Defending champions India Legends (IN-L) will square off against New Zealand Legends (NZ-L) in the 12th match of the Road Safety T20 World Series 2022 at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore, Madhya Pradesh on Monday, September 19. The match will start at 7:30 PM Indian Standard Time (IST).

IN-L vs NZ-L Dream11 prediction for Road Safety T20 World Series 2022

Led by Sachin Tendulkar, India Legends started their Road Safety T20 World Series 2022 campaign with a clinical 61-run victory over South Africa Legends at Green Park in Kanpur on September 10. However, India Legends�?clash against West Indies Legends was abandoned due to rain.

With three points from two matches, India Legends are currently placed third in the Road Safety T20 World Series 2022 standings.

On the other hand, New Zealand Legends head into the India encounter brimming with confidence, having thrashed Bangladesh Legends by eight wickets on Saturday. The Ross Taylor-led side previously suffered a nine-wicket defeat against South Africa Legends in their opening match of the tournament. New Zealand Legends are currently placed fifth in the standings with two points from as many games.

Sachin Tendulkar-led India Legends won seven of their eight matches in the inaugural edition of  Road Safety T20 World Series. India Legends beat Sri Lanka Legends by 14 runs to clinch the maiden title. Meanwhile, New Zealand Legends are making their debut this season.

Going by this season’s form, India Legends will start as favourites against New Zealand Legends on Monday.

IN-L vs NZ-L Dream11 team tips for Road Safety T20 World Series 2022

Top tip: Best batter

New Zealand Legends�?Dean Browlie could be a smart pick for this Road Safety T20 World Series encounter. The 38-year-old played an impressive knock of 31 runs off just 19 balls against Bangladesh Legends. He hit three fours and one six in his innings. Browlie has already accrued 110 fantasy points and could be a decent pick at just 8.5 credits.

Top tip: Best bowler

In the bowling department, India Legends�?Rahul Sharma could be a great pick at just 8.5 credits. The 36-year-old leg-spinner picked three wickets for 17 runs in his quota of four overs against South Africa Legends. Rahul Sharma has already accumulated 113 fantasy points and will look to add more to his tally against New Zealand Legends.

Top tip: Best all-rounder and wicket-keeper

As far as all-rounders are concerned, India Legends�?in-form Stuart Binny could be a quality investment. The former India all-rounder smashed an unbeaten 82-run knock off just 42 balls against South Africa Legends. Having already amassed 117 fantasy points, Stuart Binny will be a good fantasy pick at just 8 credits.

For the wicket-keeper spot, India Legends�?Naman Ojha will be the top fantasy recommendation over Gareth Hopkins of New Zealand Legends. Besides fulfilling his wicket-keeping responsibilities, Ojha scored 21 runs off 18 balls against South Africa to provide his side a decent start. Ojha could be a valuable addition to any fantasy team for 8.5 credits.

IN-L vs NZ-L playing XI (probable)

India Legends playing XI (probable): Naman Ojha (wicket-keeper), Sachin Tendulkar (captain), Suresh Raina, Stuart Binny, Yuvraj Singh, Yusuf Pathan, Irfan Pathan, Manpreet Gony, Munaf Patel, Rahul Sharma, Pragyan Ojha

New Zealand Legends playing XI (probable): Anton Devcich, Jamie How, Dean Browlie, Ross Taylor (captain), Gareth Hopkins (wicket-keeper), Scott Styris, Neil Broom, Kyle Mills, Hamish Bennett, Jason Spice, James Franklin

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Featured photo: Road Safety World Series

The SA20 auction will be held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre in South Africa on September 19.

Coined by Cricket South Africa (CSA), the SA20 is a new franchise-based T20 League featuring a total of six teams which are owned by Indian T20 League owners. The inaugural edition, SA20 2023, is scheduled to be played in January-February next year in South Africa.

MI Cape Town (owned by Mumbai franchise), Chennai-owned Joburg Super Kings, Durban’s Super Giants (acquired by Lucknow franchise), Delhi franchise-owned Pretoria Capitals, Sunrisers Eastern Cape (owned by Hyderabad franchise) and Paarl Royals (acquired by Rajasthan franchise) are the six teams participating in SA20 2023.

More than 300 cricketers from 14 countries have registered for the player auction of SA20 2023 scheduled to be held on September 19.

eXXcitement & anticipation for the inaugural #SA20 Auction is heating up as South African and international players look ahead to the historical event.

3️⃣1️⃣6️⃣ Players
1️⃣4️⃣ Countries

All going under the hammer on Monday.#SA20 #SA20Auction pic.twitter.com/tsbgeGAymo

�?SA20_League (@SA20_League) September 17, 2022

As per SA20 auction rules, each franchise has an overall purse of US$2 million and can sign seven overseas players and 10 local South African cricketers. During the match, every team can include four foreigners and seven local players in the playing XI.

England’s 2019 World Cup-winning captain Eoin Morgan, former New Zealand captain Ross Taylor, ex-Sri Lanka skipper Dinesh Chandimal, West Indies batter Lendl Simmons, New Zealand all-rounder Jimmy Neesham and Sri Lankan duo of Kusal Mendis and Kusal Perera are some of the big names in the SA20 auction.

Players from South Africa, England, West Indies, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Zimbabwe have registered their names for the auction.

Cricketers from Associate nations like the Netherlands, Namibia, Canada, Ireland, Scotland, USA, Oman, Sweden and Bermuda have also made themselves available for the inaugural SA20 auction.

Pakistan cricketers haven’t registered for the SA20 auction as Pakistan Cricket Board hasn’t given them consent.

The SA20 2023 schedule will clash with next year’s Australia's Big Bash League, UAE's International League T20 and Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).

Meanwhile, the six franchises have also signed more than 30 marquee international players ahead of the player auction. This is in addition to all contracted Proteas and domestic players who have committed to the CSA T20 league.

Former Indian T20 League auctioneer Richard Madley has been roped in to conduct the SA20 auction. 

SA20 2023 teams and squads

MI Cape Town: Kagiso Rabada, Dewald Brevis, Rashid Khan, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone

Joburg Super Kings: Faf du Plessis (Captain), Moeen Ali, Maheesh Theekshana, Romario Shepherd, Gerald Coetzee

Durban’s Super Giants: Quinton de Kock, Jason Holder, Kyle Mayers, Reece Topley, Prenelan Subrayen

Pretoria Capitals: Anrich Nortje, Migael Pretorius

Sunrisers Eastern Cape: Aiden Markram , Ottniel Baartman

Paarl Royals: Jos Buttler, David Miller, Obed McCoy, Corbin Bosch

Where to watch the SA20 auction live in India?

Live streaming of the SA20 auction will be available on SA20’s YouTube channel in India. 

There will be no live telecast of SA20 auction on any TV channel in India. 

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Featured photo: Aamir QURESHI / AFP

Mahela Jayawardene is the record-holder for most catches in international cricket.

The former Sri Lankan cricket team captain took a whopping 440 catches as a fielder in an international career that ran from 1997 to 2015 and registered a catch per innings rate of 0.572.

Jayawardene is followed by Ricky Ponting. The former Australian skipper has 364 catches in 560 matches and is known for registering the most catches in the ICC Cricket World Cup (28 catches in 46 matches).

Ross Taylor, who will bid adieu to international cricket following the third ODI against the Netherlands in April 2022, is the third player with the most catches in international cricket.

The New Zealand great has 348 catches in 448 matches across all formats in cricket and could add to the tally in the final match of his illustrious career.

Jacques Kallis and Rahul Dravid complete the top five list for players with most catches in international cricket.

Kallis, one of South Africa’s greatest players in the sport, took 338 catches in 519 matches in a career that spanned from 1995 to 2014.

Rahul Dravid, arguably the greatest slip catcher the Indian cricket team has ever seen, has 334 catches in 509 matches and continues to be the player with the most catches by an outfield player in Test cricket (210).

Most catches in international cricket

Player	Matches	Catches
Mahela Jayawardene	652	440
Ricky Ponting	560	364
Ross Taylor	448	348
Jacques Kallis	519	338
Rahul Dravid	509	334

Author: William Paul

Featured photo: AFP / PRAKASH SINGH

Former New Zealand captain Ross Taylor brought an end to his 15-year Test career with a wicket against Bangladesh in the tourists�?second Test against the Kiwis. It was just the third wicket he claimed over the course of his Test career.

Taylor exits red ball cricket as New Zealand’s highest run-getter in Test cricket. The 37-year-old, who made his Test debut against South Africa in 2007, has been one of the cornerstones of New Zealand cricket over the past decade.

During his career, Taylor played in 112 Tests and captained the Black Caps in 14 Test matches. He broke countless records along the way and was a part of the side that became the inaugural winners of the World Test Championship in 2021.

Comfortable in most conditions across the globe, Taylor is widely regarded by many as one of the greatest middle-order batters in Tests. With that in mind, here we take a closer look at some of his achievements and incredible stats from his illustrious Test career.

Total runs in Test cricket

Ross Taylor ended his Test career with 7,683 runs in 112 Tests at an average of 44.66 and a strike rate of 59.29. He has 19 centuries as well as 35 fifties in his 15-year career in red ball cricket and is New Zealand’s leading run-scorer in Tests.

Highest individual score in Test cricket

Ross Taylor’s greatest Test innings came against Australia in the 2015 Perth Test following a first-innings knock of 290 runs off 374 balls.

Taylor smashed as many as 43 boundaries as he guided New Zealand - who were 87 for 2 at one point - to a mammoth score of 624 in response to the Aussies�?559/9d.

The 37-year-old ended up with the Player of the Match award as his scores of 290 and 36* ensured that the Black Caps drew the Test. His 290 puts him third on the list behind Brendon McCullum (302) and Martin Crowe (299) for the highest individual score by a New Zealander in Tests.

Other stats and achievements

Ross Taylor is the joint-most-capped Test player for New Zealand, having equalled Daniel Vettori’s (112) record for most Test matches in the second Test against Bangladesh.

Ross Taylor is the third New Zealand player to register 5,000 runs and 50 fielding dismissals in Test cricket.

Ross Taylor is second on the list for most Test centuries by a New Zealand batter (19), after Kane Williamson (24).

Ross Taylor is second on the list for most Test dismissals by a New Zealand fielder (163), after Stephen Fleming (171).

Ross Taylor along with Jesse Ryder registered the second-best fourth-wicket partnership by a New Zealand pair in Tests (271 vs India, Napier, 2009) after Kane Williamson and Henry Nicholls (369 vs Pakistan, Christchurch, 2021).

Ross Taylor recorded three double centuries over the course of his Test career and has hit more fours (932) in red ball cricket than any other player from New Zealand.

Author: William Paul

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Featured photo: AFP / Marty Melville

New Zealand’s 2-0 T20I series win against West Indies was hardly a surprise. Apart from being a formidable side at home in all the three formats, the Kiwis also enjoy a superior home record against West Indies, against home their last and only home loss has come in 2008. 

However, what makes their recently concluded T20I series win special is their ability to pull it off with the same dominance without Kane Williamson, Colin de Grandhomme, Trent Boult, and Colin Munro.

All the four above cricketers are quintessential to New Zealand’s T20I side, and yet none of them was needed to seal the series against the reigning T20 World Cup champions.

Let's look at a potentially full-strength New Zealand side as they build up for the T20 World Cup in India next year.

Top-order

Options: Glenn Phillips, Kane Williamson, Tim Seifert, Colin Munro, Martin Guptill

From Tim Seifert to Glenn Phillips, New Zealand’s top-order is filled with options. Colin Munro is arguably their most destructive opener and would walk back to the side, even if it means demoting Kane Williamson down the order - a role he did well in the Indian T20 League. The plethora of options up top means New Zealand could actually afford to bench Martin Guptill, who has been a hit and miss proposition of late. 

Middle-order

Options: Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Tom Bruce, Ross Taylor

While there are options aplenty at the top, that's not exactly the case in New Zealand’s middle-order. Devon Conway had a fantastic debut series and is likely to be persisted with in the middle. Williamson could join him there as there's no room at the top and we could see one of Mark Chapman or Ross Taylor slot in. 

While Taylor is an effective ODI batsman, he takes time to get off the blocks in T20s and it was time the Kiwis moved on from him. And if everyone except Guptill from the top-order play, Taylor may not be needed at all. However, that will also potentially mean a role change for a top-order batsman as Conway is best suited in the top three place, if not four. 

All-rounders

Options: Colin de Grandhomme, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner, James Neesham, Doug Bracewell, Michael Rippon

Colin de Grandhomme, James Neesham and Mitchell Santner are frontline options here and all three should ideally start with de Grandhomme and Neesham splitting overs. Santner is a terrific T20 bowler and more than capable of holding his own at no.7. Daryl Mitchell and Bracewell are handy back-ups, but it's hard to see them jump over the other three into the starting XI.

An x-factor pick and a likely replacement for Taylor in the middle is Michael Rippon, the Dutch-South African who migrated to New Zealand. A handy batsman and a left-arm wrist-spinner, Rippon adds something to New Zealand's spin cupboard that's pretty much bare. 

Spinners

Options: Ish Sodhi

It's here that New Zealand lack options. Santner is a definite starter but he has little support with an unreliable Ish Sodhi. Rippon, as such, is an enticing pick for New Zealand as he is eligible for selection now. Sodhi might continue to be around with the T20 World Cup in India and given his performance there in the last T20 World Cup, but it's only a matter of time before a domestic performer displaces him. For now, the options are slim in the domestic circuit too.

Pacers

Options: Scott Kuggeleijn, Hamish Bennett, Lockie Ferguson, Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Blair Tickner, Kyle Jamieson

With options in plenty, New Zealand have a terrific pace attack at their disposal, all with varied skillsets. Lockie Ferguson is terrific in all phases while Trent Boult is a lock for the powerplay and possibly even in the death overs, after his showing for Mumbai in the Indian T20 League. Hamish Bennett and Kyle Jamieson remain outside candidates for a place but Shane Bond has thrown his weight behind Jamieson who debuted in the West Indies series. Scott Kuggeleijn had a terrific Caribbean Premier League where he topped the wickets chart and could be in the mix for sure.

Feature Image courtesy: Michael Bradley / AFP

Veteran batsman Ross Taylor won New Zealand Cricket's top award for the third time on Friday and vowed to bat on until the 2023 World Cup in India.

The 36-year-old was awarded the Sir Richard Hadlee Medal in a virtual ceremony held online because of COVID-19 restrictions.

Taylor was a key part of the Black Caps' run to a second consecutive World Cup final last July, where they lost to England on the back of an obscure boundary countback rule.

In the past 12 months, he also became New Zealand's most prolific Test run-scorer and entered the record books as the first cricketer to play 100 internationals in all three formats.

"It's been an amazing year, it's been full of ups and downs," he said.

After back-to-back defeats in World Cup deciders, Taylor is hoping it's third time lucky as he targets the 2023 tournament to be held in India.

"The biggest thing, I think, is the hunger and the mental motivation to keep getting better, if that's still there then age is just a number," he told reporters.

Taylor said he would remain with the Black Caps as long as he felt he deserved his spot and was contributing to the team.

"I'll see if I can get to (age) 38 or 39, which will be the next World Cup, and we'll see from there," he said.

Taylor made his international debut in 2006 and has since played 101 Tests, 232 one-dayers and 100 T20s.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Michael Bradley

Ross Taylor will play his 100th Test match when New Zealand take on India in Wellington in the first Test match of 2020. The veteran Kiwi middle-order batsman was in the form of his life in the ODI series where he made 194 runs, being dismissed just once in three games. 

Taylor will be a vital member of New Zealand's Test squad as they meet India in a highly-anticipated Test series. The focus has often gone to Kane Williamson, Tom Latham and BJ Watling in recent times but Taylor has been in good form and flying under the radar could just make him an even more dangerous proposition.

Numbers vs India

Ross Taylor has played 12 Tests against India, scoring 748 runs while averaging 34 in the format. His last three Tests against India have come in India and his numbers are pretty ordinary. But early in his career, Taylor had started off by making two hundreds in 2009 against a visiting Indian side - a 151 at Napier and a 107 at Wellington. Overall, he has three tons against India, his joint second-most against any opponent in Tests. 

Numbers in New Zealand

Taylor is a veteran of 99 Tests and he has 7174 Test runs, the most by any Black Caps batsman ever in the format. He averages 46.28 with 19 centuries and 33 fifties in Tests but his impact has been even more profound in home Test matches. Taylor has 3601 runs in New Zealand in Tests, averaging 56.26 with 12 of his 19 hundreds coming here. Since 2016, Taylor has been even more brilliant at home, averaging 64.52 in 15 Tests with four centuries, including a double ton. In his last five innings in home Tests, Taylor has a double century, a hundred and a fifty.

Read | Mayank Agarwal's form a cause for worry as India head into Tests

Numbers under Williamson and recent form

Taylor's numbers in Tests make for interesting viewing when split by captains he has played under.

Captains and Taylor's Test averages:

• Brendon McCullum - 49.1
• Daniel Vettori - 41.12
• Tom Latham - 22
• Kane Williamson - 51.61
• Ross Taylor himself - 47.26

Taylor's batting numbers are the best under Kane Williamson with six of his 19 hundreds coming in his tenure, a span of just 28 Test matches. 

Taylor had a major dip in form in 2018 when he averaged just 23.08 in seven Test matches, but this is sandwiched between two outstanding years in Test cricket - 2017 where he averaged 81.6 and 2019 where he averaged 55.18. 

In 2020, Taylor has played just one Test and couldn't make much of an impact. His recent form at home though makes him a potent threat in New Zealand's batting line-up as the series against India gets underway. 

Read | Ross Taylor - Tom Latham and India's stiff middle overs challenge

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Michael Bradley

There are very few ways to beat India in One Day International cricket these days. The tried and tested success formula include dismissing Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli early, a mind-blowing partnership from the top of the order (think Jason Roy - Jonny Bairstow in the World Cup or the David Warner - Aaron Finch stand in Mumbai last month) or a brilliant individual performance (Shimron Hetmyer's 139 in Chennai being a standout example).

The other manner was revealed by the exuberant New Zealand pair of Ross Taylor and Tom Latham at Hamilton in the first ODI. The two middle-order Kiwis batsmen put on a spectacular show - a spectacular 138-run partnership at a run-rate of 10 and above - to drown India at Hamilton. After another win at the Eden Park - with Taylor once again shining - Latham and Taylor remain India’s biggest headache from an opposition side in recent times. 

Unlike the one-off brilliance that Hetmyer or Finch displayed, Latham and Taylor have been consistently successful against India and as a pair in One Day Internationals. A few stats that stand out in this regard are:

The pace of scoring

What unravelled India at Hamilton was the Latham innings as Virat Kohli subtly put it - “Ross is the experienced batsman they have but Tom’s innings was the one that took away the momentum.�?/em>

Kohli's words were true. While Taylor was brilliant, it was Latham with a flurry of sweeps and reverse sweeps that tormented India in the middle overs and took the game away. Latham's 48-ball 69 - a strike rate of 143.75 - took India's breath away and dismantled their plans. 

The two maintained a run-rate of 10.48, the second-best for any century in a successful run-chase. It is this rate of scoring that made India's plans awry. With Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja struggling to control the middle overs, Latham's onslaught forced India to return to their strike bowlers earlier.

The Taylor - Latham factor

Latham's move to the middle-order was a brilliant plan from the Mike Hesson era. With a good game against spin, Latham, a specialist Test opener, transformed into a solid middle-order ODI batsman. Importantly, he had Ross Taylor for company. No other pair has amassed more runs than Taylor and Latham for the fourth wicket in ODIs since 2012. The two have 1434 runs in 21 innings at an average of 68.28 with six-century partnerships.

Since 2016, the two are the most successful middle-order pair against India in ODIs. Latham and Taylor have 699 partnership runs in 10 ODIs against India since 2016 at an average of 69.9 with three century partnerships and two half-century stands. They come ahead of another pair that has tormented India in recent times - Shai Hope and Shimron Hetmyer.

The individuals

Ross Taylor has a stupendous record against India in ODIs. He averages 49.03 in 34 ODIs against India with three hundreds and eight half-centuries. Tom Latham, meanwhile, averages 51.46 against India in ODIs with one hundred and five fifties. Importantly, his strike rate against India in ODIs is the second-best for him after Zimbabwe. 

Since 2016, no batsman has recorded more runs against India in the middle-order (positions 4-7) than Taylor. The veteran batsman has 707 runs in this time frame in 16 matches at an average of 54.38 with a hundred and four fifties. Tom Latham comes third in the list of most runs from middle-order players against India since 2016 with 425 runs at 47.22. Angelo Mathews is the only non-Kiwi batsman to have scored higher against India. 

Read | New Zealand vs India: Is Kuldeep Yadav done in ODIs?

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Punit Paranjpe