Moment of The Day: Chris Gayle’s Stump Goes Flying
After Kagiso Rabada’s consistent breakthrough IPL seasons, IPL 2021 has been a letdown so far. With Anrich Nortje on the bench, his position was under the scanner. Just 3 wickets in the last 5 games, he came back with a 3/36 today. My moment of the day was Rabada taking Gayle’s stump out with a full-toss after Gayle had dispatched Rabada for a six.
Mayank Agarwal was the batsman of IPL 2020 although he got injured halfway through. After his form dropped from Test cricket, he was not looking like his own. Even though he was among the runs this year, the ball-striking and strike rate was not up to par. As stand-in captain for KL Rahul, he was back to his absolute best. 99* (58) pushed PBKS to a competitive score of 166.
Honorable Mention: Hetmyer’s finishes it off in style – 16* (4) with 2 sixes
T20 World Cup Spotlight: Shaw, Shikhar Shoe-In for the 23-Member Squad?
Prithvi Shaw has been single-handedly dismantling the opposition within the powerplay, while Shikhar Dhawan has been killing the opposition softly. Together, they have formed a deadly combination, both in the top 4 of top run-getters.
Dhawan is the orange cap: 380 runs, 54.28 average, 134.27 strike rate.
If the T20 World Cup happens, they should definitely make the squad now. The question is, do they make the XI? With Mumbai Indians trio Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, and Suryakumar struggling for form, Dhawan-Shaw might be a wildcard opening entry rather than Sharma-Kohli. KL Rahul & Mayank Agarwal are the other options.
Broken Cricket Dream of the Day: Dawid Malan
Nicholas Pooran was finally dropped for Dawid Malan. Malan already scored higher than Pooran in his six games – but the strike rate was concerning. 26 (26) with a few good looking shots and singles, but was bogged down. Where do things stand for him?
Ravi Bishnoi has pulled some blinders and have had some good games with the ball. After Harpreet got Prithvi Shaw out and Steve Smith slow to get off, PBKS had a sniff. Shikhar Dhawan had other plans as he destroyed Bishnoi. Ended with figures of 4-0-42-0.
Moments of The Day: Top Order, Spinners Make It Delhi’s Day (Barely)
The IPL is full of surprises and memorable moments. Here are my moments of today:
Prithvi Shaw‘s first six scoring shots included 5 fours and one six. All from the middle of the bat to give DC a start that they wanted in Chennai. At this ground, a quickfire 53 was the momentum that was the difference between the two sides.
The only other batsman that played a long innings was Kane Williamson. Having collapsed earlier with smaller targets, Kane Williamson showed his worth in this 160 run chase. Batted through the innings and got SRH close to victory. Well, at least to the Super Over.
Avesh Khan& Jagadeesha Suchith are the names on the long list of young Indian talent. Avesh Khan impressed yet again with 34/3 and is now second on the Purple Cap list (11 wickets) behind Harshal Patel. At the end of the innings, Axar Patel’s back-to-back wickets of Abhishek Sharma & Rashid Khan, it looked curtains for SRH. Williamson needed support and got a timely 14*(6) from Suchith. 2 fours and a pulled six off Kagiso Rabada.
The spin trio of Ashwin (4-0-27-0), Axar (4-0-26-2), and Mishra (4-0-31-1) finally played together, and they all delivered. The ball was turning square, and they were varying their pace and deliveries accordingly. May be the last time to see these three together this year.
Honorable Mentions: Rishabh Pant-Steven Smith 58 run partnership; Delhi’s Spin Trio
Broken Cricket Dream of the Day: Why Didn’t Bairstow Play the Super Over?
Jonny Bairstow was on fire again with quickfire 38 (18) with 4 sixes and has been SRH’s most destructive & consistent batsman this season. Hence, it was surprising that he was not sent with Williamson in the Super Over. His expression on the sidelines went viral.
Moments of The Day: Stalwarts Mishra, Shikhar Steal The Show
The IPL is full of surprises and memorable moments. Here are my moments of today:
Amit Mishrais the most successful spinner with 164 wickets in all of IPL (7 away from #1 spot- Malinga) and for good reason too. 38 years young, his guile, spin, and googly continues to puzzle people to this day. Although he did not play last year and was out of the XI in the first few games this IPL, Chennai was the ideal venue for him to exploit his leg spin. With Kuldeep-Chahal struggling in internationals & Ashwin out of contention in T20I, is there a small window for his comeback? (Although he has not been treated too well in his international career).
On paper, Shikhar Dhawan’s45 (42) flatters to deceive, but in context, this may have been just as important as his 85 and 92. At Chepauk, KKR & SRH has lost from winning position against MI, but the experience of Shikhar Dhawan & Steven Smith pushed DC across the line.
Emergence of Lalit Yadav– Along with the experience of Dhawan-Smith, 24-year-old Lalit Yadav stood up with an all-round performance of 4-0-17-1 & mature 22*(25).
Honorable Mentions: Rohit Sharma’s 44
Broken Cricket Dream of the Day: The Power Three of MI?
Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, & Krunal Pandya has been the engine room for the Mumbai Indians, yet they have looked out of sorts this year. In the four innings, they have accumulated:
Hardik Pandya – 35 runs, best of 15
Kieron Pollard – 49 runs, best of 35*, 1 wicket (one match winning performance)
Krunal Pandya – 26 runs, best of 3*, 3 wickets (including match winning 1/13 spell Vs KKR)
RCB’s success in Chennai had been built on Glenn Maxwell & AB De Villiers, and that has been missing from MI’s #4-6.
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 – 231 runs (DC, 4 matches)
Harshal Patel – 12 wickets (RCB, 4 matches)
Teams
Played
Won
Lost
Tied No-Result
Points
Net Run Rate
1. Royal Challengers Bangalore
4
4
0
0
8
+ 1.009
2. Chennai Super Kings
4
3
1
0
6
+1.142
3. Delhi Capitals
4
3
1
0
6
+0.426
4. Mumbai Indians
4
2
2
0
4
+0.187
5. Sunrisers Hyderabad
4
1
3
0
2
-0.228
6. Kolkata Knight Riders
4
1
3
0
2
-0.7
7. Punjab Kings
4
1
3
0
2
-0.824
8. Rajasthan Royals
4
1
3
0
2
-1.011
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:
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:
The IPL is full of surprises and memorable moments. Here are my moments of today:
Surprises
The return of Suresh Raina: Several questions about his commitment over the past year, but he came back in style. The hoicks & cuts are back. 4 sixes. With Moeen Ali, it was exactly the impetus CSK were missing last year in the middle overs.
Dhawan-Shaw Make a Mark: Dhawan 85, Shaw 72, 138 opening partnership. With the declaration that Kohli-Sharma will open in the World T20I world cup and KL Rahul & Ishan Kishan as reserves, Shikhar Dhawan & Prithvi Shaw seem to be out of the reckoning. With a 23-man squad possible now, commanding performances like today will help their cases. Just toyed with the field!
The Battle of the Currans:In the penultimate over of the 1st innings, Tom Curran came to bowl in the death to Sam Curran. 2 fours, 2 sixes, and 23 runs later, the younger brother wins the battle.
Honorable Mentions:Free-flowing Moeen Ali, impressive Avesh Khan, 3 catches for Gabbar!
Let us continue the IPL Party with SRH All-Time XI!
Ever since Deccan Chargers became SRH, they have been ultra consistent. With the likes of Shikhar Dhawan, David Warner, and Kane Williamson, their top order has been in safe hands.
Their most unique characteristic, though, is their bowling. Regularly in slow Hyderabad pitches, they have defended scores between 140-150. Most Indian fast bowling internationals have been acquired by SRH at some point or another – Irfan Pathan, Ishant Sharma, Ashish Nehra, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar as well as the up and coming Siddharth Kaul, Barinder Sran, Khaleel Ahmed, and Basil Thampi.
With so many choices available, who makes it in YOUR SRH All-Time XI? VOTE BELOW AND SHARE YOUR XI WITH YOUR FRIENDS!
*Note: We are NOT including players from Deccan Chargers since SRH has been pretty successful since 2013 (even though players like Rohit Sharma, Andrew Symonds, Adam Gilchrist, and RP Singh were instrumental in their 2009 win).
The Catch
As mentioned above, great top order, foreign players, and fast bowlers – but what about the Indian batsmen? Manish Pandey/Vijay Shankar/Yusuf Pathan maybe?
Warner, Williamson, Bairstow? Shakib, Nabi, Rashid Khan, and the Fizz? All great international players. Pick 4 now. The struggle SRH still faces—the problem of plenty.
Image Courtesy: Bhuvneshvar Kumar – Dee03 / CC BY-SA 3.0; Kane Williamson – Mark Lockett / CC BY-SA 2.0; Jonny Bairstow – Mcadge / CC BY-SA 4.0; David Warner – Original photograph: NAPARAZZICrop: Ham105 / CC BY-SA 2.0
