Hello and a warm welcome to yet another blog on the daily match reviews of this year’s IPL. Here I will talk about the game played between the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Sunrisers of Hyderabad playing the grande finale at Chepauk, Chennai. So let’s get started!
Pat Cummins won the toss and opted to bat first surprisingly, which proved to be a fatal decision as Head and Abhishek fell early again to Starc and co. as they were once again in tatters. Even their recovery man Tripathi couldn’t do anything much as even Russell and the spinners joined the party as SRH were destroyed again, restricted to about 110. SRH did get some hope initially as Narine fell early but Gurbaz and Venky Iyer played as if the target was about 240, as again they killed the game in the powerplay. This game was quite similar to the way SRH trashed LSG but here it was just 110 to win as KKR won the TATA IPL 2024 which they deserved thoroughly as they were absolutely brilliant right from the start.
In an anticlimax, SRH’s batting just decayed in the playoffs and honestly, I have nothing to write on this game. It was sheer dominance by KKR once again, they set their plans brilliantly and executed them even perfectly as every bowler pitched in well. The only thing I would want to point out is Gurbaz’s wicket, which looked clearly not out and he reviewed it, but ball-tracting wasn’t available in the final, which was completely shocking as in every other match it was possible and you can’t get these technical flaws in such an important clash. The game was already done by then but at least Gurbaz could stay till the end with Venky and finish it.
So here we come to the end of the daily match reviews. I kept my word, and even though there were many obstacles, I somehow managed it as in the beginning I was travelling and in the back end my school and coaching started, so sorry for the delays. I feel proud of this achievement as I have written every single game by myself, by just seeing the cricbuzz scorecard, except for RCB games which I saw from ball one and remember everything even now. So thanks to everyone seeing and reading these blogs, to the ones I sent and to the ones I didn’t send, thanks a lot to everyone for having some time to read my content. So the World Cup has started and the small teams are doing surprisingly well in this World Cup. I will try my best to write a World Cup review blog but can’t say anything now. Once again thanks a lot for all the support, let’s try to meet very soon, Goodbye and take care!
Category: TATA IPL MATCH REVIEWS
Brilliant Performance Against the Odds: QUALIFIER-2: SRHvRR
Hello and a warm welcome to yet another blog on the daily match reviews of this year’s IPL. Here I will talk about the game played between the Sunrisers Hyderabad and the Rajasthan Royals at Chepauk. So let’s get started!
Sanju Samson won another toss and opted to field first. Once again SRH were off to a rusty start and the batting initially fared out quite similar to how they played with KKR but Klassen played beautifully towards the back end but still, they ended up being short, hitting about 170. Yet again the RR openers were off to a flying start and were set for an easy win but Cummins masterfully used Shahbaz and Abhishek Sharma against an aggressive Samson and Jaiswal, both perishing playing the big shots and this triggered a massive collapse, which RR couldn’t recover. Jurel fought till the end with an incredible fifty but it was too much as SRH won a superb game comfortably.
After being trashed by KKR, Cummins and his boys were brilliant with the ball as with the bat yet again they were below par as they lost about 3 wickets in the powerplay. SRH would be proud of themselves as their bowlers finally won a game for them. Sanju was once again brilliant as captain, setting his fields perfectly but with bat, he faltered for the second time in the playoffs as he needlessly took the risk this innings. But you can’t compare Cummins as captain to anybody else in the present world as he has won multiple tournaments for his country. He sensed that by reducing the pace on the ball, brought Shahbaz and Abhishek, who so far was used as a pure batter, which maybe surprised RR and maybe they thought that he was a part-time spinner and could go after him. But this was maybe SRH’s secret cannonball to crush the opposition and in a matter of few overs RR from being on top threw the game. So this was the overall difference as both teams had some really good bowling performances but were under-par with bat. So the next blog will be on the grand finale between SRH and KKR.
“Ee Saala Cup Namde Hopes Washed Away by the Sabarmati River”: ELIMINATOR: RRvRCB
Hello and a warm welcome to yet another blog on the daily match reviews on this year’s IPL. Here I will write about the game played between the Rajasthan Royals and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium at Ahmedabad. So let’s get started!
Sanju Samson won an important toss and opted to field first. Kohi and Faf had no answers to an incredible spell by Boult in the powerplay. Both left shortly but Green and Patidar played a good mini partnership but wickets started to tumble. A good cameo from Swapnil and Lomror gave RCB 173, a total which was just about par. RR were off to a blazing start and the dew helped them. But RCB just kept pecking wickets and were in the game, fighting till the end. But Parag, Jaiswal and Powell held their nerve as they won a tricky win by 4 wickets with an over spare.
After a dream run to come into the playoffs, the fairy tale ended in the eliminator. Credit goes to Ashwin, who bowled brilliantly and didn’t give a boundary in his 4 overs and to Powell who took four important catches and provided a superb finish in the end. Yes, Dew did play its part but RCB do have to blame themselves in the batting especially the way they approached Boult, who was phenomenal in the powerplay. The second was Maxwell’s horror first ball shot against Ashwin, as he just swung his bat for no reason which opened the gates for RR to come in the game as Patidar needed some good support from the other end and was set. So the IPL ends for us and for DK as well. Wish him all the best being a commentator or an analyst, which he has been doing very well. This was an unforgettable season for us as we scripted the greatest comeback in the history of the IPL. Thank you RCB, Chinnaswamy and the 12th Man Army for all the entertainment as we again come next season…
Newton’s Third Law Proved by Cricket… QUALIFIER-1: KKRvSRH
Hello and a warm welcome to yet another blog on the daily match reviews on this year’s IPL. Here I will write on the game played between the Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, with the victory getting a ticket to the final. So let’s get started!
Shreyas Iyer won the toss and opted to field first. This worked wonders as again Head was dismissed for a duck but the difference for SRH compared to their previous game was even Abhishek fell early. Somehow Tripathi held one crease as Starc and the KKR spinners were absolutely unstoppable. Tripathi played a superb knock as they were set to get 180 but a freak run-out dented SRH’s chances of winning the game as Cummins somehow got them to 159. Since Salt was called for international duty, Gurbaz opened with Narine but there was no change in the intent as the KKR openers killed the game by the powerplay and the two Iyers, Shreyas and Venkatesh applied some powerplay finishes as KKR absolutely trashed SRH with about 6 overs spare.
SRH got a taste of their own medicine, and this match proved that every action has an equal and opposite reaction SRH did thrash teams before but they were trashed and outplayed today, hence the title (honestly accept the creativity of the title). KKR had their plans set beautifully and SRH just fell for their plans. They also did justify why they bought Starc for that price tag as he proved himself he is a match-winner and gets his complete form when it is a knock-out game. SRH maybe should have played Tripathi by the start of the tournament as he proved his worth in this game. Finally, have to give credit to Gurbaz, as he had to go home since his mom was unwell and since KKR completely relied on his services as Salt left, he stayed with them and played a vital knock for setting the tone for the Iyers to finish it, which was a little too aggressive as KKR’s juggernaut continued as they moved into the TATA IPL 2024 final. The next blog will be on the eliminator played between RCB and RR.
Another Day at Office ft. SRH: MATCH-69: SRHvPBKS
Hello and a warm welcome to yet another blog after a looooooooooong time as I return to finish what I started, what I promised, finishing the daily matches reviews of this incredible season at the IPL. I will write about the game between the Sunrisers Hyderabad and the Punjab Kings at Uppal. So let’s get started!
Jitesh Sharma won the toss and opted to field first with only Roussow being the overseas player. The PBKS openers surprised everybody with Taide and Prabhsimran playing some good shots and gave them a strong start before Roussow and Jitesh gave the finishing touches giving PBKS a 200+ total. They also did Head first ball but Abhishek Sharma and Tripathi absolutely didn’t care about his dismissal and played how the Sunrisers have been playing. The Kings were always behind the game as Nitish Reddy and Klassen applied the finishing touches when wickets started to tumble, giving the Sunrisers yet another victory at Uppal by 4 wickets.
In another dominant performance, The Kings had nothing to lose as they were already eliminated and they would be pleased with their batting performance with SRH bowling a little under-par. But throughout this tournament, their batters have won the game for them in most games. But this time it was a little different as Head fell in the first ball but credit to Tripathi for giving support to Abhishek to continue the way he has played this tournament and effectively the game was over after the powerplay as SRH stacked about 80 runs already in the powerplay and could play comfortably for the coming overs. This win ensured SRH came 2nd as the next game was washed out as RR fell back in the table and did play the eliminator against RCB. The next blog will be on the Qualifier 1 between SRH and KKR.
Aaaaaaar Ceeeeee Beeeeeee: MATCH 68: – RCBvCSK
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….
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!