IPL 2021 | Prithvi Shaw hits Shivam Mavi for six fours in one over to rattle Knight Riders

IPL 2021 | MI vs RR: What Experts said as Mumbai get back into the groove

Rajasthan Royals continued their lean patch in the IPL 2021 after suffering yet another defeat in the tournament against Mumbai Indians on Thursday in Delhi. Chasing 172, MI went over the line by 7 wickets and with 9 balls to spare. Captain Rohit Sharma and his opening partners Quinton de Kock gave Mumbai a steady start and put up 49 on the board before Rohit departed for 14 off 17. De Kock carried on with his run flow and notched up an unbeaten 70 off 50 that included two maximums and 6 boundaries to anchor the side to the win. MI were 83/2 when Krunal Pandya joined the South African wicket-keeper batsman in the middle. The two stitched a vital stand of 63 runs before Krunal played an outside off stump delivery from Mustafizur Rahim on to hi stumps for 39 off 26. But the damage had been done till then as MI were clear favourite now. Quinton along with Kieron Pollard took the team to victory. Earlier, Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal started off the proceedings well for RR as the two put 66 for the first wicket before Buttler departed for 41 off 32. Jaiswal was the second wicket to go down after he was sent back in the hut by Rahul Chahar for 32 off 20. Captain Sanju Samson who came in at number three took on the MI bowling attack and scored a brisk 42 off 27 before Trent Boult cleaned him up but Shivam Dube’s slow scoring-rate didn’t let RR take the super hand and they eventually ended the innings at 171/4 in 20 overs. Mumbai Indians are now sitting at the number 4 in the points table while the Royals are at seventh spot. Captains’ corner RR captain Sanju Samson admitted that the team fell short of some 20-25 run at the end that cost them the match. Surely, a few runs short, maybe around 20-25 runs short. We were going on nicely (with the bat), but didn't finish well. The bowlers have been doing their job well, but as batsmen, we need to get them a good score to defend. It was a good wicket, the ball was coming on nicely and they (MI) batted really well, as a team, we will need to score more runs as a batting group. Trust yourself, play positive and fearless cricket - that's all one should do,” he said. MI were back with their winning ways in this match after suffering a couple of defeats. Mumbai captain Rohit Sharma hailed his team’s efforts and said that the players probably did everything right. “We needed to win badly after a couple of losses. We did everything right today, right from ball one, and very clinical towards the end as well. Individuals took the responsibilities that were given to them, it was a collective effort. Guys were positive as they got to know we were going to Delhi, because it was a good pitch, not like Chennai! I thought the bowlers did the job for us. In the last 7 overs we gave around 50 runs with 7 seven wickets in hand for them. Playing the conditions is very important. We knew that we're going to play on good pitches after Chennai. We didn't adapt well as a team there, but having said, it looks like from here on the pitch will suit us. There's a lot of discussion that happens around us, because there's a way we want to play. It's very easy to go down when we know they're 110 in 12 overs, it's very easy to lose confidence. But we stuck to our plans. Very happy with Quinny's knock, we know how good he can be. Not to forget Krunal's innings as well,” he said. Experts’ opinion Commentator Harsha Bhogle pointed out the importance of this win for MI while also lavishing praise on Quinton de Kock for getting among runs finally. Journalist Ayaz Memon also talked about how badly MI needed this win. Former cricketer S. Badrinath had earlier questioned Rohit’s decision of dropping Ishan Kishan and playing an extra bowler. But later on the right-handed batsman put his weight behind the decision. MI will now play CSK in Delhi on Saturday while RR will be up against SRH at the same venue.

IPL 2021 | MI vs RR: Hits and Flops as defending champions thrash RR to return to winning ways

The change in venue brought a change in fortunes for the defending champions as they eased past the Rajasthan Royals by 7 wickets in the 24th match of Vivo IPL 2021 to return to winning ways. It was a clinical all-round performance from the five-time champions to complete a relatively straightforward run-chase in the end. A target of 172 was never going to be enough on a good surface at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. A quickfire opening partnership of 49 runs between Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock set MI up for the run-chase perfectly. De Kock finally found his Midas touch and looked in complete command of proceedings. He found the gaps consistently in the powerplay getting his team off to a flying start. The Millionaire Man Chris Morris ended the partnership with the wicket of Rohit Sharma. Suryakumar Yadav started off the innings with his trademark lofted extra cover drive while Quinton de Kock manoeuvred the strike and found the boundaries just when his team needed. SKY had to depart soon after but the move to send Krunal Pandya up the order worked wonders for MI as the southpaw crafted a brilliant 63 runs partnership with Quinton de Kock. After a blazing knock, he was dismissed by a good delivery from Mustafizur Rahman but by then MI was close to the victory target. Kieron Pollard came in ahead of Hardik Pandya and slammed his way to a quickfire 16 of 8 deliveries which included a couple of fours and a six. Eventually, MI chased the target down with 9 deliveries to spare. Earlier in the day, it was the MI skipper Rohit Sharma who won the toss and opted to field which was a sensible option given what transpired yesterday. Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal gave a brisk start to the Royals sharing a 66 runs partnership in less than 6 overs. The youngster Jaiswal looked in brilliant touch and played some delightful shots to get going. Jos Buttler on the other hand struggled a bit to start off but once he was in, he took on the MI bowlers. He belted Jayant Yadav for two sixes after being dropped in the same over. It was Mumbai’s go-to man in the season, Rahul Chahar who broke the partnership with a brilliant delivery to deceive Buttler. The leggie also bagged the wicket of Jaiswal to break the shackles. Sanju Samson looked in good touch during a 27 balls 42 which included 5 fours. His partnership with Shivam Dube steadied the ship but the hard-hitting left-hander never found his mojo today. He did hit a few sixes but his knock of 35 came in 31 deliveries which made the difference to the end score. Eventually, they put up a competitive score of 171 in their allotted 20 overs. Now let us have a look at the Hits and Flops from the 24th encounter HITS Jasprit Bumrah He has done it so many times for his country and his franchise and today was no different. He might have bagged just a solitary wicket but the way he controlled the innings with his four overs conceding just 15 runs set the match up for Mumbai Indians and played an important role in the win. Rohit Sharma generally tends to keep Bumrah for the middle and the death overs after giving him his first over. However today he bowled two overs on a trot today and it was some lethal bowling by the speedster. He bowled in the right channels all through the first two overs and never really allowed Buttler and Jaiswal to get away. The pressure of the first two overs made Buttler and Jaiswal take the chances against the other bowlers. The middle overs were played well by Sanju Samson and Shivam Dube but they couldn’t get the flurry of runs in the death overs courtesy Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult. Bumrah came back in the 17th over and just conceded 5 runs. It was classical death overs bowling which Bumrah is renowned for nailing his yorkers at will. He finally got a reward for his persistence bagging the wicket of Shivam Dube in the penultimate delivery of his spell. It was a low full toss which Dube failed to time down the ground and ended up giving a straightforward catch back to the bowler. He conceded just 3 runs in the final over finishing with exceptional figures of 1/15 in his four overs. Rahul Chahar This bloke has been a sensation for the Mumbai Indians this season. Whenever the captain has handed him the ball, Chahar has given him the wickets. Yet again the leggie had a sensational day and broke the backbone of Rajasthan Royals with crucial wickets of Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal just when the duo was going great guns. He was introduced into the attack in the 8th over and he almost responded immediately bagging the wicket of Jos Buttler. After bowling a half-tracker which was deposited out of the ground for a six, Chahar responded with a beautiful leg break which had dip and turn. He came dancing down the track and missed the line completely only to get stumped by QDK. As often expected from legging, Chahar bowled a few poor deliveries but that is part and parcel of the game but he got the wickets just when his team needed. Chahar returned in his next over with the wicket of Yashasvi Jaiswal. The left-hander was unable to read the googly and ended up giving a straightforward catch back to the bowler as he tried to work this down the on side. Eventually, Chahar finished with figures of 2/33 in his quota of 4 overs. Quinton de Kock Coming into the match, the swashbuckling left-hander was woefully out of touch returning with three single-digit scores in four matches. However, the persistence of MI with the flamboyant Protea opener paid dividends today as the southpaw returned to his fluent best taking to his side over the finishing line. Chasing a target of 172, the wicket-keeper batsman came out to open the innings with his skipper Rohit Sharma. The skipper took his time while De Kock went along his merry way, finding the boundaries on a consistent basis. His wide array of shots was out of his cabinet as he pulled, ramped and nudged his way to an unbeaten 70 of 50 deliveries which included 6 fours and a couple of sixes. A partnership of 49 runs with Rohit Sharma laid the foundation for the run-chase. After the skipper’s dismissal, it was QDK and Suryakumar Yadav who shared a brief stand before the dismissal of SKY. De Kock was never bogged now and played some delightful shots in the process. A brilliant partnership with Krunal Pandya got them within touching distance and in the end, it was Kieron Pollard who sealed the deal with some mighty blows. FLOPS Shivam Dube There was no other option but to include Dube in this list as it was his relatively low-risk approach that didn’t allow the Royals to post a big total on the board. The southpaw came into the middle at the fall of Yashasvi Jaiswal’s wicket. Jaiswal and Buttler had got them off to a great start and Dube and Samson needed to find the boundaries especially in the middle overs to keep the run rate well over 8. Dube did smash a couple of fours and sixes but his 31 balls 35 halted the momentum for the Rajasthan Royals. He tried to heave everything out of the ground but was left bamboozled in front of the brilliance of Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult. Dube had to depart in Bumrah’s penultimate delivery as he failed to time a quick full toss and ended up giving a straightforward catch back to the bowler. He was given a solitary over by Samson where he conceded just 6 runs but all in all, his dodgy innings did break their momentum. Mustafizur Rahman The Bangladesh cutter specialist Mustafizur Rahman had a rare off day given the fact he has been quite brilliant in the tournament so far. Quinton de Kock looked in complete command against the left-arm pacer and Mustafizur failed to hit his lengths and ended up conceding boundaries on a consistent basis. He was brought into the attack in the 4th over and he was greeted with a four and a six. Quinton de Kock started off with a deft touch to find the boundary and then helped one along the deep square leg region for a maximum. It was exceptional batting from the southpaw as Mustafizur ended up conceding 13 from his opening over. He was brought back in the 8th over where he conceded just 8 runs but failed to nail his lengths. The cutters came out nicely but the MI batsmen were picking him. He was greeted with a six in his third over but came back nicely bagging the wicket of Krunal Pandya and just conceding 7 runs. It was Kieron Pollard who sealed the deal in his final over collecting two boundaries in the first three deliveries. A spell of 1/37 in 3.3 overs was not what Mustafizur and the Royals would have hoped for.

IPL 2021: Adam Zampa clarifies 'most vulnerable' comment on biosecure bubble

Australian leg spinner Adam Zampa has returned to Australia and has issued a clarification that the decision to leave the country was a personal choice and not due to any chance of the novel coronavirus breaching through the biosecure bubbles in place fpr the ongoing edition of the IPL. Notably, Zampa had said biosecure bubbles in IPL 2021 as ‘most vulnerable’ he had ever seen and also said that the BCCI should have organised the event in UAE once again. He now said that both the BCCI and his IPL team franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore had ‘many precautions’ in place to safeguard the health of players and that the tournament will surely be finsihed as per the original schedule. “My comments about the vulnerability of the IPL bubble had nothing to do with feeling like the virus would enter the bubble at any stage. The BCCI and RCB had many precautions to make us feel safe. I believe the tournament is in great hands and will definitely see the finish line. I am understanding the velocity of the situation in India and my thoughts go out to the whole country. It was a personal choice to leave for several reasons,” Zampa said after arriving in Australia. Zampa thanked the RCB management for accepting the choices of leaving made by him and his countryman Kane Richardson as it made situation a lot easier than it would have been. “Thanks to RCB management for the way they dealt with the situation. As soon as we made the choice that we felt the right thing to do was to come home, they were fully supportive and did everything they could to help. Their understanding of the situation made the process a lot easier,” Zampa added. Discussing the details of his feelings that tempted him to withdraw from the cash-rich league, Zampa ha said that there was lack of motivation from his side keeping in mind the ‘dire’ situation in India outside the biosecure bubble and lack of chances he got from the RCB side. Ironically, Adam Zampa was roped in by the RCB in the last edition of the IPL as a replacement for Kane Richardson who was his partner while leaving the tournament midway this year.

IPL 2021 RCB vs PBKS Preview - With contrasting traits, frenemies lock horns in Ahmedabad

It’s the tale of two Rahuls hailing from the same state but played the game in two different eras. While Dravid had accumulated heaps of runs in his cricketing career, KL is on the similar path. The senior Rahul had just one blot in his illustrious career. He captained India in a World Cup edition which was full of sorrow, anger and disarray. The 2007 World Cup. Well, we have moved on from there. Dravid has now retired and is nurturing the young talent and also has an U19 World Cup trophy as a coach in his kitty. It’s all good for him. But nothing is really good for the younger Rahul. While he is at par with his batting and the runs that he has scored till date, KL has had a struggling time with his captaincy duties despite having some of the finest players in the ranks just like his mentor. Where did it all start? KL was making a mark for himself slowly and silently. He had received his maiden India call-up for the Test series against Australia and he stamped authority with a ton in his second game itself to give the glimpse of what he was capable of. The right-hander had scored tons in each innings for South Zone in the Duleep trophy final that year. He had all the possible strokes in his armour. He could cut, pull and drive the ball to perfection.Though, the right-hander stood on the losing side eventually in the Duleep Trophy final but his performance didn’t go unnoticed and this led him to land in Australia. Some 6-7 years later, he was spoon-fed with the crown of the leader. But with the power comes the responsibility and KL has a huge one on his tattooed shoulders. He is so far faltering with his on-field decisions which have created some chaos. Punjab Kings (earlier, called Kings XI Punjab) bought KL for a sum of Rs 11 Cr in 2018 and the flamboyant batsman was handed over the captaincy in 2020 edition after R Ashwin was traded to Delhi Capitals and in a view that he might turn fortunes for the franchise. Well, the edition went really well for the wicket-keeper batsman as he amassed 670 runs and was the winner of the orange cap but his franchise side stood at the 6th spot failing to make a place for themselves in the playoffs. The things haven’t changed yet for KL’s Punjab barring their name. After 6 matches in the tournament, the Punjab franchise is tottering at number 6 with four defeats under their belt. And one of those wins came against Rajasthan Royals in a match that probably was a batsmen’s day out. Chasing some 222 odd, RR just fell short of 4 runs after Sanju Samson hit a fine hundred during the course. History is certainly repeating itself. Rahul has notched up three half-centuries in the six matches that he has played but his team is in a spot of bother in the very early stage of the tournament. Sapped Punjab Kings Remember a slang that was used by a popular commentator for an Indian cricketer, “bits and pieces”. These three not so magical words surely explain the present condition of the Punjab team. The Punjab Kings are genuinely struggling in all departments for now but batting has been a major cause of concern. If they put runs on the board, their bowlers leak away runs as we saw in the first game against RR while the batting is anyhow fumbling not giving anything feasibly defendable to their bowlers. Having played together for such a long time, KL and Mayank Agarwal who open the innings for Punjab have failed to deliver to their potential. The two right-handers haven’t really put up a partnership that has dominated the opponents. If Rahul goes all guns blazing, Mayank is the weak link. If Agarwal is among some runs, the skipper isn’t there to compliment his batting show. Another major missing piece for Punjab is the under performing Chris Gayle. There have been a couple of instances where the left-hander has fired all the cylinders but that “Gayle effect” kind of knock is still waiting in the wings. The middle-order is another issue that the Punjab-based franchise needs to adjust. Deepak Hooda unleashed some good knocks in the initial stages of the tournament but his form has gone haywire since then. Some positives that have come up for Punjab in this edition of the IPL so far is Shahrukh Khan who is the latest recruit in the side. He has the ability to go after the bowlers whenever required while can also chip in with a steady knock if the team is struggling in a critical condition. Coming to Punjab’s bowling, the leader of the pack Mohammed Shami hasn’t really got into the groove. The right-arm fast bowler needs to get his form back if Punjab are seeking any positive results in the coming fixtures. Ravi Bishnoi and Arshdeep are the two youngsters to watch out for. While Bishnoi is a spinner with brains and knows how to deceive the batsmen with both pace and turn, Arshdeep has a great weapon in his arsenal. The left-arm fats bowler can bowl brilliant wide Yorkers which are certainly very useful in the death overs. Another change that KL needs to make is getting Mandeep Singh in for Nicholas Poor an. The way Pooran has fared in this tournament till now, he deserves to be benched for a few games and can be replaced by Sandeep Singh. Mandeep is an experienced lad and has scored runs in the past. Moreover, he had been a part of the RCB franchise alongside KL, Mayank and Gayle, so batting with these three would be an easy task as they all understand each others game well. And of course, there is no hard and fast rule that a franchise will have to play four overseas players. Stick to basics, RCB The Royal Challengers Bangalore are having the sweetest time in the IPL in this edition. They have won five of the last six matches and are sitting comfortably at the second spot. So do they need to do anything extra? Well, obviously NOT. RCB for now have the perfect balance in the side with captain Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal at the top followed by batsmen like Glenn Maxwell, AB de Villiers, Washington Sundar and so on. The trio of Kohli, ABD and Maxwell is threatening enough for any bowling attack and the instances of this has been unfolded by Maxwell and de Villiers in the past few games. The two have been striking the ball nicely and just need to continue that. As far as Kohli’s batting is concerned, he is not really struggling with his batting but the runs have certainly dried up. The right-hander just needs to capitalise on the starts he gets just the way he did against Rajasthan Royals. In the bowling department, Harshal Patel is on song in this IPL 2021. Except for that one over against Ravindra Jadeja, he has been performing consistently and this is what T20 format demands. Apart from Harshal, Mohammed Siraj has also shaped up into a brilliant bowler especially after he made his India debut in Tests. The right-arm seamer has himself acknowledged the fact that playing Test cricket has helped him improve his bowling in the T20s. While Patel and Siraj are in good touch, RCB have the services of another fast bowler who was recruited from DC, Daniel Sams and Kyle Jamieson in the fast bowling line up. The spin attack comprises Sundar who is an able bowler in the Powerplay overs while Yuzvendra Chahal is lethal with his line and length on his day. He too can deceive the batsmen with his pace and turn with precision. Chahal has looked a bit out of touch but a couple of good matches for him will get him back in form. Match Details Match: PBKS vs RCB, 26th Match, Indian Premier League 2021 Date: Friday, April 30, 2021 Time: 7:30 PM Venue: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad Pitch and Toss The Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad has seen two totally different kinds of matches. The encounter between Punjab Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders had nothing for the batsmen while the clash between RCB and Delhi Capitals saw some good amount of runs being scored. The track can be helpful for the spinners as we have seen that in the Test series between India and England but dew will play a major role as well only if a sand storm doesn’t affect it. There was an occurrence of a sand storm during the match between RCB and DC just before the start of the chase by the Delhi side. The sand storm certainly nullified the dew factor and this was also pointed out by Virat in the post-match presentation. Nevertheless, giving dew its due, if you win the toss, bowl first. Team News Punjab Kings The Punjab Kings have players who can bring stability in the side but a lot depends on KL Rahul’s captaincy. Removing a bowler had just given 5 runs in one over and has scalped a wicket won’t really work for him. There is a void in the middle-order as well and Mandeep Singh seems the ideal player to get a place in the XI to balance that. Ofcourse, Pooran would have to sit out for that. RCB RCB are in a good space and they haven’t been making much of a tweaks in this competition. The one slight change that might be made is getting Shahbaz in as he gives an option of a spinner as well but to give him a place in the XI, Kohli will have to bench a fast bowler because Rajat Patidar played a good innings at a very crucial stage and deserves to stay in the side. Probable XI Punjab Kings: KL Rahul (c & wk), Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Deepak Hooda, Mandeep Singh, Moises Henriques, Shahrukh Khan, Chris Jordan, Mohammed Shami, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh RCB: Virat Kohli (c), Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, AB de Villiers (wk), Washington Sundar, Daniel Sams, Kyle Jamieson, Harshal Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Siraj Fantasy XI KL Rahul (VC), AB de Villiers, Devdutt Padikkal (C), Virat Kohli, Mayank Agarwal, Rajat Patidar, Deepak Hooda, Harshal Patel, Kyle Jamieson, Mohammad Siraj, Arshdeep Singh