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?

Delhi Capitals has hit a collective bad patch. Sad for them is that it’s happening right at the business end of the tournament. They lost 3 matches in a row and it was very important for them that they get into the winning ways when they met Mumbai Indians in Dubai. Mumbai Indians on the other hand have already qualified for the playoffs and they just needed one win to confirm a top 2 finish. The match was also important for other teams who needed Mumbai to win so that their chances to qualify remained a possibility.

So how did it pan out?

Here are my 5 points highlights of the match.

1. Trent Boult

Trent Boult has the maximum wickets for any bowler with the powerplay in this year’s IPL. Other than one match he has been able to breakthrough in each and every match. This is the kind of consistency that a team requires from the premier fast bowlers. When you are able to break the opening partnerships quickly, you are not able to break free and this leads to a period of consolidation for the batting side. This is one of the main reasons why oppositions have not been able to score big against Mumbai Indians this season. Yesterday he was back swinging the ball from the word go. Trent Boult first picked up the wicket of Shikhar Dhawan in his very first over and then followed that up with the wicket of Prithvi Shaw in his second over. He finally finished the day with 3/21 in his 4 overs and his bowling performance was responsible for such an awkward score for Delhi Capitals yesterday.

2. Jasprit Bumrah

If Trent Boult made the opening salvo, Jasprit Bumrah took care of the middle overs. Yesterday, Bumrah was brought, in the 9th over. Delhi Capitals were already in the dock and he just nailed it in. Within the space of 2 balls, he broke the back of the Delhi Capitals’ middle order by sending back both Marcus Stoinis and Rishabh Pant. Delhi Capitals needed both of them to consolidate and take the innings deep but losing both of them in the 13th over more or less sealed it for them and they couldn’t recover thereafter. Bumrah finished with 3/17 in his 4 overs.

3. Rahul Chahar

With Trent Boult and Jasprit Bumrah hogging the limelight, one man went under the radar and that was Rahul Chahar. In most of the matches in this year’s IPL, Rahul Chahar has done his job as was expected by his captain. He kept it tight and picked up the occasional wicket. Yesterday too was no different. Trent Boult had given Mumbai Indians the perfect start and Delhi Capitals was trying to make a comeback through the partnership of Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant. Shreyas Iyer was not at his fluent best but he looked in control and was planning a long innings. But Iyer was foxed by a perfect leg spinner which he failed to read and Quinton De Kock effected a quick stumping. This according to me was a defining moment of this match in hindsight because Delhi Capitals needed their captain to play till the end and this wicket made it impossible for them.

4. Quinton De Kock

As already stated above, Quinton De Kock’s work behind the stumps brought a halt to Shreyas Iyer in the middle and that stumping was one of the turning points of this low scoring encounter because if Shreyas Iyer stayed till the end then Delhi Capitals would have scored much more than 110 that they finished with yesterday. That stumping was not his only activity yesterday because he took a few more smart catches behind the stumps to effect the dismissals of Prithvi Shaw and Marcus Stoinis. The catch of Stoinis was a straightforward one of course but the overhead catch to get rid of Prithivi Shaw was a good one no doubt. QDK of course has another role in this Mumbai Indians’ set up and that is of playing the aggressive role while opening the batting. Yesterday, they had a very small total to chase and he took the grafting route and allowed Ishan Kishan to turn the aggressor. 68 runs opening partnership with Ishan Kishan ensured that Delhi Capitals doesn’t get a foot in and ensured a big win for Mumbai Indians.

5. Ishan Kishan

In his very first match in this year’s IPL, Ishan Kishan played a majestic knock of 99. Mumbai lost that match via Super Over but Ishan Kishan got himself a permanent slot in the Mumbai Indians’ playing XI. He went off the radar a bit subsequently but then he came roaring back from the time he was asked to open. With Rohit Sharma out of action due to injury it was big boots to fill for Ishan Kishan. But he did this with aplomb and has turned this challenge into an opportunity. The way he has been playing at top of the order, I doubt if Rohit Sharma will slot himself back in the opener’s slot (if fit). Yesterday he was the aggressor in chief. The way he pulled the short balls of Rabada and Nortje just showed how much time this young guy has while facing them. His hand-eye coordination is superb. He might not look very graceful while playing on the offside but he is just superb in the leg side. He remained not out till the end and scored 72 off 47 balls to win another man of the match award.

This was the 4th match that Delhi Capitals lost in a row. After starting so well they are now looking very shaky. Losing just like winning also has momentum and this negative momentum doesn’t look good for them. 

Mumbai Indians on the other hand sit pretty on top of the table and looks well set to retain the IPL once again.

Will Delhi Capitals make it to the playoff? Let’s see how the next couple of days play out in UAE.

With the IPL moving towards the last week, each and every match has now become pretty interesting. Kings XI Punjab has been on a winning run and Rajasthan Royals was coming from a great victory against Mumbai Indians. It was expected to be a close encounter and the result was supposedly important for other teams too because Sunrisers Hyderabad and KKR both needed Rajasthan Royals to win. 

So how did it go yesterday in Abu Dhabi?

Here are my 5 points highlights of the match. 

1. Chris Gayle

Chris Gayle has scored 6 centuries in IPL history and he is considered the grandfather of T20 cricket. From the time he has been drafted into this KingsXI lineup, they are yet to lose a match. he has had a profound impact on all of the matches. Yesterday he had luck on his side too as he was dropped twice. He not only was scoring runs but he was scoring at a very healthy run rate. He hit 8 sixes yesterday and some of them were false strokes but the power that he brings to the game makes the impossible – possible. Yesterday he became the batsman in history to hit 1000 sixes in T20 cricket. Luck eluded him finally when he was done in by a Jofra Archer yorker and he got out for 99. But still, 99 runs off 63 balls was a very good achievement because it was because of him that Kings XI could post a total above 180. Incidentally, this was the second time he scored 99 in IPL – another first. 

2. Jofra Archer

Rajasthan Royals are blessed to have Jofra Archer amongst their ranks because their pace bowling is not that great. Jofra Archer takes all the pressure himself and he ensures that the opposition doesn’t get to a quick start in the powerplay overs. Yesterday his first 2 overs went for just 3 runs and in the final analysis, one can very well say that Kings XI fell short by 15 runs and that’s only because of the miserly overs bowled by Archer at the top of the innings. He finished with 2/26 and once again made his presence felt for Rajasthan Royals.

3. Ben Stokes

Ben Stokes got back into form with a majestic century against Mumbai Indians, a couple of days back. Yesterday he was in the thick of the action in the very first over. Mandeep Singh played a false stroke but the ball was dying as Stokes ran in and took the catch just inches from the ground. Stokes then came and bowled 4 economical overs and finished with 2/32. His scalps included those of Rahul and Pooran. Wait on, Mr. Stokes was not done yet. He opened the batting for Rajasthan Royals and seemed in a hurry as he reached his 50 in just 25 balls. In fact, he got to his fifty within the powerplay and when he got out the team score was only 60 runs – just shows how much devastating he was with the bat yesterday. A deserved man of the match. 

4. Sanju Samson

Sanju Samson was having a dreaded period in the middle of the IPL and it looked like he lost touch completely. Thankfully over the last couple of matches, he got back his form and ensured that he was not getting out to rash shots. When he plays well he is a pleasure to the eye. One of the best things about him is that he hits very good balls for fours and sixes without taking undue risks. If he keeps playing like this he will become a permanent name in the Indian White Ball cricket journey. Yesterday Rajasthan Royals had a very good start but when Stokes got out, it was important that Sanju Samson sticks around with and build a partnership. He did just that and built 2 good partnerships with Uthappa and Smith. He was at his strokeful best and kept the run rate always above 10 runs an over. He got out after scoring 48 runs off 25 balls but by the time he got out the asking run rate was down to almost run a ball.

5. The early finish

Steven Smith was struggling to time the ball when he came to the crease. But he was helped by Sanju Samson because the asking run rate was always under check. When Sanju got out, he was joined by Jos Buttler, and together they didn’t let any pressure to build up. Rajasthan Royals didn’t have a very good Net Run Rate and with the 3rd/4th position on the table still up for grabs, it was pretty clear that having a good net run rate could decide the 4th position. Taking that into consideration Jos Buttler was in a hurry and ensured a quick finish. The way Shami was hit around by both the batsmen was something that has not been seen over the last 18 months. The partnership was only of 19 balls and that was enough for Rajasthan Royals to score the balance 41 runs. Jos Buttler remained not out on 22 runs off 11 balls.

A great batting display by Rajasthan Royals. That’s 2 matches in a row that they overhauled an above-par total. Their 4 foreigners along with Sanju Samson are in top form and we are looking towards a photo finish on who will reach the playoffs.

This is no doubt the closest IPL ever.

So what do you think? Will Kings XI make it or their momentum is broken and someone else will take the 4th spot?

Chennai Superkings had always been part of the playoffs and this is the first time that they have been knocked out of the tournament in the league phase. It’s not that they had a very bad team – it’s just that they didn’t show enough faith in the youngsters right at the beginning. Ruturaj Gaikwad showed in the last match that what a talent he is and almost single-handedly took CSK to victory against RCB. With nothing to lose, KKR knew that it would be a difficult obstacle to cross when they met them in Dubai yesterday.

So how did it go?

Here are my 5 points highlights from the match.

1. Nitish Rana

Nitish Rana along with Suryakumar Yadav are 2 uncapped players in IPL who have scored more than 10 half-centuries without ever getting an international call in. The Indian middle-order is filled with so many talented players that sometimes it gets very difficult to get a look in. Rana already played one great knock a couple of matches earlier and he played another great knock yesterday. He was slow to begin and was unable to time the ball but showed great skills against the spinners. His run-scoring rate was very slow in the initial overs but he recovered so much against the spinners that by the time he got out his strike rate was 140+. He missed a century once again and got out for 87 runs.

2. Lungi Ngidi

When Ngidi first came into the international scene – it was a test match against India. I distinctly remember how he single-handedly destroyed India in the second innings to take South Africa to victory. He has not been consistent though mainly because of his injuries. Even during the world cup, he was injured, and hence he has been quite under the radar as Rabada and Nortje became the prime bowlers for South Africa. Yesterday, CSK gave him the opportunity to play and though he was just about OK with the ball initially, his last 2 overs had a profound effect on the final score of KKR. That’s mainly because in the 18th over he picked up the wicket of Nitish Rana, who was going hammer and tongs at that stage, and in the final over he picked up the wicket of Eoin Morgan to stop KKR from running away with the match. Those two wickets turned out to be very vital because it kept KKR to 172. Another few runs more and the final result could have been very different.

3. Ruturaj Gaikwad

Ruturaj Gaikwad is a name that many people must have heard of if they follow India’s domestic cricket and the “A” tours. He has been a permanent fixture in the top scorers’ list for the last couple of weeks. He along with Shubhman Gill and Devdutt Padikkal are the troika who are predicted to serve Indian cricket for a long time to come. Yesterday he continued from where he ended against RCB. Crisp cover drives and lofted straight drives were very soothing to the eye. He kept his end up almost till the end but wasted his wicket under pressure. Still, a score of 72 off 53 balls was worth a watch.

4. Varun Chakravarthy

Varun Chakravarthy recently got selected for the Indian team. And he celebrated that with another great bowling display. His performance has been the only good news for KKR this year. He has improved over the course of this IPL and right now he is having all the confidence to show his bag of tricks. Getting the wicket of MSD twice in two matches is no mean feat and he did that. He got KKR back into the match with 2 wickets yesterday and he was the most economical bowler too. 2 for 20 in 4 overs was a great piece of bowling and I would not be surprised if India plays him in the very first match due to the mystery surrounding him. He can bowl 6 different types of balls in an over with similar arm action. A very rare talent.

5. Ravindra Jadeja

Ravindra Jadeja had a very uneventful IPL this year. He had been dropping catches and there have been multiple matches where he was not even called to bowl. But one thing which he did well this year was his batting. He played quite a few good knocks at the end for the team. Yesterday when he walked in, CSK needed 33 runs of 16 balls. Jadeja faced 11 off those 16 balls and scored 31 runs to take CSK to a last gasp victory. The last 2 balls of the match went for 2 sixes to stun KKR.

A great match no doubt which showed glimpses of what’s in store for us in the next IPL. With both teams showing that young uncapped players doing so well, we can rest assured that the next IPL would be a close contest too like this year.

For KKR they are almost out of this IPL and they have themselves to blame. Their top-order batting never fired in unison and Pat Cummins and Sunil Naraine have not picked up enough wickets through the tournament.

For me as of now, it’s looking like MI, RCB, DC, and KXIP to make the playoffs. What do you think?

Earlier in the tournament when Mumbai Indians met Royal Challengers Bangalore, it turned out to be a very close match with RCB winning via Super Over. When they again met each other for the return leg it was expected to be another close encounter. There was another catch though because it was a top of the table clash and the winner had the additional motivation of qualifying for the playoffs. So how did it go in Dubai yesterday?

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

1. Devdutt Padikkal

Devdutt Padikkal is having a stellar run this IPL. He had been knocking on the doors for the last 12-18 months and finally when he got the opportunity he has not let it go. He has been consistent at the top of the order for RCB and yesterday he made his bat talk. With Josh Philippe, he built a very good opening partnership. The way both of them were going it looked like a 180+ score was in the offing. Even after Philippe got out, Padikkal didn’t slow down. All the batsmen in the middle order struggled and the only reason RCB got to a good score of 164 was because of Padikkal who scored 74 off 45 balls.

2. Jasprit Bumrah

It took Bumrah a couple of weeks to warm up but now he is back to what he does best. Hitting the length, smart usage of slower balls, and marvelous yorkers. All were on display yesterday as Bumrah became unplayable. He finished with 3/14 in 4 overs and also got his 100th IPL wicket when he took the wicket of Virat Kohli. Incidentally, Virat Kohli was his first IPL victim too a few years back. This is one duel that Virat loses every year to Bumrah.

3. Washington Sundar

Washington is not the man who will get you a bucketful of wickets but he generally keeps things tight. It’s very difficult to hit him because he hits a perfect length most of the time. Yesterday all the RCB bowlers were off-colour and no one was able to keep things tight. It was only Washington Sundar who was able to keep things tight at his end. He bowled 4 overs and gave away just 20 runs which is a good effort considering everyone was going at more than 8/9 runs per over. RCB would have loved to get a couple of wickets from him though.

4. Surya Kumar Yadav

The Indian team to Australia was announced a couple of days back and one man who had every right to be disappointed was Suryakumar Yadav. He has been scoring a lot of runs for the past 3 seasons in IPL and it has not changed this year too. He must consider extremely unlucky not to be selected for the T20 team. But he left his disappointment behind and did what was best expected from him – let his bat talk. He guided the Mumbai Indians chase and never looked in any kind of discomfort. Even with wickets falling around him, he was unperturbed and remained not out at the end with 79 runs. Many call him the Indian version of a 360-degree player – let’s hope he continues scoring runs because he is just at the doorstep of getting selected to play for India.

5. Keiron Pollard

Pollard, the captain has been on a winning spree. Recently he captained TKR to CPL victory without dropping a match and he has been able to fill the shoe of Rohit Sharma very well. Yesterday, RCB was going pretty well and with Devdutt Padikkal and AB DeVilliers in the crease, they were all set to take RCB to 180 or more. Suddenly he got himself to the attack and made a defining difference in the match – he picked up the wicket of ABDV. That one wicket made a big difference and Mumbai Indians were able to keep RCB within a manageable total. As icing on the cake, he came in to bat right at the end and hit the first ball for 4 to take Mumbai to the Playoffs.

An important win for Mumbai Indians because it takes them to the playoffs with a match in hand. For RCB though it’s still not done yet because they now need to win against Delhi Capitals to seal that spot. An exciting week of IPL coming our way.

So who do you think are the 4 teams who would make it to the playoffs?

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