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IPL 2021 | KKR vs RR: Hits & Flops as Knight Riders demolish Royals, dash MI's playoffs hopes

It was a perfect performance by Kolkata Knight Riders as they demolished Rajasthan Royals by 86 runs in their final league match to almost book their place in the IPL 2021 Playoffs. Almost has been prefixed to their Playoffs qualification status because mathematically Mumbai Indians still have a chance of qualification, if they beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by more than 171 runs in their last match which takes place on October 08. Speaking realistically though, it has been a fairy tale comeback for the Knight Riders who were languishing at the bottom of the points table with only four points from their first seven games during the India leg of the competition. But as soon as it moved to UAE, the Brendon McCullum managed and Eoin Morgan captained the side, infused with the introduction of enigma called Venkatesh Iyer, surpassed all hoped to win five of their last games and take themselves in a position where qualification to the Playoffs seems like the only possible outcome. This game was just way too much for a Rajasthan batting side which was humbled very easily. There were many players who were impressed with their performances while some continued to disappoint. All of them shall be discussed in Hits and Flops. Hits Shivam Mavi Brought into the playing after continuous failures of Prasidh Krishna, Mavi really didn’t pick pace early and it wasn’t until this game that his election could have been really justified. In his first game of the UAE leg, the Uttar Pradesh born bowled full tosses in critical situations and was somewhat responsible for a tricky loss against Punjab Kings. But instead of rebuking him, the management trusted the young pacer and played him the next two games as well. While he picked two wickets against Sunrisers Hyderabad, today he was just unstoppable with the ball. The 22-year-old picked up four wickets in this game and alongside Lockie Ferguson, broke the back of the Rajasthan batting lineup. What started with the precious wicket of Royals skipper Sanju Samson, went on to finish with the last wicket of Royals in the form of Rahul Tewatia. His figures of 4/21 in this game are now also his best figures in IPL and T20 cricket. He was also declared Player of the Match in this game. Shubman Gill If peaking at the right time was an exam, Shubaman Gill would be acing it now. Having been out of touch for most of this IPL season, the 22-year-old seemed to have just at the right time. Scoring back to back fifties, Gill has shown the class because of which he was backed by the franchise even after continuously giving poor returns. The right-hander today was once again at his visual best, playing shots all along the ground as well as hitting it in the air occasionally, on what was a fairly improved Sharjah wicket from what it has been throughout the second leg so far. Gill was first of all instrumental in setting up a solid foundation, registering a 79 run partnership with Iyer in just 65 balls. Given the fact that Kolkata were scoring at five runs per over for the first four overs, it was a huge improvement that they touched 80 in the 11th over and then 100 in the 13th. In his innings of 56 off 44 balls, the Punjab born hit four fours and two sixes, taking his total for this season past 350. Lockie Ferguson After missing three games on the trot, a fit Lockie Ferguson announced his arrival with a bang, picking three crucial Royals wickets to make sure they were bundled out for a meagre 85. A master of raw pace and the ability to then bowl drastically slower with the same action, helped Lockie today as he was able to deceive batters with his change of pace. The wickets of Liam Livingstone and Anuj Rawat were nothing but the brilliance of Ferguson to keep changing his pace bowl according to the situation. As a result, he finished with figures of 3/18 in his four overs, to get the much-needed practise before the Playoffs. Flops Shivam Dube If there is anyone that is harming the career of Shivam Dube, it is Shivam Dube himself, with his non-learning from his mistakes. While in the last game he was out being unable to move his legs, in this game, it was the same kind of dismissal, showcasing that he learned nothing from the last game. While his abetting flopped on a comparatively difficult wicket and understandably so, he was also given an opportunity to bowl earlier in the game and he failed over there too. In his two overs, the 28-year-old gave away 18 runs. And with the bat also he could score only 18 runs off 20 balls. Sanju Samson If flops are to be searched from the Rajasthan Royals unit for this game, all except Tewatia and Sakariya might fit the bill, but the captain has been chosen especially because of his inability to adapt to situations. There seems to be no difference between this game and the last one as Samson was out in both of them trying to play such shits, which were not at all plausible seeing the nature of the wicket. In the post-match presentation, Samson himself said that it wasn’t as much the wicket as the fault in their batting that resulted in two below 100 total in consecutive games. Playing four balls, he could only score a solitary run. The skipper was also at fault in the field, making unbelievable bowling changes and showcasing some very poor wicket-keeping skills. The fact that Tewatia bowled only one over even after picking a crucial wicket in that over was beyond imagination for anybody. Now that a season has come to end, whether or not Sanju would be retained as skipper is yet to be seen, but it surely was a bitter pill to digest that they hended up with scores of 1 and 3 even after having a stellar season with the bat, scoring 484 runs, but once again missing out on that precious 500 runs in a season landmark.

Everest Premier League 2021| Final: Chitwan Tigers and Pokhara Rhinos fight it out for the title

The Everest Premier League, 2021 which finally took place after two seasons of non-engagement in 2019 and 2020 due to various reasons including the Covid-19 pandemic, has now reached its penultimate destination with the final match of the season to be played on October 8 between Chitwan Tigers and Pokhara Rhinos at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur, Kathmandu. The league has been marred by rain disruptions, which have resulted in a few washouts and few other games being decided through the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method. However, crossing all such hurdles and earning important victories, Pokhra and Chitwan towns made it to the final. Here’s a look at how they reached the final Chitwan Tigers road to the EPL 2021 Final In their first-ever match this season, the Tigers beat Biratnagar Warriors by two wickets courtesy of a composed innings by Rajesh Pulami as they chased down 152. While their next game against the Bhairahawa Gladiators was abandoned due to rain, the Tigers came back to win their next game as well. This three-wicket win was against Kathmandu Kings XI who had players like Afghan Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Zimbabwe’s Ryan Burl and Nepal’s own superstar Sandeep Lamichhane. From close wins, the Tigers showed their prowess in the next game and beat Pokhara Rhinos by nine wickets. In this Afghan wicketkeeper batter, Mohammad Shehzad shone for Tigers with the bat. In their fifth game, the Tigers beat defending champions Lalitpur Patriots to top the table. But the sixth match, which was actually the replay of the second game, was postponed due to the wet outfield Tigers somewhat lost the plot as they were beaten by Gladiators by six wickets. But even after that loss, they finished at the top of the six-team points tables and in Qualifier 1, beat Pokhara Rhinos, once again by nine wickets to advance to the final. Chitwan Tigers: Players to watch out in the final Mohammad Shahzad The funky Afghan wicket-keeper who entered the international arena on his ability to strike the ball mighty hard has been out of the national set-up for quite a long now. But his ability and skills in the shortest format of the game are still recognisable and Chitwan signed him as their overseas player for that reason. He has proved the signing right becoming the leading run-getter this season. The 33-year-old who still harbours hopes of a national call up has scored 196 runs with an average of 39.20 and a strike rate of 132 with 63* against Pokhra Rhinos being his best. Facing the Rhinos again, he would fancy his chances of taking his team home once again. Sagar Dhakal While it has been Sehzad with the bat, with the ball, Sagar Dhakal has been the crusader for the Tigers. The 19-year-old left-arm orthodox spin bowler has actually been the leader of the pack that combines Karim Janat, Shahab Alam and Kamal Singh Airee. While Dhakal has 13 wickets to his kitty in six innings with an average of 9.46 and an economy rate of 5.34, the rest three have together picked up 25 wickets. This quartet has been the reason for the Tigers’ success in this league so far. Pokhara Rhinos road to the EPL 2021 Final Pokhara Rhinos finished the league stage with an equal number of points as Bhairahawa Gladiators. The net run rate of Gladiators was better than Rhinos, but since Rhinos had won more matches, they were controversially given the second spot in the Points Table. In the league stage, the team from Pokhara won their three games, one game was abandoned due to bad weather and lost only against the Tigers, who they would also be facing in the Final. In Qualifier 1, they once again lost to the Tigers and by the same margin as they had in the league stage. In Qualifier-2, the Rhinos came back and beat Gladiators courtesy of a great all-around showing by their Sri Lankan import Sahan Arachchige to qualify for the Final. Pokhara Rhinos: Players to watch out in the final Sahan Arachchige The all-rounder has been a breath of fresh air in the Pokhara Rhinos squad. With 143 runs at an average of 47.66 and strike rate of 126 and four wickets to his kitty at 17.50 apiece, the Sri Lankan has raised hopes for the Pokhra team going into the Final. Most importantly, with his performance in the Qualifier-2, it has become clear that he is a big match player and if found in the right form, the 25-year-old could very well be the game-changer in the final. Richard Levi A seasoned professional, the South African has managed to prove over the years that he is capable of changing matches single-handedly. What Mohammad Shahzad is to Chitwan Tigers, Levi could very well be for Rhinos. With an experience of more than 100 First Class, List A and more than 200 T20 games playing around the world, the 33-year-old packs a heavy punch, which might land in the right place in the final. In the league so far, the Proteas has scored 155 runs, striking at more than 150. His average of 25 shows that he has been consistent as well. What's at stake? Both the teams have reached the final of this top-rated competition in Nepalese cricket for the first time. Thus a title win for either of them would do a world of good regarding competition in the league and also with respect to building fan bases. Chitwan have beaten Pokhara twice in the league and Qualifier and that too by a huge margin. But the final is altogether a different ball game. Can the Rhinos turn it on in the match that matters the most?

IPL 2021 | SRH vs MI: Mumbai still in hunt for a Playoffs place, all they need is a miracle against Sunrisers

The uniqueness of the Indian Premier League is that any team can beat any other team on a given day and maybe that is what has kept Mumbai Indians, the defending champions alive and still hopeful for a place in the Playoffs, even as the tournament heads to its last day of the league stages on October 8. Although the chances of Mumbai making it to the Playoffs is almost negligible with Kolkata Knight Riders beating Rajasthan Royals in their last match. But mathematically, the Rohit Sharma led side still has a chance. Mumbai Indians' chance of Playoffs qualification The chance is very simple. Win the toss and bat first. If they lose the toss, the game is done and dusted there itself as the only chance of MI making it to the Playoffs is by winning their last match against Sunrisers by a margin of 171 runs or more. To avail that chance, it needs to put in a performance far greater than their last one against Rajasthan Royals, where they chased down the total in only 8.2 overs to make themselves even a contender for the Playoffs. If MI are unable to win by a margin of 171 runs or more, their net run rate which is at -0.048 currently, will not be able to get past KKR’s +0.587 and thus even if Mumbai wins the game, KKR on the virtue of a better net run rate will make it to the Playoffs. What is in it for SRH? While this is about Mumbai, what about Hyderabad? What are they looking for? Having trashed the party of Royal Challengers Bangalore, dashing almost all their hopes of finishing in the top two, the bottom-placed unit would look to rally one last time and finish the dismal season with a final hurray. They can be way more dangerous than playing an already qualified team and who knows better than RCB about it? The Hyderabad side has nothing to lose and in that case, Mumbai, which has everything to lose might become vulnerable, giving a chance for Kane Williamson’s men to strike hard. Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Mumbai Indians: Details Match number: 55 Date and Time: October 08, 2021, 07:30 pm IST (10:00 GMT), 06:00 pm Local, 02:00 pm GMT Venue: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi Broadcast and Livestream: Star Sports and Hotstar Pitch Report The pitches throughout UAE haven’t really been supportive of batting as it was the last time around in 2020. The squares have dried up with a lot of cricket having been already played. Thus in this game also, any score around and above 150-160 would be par and the team defending should look to make it as tough as possible for the team chasing. Weather Forecast The temperatures would be in the mid-thirties and humidity would keep on increasing as the match progresses. There might be dew later on and thus, any team winning the toss would look to bowl first. Team News Sunrisers Hyderabad Since Hyderabad won a game after a very long time playing one combination, it would be very difficult to imagine them abandoning altogether or even making the slightest of changes to it until and unless there is any injury scare. Probable XI Jason Roy, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Kane Williamson (c), Priyam Garg, Abdul Samad, Abhishek Sharma, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul, Umran Malik Mumbai Indians Mumbai on the other hand seemed to have found their mojo back with the introduction of Jimmy Neesham and Ishan Kishan in the squad in place of Krunal Pandya and Quinton de Kock respectively. Jayant Yadav’s introduction is a blessing in disguise considering that he can bowl very well on the dry pitches of Abu Dhabi. Thus no changes are in sight in this Playing XI either. Probable XI Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Saurabh Tiwary, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, James Neesham, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Jayant Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult CE XI Fantasy Team Wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan Batters Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Jason Roy, Kane Williamson All-rounders Jason Holder, James Neesham Bowlers Nathan Coulter-Nile, Jasprit Bumrah, Rashid Khan, Umran Malik Vice-Captain Jason Holder Captain Ishan Kishan

IPL 2021 | KKR vs RR: What Experts Said after Kolkata script 'wonderful turnaround'

Kolkata Knight Riders bowling unit was on fire against Rajasthan Royals on Thursday in Sharjah after they bundled out the Royals for 85 to win the match by 86 runs. Chasing 172, the RR side had a dismal start to the proceedings after losing opener Yashasvi Jaiswal in the first over for a duck. The Rajasthan side kept losing wickets at quick succession and were left tottering at 35/7 to eventually get bowled out. For RR, it was only Rahul Tewatia who held the fort from one end and chipped in with a 36-ball 44 which included a couple of maximums and five fours during the course of his innings but the left-hander’s efforts weren’t enough to take his team over the line. With this defeat, RR have also bowed out of the tournament. For KKR, Shivam Mavi scalped a four-wicket haul at the cost of 21 runs in just over three overs while Lockie Ferguson returned with a fascinating figures of 3/18 in 4. Shakib Al Hasan and Varun Chakravarthy picked up a wicket apiece. Earlier, in the day, KKR were off to a good start after Shubman Gill and Venkatesh Iyer stitched a 79-run stand for the first wicket before Iyer was out for 38 off 35. But Gill continued with his brilliant batting and notched up 56 off 44 deliveries to help his side put 171/4 in 20 overs on the board. Chetan Sakariya returned with an economical figures of 1/23 in 4 overs for RR. RR captain Sanju Samson suggested that the track was favourable enough to chase this kind of a target but there was a lapse in the execution by the team. “I think to be very honest it was a better wicket. It was staying a little low with the new ball but it was a better wicket. 171 was chaseable on this wicket. I think we wanted to get a good start. We needed a powerful powerplay. We wanted to execute whatever we planned but we didn't execute,” he said during the post-match presentation. KKR skipper Eoin Morgan lavished praise on Shubman Gill and Iyer for their efforts in the second half of the tournament. “Losing the toss and having to set was a difficult challenge. Venkatesh Iyer and Shubman Gill have been the shining lights for us in the second half. I thought we were brilliant to take the opportunities,” he said. Experts’ Opinion Commentator Harsha Bhogle lauded KKR for the way they turned the table for themselves in this edition of the IPL. “KKR came to the UAE with very little chance of qualifying for the play-offs. Now they are marching there. It has been a truly wonderful turnaround,” he tweeted. Journalist Ayaz Memon praised KKR for their all-round performance. “Superb all round performance by KKR and terrible one by RR. Don’t know the mathematical possibility of MI making it to the play-offs, but must be tending towards zero I would imagine. KKR’s surge from a near hopeless position after phase 1 is a remarkable story,” he wrote on Twitter. Former India bowler Irfan Pathan praised KKR for the way they have fared in the second leg of the IPL. “This is brilliant cricket from KKR, UAE leg has been fruitful for them. #IPL2O21,” he tweeted. Former India pacer RP Singh hailed Shivam Mavi for showing his potential in an important game. “KKR you did it in style! Der aaye per kya durust aaye! Shivam Mavi chose a very important game to show his potential,” he wrote on Twitter. KKR are likely to make it to the playoffs as the fourth side. The Mumbai Indians need to defeat Sunrisers Hyderabad by a huge margin of around 170 odd runs.