My friend in Singapore wrote to me last week, “Ee Sala Cup Namde” (This year the cup is ours). RCB is a very well followed team but unfortunately, they have never won the tournament! This year things seem to have fallen in place mostly because their high-profile recruit, Glenn Maxwell is playing very well and justifying the price tag. With AB DeVilliers in good form too it’s like a dream run for RCB this year. Even before the match with KKR started, I told my son that the only way KKR will be able to win this match if miraculously they can pick up Virat, Maxwell, and AB DeVilliers in the first 6 overs. Once that didn’t happen, the result was a foregone conclusion. It was one of those rare one-sided matches in IPL though RCB fans won’t complain.
Let’s look at the hits and misses from yesterday’s match.
The Misses:
It’s getting into the panic zone for KKR and their batting must be a huge cause of concern. If Morgan and DK along with Gill don’t score the bulk of the runs then this team is going to struggle. Going by form currently, KKR will soon be fighting for the wooden spoon if their main players do not show up on the field. Most importantly some hard decisions should be taken and unfit players should not play in the XI. I expect some changes in the team for the next match which will be played in Mumbai.
Here is my preferred XI for the next match:
Nitish Rana, Shubhman Gill, Karun Nair, Eoin Morgan, Rahul Tripathi, Dinesh Karthick, Ben Cutting, Pat Cummins, Lockie Ferguson, Prasidh Krishna & Varun Chakravarthy
But all said and done the main players of KKR have to perform and by that I mean, Dinesh Karthick, Shubhman Gill, and Eoin Morgan! The bowling is their strength and hence the batsmen mustn’t let the team down consistently! Eoin Morgan is one of the world’s best white-ball cricketers but he is in terrible form. KKR needs him to score runs consistently if they have any hope of reaching the playoffs.
As of now, I do not see KKR reaching the playoffs! A miraculous change of fortunes can only make that happen. Cricket is a strange game though so never say never.
For RCB it’s been a dream season thus far. They have won 3 matches in a row and without contribution from Virat Kohli. This tells me that they will be the team to beat this season. They have got their combination correct this year with lots of batting and bowling options and most importantly Glenn Maxwell is playing the best that he ever had in IPL history. I am very impressed with Harshal Patel too. Another 4 weeks of this kind of performance and Harshal Patel can be a surprise entry in the Indian team for the T20s.
Can KKR turn the fortunes around? Who will be their X factor going forward?
Have a great start to the week everyone as we look forward to the resurgent CSK taking on Rajasthan Royals later in the evening!
PS. Life is very unpredictable so don’t complicate matters by thinking too much ahead of time! Plan for the future but don’t forget to live in the present.
In the last few years if there has been one team that has consistently given Mumbai Indians a run for their money then it has been Sunrisers Hyderabad! In fact last season they mowed down Mumbai Indians by 10 wickets. The way Bairstow started it looked like we are back in Sharjah but then disaster struck with Bairstow getting hit wicket. When things don’t go well, I have seen people finding strange ways to get out and Bairstow’s wicket showed that. His wicket and the subsequent run out of David Warner turned the match on its head and the weak and inexperienced middle order of SRH caved in and handed Mumbai Indians another victory in IPL 2021. So what were the hits and misses from yesterday’s match? Let’s find out:
The misses:
What to look forward to?
The Mumbai juggernaut continues and it would be difficult to stop them from here on. Their batsmen are yet to fire but they are still winning matches. They for sure are going to be one of the top 2 teams this IPL.
For Sunrisers Hyderabad it’s an unknown territory because it’s for the first time that they have lost 3 matches in a row. Sitting at the bottom of the table is not something that they are used to and I am sure it’s going to hurt David Warner a lot. Their losses from seemingly winning positions would be a cause of big concern for the team management. They need to make some changes in their batting line up and this is what I suggest for their next match: David Warner, Johny Bairstow, Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey, Vijay Shankar, Kedar Jhadav, Abdul Samad, Rashid Khan, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, N. Natarajan & Khaleel Ahmed.
This lineup strengthens their batting and with Jhadav, Shankar, and Samad in the middle order, they will have 3 options for their 5th bowler which I think is more than enough for them. with Kane back they won’t have middle-order meltdowns going forward.
What according to you should be the strategy for Sunrisers? Do write in as we head towards the first doubleheader for this season with RCB taking on KKR in the afternoon.
Are you excited?
P.S. Life is not about showing off. Life is all about spreading love and happiness. So enjoy your Sunday and be thankful for everything that you have in your life.
Some psychological scars are difficult to fathom in the world of sports. Just like KKR has a psychological barrier when it comes to playing against Mumbai Indians, Punjab Kings has a similar barrier against Chennai Superkings. Somehow Punjab plays very awkwardly against the Superkings. I don’t know why this happens but that’s how it is. Even last year where CSK struggled with most of the teams they found ways to defeat Punjab twice. CSK looks weak on paper and logically it looked very difficult for them to beat the Punjab Kings. But, that’s exactly what happened and what was dished out yesterday was a one-sided affair that is so rare in IPL. So let’s look at the hits and misses from yesterday’s match at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.
The Misses:
What to look forward to?
I would love to see Ravi Bishnoi in the team. I am not sure why he is not selected but I think he is a match-winner and Punjab kings need him.
Also, it’s time to get Jordan to come into the playing XI. He is a good all-round cricketer and it would bolster their lower-order batting too. Jordan is an excellent death bowler too. Without proper balance, Punjab kings might end up in the mid-table once again.
For CSK it was a great gift for their captain who played his 200th match in this yellow jersey. They have great balance to their side but they have a dodgy top order. Right now things look ok but how this long batting lineup works when put under big pressure would be interesting to see. I still believe they need Imran Tahir in the team.
What do you think? Can CSK go all the way this year?
Do write back with your inputs as we get ready to see if Sunrisers can win their first match of the season when they meet Mumbai Indians later in the day today.
PS. Enjoy the small moments in life. Pick up the phone and talk to your friends. Life should not be lived under the baggage of past regrets but it should be lived with love and happiness!
The pitch at the Wankhede Stadium had played quite differently from the one in Chennai. With both teams, Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Capitals having a great top order, I expected a run feast. But what happened was completely different with the bowlers having the upper hand. As has been the norm this season, we saw Indian players once again standing tall and performing better than the seasoned international cricketers. It was a redemption time for Chris Morris who was denied the single in the last match as he hit 4 sixes in the last 2 overs to wrestle the match from the clutch of Delhi Capitals. Let’s now look into the hits and misses from yesterday’s encounter.
The Misses:
What’s in store for the future?
Delhi Capitals have a big question in front of them and that’s about Steve Smith. To get a balance to the top order they need him to play in place of Rahane. Anrich Nortje has returned Covid positive so his participation in the first half of the tournament looks in doubt so I would suggest they drop Tom Curran and get Umesh Yadav in the playing XI. Otherwise, the team is looking good and I am sure they will reach the playoffs without much trouble.
For Rajasthan Royals, they have a lot of inexperience in their team so they will have to expect more consistent performance from their experienced players like Jos Buttler, David Miller, and Sanju Samson. They can bring in Livingstone in place of Shivam Dube and replace Mustafizur with Karthick Tyagi. Having 2 inexperienced players in the top 4 is a big risk for them and they need to look into it.
I will be very surprised if Rajasthan Royals along with Chennai Superkings make the playoffs this season.
So what do you think was the turning point yesterday? Was it Pant’s wicket? Or the 19th over bowled by Rabada?
Do write in as we wait for today’s Kingsized clash between Punjab Kings and Chennai Superkings!
A day back KKR won the toss decided to field first and had the match in the bag to blow it spectacularly in the final 5 overs. Well, we are told that learn from our mistakes – better still learn from others’ mistakes. In that perspective, SRH should have known the difficulty in chasing in Chennai but they still decided to chase. And the game followed in the exact template of the other day. They had to chase 150 to win and till the 13th over the match was firmly in SRH’s grasp when Warner got out. And from there the match turned on its head and RCB won the match by 6 runs.
SRH has a weak middle order or May I say an inexperienced one and it lay completely exposed yesterday!
So what were the hits and misses from yesterday’s match at Chepauk?
The Misses:
What to look forward to?
RCB seems to have got their combination right and with so many bowling options at his disposal, RCB is currently looking like a complete team. I still have doubts about Christian & Chahal but right now others are contributing and most importantly the team is winning so I do not foresee any changes in the next match.
For Sunrisers, they need to get Kane Williamson in the playing XI. He is one player who can make a huge difference to their playing XI. This obviously means that Bairstow has to sit out but the stability that Kane provides is worth in gold. I will also suggest having Kedar Jhadav in the playing XI replacing Vijay Shankar.
So what do you think should be the ideal XI for Sunrisers Hyderabad? Will they turn around their campaign in the next match?
Do write in as we get ready for another high-scoring encounter tonight at the Wankhede between, Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals.
Subho Noboborsho, everyone. Stay blessed!
Winning from hopeless situations is what differentiates a champion team from an average one and Mumbai Indians showed that yesterday in Chennai. It was the 5th match of IPL 2021 and Mumbai Indians kept their lopsided record against KKR intact. It’s one of the biggest mismatches in IPL history with Mumbai Indians winning 21 of the 27 matches that they had played previously against KKR. It became 22-6 after yesterday’s match. For 80% of the match, it was all KKR, with them needing 40 runs to win off 36 balls with 7 wickets in the hand. From there, things turned spectacularly and Mumbai Indians won the match by 10 runs.
When singles would have won them the match all their premier international players went for big hits and failed. Quite a spectacular turnaround by Mumbai Indians and it got their campaign back on track.
So what were the hits and misses from yesterday’s encounter?
The misses:
What to look forward to?
I don’t see Mumbai Indians need to do any changes going forward. This XI is their strength and they play this team continuously which is the reason why they win consistently. The Mumbai juggernaut looks set to roll on and it would be interesting to see how Sunrisers Hyderabad and Delhi Capitals play against them because these are two teams that I think are the real challengers to Mumbai Indians this season.
For Kolkata Knight Riders it was a case of so near yet so far. I don’t expect any changes in the lineup, though, I would suggest a few changes in the batting order. It’s getting increasingly clear that Gill struggles to find the gap in the powerplays and he is not comfortable going over the top consistently hence do a radical change and make Russell open the batting and give him the license to go all out in the first 6 overs. Who knows, this change might bring the old Russell back. Secondly, in spin-friendly conditions, push DK or Shakib to number 3.
I still believe that KKR has the team to reach the playoffs because their bowling is looking good and it’s the bowling that wins you championships. They will hope that Morgan will get his form back because once he is back in form, the KKR middle order will be much better than what we are currently experiencing.
So what do you think? Will KKR be able to get their house in order? Do you foresee any changes in the team going forward?
Please do share your thoughts as I anticipate another close encounter today between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings played out a thrilling high scoring encounter last season in Sharjah. Both the teams have some big power hitters and hence it’s always expected of them to give us high-scoring encounters. Rajasthan Royals without the services of Jofra Archer looks weak on the bowling front and that’s a hole they won’t be able to plug this season. For Punjab Kings, they lack genuine all-rounders which exposes a long tail which in effect puts more pressure on their top order. Wankhede is a smallish ground and we were in for another high-scoring encounter. So let’s see the hits and misses from yesterday’s match.
The Hits:
1. Last year’s orange cap holder, KL Rahul has had a pretty ordinary start to 2021 when he failed with the bat multiple times against England in the T20. He was finally dropped from the playing XI. He came back strongly in the ODIs though scoring a century. That series did a world of good for him as he started with positive intent yesterday. He took his time initially but grew in confidence in the latter part of the innings. When Rahul is in form batting looks so easy. His pick-up shots on the leg side are a treat to watch. He missed his century by a whisker being denied by a superb catch by Tewatia on the boundary ropes.
2. Deepak Hooda had a very unpleasant 2021 when he was removed from the Baroda side during the Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament after having a tiff with Krunal Pandya. I guess that incident spurred him to do well this season of the IPL. He was sent up the order ahead of Nicholas Pooran and he took all the bowlers to the cleaners. Some of his shots were simply breathtaking though I must say, that Rajasthan Royals’ bowling was plain trash on most of the occasions. Royals did the mistake of having too many spinners for a small ground with a pitch that hardly gave any assistance to the bowlers. Honda’s innings of 64 runs of 28 balls made a huge difference in the final total.
3. Chetan Sakariya was a surprise choice to start for Rajasthan Royals. I expected Unadkat or Tyagi to get the nod ahead of him but he soon showed why he was selected by picking up Mayank Agarwal within the power plays. He came back strongly towards the end too picking up 2 wickets in the final over. In between, he pulled off a stunning catch to get rid of Nicholas Pooran. A great addition to the Royals set up and I hope he builds on from here because India needs a good left-arm pacer.
4. Riyan Parag makes shot-making look very easy. In the last 2 seasons, he had shown enough glimpse of his talent and I believe he is enough matured now to convert the good starts into big scores. For that to happen, he would need to bat a bit higher this season. Ideally, number 5 looks good for him. Yesterday he was sent at number 6 and in the space of a few deliveries he brought the momentum back for Rajasthan with some sweetly executed strokes.
5. Till now Sanju Samson has been an enigma in Indian cricket. When he is in form, there is no better batsman to watch but consistency has been a big problem for him over the years. He sometimes plays a few risky shots which bring about his downfall. He will do well to cut down on these risky strokes early in the innings. He is best when he takes some time to get his eye in before playing those lofted strokes. Yesterday he looked like a man possessed and he almost made an unlikely chase possible only to miss out on the last ball. 4th century in the IPL for him yesterday and probably his best. Looking forward to some consistency this year from him.
6. Arshdeep Singh made some good contributions with the ball towards the end of the last season. India is on the lookout for some good left-arm pacers and Arshdeep’s performance yesterday after the heroics of Chetan Sakariya in the first innings shows that India has back up resources in this department. His last over was wonderfully executed. Rajasthan Royals needed 13 off the last over with Samson and Morris at the crease but he was able to defend that to give Punjab Kings a 4 runs victory.
The Misses:
1. Without the services of Jofra Archer, Rajasthan Royals have a problem in hand when it comes to their bowling. This imperatively means that for one, Mustafizur and Chris Morris together can’t have bad days on the field. Also important is that Ben Stokes need to bowl some important overs and he along with Buttler has to contribute consistently with the bat. Bowling is the team’s weak point so their batsmen have to overcome that by scoring a few extra runs. Yesterday all their foreign recruits fail to deliver. That they were still able to come close to the Punjab Kings score of 221 runs was only due to the special innings from Sanju Samson.
2. Rahul Tewatia became a household name last season after some consistent performances. This year his stakes have risen and it’s now up to him to show the world that it was not a fluke. He failed with both the bat and the ball. The catch that he took to dismiss Rahul was a great one though.
3. Though Punjab Kings won the match, I don’t think we would have seen such a close match without the help of the Punjab Kings’ fielders. 3 absolute easy catches were dropped and Sanju Samson was a beneficiary too. I am sure their fielding coach, Jhonty Rhodes will have some tough words to say to the players after yesterday’s horror show.
What to look forward to?
I felt Rajasthan Royals did a mistake in team selection yesterday by playing an extra spinner. Wankhede is not the kind of ground where you play two leg spinners if both of them are not Rashid Khan category. I will suggest one change and that is to get Karthick Tyagi in place of Shreyas Gopal for the next match. They can also think of getting Miller in place of Vohra and Unadkat in place of Mustafizur. Here is my XI for their next match.
Manan Vohra, Jo Buttler, Sanju Samson, Ben Stokes, Rayan Parag, Shivam Dube, Rahul Tewatia, Chris Morris, Mustafizur Rehman, Karthick Tyagi & Chetan Sakariya.
For the Punjab Kings, they have a problem with their team balance due to the lack of all-rounders on their side. They can’t do anything about it so they need to get their combination right. I think playing Chris Jordan in place of Riley Meredith would make more sense because Jordan is more than handy with the bat and his bowling in the death overs is very good. Also, I think Ravi Bishnoi is one of the best talents in Indian cricket and I was slightly disappointed seeing him benched yesterday. I hope they get him back to the playing XI in the next match.
Here is my XI for their next match.
KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran, Deepak Hooda, Shahrukh Khan, Chris Jordan, Md. Shami, Jhye Richardson, Ravi Bishnoi & Arshdeep Singh.
So what do you think about Sanju Samson’s innings yesterday? Will he be able to have a consistent season this year? Can he win the Orange cap this season? Do write in with your thoughts as I get ready to watch KKR take on Mumbai Indians later in the evening.
Two very balanced sides, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders took the field yesterday to kick start their respective campaigns. The match was held at Chepauk, Chennai. On paper, both these sides look good with more strengths than weaknesses but cricket is a funny game and it surprises you when you least expect them. Last year, Sunrisers and KKR played out an exciting tie in the UAE, and going into the match yesterday I expected another thriller.
So let’s look at the hits and misses from yesterday’s match.
The Hits
1. Nitish Rana holds the record of the most half-centuries scored by an uncapped player. After a dozen half-centuries, he is yet to crack into the Indian team is only because of his lack of consistency. Last season he scored half-centuries and then invariably followed that with a duck on the next match. Yesterday he played a fabulous knock of 80 runs and gave KKR a lovely start. He needs to now ensure that he scores consistently throughout the tournament so that the selectors take notice.
2. Rahul Tripathi is another player who looks so good on the eye when in full flow but lacks consistency. Another year and another half-century in his first match. Now hoping for some consistency from him for the rest of the tournament. His big-hitting against Bhubaneswar Kumar turned out to be one of the big reasons for KKR’s win.
3. Dinesh Karthick recently stated that he wishes to play for Team India and make a mark in the coming World Cup. For that to happen he needs big runs and yesterday he showed why he is one of India’s best finishers even today. His quick-fire 22 runs of 9 balls at the end took KKR from a par score to a winning score. The final margin of victory was much lesser than what DK scored in the last over.
4. Rashid Khan is the best leg spinner in the world, especially in white-ball cricket. He is in a separate zone altogether. His 4 overs are like a fixed deposit for his captain and he showed why once more yesterday. First, he came in to dislodge Shubman Gill and later took the wicket of Russell to put KKR under temporary pressure!
5. Prasidh Krishna was a surprise addition to the Indian team in the recently concluded ODI series against England. To be fair to him he turned in a very good performance and it was quite thrilling to see the amount of bounce he could extract from the pitches in each of the three matches he played. He is tall and he has good pace. Yesterday he showed that his confidence is now sky high because the ball that took the wicket of David Warner left everyone bewildered. Warner didn’t expect such pace and bounce from a docile Chennai track. Prasidh Krishna was economical and took 2 wickets too. He would be the man to watch out for this season.
6. At 10/2, chasing 188 Surisers Hyderabad was in some strife. But Bairstow and Manish Pandey brought the match alive with some clean hitting and beautiful running between the wickets. Bairstow in particular looked in ominous touch and it was his wicket that turned the match in KKR’s favour decisively. Both he and Manish scored fifties but the damage done in the powerplay was too much to be covered up in the end.
7. Abdul Samad is a player I am really looking forward to this season. He showed glimpses of his special talent last year and he showed it yesterday too with two fabulous hits off Pat Cummins in the 19th over. That KKR won with a 10 run margin was only because of Abdul Samad otherwise the gap would have been far bigger. I hope Sunrisers make him bat at number 5 not at number 7. In the field, he took two catches too. The guy can bowl decent leg-spin too though he was not called for bowling yesterday.
What were the misses?
1. Bhuvaneshwar Kumar missed the IPL last year due to an injury and that left a gaping hole in the Sunrisers set up. With him back in action this year, Sunrisers needed him to bowl the important overs at the start and the death. But with Tripathi and Rana going great guns, Warner was forced to get Bhuvi in the middle overs but it turned askew as Tripathi took Bhuvi to the cleaners. We don’t often see Bhuvaneshwar getting hit in such a manner. It was an off-day for him yesterday.
2. David Warner has been struggling with a groin injury and I am not sure if he is still 100% fit and he looked off-colour yesterday during his brief stay on the crease. He could have got out in the first over itself when Cummins dropped his catch but he couldn’t capitalise and got out in the next over against Prasidh Krishna. With an inexperienced middle order, Sunrisers Hyderabad will expect him to come good in the next match.
3. Shubhman Gill is terribly out of touch. He had a terrific series in Australia but he has not done much since then. Yesterday, he failed once again and KKR will hope that he gets back his touch soon. Yesterday 4 delightful cover drives were hit straight to the fielders – I hope he works on this aspect because playing in the gaps is an art and I am sure he will come back stronger in the future matches.
4. Andre Russell looks fitter but he is still not at his best. This year there is a backup in Ben Cutting so if he doesn’t deliver, I won’t be surprised if he is replaced. He failed with the bat but redeemed himself somewhat with two good overs at the end. But overall he is still a pale shadow of 2019.
What to look forward to?
For Sunrisers Hyderabad they need a little bit of rejigging in their lineup. They need Kane Williamson in the playing XI and that would mean Nabi missing out. Williamson not only holds the innings together he is handly with the ball too. Here is my predicted XI for the next match: David Warner, Johny Bairstow, Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey, Abdul Samad, Kedar Jhadav, Abhisekh Sharma, Rashid Khan, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, Sandeep Sharma, N. Natarajan
For Kolkata Knight Riders they made a good start to their campaign but Mumbai Indians await in the next match. They have a horrible record against the defending champions so they need to be at their best because Mumbai Indians would come hard after their first loss against Royal Challengers Bangalore. Here is my predicted XI for the next match: Shubhman Gill, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, Eoin Morgan, Shakib Al Hasan, Dinesh Karthick, Andre Russell, Pat Cummins, Kuldeep Yadav & Varun Chakravarthy.
Will KKR be able to build up from here? Or will they remain inconsistent like previous years? Will they be able to beat Mumbai Indians? What do you think? Do write in as we build up to another great match today between Punjab Kings and Rajasthan Royals.
It’s a fresh week everyone – hope all of you are excited to take on the new challenges that life throws at you. Be happy, Be excited, and keep winning!
IPL moved to Mumbai yesterday where Chennai Superkings met last year’s finalists, Delhi Capitals. With Suresh Raina back this season, Chennai’s middle order looks better, though the biggest attraction of any match involving Chennai Superkings is always Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Delhi without the services of their captain, Shreyas Iyer had a gap to fill and the bigger challenge was how would Rishabh Pant, the captain for this year cope with the new responsibility. Delhi Capitals had another problem in hand with both Rabada and Nortje serving mandatory quarantine which meant on paper their bowling looked slightly weaker than it actually is. It was of course a good opportunity for CSK to put up a big score when Rishabh Pant invited them to bat after winning the toss.
So let’s look at the hits and misses from yesterday’s match.
The Hits:
1. Prithvi Shaw: He has had a tough couple of years and lost his place in the Indian team too. But he had a terrific domestic season scoring over 800 runs in the recently concluded CK Nayudu trophy. I expected him to carry that form to IPL and he didn’t disappoint. He has tremendous hand-eye coordination which allows him to play shots even against perfectly pitched deliveries. One crunching cover drive against Sam Curran and a lofted shot which went for a six over long-on against Deepak Chahar drove home the point. He played in one gear throughout the match and when he finally got out after scoring 72 runs off 38 balls Delhi Capitals were well on to their way to victory.
2. Shikhar Dhawan: last season Dhawan roared back to form after an indifferent start with a majestic century against CSK. His eyes must have lit up after seeing CSK as Delhi Capital’s first opposition in 2021. Some people have this happy knack of playing well against certain oppositions and for Dhawan, CSK seems to be that team. He had a pretty good ODI series against England and he continued in the same zest yesterday. Pulls, drives, cuts all were in equal display and he looked all set for a century but got out for 85 runs leaving Delhi Capitals on the cusp of victory.
3. Suresh Raina: Suresh Raina missed out the last season and CSK missed him terribly. I was interested to see if he could have an impact this year especially after retiring from international cricket. But from the time he took the crease, it didn’t feel like that he has not played for so long. His trademark lofted strokes were back and he was particularly severe on the spinners. In the process, he brought up his half-century which incidentally was the first 50 of IPL 2021. Suresh Raina is back and his fans must be doubly thrilled seeing the way he batted yesterday.
4. Sam Curran: If there is one player whom I like to watch from England it’s Sam Curran. He plays well when his team requires him the most and he showed that in the last ODI against India too. Last season he played some matches as an opener for CSK and got a limited amount of success. Yesterday he was held back for the slog overs and it was his clean hitting towards the end that took CSK to 188 runs by scoring 34 runs off 15 balls.
5. Avesh Khan: He was the surprise package yesterday for Delhi Capitals. I expected Umesh Yadav to play and hence I was particularly surprised to see Avesh getting a game ahead of both Ishant and Umesh. But his bowling throughout the match showed why he got selected. His excellent control over line and length kept all the batsmen in check and with wickets of Faf DuPlessis and MS Dhoni to boot, Avesh Khan is set to have a longer run in the playing XI this season.
6. Chris Woakes: Rishabh Pant missed a trick by under bowling Woakes yesterday. That one over cost Delhi Capitals at least 15 runs because Woakes finished with 2/18 in 3 overs whereas Tom Curran went for 1/40 in 4 overs. Woakes made the ball swing from the word go and his wicket of Ruturaj Gaikwad was a dream wicket for any swing bowler. An over in the middle overs when Raina was going great guns would have stifled CSK surely.
So what were the misses?
1. Before the tournament started, one aspect that I was keen to look at was India’s spinning options when it came to white-ball cricket. Ashwin has had a terrific test cricket season this year but when it comes to white-ball cricket he ends up doing too many experiments. He was trying too many variations yesterday and both Raina and Rayudu took full toll against him. The same was the condition of Amit Mishra too. Mishra particularly lacked pace and with smaller boundaries, in the Wankhede, he went for plenty too. All spinners across both the teams had a very ordinary outing yesterday.
2. IPL is the only occasion when we could see MSD play. I was looking forward to his batting but he failed miserably scoring a two-ball duck. Forcing the pace right from the start is difficult for Dhoni and I always felt number 3 or 4 is the best place for him to bat. Unfortunately coming lower down the order only makes things difficult for him. I hope he plays in the top order in the future matches
3. Ruturaj Gaikwad had a great finish last year and it was good to see that CSK started with him. But he failed to deceive getting out to a lovely outswinger against Woakes. He missed a simple catch in the outfield too giving life to the rampaging Prithvi Shaw. With CSK boasting a long batting order, I hope he doesn’t get dropped to accommodate a wicket-taking bowler. He needs to make his opportunities count.
What to look forward to?
With Rabada and Nortje coming back from the next match it would be interesting to see how Delhi Capitals accommodate them. With Woakes and Avesh doing so well it’s an interesting choice on their hands. Delhi is blessed with plenty of riches warming the bench and no wonder they are one of the favourites to win the tournament this year.
My predicted playing XI for the next match: Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant, Ajinkya Rahane, Marcus Stoinis, Vishnu Vinod, Chris Woakes, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Avesh Khan.
With Dwayne Bravo coming in at number 9 and Shardul Thakur at 10, it’s a case of having too many options with the bat for CSK. They need a couple of bowlers who can force the issue because in their current XI they have too many holding bowlers. I would suggest getting Ngidi and Tahir or Karn Sharma in the playing XI. How they accommodate them and who gets sacrificed would be an interesting watch.
Here is my predicted XI for the next match. Faf Du Plessis, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, Sam Curran, MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Shardul Thakur, Karn Sharma, Deepak Chahar, Ngidi.
Delhi Capitals look very strong and would be the team to beat this season. With Rabada and Nortje back they would become more balanced and I don’t see any problem in them reaching the playoffs.
For CSK unfortunately this is not looking good. I think this would be another season where they will miss out on reaching the playoffs. I am sure though that MSD will have some tricks which he will bring out from his bag in due course. Raina needs to have a stellar IPL for CSK to be competitive this year.
So what do you think should be the way forward for CSK? Do you think Prithvi Shaw will be able to bring consistency to his game? Who impressed you the most yesterday? Did you get surprised with Avesh Khan’s performance?
Do write in as I gear up to watch my favourite team KKR take the ground later today.
Stay blessed everyone. Keep enjoying the moments that life throws up to you. Live to your fullest and keep following the journey of the 12th man!
It’s less than 6 months and we are back with another edition of the cricketing extravaganza, Indian Premier League. Last season the tournament was shifted to the United Arab Emirates amidst the surge of Covid-19 but this year we are back in India albeit with no crowds. It’s poignant to note that on the day IPL started, India counted more than 1,40,000 new Covid-19 cases. To conduct a tournament of such a magnitude under such an environment is a challenge in itself but IPL as a brand has grown so much over the past decade that it has become a medium through which people not only get entertained but makes a lot of moolah too for businesses who are associated with the brand.
The tournament kick-started yesterday in Chennai where the two-times defending champions, Mumbai Indians faced the Royal Challengers Bangalore. Both these teams are perennially slow starters and I was excited to see who gets off the block better this time around.
So here are the hits and misses from yesterday’s match.
The Hits:
Kohli has made a name for himself in losing tosses and so when he won the toss yesterday he surprised himself by winning it. I hope he carries this toss-winning habit to England too where toss would be a very important factor in the WTC finals.
Going into the match I was interested to see who among Siraj, Saini, Jamieson, and Harshal Patel gets the nod to play in the first XI. Only 3 out of 4 could make the cut and quite predictably Saini missed out. Harshal Patel had a very good domestic season and Saini has fallen off the radar as Siraj’s stocks kept rising after the Australia series. But given all that, no one could have predicted the performance of Harshal Patel yesterday. He went for 14 runs in the first over but came back strongly in the next 3 to finish with 5 for 27 runs. His last over which was the final over of the Mumbai innings too went for just 1 run and 4 wickets (one run out). 5 yorkers in the last over showed why he was preferred over Saini.
Before the start of the tournament, one important aspect of RCB that needed to be looked into was their middle-order batting and slog overs bowling. With Harshal Patel and Siraj doing a commendable job it was interesting to see how the batting order responds. For years this team has been highly dependent on Kohli and AB DeVilliers to take them home. Devdutt Padikkal brought in new hopes last season but with him being indisposed yesterday, Maxwell needed to come good. He did justice yesterday by being the Maxwell the world knows of. He didn’t let any of the bowlers settle and controlled the middle overs with aplomb. 39 off 28 balls should give the RCB management a lot of hope going into the future matches. Just to bring things into perspective, Maxwell’s highest score last season was only 32 runs – that he has already overshot that score on the first match must give the other teams plenty to think and plan about.
Chris Lynn didn’t get a match last season. Mumbai Indians had such a good batting unit that they didn’t need any changes in the top of the order. But with Quinton DeKock still under mandatory quarantine it opened up an opportunity for Chris Lynn. He started slow and Virat Kohli got in spinners early knowing his weakness against leg-spin but Lynn was in no mood to let go of the opportunity. The big sixes were back and he looked all set for a half-century when he got out for 49. He was the highest scorer among both the teams so a very good start from him this season.
Marco Jensen is one player about whom I had no clue about. I expected Nathan Coulter-Nile to be the third pacer for Mumbai Indians but Jensen’s selection came to me as a surprise. A 20-year-old tall left-arm pace bowler from South Africa, Jensen was the only uncapped player in the Mumbai Indians’ lineup. He went for a few in the first over but he came back very strongly in the next 3. He doesn’t have too much pace but his lines are quite accurate. He was also given the duty of bowling the last over with RCB needing 7 runs to win. That he was able to take it to the last ball was an achievement in itself especially with AB DeVillers on strike. A good prospect for South Africa as well as Mumbai Indians because his pace variations could be very useful as the tournament wears on.
The misses:
India’s white-ball leg-spinning options have dwindled over the last 2 years. With the rise of Kuldeep and Chahal in 2017, India had a potent force to block the middle overs in international cricket. But both of them have gone into the shadows and India is desperately looking for more options. Yesterday there were two leg spinners on view and I was hoping for a good performance from both Rahul Chahar and Yuzvendra Chahal. Unfortunately, both of them failed. Rahul Chahar returned 0/43 while Chahal returned with 0/41 and this happening in Chennai where the spinners were supposed to have a better say in the proceedings was highly disappointing.
Washington Sundar’s rising stock got a blow yesterday. He had a match to forget. Dropped an easy catch in the boundary line which ultimately went for a six was a sucker punch for him. The match might have finished in the 19th over itself if that catch was taken but then cricket is not the place to discuss ifs and buts. He was the surprise opening partner with Virat Kohli and he looked completely out of sorts. One thing that we have got used to Sundar is his good pick-up shots on the leg side and his timing on the offside. Unfortunately, all was missing yesterday and he made a painful 10 runs off 15 balls. His wicket of Chris Lynn was a good breakthrough for RCB though.
What to look forward to:
With RCB making a hash of the chase towards the end, I think they will do well to replace Shahbaz Ahmed with Devdutt Padikkal. They already have a lot of bowling options so it would be better to replace a bowling all-rounder with a batsman. My predicted next XI for RCB in the next match: Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, AB DeVilliers, Dan Christian, Washington Sundar, Kyle Jamieson, Harshal Patel, Md. Siraj & Yuzvendra Chahal. This looks more balanced with 7 bowling options to boot.
For Mumbai Indians, it’s the 9th year in a row that they have lost the opening encounter so this is familiar territory for them. That they were still able to take the match to the last ball showed the level of competitiveness this team has. I would suggest a few changes though for the next match and they are replacing Rahul Chahar with Piyush Chawla and getting Jayant Yadav in place of Krunal Pandya. My predicted XI for the next match is Rohit Sharma, Chris Lynn, Surya Kumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Marco Jensen, Jayant Yadav, Piyush Chawla, Jasprit Bumrah, and Trent Boult.
The performance of Maxwell makes RCB a serious contender for this season and I think we are going to see another very close IPL in 2021.
What do you think? Who impressed you the most yesterday! Do you advise any changes for any of the teams?
Do write in as the action moves to Mumbai today with CSK taking on last year’s finalists, Delhi Capitals.
Keep well guys as I get ready to exercise my franchise today!