Hello and a warm welcome to yet another blog on the daily match reviews on this year’s IPL. One of these 3 games was an absolute thriller, but the other two were one-sided affairs. So without any due, let’s get started!
Kolkata Knight Riders VS Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Faf du Plessis won the toss and opted to field first with RCB wearing their yearly green jersey under a scorching heat. Salt was off to a flyer but the RCB bowlers had their plans covered for Narine and got him early. But Salt had done much damage in the powerplay before he was dismissed. But Shreyas Iyer was at his best, with Rinku and Russell stitching crucial partnerships with him and Ramandeep finished strong, giving KKR 222, an excellent score. However, the RCB openers, filled with intent played superbly but fell shortly after, but Jacks and the king of Kolkata, Patidar were pelting the KKR spinners with ease and it looked like RCB would cruise through. But Russell and Narine changed things and picked up 4 wickets in 2 overs. Soon DK fell with RCB needing 21 off the last over, with no recognised batter left. But Karn Sharma, from nowhere smoked 3 sixes but Starc held his nerve to hand RCB a 1-run defeat, the most heartbreaking loss for RCB this season.
In another Eden thriller, RCB’s bowling looked composed for the first time this season and even though KKR hit 222, I feel this was a much better show from our bowlers. Still, again that luck factor went wrong thrice for us, one was Kohli’s no-ball, Russell getting out to a no-ball on the first ball he faced and the other was Narine’s no-ball to Lomror, by the barest of margins both were dismissed and it proved to be the turning points in the game. KKR got that 222 because of Salt’s start but failed to continue. I feel they should have capitalised on the middle overs and got 240. But the highlight for RCB was Karn Sharma hitting those sixes. This is the reward for every RCB fan, even though DK got out the previous over, watching the game and hoping a bowler could hit 3 sixes, but still ended up on the losing side. So I loved the fight our boys showed today against a mighty team, everyone pitching in, but the luck factor was completely not on our side. But still, we have a mathematical chance to go to the playoffs, and without any shame or disappointment, we will continue believing we can win the next 6 and have a chance to play in the playoffs. We have experienced this many times, but chin up and be positive as we play the Sunrisers at their den. So with that said, a thrilling game in which both teams threw in the middle but in the end, KKR won by a run, avenging the RR defeat and doing the double over RCB for the second year in a row.
Punjab Kings VS Gujarat Titans | Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Stadium, Mullanpur
Sam Curran won the toss and opted to bat first in their last game at Mullanpur. Finally, the Kings’ openers were off to a flyer but the GT spinners were on point after the powerplay, which triggered a massive collapse, but Harpreet Brar’s quick-fire 29 gave the Kings a respectable total of 142. The Titans started well but lost the plot completely during the middle overs with Harshal and Livingstone pitching in important wickets. But the ice-man, Tewatia, guided his team comfortably over the line when things became difficult, giving the Titans a much-needed victory by 3 wickets.
In the last game at Mullanpur, the Kings’ openers finally had a good hit but yet again the other batters were dismissed cheaply. What made their batting look worse was Shashank and Ashutosh also fell cheaply by the GT spinners, especially Noor and Sai Kishore. But one thing I would want to point out is the performance of Harpreet Singh Bhatia, the Punjab state captain, was absolutely horrendous in the end, not giving Rabada strike, who showed he could hit the ball cleanly the last game, and refusing the singles. I felt the Kings left about 10 runs due to this, which cost them. Their bowling was good but GT were never completely out of the chase. Things started getting tricky but Tewatia, like always he does, finished yet another game for his team. So overall, a chaotic game with some poor batting from both sides, especially PBKS, who maybe could have used Shikhar as an impact player or used Atharva Taide instead of Harpreet Singh Bhatia, whose performance was beyond worse and made the difference between the two teams in the end…
Rajasthan Royals VS Mumbai Indians | Sawai Mansingh Stadium
Hardik Pandya won the toss and opted to bat first at the SMS. However, the innings started similarly to the way they played against RR in Mumbai, with the top order wiped out quickly but Tilak and Wadhera were brilliant, both getting 40+ scores and it looked like MI would finish with 200, but Hardik underperformed again, David had a rare failure due to some amazing bowling by Sandeep Sharma, who picked up a 5 wicket haul, restricting MI to 179. The RR openers were comfortable right from the start and some passing showers made it easier to bat on. Buttler fell but Jaiswal and Samson went strong and guided the Royals to their 7th victory, by 9 wickets, giving MI yet another thumping.
In another RR masterclass, the MI top-order perishing led to their downfall early on, and Hardik and David unable to give a strong finish to the batting almost sealed the game in the first half. The only problem for the Royals was Jaiswal’s form, which has been solved, with him getting a fabulous 100. So the Royals had a perfect game in my opinion, with Chahal reaching a massive milestone of 200 wickets, Sandeep Sharma in good touch as well as Boult getting a wicket in the opening over. MI need to regroup and come back strong after another thumping, with the main concern being Hardik’s form…
So hope you guys enjoyed this blog covering these 3 games. The next game is CSK v LSG, which is going to be an exciting one. I will catch up on that and see you soon!