable bowling, does not quite indicate that Watson is to regain the Test match effectiveness that won him two Allan Border Medals, and had him named as Michael Clarke’s deputy in 2011. In fact the score itself was emblematic of Watson’s career aversion to making Test hundreds. But the clarity of his stroke production and the ease of his rapid scoring was exactly what Lehmann will hope for against Jimmy Anderson and company.It was a marked contrast from Watson’s previous innings, a brief affair against Sri Lanka in the Champions Trophy when one cover drive was followed by a horrid attempt to cut in line of the stumps. Wasteful dismissals such as these have been a significant factor in the failure of Watson to deliver on a promise that has hung in the air around him for a decade now, but there was nothing muddled about the way he opened up at Taunton, driving when the bowlers overpitched, pulling or glancing when short, and leaving most in between.Michael Clarke also offered a promising cameo, finding touch in his first innings of any kind for three months before rain brought an early end to day two. A pair of low scores for Ed Cowan and Usman Khawaja did not enhance either left-hander’s chances of winning a place in the XI for the first Investec Ashes Test at Trent Bridge. As the others proved, these were ideal conditions for batting.Phillip Hughes and Brad Haddin were easing their way towards useful tallies when the showers arrived. Haddin lofted George Dockrell down the ground with typical flourish to have the ball pounding off the scorers’ window in the Taunton press box. When the match resumes, Hughes should have the opportunity to press his case for retention after Cowan and Khawaja had failed to capitalise on their precedence in the batting order.Watson ran up a huge percentage of his runs in boundaries, his straight drives a particular delight. He also took full advantage whenever Craig Meschede angled into the pads, flicking with wristy power between midwicket and mid on. He briefly threatened to collar a century before lunch, but a front edge from the bowling of the slippery Craig Overton ended a stay that lasted only 94 balls, 20 of which reached the rope.Clarke’s start was a little less forthright, as could be expected for someone who had not batted since the Mohali Test match against India in March, when the suspension of four players for failing to follow instructions was followed by the flaring up of his chronic back condition. But he punched a couple of drives through cover off the back foot to get going, and showed familiar balance and footwork against Dockrell’s left-arm spin. It took a precisely-pitched away swinger from Meschede to dislodge Clarke, although by then he had probably given his back enough of a work out.Cowan, whose odds of playing in Nottingham were lengthened somewhat by the coach Darren Lehmann’s declaration that Watson would definitely open, fell in the very first over of the morning when he was deemed to have touched a Gemaal Hussain delivery on its way through to the wicketkeeper Alex Barrow. The dismissal had Cowan pointing agitatedly towards his trouser or pocket, but whatever the merits of the decision it now means one less opportunity to make the runs that would shore up his place, which may need to be earned again to some extent under Lehmann.Khawaja survived somewhat longer for his 27, but it was a scratchy effort with numerous angled deliveries troubling him outside off stump. He was struck on the body when trying to pull Overton, who was slippery, and fell in an unsurprising manner by wafting at Meschede to be pouched in the slips. Hughes had time to snick one streaky boundary before the morning session concluded.Minus Watson, the afternoon’s scoring was more sedate, but Clarke’s lack of discomfort was a welcome sign that his back has settled, and Hughes worked the ball around effectively with only the occasional flirt through the slips. He remained a little more hesitant against spin, but at least managed to get off the strike every now and then, which represented progress from India. Like Watson, a fresh start may be about to do him some good.

Zimbabwe opener Vusi Sibanda said that being dropped for the first ODI against Bangladesh had served as inspiration during his century in the third game

Mohammad Isam08-May-2013Zimbabwe opener Vusi Sibanda said that being dropped for the first ODI against Bangladesh had served as inspiration during his century in the third game, one that secured a series victory. Sibanda’s unbeaten 103 helped Zimbabwe chase down the target of 247 in Bulawayo and win the series 2-1.”It [the hundred] means a lot to me,” Sibanda said after the game. “All the hard work that I have put in, it is finally paying off. I was dropped from the team in the first ODI so it wasn’t easy to come back, but I grabbed whatever chance I got. I hope this is the beginning of more hundreds to come. I would continue to work hard on my game.”Sibanda stayed through the entire chase, playing the first and last ball of the innings, forming a succession of substantial partnerships to beat Bangladesh. He added 50-plus stands with Hamilton Masakadza for the first wicket and Sikandar Raza for the second. Then he added 109 for the unbroken fourth-wicket partnership with Sean Williams. Sibanda played second fiddle in all those stands.”Today was a learning curve for me, to keep myself calm and to keep the situation of the game simple. Sean Williams kept knocking it around, which made it easier for me,” Sibanda said. “I just had to support him and the others who batted with me. They did the exact same thing as well.”Sibanda had nervous moments towards the end of the match, when the runs required to win were nearly the same as those needed by him to reach his second one-day hundred. Then the scoreboard said six runs were needed but actually it was one. Williams played out five dot balls to give Sibanda the strike, and he promptly edged the ball past the wicketkeeper to get his century.”Unfortunately the scoreboard was wrong,” Sibanda said. “We thought we had six runs so weren’t under any pressure. But then we found out that only one run was needed. We just stayed calm and I hoped I get a chance to complete the hundred. It worked out well.”Zimbabwe’s captain Brendan Taylor said the victory was a “massive” moment for his team, which won its first international series since August 2011. Since Taylor’s debut in April 2004, Zimbabwe have won three ODI series and a Test series, all against Bangladesh.”I think this is probably our third or fourth series win in Tests and ODIs in the last eight or nine years,” Taylor said. “It is massive for us. It will give the players the self-belief.”I think losing the first game got the best out of us. Our bowlers were different bowlers after that game, putting pressure on the Bangladeshis in the morning period. So the credit goes to our bowlers and the top and middle-order batsmen.”

The eight players who are part of the WTC squad will return to South Africa by May 27

Firdose Moonda15-May-2025The eight South African players who are part of the World Test Championship (WTC) final squad will return to home by May 27 and, as a result, miss the IPL 2025 playoffs.The eight players, Kagiso Rabada (Gujarat Titans), Aiden Markram (Lucknow Super Giants), Marco Jansen (Punjab Kings), Tristan Stubbs (Delhi Capitals), Lungi Ngidi (Royal Challengers Bengaluru), Wiaan Mulder (Sunrisers Hyderabad), Ryan Rickelton and Corbin Bosch (both Mumbai Indians) will leave for the United Kingdom with the rest of South Africa’s WTC final squad on May 30, to prepare for a warm-up game against Zimbabwe from June 3 at Arundel.ESPNcricinfo has confirmed that Cricket South Africa (CSA) has concluded negotiations with the IPL about the early release of these players, given the importance of the WTC final, which will be played on June 11 at Lord’s against Australia.All other South African players not part of the WTC final will remain at the IPL until its conclusion.Related

• RCB bring in Muzarabani as Ngidi's temporary replacement

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• IPL 2025 scenarios: GT and RCB one win away from playoffs, MI in control of their fate

• IPL 2025 to resume on May 17, final to be played on June 3

• Rabada serves suspension for recreational drug use

The IPL resumes on May 17 after it was suspended for just over a week in the wake of the India-Pakistan cross-border tensions. RCB will take on Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the first game, with Ngidi expected to be a part of the fixture, in case Josh Hazlewood does not recover in time from a shoulder niggle.Out of the seven teams which have the WTC final-bound South Africa players, SRH are out of contention. GT have played a chunk of the season without Rabada, the last being on March 29 against MI and are just one step away from sealing a playoffs spot.MI will be most affected with their South Africa contingent departing after the league stage. With 336 runs in 12 innings, Rickelton is MI’s second-highest run-getter, while Bosch has played useful cameos and bowled decently in the three games he’s played.Jansen’s departure will also worry PBKS, who need two wins in their last three games to confirm a playoff spot. Jansen is PBKS’ third-highest wicket-taker with 11 wickets in as many games. Stubbs, meanwhile, has been DC’s designated finisher and is their third-highest run-getter this season with 259 runs in ten innings at a strike rate of 151.46.Markam has 348 runs in 11 innings for LSG and is their third-highest run-scorer so far. LSG are currently placed seventh on the points table and need to win all their remaining fixtures, and even that might not be enough for them to make it to the playoffs.The league phase ends on May 27, while the playoffs begin on May 29, with the final on June 3.

Rajasthan Royals, however, could rain down on their parade in Thursday’s clash in Sharjah

Sruthi Ravindranath06-Oct-20211:20

Is it too late to drop Morgan?

Big Picture

Kolkata Knight Riders have been left to decide their own fate. They don’t have to worry about complex calculations just yet. During their three-day break, they saw Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings fall out of the playoffs race. They only have Mumbai Indians in their way now, tied on 12 points with them. But Knight Riders have a much better net run rate, so all they need to do is to beat Royals on Thursday. And once they’ve done that, they should hope Mumbai don’t pull off a big win – like they did against Royals on Tuesday – against Sunrisers Hyderabad.Royals kissed their playoffs chance goodbye after folding for 90 in an eight-wicket defeat on Tuesday, two days after a big win against then table-toppers Chennai Super Kings. It’s their inconsistencies that have cost them big this season. They don’t have much to gain or lose from this game, but they do have the chance to jeopardise Knight Riders’ chances, which could keep the playoffs race alive till the final group game on Friday – in that case, Knight Riders will be forced to take their calculators out.Knight Riders boosted their playoffs chances with a close win against Sunrisers. Their bowling was clinical, and Shubman Gill made some crucial runs at the top of the order. But they struggled till the final over to chase a meagre score of 115 in Dubai. They will need a more collective effort from their batters. More importantly, they will want their captain Eoin Morgan to be among the runs. They have been in a similar situation in the last two seasons as well – losing crucial games, waiting for results to go their way and eventually finishing fifth. They would be looking to break the spell. And it’s all in their hands this time.

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Good news for Knight Riders: Andre Russell and Lockie Ferguson, who missed the last few games, could be back. Though there’s no official word on their availability yet, the duo turned up in the nets on Wednesday. If they’re available, Shakib Al Hasan and Tim Southee will have to sit out.