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Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFile photo – Ravindra Jadeja wheeled away for 34 overs, extracting sharp turn and bounce on a tiring Greater Noida surface•AFP

Ravindra Jadeja’s five-wicket haul led a persistently probing bowling effort from India Blue on a day when they were made to work harder than they would have expected to plough their way through India Red’s batting line-up. That was partly down to the pitch – which offered sluggish turn, rather than the spitting variety – and partly down to sparkling fifties from Gurkeerat Singh, Stuart Binny, Amit Mishra and Kuldeep Yadav. India Red’s spirited lower-order resistance frustrated India Blue and delighted a sizeable Monday crowd, but had little impact on the broader outcome of the match as they subsided to 356, conceding a first-innings lead of 337.Jadeja consistently attacked the stumps and turned the ball past desperately groping bats. His speed through the air – averaging over 90kph – was considerably faster than that of any other spinner, denying the batsmen time to adjust to the turn. Bowling 34 overs in the day, he made good use of a sticky surface and dented India Red’s fightback with the key wickets of Gurkeerat and Binny.India Blue could have removed the lower order more swiftly if Jadeja’s fellow spinners, Parvez Rasool and Karn Sharma had been more effective. Legspinner Karn was inconsistent with his line and length, alternating patches of incisiveness with periods that were less convincing. Offspinner Rasool had a good start to the day, troubling Shikhar Dhawan and Yuvraj Singh with offbreaks and straighter ones. Against the right-handers who followed, however, he was not as threatening as he might have liked.The most impressive spinners after Jadeja were the ones wielding bats. Mishra came in at 194 for 6, and was immediately kept company by nine close-in fielders. He, however, responded by lofting Jadeja back over his head for four. Mishra combined with Kuldeep for an 86-run partnership for the eighth wicket that temporarily brought the third session to life and restored some respectability to India Red’s innings.The reason respectability needed restoring was the limp showing of the India Red top order. Dhawan and Yuvraj managed some lovely drives in the first session, but those were far outnumbered by tentative pokes and speculative swishes. While they struggled most against Rasool, they ultimately perished to over-ambitious strokes against Abhimanyu Mithun and Jadeja.Dhawan, in particular, might rue his untimely indiscretion. His patchy 29 in his penultimate – possibly his last – innings before India’s first Test against New Zealand from September 22, puts him in a tight spot as India’s selectors mull which of three possible openers – M Vijay and KL Rahul are the others – to select in the playing XI.Jadeja, meanwhile, worked his way into fine rhythm in the second session, ending a 63-run stand for the fifth wicket between Gurkeerat and Binny when he dismissed Gurkeerat for 57 with a beauty that drifted into middle before turning away to hit off stump. Binny then put on 64 with Ankush Bains, before Jadeja ended that partnership too when he had Bains caught at second slip. The most decisive breakthrough, though, came minutes before the dinner break when Jadeja pitched one on leg stump and spun it away to hit Binny’s back pad in front of middle. That ended a knock that had been gaining in momentum and poise, and left Binny an agonising two runs short of a century.Mishra and Kuldeep counterattacked in the third session of the day, but Karn eventually dismissed both to end the innings. Riding on a huge lead, Gautam Gambhir and Mayank Agarwal played out the remaining two overs and headed to stumps with their side firmly in control.

ScorecardCraig Overton completed his maiden first-class hundred•Getty Images

Hampshire held on for a draw in their Specsavers’ County Championship game against Somerset at Taunton thanks to a spot of good fortune and a stand of 159 between Sean Ervine and Jimmy Adams.Needing 249 in their second innings to avoid an innings defeat, the visitors finished the day on 254 for 5.However, they had to ride their luck on several occasions over the course of the final day, with Ervine, who helped himself to a century, dropped three times during an innings that, in the end, was the difference.The day began with Craig Overton surviving a near run out, when on 99, to celebrate his maiden first class hundred off 123 balls, with 10 fours.Overton, who with Roelof van der Merwe broke the county’s record eighth wicket partnership in the Championship, which had stood since 1983 when Ian Botham and Viv Richards put on 172 against Leicestershire at Grace Road, batted with typical aggression to reach 138.When the young Devonian finally departed, caught on the mid wicket boundary by Adams off the bowling of Mason Crane, Somerset captain Chris Rogers declared. Van der Merwe, who passed three figures off 137 balls, with seven fours and two sixes, was left unbeaten on 102.Overton’s early morning runs meant Hampshire required 249 in their second innings to make Somerset bat again. When opener Will Smith departed for 0, off 12 balls, lbw to Jack Leach, that initial target looked a long way off.Ervine and Adams joined forces and managed to steer Hampshire to lunch, albeit somewhat fortuitously. Ervine, who was quick to punish the short ball, was dropped by wicket keeper Ryan Davies, on 43, off the bowling of captain Jim Allenby, in the final over before the interval.The 32 year-old Zimbabwean made the most of that mistake and having been dropped again, on 78, by Overton, he went on to reach three figures off 148 balls. He was dropped again, on 100, before finally departing for 106 at 165 for 2.Adams, who was understandably watchful on a wicket that continued to turn, posted his half century off 169 balls with six fours.However, after tea and with the game seemingly drifting, Hampshire suffered a double blow when James Vince (13) and Adam Wheater (0) were dismissed by van der Merwe in the same over. Sensing their chance, Somerset pushed on in pursuit of the wicket of Adams which finally fell, at 251 for 5, caught by Marcus Trescothick off the bowling of Leach, who now has 45 first class wickets this season.Somerset made one final push, but Hampshire held their nerve and when the sides shook hands, Hampshire were 254 for 5.

Former Sri Lanka cricketer Pubudu Dassanayake, who coached Nepal from 2011 to 2015, has been shortlisted as a finalist for the job of USA’s head coach. Dassanayake, who lives close to Toronto, said he is looking for a challenge close to home after spending several years away with the Nepal side.”Nepal, they were from Division Four to Division One and played a World Cup and I want to do the same for USA,” Dassanayake told ESPNcricinfo in Florida where he is participating in an ICC coaching seminar. “I think it’s a great place. There are great opportunities, a lot of talent in this country. I’d really like to see them come up the ranks and be in that World Cup setup.”Prior to his success with Nepal, Dassanayake coached Canada from 2007 to 2011, and helped them to the 2011 ODI World Cup in the sub-continent, Canada’s last major ICC event. Dassanayake also played for Canada after migrating from Sri Lanka following the end of his Test career and played in the 2005 World Cup Qualifier in Ireland.His ties to North American cricket make him a strong contender for the role. While coach of Nepal, Dassanayake racked up an impressive record against USA in ICC competitions, losing just once – at the 2013 ICC WCL Division Three in Bermuda – in six meetings.Anand Tummala, former USA and Ranji Trophy representative, is also in contention for the post. Tummala played briefly for Delhi before migrating to Atlanta in 2007. He made his only tour with USA in 2011, playing three T20s, including games against Canada and Afghanistan. Tummala, who is a Level Three Cricket Australia certified coach, also served as a guest coaching evaluator at last year’s ICC Americas Combine in Indianapolis. Tummala has also been in Florida this week as part of the ICC coaching seminar.Both Tummala and Dassanayake attended USA’s first training session in their week-long camp which began on Thursday, and will also be present at an exhibition match on Friday between a USA XI and a CPL Invitational XI in Lauderhill.Although the ICC wouldn’t comment on the applications, there are believed to be at least two more finalists with interviews beginning on Friday. USA will play three 50-over intra-squad trial matches in Florida next week among a 30-man squad, after which 14 will be selected for ICC WCL Division Four in Los Angeles from October 29 to November 5.

David Warner has been effectively ruled out out of the triangular series and may require surgery for a broken left index finger suffered while fielding during Australia’s victory over South Africa in St Kitts on Saturday.In a grievous blow to Steven Smith’s side, Warner will be lost to the top order for the remainder of the tournament and is now in a race to be fully fit in time for the start of the Test tour to Sri Lanka in July. He had made an unbeaten half-century and a century in three innings of the triangular series so far, following a successful IPL.Australia’s team doctor Geoffrey Verrall said Warner’s recovery time could be anywhere between two and six weeks if he does not require surgery, but he may be out for longer should a procedure be required.”The x-ray showed an intra-articular fracture of the distal phalanx of the index finger of the left hand – the top part of that finger,” Verrall said. “We will assess the situation over the coming days to see if the injury requires a surgical option but should that not be the case then David is likely to be available to return to play in somewhere between two and six weeks.”The selector on duty Trevor Hohns and interim coach Justin Langer are yet to decide whether Warner will be replaced by another player flown in from Australia or elsewhere. Warner said the injury would provide him with an opportunity for downtime ahead of a demanding international schedule over the next 12 months.”It’s obviously disappointing to be sidelined given the form I’ve been in and given the important stage the tri-series is at, but it’s always important to look at the positives,” he said. “This downtime, however long or short it is, will give me the chance to freshen up and spend quality time with my family after an intense period of action.”Langer said he was particularly disappointed to lose Warner’s services after watching the example he had set around the squad. “It’s doubly disappointing to have David Warner sidelined because of his outstanding form plus his attitude and professionalism around the group which has been a joy to work with,” he said. “But we’ve spoken from day one of this tour about every single person in the squad contributing to our success.”I’ve encouraged the players not in the starting eleven to be ready at all times because you never know when opportunities might come. One of the boys will now get that opportunity in David’s absence.”Australia’s captain, Steven Smith, said that while it would be a blow for Australia to miss Warner during the tri-series, the main goal would be to ensure Warner was available for the first Test against Sri Lanka, which begins in Pallekele on July 26.”The most important thing from my aspect is that he’s right for the Test series,” Smith said. “That’s still about six weeks away before the first Test. I think the medical staff and Davey are confident that he’ll be fine for that first Test match.”It’s always tough missing players like Davey, particularly at the moment. He’s in the form of his life and batting beautifully. It’s going to be a big loss for us. I’m sure whoever steps into that position is going to do a terrific job.”Warner’s injury may mean a recall for Glenn Maxwell, following the allrounder’s poor displays in the opening two matches of the tournament. Usman Khawaja is likely to move up the order to partner Aaron Finch for Monday’s match against the West Indies.

Allrounder Albie Morkel will captain Titans in limited-overs cricket in 2016-17, but will not be available to play first-class cricket. Morkel, 35, said he took the decision because he did not want to keep spending so much time away from his family, and also wanted to allow someone younger the chance to come through in first-class cricket.Morkel has become a limited-overs specialist of late, having played only one first-class game in the 2015-16 season, and just the one other since 2011-12. In all he has played 77 first-class matches, scoring 4117 runs at 44.26 and taking 203 wickets at 30.28. He played only one Test for South Africa, against Australia in Cape Town in March 2009.While he had led Titans to a title win the domestic T20s last season – they also won the first-class competition, the Sunfoil Cup – they finished at the bottom of the table in the domestic one-dayers. That, Morkel said, did not bother him too much going into next season, given the team had lost a lot of players to the national set-up. “I think the environment at Titans is so healthy that it produces good performances,” Morkel said. “But we just lacked continuity and we were not settled as a team. In two games, we lost nine players who were simultaneously selected for South Africa A and South Africa.”Morkel had been in good touch in Titans’ successful Ram Slam T20 campaign, taking 10 wickets from 11 games while conceding less than five runs an over, and also scoring 198 runs at a strike rate of 141.42. He had a more middling Momentum One-Day Cup, with six wickets at an average of 42.00 and just the one fifty in seven games. He told the Titans website that he would demand high standards of himself in the coming season, and will stand down as limited-overs captain if he cannot find form.

Match facts

Tuesday, May 24, 2016
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)

Big Picture

How do you beat Royal Challengers Bangalore in Bangalore? How do you do this when they’ve won four games on the trot? How do you do this when, in those four matches, Virat Kohli has scored 109, 75*, 113 and 54*? And how do you beat that scary, Kohli-powered Royal Challengers side, on their own turf, when your last attempt at doing so resulted in the worst defeat in all IPL matches, by a brutal 144 runs?Those questions will preoccupy Gujarat Lions as they prepare for Tuesday’s Qualifier 1. It is unusual for a table-topping team, who are one win from a place in a final, to seem like underdogs, but that is what Lions are.For a table-topping team, Lions have had a strange sort of season, with only Kings XI Punjab, the bottom team, ending the league stage with a worse net run rate than them. It reflects the fact that Lions have suffered a few heavy defeats – including that mauling at Royal Challengers’ hands – and won some exceedingly tight games, with three of their matches going down to the last ball. But the fact that Lions won all three of those last-ball finishes, as well as their one other match that went into the last over, would also suggest they have won the clutch moments, a welcome quality in any team.Lions will need to summon up all that clutch ability – though readers of will helpfully point out that it is a myth – on Tuesday, and come up with some sort of plan to contain – or somehow outscore – Royal Challengers’ batting line-up.This is T20, of course, and all you need is one good day – a blazing opening stand, perhaps, with Brendon McCullum and Aaron Finch taking apart what is still, despite a couple of encouraging recent displays, an average Royal Challengers bowling attack; or a Suresh Raina special; or a new-ball burst that leaves the home team two down early, with Kohli one of the two batsmen dismissed, and AB de Villiers, maybe, the other. These things can happen. Lions will certainly hope they can.

Form guide

Gujarat Lions WWLWL (last five matches, most recent first)
Royal Challengers Bangalore WWWWL

In the spotlight

Given the Chinnaswamy’s small boundaries and flat pitch, an ability to move the ball through the air is priceless. Praveen Kumar has that ability, and the street-smarts to bowl to one of the most imposing T20 line-ups ever assembled. He comes into the Qualifier with a bit of form behind him: he’s gone for six an over or less in three of his last four matches. The one match when he did go for runs, however, was against Royal Challengers, in Bangalore – his figures read 4-1-45-2, and Gujarat Lions conceded 248.Yuzvendra Chahal has found a place in India’s ODI and T20 squads for their tour of Zimbabwe, but before he can celebrate, he will need to produce another spell of wicket-taking legspin with his home venue stacking the odds against him. With two left-handers in their top six in Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja, Gujarat Lions may plan to target Chahal and, if he plays, Iqbal Abdulla as well.

Team news

Dale Steyn has played only one match this season, and James Faulkner only seven, with his last appearance coming on May 3. It will be a difficult decision for Gujarat Lions to play either of them, since their four regular overseas players have all done well of late. But it is a sacrifice they may have to contemplate, if they want to strengthen their bowling against the best batting line-up in the tournament. It seems unlikely to happen, though. Likelier is the inclusion of Ishan Kishan, a left-hand batsman, in place of Eklavya Dwivedi, in order to go after the legspin of Yuzvendra Chahal and/or the left-arm spin of Iqbal Abdulla.Gujarat Lions: 1 Aaron Finch, 2 Brendon McCullum, 3 Suresh Raina (capt), 4 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 5 Dwayne Smith, 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 Dwayne Bravo, 8 Eklavya Dwivedi/Ishan Kishan, 9 Praveen Kumar, 10 Dhawal Kulkarni, 11 Shadab Jakati/Shivil Kaushik/Pravin TambeRoyal Challengers tend to play an extra seamer rather than a second specialist spinner in their home games, which could mean Varun Aaron comes back in place of Iqbal Abdulla.Royal Challengers Bangalore: 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Virat Kohli (capt), 3 AB de Villiers, 4 KL Rahul (wk), 5 Shane Watson, 6 Stuart Binny, 7 Sachin Baby, 8 Chris Jordan, 9 S Aravind, 10 Iqbal Abdulla/Varun Aaron, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal

Pitch and conditions

Teams know what to expect when they come to Bangalore – perfect batting conditions and short boundaries. In the eight matches played here so far this season, there has only been one first-innings score below 185. There have been intermittent showers in Bangalore over the last week or so, but no rain is forecast for Tuesday, with an expected high of 35 degrees Celsius.

Stats and trivia

• Royal Challengers have hit 122 sixes this season, with Mumbai Indians a distant second on 92. Gujarat Lions have hit only 52 sixes – the fewest among all the teams – but have hit 208 fours, which is second to Royal Challengers’ 215
• Lions (11.13) and Royal Challengers (10.71) have the worst economy rates in the last five overs among all teams this season
• Royal Challengers’ batsmen have made up for this by scoring at 12.79 in the last five overs, while Lions have the worst last-five-overs run rate as well (8.67). They do, however, have the best Powerplay scoring rate, of 8.75
• Dhawal Kulkarni and Dwayne Smith are both three short of 100 T20 wickets

Oman have named as many as four uncapped players for their maiden Asia Cup appearance next month. Sufyan Yousuf, Zikria Islam, Faisal Shah and Nadeem Khan are the uncapped players in the 17-man squad which will be led by experienced opener Jatinder Singh.”It is real that we are participating in the Asia Cup – a major tournament and a fantastic opportunity for our players to showcase their skills on a global stage,” Oman head coach Duleep Mendis said while looking ahead to their first Asia Cup. “Playing against teams like India and Pakistan is a moment to embrace for any cricketer. Anything can happen in a fast-paced T20 game, where one over of brilliance can change everything.”Our build-up has been strong, with the ongoing National T20 tournament providing competitive exposure, and our training sessions have been intense and focused. It’s not just about skills – in high-pressure games against elite teams, mental strength is equally crucial. We are hopeful of making an impact in this Asia Cup and showcasing Oman as a growing cricketing nation.”Oman enters the Asia Cup with a blend of experience and youth, determined to leave a mark against Asia’s cricketing powerhouses. The tournament will not only test their skills but also their mental toughness on one of the most watched platforms in the sport.”Oman are in Group A and begin their Asia Cup campaign on September 12 against Pakistan before taking on UAE on September 15 and India on September 19.Oman’s most recent appearance was in the Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 in Lauderhill in the USA in May. This will be their second appearance in a major multi-nation tournament after the T20 World Cup last year.

Oman squad for Asia Cup

Jatinder Singh (capt), Hammad Mirza, Vinayak Shukla, Sufyan Yousuf, Ashish Odedara, Aamir Kaleem, Mohammed Nadeem, Sufyan Mehmood, Aryan Bisht, Karan Sonavale, Zikriya Islam, Hassnain Shah, Faisal Shah, Muhammed Imran, Nadeem Khan, Shakeel Ahmed, Samay Shrivastava.

Uncapped batter Hasan Nawaz has been handed his maiden ODI call-up as Pakistan announced a 16-member squad for their upcoming three-match series against West Indies. Meanwhile, Shaheen Shah Afridi has also returned to the T20I squad; the fast bowler has also been named in the ODI squad.The 22-year-old Nawaz has had an eventful, contrasting start to his international career, scoring consecutive ducks in his first two T20Is against New Zealand in March. He followed it up with the fastest T20I hundred by a Pakistani in his third international outing. Those wild oscillations in fortunes have continued, though the explosiveness of his highs has made him an integral part of Pakistan’s T20I side. Runs against Bangladesh in each of the three T20Is at home were followed up by two ducks in the corresponding series that ended earlier this week.Hasan Ali, meanwhile, returns to the T20I squad. He did not feature in Pakistan’s series in Bangladesh after a successful home series against the side, with the fast bowler playing in the T20 Blast with the Birmingham Bears. He has also been included in the ODI squad, putting him in line for a first appearance in the format since the 2023 World Cup. Meanwhile, Salman Mirza and Abbas Afridi are among the players who played in Bangladesh axed, though Mohammad Nawaz and Hussain Talat keep their places in both squads.The ODI series will be played at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad and Tobago on August 8, 10, and 12.Pakistan will also feature in a three-match T20I series against West Indies, set to take place on July 31, August 2 and 3 at the Central Broward Park and Broward County Stadium in Lauderhill, USA.ESPNcricinfo

Pakistan have, of late, found themselves deprioritising the ODI format in favour of T20I cricket. With the T20 World Cup just over six months away, the PCB has moved to ensure Pakistan play as much T20I cricket as possible as the team enters a new, transitional phase with their recently appointed white-ball coach Mike Hesson and captain Salman Ali Agha. In May, they scrapped the ODI leg of the home series against Bangladesh in favour of two additional T20Is, before scheduling issues meant those extra T20Is were scrapped after all. Last week, it was reported Pakistan favoured additional T20Is in place of the upcoming ODI series against West Indies, though the PCB did not officially confirm this.As such, this series is the first time Hesson takes charge of Pakistan’s ODI side. The side sees the return of Pakistan’s most marketable cricketers, with Babar Azam, captain Mohammad Rizwan, and fast bowlers Afridi and Naseem Shah returning. Among them, only Afridi, who was one of the standout performers in the recently-concluded PSL – where he led his side Lahore Qalandars to their third title – forces his way back into the T20 squad.The team will arrive in the USA on July 27, following the conclusion of their T20I series in Bangladesh.T20I squad: Salman Ali Agha (capt), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Sahibzada Farhan (wk), Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Sufyan MoqimODI squad: Mohammad Rizwan (capt), Salman Ali Agha, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Sufyan Moqim

Another Nat Sciver-Brunt batting masterclass allied a brilliant opening burst by left-arm seamer Alexa Stonehouse to ensure Trent Rockets are alive in this year’s Hundred with two huge games to come.For defending champions Southern Brave, however, with just a single victory all tournament, their difficult run shows no sign of abating.Skipper Sciver-Brunt’s unbeaten 60 from 37 balls – a seventh Hundred fifty for the England star – elevated the Rockets to a commanding 155 for 7 and took her past Danni Wyatt as the tournament’s all-time leading female run-scorer. With 933 tournament runs, she’s within sight of becoming the first woman to breach the 1000-run mark.She was given excellent support initially from Grace Scrivens (36 from 24) and then via cameos from Ash Gardner and Heather Graham. Only the death-bowling quality of Lauren Bell, who took three wickets in her final set of five, kept the Rockets in check.In reply, after Wyatt and Maia Bouchier fell to Stonehouse inside the first five balls, the latter via a beautiful inswinger that arced through the gate, the Brave were always up against it.Georgie Adams was punchy for her 27 before falling to a superb boundary throw from Katie George, and Smriti Mandhana was all touch and elegance for her 42 (27), but when she miscued a Graham off-break to backward point, the Brave were 82 for 4 after 69 balls and fading.Some lusty late-order blows by Chloe Tryon briefly threatened an upset – one six was launched 86 metres into the groundstaff’s shed – but the Rockets held their nerve to run out comfortable winners by 24 runs.MeerKat Match Hero Nat Sciver-Brunt acknowledged it was a team effort with contributions all the way through: “Their batters put us under the pump and made us go through a few plans with the ball but we found the right one in the end, and we held our nerve with our skill.”I had a good partnership with Grace Scrivens, we’d highlighted the need for that after the first few games so we were really pleased with how it went today.”After the first four games we felt pretty down – three close games and not coming out on the right side of it, so it takes some getting up for the next game, but we’ve come back really strongly and with two games to go who knows what can happen.”

Dinesh Karthik is set to become the first Indian player to feature in the SA20. ESPNcricinfo has learned that Karthik will join Paarl Royals as an overseas player ahead of the new season starting January 9.The SA20 will be the first tournament Karthik will play since announcing retirement from “representative cricket” in June on the day he turned 39. Karthik, who played 180 internationals for India, last featured in IPL 2024 for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), who have now signed him up as a mentor-cum-batting coach.On the T20 circuit, Karthik is rated by his peers among the sharpest pundits owing to his vast experience in the shortest format. Karthik, currently covering the Hundred for , has featured in 401 T20s and, in the IPL, played for six teams, which included leading Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Karthik also was among the fittest players in the IPL, having missed just two matches across 17 seasons.”I have so many fond memories of playing in and visiting South Africa,” Karthik said. “When this opportunity came about, I couldn’t say no because of how special it would be to come back to playing competitive cricket and win this incredible competition with the Royals.”Even though I didn’t have the chance to represent the Royals in the IPL, to me it was always a franchise setup and environment that was very attractive as a player. I am delighted to be joining the Paarl Royals team which oozes a lot of experience, quality and potential. I am certainly looking forward to joining the group and contributing to what should be an exciting season.”Only retired Indian players are allowed by BCCI to participate in overseas T20 leagues. Last year, Ambati Rayudu turned up to play for St Kitts & Nevis Patriots in the CPL and then in January 2024 with MI Emirates in the ILT20, while Robin Uthappa and Yusuf Pathan featured for Dubai Capitals in the ILT20 too. Two years ago, Suresh Raina was part of Deccan Gladiators in the Abu Dhabi T10.Paarl Royals announced their retentions ahead of the new season last week, with captain David Miller, Lungi Ngidi and Andile Phehlukwayo making the cut. Royals made the Qualifiers in the last SA20 edition but suffered five straight losses, including a nine-wicket thumping in the Eliminator against Joburg Super Kings.”Dinesh has served as one of the modern day greats for India in white ball cricket, and his wealth of experience will contribute to the making of our side for Season 3,” Kumar Sangakkara, Royals’ director of cricket, said. “He has always proved to be a great asset for the teams he’s represented across leagues for the way he approaches the game and the impact he can make, so it’s an exciting signing for us and we look forward to having him with the group at Paarl.”Paarl Royals squad
David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Bjorn Fortuin, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dinesh Karthik, Mitchell van Buuren, Codi Yusuf, Keith Dudgeon, Nqaba Peter, Kwena Maphaka, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Dayyaan Galiem (traded in)