This will allow teams to pick their best XIs and impact player based on whether they are batting or bowling

Nagraj Gollapudi22-Mar-2023

Captains in IPL 2023 will walk out for the toss with two different team sheets, and hand in their final XIs the toss. That is one of the significant tweaks to the IPL’s playing conditions, which will soon be shared with the teams. The change, the IPL said in an internal note listing the various changes to playing conditions, would allow franchises to pick their best XIs based on whether they end up batting or bowling, the appropriate impact player included.”Currently the captains have to exchange the teams before the toss,” the note, seen by ESPNcricinfo, said. “This has been changed to exchange of teams immediately post the toss, to enable teams to choose the best XI depending on whether they are batting or bowling first. It will also assist the teams to plan for the impact player.”The IPL becomes the second T20 franchise league after the SA20 to allow teams to announce their XIs after the toss. In the SA20, which staged its inaugural season earlier this year, teams put 13 names on the team sheets initially before announcing their final XIs after the toss. Graeme Smith, the SA20 tournament director, had said then that the move was designed to “lessen the impact of the toss” and allow a level-playing field based on the conditions. The numbers at the end of the SA20 season were pretty even: out of the 33 matches, teams winning the toss won 15 times and lost 16 (two no results).Related

How much impact will the Impact Player rule have?

Punjab Kings: Another new captain and coach for a new season

Teams divided over SA20's provision of deciding playing XI after the toss

Impact Player in IPL 2023 – all you need to know about the new rule

The IPL has adopted a similar thought process now, with another key factor being neutralising the effect of dew somewhat – dew has traditionally had a big impact at some venues in India, with teams bowling second adversely impacted.The numbers from 2019 – the previous time the IPL was played in India in a home-and-away format – illustrate that teams winning the toss went on to win more often than not: across 60 games, teams won 34 and lost 23 after winning the toss (not including Super Overs and no results).While the toss will still matter, with the new rule it should not be a case of “win toss, win match” in certain conditions, with teams allowed to tweak their teams accordingly. For example, if a team that wanted to bat and then defend a total on a slow track in turning conditions is forced to bowl first, it can play an extra spinner in the starting XI, and then replace a specialist bowler with a batter in the second innings to help with the run chase.Other tweaks to the IPL playing conditions Over-rate penalty of only four fielders outside the 30-yard circle for every over not completed in the allocated time. Unfair movement of the wicketkeeper will result in a dead ball and five penalty runs. Unfair movement by a fielder will result in a dead ball and five penalty runs.

Vinicius Junior is reportedly set to sign a lucrative new €100m deal at Real Madrid and snub interest from the Saudi Pro League.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Vinicius Jr linked with Saudi move
• Set to snub their advances
• Will sign lucrative Real Madrid deal

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  According to , the Brazilian has agreed a five-year deal with Madrid until the summer of 2030. The report states the 24-year-old will earn €100 million (£84.6m) net over the five years of the contract, making him the club's top earner.

Advertisement

• (C)Getty Images
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The winger has repeatedly been linked with eye-watering moves to the Saudi Pro League but for now that switch looks to have been put on hold. Vinicius Jr is one of the world's best players and now it seems his long-term future is with Madrid.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Vinicius Jr, whose contract currently runs until 2027, joined Madrid in 2018 from Brazilian side Flamengo and since then he has scored 105 goals in 314 appearances in all competitions.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty
  

  WHAT NEXT?

  While that contract news is yet to be officially announced, Vinicius Jr will hope to secure Madrid the league title to ensure they finish this season with some silverware.

Director of cricket Alan Coleman hails addition of “world-class talent”

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Feb-2023Middlesex have recruited Keshav Maharaj as an overseas player for the first four months of the 2023 season.Maharaj, South Africa’s left-arm spinner, will arrive ahead of Middlesex’s third Championship game against Nottinghamshire on April 20 and will be available for eight four-day fixtures in total, as well as the entirety of the T20 Blast.Alan Coleman, Middlesex’s director of cricket, said that it was “essential” to bring in a “world-class talent” ahead of the club’s first season in the Championship’s top division since 2017, and that he would play a role mentoring Luke Hollman and Thilan Walallawita.”We are delighted that Keshav has signed for Middlesex this season and are really excited to have someone of his calibre and experience joining us for the first four months of the season,” Coleman said. “The young spinners we have in our squad will benefit enormously from having Keshav with us this year.”Related

Henry joins Somerset as overseas player for Championship, Blast

Durham bring in Stubbs for Blast

Warwickshire hail 'amazing signing' as Maxwell joins for Blast

Middlesex appoint Fraser as interim chair

Roland-Jones named as Middlesex red-ball captain

Maharaj will be playing for his third different county, after previous stints with Lancashire and Yorkshire. He has taken 72 wickets at 21.72 across his 13 games in the Championship.”I’m really excited to be linking up with such a professional and experienced county and am looking forward to wearing the Middlesex colours and calling the Home of Cricket my home,” he said.Middlesex previously announced that Pieter Malan would return as an overseas player after a successful stint last year.Elsewhere, Richard Gleeson has re-signed with Lancashire on a two-year, T20-only contract.

The England midfielder lost her battle with Erin Cuthbert as Marc Skinner's side defended well but barely laid a glove on the Blues' backline

Manchester United surrendered their FA Cup crown to Chelsea on Sunday as Sandy Baltimore inspired the treble-winners to a 3-0 victory at Wembley.

United started brightly, but were almost undone when Aggie Beever-Jones got in behind their defence, only for her deflected effort to be kept out by Phallon Tullis-Joyce. At the other end, Dominique Janssen fired over when well placed on the edge of the penalty area before a combination of Tullis-Joyce and Leah Galton denied Lucy Bronze the opener.

Chelsea piled on the pressure as the game moved towards half-time, and United were finally breached after Celin Bizet fouled Erin Cuthbert just inside the box for Baltimore to send Tullis-Joyce the wrong way from the penalty spot.

Marc Skinner's side showed more signs of life early in the second period as Elisabeth Terland and half-time substitute Ella Toone both shot straight at Hannah Hampton, but they lacked ideas in attack, and Chelsea eventually put the game to bed when Catarina Macario headed in Baltimore's teasing free-kick. The French winger then grabbed her second goal and Chelsea's third in stoppage-time with a close-range finish.

GOAL rates United's players from Wembley Stadium…

Getty Images SportGoalkeeper & Defence

Phallon Tullis-Joyce (7/10):

Readjusted well to keep out Beever-Jones' early deflected effort and commanded her penalty area. Sent the wrong way from the penalty spot.

Aoife Mannion (7/10):

Worked tirelessly up and down the right-hand side. Put in some excellent challenges and used the ball well when in possession.

Maya Le Tissier (6/10):

Caught out by Ramirez on one occasion in the first half but otherwise a solid presence at the heart of the United backline.

Millie Turner (6/10):

Made a couple of key recovery blocks to deny Beever-Jones and Ramirez, though was pulled out of position on occasion. Replaced at half-time, presumably due to injury.

Gabby George (5/10):

Troubled at times by Beever-Jones and Bronze down the Chelsea right. A little fortunate not to put through her own net midway through the second half, too.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportMidfield

Dominique Janssen (5/10):

Fired United's best chance of the first half over the bar. Held her own well in midfield before filling in at centre-back after Turner's substitution in the second half.

Hinata Miyazawa (6/10):

Busy in midfield. Won the ball back plenty and kept Walsh pretty quiet. A little wasteful in possesion at times.

Grace Clinton (5/10):

Made a bright start before finding herself in a running battle with Cuthbert for much of the afternoon. The Scot came out on top against the Lioness for the most part.

AFPAttack

Celin Bizet (5/10):

Caused some problems down the United right and swung in some decent crosses. However, it was her loss of concentration that led to the crucial penalty.

Elisabeth Terland (5/10):

Was a threat with her movement at times, but struggled to get too involved. Headed straight at Hampton with her only sight of goal.

Leah Galton (7/10):

Didn't offer too much from an attacking sense, but her work-rate was outstanding and she twice denied Bronze tap-ins with last-gasp challenges. Also played through the pain admirably for the second cup final in successive years.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty Images SportSubs & Manager

Ella Toone (4/10):

On at half-time but, one shot at straight at Hampton apart, she struggled to have much influence.

Melvine Malard (5/10):

Never really had a sniff after replacing Mannion midway through the second half.

Anna Sandberg (5/10):

Struggled after coming on for George.

Rachel Williams (N/A):

Thrown on to grab an equaliser, but instead could only watch as United conceded two further goals.

Lisa Naalsund (N/A):

Perhaps should have done better for Baltimore's stoppage-time strike.

Marc Skinner (5/10):

His side worked hard and defended diligently, so he can't be blamed for Bizet's costly lapse. However, he didn't seem to have much an attacking plan once United did fall behind, and paid for it.

Delhi Capitals’ assistant coach believes that Warner’s fearless mindset will get bring him back to his best

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Apr-20232:50

Tait: Warner seemed ‘pretty frustrated’

Shane Watson, Delhi Capitals’ assistant coach, has said he will be “blown away” if David Warner, the franchise’s under-fire captain, doesn’t “set the IPL alight” in the rest of the season after struggling for rhythm in the first four games.Warner is the second-highest run-scorer in IPL 2023 and has hit three half-centuries in four games, but has scored at a sluggish strike rate of 114.83 and is yet to hit a single six this season.Warner punched his bat in frustration upon reaching a 43-ball half-century during Delhi’s loss to Mumbai Indians on Monday night, their fourth defeat out of four this season. But Watson stressed that he had shown a “more fearless mindset” during that innings, and said that he was “so close” to recapturing his best form.Related

Marsh and Hasaranga return to lift Capitals and RCB fortunes

Chawla, Rohit star as Mumbai earn first points in last-ball thriller

Waiting for the real David Warner

Rohit: Wanted to 'make full use of the powerplay'

“The other night, Dave [Warner] definitely had a [much] more fearless mindset with the way he was batting,” Watson said on the podcast. “He was taking the game on… yes, he missed a few balls that in the past he would have hit for four or six, he’s mis-hit a couple of balls, but that’s all part of Dave just working through the technical side of his game.”That’s also part of my role as well, as a coach. Because I know Dave so well from batting with him and playing with him, there’s one or two little things that I know he’ll get right over the next couple of days and I’ll be blown away if he doesn’t – yes, he’s been scoring runs, but from a scoring perspective – if he doesn’t set the IPL alight from now on, knowing that he’s so close.”He’s batting very nicely. He’s just mis-hitting some balls that he’d normally hit for four or six. Once you do that, once you start really finding the middle of your bat, then your scoring rate just goes through the roof.”Warner became the fastest man to reach 6,000 runs in his IPL career during Delhi’s defeat to Rajasthan Royals, and Watson said that his stellar record in the competition underlined his ability. “His strike rate across his career in the IPL is nearly 140,” he said. “He’s been a great player in the IPL for a long period of time.”He added that Warner had been “working through” a “challenging inner battle” in the first three games of the season, grappling with whether or not to take risks as wickets fell at the other end. “It goes against a lot of the things that you’re taught as a kid growing up,” Watson said. “You lose a wicket, you’ve got to establish a partnership – even in T20 cricket – for five or six balls.”But then, if you do that and you keep losing wickets after five or six balls, before you know it, you’re three overs down and you’ve just been rotating ones to try and build a partnership. Dave was just working through that himself in the first few games.”Delhi play their next game away against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Saturday afternoon, and will have Mitchell Marsh available again after he missed their last two games due to his wedding back home in Australia.”It’s never perfect when you lose your first four games,” Watson said, “but that is the beauty of having someone with the skill of Ricky Ponting as a coach, and just his understanding of people. That’s the beauty of being a coach, to be able to help the guys where they need it.”These are the times when you really see the true colours of people and coaches, when things aren’t going well. It’s a true sign of character: how you can work through the little things that are not going how we want them to, to turn them around and be more consistent.”

Kane Williamson says he is honoured to lead a list of greats after becoming New Zealand’s leading Test run-scorer and hopes to cap off the milestone with a series-squaring victory in the second Test against England.Upon passing 28 early in the morning on day four, Williamson overtook Ross Taylor’s tally of 7,683 runs in his 161st innings. He went on to register his 26th Test century, allowing the Blackcaps to turn the tables on England in their follow-on innings.Related

• Stats – Kane Williamson's fab fourth-innings feats

• New Zealand collapse after Kane Williamson hundred to open door for England

• Stats – Williamson at the top of the Test charts for New Zealand

The 32-year-old’s 132 held together a response of 483, giving Ben Stokes’ side a chase of 258 to secure the series 2-0. Tim Southee, who took over as Test captain when Williamson stepped down last December, removed Zak Crawley to leave the tourists 48 for 1 overnight.”It’s not something I’ve thought a whole lot about,” said Williamson after the day’s play. “But it is an honour. You look at that list, and I’ve admired all of those players over those years, whether that’s watching from afar growing up or playing alongside a number of them as well. Like I say, it’s not a focus point but it’s special to be amongst that company.”It would be pretty special for sure,” he said on the prospect of becoming only the fourth team to win a Test after following-on. “It’s exciting going in to day five. As a bowling attack and a team, we want to make sure we’re on come tomorrow. There’s still some assistance there and some assistance for the slower bowlers as well. All to play for, which is exciting.”Harry Brook picked up the key wicket of Kane Williamson•AFP/Getty Images

Williamson, however, was frustrated with his dismissal. Not just because it was the start of a collapse of five for 28 from a commanding position of 455 for 5, but that the bowler who dismissed him was not a bowler at all. Harry Brook, whose exploits have been exclusively with the bat, was brought on in the 148th over to give James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Ollie Robinson a rest ahead of a potential third new ball.With the final delivery of his third of seven overs of medium pace off the wrong foot, Brook fired a delivery down the leg side which Williamson tickled into the gloves of Ben Foakes, who was standing up to the stumps. Even as he shook his head contemplating the dismissal in his post-match press conference, he was able to see the funny side.”He didn’t miss his length at all, ey? He was immaculate.”He was on point. Maybe that (the wicket-taking delivery) was the worst ball he bowled, actually.”Initially given not out on the field, Ben Stokes reluctantly called for a review on the insistence of Joe Root who thought he heard something. A noise was picked up as the ball passed the face of the bat, leading to an overturned decision. While it was not a big spike, Williamson is satisfied the technology worked.”In my instance, it was,” he said when asked if UltraEdge had worked correctly. “But I think at times you see some shakes in the lone. Whether that’s accurate or now, I don’t really know. We had a few dismissals in Pakistan.”

Jack Grealish is set to exit Manchester City as Pep Guardiola is unlikely to include the winger in his Club World Cup squad.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Grealish set to leave Man City
• Unlikely to feature in the Club World Cup
• Grealish wants more game time

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  After an underwhelming 2024-25 campaign with City, which saw Grealish start only seven times in the Premier League and clock 715 minutes on the pitch, the winger is likely to be on his way out of the Etihad Stadium this summer. According to , manager Guardiola is unlikely to involve the winger in the travelling squad that will jet off to the U.S. for the Club World Cup later this month, which further fuels speculations that the Englishman will exit the club.

Advertisement

• Getty Images
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The report adds that Grealish will be a subject of interest for English as well as overseas sides, as the winger is looking for an opportunity where he could play regularly in the 2025-26 campaign in order to secure a place in Thomas Tuchel's Three Lions squad for the 2026 World Cup. The Cityzens are expected to assist him in finding a new club and are open to allowing him to secure a transfer.

  Watch every FIFA Club World Cup game free on DAZNStream now

• DID YOU KNOW?

  City have started working on their transfer business and are close to securing a move for AC Milan's Tijjani Reijnders, as they see the Dutchman as a long-term replacement for an ageing Ilkay Gundogan.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty Images
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER CITY?

  The former English champions will play their opening match of the Club World Cup on June 18 as they take on Moroccan club Wydad AC.

Lyon's Rayan Cherki has reportedly agreed to personal terms with Manchester City as Pep Guardiola closes in on Kevin De Bruyne's successor.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

City have an agreement with CherkiGearing up to submit an official bid to LyonCityzens have already agreed to sign ReijndersFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

According to the 21-year-old is now expected to complete a move to the Etihad Stadium as part of Guardiola’s strategic rebuild following a disappointing 2024-25 campaign. Talks between the two clubs reportedly began over the weekend and have progressed swiftly. Negotiations have reached the final stages, with a formal offer from City expected within hours following the successful agreement on personal terms.

AdvertisementAFPTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Cherki reportedly has a release clause in his Lyon contract worth approximately £25 million ($34m). City are expected to activate that clause imminently in order to bring the creative midfielder into their ranks.

The Premier League champions endured a rare trophyless season, finishing third in the league and falling to a shock defeat against Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final. With long-serving midfield maestro De Bruyne set to exit the club this summer, Guardiola is determined to reshape the core of his squad, and Cherki is being positioned as the Belgian’s natural successor.

DID YOU KNOW?

City have already agreed a deal worth £59m ($80m) with AC Milan for Tijjani Reijnders, who was named Serie A’s midfielder of the year. The Dutch midfielder's arrival, along with the imminent capture of Cherki, signals a clear intention from Guardiola to refresh his midfield options after an underwhelming campaign.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER CITY?

While midfield is receiving the most immediate attention, Guardiola is also plotting changes in the full-back department. Veteran right-back Kyle Walker is set to leave the club permanently, prompting the City boss to consider younger alternatives. Newcastle’s Tino Livramento is understood to be high on City’s list, though the complexity of any potential deal could delay progress. In contrast, City appear closer to completing a move for Wolves’ left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri, who has impressed Guardiola.

New England cap could be among raft of players in demand with county contract due to expire

Matt Roller01-Jun-2023Josh Tongue was quick to talk up Worcestershire’s role in him winning his first Test cap for England against Ireland at Lord’s this week, but it remains to be seen if he will still be at the county in 2024.Tongue is the first Worcestershire player to make a men’s Test debut for England since Moeen Ali in 2014, and said on Tuesday that his debut would be “a massive thing” for the club. “There are a lot of people at Worcester who have influenced my career,” he added.But Tongue is among a number of Worcestershire players whose deals with the county are due to end this year and June 1, the day of his debut, also marks the date when county cricketers whose contracts expire at the end of a season are free to talk to other clubs.Jack Haynes, the 22-year-old batter, is also out of contract this season, and losing either player would be a significant blow for Worcestershire. Both Haynes and Tongue are graduates of the club’s academy, and were part of England Lions’ tour to Sri Lanka earlier this year.Worcestershire have enjoyed a strong start to the 2023 season on the pitch: they are joint-third in Division Two of the County Championship with two wins from six and have won all three of their T20 Blast games to date.But off it, they are in a state of flux. The club reported an annual loss of just over £200,000 for 2022 and their financial health is dependent on ECB distributions, which account for around 60% of their annual income.The club announced an intention to appoint a director of cricket in July 2022 but the position remains vacant, with Paul Pridgeon – the head of their ‘cricket steering group’, an unpaid role – in charge of contract negotiations with players and their representatives.Related

Josh Tongue added to England men's Test squad to face Ireland

Tongue set for Lord's debut as England leave Woakes out

England and Ireland's Lord's appetiser lingers in shadow of future feasts

County directors call for 'urgent' review into standard contracts amid franchise exodus

There are several other Worcestershire players whose existing contracts are due to expire at the end of this season including Pat Brown, Ben Cox, Dillon Pennington and Mitchell Stanley. They have already lost Moeen and Ed Barnard of late, who both joined Warwickshire last winter.Elsewhere, a number of players who have been part of recent England squads are out of contract. James Bracey and David Payne’s deals with Gloucestershire are up at the end of the year, while Dan Lawrence – who was today released from the England Test squad for T20 Blast duty – is in the final year of his Essex deal and Jordan Cox is in the same situation at Kent.Matt Parkinson, who made his Test debut a year ago this week, dropped out of Lancashire’s Championship side earlier this year and is also in the final year of his contract. He is now free to speak to other counties as he weighs up his future.Parkinson played one game on loan at Durham earlier this year, but they are understood to have lined up his twin brother Callum as their main spin-bowling target, having relied on overseas spinners in the Championship this season.The opening of county cricket’s ‘transfer window’ comes at a time when player contracts are up for discussion, with directors of cricket recently calling for an “urgent” review into the standard 12-month contract due to the proliferation of English players involved in franchise tournaments around the world.

Nathan Lyon says Australia must not panic in the face of England’s ‘Bazball’ revolution, urging team-mates to not fall into the same traps they did in India.England’s fearless approach to Test cricket has made this year’s Ashes the most anticipated in 17 years, after a dominant 12 months under coach Brendon McCullum.In the past year alone, seven top-or-middle-order English batters have gone at a strike-rate of over 60, with the team having won 10 of 12 games. Throughout that period, the question has remained on how they will be able to do it against the No.1-ranked Australian attack during the Ashes.Steve Smith raised that exact question as early back as last July, with Australia’s bowlers renowned for building pressure and being the most economical in the world. And as far as Lyon is concerned, the answer is simple: Australia can win out if they buck the trend of England’s recent rivals and don’t panic.Related

• Australia have fewer questions to answer than England in the Ashes

• Cummins opens up on burnout and grief

• Khawaja learns from past Ashes failures ahead of 'toughest' challenge

• Bowling 'a bit of a challenge' for Stokes ahead of the Ashes

“You look at the way they played against New Zealand, South Africa and Pakistan, they have been able to force the opposition into panicking,” Lyon told AAP. “We just have to worry about us. Control what we can control and worry about what is in our backyard and not be worried about what they’re doing. If we make sure we have really good plans and stick to them, everything will go okay.”Lyon admitted Australia had been guilty of panicking in this year’s 2-1 series loss in India, where they collapsed in both the first and second Tests.Particularly in question there was whether Australia had over-thought their cricket, with a number of batsmen dismissed in a flurry of sweeps and reverse-sweeps. There is already a thought that England are trying to get into Australia’s head and create mental pressure in the build up to this series.Ben Stokes has spoken about a desire for flatter wickets, there have been reports of wanting smaller boundaries and Stuart Broad has spoken about wanting Australia’s batsmen attempting to copy England’s approach. Lyon, however, is urging calm.”We shouldn’t panic anyway,” he said. “We panicked in India and we saw what happened. If we can learn from that experience and play our way and our brand it will be okay.”With that in mind, Lyon said he would not change the way he bowled his offspinners to combat England’s attacking mindset.”I’m not buying into any of that. It’s just us,” Lyon said. “We have to worry about us. We will be really well planned. And with Pat [Cummins] and Smithy leading us, I think we will be in really good shape.”I have been bowling with Mitch [Starc] and Pat over the past couple of weeks, our prep is going really well. We’re not buying into the fact they have to do it against Australian bowlers. We just keep nailing our process and worrying about us.”