da dobrowin： No Sport desde o início de 2020, o goleiro Carlos Eduardo falou sobre a vontade do elenco em encerrar o Brasileirão garantido na disputa para 2021. Segundo o atleta, a meta de todos é deixar o Leão na elite da disputa.
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da heads bet： TABELA > Veja classificação e simulador do Brasileirão clicando aqui
GALERIA >Felipão, Fernando Diniz, Dorival Júnior… Veja 30 técnicos brasileiros sem clube
– Vamos em busca deste objetivo, que será muito importante para o clube e para seu torcedor. Temos que ter intensidade nestas últimas partidas para que isso seja possível. Vamos lutar muito – afirmou.
Para Eduardo, a meta do Leão é vencer o Atlético-MG.
– Vamos enfrentar uma grande equipe e temos que estar preparados. O grupo sabe da responsabilidade que terá nesta partida – concluiu.
Six-hitting exploits seal stiff run-chase after impressive display with the ball too
Andrew Fidel Fernando11-Dec-2020Colombo Kings 205 for 4 (Evans 53, Qais 50*) beat Dambulla Viikings 203 for 3 (Perera 74*, Dickwella 65) by six wicketsHow the match played outWho needs Andre Russell when you have Qais Ahmad?Colombo Kings made an outstanding start to a chase of 204 in their near-dead rubber v Dambulla Viiking, with the in-form Laurie Evans plundering 53 off 24 to propel Kings to 72 for 1 off 6.5 overs. But when he was forced to retire hurt with what appeared to be an abdominal strain, Kings lost substantial momentum. They lost Lahiru Udara and Daniel Bell-Drummond in consecutive overs, and the run rate slowed as new batsmen set about establishing themselves through the middle overs. By the end of the 11th, the required rate had climbed to 11.44.Ashan Priyanjan, though, kept Kings ticking through that middle period, picking up frequent legside boundaries to keep the asking rate manageable. But with Russell having been rested for this game, and Angelo Mathews in woeful batting form this tournament, Kings still needed someone to provide the big final push.Enter Qais at No.7 at the beginning of the 14th over. He played himself in, taking only five runs off his first six deliveries, before hitting two confident consecutive fours off Malinda Pushpakumara in the 16th over. Kings needed 30 off the last 14 balls, so it looked like it was going down to the wire, but Qais made it a cakewalk. He would go on hit five sixes off the seven balls that followed, making sure he never lost the strike.It was devastating hitting. Lahiru Kumara was launched back into the sightscreen, and next over, Anwar Ali was brutalised – a six over long off, and two in the wide long-on/cow corner region coming off his next three deliveries. There was a yorker dot-ball in between, but the next ball was back-of-a-length, and that disappeared a distance beyond the deep square leg fence to end the match. Kings won with seven balls to spare. That six also took Qais to his first ever 50 in senior competitive cricket. It had come off 22 balls.Stars of the dayQais had also been outstanding with the ball, earlier, taking two wickets for 23 runs, as Viiking racked up what seemed like an imposing 203 for 3. Priyanjan, the batsman who kept Kings in the hunt until Qais’ finishing fireworks, made 47 not out off 24. For Viiking, Niroshan Dickwella and Angelo Perera had both struck half-centuries, the latter playing the more impressive innings, making 74 off 41.Where does this leave the teams?This final game of the LPL league stage didn’t really matter much. Viiking and Kings are both through. Kings, though, will now top the table and play Galle Gladiators who sneaked into the semi-final with just two victories in the league stage. That semi-final is the first one up, on Sunday. Viiking will play Jaffna Stallions in the second semi, on Monday.
U.S. Soccer will recognize one of its most accomplished players when Bradley is celebrated in a special ceremony before the USMNT face South Korea
Bradley earned 151 caps during his international career
Captained the national team 48 times
Bradley won two Gold Cup titles
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WHAT HAPPENED
U.S. Soccer announced plans to honor Michael Bradley's extraordinary contributions to American soccer with a formal pregame ceremony when the men's national team hosts South Korea in September at Sports Illustrated Stadium. The recognition comes following Bradley's retirement from professional soccer in 2023 after a career that saw him amass 151 international appearances, placing him behind only Cobi Jones and Landon Donovan on the all-time caps list.
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WHAT THE USMNT POSTED
New York Red Bulls
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Bradley's recognition reflects U.S. Soccer's initiative to formally acknowledge players who have made exceptional contributions to the national team program. The federation has established specific criteria for this honor, requiring players to have earned at least 100 caps and appeared on rosters for two world championships, including World Cups or Olympic Games.
He has local ties to the match as he hails from Princeton and currently coaches the Red Bulls II, and the first team plays at Sports Illustrated Stadium.
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WHAT’S NEXT?
Bradley will be celebrated before the USMNT begins its preparations for the 2026 World Cup with the friendly against South Korea.
Abbott and Edwards shared 15 wickets in the match as Essex were comfortably beaten by an innings
Valkerie Baynes at the Ageas Bowl08-Apr-2019Kyle Abbott is confident he and Fidel Edwards can form a formidable strike-bowling partnership for Hampshire this season and, on the strength of their innings-and-87-run win against Essex in the opening round of the Championship, his faith is not misplaced.Abbott claimed a five-wicket haul in Essex’s second innings after they were forced to follow on when Edwards tore through them with his own bag of five.Between them, Abbott and Edwards took 15 wickets out of 18 (the injured Adam Wheater did not bat in either innings) as Essex were bowled out for 164 and 274 – meagre returns after the home side declared on 525 for 8, an innings which featured a host of strong batting performances, highlighted by Sam Northeasts’ anchoring 169.”I don’t think we could have scripted that any better. A pretty perfect start to say the least,” Abbot said of the victory, which puts Hampshire on top of the fledgling Division One table with a maximum haul of 24 points.”Bowling with Fiddy at the other end I think I’m going to get a few wickets because of him. I can see the guys aren’t fancying him. It’s nice to hit a rhythm and bowl well in tandem with Fid and hopefully we can carry on and this is just the start of good things.”Our plans are pretty much bowling straight and I think we’re going carry on through this whole season, just making the batsmen play as much as possible.”Edwards’ 5 for 51 in Essex’s first innings was devastating, his sheer pace belying his 37 years and scattering stumps on four occasions. Only Alastair Cook, Dan Lawrence and Ravi Bopara managed to pass 30.Bopara made a gallant 107 in the second innings as he and Simon Harmer (62) put on a 111-run stand for the sixth wicket. But, after Edwards had trapped Ryan ten Doeschate lbw with his second ball of the final day, Abbott struck with the second new ball to have Bopara caught behind off a loose shot by stand-in wicketkeeper Lewis McManus.While Bopara and Harmer had frustrated the Hampshire bowlers throughout the morning session, the home side bided their time, using James Vince and Liam Dawson to chew through the overs with the old ball, which had become damp with dew, until the new ball was taken and Abbott and Edwards could do their thing.Once Harmer, who had escaped unscathed after being rapped on the helmet by Edwards, was dismissed lbw, Abbott ran through the tail, with Essex wicketkeeper Wheater unable to bat after injuring the tendons in his right hand on day one and taking no further part in the match.”He’s looking good and it’s nice to see him firing,” Abbott said of Edwards. “He brings something totally different, especially to the tail. It’s as good as having a mystery spinner to the tail when he’s going upstairs and then fast at the stumps, so he’s a good asset to have in our side.”He loves his cricket and I think he enjoys this environment and if we can strike up a half-decent partnership – we’re totally different bowlers but trying to do the same job at the end of the day – and if we can keep that going through the season I think we’ll be in good stead.”The home side belted out their song, “Glory, glory we are Hampshire”, with great gusto at the close of play, exuding the confidence Abbott said new first team manager Adrian Birrell had brought to the team. The pair worked together for four years when Birrell was assistant South Africa coach and Abbott was full of praise for Birrell and the team as a whole.”It’s easy to say now but I must admit, I felt coming into this game it’s the calmest I’ve felt the team,” Abbott said. “I’ve felt in the past we’ve had a lot of energy but I think it’s been nervous energy because we’ve been scrapping in seasons past to stay up.”With Aidy Birrell coming in, he’s brought a great sense of calm to the change-room and just some pretty clear plans that he keeps drilling into us. It proved today that the simple plans work. Yes, it is the first game but from the feeling in the change-room I think it feels totally different and I feel a lot of the guys are playing with a lot more confidence knowing that, one, Aidy’s backing us and, two, the plans he’s given us are pretty simple and hopefully we can just carry on playing them out.”We’ve just had a bit more of a clear path and a clear vision. That’s all he’s really brought in and just pumping up our tyres, I guess. He has a lot of belief in us and that’s where it starts. After a performance like this we can only start backing ourselves even more.”Abbott claimed the wicket of retired England opener Cook twice, caught behind in the second innings and taken at short midwicket in the first, thanks to a leg-side trap devised by Dawson.”Credit to Liam Dawson,” Abbott said. “He came to me in my first spell from the hotel end and one had popped up, I hadn’t really noticed it and he said, ‘no, put one up’. He said he’s seen him do it a few times. So we put Gareth Berg in there and one fell short and the second spell, coming around the wicket again from this end when we had two guys in we just thought we’d try something.”Vince even had to keep wicket during this match in which six glovemen were used because of injuries to Wheater and Hampshire regular Tom Alsop, who hurt his hand on day three. Vince filled for a handful of overs on the third day in until McManus, who was halfway through a round of golf, could get to the ground, while Dan Lawrence filled in for Essex back-up Will Buttleman.
Jadhav and Dhoni rescued India with an unbroken 141 stand to steer them home
The Report by Shashank Kishore02-Mar-20192:16
‘MS Dhoni played a hell of an innings’ – Coulter-Nile
Kedar Jadhav prides himself on being a finisher who can contribute a sizable chunk of overs. On Saturday, he played his part in both disciplines, first finishing with 7-0-31-1 with the ball and then shunning his trademark flamboyance for the hard grind early on to arrest a batting slide. His 87-ball 81 formed the bedrock of India’s 237 chase after they slumped to 99 for 4.Jadhav found an ideal partner in MS Dhoni, with the pair adding 141 for the fifth wicket as India got home with 10 balls to spare to go 1-0 in the five-match series. Dhoni’s calming contribution, a 72-ball 59 not out – his 71st ODI half-century – consisting mainly hard-run singles and seven hits to the fence, including two back-to-back fours to seal the game.His only hint of discomfort was off Marcus Stoinis, who can be deceptively quicker. A length ball reared up to get Dhoni’s leading edge and fell short of the bowler in the 32nd over. Off the next ball, Dhoni was lucky again as an instinctive pull to one that got big on him landed one bounce to fine leg. There was one more, where Dhoni jammed his bat down late to squeeze an inswinging yorker.This minor blip aside, he exhibited sage-like calm in a chase right down his alley, even as Jadhav kept picking the occasional boundaries at the other end, none better than a flat-batted inside-out hit over extra cover off Adam Zampa’s legbreak. With his hamstrings strengthened over months of rehabilitation, Jadhav also ran the quick singles one can expect when Dhoni’s around. Even though the equation came down to a run-a-ball 80, there was no real panic.As the target kept whittling down, Jadhav brought out the punch in his batting, a short-arm jab one bounce over deep midwicket and a full-blooded whip to beat mid-on off the fasten men providing the thrill. As he passed his half-century, he brought out the ramp shot, as if to stamp his authority over proceedings.This partnership covered up for a massive blip. India had already lost Shikhar Dhawan for a duck but briefly recovered through Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s 76-run stand before the slide. They lost Kohli, Rohit and Ambati Rayudu for the addition of just 19 in a passage between overs 17 and 23.Kohli was out lbw playing down the wrong line off Zampa for 44, with Australia successfully reviewing. Rohit was out to Nathan Coulter-Nile on 37 after a leading edge was safely pouched by Aaron Finch at mid-off, while Ambati Rayudu stabbed at a sharp Zampa legbreak to be caught behind for 19.Getty Images
This passage was quite similar to the one in Australia’s innings when they lost successive wickets, not once but twice after key partnerships. First, Usman Khawaja and Marcus Stoinis, promoted to No. 3, added 87 to steady the innings after Finch nicked off third ball to a Jasprit Bumrah brute in the second over. Then, with Australia looking to ignite their innings in the slog, Mohammed Shami sent back debutant Ashton Turner and Glenn Maxwell in a bristling second spell that made for fascinating viewing for his relentless pace and accuracy, much like it was at the start.Early on, he kept beating Khawaja with fuller-length deliveries to return an impressive opening spell of 4-2-6-0. Then, after being reintroduced in the 36th, he had Turner, who looked comfortable to make a busy 21, with an off-cutter that he chopped on, while Maxwell was beaten for pace by a fullish delivery that cramped him and crashed into the stumps. It needed Coulter-Nile and Alex Carey, returning to the XI after missing the T20Is, to eke out a crucial 62-run stand to lift Australia.Maxwell’s contribution of 40 could’ve been cut short on 6 had Rohit not been wider at slip after Bumrah produced a genuine edge. Fortunately, this didn’t cost India a few extra runs Australia could’ve well done with on a sticky surface.That India pulled things back wasn’t just because of Shami alone. Kuldeep Yadav too left his imprint with a typically aggressive spell of top-class wristspin to pick 2 for 46 off 10 overs, the away-drifter and sharp turn to get Peter Handscomb being the standout. Eight of his overs came after Jadhav broke the dangerous second-wicket stand when he had Stoinis smash a long hop to Kohli at midwicket.In between, Ravindra Jadeja’s choking accuracy that fetched him figures of 10-0-33-0 helped India overcome their fifth-bowler problems, particularly after Vijay Shankar had a poor outing. Coming in first change, he kept bowling short and was punished for 22 in three wicketless overs. However, his outstanding catch at deep midwicket by sprinting nearly 20 metres to his left to dismiss Khawaja after he made a 74-ball half-century triggered a slide, one that may have cost them 25 extra runs that could’ve made a difference.
Playing only his sixth Test, the wristspinner is learning how to adapt to bowling in Test cricket as batsmen get more familiar with his style of bowling
Melinda Farrell in Sydney05-Jan-20193:52
You can control variations when you bowl the right line – Kuldeep
Familiarity breeds contempt, they say. In cricket terms, it allows batsmen to read a bowler, learn the tricks, pick the variations. It’s something Kuldeep Yadav has experienced in his young Test career.Kuldeep is unique in India: the only left-arm wristspinner to represent his country in any format and his skills are still a rarity worldwide. His figures are often better early in a series or a Test than later, as batsmen move from struggling to read him to picking his wrong ‘uns.On his debut against Australia in the final Test of the 2017 home series, Kuldeep took 4 for 68 in the first innings and 0 for 23 in the second. He started last year’s tour of England with a bang, taking 6 for 25 in a Player-of-the-Match performance at Trent Bridge but had diminishing returns in the following games, as England’s players adapted and grew more comfortable attacking.When India misread the Lord’s pitch for the second Test and plumped for two spinners, the likes of Joe Root had seen enough and while Kuldeep only bowled nine overs and went wicketless for 44 runs it seemed that familiarity had negated his novelty.In the time since leaving that tour following the Lord’s Test, Kuldeep has taken 10 wickets in two home Tests against West Indies and gone back to his childhood coach, Kapil Dev Pandey, in a bid to get back to the basics of his craft.”Sometimes it’s hard you know when the batsmen are picking you,” Kudeep said after the third day’s play in Sydney. “And that’s the beauty of cricket you have to keep learning every day and I’m still learning every day.”That England tour was challenging for me and when I played there in the Lord’s Test match, after that I really worked on my bowling with my coach so you know for a spinner, any spinner, it’s very important to stick with the basics and just follow what we call the basic thing of spin bowling: little bit of flight, turn the ball.”More important than the perfect area is deceiving the batsman in the air. That’s the more important thing for me and I’m still working on that. I don’t believe in mystery or something like that. If you’re good enough to deceive the batsmen in the air that’s good enough for me and I’m looking for that only.”For the second time in his Test career – this is just his sixth appearance for India in the format – Kuldeep finds himself bowling in the final match of a series against Australia with his side almost certain to seal victory. In a side blessed with the spinning strength of R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep has become a kind of joker in the pack for India, a wildcard that can be thrown into the mix when something different is needed or injuries are an issue. But it also makes it difficult for him to spend an extended time in the side and learn to adapt to batsmen just as they become adept at reading him.”I have played enough cricket to have decent enough knowledge and in Test cricket I will need a little more time perhaps to improve,” Kuldeep said. “The more you play with red ball the more you can improve.”So definitely there are many senior players…Virat is there, Rishabh also keeps telling [me things], any wicketkeeper will tell you things. It’s easier in ODIs because you are playing regularly and [MS] Dhoni is there, so he has played so much cricket he keeps telling you what to do.”Test cricket is similar, the more you play the better you can read batsmen and there is enough time to plan for batsmen, can bowl more overs, change the field. In ODIs you have only 10 overs and bowl to a field plan because you can have only four fielders outside the circle. Test cricket is quite different. [There are] enough senior players who are happy to talk and help.”When you know you have Ashwin and Jadeja, the best spinners and you are the third one, so there is a lot to motivate yourself and learn from them. They keep pushing me in the nets that you have to bowl this way in good areas. So I am very motivated and it is important to learn from them because they have played enough cricket and I am still learning.”
England boss Gareth Southgate says Harry Kane's absence offers Ollie Watkins and Ivan Toney a "brilliant opportunity" to shine in his side's attack.
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England face Brazil and Belgium
Striker Kane could miss both games
Watkins & Toney have 'brilliant opportunity'
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WHAT HAPPENED?
Three Lions captain Kane is set to miss their friendly with Brazil on Saturday due to an ankle injury, and manager Southgate has confirmed Cole Palmer and Jordan Henderson will also miss out. He added the Bayern Munich star is "extremely doubtful" to face Belgium on Tuesday, but the 30-year-old's absence opens the door for another in attack – namely Villa's Watkins or Brentford's Toney.
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WHAT GARETH SOUTHGATE SAID
He told reporters: "I would say Cole [Palmer] and Hendo [Jordan Henderson] have a better chance for Belgium than Harry [Kane] – he'd be extremely doubtful for that. It's a brilliant opportunity for other players."
When asked if Toney and Watkins were competing for one spot in the squad, Southgate replied: "That is a decision that we have to make. A nine is a specialist position but they have different attributes. It would depend a little bit on the injury status in other positions in the squad and also having perhaps players that can play more than one role. I think both of them are aware that the opportunity is a big one. But they're both in good form, they've both had time with us. Ollie's [Watkins] been with us more recently, of course, and has done well in the games he's played. He's had a fabulous season for his club. Ivan [Toney], since he's come back into Brentford's team, has had the impact we expected him to, so they are two very, very good players."
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
With Southgate's contract expiring in December 2024, this may be his last chance to claim some silverware as England manager. And picking the right personnel for this year's Euros will be key in whether that trophy bid is successful or not as the Three Lions aim to win their first trophy since the 1966 World Cup. Southgate guided England to the 2018 World Cup semi-finals, the final of the delayed European Championships, and the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup.
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After England's upcoming games against Brazil and Belgium, Southgate's side have just two more warm-up fixtures against Bosnia and Herzegovina and Iceland in June before the Euros get underway later that month. The Three Lions will play Serbia, Denmark, and Slovenia in the group stages.
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Everton displayed their powers of recovery when they dug deep to find a late goal in the Merseyside derby, James Tarkowski lashing beyond Alisson Becker in the final frame of injury time.
It’s remarkable how the Toffees rise to the occasion when pitted against noisy neighbours Liverpool, losing just one of their past eight meetings at Goodison Park.
But under David Moyes, Everton have quickly shaped into a team capable of beating many opponents, with their recent draw actually ending a three-match winning run in the Premier League.
Crystal Palace are up next, waiting at Selhurst Park. The 16th-place Toffees will sit level on points with Oliver Glasner’s side should they win, but it won’t be easy, not least because the Everton medical room gets more and more packed.
Everton missing key players
Abdoulaye Doucoure will serve a one-match suspension after his involvement in the post-match ruckus against Liverpool, who also saw Curtis Jones and head coach Arne Slot dismissed.
Everton midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure
He joins an existing list of absentees that is anything but short: Nathan Patterson, Orel Mangala, Seamus Coleman, Dwight McNeil, Youssef Chermiti, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Armando Broja are all out.
The major concern, of course, is that star attacker Iliman Ndiaye is set for a spell on the sidelines after jarring his knee in the first half. Moyes has confirmed that the former Marseille man has suffered a “medial knee ligament injury”.
Ndiaye
While Jack Harrison performed well in his stead on the left flank, the loanee has yet to score or assist a single goal this season, the same as Jesper Lindstrom on the right.
Everton might need to look for offensive support from elsewhere, and wouldn’t it be the perfect time to inculcate Charly Alcaraz into the starting line-up?
Everton's answer to Eberechi Eze
Everton brought Alcaraz in from Brazilian club Flamengo last month, tying him down to a loan move with an obligatory buy clause worth about £13m.
Racing Club
83
12
5
Southampton
48
8
5
Flamengo
19
3
2
Juventus
12
0
1
Everton
2
0
0
He’s a combative and animated midfield presence, capable across a range of roles but at his best when playing off the centre-forward. With Doucoure sidelined, it feels like number ten has his name on it in south London.
Such an electric and dangerous skill set will be needed to overcome Palace’s own midfield maestro: Eberechi Eze.
The England international is one of the silkiest and most dynamic players in the Premier League, ranking among the top 4% of positional peers in the division this term for shots taken, the top 12% for shot-creating actions and the top 16% for successful take-ons per 90, as per FBref.
Ebere Eze against Manchester United
With Ndiaye sidelined, Everton will need another flashy star to step up and drive forward play. That could be Alcaraz, who himself ranked among the top 2% of positional peers in the Brasileiro Serie A 2024 campaign for shots, the top 7% for shot-creating actions, the top 6% for progressive carries and the top 8% for successful take-ons per 90.
Some might feel that the loss of Ndiaye puts the writing on the wall for a Blues side that has suffered so much misfortune in recent years, but something feels different with Moyes back in the dugout.
Everton are playing with purpose – and maybe, even, gusto.
Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp described Ndiaye as a forward capable of “dynamite” moments, and he’s indeed been integral over the past several weeks, netting in all three of Everton’s wins with their new manager in the dugout.
Alcaraz is effectively dovetailing into a squad plying with unbridled joy, readying themselves for an abiding partnership with one of the most revered figures on the blue patch of Merseyside.
Everton midfielder Charly Alcaraz
It’s worth noting that he’s only featured two times for his new English outfit, but has made an impression in both contests. Against Bournemouth in the FA Cup, Alcaraz was a bright spark off the bench, neat in possession and hungry to win the ball off opponents.
His cameo against Liverpool saw him complete his one attempted dribble, win both ground duels and make a tackle, as per Sofascore, instrumental in piling on the pressure and sparking a late-stage comeback that sent Goodison into a frenzy of euphoric madness.
Alcaraz, moreover, played 19 games in the English top flight with Southampton, scoring four goals and supplying two assists for a team that was tail-spinning out of control and into the second tier back in 2022/23.
This potency could be realised with Everton now that Doucoure and Ndiaye are set to miss out later on today. This may feel like it’s to the detriment of Everton’s overall fluency, but it does present Alcaraz with a glorious opportunity to come up trumps and prove to Moyes that he deserves to play a big part over the coming months.
Charly Alcaraz for Southampton
Everton have clearly got a top talent on their hands; when he moved to Italy on loan with Juventus last year, a buy option was inserted into the deal that totalled £40m. This makes a firm comment on his high-ceilinged future, albeit it was a move that failed to reach that permanent point.
Hailed as “one of the biggest talents” to have come from Argentina in recent years by scout Jacek Kulig, Alcaraz is gearing up to play a big role in Moyes’ Everton squad, with the glut of recent injuries set to fast-track him into a prominent role.
Ndiaye upgrade: Everton wanted £67m Liverpool star but Rafa refused
Kolkata Knight Riders were at the mercy of the rain gods for more than three hours, but Gautam Gambhir and the unheralded Ishank Jaggi ensured that the wet weather ended as a mere footnote in victory
Shashank Kishore in Bengaluru17-May-2017For over three hours, Kolkata Knight Riders were on edge. A thunderstorm in Bengaluru threatened to have them packing up and boarding the first flight out on Thursday morning, instead of staying on for the second qualifier. Players and members of their support staff kept pacing up and down the stairs to check the intensity of the rain. Nathan Coulter-Nile, who spent large parts of the last two weeks recovering from concussion and headaches, had played a key role in restricting Sunrisers Hyderabad to 128. To go out now would be a bitter pill to swallow.Understandably, the players were by themselves, quietly huddled inside the cozy comforts of the dressing room, not sure if their botched chase in the final league game against Mumbai Indians, where they needed 25 off the last three overs, would come back to haunt them. Finishing a point ahead of Sunrisers could have left them sipping a hot cup of tea on the rainy night, probably grooving to the DJ beats along with their celebrity owner Shah Rukh Khan. Now, it all seemed like torture. All they had played for during the course of the last 40 days now hinged on Chinnaswamy’s revamped drainage and playing conditions being stretched by two hours for the playoffs.At the other end, Sunrisers were calm and comfortable as they watched the rain hammer down; they wouldn’t have much to worry about if it continued to stay that way. The forecast was for more rain. But if there’s one thing you don’t trust in Bengaluru, apart from light-traffic notifications, it is any rain prediction. The 15,000 odd fans present, alternating between chants of “K-K-R!”, “S-R-K!” and, quite inexplicably, “Are-Ceee-Bee!”, remained patient. Nearly two hours after the scheduled start of the second innings, there was a glimmer of hope.The covers were being peeled off and the revamped drainage was at work. Resumption wasn’t far off. A full chase was on. But just as they were set to resume, the rain returned to tease KKR some more. The players retreated to a game of box cricket inside the change-rooms. They did anything that could put their restless legs to work. Sitting around wasn’t an option.As the clock ticked past the point where the game was certain to be reduced, Sunrisers, sensing they now had no option but to defend a revised score, brought out a bucket full of wet balls. Bowler after bowler rolled his arm over to get acclimatised. After a short wait to know the target they were to defend, it was finally conveyed to them that it would be 48. Six overs. Twenty-four minutes to determine if the defending champions would spend two more days in Bengaluru and earn the right to play Mumbai Indians in another elimination shootout.Even on a tacky surface where the ball was gripping, as has been the norm at Chinnaswamy this season, it wasn’t a stiff target. But Knight Riders came out and made it look like an arduous task. Chris Lynn allayed nerves by slashing his first ball off the tournament’s best bowler – Bhuvneshwar Kumar – for six. But he fell next ball to a yorker-length delivery. Knight Riders were one down in the very first over.Yusuf Pathan was sent in at No. 3 with desperation writ large on his face. After attempting a mistimed pull, he committed hara-kiri, taking off for a run blindly. By the time he turned back, Bhuvneshwar had flicked the ball back onto the stumps in his followthrough. Knight Riders, two down.Now the crowd was behind local boy Robin Uthappa, but in trying to play to the gallery, he pulled one straight to the deep-square leg fielder. As he walked off, he did well to not make eye contact with his captain Gautam Gambhir, fuming at what he’d just seen. Knight Riders, three down – for 12, seven balls into the chase.Now, it was Ishank Jaggi’s turn. For two months, he’d carried drinks. In his career, he had only played five IPL matches, the last of them with Deccan Chargers in 2012. Until the eve of the game, he had no inkling that an opportunity would come his way in a knockout game. He’d nearly seen the team’s net session finish and was winding up when he got a tap, asking him to pad up. He was the last man to have a hit. Manish Pandey’s rib injury meant an opening, an opportunity to feature in an IPL XI for the first time in five years, an opportunity to steer a tense chase with his captain.At the domestic T20 tournament, the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, earlier this year, he left a lasting impression on Gambhir by hitting three fours and six sixes for East Zone. The captain ensured his name was a forced into the IPL auction pool at the last moment. Here, there wasn’t enough time to impress the man responsible for picking him, but he had to remain calm nevertheless. He got right behind the line first ball to play a proper back-foot defence. Gambhir walked across to punch his gloves at the end of the over. Perhaps never before had Gambhir celebrated a glorious back-foot defence this wildly.Then, realising the need to take the chase upon himself, Gambhir showed smarts to pick his spots. When there was width outside off, he steered the ball behind point. If it was short, he was happy to use the pace and pull or hook. In doing so, he reeled off crucial boundaries.Off in-form legspinner Rashid Khan, he was beaten twice, but showed why he is regarded one of the best players of spin, driving inside-out.The target was now into single digits. Jaggi, at his end, held his shape, held his composure, and hit the winning runs with four balls to spare. Gambhir pumped his fists and let out a roar. It was the roar of an angry man who had seen his side nearly wilt yet again. Then came the rare smile and the satisfaction of a win that could put them in a position to lift their third IPL crown.