The IPL is full of surprises and memorable moments. Here are my moments of today:
Mayank impresses 69 (36), KL Rahul 61 (51) does not. In a 122 run partnership, Agarwal dominated. At one point, Agarwal – 66 (30) & KL Rahul 34 (30). In a high-scoring match at the Wankhede, the slow strike rate was the difference.
Deepak Hooda, Shahrukh Khan key to this Punjab lower order. After brief collapse to 179-4 in 18.5 overs, Hooda – 22* (13) & Shahrukh – 15* (6) carried PBKS to 195. They both have played 2 innings of note now. Gayle & Pooran’s form a major concern, especially with the likes of Dawid Malan & Moises Henriques on the sidelines.
Honorable Mentions: Prithvi Shaw’s blazing 32; Lukman Meriwala & Jalaj Saxena, domestic stars, get an IPL game; Steven Smith 9 (12) in comeback game.
T20 World Cup Spotlight: Has Dhawan Solidified His Spot?
Shikhar Dhawan is enjoying this phase of his career. He is taking catching galore and scoring runs galore. Brilliant strike rate as well.
Las year KL Rahul (670 runs) edged Shikhar Dhawan (618) for the orange cap, and this battle continues in IPL 2021. Dhawan currently holds the orange cap with 186 runs, with KL at #3 with 157 runs.
Dhawan’s golden run continues. 92 & 85 in the last 3 IPL matches and 98 & 67 in 2 ODIs against England earlier.
With 23-member squad possible for the T20 World Cup, has Dhawan solidified his spot? KL Rahul, despite the critics, will most likely make the squad, but as of now, Dhawan will be in the XI. Mayank Agarwal could be a wildcard entry as well.
Broken Cricket Dream of the Day: PBKS’ Death Bowling
Another day, another unsuccessful defense by Punjab. Seasoned Mohammad Shami, Jhye Richardson, & Riley Meredith had economies of 13.25, 10.25, & 15.00 respectively. The young Arshdeep? 3-0-22-0 (7.33 economy). Chris Jordan needs to come back to this side if PBKS have any hope. Urgently.
IPL 2021 Points Table, Orange Cap, & Purple Cap Leaders
No need to go elsewhere for the Points Table, Orange Cap, & Purple Cap. We will keep updating it in every article!
Shikhar Dhawan – 186 runs (DC, 3 matches) [Earlier in the day, Glenn Maxwell (176) briefly overtook Rana (155)]
Harshal Patel – 9 wickets (RCB, 3 matches)
Teams
Played
Won
Lost
Tied No-Result
Points
Net Run Rate
1. Royal Challengers Bangalore
3
3
0
0
6
+ 0.75
2. Delhi Capitals
3
2
1
0
4
+0.453
3. Mumbai Indians
3
2
1
0
4
+0.367
4. Chennai Super Kings
2
1
1
0
2
+0.616
5. Rajasthan Royals
2
1
1
0
2
+0.052
6. Kolkata Knight Riders
3
1
2
0
2
-0.633
7. Punjab Kings
3
1
2
0
2
-0.967
8. Sunrisers Hyderabad
3
0
3
0
0
-0.483
IPL 2021 Points Table
Also, if you have not yet read our IPL Previews, here is a list of all of them! Check them out and share ahead:
Winner: Royal Challengers Bangalore won by 38 runs
Scores:RCB 204/4 – KKR 166/8
Player of the Match: AB De Villiers 76* (34)
Best Figures
Varun Chakravarthy – 2/39
Kyle Jamieson – 3/41
Most Runs
Glenn Maxwell – 78 (49)
Andre Russell – 31 (20)
Moments of The Day:
The IPL is full of surprises and memorable moments. Here are my moments of today:
Varun Chakravarthy’s Start – KKR has developed a strategy of bowling 4-5 overs of spin in the powerplay at Chennai, courtesy Harbhajan, Shakib, & Varun. Varun took out Virat Kohli & Rajat Patidar. RCB 9-2 in 2 overs. Dream start.
Eoin Morgan’s captaincy – In order to ‘save’ X-factor Varun for AB De Villiers, Varun was immediately switched out for Shakib Al Hasan. Glenn Maxwell capitalized, momentum shifted, and Bangalore never looked back. Morgan is an All-Time great captain, but certain decisions about England (Woakes, Moeen Ali, Alex Hales) & KKR (batting order, bowling match-ups) have been 50-50 recently.
Glenn Maxwell & Virat Kohli’s reactions – Maxwell is having as great of an IPL year as the 2014 season with a couple of game changing 50s in the slow pitch of Chennai. Theswitch hit six to Chakravarthy was definitely my moment of the game yesterday.
Honorable Mentions: Brilliant catch by Rahul Tripathi; Harshal Patel & Mohammad Siraj at the death (combined figures of 7-0-34-2 in a chase of 205)
World T20 Spotlight: Time For AB De Villiers’ South Africa Comeback?
ABD eclipsed Maxwell’s show with a masterclass – 76* (34) with 3 sixes. RCB finished with 70 runs in the last 5 overs, with the death overs specialist, Andre Russell, conceding 38 in his two.
Broken Cricket Dream of the Day: Shakib Al Hasan & Andre Russell
Andre Russell brought KKR close with overs worth 20 & 15 runs respectively, but it was his lack of fitness (missed several ones & twos) that could have brought KKR closer. The 1-run 19th over against Siraj was extremely painful to watch from a KKR point of view (great wide yorkers by Siraj by the way). Is it time to rest Russell & play Ben Cutting?
While Russell has been a hit-or-miss for KKR, Shakib has been missing in action altogether. Giving away 24 runs in his two overs & 26 (25) when big hitting was required. Looks low on confidence. Not good signs for KKR, especially with Morgan-DK struggling in the middle and Harbhajan-Cummins holding places that are better off for Pawan Negi-Lockie Ferguson. Maybe even a Tim Seifert could do wonders.
Also, we got featured on the #GoodBadRidiculous again with Melinda Farrell & Bharat Sundaresan! Have a listen below (discussion around our nomination starts around 16 minutes).
Umpires: Chris Gaffaney & Krishnamachari Srinivasan
What Actually Happened
Winner: Mumbai Indians won by 13 runs
Scores:MI150/5 – SRH 137/10
Player of the Match: Kieron Pollard
Best Figures
Vijay Shankar – 2/19
Rahul Chahar – 3/19
Most Runs
Quinton de Kock – 40 (39)
Jonny Bairstow – 43 (22)
Moments of The Day: Pollard, Bowling the Difference Between the Sides
The IPL is full of surprises and memorable moments. Here are my moments of today:
Vijay Shankar‘s fortunes have seen varied highs & lows in his short career. Struggling at Nidahas Trophy final, becoming India’s #4 batsman for the 2019 World Cup, aura around the ‘three-dimensional player,’ and finally in-and-out of IPL sides due to injuries. He is finally coming back to his own—wickets of Rohit Sharma & Suryakumar Yadav halted MI’s march, while his 28 (25) with 2 sixes kept SRH in the hunt. And a lovely catch in the last match as well.
Kieron Pollard is probably the greatest T20 finisher of all time, and he showed his worth in the slow Chennai pitch. 35 * (22) with 3 sixes, including a monstrous 105 meter hit. The two sixes off the last two balls might just have been the difference between the two sides, carrying MI from 138 to 150. Oh and handy spell of 2-0-10-0 in a small run chase.
Mumbai Indians’ all round bowling display.Trent Boult’s thunderbolts, Bumrah’s miserly figures of 4-0-14-1, and Chahar’s 4-0-19-3 sealed the deal after the Warner-Bairstow partnership. Bumrah’s 17th & 19th overs were crucial, and Boult’s improving death bowling skill is a good sign. If one of Adam Milne, Hardik Pandya, or Marco Jansen comes up, this Mumbai side has all the ingredients for the hat-trick of titles.
Honorable Mentions: Afghan duo, Rashid Khan & Mujeeb-ur-Rahman end up with 8-0-51-2; QDK struggles – 40 (39); Rohit Sharma’s sixes (goes past Dhoni for most sixes by an Indian), Boult’s fielding effort
Broken Cricket Dream of the Day: Hit Wicket & Run-outs
Hit Wicket & Run-outs. Bairstow was running away with the game, before he ran too far and hit his stumps on an innocuous Krunal Pandya delivery. 67-0 in 7.1 overs at one stage, this was the catalyst that was needed for the collapse. Not the first SRH hit-wicket either. Warner & Rashid have been hit wicket before as well. In a small chase, a hit wicket is bad enough. How about 2 more run-outs? Brilliant work by Hardik Pandya to get out dependable David Warner & Abdul Samad.
Ishan Kishan’s natural game was stalled today courtesy Rashid Khan’s googlies. Ended with 12 (21). With 28 & 1 earlier, he is a due a big innings soon.
IPL 2021 Points Table, Orange Cap, & Purple Cap Leaders
No need to go elsewhere for the Points Table, Orange Cap, & Purple Cap. We will keep updating it in every article!
Nitish Rana – 137 runs (KKR, 2 matches)
Harshal Patel – 7 wickets (RCB, 2 matches)
Teams
Played
Won
Lost
Tied No-Result
Points
Net Run Rate
1. Mumbai Indians
3
2
1
0
4
+0.367
1. Royal Challengers Bangalore
2
2
0
0
4
+0.175
2. Chennai Super Kings
2
1
1
0
2
+0.616
4. Delhi Capitals
2
1
1
0
2
+0.195
5. Rajasthan Royals
2
1
1
0
2
+0.052
6. Kolkata Knight Riders
2
1
1
0
2
0.00
7. Punjab Kings
2
1
0
0
2
-0.909
8. Sunrisers Hyderabad
3
0
3
0
0
-0.483
IPL 2021 Points Table
Tomorrow’s Preview
Tomorrow is the first double header!
The KKR take on the RCB in Chennai in the afternoon, & DC take on PBKS in Mumbai later that night.
Also, if you have not yet read our IPL Previews, here is a list of all of them! Check them out and share ahead:
CSK Vs PBKS– IPL 2021 Match #8 Quick Review! Deepak Chahar’s magical opening spell & Ravindra Jadeja’s fielding seal the deal for CSK. Big net run-rate gain as well.
The IPL is full of surprises and memorable moments. Here are my moments of today:
Before the pandemic, Deepak Chahar almost solidified his T20I spot, especially with Bhuvneshwar Kumar injured. Since IPL 2020, though, he has not been the same, with even Shardul Thakur overtaking him in the India XI. Today, he answered his critics with a 4-1-13-4. That out-swinging ball to Mayank Agarwal was the ball of the tournament so far.
Ravindra Jadeja had been MIA in the India-England series due to injury. He showed no fitness issues with a diving catch and iconic run-out to get rid of the dangerous KL Rahul. PBKS never recovered after Jadeja’s strikes.
Shahrukh Khan has been highly talked about after his finishing exploits in the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy. Today he made full use of his golden opportunity. From 26-5 in 6.2 overs, he dragged them to a respectable score of 106. He is a proper batter, not just a hitter.
Honorable Mentions:Mohammad Shami’s spell, Faf du Plessis’ fluent 36*
T20 World Cup Spotlight: Let Us Talk About Moeen Ali
Given that the T20I World Cup is around the corner, and pandemic induced rules has changed the rules to 23-player squad, we will be analyzing the impact of each match on the various T20I World Cup squads.
Just like Chris Woakes yesterday, another English player has been mistreated recently—Moeen Ali. Traveling with England since the South Africa tour (and committing to all formats), he had been on the sidelines. Flights, quarantines, more flights (to Sri Lanka), positive COVID result, double quarantine, 1 Test (against India), flew home, communication misunderstandings, back to India, 3 ODIs, & finally, the IPL.
He is getting the run in CSK that he did not get with England. In a low-scoring match today, he came in at 24-1 in 5 overs and destroyed the chase with a quickfire 46 (31), including 7 fours & 1 six.
Who is Ali? An opener, a #3, premier all-rounder, a spinner? Well, regardless of the role he is given, Mooen Ali is a must in the squad of 23.
Broken Cricket Dream of the Day: Punjab’s Star Power Disappoints
With a top order of KL Rahul (5), Mayank Agarwal (0), Chris Gayle (10), & Nicholas Pooran (0), one expects at least one to come to the party every game. Pooran with consecutive ducks now (although he bettered his golden duck with a 2-ball duck this time). Batting is Punjab’s strong suit, so this result was disappointing. Hope this is only a one-off.
IPL 2021 Points Table, Orange Cap, & Purple Cap Leaders
No need to go elsewhere for the Points Table, Orange Cap, & Purple Cap. We will keep updating it in every article!
Nitish Rana – 137 runs (KKR, 2 matches)
Harshal Patel – 7 wickets (RCB, 2 matches)
Teams
Played
Won
Lost
Tied No-Result
Points
Net Run Rate
1. Royal Challengers Bangalore
2
2
0
0
4
+0.175
2. Chennai Super Kings
2
1
1
0
2
+0.616
3. Mumbai Indians
2
1
1
0
2
+0.225
4. Delhi Capitals
2
1
1
0
2
+0.195
5. Rajasthan Royals
2
1
1
0
2
+0.052
6. Kolkata Knight Riders
2
1
1
0
2
0.00
7. Punjab Kings
2
1
0
0
2
-0.909
8. Sunrisers Hyderabad
2
0
2
0
0
-0.4
IPL 2021 Points Table
Tomorrow’s Preview
The MI take on the SRHin Mumbai. Who do you think will win this one?
Also, if you have not yet read our IPL Previews, here is a list of all of them! Check them out and share ahead:
Moments of The Day: Unadkat, Miller, & Morris Come Back In Style
The IPL is full of surprises and memorable moments. Here are my moments of today:
Rajasthan Royals have had two major purchases in the last few years—Jaydev Unadkat & Chris Morris. While Chris Morris has not had a major IPL season since the 2015 season with Delhi (Daredevils), Unadkat has been bitterly disappointing at RR. Today Unadkat ended up with 4-0-15-3, devouring the entire DC top order. Morris, who had been denied a run by Samson in the first game, came back with 36 (18) with 4 sixes.
The Fizz (Mustafizur Rahman) was the big positive for today. Post-injuries, his impact had dramatically reduced from the heights of his dream debut year. He was finally hitting speeds of 135 kph+ and putting revolutions on the ball. The dismissals of Stoinis & Curran were especially satisfying. With Unadkat-Fizz occupying the ‘specialist off-cutter’ position, & Sakariya/Morris for support, this is turning out pretty nicely for RR.
The fielding is finally doing justice to the standard of the IPL. After a horrendous few days, RCB-SRH brought things back on track. Today, it got even better—Samson’s flying screamer, Parag’s run out of Pant, Tewatia’s running back catch, Miller’s run out of Ashwin, & Dhawan’s 3 catches (6 in total this IPL).
Honorable Mentions:Lalit Yadav impresses; Rishabh Pant almost bails out DC with a 50; Avesh Khan’s 3 wickets
T20 World Cup Spotlight: South Africa, the Dark Horse?
Given that the T20I World Cup is around the corner, and pandemic induced rules has changed the rules to 23-player squad, we will be analyzing the impact of each match on the various T20I World Cup squads.
There was a point today where Miller & Morris partnership were facing Kagiso Rabada. Miller’s career can be divided into three phases:
Killer Miller (Pre-2016)
Where Is Miller? (2016-2020)
Accumulator Miller (Post-2020)
Frankly, if this third phase is anywhere close to ‘Killer Miller’ phase, South Africa might just have a chance for the T20I World Cup. With AB De Villiers’ return possible, the young SA squad impressing against Pakistan(Janneman Malan, Aiden Markram, Russie Van der Dussen, Klassen, Linde, Shamsi), & the IPL experience of Faf-ABD, QDK, Miller, Morris, Rabada-Nortje-Ngidi, count this Protea team out at your own peril.
The Chris Woakes & Tom Curran Conundrum – Woakes ended up with 15* & 4-0-22-2 today & 2/18 in the first game, while Curran had figures of 21 & 3.4-0-35-0 & 1/40 in the last game. Curran has played 28 T20I for England, while Woakes only has 8, last of which came in 2015. Time for a straight switch.
Broken Cricket Dream of the Day: Delhi’s Team Selection
Although the Capitals made a game out of a 148 score, their tactics should still be questioned. Why was Amit Mishra dropped? What is Rahane’s role in the team? Smith-Hetmyer? Frankly, DC’s depth is so good, but I am just afraid the constant changing & chopping will not help in the stability.
RR already dealing with Jofra Archer’s injury have been dealt with Ben Stokes being ruled out of the tournament. Hopefully he recovers well, but maybe blessing in disguise given David Miller & Liam Livingstone’s form.
IPL 2021 Points Table
No need to go elsewhere for the Points Table. We will keep updating it in every article!
Teams
Played
Won
Lost
Tied No-Result
Points
Net Run Rate
1. Royal Challengers Bangalore
2
2
0
0
4
+0.175
2. Mumbai Indians
2
1
1
0
2
+0.225
3. Punjab Kings
1
1
0
0
2
+0.2
4. Delhi Capitals
2
1
1
0
2
+0.195
5. Rajasthan Royals
2
1
1
0
2
+0.052
6. Kolkata Knight Riders
2
1
1
0
0
0.00
7. Sunrisers Hyderabad
2
0
2
0
0
-0.4
8.. Chennai Super Kings
1
0
1
0
0
-0.779
IPL 2021 Points Table
Tomorrow’s Preview
The PBKS take on the CSKin Mumbai. Who do you think will win this one?
Also, if you have not yet read our IPL Previews, here is a list of all of them! Check them out and share ahead:
Moments of The Day: Maxwell, Catches The Highlight
The IPL is full of surprises and memorable moments. Here are my moments of today:
Glenn Maxwell was the difference between the two sides. After a poor IPL 2020 (and no sixes) he has come up with 39 (28) with 2 sixes and 59 (41) with 3 sixes on slow tracks. The reverse paddle to yorker-master Natarajan was my moment of the match.
Scores of catches have been dropped over the past week, but Rashid Khan, Vijay Shankar, & Manish Pandeycame up with running/diving catches for SRH, and the over that turned the game—Harshal Patel, AB de Villiers running catch, & Shahbaz himself caught skiers.
Rashid Khanis an absolute gun T20 player. 4-0-18-2 and 17 (9) giving SRH some hope at the end.
Honorable Mentions:Warner’s 54, Holder’s dismissal of struggling Kohli
T20 World Cup Spotlight: Shahbaz Ahmed, Harshal Patel Add To India’s Depth
Given that the T20I World Cup is around the corner, and pandemic induced rules has changed the rules to 23-player squad, we will be analyzing the impact of each match on the T20I World Cup squad.
Shahbaz Ahmed & Harshal Patel – In all reality, they may never wear an Indian cap given the tough competition, but these two have been brilliant first class cricketers who are finally getting their dues in the IPL. Shahbaz is the Ben Stokes of Bengal Cricket, while Harshal has been consistent over the last 5 years. Shahbaz’s 2-0-7-3 & Harshal’s economical overs to Manish Pandey (with slower off-cutters/nailed yorkers) sealed the game for RCB.
Manish Pandey has probably been mismanaged by the Indian cricket team, but has been given ample of opportunities by SRH. He has now two consecutive innings – 61*(44) & 38 (39) – that could be considered ‘losing’ knocks. Dot balls & strike rate of 97.43 are not going to win you games.
As Simon Doull quoted Cricbuzz’s statistician, “In the last 4 seasons, Manish Pandey has faced 30+ 14 times in the last 4 seasons. Sunrisers has lost 11 of them.” That is the story of his IPL career.
IPL 2021 Points Table
No need to go elsewhere for the Points Table. We will keep updating it in every article!
Teams
Played
Won
Lost
Tied No-Result
Points
Net Run Rate
1. Royal Challengers Bangalore
2
2
0
0
4
+0.175
2. Delhi Capitals
1
1
0
0
2
+0.779
3. Mumbai Indians
2
1
1
0
2
+0.225
4. Punjab Kings
1
1
0
0
2
+ 0.2
5. Kolkata Knight Riders
2
1
1
0
0
0.00
6. Rajasthan Royals
1
0
1
0
0
-0.2
7. Sunrisers Hyderabad
2
0
2
0
0
-0.4
8.. Chennai Super Kings
1
0
1
0
0
-0.779
IPL 2021 Points Table
Tomorrow’s Preview
The Delhi Capitalstake on the Rajasthan Royals in Mumbai. Who do you think will win this one?
Also, if you have not yet read our IPL Previews, here is a list of all of them! Check them out and share ahead:
