Hello and a warm welcome to yet another blog on the daily match reviews of this year’s IPL. I will cover the game between the Royal Challengers Bengaluru and the Chennai Super Kings at the Chinnaswamy, which turned out to be a historic day in the history of the IPL and RCB had to win on demand by 18 runs or more to qualify. So let’s get started!
Ruturaj Gaikwad won a rare toss and opted to field first mainly because of the weather. Faf and Kohli started well, rain interrupted after 3 overs and then they played slowly as the ball was spinning crazy, but still kept the intent. Some superb knocks from Patidar and Green, followed by quick cameos from Maxwell and DK gave RCB 218, effectively giving CSK a target of 201. Ruturaj fell for a golden duck and soon followed Mitchell, but Ravindra and Rahane played a fine partnership before the RCB bowlers threw punches at CSK by getting important wickets. Then came the last hope of CSK, Jadeja and Dhoni, who almost pulled it off but Dayal held his nerve and gave RCB a big victory of 27 runs and a place in the playoffs.
In another RCB CSK thriller, RCB had everything against them even before the game, as they needed to win by 18 or more runs, a rain threat and to make matters worse, Faf lost the toss and we were put on to bat. After all this, the rain affected the pitch as it turned just too much for the spinners and looked like 160-170 would be a good score but the intent from our batters, right from the KKR match at Eden, gave us that 218. CSK should have chased 201 to qualify even though Ruturaj and Mitchell fell as the pitch was a belter throughout their innings. And when Rahane also fell, CSK were comfortably placed to quality with the rate of about 11 an over with a deep batting line-up…
Here comes the first difference, which is Dube, who should have sacrificed his wickets instead of Ravindra as he was the set batter and he played a 7 ball 15 as RCB with a simple plan of bowling pace-on to Dube worked wonders and brought us back in the game.
While Jadeja and Dhoni started picking the boundaries and gave some hope for CSK, needing 17 off the last 6, Dhoni hit a huge six, depositing the ball I guess outside the stadium complex. But this was the second difference, but the most important difference because the ball was wet maybe because the outfield was not completely dry after some downpour and the umpires refused to change the ball for whatever reason, so it was not possible to grip the ball while bowling a pace-off delivery. But since now the ball had to be changed, Dayal smartly bowled a slower ball and got the wicket of Dhoni and the next 4 balls just went for a solitary single as RCB, being placed at 10th for 3/4 of the season, in a matter of 2 weeks, qualified for the playoffs even though almost every scenario going against them.
The start of this impossible journey was at Eden when we lost just by a run, but that game we played as a whole unit and with intent, something which we didn’t do in our first 7 matches. But we just carried that process and Kohli got enough support from Jacks, Patidar, Faf and Green who were outstanding with the bat and helped Kohli ease all the pressure off his shoulders and play with a free mind. For CSK, they would still be wondering how they lost this game considering the amount of scenarios favouring them. This was their worst performance but will it be “definitely not” an end for Dhoni? Only time will tell but we do give some more games for our finisher, DK, who has been such a key player to this side and his valuable inputs for the bowlers from behind the stumps did help them. So, a memorable day for me and all the RCB fans as we turned the impossible into possible, mainly because of the belief we had but still won’t be satisfied as we want to go the distance after 17 years….
Month: May 2024
The Biggest Throw of the Season: MATCH 67: – MIvLSG
Hello and a warm welcome to yet another blog on the daily match reviews of this year’s IPL. I will cover the game between the Mumbai Indians and the Lucknow Super Giants at the Wankhede. Let’s get started!
Hardik Pandya won the toss and obviously opted to field with Arjun Tendulkar back in the side. LSG lost Padikkal early but again Rahul and Stoinis played a beautiful partnership before Stoinis got out and just as the innings started to crumble with Rahul struggling in one side, Pooran came out all guns blazing and got it back on track. Some cameos from Badoni and Krunal got LSG a superb score of 214. MI were off to the perfect start in their last game with Rohit getting a fifty and Brevis giving him good support, going at a consistent and effective run-rate. But once Brevis was out, in a dramatic turn of events, MI crumbled and were 5 down in no time. Naman Dhir played a blinder to give them some hope but it was out of his reach from about the 18th over, finishing LSG’s season with a win by 18 runs.
In another MI disaster, the bowlers as usual bowled very well for MI but this time Pooran’s blitz gave their batters a stiff target to chase. MI would want first to fix the captaincy debate next season and have a happy transition. Secondly is their batting collapses, some examples being in their losses against CSK, DC, and today as well.
For LSG, they would be shocked that they were relaxing at the 3rd spot for a long time but just one game, one beating, crushed their hopes but they played very well overall in this tournament.
For MI, this has been their worst season so far in the competition as only Bumrah performed consistently and now Rohit’s future is also having a debate, whether he will continue with MI. I feel he will because MI won’t let him go as he has made this franchise what it is today but I feel I have to criticize the use of Rohit as an impact sub because he is the Indian captain and Hardik would have important inputs from him.
The last thing I would criticize is Padikkal’s form this year. Sometimes opened the batting and batted at 3, but he hasn’t gotten even 1 20+ score, which is a huge disappointment as LSG traded Avesh Khan for Padikkal, the former doing wonders in the death for RR. So a dramatic collapse from MI, despite Naman Dhir’s heroics fell short comfortably by 18 runs…
Rajasthan Royals?! – MATCH 65: – RRvPBKS
Hello and a warm welcome to yet another blog on the daily match reviews on this year’s IPL. Today I will cover the game between the Rajasthan Royals and the Punjab Kings held at the Baraspara Stadium in Guwahati. So let’s get started!
Sanju Samson won the toss at their second home in Guwahati and opted to bat first, almost a random call as they weren’t used to the conditions. RR batted completely similarly to how they played with CSK, with the top-order being blown away quickly and Parag gave them a respectable finish by giving RR 144, with Rahul Chahar, Curran and “Purple” Patel getting 2 wickets each. The Kings had an even worse start but their captain had had enough and stepped on the pedal, getting a sublime fifty and was given company by Jitesh and Ashutosh, as they were comfortably home by 5 wickets and 7 balls spare.
In RR’s 4th straight loss, they would really want their top-order to keep going with a brisk rate as 140-145 scores and absolutely nothing to defend the bowlers even if the bowlers dominate completely as they did with CSK and also in this game. Just one defining over or a knock can change the game in a matter of minutes as we saw Dube’s 15-run over killed the game the other day, here Curran’s knock removed the high hopes of the Royals, who had an excellent start with the ball this time. The Punjab Kings have nothing to lose and played an excellent all-round match today, showing their real strength.
I am personally happy for Harshal to turn into “Purple” Patel because of his contributions to RCB for a couple of years were very crucial. Like how Bumrah deceives batters with his yorkers, this man relies on his magical slower balls and has worked wonders for him and the Kings. The Kings are actually a very good team and would want to show their batting strength in their next match at Uppal. But speaking about RR, what has gone wrong with them? Maybe some overconfidence and yes they have qualified for the playoffs but with this form, a side which was destined to be first wouldn’t want to throw the ticket to the Qualifier 1 to have a better chance. The bowlers certainly have done a good job but the batting has to step up, especially Jaiswal as he single-handedly needs to carry the ship because Buttler is not available and would want to finish strongly in their group stages against KKR at the same venue.
So that’s it for today. Tomorrow it will be an electrifying game as the mighty Sunrisers take on the Titans and would want to ensure qualification with a win tomorrow and a chance to come in the top 2. So stay tuned for that and have a good day!
Thank You, Delhi!: MATCH 64: – DCvKKR
Hello and a warm welcome to yet another blog on the daily match reviews of this year’s IPL. Today’s game was between the Delhi Capitals and the Lucknow Super Giants at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, which in the context of the tournament is the most important result so far. So let’s get started!
KL Rahul won the toss and opted to field first and they had a dream start by getting Fraser-McGurk for a duck. Porel and Hope gave some good stability to DC. The LSG bowlers, to their credit, kept the scoring rate but it didn’t stop DC from getting past 200 as some useful knocks by Pant and Stubbs as well helped them to get to a respectable total. LSG had a disastrous start, but Pooran was in the mood and started blasting everything he saw. Once he fell, the game seemed to be over but a surprising, yet blistering knock by the talented Arshad Khan gave the Super Giants some hope, but due to the lack of support, even his heroic performance couldn’t save LSG from being placed precariously in the playoff race, with DC winning the game by 19 runs.
In another home win for DC, their bowlers won the day as it was a par total, and with LSG’s firepower, they should have chased it. But the difference between the two teams was the lack of partnerships in LSG innings as only Pooran and Arshad gave them some hope in a completely lost game. But speaking about Arshad, just like Mayank Yadav, the DC management absolutely wouldn’t have any expectations of Arshad playing today. LSG would be happy that this bunch of talents who have performed superbly on the big stage and he did also get Fraser-McGurk’s wicket in the first over, a rare sight for the crowd as well. Delhi have had a fantastic season at home and had a very consistent season overall, but their loss to RCB crushed their ambitious hopes and just after two days, they give RCB a huge relief, as now it is on our hands, the match against CSK which we have to win by a considerable margin but the good thing is we do not need to worry about any other results. LSG are also practically out, a team which was enjoying being 3rd in the table, completely threw it away and now are at sixth. DC are also out and CSK, SRH and by the miracle of god, RCB remain in contention for the last two spots in the playoffs, as RR are officially qualified and DC bow out, but bow out by giving a lifeline to CSK and RCB as their fate remains in their hands.
So with that said, tomorrow is a game which will not matter much for the 3 teams, but will matter for RR as they will want to finish in the top 2 and have a good chance of playing the final at Chepauk. So stay tuned for that and have a good day!
BOWLERS DOMINATE AT HOME! MATCHES 61-62: – CSKvRR and RCBvDC
Hello and a warm welcome to yet another blog on the daily match reviews of this year’s IPL. Today (12/05/24) was a very important double-header Sunday as CSK hosted RR in their first and only day game at home and RCB hosted DC. So let’s get started!
Chennai Super Kings VS Rajasthan Royals | Chepauk, Chennai
Sanju Samson won the toss and opted to bat first on the slowest track in Chepauk. The RR openers were off to a watchful start and when the two openers tried to increase the scoring rate, in came Simarjeet, who yet again impressed by taking the RR middle-order. RR struggled to get momentum, but a superb 47 by Parag gave them 141, about 20 runs below par. Rachin and Mitchell came in with intent while Ruturaj played his favourite role, anchoring the innings. RR did claw their way back but some important cameos from Dube and Rizvi comfortably got CSK home by 5 wickets and almost put a foot in the top-4.
In a dominant CSK performance, it was a very good contest between bat and ball and RR fought pretty well till the end but the difference between the two teams was their approach in the powerplay. RR started slow but couldn’t increase the run rate because the track was very slow in the middle overs and the same thing happened with CSK as well, but Rachin kept picking the boundaries nicely and Mitchell followed him as CSK got a huge headstart and had almost killed the game by the powerplay. Another defining over in the second innings was Dube hitting Ashwin for 15 runs in an over in a situation where the asking rate was about to touch 7.5 and things were becoming tricky for CSK. Although Ashwin did get Dube in his last ball, Dube had sealed the game by backing his natural game and those 15 runs were pure gold for CSK, which in turn reduced the pressure off Ruturaj, who with Rizvi calmly sealed an important win for CSK and with this, they move to 3rd. So overall it was a rare day for the bowlers as the batters were struggling but the intent shown by CSK, unlike their counterparts, took them to another classic and successful chase at Chepauk for CSK.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru VS Delhi Capitals | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
Stand-in captain Axar Patel won the toss and opted to field first in a do-or-die clash. Faf again fell early and Kohli played some amazing shots before he was gone but then the spin-blaster, Patidar along with Jacks were taking RCB towards 200+, aided by some drop catches by DC, but they clawed back very well in the end and a good knock from Green ensured RCB at least did get a 180+ total. DC should have chased but RCB threw in some punches by reducing DC to 30/4 by the 5th over, including the dismissal of the dangerous Fraser-McGurk, which was an unfortunate dismissal and from there on Axar waged a lone battle with the help of Hope and Rasikh but the RCB bowlers were just too good and gave us a massive victory by 48 runs, improving our NRR considerably and still we have a realistic chance to qualify for the playoffs.
In RCB’s 5th consecutive win, similar to the difference between the two teams in the game between PBKS and RCB, the fielding proved to be a decisive factor for RCB once again. DC regularly dropped catches and there was some lazy fielding. But RCB were spirited as Karn took a blinder, and Green got a wonderful run-out of the dangerous Stubbs. Another difference was the powerplay performance. The pitch had some swing and bounce on offer and RCB lost just 2 wickets, unlike their counterparts who lost 4 big wickets. The third difference I would add is the absence of Pant in this crucial fixture for DC and credit to our boys to maximise this advantage as they triggered a top-order collapse, which DC couldn’t afford as there was no Pant and the young Kushagra was no match to an in-form Siraj. RCB would be so proud that their bowling attack is winning them games as all of them are chipping in equal and vital contributions. DC are practically out of the playoff race but Axar Patel was incredible with the bat and kept the game alive till the 16th over but he had no support from the other end and the scoreboard pressure and an injury proved to be too much to the impressive DC skipper. So before the game, CSK would say they were practically qualified for the playoffs if LSG lose one of their games but this fighting performance from RCB has kept their NRR in some check as it is no joke to bowl out batting sides, with the impact-sub rule in 3 consecutive games. So SRH, CSK, LSG and RCB have a practical chance to fill in the end 2 other spots in the playoffs (RR have practically qualified) and the blockbuster clash between RCB and CSK, a game which will mostly decide the fate of the last spot in the playoffs.
So that’s for today. Another week of entertainment awaits as tomorrow GT hosts KKR, a game which will not impact the playoff race in my opinion as it is impossible for GT to win the game by about 200 runs, to stay in contention but it is an important one for KKR, as they can officially be in the top-2 if they win tomorrow. So stay tuned for that!
CHAKARAVARTHY AND RANA!!!!: MATCH 60: – KKRvMI
Hello and a warm welcome to yet another blog on the daily match reviews on this year’s IPL. Today the Kolkata Knight Riders locked horns with the Mumbai Indians at the iconic Eden Gardens, which ended up being another thriller at this incredible venue. So let’s get started!
Before Hardik won the toss and opted to field, the rain poured at Kolkata, forcing a shortened 16-over game. KKR were not off to a flyer similar to the reverse fixture between these two teams as their openers departed by the second over but again Venky Iyer stood up and Nitish Rana gave him good company. But the MI bowlers were superb and some cameos from Russell, Rinku and Ramandeep got KKR a par total of 157 in their 16 overs. MI’s openers surprisingly were off to a flyer and they easily got 59 in the powerplay (5 overs, since it is a shortened game). But then came Narine who got the important wicket of Kishan followed by Chakaravarthy, as they gave nothing to offer for the MI batters, who constantly kept throwing their wickets away. There were some hopes for them in the end with Tilak and Naman batting well, but they were comfortably short, giving KKR a brilliant comeback win by 18 runs AND ARE OFFICIALLY THE FIRST TEAM IN THE PLAYOFFS!
In another masterclass by the KKR bowlers at their fortress, once again the batting was poor by both teams but the difference was the KKR middle-order batters played short but useful cameos but for MI it was just Kishan and Rohit who gave the start and no one capitalised on it. But the most important difference was the KKR bowlers were able to completely choke down the scoring rate and credit for this goes to Chakaravarthy who was absolutely fantastic and has had some good matches recently after a very poor start to the season and his performance deserves to be on this blog’s title. But things became a little nervy when the equation came down to 22 off the last 6 balls and credit to Shreyas for reserving his last over specialist, Harshit Rana who also has been mentioned along with Chakaravarthy in the title because he went with pace on first delivery, foxing Naman who was expecting a cutter and smartly bowled a bouncer away for Tilak’s body and since he had to slog, he was edged and taken by Salt as calmly he delivered the win to his captain. And also a special mention to the other Rana, Nitish, who played a superb hand along with Venky to give some stability to an unstable innings as they lost 3 wickets in quick succession, one among them was their captain. So overall, an average game by both teams in terms of batting but KKR’s bowlers picked up wickets and shot down the run rate, unlike their counterparts, giving MI’s miserable campaign a 9th loss.
So that’s it for today and this match didn’t impact the chances of the other 7 teams in the playoff race. But tomorrow is the most important day in the race as CSK take on RR at Chepauk and RCB take on DC at the Chinnaswamy. Two very very important games as these games will have a huge impact on the playoff race. So see you on that and have a great day ahead!
A Massive Win In Front Of A Massive Crowd: MATCH: 59: – GTvCSK
Hello and a warm welcome to yet another blog on the daily match reviews of this year’s IPL. In this blog, I will cover the game between the Gujarat Titans and the Chennai Super Kings at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. So let’s get started!
Ruturaj won a rare toss and opted to field first in front of a gigantic crowd engulfed in yellow mainly. However, the Titans had a new opening pair, with Sudharsan and Gill as they dropped the struggling Saha and this worked wonders as they just kept going and got some help by some pathetic CSK fielding. Both openers got their 100s, striking over 200 but once both got out, CSK clawed their way back and restricted the Titans to 231. Chasing, CSK lost 3 wickets, the main one being their captain who has been in sublime form. From here the game was almost done. Moeen and Mitchell played a very good counterattack, but Mohit Sharma came in and took both of them in quick succession and CSK comfortably lost the game by 35 runs, keeping both GT and RCB’s hopes alive.
In an embarrassing thumping for CSK in front of a massive yellow crowd, their bowling was definitely below par but similar to how PBKS performed yesterday, CSK were sloppy on the field, which cost them about 10-15 runs but credit to their death bowlers to finally use the slower ball, which maybe they would think they should have operated well before the death overs but nevertheless, the Titans who were on par to 250+ were reduced to 231, still a massive score. Rahane’s and Rachin’s woes continued but the thing which surprised everyone was that Ruturaj fell for a duck on a very important day. But the Titans would feel they should have one this game by about 60+ runs, quite similar to RCB’s win yesterday but they gave CSK some chances in the middle and even though they got the job done by a huge margin of 35 runs, crucial NRR points were being missed by them as they have the worst NRR out of all the teams. So overall a pathetic performance by the defending champions, who are not playing like a champion side and GT completely dominated the game. CSK did have some chances but in the end, the result was obvious by seeing the quality of CSK’s play today. Still, a win with RR will probably book their playoff ticket and eliminate some other teams and also they have a game at their second home indirectly, at the Chinnaswamy, so I feel they are still comfortably placed to qualify. Practically GT cannot qualify because of their NRR thumping by RCB twice but mathematically they are still in. But this game has thrown the tournament open for the 4th spot as SRH would mostly grab the 3rd playoff ticket and 5 teams compete for the 4th spot.
So that’s it for today. Tomorrow it is between MI and KKR at Eden, a result which will not impact the points table at all and the other teams and their fans can have a breather. So I will catch you on that one!
Loser Gets Eliminated: MATCH 58: – PBKSvRCB
Hello and a warm welcome to yet another blog on the daily match reviews on this year’s IPL. Here I will talk about the game between the Punjab Kings and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the iconic H.P. C. A. Stadium in Dharamsala which as the title says was at a high stake, the loser would be out of contention for qualifying for the playoffs. If you are wondering why I have changed the title since the last game is because of the impact the last game created and I was compelled to change it but I thought maybe for content I could continue this new trend in the upcoming blogs. So the long intro is done and let’s get started!
Sam Curran won another toss and opted to field first on a track which offered some swing initially and Kaverappa used them superbly, creating many chances and got just 2 wickets in his opening spell. Since that, Patidar went beast mode with Kohli playing second-fiddle and when Patidar fell, rain with hail started to pour down. After resumption, Kohli took charge and played some scintillating shots and was supported well by Green and DK as RCB posted a mammoth 241. Prabhsimran fell early in the chase but Roussow and Bairstow were tonking everything to the fence, but the game tilted when Bairstow and Roussow fell and Shashank’s run-out was the final nail in the coffin as RCB won by a huge margin by 60 runs, eliminating the Kings and kept their slim hopes alive.
In another massive RCB win, I feel the real difference between the two teams was their quality of fielding. Kaverappa bowled an outstanding spell in the powerplay, picking up Faf and Jacks but should have had Kohli and Patidar, the latter’s drop being rather easy. This proved to be costly, the cost being PBKS’ hopes of qualification as Patidar called the big shots against Chahar and once again changed the momentum of the game and let the pressure go off Kohli. I still cannot understand why the Kings dropped Brar, who has a phenomenal record against RCB and was the only bowler who wasn’t hit in the reverse fixture at the Chinnaswamy. Kohli took full advantage of this and since Kaverappa also bowled out early, he played some eye-catching shots and also at a strike rate just below 200 and RCB would be happy with the contributions by Green. But PBKS was going superbly after Prabhsimran fell early as Roussow regained his lost form and was smoking them cleanly, but the RCB pacers used a lot of slower balls and made good use of the knuckleball as the pitch was holding a bit. Faf smartly used Swapnil by bowling him in the middle overs as well and they clamped down the rate. But still, as the Kings were losing wickets, they picked up the boundaries regularly and had a genuine chance with Shashank looking good. But then came one of the craziest mid-air throws by Kohli, a direct hit that got Shashank and the innings fell apart after this. So overall as I said in the beginning, the fielding proved to be difference as the Kings dropped sitters while RCB were catching blinders and saved about 10 runs.
So that’s it for today. I am happy that RCB are still fighting and not giving up winning 4 on the trot. Tomorrow we may see the biggest crowd in a match in this year’s IPL as GT take on CSK at Ahmedabad and expect more than 3/4 of the stadium to be filled with yellow. So I will catch you on that one
The Biggest Trashing So Far: MATCH 57: – SRHvLSG
Hello and a warm welcome to yet another blog on the daily match reviews on this year’s IPL. Here I will cover the crazy game between Sunrisers Hyderabad and the Lucknow Super Giants at Uppal. So let’s get started!
KL Rahul won the toss and opted to field first, the main strategy being to put pressure on the SRH openers when they chase. But this tactic proved to be a huge failure as Bhuvi bowled an amazing spell and it looked like he was at his prime best, reducing LSG to 27 runs in the powerplay and KL’s wicket just worsened their batting. But a useful knock by Badoni, supported by Pooran gave the Super Giants a “respectable” total of 165 on board. But this wasn’t the case as the SRH openers were better than their supreme best and in about an hour of play in the chase, with 10.3 overs spare, SRH won by 10 wickets, improving their NRR as well.
In an SRH demolition, LSG have to be aggressive with the bat moving forward, especially their top order and they should make sure the innings keep going even if KL or Stoinis are dismissed cheaply. Badoni played some wonderful shots to give LSG 165 and he said it was a tricky wicket and was very confident that their bowlers would defend it. His speech is down below…
And yes, there wasn’t any dew but the SRH openers, Head and Abhishek had none of it and after the first over which went for just 8 runs, almost every single ball was a boundary henceforth. The openers do give SRH a big powerplay but they soon get dismissed and their middle-order gives them the fireworks in the end. But this time it wasn’t, as Head and Abhishek plundered 107 runs in the powerplay and at this point, I thought at least one of them would be dismissed. Still, they just kept going, continuing the carnage or bombardment, giving absolutely no mercy to the LSG bowlers. They chased 166 IN JUST 9.3 OVERS AND FINISHED THE GAME BY ABOUT 10:20! This was the EA Sports version of batting, completely crazy, unreal, mad, entertaining and there will be 100s of adjectives to follow this kind of batting. I was completely left speechless by this level of batting against a very good bowling side. KL’s words best describe this game:
LSG would need some time to first mentally recover from this massive defeat and their NRR has almost been murdered due to this game, so to ideally qualify, they need to win their two games. So this game shows the reality of when a team, in this case, LSG, playing the T20 game say in 2019, where even though they had a terrible start, they recovered well and got them to 165, which in 2019 is a very good total. But the modern level of T20 cricket was shown by the SRH batters, finishing the game in 9.3 overs and the answer we get is in flat wickets, like at the Chinnaswamy, Uppal, Delhi and Eden, a team needs to score 220+ to feel a bit save. So teams need to ensure that they need to get a flying start and their middle-order converts it into a big score and that is the only way a team can win in the IPL, where generally all wickets are flat.
So that’s it for today. It was a long one because this game was absolutely ridiculous and insane, another two adjectives to describe this batting masterclass by SRH, playing EA cricket in real life. So tomorrow it is PBKS taking on RCB, and the loser will officially be eliminated from the tournament. So stay tuned for that!
TATA IPL MATCH REVIEWS: MATCH 56: – DCvRR
Hello and a warm welcome to yet another blog on the daily match reviews on this year’s IPL. I will cover the game between the Delhi Capitals and the Rajasthan Royals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
Sanju Samson won another toss and opted to field first in a usual high-scoring Delhi track. The DC openers were off to a flyer with Fraser-McGurk notching up a quick fifty, inside the powerplay while his partner Porel brought up his a few overs later. RR fought back with the ball, with Ashwin and Chahal keeping things tight but a late surge by Stubbs gave DC a massive 221. RR lost Jaiswal early but Buttler and Samson were playing well. Buttler fell and soon Parag, but Samson kept batting, notching a superb fifty partnership with Dubey. But the game tilted when Samson got out for his 86, and the RR middle-order once again fell apart, giving the Capitals a massive and important 20-run victory.
In another game where RR threw it in the end, it started with the fireworks of Fraser-McGurk, who is consistently providing DC with a headstart in the powerplay and DC would want him to play at his best in their remaining two games because the last one they played in Kolkata, he feel cheaply and the Capitals were restricted. So he plays that X-factor for DC. RR would be happy that finally, Ashwin had a good game, both economically and by taking 3 crucial wickets. And credit to the DC management for continuously backing Porel, because he has had a rough start to the season but his recent performances have helped DC win games. So I would describe this game which was completely in RR’s control but they faltered not only once but twice during their 222-run chase. The first one was when they were cruising after Jaiswal’s wicket, Axar and Kuldeep bowled a magical spell, taking only a wicket, but didn’t allow Samson or Parag to get two or more boundaries an over, a vital factor when a team is defending 221. The second was when Samson continued tonking the ball along with Dubey mainly because Axar had bowled out but Samson’s wicket, another controversial and nervy call, completely turned the game on its head as Pant masterfully used Kuldeep the next over because he knew that RR were under pressure and this proved to be gold as he got 2 wickets and just conceded 4 runs and these two overs completely changed the game. So RR would be disappointed they let go of another comfortable chase. Still, this win for DC makes the tournament very interesting as 4 teams are tied for 12 points and am sure there will be a dramatic end to this wonderful tournament.
So that’s it for today. Tomorrow is a highly volatile clash, maybe the most important one in the tournament so far, where the Sunrisers take on the Super Giants at Uppal. So stay tuned for that result!