I was speaking to one of my friends earlier today and as expected our discussion soon moved to cricket and he was asking me about my views on the best XI for IPL 2020. So I thought, why not – let’s do it.

We had a great time watching the tournament this year and I must thank all the members of the organising committee to make this tournament happen amidst this Global pandemic. It brought a lot of happiness to the cricket-loving people in India.

We have had some very close matches this year and some great performances too. Remember, never have had we experienced so many tied contests. 

Most players in the XI that I have selected don’t require a debate other than a couple which I will explain in detail below.

Openers: KL Rahul & Shikhar Dhawan

Rahul & Dhawan were the top 2 scorers in this year’s IPL. This makes it an easy choice. Rahul had a fantastic IPL and it has been 3 years in a row now that he has scored more than 500 runs in an IPL tournament. He started with a bang and his innings of 132 against Royal Challengers Bangalore was a treat to watch. His scoring rate dropped as the tournament progressed and it was mainly due to the team’s performance and the losses they bore at the start. He led well and his keeping has improved by leaps and bounds. It’s a rarity that a batsman ends as the top scorer without his team reaching the playoffs. Just shows how consistent he was throughout the league phase.

Shikhar Dhawan played 17 matches. That’s 3 more than Rahul and ended up scoring 52 runs less but still, he was the second-highest scorer in the tournament. He started very bad in the first few matches he got out within the powerplay. But then in the middle of the tournament, he played a sedate 60 odd which got him back to the groove. He roared back to form scoring back to back centuries (first time in IPL) and didn’t look back since. His form against Mumbai Indians was a problem though but Bumrah and Boult were top class.

Middle Order: Surya Kumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan & AB DeVilliers

Surya Kumar Yadav has been on the borderline of getting called into the Indian team for the last 3-4 years but he always missed the bus mainly due to his inconsistency. Rarely has he played in a consistent fashion the way he played this year. He played his part at the start of the tournament without any big contributions but towards the end, he became indispensable for Mumbai Indians. His knock against RCB was the standout where he calmly took the team home and his hurricane knock against Delhi capitals in the first qualifier helped Mumbai Indians reach the finals. He is my number 3 of my playing XI.

Ishan Kishan was not even part of the playing XI when Mumbai Indians started the tournament. But a freak injury to Saurabh Tiwary gave him an opportunity and he immediately capitalised by playing a masterful 99 runs. He didn’t look back since and he played his part in both the Qualifier as well as the finals. You need consistency in the number 4 position and Kishan provides that in this team. He showed his batting power too by hitting 30 sixes in the tournament which was the highest number this year.

You can’t keep AB DeVilliers out of a T20 team – can you? The Mr. 360 of cricket and he was in full display this year too. He must be disappointed that RCB didn’t have a consistent run this year. He is the ideal number 5 in the team and the backup keeper to KL Rahul. What a sight it would be to see Surya Kumar Yadav and ABDV playing together. The two 360 degree players playing together.

A great Top 5 in my books for this year.

Lower Middle Order: Rahul Tewatia, Jofra Archer & Rashid Khan

Rahul Tewatia has been a sensational find this year. He showed his true all-round capabilities throughout the tournament. He was slotted at number 7 throughout the tournament so his chances with the bat were limited but whenever he got an opportunity he delivered nothing better than the turnaround against Kings XI Punjab when he took 30 runs off one of Cottrell to snatch a win from the jaws of defeat. His batting rubbed on to his bowling too and he performed equally well with his leggies by picking up 10 wickets. The best part was that he was economical too. A great number 6. To have a finisher with bowling skills is ideal for the number 6 spot and Rahul Tewatia is ideal for my team this year. Hardik Pandya was the closest to beat him but Pandya didn’t bowl so Tewatia takes his place.

Jofra Archer is one of the best bowlers in world cricket and you can’t really keep him out from your playing XI. Once again a player from Rajasthan Royals makes my team though they didn’t make the finals. Jofra Archer had the best economy rate in the power plays throughout the tournament and he got the team a breakthrough in the early overs. A must-have man in your playing XI. He is quite handy with the bat too and he showed his power in a couple of matches to help his team in critical situations. An ideal number 7.

Rashid Khan is one of the best Limited Overs bowlers in World Cricket today if not the best. He had a relatively slow start this year and one of the reasons was that no batsmen were taking any risks against him. He was not leaking runs but was unable to pick up wickets. But in the latter stages of the tournament, he got his mojo back and started picking up wickets regularly. He had the best economy rate in the tournament and he plays as one of my strike bowlers in this team.

Bowlers: Kagiso Rabada, Jasprit Bumrah & Yuzvendra Chahal

Rabada is the best bowler in the world today along with Jasprit Bumrah. Both of them bowled as per the expectations. Rabada picked up wickets in each and every match-saving one and he walks into the team ahead of Boult because only 4 foreigners are allowed in the playing XI. This was a direct fight between two overseas fast bowlers but I go with Rabada because he got the maximum wickets in the tournament.

Bumrah got the second most number of wickets in the tournament and to think about it he had a very indifferent start. That he finished with 27 wickets (3 less than Rabada playing 2 matches lesser) just proves his worth in the team. He just went better and better as the tournament progressed and he was in top form in the playoffs. A great bowler to have in the team.

Having so many leg spinners in the team might not sound ideal but you need to pick your best XI and Chahal gets into the team on the back of some solid performances. He was the go-to man for Virat Kohli in the toughest situations and he always delivered. A great team man and a wicket-taker. He picked up 21 wickets which was the highest among all spinners in the tournament. 

So what do you think about my playing XI from IPL 2020 which would be led by KL Rahul? Have you built your team yet? Who is in and who is out?

The IPL final is here. 59 matches – 8 teams played against each other and the two best teams in the tournament – Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals were up against each other yesterday in Dubai. Before this tournament started, Delhi Capitals looked like having the best team on paper. That they played to form and reached the finals was an achievement in itself especially because they had never reached the IPL finals before. Delhi Capitals were a bit off colour in the middle of the tournament but they got their act together when it mattered and trounced Sunrisers Hyderabad to pave their way into the finals. Mumbai Indians on the other hand played to form throughout the tournament. They were the defending champions and they played like one throughout the tournament. Rohit Sharma was injured in the latter part of the league phase but that didn’t ditter them because always someone else rose to the occasion whenever the need arised. Only once had a team defended their crown in IPL and that happened in 2010 when Chennai Superkings won. Could Mumbai Indians repeat that feat? That was a big question in everyone’s mind as they took on Delhi Capitals for the IPL finals.

So how did it go?

Here are my 5 points highlights from yesterday’s match.

1. Trent Boult

In Qualifier 1, Trent Boult breathed fire and took out 2 wickets in one over to derail Delhi Capitals but he got a groin strain thereafter and couldn’t take the field. There were doubts if he could take the field in the finals but as it turned out he was fit enough. Yesterday he bowled an absolute peach of a delivery first up. Marcus Stoinis couldn’t get out of the way and nicked to Quinton De Kock. What a start for Mumbai Indians – wicket of the first ball. In the second over he came back with the same zeal and this time he picked up the wicket of Ajinkya Rahane. Delhi Capitals were put on the back foot right at the start of the match. Trent Boult is the only bowler who took a wicket in the powerplays in each and every match in this year’s IPL. He finished with 3 for 30 and he was the primary reason why Delhi Capitals couldn’t put up an imposing total because their powerplay overs were completely messed up.

2. Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant is touted as one of the most talented players in India. His hand-eye coordination is superb and he can play strokes that others might only think in their dreams. But one of the biggest problems with Pant is that he ends up throwing away his wicket by trying to play audacious strokes at the most inopportune moments. This was the primary reason why he had a very low scoring IPL this year. When he walked in yesterday, Delhi Capitals was in dire straits. The scoreboard read 22/3 in the 4th over. It was important for him to build a good partnership with Shreyas Iyer to take Delhi Capitals to a respectable total. For the first time in the tournament, Rishabh Pant played true to his talent. He didn’t try any audacious strokes and played balls to its merit. In between, he played some great shots too. Together with Shreyas Iyer he built a partnership of 96 runs in 69 balls and took Delhi Capitals out of danger. Till he was there, Delhi Capitals looked on course to reach 180 but he got out to up the run rate and Delhi fell few runs short which had a telling effect in the end.

3. Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas Iyer is another player in the Delhi Capitals set up who didn’t have a very big tournament as expected other than one or two matches where he played out of the skin. Yesterday he walked in at 16 for 2. Up against him was Trent Boult. He could have been out twice in 3 balls against the short pitch stuff but he somehow survived. Thereafter he put his head down and concentrated on building a long innings. He was ably supported by Rishabh Pant. Pant’s aggression helped Iyer to play his natural game without taking undue risk. Unfortunately, he was unable to continue the momentum after Rishabh Pant got out. He carried his bat through and finished with 65 off 50 balls but the score of 156 runs that Delhi Capitals put up was not good enough.

4. Rohit Sharma

This was Rohit Sharma’s 6th IPL final. In his previous 5 IPL finals, his team always won. This year Rohit Sharma has not been in that scintillating form that people are used to. Add to that he got injured and sat out for quite a few matches. But it was the IPL final and I knew he will make this innings count. From the very first ball, he was in his elements. His 6 against Ashwin in the first over made his intentions clear and he continued in the same zest throughout the innings. 68 off 51 balls ensured a relatively easy victory for Mumbai Indians. He was unable to stay till the end which must have disappointed him but another IPL final and another win and he became the first man to win 6 IPL trophies for his team – 1 with Deccan Chargers and 5 with Mumbai Indians. In my books, he is India’s best white-ball batsman as of now.

5. Ishan Kishan

Ishan Kishan didn’t start in the playing XI for Mumbai Indians this season. But then Saurabh Tiwary got injured and he was drafted in. In the very first match, he scored 99 and from there on he became a permanent face in the Mumbai XI. Match after match he came up with consistently good scores. When Rohit Sharma got injured, he filled the vacancy by coming in as the opener and when Rohit came back he went back to the number 4 slot. Yesterday, Mumbai Indians were off to a great start. They were never under any run rate pressure. When Surya Kumar Yadav got run out, Ishan Kishan walked in with the scoreboard reading 90/2 in the 11th over. Rohit Sharma was going great guns and there was not much pressure on Ishan Kishan. But to his credit, he played freely too. And when Rohit Sharma got out he took the onus to take Mumbai to victory. Though a few wickets fell in the end, with Kishan there Mumbai cruised to victory with Ishan Kishan remaining not out at 33 off 19 balls. He has done his reputation no harm and I won’t be surprised if he gets the senior team call up soon.

So Mumbai Indians won their 5th IPL trophy. Delhi Capitals played well but they were just not good enough against the well-oiled machine of Mumbai Indians. 

This was a tournament that was played under very difficult circumstances. Covid-19 is still creating havoc across the globe but credit has to be given to BCCI and all the organisers who helped in making this tournament a reality. We have had some fantastic matches – some very close encounters – a lot of last ball finishes and a lot of super overs. Credit needs to be given to all the players too because it’s not so easy to play under such a controlled environment but they did it and most importantly they entertained. Millions of people across the globe enjoyed and had a smile on their faces. And to make others smile in such difficult circumstances is an effort weighed in gold.

Trent Boult won the man of the match and Jofra Archer was the man of the tournament. Both of them made this tournament lovely to watch. Devdutt Padikkal rightfully won the Emerging player of the year. All in all, it was a great tournament and it was equally fun to write about it over the last 2 months.

Till we meet again, Take care and God Bless!

One of the best innovations of IPL has been the playoffs. This innovation has ensured that the top 2 sides after the league stage get 2 shots to reach the finals. Delhi Capitals lost to Mumbai Indians in the first qualifier and hence they got another chance to reach their maiden final when they met Sunrisers Hyderabad in Abu Dhabi yesterday. Sunrisers Hyderabad has been on a roll for the last couple of weeks by winning 4 matches on the trot. From the time they got Jason Holder and Wridhiman Saha in the playing XI, their fortunes have changed for the better. In the last match against RCB, Saha was out injured and that left a hole on the top of the order. Unfortunately, he couldn’t make it to the playing XI yesterday too due to his hamstring injury. So how did it go yesterday?

Here are my 5 points highlights from the match.

1. Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar Dhawan came back roaring to form in the middle of the tournament and scored two back to back centuries. But he didn’t look in good touch in the last couple of matches. He was bowled off an unplayable yorker by Bumrah in the last match. Delhi Capitals made a smart change by asking Marcus Stoinis to open the batting. With Stoinis teeing off from the word go, it became a tad easier for Dhawan. The trademark cut shot over point and the extra cover was on full display yesterday. The pick-up shots on the leg side were also played with aplomb. He was the highest scorer for Delhi yesterday by scoring 78 off 50 balls and was instrumental in giving a solid start to Delhi Capitals.

2. Shimron Hetmeyer

Prithvi Shaw has been a big let down this season. He got ample opportunities but his casual approach has not been very good to watch. Delhi Capitals took a good decision yesterday to drop him and bring in Shimron Hetmeyer. Hetmeyer is regarded as one of the most talented batsmen from the Caribbean these days but he also suffers from inconsistency. Yesterday, Delhi Capitals got a great start and hence Hetmeyer’s job was more of a finisher. He loves that role and he showed the same. 42 off 22 balls was a great performance from him to take his team to 189. His offside lofted shots were played with razor-like precision. He would be a bit disappointed that he couldn’t take Delhi Capitals to 200 runs but credit has to be given to both Sandeep Sharma and Natarajan who bowled 2 very good overs at the end.

3. Kane Williamson

A couple of days back when Kane Williamson guided Sunrisers to victory against RCB, Warner said that Kane is like a banker. How true he was. Here is a batsman who doesn’t allow pressure to build up and plays his natural game at any point in time. I had written this earlier too that if there is one batsman in the world after MS Dhoni who could be called a cool chaser then it was Kane Williamson. Once again yesterday, Sunrisers Hyderabad was under pressure. Sunrisers Hyderabad was not off to a good start and he lost partners around him. With Abdul Samad, he built a good partnership, and though Delhi Capitals were always ahead in the game due to the wickets that they took upfront – till Williamson was there Sunrisers could have won it. Williamson scored 67 off 45 balls and was very aggressive yesterday because he didn’t let the asking rate to climb at all. His wicket in the 17th over, turned the match decisively towards Delhi Capitals.

4. Marcus Stoinis

Delhi Capitals made a great decision to open their batting with Marcus Stoinis yesterday. He is a naturally aggressive batsman and he was in his usual self right from the word go. This rubbed on to Shikhar Dhawan as well and together they built a great opening partnership. 86 runs off 50 balls was a partnership that Delhi Capitals dreamt off when they got Stoinis to open and he delivered. 38 off 27 balls was a job well done but he was definitely not done for the day. He was back with the ball. With Priyam Garg and Manish Pandey going great guns, in came Marcus Stoinis. The scoreboard read 41/1 in 4 overs when he came into bowl. After his first over was over the scoreboard read 44/3. In the space of 6 balls, he took both the wickets of Manish Pandey and Priyam Garg and the Sunrisers’ chase was in disarray. He later again came back to give the biggest blow of the night when he picked up the wicket of Kane Williamson. 3/26 along with 38 runs that he scored while batting got him the Man of the Match yesterday.

5. Kagiso Rabada

Kagiso Rabada is one of the best fast bowlers in world cricket today. He didn’t have a great match the last time around and he was in a different mood yesterday. In his very first ball he bowled David Warner and Delhi Capitals was rocking. With 189 to defend, Delhi knew that the one batsman who could dent their chances big time was David Warner so to get him out early was very important for the team and Rabada did just that. He then came back in the 19th over and killed the chase by picking up 3 wickets. Rabada has this habit of picking up wickets consistently and yesterday he finished with 4/29 and guided Delhi capitals to their maiden IPL final.

Sunrisers lost by 17 runs and when they analyse the match they will realise that it was a match they could have won but their fielding let them down. Lots of butterfingers allowed balls to slip between the legs which cost them useful runs. And on top of that, they missed 4 catches out of which 3 were absolute sitters. Anyway, it was a good campaign for Sunrisers Hyderabad. In the last few matches, they played great cricket and entertained one and all.

For Delhi Capitals it was a great moment because they reached the IPL finals for the first time. They were the only team in IPL which had never reached the finals so this is a great achievement. When IPL started this year they had the best team on paper and to see that everything coming together must be a proud moment for their fans. Let’s hope for a grand finale on Tuesday when Delhi Capitals take on the defending champions, Mumbai Indians.

Momentum is very important. Sunrisers Hyderabad was down in the 7th position going into the final week of the IPL. They had 3 must-win games in their hand and those three matches were against Delhi Capitals, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Mumbai Indians. They needed to win all 3 to get to the playoffs and they won them and were on a positive momentum getting into the eliminator. Royal Challengers Bangalore on the other hand lost 4 matches in a row and got through to the playoffs only because of a superior run rate. As Sunrisers Hyderabad took on RCB in their eliminator match yesterday, it was quite clear that they had the upper hand. So how did it go in Abu Dhabi yesterday?

Here are my 5 points highlights from the match.

1. AB DeVilliers

The 360 degree player of our generation with no major trophy against his name must be one of the tragic stories in World Cricket. For years he has performed very well for RCB but somehow the team has not performed and they have always gone back disappointed. Yesterday, 2 wickets were down very quickly and AB DeVilliers had a big job in his hands when he walked in at 15/2. The pitch for yesterday’s game seemed to be slow and some balls were gripping. It was not an ideal wicket for a player like ABDV but then he carried on and didn’t play any risky shots. Wickets kept falling around him but he kept his nerve and was probably looking at a strong finish in the last two overs. Natarajan probably bowled the ball of the tournament and got him out and that final push never came. But still, a score of 56 runs when the team scored only 131 – this was an effort worth mentioning.

2. Jason Holder

From the time Jason Holder was drafted in the playing XI, he has been a revelation. He has performed both with the bat as well as the ball. Yesterday he opened the bowling and immediately made an impact by taking the wicket of Virat Kohli. It was a huge blow for RCB and Holder dug it in when he picked up the wicket of Devdutt Padikkal who has been a revelation this season. He finished with 3/25 in his 4 overs and with the bat he finished things off with Kane Williamson with some lusty blows in the final over. He is the number one all-rounder in test match cricket and he just showed why yesterday.

3. T. Natarajan

The bowler with maximum yorkers in this year’s IPL is Natarajan. What a find this has been for India. These are the kind of bowlers India needs at the death. He bowls with pinpoint accuracy when it comes to yorkers. He showed his skills once again yesterday. AB DeVilliers was in the crease and his wicket could have easily made a difference of 30-35 runs at the end but a toe crushing yorker ended AB’s stay in the crease and thereby ensured that SRH need not chase a very big total.

4. Zampa & Chahal

Sunrisers Hyderabad didn’t have a big score to chase but it was a knockout match and strange things happen under pressure. The pitch was slow and it was gripping. Two of the best players of spin was in the middle – Manish Pandey and Kane Williamson and it was important to get both those wickets to slow down the run rate. Zampa did just that by picking up the wicket of Manish Pandey. Chahal, on the other hand, took the wicket of Priyam Garg and together both these spinners didn’t allow the batsmen to break free. Zampa finished with 1/12 in 4 overs and Chahal finished with 1/24 in his 4 overs. That the match went so deep in the final over was only because of this great bowling performance by the 2 leg spinners of RCB.

5. Kane Williamson

If there is one cool batsman under pressure after MS Dhoni, it’s Kane Williamson. Till the time he is in the crease, you can very well breathe easy because he will find a way to take you over the line. The pitch was difficult and the RCB bowlers were bowling well especially the spinners. Siraj had taken 2 wickets and was bowling well too. But, Williamson kept a cool head and knew what he was doing. He just kept his end up and didn’t lose his wicket and in the last 3 overs started to take calculated risks and didn’t allow the asking run rate to go too steep. Along with Jason Holder, he built a match-winning partnership and took his team to victory. Though he was given the Man of the Match award, I think Jason Holder should have got it.

So the Sunrisers move to the 2nd Qualifier. They are the only team ever in IPL history who has won IPL after coming in last to the Playoffs and they are on the right path to repeat the same.

So will it be Sunrisers Hyderabad who will meet Mumbai Indians in the final?

What do you think?

Mumbai Indians played a very laid back game in their last encounter against Sunrisers Hyderabad. They rested some of their big guns and were demolished by SRH. Negative momentum is not something which is good and there was this feeling that losing in such a manner was not a good omen for Mumbai Indians. Delhi Capitals on the other hand was coming off a big victory against Royal Challengers Bangalore. One of the advantages of being in the top 2 in the IPL table is that you get two chances to reach the finals. So when Mumbai Indians met Delhi Capitals in Dubai yesterday both the teams knew that it was not a knockout but a victory would assure them a place in the finals. Mumbai Indians brought back all their big guns, Boult, Bumrah, and Hardik Pandya in the playing XI and expected them to perform big-time with the additional rest that they got.

So how did it go yesterday?

Here are my 5 points highlights from yesterday’s match.

1. Surya Kumar Yadav

Suryakumar Yadav is one of the most talented players in the Indian domestic circuit. He is the Indian version of AB DeVilliers when it comes to the range of strokes that he has in his repertoire. One thing that has always worked against him has been consistency. But this year he changed that. He played innings after innings during the league stages when he guided the team home without getting dismissed. He has now grown in confidence and the selectors must be itching to get him into the Indian team at least in the T20 version. Yesterday, Mumbai Indians lost Rohit Sharma early but Suryakumar Yadav along with Quinton De Kock didn’t allow the pressure to build. QDK was the aggressor initially and after he got out, Surya Kumar Yadav took over. He took on the bowlers with aggression and ensured that the run rate was always close to 9 per over. He finally got out at 51 and I think he would be very disappointed that he missed out on a big score.

2. Ravichandran Ashwin

The only bowler from Delhi Capitals who had any effect yesterday, it was Ashwin. Most people do not regard him highly when it comes to T20 but he just showed how effective he in this tournament. He opened the bowling on multiple occasions and yesterday also it was no different. He got success right away when he picked up the wicket of Rohit Sharma. With Quinton De Kock going great guns, whom does the captain turn to? Again Ravichandran Ashwin. And he didn’t disappoint because he picked up that wicket too. As soon as Surya Kumar Yadav got out, Delhi Capitals found a window, and Ashwin was brought back again against Pollard and he delivered again by picking up his wicket. He finished with 3/29 in his 4 overs and must be mightily disappointed seeing that the opposition still ended up scoring 200 runs.

3. The slog overs 

It doesn’t happen often that a team loses two of their top batsmen for ducks and still score 200 runs. But then Mumbai Indians are 4 times champions of IPL for a reason and that was amplified once again yesterday. When Hardik Pandya walked in the scoreboard read 5/140 in 16 overs. One wicket at that stage and Mumbai would have been in trouble but Hardik Pandya and Ishan Kishan didn’t allow that to happen. The next 4 overs went for 60 runs and from scoring an average total it became too big a total. Hardik Pandya scored 37 of those but one should also applaud the performance of Ishan Kishan who brought up his 50 in style in the very last ball by hitting a six. Those last 4 overs basically shut the door for Delhi Capitals.

4. Trent Boult

Chasing 200 is any day a difficult proposition in a T20 match. The only way one can do that is by coming out positive and go big in the first 6 overs. But to do that against the big in-form bowlers like Boult and Bumrah – it’s a very tough assignment. Boult has taken 13 wickets in the powerplays this season and hence Mumbai Indians expected a breakthrough from him yesterday too. He delivered big time because his first over virtually sealed the Delhi chase. First, he picked up Prithvi Shaw, and then 2 balls later he picked up Ajinkya Rahane. Delhi was left tottering at 0/2 at the end of the first over. Unfortunately, Boult got injured and Mumbai Indians would be pretty concerned about him because his performance has been one of the reasons why Mumbai Indians topped the table this year.

5. Jasprit Bumrah

Mumbai Indians rested both Boult and Bumrah in the last match to have them fresh yesterday. And boy, they performed. Both of them steamed in and bowled unplayable deliveries. Boult left Delhi Capitals tottering at 0/2 in the first over and Bumrah followed suit by picking up the wicket of Shikhar Dhawan by an absolutely unplayable yorker. Delhi Capitals were in a mess with the scoreboard reading 0/3. They never recovered from there and Bumrah of course was not done for the day. He picked up another 3 wickets to finish at 4/14 in 4 overs to guide his team to victory. He was rightfully adjudicated as the Man of the Match.

So Mumbai Indians marched on to the finals and looks all set to retain the IPL trophy. But before closing off I must appreciate the performance of Marcus Stoinis. The margin of victory was 57 runs for Mumbai Indians and that too it happened after that horrible start was a miracle in itself. It was only possible due to the stellar role that Marcus Stoinis played. He had a good day at the office by scoring 65 runs and had an enterprising partnership of 71 runs with Axar Patel. 

Delhi Capitals must take a lot of heart from the way they fought back. The last 4 overs when they bowled and the first 2-3 overs of their batting left them vanquished but I am very sure they will come back strongly in the next match which would be of course a knockout.

Who will be their opponents? We will come to know today.

Sunrisers Hyderabad was virtually out of reckoning coming into the last week but they significantly turned it around by defeating Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bangalore. As they took the field yesterday against Mumbai Indians they had a simple equation in front of them – win and seal the third spot. Mumbai Indians, on the other hand, had already secured the top spot and it was not surprising that they rested Bumrah, Boult, and Hardik Pandya yesterday. Kolkata Knight Riders also had an eye in this game because they needed Mumbai Indians to win so that they could stay put in the 4th position. So how did it go in Sharjah yesterday?

Here are my 5 points highlights from the game.

1. Kieron Pollard

Mumbai Indians had a disastrous start. Sunrisers Hyderabad didn’t give away anything on the field other than a couple of misfields. Their bowlers were bowling tight lengths and their spinners were getting significant turn. Quinton De Kock, Suryakumar Yadav, and Ishan Kishan tried to steady the ship but all got out to aggressive shots and Mumbai Indians were tottering at 82/5 in 12 overs when Keiron Pollard walked in. His primary objective was to play out the 20 overs and help Mumbai Indians reach a respectable total. To be fair he did his bit. He was aggressive and took calculated risks without much support from the other end. He finished with 41 runs off 25 balls and he was the only reason why Sunrisers Hyderabad chased 150 for victory.

2. Sandeep Sharma

Sandeep Sharma has been a revelation in this year’s IPL. Everybody felt that Bhuvaneshwar Kumar’s absence would hurt Sunrisers’ chances but Sandeep Sharma took over the vacancy with aplomb and in the last few matches took the wickets of the main batsmen of the opposition. It was no different yesterday. He picked up the wickets of Rohit Sharma and Quinton De Kock within the powerplay and later on in the innings took the wicket of Ishan Kishan to break a flowering partnership between Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav. He finished with 3/34 and was instrumental for the below-average score that Mumbai Indians put up on the board yesterday.

3. Shahbaz Nadeem

A surprise addition in the last couple of matches, Shahbaz Nadeem didn’t let his team down. Shahbaz is a very experienced bowler in the domestic circuit and he is known for wicket to wicket bowling. He is not so easy to hit because he hardly misses the length or line. With all the main bowlers going well, his job yesterday was to ensure that he bowls tightly so that the Mumbai batsmen don’t break free. But he went one step further and changed the template of the match in the 12th over when he picked up the wickets of Suryakumar Yadav and Krunal Pandya within a space of 3 balls. 81/2 suddenly became 81/4 and Mumbai couldn’t recover thereafter. Nadeem finished with 2/19 in his 4 overs and was adjudicated as the man of the match.

4. Wridhiman Saha

Wridhiman Saha has played a significant role in the turnaround of Sunrisers Hyderabad in the last 3 matches. He was brought in to replace Johnny Bairstow and was asked to open. He didn’t disappoint in any of the matches and in fact, did much more than expected by his power hitting. People do not expect Saha to be a power hitter but he is a solid batsman and he just amplified this over the last 3 matches. Yesterday, Sunrisers was chasing 150 runs and what they needed was a solid start. They didn’t want to lose early wickets because that was the only way Mumbai Indians could have come back into the match. It doesn’t happen often that Mumbai Indians get beaten by 10 wickets and that’s exactly what happened yesterday thanks to the unbroken partnership between Saha and Warner. Saha scored 58 off 45 balls to guide Sunrisers to the playoffs.

5. David Warner

David Warner is one of the most successful batsmen in IPL history. He has scored above 500 runs in each of the IPLs over the last 5-6 years. He didn’t start well this year mainly because he was concerned about the middle order. But as Williamson got fit and Manish Pandey found form, we could see the aggressive Warner back. Over the last 3 matches, he got an able opening partner too who with his aggressive batting made the job easier for Warner. Yesterday Warner didn’t leave anything to chance and played his natural game. He was at his aggressive best and I must say Saha’s performance must have given him that confidence. He played a captain’s knock of 85 runs in 58 balls to lead his team to the playoffs.

The last few matches in this year’s IPL have been very onesided and it just shows that some teams have picked up their games at the fag end. Sunrisers Hyderabad is one of them and according to me one of the most dangerous teams going into the playoffs. That they have beaten all the 3 other teams who are in playoffs in their last 3 matches must work like magic for them.

So who do you think has the best chance to win the IPL amongst the 4 teams?

It was a clash for the second spot when RCB met Delhi Capitals in Abu Dhabi yesterday. For losers of the match, it was a bit of a tight situation because they needed to keep their Net Run Rate above KKR to ensure a third or 4th place finish. The equation was like this:

For RCB: If they win, they will secure the 2nd spot. If they lose by a margin of less than 21 runs or 12 balls remaining, then they will qualify.

For Delhi Capitals: If they win, they will secure the 2nd spot. If they lose by less than 17 runs or 9 balls remaining, then they will qualify.

This match was equally important for KKR because they had a chance to secure a top 4 finish if it was not a close match. So how did it go yesterday?

Here are my 5 points highlights from the match.

1. Devdutt Padikkal

Devdutt Padikkal has stamped his authority in this year’s IPL. With over 400 runs in his debut IPL, he already got the record books interested. He has been consistent enough and yesterday, RCB needed him to come good. He was positive from the word go and his trademark shots on the offside and Nataraj style pull shots were all on display. In the process, he brought up his 5th half-century of the season which incidentally is the highest number of half-centuries by any debutant in IPL history. The emerging player award seems to be done and dusted.

2. Anrich Nortje

Arguably the fastest bowler in the world today, Delhi Capitals are hugely blessed to have him in the team. To operate along with Rabada makes this Delhi Capitals line up so dangerous. That they lost 3 matches in a row was unfathomable but then cometh the hour – cometh the men. Nortje didn’t err in length yesterday other than a couple of balls that were hit for boundaries. What really mattered was wickets. To keep the opposition under control you need to pick up wickets at regular intervals and Nortje did just that. He finished with 3/33 in 4 overs and was rightly adjudicated as the man of the match.

3. Kagiso Rabada

Kagiso Rabada has been ruling the wicket charts this season but one surprising stat was that he was yet to get a wicket in the powerplays. A bowler of his calibre was expected to pick up wickets upfront but he failed to do that this season. Add to that in a couple of matches he was belted around for runs because he erred in length. Yesterday with the team on the line, we got the Rabada of old on the field. In the very first over of his spell, he dismissed Joshe Philippe. He hardly erred in length yesterday and finished with 2/30 in his 4 overs.

4. Shikhar Dhawan

After scoring a couple of centuries this season, Shikhar Dhawan went off the boil and along with it Delhi’s fortunes all went downhill. Delhi was not chasing a big total yesterday but Dhawan was in no mood to go slow. He started with his trademark cover drives and didn’t allow any of the bowlers to settle down. Even after losing Prithvi Shaw, he didn’t allow the run rate to drop. As Rahane got his eye in, Dhawan kept attacking the bowlers. In the process, he brought up his half-century. He need not have played that cute shot against Shahbaz Ahmed to lose his wicket but his innings of 54 runs ensured an easy victory for Delhi Capitals.

5. Ajinkya Rahane

Rahane got a grand opportunity today to show his class. With not a big score to chase, he went about building a match-winning partnership with Dhawan. He took his time to settle down but kept hitting the loose balls. Rahane’s only motto yesterday was to take Delhi Capitals to the playoffs and he played as per the situation. His score of 60 runs off 46 balls amplifies the fact that he didn’t get bogged down yesterday and kept scoring runs at a fair clip. His form would give a lot of confidence to the Delhi Capitals’ team management going into the playoffs.

So RCB loses their 4th match in a row but their spin bowlers ensured that Delhi didn’t win it within 17.3 overs. This ensured a place in the playoffs for RCB but this losing momentum must be bothering the team management. They will be facing a team that will come with a win on their back so it won’t be easy for them in the eliminator.

Delhi Capitals finally did what was expected of them which was a top 2 finish. 

So what do you think? Will RCB get rid of this losing momentum in the eliminator?

With Chennai Superkings winning their last match against Kings XI Punjab, the 4th spot opened up for both Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals who met each other in Dubai yesterday. KKR has been very inconsistent this season and they needed their foreign recruits to come big at the business end of the tournament. Rajasthan Royals on the other hand were coming into this match with 2 back to back victories with Ben Stokes being in magnificent touch. A do or die battle awaited all IPL fans yesterday night which was expected to be a cracker of a contest. So how did it go yesterday?

Here are my 5 points highlights of yesterday’s match.

1. Eoin Morgan

The new captain of KKR was yet to fire in this year’s IPL. He played some stunning knocks but the consistency was lacking. Secondly, a strange policy didn’t allow him to play the maximum deliveries with him not coming in at number 4. Yesterday KKR had a decent start but 2 wickets in the 9th over suddenly opened up things for Rajasthan Royals. Morgan strode in at 74/3 and had a job in hand to guide his team to a sizeable total. KKR had a very bad net run rate so they were under extreme pressure to put up a very big score because that gave them the maximum chance to qualify for the playoffs. With more wickets falling around him, Eoin Morgan couldn’t take undue risks but to his credit, he didn’t allow the pressure to build up. He opened up in the last few overs and started timing the ball aplomb. The six that he hit off Stokes just showed how talented he is. That one over of marvelous hitting took the winds out of the Rajasthan Royals’ attack. KKR was wrong by not batting him consistently at number 4. He finished with 68 off 35 balls with 6 sixes to take KKR to a very sizeable total of 192.

2. Andre Russell

Andre Russell has been a pale shadow of his usual self in this year’s IPL. One of the reasons why KKR struggled this year because of the lack of form of Russell. He was not 100% fit yesterday but he played only because it was a do or die match for the team. He walked in 99 for 5 with KKR struggling big time once again in putting up a good score. Any more wicket at that stage and Rajsthan Royals would have been all over KKR. But Russell was in no mood to fail. He did get out after scoring only 25 but he scored them in just 10 balls and his innings ensured that KKR will have a sizeable score to defend. If KKR qualifies for the playoffs then the innings played by Russell will give them a lot of heart and belief that they can compete in this tournament.

3. Rahul Tewatia

Rahul Tewatia has been one of the surprise finds of this year’s IPL. Nobody really knew much about him but he single-handedly won a few matches for Rajasthan Royals. His grand performance with the bat rubbed on to his bowling too and over the last few matches, his bowling improved by leaps and bounds. Yesterday he was taken for a few runs in the first over but he came back strongly to pick up the wickets of Shubhman Gill and Sunil Naraine. He finished with 3/25 in his 4 overs which was a great performance and till the time he was bowling it didn’t look like KKR would be able to build up such a big score. Unfortunately, his fancied colleagues didn’t have a good day. With the bat, he tried his bit but it was a mountain to climb yesterday after the top order exploded for Rajasthan Royals.

4. Catches win matches

Though KKR scored a good enough total, they still needed to pick up wickets to keep Rajasthan Royals under pressure. Dinesh Karthik has been having a very wretched IPL this year with the bat. Yesterday also he got out in the very first ball to put his team under pressure. But behind the stumps, he still remains one of the best wicket-keepers in the country. He showed that why in the very third over of the Rajasthan Royals’ chase. He threw himself to his left as the ball flew off Ben Stokes’ bat to pull off an absolute stunner to derail the Rajasthan chase. He picked up another 3 catches yesterday to finish with 4 catches. His heroics behind the stumps yesterday took him ahead of MS Dhoni with maximum dismissals for a wicketkeeper in IPL.

5. Pat Cummins

Kolkata Knight Riders acquired the services of Pat Cummins because they needed a world-class fast bowler who could pick up wickets in the power plays. To his credit, he didn’t go for runs and has been one of the top performers when it comes to economy rate in the first 6 overs. But what he lacked throughout the tournament were wickets. He was unable to pick up top-order wickets consistently. Yesterday KKR had a big score to defend but they needed wickets upfront because 3 of the best batsmen in world cricket were in the opposition ranks. Unfortunately, Pat Cummins got his line absolutely wrong in the first over. He went for 19 runs in the first 5 balls that he bowled. The 6th ball was once again on the leg stump and Uthappa could have hit it anywhere in the field but his shot when straight to the deep square leg fielder and this gave the lifeline to Pat Cummins and KKR both. There was no looking back for Pat Cummins thereafter as he took out another 3 wickets in his next 2 overs to leave Rajasthan Royals reeling at 35/5 from where they never recovered and handed a big victory to KKR. He finished with 4/34 and was adjudicated as the Man of the Match.

A 60 runs victory for KKR took them to the 4th spot. The big margin helped in their net run rate but is it good enough would only be known tomorrow and the day after as Delhi Capitals, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad slog out amongst themselves to push KKR out of the top 4.

Rajasthan Royals bow out of IPL 2020 and finished last not a perfect end to the tournament. This has been a very closely fought IPL because you never see a team winning 6 matches and still finishing last. This is the beauty of IPL because all teams are evenly matched.

So what do you think? Will KKR reach the playoffs? 

KingsXI Punjab had a horrible start to this year’s IPL but they came back very strongly over the middle period thanks to Chris Gayle who made a great contribution in each of those matches. They needed to win their final match against Chennai Super Kings to keep their chances intact as far as reaching the playoffs was concerned. Chennai Superkings, on the other hand, has been on a roll themselves by winning their last 2 matches and though they were out of the tournament they wanted to finish the tournament on a high. So it was in this context that both these teams met each other in Abu Dhabi yesterday afternoon.

So how did it go?

Here are my 5 points highlights from yesterday’s match.

1. Opening partnership 

Mayank Agarwal was back in the Kings XI line up after a bit of an injury break. This was good news for Kings XI because they needed to put up a good score. To get a sizeable total in a T20 match it was vital for Kings XI to get a fast and solid start. Mayank Agarwal was aggressive from the word go and Kings XI had a very good start. It was good as long as it lasted before Ngidi bowled Mayank Agarwal with a sharp incoming delivery to cut short the partnership and opened the door for CSK. 48 runs in 5 overs was the start that Kings XI needed and they were given the platform that was needed.

2. Deepak Hooda

Though Kings XI Punjab had a good start, their middle-order faltered. They kept losing wickets in the middle overs with Gayle, Pooran, and Neesham failing to be amongst the runs. From 40/0 in 5 overs they suddenly slumped to 113/6 in 17 overs. A must-win match suddenly looked like a one-sided one. CSK like many others probably didn’t expect Deepak Hooda to counter-attack though. Here is one player who had been in the fringes for a long period of time with never being consistent. He reminded everyone yesterday that the talent remained as it was a couple of years back. He was the only batsman in the Kings XI set up who looked in complete control while hitting the balls. He picked his spots beautifully and executed them very well. The lofted cover drives were a treat to watch. Deepak Hooda remained not out on 62 off 30 balls and was primarily responsible to take Kings XI to 153.

3. Lungi Ngidi

On his day, Ngidi is a very dangerous bowler. He has sharp in cutters which fox batsmen regularly because they come in very fast. He is the kind of bowler who bowls with the flow and that’s where Dhoni missed a trick by not bowling him through. He was simply unplayable initially but his figures were messed up by Deepak Hooda at the end because the wicket lacked sting after 15 overs. 3/39 in his 4 overs might not look as great figures but the wickets of Mayank and Rahul in his first spell were the reasons why Kings XI Punjab was kept within a manageable total at the end.

4 . Faf du Plessis

Faf Du Plessis was the early aggressor yesterday. He has been one batsman for CSK who has been in good form right from Day 1 of this tournament. Yesterday he wanted to finish on a high, not only for himself but also for his team. Kings XI didn’t expect this counter-attacking start by the CSK openers. In Ruturaj he got a partner who knew how to keep his end up. CSK needed a steady start and Faf along with Ruturaj provided the same. Faf was all set for another half-century but it was cut short at 48 when he nicked one to Rahul against Jordan. An opening partnership of 82 runs in 10 overs was more than a good start that CSK needed yesterday.

5 . Ruturaj Gaikwad

Ruturaj Gaikwad has been a revelation in the last few matches. Finally, he showed the world why he is regarded as one of the best batsmen in India in the domestic circuit. He scored masterful half-centuries in the last 2 matches and he continued from where he left off. He played second fiddle to Faf Du Plessis initially and got himself into the groove. With Faf ensuring that the asking rate was being kept in control, it was easy for Ruturaj to get his eye in. He changed gears only after Faf got out. Those crisp square drives and the punches through the offside were a treat to the eyes. Once again he played right through and took CSK to victory. 153 was not a big total to chase but Ruturaj Gaikwad made it even easier and his 62 runs off 48 balls ensured that CSK finished the match within the 19th over and thereby confirming a 7th spot for the team. 3 Man of the matches in a row for Ruturaj is no mean achievement and we can look forward to more heroics next year.

Kings XI Punjab needed to win this match to keep themselves in the running for the PlayOffs. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. They had a stellar run during the middle period of this year’s IPL but they now bow out.

For CSK they got their act together too late in the tournament but their last 3 matches provided us with a glimpse of what we can expect in 2021. The buzzword in the afternoon was “Definitely Not” – when Dhoni confirmed that it’s not his final IPL match. A great relief for all his fans who look forward to seeing him on the field again in 2021.

This result gave a lifeline to both KKR and Rajasthan Royals because both of them now needed a victory to move to the 4th spot.

This has been a very closely fought IPL and who will get the coveted 4th spot remains unclear with just 3 matches to go.

So who do you think will make it to the Top 4? 

Sunrisers Hyderabad has been under the radar this whole season because as a team they have not clicked together. They lost some close matches and their middle order didn’t click most of the times. But the tournament played out in such a fashion that Sunrisers Hyderabad is the only team other than Mumbai, Delhi, and Bangalore who have their fate in their own hands. This is largely due to the fact that they didn’t face any heavy defeats. Because of this their Net Run Rate is second to Mumbai Indians. First things first though – they needed to win their last 2 matches which would guarantee them a top 4 finish. Royal Challengers Bangalore on the other hand lost their last 2 matches and wanted to resurrect their campaign when they met Sunrisers Hyderabad in Sharjah yesterday.

1. Sandeep Sharma

Sandeep Sharma is an out and out, swing bowler. he doesn’t have the pace but he can make the ball talk and can swing it both ways. This makes him a very rare talent and when Bhuvaneshwar Kumar got injured he was the best replacement in the playing XI for Sunrisers Hyderabad. To be fair he has not bowled very badly but when you are a swing bowler you need to pick up wickets upfront. He is not a very good death bowler so his last over generally goes for runs and so if he doesn’t pick up wickets in the power plays then his overall bowling analysis doesn’t look any good. Yesterday he went about changing the script. He got the wicket of the inform batsman, Devdutt Padikkal, and then followed that up with the wicket of Virat Kohli to push back RCB. This was the 7th time he got the wicket of Virat Kohli – the maximum dismissals by a bowler against him in IPL. To think that Virat Kohli is Sandeep Sharma’s bunny in IPL should make people serious about this talent. He is underrated but a very good bowler. He finished with 2/20 in his 4 overs and won the Man of the Match award yesterday.

2. T. Natarajan

Natarajan along with Varun has been the find of this IPL. Nobody really knew about him much but look at the statistics – the maximum yorkers bowled by any bowler in this IPL. He rarely misses his length and his yorkers ensure that he doesn’t go for many runs. In the last couple of matches, he bowled a few full tosses and his bowling analysis looked in disarray but he came back strongly yesterday. With Sandeep Sharma picking up two top-order batsmen, it was relatively easy for Natarajan because he was not under pressure. But still, he needed to bowl well, and that he did. 16 dot balls amplify the fact that he got his radar right yesterday. He finished with 1/11 in 4 overs and helped Sunrisers to keep RCB under check.

3. Yuzvendra Chahal

Chahal is India’s best Leg Spinner today. He varies his flight so well that most of the times the batsmen end up making mistakes. With the pitches in UAE slowing down, it was even better for Chahal because he is a kind of a bowler who tosses the ball up and asks the batsmen to hit him and because of the turn that he gets, it becomes difficult for the batsmen to score off him. Yesterday, RCB had a very small total to defend. With Wridhiman Saha and Manish Pandey going great guns it looked like a walk in the park for Sunrisers. But Chahal made the match a little interesting in the middle overs by picking up the wickets of both Saha and Manish Pandey. He had an interesting run-out chance ruled out and if that would have clicked the match could have been even more interesting because that would have seen the back of Williamson. Anyways, as a bowler, you have only 4 overs and so when a team is chasing a small total they can afford to play you out. And that’s exactly the other batsmen did. He finished with 2/19 – the only bright spot for RCB on a listless day for them.

4. Wridhiman Saha

Wridhiman Saha looked in great touch in the last match. He played with all freedom that day and the same continued today. He didn’t bog down and played freely. He got a great company from Manish Pandey who was aggressive too. Wridhiman Saha is considered the best wicketkeeper in the world today but his batting is highly underrated. He is a very good batsman and it’s nice to see that Sunrisers have taken the smart decision of making him open. This has allowed him to play freely. Yesterday he scored 39 runs but his innings ensured that Sunrisers do not get any hiccup this time around after losing Warner.

5. Jason Holder

Jason Holder is considered one of the best all-rounders in Test Match cricket these days. He has struggled to play T20 cricket though. That’s one of the reasons why no team picked him up in the auctions. He came in as a replacement for Mitch Marsh and from the time he has joined the playing XI he has not put a foot wrong. In each of the matches, he has contributed with the ball. Yesterday he had a chance to do both. With the ball, he opened with Sandeep Sharma and finished with 2/27 and when he came into bat Sunrisers had hit a bit of a slump with quick wickets. Another wicket or two at that time and it would have set the cat amongst the pigeons. Holder didn’t allow that to happen and on the contrary, counter attacked. He scored 26 off 10 balls and guided his team home. In my books, he was the Man of the Match.

Sunrisers have got into a roll now and I think they are very well placed to reach the playoffs. They have got momentum on their side and previous IPLs have shown us that momentum matters a lot in this tournament. RCB like Delhi Capitals have started losing matches in a row which should be very concerning for them.

For cricket lovers, this was the best result because three spots in playoffs still remain vacant with 4 matches to go. Very interesting I must say but Sunrisers have it in their own hand to get through.

So what do you think – will Sunrisers make it to the playoffs?

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