One team which was looking completely out of sorts is Chennai Superkings. They lost 3 matches in a row and they needed some inspirational performance from somewhere to turn the tide. Kings XI Punjab though has been a story of openers. Both Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul have had hit centuries in this year’s IPL but their returns as a team have not been spectacular yet. Both the teams were coming out of defeats and as they headed against each other in Dubai and they needed to come out of the rut. So how did it go?

Here are my 5 points highlights of the match.

1. KL Rahul

Rahul is the current leading run-scorer in this edition of IPL. He along with Mayank Agarwal has been very efficient at the top of the order. Their middle order has not performed at all and hence the onus was once again on Rahul and Mayank to give the team a good start. They started well and put on another half-century partnership. Though Mayank got out, Rahul continued and wanted to bat right through and his wicket towards the end actually stopped KingsXI from reaching the 200 run mark which in the final equation made the difference. Rahul must be happy with his current form but the KingsXI’s situation doesn’t look very good.

2. Shardul Thakur

Other than one or two matches, I have never seen Shardul Thakur not being hit for runs. He is a swing bowler and gets a good amount of movement but when the batsmen nick it – the slips are invariably not there and he ends up giving 4 runs. He follows those good balls with some short pitch stuff and ends up getting hammered in most of the matches that I have seen him play. He is a handy batsman too and has won matches for India and CSK with the bat. Yesterday also he was carted around and when he started his 3rd over (Kings XI’s 18th) – Pooran and Rahul were in full song and I expected them to target him and take their team closer to the 200 run mark. But, Shardul Thakur has a happy knack of picking up wickets and the 18th over turned out to be just that. Thakur took out both Rahul and Pooran in successive balls and he would have got a hattrick too only if a slip was kept against Sarfaraz Khan. In the final equation, this over, turned the match in CSK’s favour.

3. Nicholas Pooran

Pooran is one of the most talented young batsmen to come out of West Indies in recent times. We already saw his acrobatic fielding skills earlier in the tournament. He was yet to fire this year for Kings XI and it was a cause of concern. But yesterday was a new day and Pooran was on song. He hit the ball crisply and he looked in his old self. His strike rate was around 200 and his wicket at the start of the 17th over made a huge difference for Kings XI Punjab. 200 runs was a definite possibility that stuttered to 178 after the fall of his wicket. Kings XI Punjab will be breathing a bit easy now and the openers will be able to play a bit more freely from the next match now that Pooran is back in his elements. Pooran needed to be consistent from here on end.

4. Faf Du Plessis

CSK has had a difficult season thus far. None of their top-order batsmen was in form other than Faf. he already scored two half-centuries and continued in the same zest yesterday too. Faf Du Plessis has a very solid technique which and he plays himself in. Giving the opening slot to him is a very smart decision by CSK. Yesterday he got his eye in and the form of Shane Watson helped because the asking run rate never shot up. He reached his 50 much later to Shane Watson’s but in the end, he overtook him – that’s the advantage of having a player like Faf Du Plessis in the team. 87 off 53 balls led CSK to an easy victory and the team in yellow is back with a bang.

5. Shane Watson

Watson retired from international cricket quite a few years back. Hence it was quite understandable that he was unable to perform in the first few matches for CSK. The good thing was that CSK didn’t drop him because they realised that he needs game time in the middle. Finally, everything came together yesterday. The old version of Shane Watson was back and he started hitting each and every bowler out of the park. Other than Bishnoi each and every bowler were carted around. He was the early aggressor as Faf settled in. To win a match by 10 wickets with more than 2 overs to spare is not something that happens in IPL generally. The match became completely lopsided only because of the great opening partnership that remained unbeaten. 

This win might do great wonders for CSK and they are now back in the hunt. Kings XI would now wonder what’s next. Batting can’t win you matches always – you need your bowlers to perform and that’s not happening for them. They need to come out of this negative momentum pretty quickly to remain in the hunt in this year’s IPL.

So what according to you are the changes that Kings XI needs to bring in? Should Gayle come in to replace Maxwell with Rahul going into the middle order? The 4th and 5th bowler seems to be a problem too – how do they address that?

Let me know your thoughts!

Sunrisers Hyderabad invested quite a lot in young Indian players and it was Priyam Garg and Abhishek Sharma who took them over the line against CSK in their earlier encounter. Mumbai Indians on the other hand have a strong middle order with Rohit Sharma at the top. This match was supposed to be a cracker as two evenly matched teams met each other at Sharjah which has been a batsmen’s paradise this season. Both the teams came into the match with wins at their back and wanted to keep the momentum going.

My 5 points highlights for this match is given below:

1. Quinton De Kock

De Kock had a very bad start in this year’s IPL. Today he was back in his elements. Mumbai Indians lost Rohit Sharma early today but Quinton De Kock dug himself in and tried to play a long innings. Quite understandably, he was circumspect in the initial part of his innings but he soon got his timing back and towards the end, we could see the 360-degree batting skills of De Kock in full display. This must be very good news for Mumbai Indians because now this team has got everyone in form and looks like the team to beat. Delhi Capitals Vs. Mumbai Indians would be fun.

2. T. Natarajan

No bowler has bowled as many yorkers as many Natarajan has in this year’s IPL. 21 yorkers in 4 matches is way ahead of any other in this tournament. This is the first time he is playing IPL and he looks quite a talent. India has been in the lookout for a good left-handed fast bowler for quite some time and it would be interesting to see how Natarajan is groomed for the future. Today he didn’t take any wicket but his figures of 29 runs off 4 overs was a phenomenal performance because the opposition scored 208.

3. Krunal Pandya 

Krunal Pandya hasn’t had the kind of performance yet in this year’s IPL for which he is known for. Sharjah has been the venue where 200 runs is a bare minimum for any team to defend. When Krunal Pandya came to bat today, Mumbai Indians were at 188 with 4 balls to go. The next 4 balls went for 20 runs including 2 boundaries and 2 sixers and they finished at 208. Krunal Pandya just showed why he is such an important clog in this Mumbai Indians’ team. With the ball too he was on the money and went for 35 runs in his 4 overs and took one wicket. The best part was that he kept on bowling those wide outside the off-stump yorkers with amazing regularity.

4. David Warner 

We are yet to see the best of Warner in this year’s IPL. Chasing 209 to win, it was important that Warner makes a big one. But he was struggling with his timings. With Bairstow getting out early, the Manish-Warner partnership needed to be a big one. Manish was hitting the ball from the word go but Warner was unable to find the boundaries consistently. Till the time he was there, SRH had a chance to make a game out of this but though he scored a half-century, we didn’t witness the free-flowing Warner that we are used to. Sunrisers should hope that this innings will help Warner to get back into form and hopefully he will be back in his elements from the next match onwards. 

5. Sensational catches

The overall fielding standard in this match was not that good. We saw absolute sitters being dropped by Manish Pandey and Hardik Pandya. But, in between, we saw 3 sensational catches today. The first one was a flying catch at the boundary line by Manish Pandey to get rid of Quinton De Kock. Manish jumped full length on his left and caught the ball with both his hands. Supreme effort. The next one was a tumbling take by Rahul Chahar in the boundary line to get rid of Priyam Garg and finally the best of the lot another flying effort by Ishan Kishan to send Warner to the pavilion. That catch by Ishan Kishan more or less sealed the match for Mumbai Indians. It was great to see the Indian fielders pull off such blinders.

In the final equation, it was quite an easy victory for the Mumbai Indians. Sunrisers Hyderabad has to find a way to get Nabi into the playing XI. 

So what do you think? Whom does Nabi replace? 

Looking forward to hearing your views.

On paper, Delhi Capitals is the strongest team in this year’s IPL. Kolkata Knight Riders have the weakest team on the other hand. That KKR won two matches in a row with such an inexperienced team was a miracle in itself. But then IPL is that kind of a tournament that on a given day anyone can become a hero. KKR wanted to continue with their winning momentum whereas Delhi Capitals wanted to get back into their winning ways after losing against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Sharjah has been a high scoring venue this season and we were in for a run feast as Delhi Capitals took on Kolkata Knight Riders.

Here are my 5 point highlights of yesterday’s clash.

1. Prithvi Shaw

Prithvi Shaw is the new version of Virendra Sehwag. He goes after the bowling from the word go. I have seen that either you take his wicket early or get ready to be hammered. Sharjah was the perfect venue for him to play through the line. With the ball not rising too much and no lateral movement around it was a free stroking Shaw on display yesterday. 150 KM/Hr deliveries of Pat Cummins were pulled with aplomb and before KKR could know it, Delhi Capitals reached 50 in 5 overs. He scored 66 runs yesterday at a very fair clip to give Delhi Capitals early momentum into the match.

2. Shreyas Iyer

India has had a perennial problem for the number 4 spot. Many players have been tried over the last 2-3 years but no one has been consistent enough. Last year after the World Cup, India gave a long rope to Shreyas Iyer and he took the opportunity in both hands and have been part of some very good wins under Virat Kohli. Shreyas is a copybook cricketer with a wide range of shots and can hit the long ball too. He didn’t have a particularly good start to this year’s IPL but everything changed at Sharjah. He came in at the 6th Over and didn’t get to face a ball in the 20th over – so he played 13 overs in between and scored 88 runs off 38 balls. If he had got the strike in the final over – a century was up for grabs.

3. Andre Russell

You can’t have an IPL without the heroics of Andre Russell. But, this year has been different. This is 2020 and so expect the unexpected. Last year KKR won matches that were deemed lost. Asking run rates of 18 per over were won just by the audacious batting of Russell. This year he is still sitting at the sidelines. But you can’t keep him out of action – can you? Russell has been bowling well this year. He has been very consistent when blowing the yorkers at the death and yesterday was no different. His returns of 2/29 in 4 overs look unbelievable when you look at Rabada being hit for 51 runs. That, Delhi Capitals couldn’t reach 250 was only because of his bowling. With the bat, he failed once again though and I think his batting order is being tinkered too much. He is not your number 4 batsman – it should be earmarked for Eoin Morgan.

4. Anrich Nortje 

Having 2 fast bowlers of Internation standards playing for the same team is a luxury for Delhi Capitals. They can only do that because the best of the Indian batsmen are there in this team. Nortje along with Rabada are the first choice bowlers in the South African team and having both of them playing together for Delhi Capitals is something which makes this Delhi Capitals the most dangerous team in this year’s IPL. Rabada had an off day yesterday but Nortje was in his elements. He breathed fire and his returns of 3/33 in his 4 overs amplifies this fact. The wicket of Morgan in the 19th over sealed the match for Delhi Capitals. For me, he was the Man of the Match because he made the real difference and if he had not taken the wicket of Eoin Morgan then definitely KKR would have nailed that super chase.

5. The final onslaught from Morgan and Tripathi

That KKR didn’t give a chance to Rahul Tripathi in their earlier matches was a surprise for me and finally, when they did take him in, they batted him way too down. I expected him to open the batting yesterday – that didn’t happen and inexplicably he came into bat after Pat Cummins. Even Eoin Morgan is being sent way too low down the order. Morgan should slot into number 4 but yesterday he was sent at number 6. With 229 runs to chase, KKR was staring at a huge defeat when Tripathi joined Morgan in the middle. The scoreboard read 122/6 in the 14th Over. But what followed thereafter was pure mayhem. 5 overs – 78 runs and when the 19th over started, KKR was actually expected to win – the only way Delhi Capitals could have won was by taking wickets and that’s why Morgan’s wicket was so very vital yesterday and the real turning point of the match. 

Kolkata Knight Riders must get their batting order sorted out. Sunil Naraine is a spent force and it makes no cricketing sense to have him as an opener. Morgan should be slotted at number 4 and they need to find a way to get Tom Banton in. For Delhi Capitals, they got back to winning ways and looks solid to go all the way this year.

So what do you think KKR needs to do? Should Naraine be dropped? Is it time to get Prasidh Krishna back? Where should Andre Russell bat? Do they really need 7 bowling options?

Do let me know your thoughts as we head into another doubleheader today.

Happy Sunday folks!

Rajasthan Royals started very well in this edition of IPL but it was mainly due to some individual heroic performances. As soon as Samson stopped scoring Rajasthan’s fortune has started to go southwards. On the other hand, Royal Challengers Bangalore has had a dream start. They made some subtle changes to their line up and have been very consistent this year. It was expected to be a good fighting match as both teams met each other at Abu Dhabi.

Here are my 5 point highlights from the match.

1. Nitin Saini

Nitin Saini has been a great find for Indian cricket. In the last match, he bowled a great super over which helped RCB win against the Mumbai Indians. He bowls at a consistent pace but maintains the line and length. Though he went for a lot of runs in his final over, his first 2 overs went for just 9 runs and he took the all-important wicket of Jos Butler. Saini, Shami, and Bumrah – Indian fast bowling resources never looked better. His beamer which hit Tewatia must be something he would be extremely sorry about – he needs to be very careful about these things in International cricket.

2. Yuzvendra Chahal

Chahal had been a find from IPL. He has played with RCB from his debut and has improved year on year and became an India regular over the last 3 years. He along with Kuldeep Yadav ensured India’s great success in Limited Overs Cricket in 2018-19. He is RCB’s premier spinner in the team and he hardly lets his captain down. Yesterday he took wickets in his first two overs sending back Samson and Uthappa. Samson’s wicket was very important because he has been in red hot form this season. After 2 overs his figures read 2 wickets for 5 runs. He later came back and took the wicket of Mahipal Lomror who was the highest run-scorer for Rajasthan Royals. and undoubtedly the correct man to win the Man of the Match award.

3. Devdutt Padikkal

Padikkal has taken his opportunity to play in IPL with full hands. He already hit 2 half-centuries in the first 3 matches and he continued with the good form yesterday as well. He has a very unflustered attitude while batting and he starts well and then steadies the ship. He takes advantage of the powerplay overs but after that doesn’t take undue risks but keeps the scoreboard moving. RCB lost Aaron Finch early and with Kohli fining his feat, Padikkal took it upon himself to give the team a good start. The chase was not a big one – so that helped. He scored 63 off 45 balls and in the process completed his third half-century in 4 matches. These are very exciting times for Indian cricket. His technique against short rising balls are yet to be tested though but what has been seen till now, looks like India has got a long term replacement for Shikhar Dhawan.

4. Jofra Archer

It’s very difficult to keep this man out of the picture. With the bat, he scored 16 off 10 balls to help Rajasthan Royals cross 150 and then with the ball did what he does best – miserly 4 overs which went for only 18 runs. Rajasthan Royals unfortunately didn’t have enough runs to defend and so it was almost impossible for one man to make a difference. I hope with ben Stokes coming back, Rajasthan Royals’ fortunes will change once again.

5. Virat Kohli is back

King Kohli is back and that’s great news for all cricket lovers across the world. He had been struggling this IPL and I felt that the crisp flick for 4 that gave RCB victory in the last match might make his fortunes change. How right was I? Yesterday, he took some time to get his eye in. It helped that the chase was not steep and Padikkal was going great guns at the other end. But once he got his eye in, the old Kohli was back. Crisp cover drives, the quick pick up shot on the leg side, the clean sixes all were back. RCB is looking like a team possessed and I think they have a real chance of winning this year’s IPL.

So what do you think? Will the return of Ben Stokes bring in a change of fortunes for Rajasthan Royals? Should Jaiswal replace Uthappa?

Do let me know your views. I am all ears!

Chennai Superkings is one of the most successful teams in IPL. One of the reasons for this consistency is that they kept the core team intact for many years lead by the majestic Mahendra Singh Dhoni. But now the problems are seeping in. The team’s average age is very high for any T20 setup. 7 of their players in the playing 11 are above 35 years and that’s not very ideal. Sunrisers Hyderabad on the other hand is having an inexperienced middle-order and some very young bowlers to boot. So one may call that yesterday’s match up was old vs new. Both the teams have been struggling thus far at this year’s IPL and it was an interesting match yesterday in Dubai.

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

1. The Young Guns of Sunrisers come to the party

Sunrisers Hyderabad was not off to a good start. Their scoreboard read 69/4 after 11 overs. CSK was right on the top with two very young players, Priyam Garg and Abhishek Sharma in the crease. Both of them had yet to fire in IPL. Both Priyam and Abhishek are talented youngsters with Garg leading India U-19 team to the finals this year and Abhishek was part of the previous U-19 team lead by Prithvi Shaw which won the World Cup. But yesterday was a different challenge – they had to take the team out of trouble. And they did that with aplomb. Priyam Garg played all around the wicket and all bowlers got the treatment. His cuts and pulls were pleasing to the eye and he ended up with 51 runs off 26 balls. Abhishek Sharma was good too and he matched stroke for stroke with Garg and together they had a partnership of 77 runs off just 7 overs to take Sunrisers to a respectable total. Another young player, Abdul Samad joined Garg after Abhishek got out and helped the team reach a healthy total of 164 runs. Samad’s day was not over though because in the second innings he finished his quota of 4 overs and took the wicket of Kedar Jadhav. Though his final over went for 20 runs he bowled well and helped SRH win the contest. The ball followed Priyam Garg yesterday. Multiple times the ball kept coming to him in the field and he showed his outstanding fielding skills by saving 2 boundaries. All in all, it was a great day out for the youngsters.

2. Ravindra Jadeja

Jadeja has been a supreme performer for CSK over the years but he is not in his usual self this year. Something is not looking right. In the first 3 matches, he went for over 40 runs in each of them. He is known to keep one end tight even if he doesn’t take wickets but that has not been the case in this year’s IPL yet. Yesterday also he went for 16 runs in the 2 overs he bowled. That MSD is not having the confidence to bowl him out proves something is wrong with this southpaw. Add to this the horrendous fielding performance. As I said earlier, having an aging team will have detrimental effects on the field but Jadeja is considered one of the best fielders in the world. But he ended up dropping a sitter and in the final analysis, it did hurt CSK. He did score a 50 while batting which was pleasing to the eye and I do hope that it will help him to regain the confidence and perform better in the coming matches. Losing 3 matches on the trot has not happened to CSK for a very long time so they would need some inspiration to turn this around.

3. Rashid Khan

Enough has been written about this diminutive leg spinner from Afghanistan. And I am sure this is not the last time I am writing about him. His 4 overs are like insurance cover for his captain. None of the teams tend to take any risks with him and that helps him to keep the run rate in check. Of course, the teams try to take extra risks against other bowlers and end up losing wickets. Yesterday was no different. Rashid Khan was at his miserly best once again. His first 3 overs went for just 5 runs and the asking run rate just shot up. His final figures read 12 runs off 4 overs and once again he was one of the game-changers of the match.

4. Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Age is just a number for MSD. He is still supremely fit. He kept for 20 overs and then had to come in early to bat and played till the end. It’s a rarity that MSD stayed till the end but the team lost – just shows the importance of Rashid Khan. The asking run rate was so steep that it was not possible to overcome the challenge. That they lost by only 7 runs was mainly due to MSD. Though I think he was tiring at the end and it would have been better if he had taken a single earlier and given the strike to Sam Curran who has been hitting the ball very well. But in the game of cricket, there is no question of ifs and buts. Dhoni went with the conviction to win the match single-handedly but failed. Due credit needs to be given to the bowlers too who didn’t give much room for him to hit those towering sixes. He ended with 47 off 36 balls. So near – yet so far.

5. Injury to Bhuvaneshwar Kumar

CSK needed 44 runs in the last two overs with Bhuvi to bowl the 19th. Right after the first ball that he bowled he pulled up and was unable to continue any further. The physio tried to get him fit but it looked like a hamstring problem. Bhuvi has had a problem with injuries and this one could keep him out of action for long. That won’t be good news for SRH because he is an important clog in the bowling line up of SRH. With Bhuvi out of action, the match suddenly became interesting because SRH now had to bowl a spinner at the end. Warner did the smart thing by asking Khaleel to bowl the balance 5 balls of Bhuvi’s over. He went for 16 runs and left 27 runs to defend for Samad. Though Samad gave away 5 wides in the first ball and the last ball went for 6 – in between he bowled well and restricted the batsmen to only singles. Thankfully for SRH, the injury to Bhuvi didn’t cost them the match though they would be hoping that the injury is not too serious.

Towards the end, the match became interesting but overall, SRH had an easy victory and the onus had to be given to the youngsters for the same. IPL would be won by that team who plays the team game. One or two superheroes can’t win you the tournament. SRH will be hoping that their investment in youngsters will pay off. CSK though has a lot to answer.

What do you think is plaguing CSK? Should Rayudu open? Should they give Rituraj Gaikwad a longer run? Should they Imran Tahir back in the XI? Should Sam Curran play higher up?

Appreciate your views!

Kings XI Punjab and Mumbai Indians are two teams that have lost Super Overs this season. Both the teams look good on paper but Kings XI has thinner bowling resources and is way too dependent on their opening partnership with both bat and ball. It’s under this pretext both these teams met at Abu Dhabi for their IPL clash yesterday.

Here are my 5 point highlights of the match.

1. Rohit Sharma

Since 2013 Rohit Sharma has been very consistent. That was the year when he was first asked to open for India and he has not looked back ever since. He starts slow but accelerates very quickly towards the end. Yesterday was no different. He scored 70 off 45 balls but his last 27 runs came off just 7 balls and he took a great liking to Jimmy Nisham ( was it due to the anger of the failure at the World Cup Semifinal?). Rohit was the only one in the top 4 who kept the scoreboard moving because Quinton De Kock, Surya Kumar Yadav, and Ishan Kishan all failed to fire. When Rohit plays well – Mumbai Indian generally wins and it was no different yesterday.

2. The Mumbai finish

Mumbai Indians is one team that has a great middle and lower-middle order. Pollard and the Pandya brothers have got them over the line multiple times in the past. Even in the last match against RCB, it was Pollard at the end who helped Mumbai ensure a tie. Yesterday when Rohit holed out, the scoreboard read 124 in the 17th over. Out came Hardik Pandya and he along with Pollard scored 67 runs off the last 23 balls at over 15 runs per over. An average score became a winning score because of that finish. Though Pollard got the man of the match award because he scored a few runs more than Pandya but Hardik’s strike rate was close to 300 when the innings ended. It’s this grand finish which took Mumbai Indians to 191 – a score which was much in doubt in the middle stages.

3. Rahul the captain

As a leader you not only need to inspire your team towards excellence but you need to make the right decisions too. As a leader, it’s imperative that he or she makes the right decision always. There is nowhere to hide if the decision backfires because you are the one to blame. So in any facets of life – a leader should always weigh his options and then take the decision and then inspire the team to follow the path towards success. 

Many of my friends in the last few days were telling me that they see Rahul as a future captain of India. It can happen of course but I personally think Shubhman Gill is the one who is a ready-made leader, not Rahul.

Yesterday Rahul took a call on Cottrell and finished off his quota of 4 overs in the first half itself. Cottrell started very well yesterday. Took a wicket Maiden in the first over and went for just 17 runs in his first three overs. But the pasting he took at the hands of Rahul Tewatia in the last match where he went for 30 runs in an over at the death made Rahul bowl him out early. Add to this he kept one over of Gowtham which he had to bowl at the end. Off-spinner bowling to Pollard and Pandya in the final over is like dishing out freebies and what ensured was mayhem. 25 runs were scored in the final over including 4 sixes. The margin of victory was bigger than this but the decision to not keep one over of your best bowler for the end is not the right way to go about it.

Will an opener not in form won’t open in the next match? It’s simple – your best bowler should always bowl in the toughest situation – that’s his job and as a leader, one needs to give the confidence that he believes in his teammate to perform. 

Rahul failed big time in this matter yesterday and I think his batting in the second half of the match faltered because of it too.

4. Jasprit Bumrah

From the time Jasprit Bumrah became a regular in the Indian team he has improved by leaps and bounds. His overs are like insurance cover for Rohit Sharma when it comes to IPL. He generally doesn’t come into bowl straight away. He is kept as a weapon against tough situations. Yesterday Mayank Agarwal once again looked like to be in his elements. Kings XI was off to a pretty good start with both Pattinson and Boult going for runs. Whom does Rohit Sharma turn to? Of course, Jasprit Bumrah and he delivered right away by castling Mayank Agarwal and made a huge dent to the Kings XI chase. He came back again later to pick up the wicket of Jimmy Neesham and finished with 2/18 in his 4 overs. This Mumbai team remains the team to beat this IPL just because of the number of match-winners they have in their playing XI.

5. Rahul Chahar

India has always been blessed with a lot of talented spinners. So much talent that many good bowlers never got a chance to play for India. Think of Rajinder Goel – a legendary cricketer – the highest wicket-taker in Ranji Trophy and he never got a chance to play for India. Thanks to IPL we get to see a lot of talent these days and almost every team has a leg spinner in their ranks. Rahul Chahar whose cousin Deepak Chahar plays for CSK is one of them. He has now become a regular in the Mumbai Indians team and yesterday he showed why. He bamboozled batsmen with his guile and flight. He can turn the ball both ways and generally doesn’t err in his length. Yesterday he first took out Rahul with a false stroke and then took the big wicket of Glenn Maxwell. His returns of 2/26 off his quota of 4 overs should give the team management a lot of satisfaction!

The bowler Rahul getting rid of the batsman Rahul must be the biggest turning point of the chase.

Kings XI Punjab needs to get their middle order sorted out. Sarfaraz Khan is way too talented to be wasted at number 8. It’s far better to make him play at number 4 and give him the responsibility. I was so looking forward to him performing well this season but it’s not happening yet. They also need to look at their bowling resources. Right now it’s a team of 4 or 5 players. One can’t win IPL in this manner. Your lesser-known players have to perform for you to win the tournament.

So what do you think are the changes that Kings XI Punjab needs to bring in?

Rajasthan Royals has had a great start to this year’s IPL. Sanju Samson helped them steamroll oppositions in the first two matches. But they played both their matches at Sharjah which is relatively having a smaller ground and is a batting paradise. This was their primary challenge to overcome when they met Kolkata Knight Riders in Dubai yesterday. With Shahrukh Khan in attendance, KKR didn’t need any other external motivation to perform. So how did it go yesterday?

Here are my 5 point highlights of yesterday’s encounter between Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders.

1. Jofra Archer

Jofra Archer is now a household name in international cricket. He has a tremendous pace with very high accuracy. With KKR continuing to have Sunil Naraine at the top of their batting order – this was one very easy decision for Steven Smith – give the ball to Archer right away. His first 3 overs went for just 4 runs and he took 2 wickets. In the final analysis, Archer was the difference between KKR scoring 175 and not 200. He took the wickets of Shubhman Gill and Dinesh Karthik – both unable to judge the pace. It was a good outing for Jofra Archer.

2. Shubhman Gill

I am very sure this is not the last time I am writing about this batsman. He is just 2 0 years old but he is already the batting lynchpin of KKR. He has a very steady head on his shoulders which he aptly showed in the last match when they chased down SRH. Yesterday it was different because KKR was batting first and with Naraine not able to hit out, the onus was on Gill to keep the scoreboard moving. Gill did that with aplomb scoring 47 runs off 34 balls. He looked good for more till Archer forced him to play that false shot. He was not finished though because in the field he made some great saves fielding at the point region and pulled off a marvelous to get rid of Riyan Parag. I see a future captain of KKR in Gill.

3. The acrobatic Sanju Samson

Can we keep this man out of the discussion? Never possible. Though he failed with the bat yesterday he took a stupendous catch in the field. A couple of days back the whole world was awestruck with the way, Nicholas Pooran saved a certain sixer but if we look at the old records, Samson had also saved in a similar fashion in the last 2 seasons. Yesterday as the ball flew of Pat Cummins’ bat it was destined towards the boundary but wait there was Sanju Samson who back paddled and took the catch falling head over heels. The fielding standards have definitely moved up.

4. Pat Cummins

Pat Cummins is the prize scalp of KKR this season. He looked rusty in the first match but he came back really strong in their last encounter against Sunrisers Hyderabad. With the bat yesterday, he gave able support to Eoin Morgan to take the team towards a safe total. When he walked in, the KKR score read 115/5 with less than 5 overs to go. He dug in and built a partnership of 34 runs in 22 balls which gave the necessary momentum to KKR which was well utilised by Morgan to help KKR finish at 174. 

With the ball, Pat Cummins was in his elements again. Not only did he take the wicket of Steven Smith, but he was also miserly too. His 3 overs cost only 13 runs and the asking rate for Rajasthan Royals quickly reached 11 per over by the time the Powerplay ended.

5. The Young guns of KKR

As a habit, we have the tendency to go overboard giving accolades to batsmen but the bowlers should get equal importance too. In 2018 KKR invested in youth by acquiring the services of Gill, Mavi, and Nagarkoti – all of them were part of India’s U-19 World Cup win. All ex-cricketers who were there covering the tournament talked very highly about Mavi and Nagarkoti. Nagarkoti got injured before the start of the 2018 season and has been recovering since. Even last year he was not available. Mavi also got injured in 2019. The KKR management though thought long term and decided not to leave them out. In fact, they invested in their recovery and subsequent training. It was a great sight to see both these youngsters playing together and hustling the batsmen up. This is an example of long term thinking. Many teams would have let off these 2 guys and moved on but as astute business thinkers, the KKR management remained patient and now they are starting to reap the rewards. Mavi took 2 wickets for 20 runs yesterday including the prized scalps of Butler and Samson. Nagarkoti came later and took 2 wickets in the first over itself. he is no mug with the bat too as he showed yesterday and a great fielder to boot. Nagarkoti ended up taking 2 catches yesterday with the one that dismissed Archer being top class.

Let’s not forget Varun Chakravarthy though. He seems to be a revelation this year and by the look of things is now ahead of Kuldeep Yadav. Let’s see if all these youngsters can keep up with the consistency. That is the challenge because this is a long tournament and you need to perform consistently to leave a real mark.

It was a youngster’s day out in Dubai yesterday. Gill, Nagarkoti, Varun, and Man of the Match, Mavi all of them performed well. This is what KKR has to hope for because they can’t depend on International stars to bail them out every time. Last year their progress was all about Andre Russell but this year he is yet to warm up. The match turned out to be lopsided but as a KKR fan, I am not complaining!

For Rajasthan Royals, they need to look at their middle-order because they are a top-heavy team with a very dicey middle order.

What are your views on the current Rajasthan Royals’ set up? What changes do you think they need to make to come back to their winning ways?

Sunrisers Hyderabad has a dicey middle-order mainly because all of those players are young and inexperienced. Similarly, they have young pace bowlers too who have hardly played any international cricket. This puts a lot of onus on their Foreign players and a couple of other Indian International players. Their start in this year’s IPL has been less than ordinary and when they met Delhi Capitals at Abu Dhabi yesterday nobody gave them a chance! So how did it unfold?

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

1. Kagiso Rabada

Kagiso Rabada has bowled the maximum number of deliveries in international cricket in the last 18 months than any other fast bowler in the world. He is one of the brightest spots in South African cricket today. Delhi Capitals rely a lot on him because his 4 overs are their insurance cover. Yesterday Rabada was in his true elements. Not only did he take the all-important wickets of Bairstow and Williamson, but he also gave away just 21 runs which were only bettered by Rashid Khan in the match. He kept the batsmen under leash in the power play and kept hitting yorkers at the death. 

2. Amit Mishra

Amit Mishra is one of the superstars of IPL. He has taken multiple hattricks and is the second-highest wicket-taker in IPL history. He got his chance to play only because of Ashwin’s injury but he grabbed the opportunity with both hands. First, he got rid of the dangerous looking David Warner to break the blossoming opening partnership of SRH and then took Manish Pandey’s wicket who is a very dangerous player in the middle overs. He went for a few runs in the last over but his first 3 overs was too good and the only reason why Delhi Capitals came back into the match. Let’s see if Delhi Capitals keep him in the team or not after Ashwin gets fit.

3. Kane Williamson

Kane Williamson is one of the most loved cricketers in the world. He got more accolades from the cricket community than even Eoin Morgan after the CWC final last year. The way he accepted the defeat and carried himself and his team were awe-inspiring. He is a copybook cricketer but he remodeled his batting in the last few years to perform well in T20 cricket too. He was injured initially but as soon as he got available, SRH slotted him in. They got instant rewards too. 41 off 26 balls with a very healthy strike rate showed us why he is so important in this team. He being the captain of New Zealand helps Warner too in the field. Having a leader of Kane’s caliber within the field is a huge bonus for Warner. Let’s hope that he gets a long run in this IPL.

4. Rashid khan

Afghanistan cricket has grown leaps and bounds over the last decade. One of the best things with their cricket set up is that very young spinners come through their system. Rashid Khan burst through the scene as a 16-year-old. He is just 22 years old but is now considered a cricket veteran. The amount of cricket he plays across the globe has made him an international star of repute. He is the lynchpin in the Sunrisers’ attack and he hardly lets them down. Yesterday the chase for DC was not that steep but it was Rashid who made it look impossible. If you are chasing 160 odd and one of the bowlers give away only 12 runs in 4 overs then the pressure to attack the other bowlers gets huge and that’s what happened to Delhi Capitals yesterday. Add 3 wickets to this miserly figure and you have your man of the match. Rashid Khan showed all his guile yesterday and ensured an easy victory for SRH.

5. T. Natrajan

Natrajan has been doing very well for Tamil Nadu in the domestic circuit over the last couple of seasons. Many teams bidded for him at the IPL auction. That he was picked ahead of Khaleel Ahmed in the first match showed that the team management thinks pretty highly about him. He has been steady without giving any fantastic returns until now. Yesterday he nailed his Yorkers perfectly. 4 overs – 25 runs – 1 wicket might not look anything great but if you would have seen the 18th over that he bowled you would have known what I am talking about. Bowling yorkers and stopping the batsmen to free his arms is a great art and he did it with perfection yesterday. I am very sure that we will hear a lot about this left-arm pacer in the future.

So Sunrisers Hyderabad got their first points in IPL 2020. The tournament is wide open as always. It was not really a humdinger but then you don’t get nail biters every day. We need the nails to grow up too.

This IPL is different. Not only is the tournament being held amidst a global pandemic – the matches have been spectacular too. That two days in a row we had 2 fantastic 200+ chases amplifies the same. Two tied matches already in this year’s IPL and we still have 50 matches to go. We are being treated to some amazing cricket. 

Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore are two teams who are evenly matched on paper and I expected a high adrenaline match no doubt.

Here are my 5 points from yesterday’s match.

1. Great opening partnership 

Devdutt Padikkal already stamped his class in his debut match. Though he failed in the next match – he was back to his elements again yesterday. Aaron Finch was more aggressive though. Padikkal got his eye in while Finch went for the jugular. But when Finch got out after a well made 50, Padikkal got into action mode. His strike rate was less than 100 initially but by the time he got out, it improved to 135. He didn’t let his concentration deter after the fall of Kohli’s wicket. He has a steady head on his young shoulders and I am very sure that it’s not the last time I am writing about him.

2. ABDV – the magician

If there is any 360-degree batsman in our era then it has to the mercurial AB DeVilliers. He has the ability to hit perfectly good balls for sixes. It was no different yesterday. He was brutal right from the word go. Though RCB got a great start they stuttered in the middle overs. They didn’t look like crossing 175 at the 12 over mark. ABDV changed all that. All the bowlers were taken to the cleaners including Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult. 106 runs were scored in the last 6 overs. He himself scored 55 runs off 24 balls and helped RCB cross the 200 run mark.

3. Ishan Kishan

This IPL is throwing up one after another Indian player who is topping the charts. Ishan Kishan is not a new name in Indian cricket but he never took the onus on himself when it came to IPL cricket. He was happy playing second fiddle. Yesterday it was different. The MI chase was going nowhere and with the scoreboard reading 39/3 in the 7th over, MI looked doomed. But Ishan Kishan didn’t let go of the opportunity. Whenever he hit the ball it stayed hit. He hit 9 sixes and Dubai is not a small ground. Each and every bowler got a severe treatment from him. He matched Pollard in stroke by stroke and Virat Kohli was left bamboozled. India is blessed with so many young batsmen today. Indian cricket is in good hands. The future looks secured.

4. Kieron Pollard

Pollard is having a great last 12 months. He was always known as a hitter but now he is playing the finisher’s role perfectly. Yesterday he hit 60 of 24 balls and he was the primary reason for MI to tie the match. They needed 86 runs off the last 5 overs. That they scored 85 off them was only because of Pollard and Kishan. But primarily Pollard because he intimidates the bowlers and they lose line and length. It was almost a great come from behind victory which was denied ultimately by the super over.

5. Washington Sundar

In a match where more than 400 runs were scored to find a bowler who went for just 12 runs in his 4 overs must be the man of the moment. 4 overs – 12 runs and the all-important wicket of Rohit Sharma – that’s the performance of Washington Sundar. That he bowled 3 of his overs in the power play just shows how much control he had over his line and length yesterday. Everyone is congratulating the batsmen but for me, the man of the match was Washington Sundar. He is not that superstar whom you yearn for but you need such players in your team because you win consistently as a team when everyone contributes. That gives you satisfaction. I am very sure Virat Kohli feels the same too. Sundar didn’t give a single hittable ball yesterday and kept MI under the leash in the power play.

After the last World Cup, the rules of super overs have changed. Now teams will keep playing super overs till you get a winner. Boundary count is no longer a differentiator. We already had a super over a few days back which turned out to be a damp squib. Today also looked no different with MI scoring only 7 runs. But Bumrah bowled a great over and it again came down to 1 required off the last ball. I was so hoping for another super over but it was denied by a crisp flick by Virat Kohli which ensured a victory for RCB.

All in all, cricket wins and IPL wins but the form of Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah is keeping me on tenterhooks.

So what according to you is bothering Kohli and Bumrah? Is it the long lay-off or is it something else?

Sharjah is having the smallest ground amongst the 3 venues at this year’s IPL. When Rajasthan Royals played Chennai Super Kings in their first match at Sharjah both the teams topped 200 runs. So one thing was for sure that we were in for a run feast when Rajasthan Royals met Kings XI Punjab yesterday! But the see-saw battle that happened was something unbelievable. After a spate of a few one-sided matches, we got a humdinger yesterday.  

We are living in absolutely challenging times these days and IPL is a kind of a breather for all cricket lovers and it’s no different for me.

Here are my 5 points from yesterday’s encounter.

1. Mayank Agarwal

The last 2 years have been nothing less than magic for Mayank. He was always in the fringes but the breakthrough never came. But he got consistent from 2017-18 and after doing well for India his confidence skyrocketed and this IPL he has been supremely confident and very consistent. He outscored Rahul yesterday very easily. He timed the ball to perfection and luck was with him too because when he mishit the ball it landed away from the fielders. In the first match, Mayank failed to take his team home and he decided to make amends yesterday by playing a stroke full century. 2 consecutive centuries from Kings XI Punjab and it was primarily due to him that RR was set 224 to win.

106 off  50 balls is no mean feat. A strike rate over 200 with 10 fours and 7 sixes – An innings of pure class. That he ended up on the losing side proves what a chase it was yesterday. One for the cricketing folklore.

2. The flying Pooran 

Nicholas Pooran is one of the future stars in World Cricket. He had a terrible car crash in 2015. Doctors were not sure if he could walk again forget playing cricket. That he came back from such an incident and to play cricket again and that too at the international level is an inspirational story by itself. Yesterday Pooran took fielding to another level by audacious save which can put great goalkeepers to shame. That he is a wicket-keeper probably helped in that spot jump. The ball was destined to go for a Six when Pooran made the forward lunge. He caught the ball flying but he was across the ropes and in a moment of magic, he threw the ball inside the arena with his body inches off the ground. He saved 4 runs for the team. In the final analysis, that incident didn’t matter much but the acrobatic fielding of Pooran will remain as one of the highlights of this year’s IPL.

3. The consistent Sanju Samson

Sanju Samson is an enigma in Indian Cricket. He is probably one of India’s best batsmen today but he has been guilty of being inconsistent. This is primarily the only reason that he has been overlooked when it came to getting selected for the Indian team. He never got a long stint and whenever he got one he couldn’t capitalise to make it a big one. But, I guess if you see talent then its important that you back him. If you take the case of MS Dhoni – he flopped in his first 3 matches against Bangladesh – got another chance against Pakistan – flopped again but in the next match (Dhoni’s 5th) he scored a strokeful century and he never looked back since. Sanju Samson needs a chance for 2 series at least without undue pressure for him to blossom at the big stage. 

One thing that I guess he has realised is that he has to make this IPL count for him to get into the Indian set up. He played a great hand in helping Rajasthan Royals win their first match and he followed that up with even better innings yesterday. 85 off 42 balls with 4 Fours and 7 Sixes kept Rajasthan Royals in the hunt as long as he was there. He had a century in his platter but with Tewatia not able to score Sanju had to take the onus himself and too much aggression led to his downfall.

This innings of Sanju Samson would hopefully make him realise that consistent performance in IPL would keep the selectors interested. I hope without taking undue pressure he should keep performing because he has a bright future in Indian colors in the future.

Two Man of the Match awards for Sanju in a row – the stakes have never been so high for him.

4. Fielding

When the IPL started this year many players looked rusty. It was quite obvious that the 6-month lockdown had taken its toll. The fielding standards were way below par. Some of the misses in the initial matches took us back to the fielding standards of the ’80s. Yesterday it was different. KingsXi Punjab acquired the services of Jonty Rhodes this year and it has rubbed off on the team and how. People will keep talking about the Pooran save for a long time but there were other brilliant saves as well. The boundary saved by Cottrell and another one by Mayank were simply brilliant. The fielding standards have definitely picked up in the second week of the IPL.

5. Rahul Tewatia – Naam toh yaad rahega

The Rahul’s in IPL 2020 are having a field day. If it was KL Rahul’s heroics that took IPL by storm then it was the turn of Rahul Tewatia today. IPL has always given a great platform for many unknown Indian players to perform and showcase their skills in front of a global audience. When Steven Smith got out yesterday, Rajasthan Royals took a risk with Rahul Tewatia – who is a bowling allrounder – by sending him up the order. The move was failing spectacularly with Rahul unable to take even singles – forget pinch-hitting. His first 20 balls yielded only 11 runs and he was one of the reasons why Sanju Samson lost his wicket because he thought to take the onus himself. Sanju Samson in fact denied a single in one of the overs because he didn’t want to waste any balls on Tewatia anymore. But something changed after Sanju got out because the next 11 balls that Rahul Tewatia faced yielded 42 runs with one Cottrell over being smashed for 30 runs (5 sixes). By the time he got out the equation read 2 runs needed off 6 balls – the match well and truly in Rajasthan Royals’ grasp.

Last year Andre Russell won a few matches for KKR from absolutely despair situations – this innings of Tewatia was completely in Russell zone. 6 sixes in the last 11 balls that he faced turned the match completely in its head. All the hits were clean and came from the middle of the bat. The best part was that it came against International pace bowlers. I doubt if Cottrell has ever been hit in this manner ever. Incidentally, this was the highest successful chase ever in IPL history.

Let’s see if this is a one-off incident – I will be eagerly waiting to see what he does in the rest of the tournament.

It was one of the thrillers which won’t be forgotten easily. IPL 2020 is giving us a lot of reasons to smile.

So what are your thoughts on the lengths that Shami and Cottrell bowled towards the end? Was it a case of taking things lightly after Sanju Samson got out?

Thoughts?

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