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IPL 2021 | RCB vs MI - Struggling Mumbai look for late revival against sputtering RCB

Onecricket

Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians are two teams in the Indian Premier League that are not discussed in a single breath. Mumbai have had a distinguished IPL career winning five titles in the possible 13 seasons, while on the other hand, the RCB are one of the only three teams in the current eight, who have not laid their hands on the trophy. Even in terms of going deep in the tournament, Mumbai dominate the charts with playing 6 finals, while RCB have competed in 3. 


Themes from the first half

However, this season started a little differently. Unlike most years. The RCB dominated the early phase of the tournament, defeating the likes of Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Capitals, three of their main competitions for the playoff spots.

In contrast to the Bangalore-based franchise, like all years, Mumbai started at their own pace, losing the first game of the tournament (incidentally against RCB). However, they picked up momentum late in the first phase of the tournament, clinching incredible victories against Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals.

Based on their momentum, one would have assumed, and rightly so after the Indian leg, that both the RCB and the MI were runaway leaders to qualify for the top four spots, if not the first two.

However, neither the RCB nor the MI can let go of their bad habits of not doing things the easy way and hence, they find themselves in precarious situations in the middle of the points table.

Back to square one 

Coming into the second phase of the tournament with a strong foreign contingent, RCB faltered twice, awfully against the KKR and the CSK. Against the KKR, they were bundled out for just 92 runs in 19 overs and against CSK, despite having a 55-run powerplay, the RCB failed to put enough runs on board and lost the game by 6 wickets and 17 balls remaining.

In both defeats, the bowling department weren’t given a chance with awfully low totals to defend, however, one would argue that RCB bowlers could crank up the heat and not give away easy runs in the middle. 

The misfiring batting department remains the top concern for RCB with players either failing to score runs or failing to score runs quickly enough.

In the first match against Kolkata, RCB line-up tanked with seven out of 11 batsmen scoring in single digits. Devdutt Padikkal was the only player to score over 20, but did so at a strike rate of just 110.

Against Chennai, RCB seemed to have shaken off the once in a blue moon defeat to KKR, scoring 55 rapid runs in the first six overs. But for some very odd reason, both Padikkal and Kohli slowed down and the side scored just two boundaries and a solitary six between the 11th and 16th over. A big NONO in T20 cricket.

This mounted incredible pressure in the middle order and in desperation to get going, RCB threw away wickets on regular intervals.

RCB are not alone in batting problems though as Mumbai middle order comprising Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Krunal Pandya, Saurabh Tiwary and Kieron Pollard have not fired in the UAE leg of the tournament as of yet.

Barring one innings from Tiwary where he scored 50 off 40 balls, nobody has contributed anything of substance in the last two matches and MI will really hope that they can get their mojo back at this phase of the tournament.

Points Table

The game matters more for Mumbai, given the Rohit Sharma-led side is placed at 5th in the table with a negative run-rate. If Mumbai can win on Sunday, they have the potential to go up to the third place in the table, with 10 points in nine games.

For RCB, this is a game to turn things around. Their campaign has turned horribly wrong since they arrived in the UAE and they need this win going into the final phase of the group stages.

Match Details

Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Mumbai Indians, Match 39

Venue: Dubai International Stadium

Date & Time: September 26th at 7:30 PM IST (5:00 PM local time)

Broadcast: Star Sports Network and Disney+Hotstar

Pitch Report

Since day 1, the Dubai pitch has assisted pacers in the early phase of the innings. If one can take their mind back to the first encounter between MI and CSK in the second leg of the tournament, Mumbai were in absolute control in the first six overs.

Trent Boult and Adam Milne ran riot in the powerplay play dismissing three players and retiring hurting one. At a point in time Chennai were reduced to 25-4 (5 if you consider the retire hurt) with their entire top order and MS Dhoni back in the hut.

They made an error of judgement in the later half in that game, bowling spinners from both ends of the pitch, a move that Chennai capitalised on and scored 156.

In the second innings of that same game, 7 wickets were picked by Chennai pacers out of the 8 that fell, the one remaining was a run out.

The last match played between Delhi Capitals and Sunrisers Hyderabad showed the same trend, with Delhi Pacer Anrich Nortje breathing fire in the 22 yards.



So, the suggestion is, if you win the toss, 100 per cent, bowl first.

Key Players and Match-ups

You cannot talk about Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bangalore without talking about the Glenn Maxwell -AB de Villiers duo. While Maxwell has forever struggled against Mumbai for his inability to counter Jasprit Bumrah, Pollard or leg spinner Rahul Chahar, ABD has been one of the few players in the world who takes a liking to Bumrah’s bowling.

De Villiers bats at a strike rate close to 150 against the Indian pacer and RCB can hope that he can come to his own in this game.

On the flip side of things, Bangalore would hope that they can maximise the potential of Yuzvendra Chahal and Wainidu Hasaranga in this game and attack the MI batting line up that houses right handed big hitters like Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav and Kieron Pollard.

We have already discussed how Trent Boult and Adam Milne are crucial to the MI in the powerplay and being up against Padikkal and Kohli should be a good contest.

Team News

Mumbai Indians

If Mumbai are anything - they are an extremely focused unit. They will look to bounce back against RCB, be it with or without the services of Hardik Pandya, whose fitness condition is not definitively known.


Barring that, Mumbai will probably be fielding an unchanged XI.

Probable XI

Quinton de Kock (wk), Rohit Sharma (capt), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Hardik Pandya/Saurabh Tiwary, Adam Milne, Rahul Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah

Royal Challengers Bangalore

RCB have lost two in a row and they might think of tinkering their playing XI a little bit.

Navdeep Saini was woefully off colour in the last game and he might make way for Kyle Jamieson in the playing XI. This would mean that with ABD, Maxwell, Hasaranga and Jamieson in, Tim David might be forced to sit out and Shabaz Ahmed might be called back into the XI. RCB could choose to bench KS Bharat and play Rajat Patidar as well, but that might be one change too many.

Probable XI

Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli (capt), Glenn Maxwell, AB de Villiers, KS Bharat (wk), Kyle Jamieson, Shabaz Ahmed, Harshal Patel, Wainidu Hasaranga Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal

Fantasy XI

AB de Villiers, Quinton de Kock, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Saurabh Tiwary, Suryakumar Yadav, Devdutt Padikkal, Wainindu Hasaranga, Jasprit Bumrah, Rahul Chahar  

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IPL 2021 | SRH vs PBKS: What Experts Said after Holder's efforts go in vain against Punjab

Sunrisers Hyderabad all-rounder Jason Holder’s efforts went in vain as the Hyderabad side suffered yet another defeat in the competition. Chasing 126 in 20 overs against Punjab Kings, SRH were restricted to 120/7 to lose the game by 5 runs. The Sunrisers never really looked in control during the chase as they began the proceedings in a dismal manner after losing opener David Warner and captain Kane Williamson early. The wickets kept tumbling at regular intervals for SRH and they were soon left tottering at 60/5 when Holder walked in the middle. The right-hander along with Wriddhiman Saha stitched a stand of 32 runs before Saha departed for 31 off 37 after getting run out. But Holder continued with his onslaught as he remained unbeaten at 47 off 29 which included five maximums during the course of his innings. But the West Indies player failed to take his team over the line. For Punjab, it was Mohammed Shami and Ravi Bishnoi who pushed SRH on the backfoot. While Shami returned with figures of 2/14 in 4 overs, Bishnoi scalped a three-wicket haul at the cost of 24 runs in four overs. Earlier, Punjab Kings after batting first managed to put 125/7 in 20 overs on the board. The KL Rahul-led side too struggled with the bat as they lost wickets at regular intervals. Aiden Markram top-scored with 27 off 32 for Punjab. For SRH, Holder was the star with the ball as well as he picked up three wickets for 19 runs in 4 overs. Sunrisers captain Williamson hailed the bowling unit for their efforts but also admitted that the surface was a tough one for batting. “The bowling unit, fielding unit did a fantastic job. Certainly the surface was a tough one. Required partnerships and we were certainly backing ourselves to get close. It took a brilliant individual performance in both halves from Jason Holder, especially with the bat to keep the match competitive,” he said during the post-match presentation. Punjab Kings skipper KL Rahul also praised Holder for the way he played. “He (Holder) played exceedingly well. First with the ball, taking those two wickets in an over and then batted really well, on a track where it was difficult to play the big shots,” he said. Experts’ Opinion Commentator Harsha Bhogle pointed out that this wasn’t really one of the most exciting day’s cricket. “Safe to say it wasn't the most exciting day's cricket. Need a little more life on these pitches,” he tweeted. Former India opener Aakash Chopra also pointed out that the pitch during the game between Punjab Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad was a testing one. “Sharjah pitch is making a sincere effort to keep the love for Test cricket alive. Skill. Will. All getting Tested,” he wrote on Twitter. Journalist Ayaz Memon lavished praise on Jason Holder for his all-round show. “Fine all round performance by Holder. Pity he had to finish on the losing side,” he tweeted. Former India pacer Irfan Pathan lauded Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Shami and Arshdeep for their bowling and also hailed Rahul for his captaincy. “Brilliant bowling by Bishnoi, shami,Arshdeep and nicely managed by captain Rahul. Udtaaaaa punjab,” he tweeted. SRH will now play RR on Monday in Dubai while Punjab Kings will take on Mumbai Indians in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.

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IPL 2021 | DC vs RR: Hits and Flops as red-hot Capitals wallop declining Royals

Establishing their supremacy in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League, the Delhi Capitals walloped the Rajasthan Royals to wake them up to harsh reality after a dream come true win over the Punjab Kings in their last game. Albeit the margin of win for the Delhi Capitals were limited to 33 runs but it was more a reflection of the batting conditions at Abu Dhabi than their dominance as the Royals were more or less out of the game halfway through the second innings. Here, we’ll analyse the best performances that turned the tide in the Capitals’ favour along with some under-par performances that limited both the Royals and the Capitals in a vital mid-tournament clash. Hits Anrich Nortje When the Capitals had paired Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje in the last edition of the IPL, it was more of a forced-choice after Chris Woakes had pulled himself out of the tournament. If the Capitals were told that they were on to building something special and that would make them a side to beat over the course of the next many games, they would laugh it off. However, they will have to realise it and would love to pat themselves on their back for asking the Proteas duo to unleash all their fire and pace on opposition batting lineups. Nortje has had a stellar run for the Capitals and his love affairs with the pitches of the UAE continued in the ongoing edition. He was on the money from the word go to derail the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the last game and the trend continued when he sent an enterprising Yashasvi Jaiswal, who had held the Royals batting order like a glue, back to the pavilion even before he could set his eyes in. His jolt came after Avesh Khan dismissed Royal’s biggest match-winner with the bat in Liam Livingstone and hence his wicket of Jaisawal put them on the back foot right from the start. His first two overs yielded only seven runs and the pressure started to tell on other batsmen as David Miller ran out of patience and ran out of the crease against Ravichandran Ashwin to never come back to the crease. By the time he was brought on for the second half of chase, the game was already slipping out of their Royal’s grasp albeit their hopes were alive in the form of Sanju Samson and Rahul Tewatia. He closed that door as well by dismissing Tewatia, who was beaten for pace and found fine leg positioned perfectly for his swivel pull. Nortje’s spell read 4-0-18-2 but the domino effect of his bowling on Royal’s fortunes and Capitals’ dominance should not be underestimated. Shreyas Iyer It has been tough for Shreyas Iyer this year but he is answering all the harsh calls and criticism with the bat. The career has gone downhill for him since the time the Indian team management had a doubt about his place in the T20I side against Australia and the shoulder injury against England right before the IPL completed the circle of unfortunate moments and missed opportunities. The IPL had to be another success story for him to stake a claim for a spot in India’s World T20 squad but the dislocated shoulder denied him that opportunity. Now, as the IPL has come back from the Covid scare, he too is back to do what he does the best for the Capitals, albeit being a leader of the side. In the game against the Royals, the Capitals found themselves in a precarious situation after the loss of both Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw. Iyer, for a long time, has been blamed for batting like an “anchor” and throwing caution into the winds but the game situation demanded such carefulness from him. However, as soon as he got the pace of the pitch the fluent run-scorer was back with crisp shots off-spinners. He has been known for his brutal game against the spinners and all of that was on display when he started toying with the spin twins of the Royals. He was playing with the minds of both spinners and played them superbly both off the back and front foot. He was picking the number one T20I bowler Tabraiz Shamsi from his hand and was picking the areas to hit instead of reading it off the pitch and playing a guessing game. He was lured into driving by Rahul Tewatia and although he tried all his best to drag his foot inside the crease, he went back to the pavilion. His wicket fell at the most wrong time for the Capitals but thankfully for him and the side, Shimron Hetmyer stood up with his firepower and provided them with momentum to ensure they went past the 150-run mark. Ravichandran Ashwin While the pace battery of the Capitals attracts a lot of headlines more often than not, there’s one man who has been in headlines in the recent past albeit not due to his performance but his selection and non-selection. Earlier last month, he was in the headlines for his non-selection into the Indian Test team against England and later it was his selection in the World T20 squad that attracted quite a bit of attention. However, the bowling was to be done and the second phase of the IPL is the perfect place for him to justify his selection. The game against the Royals was a dream situation for any spinner having been asked to bowl in the middle phase. The opening balling pair of Avesh Khan and Nortje had sent the openers back and the Royals middle order was in search of runs after silent first few overs. He also got a left-hander in David Miller to bowl at and he enticed him straightaway into playing a big shot. Miller obliged but only to miss the ball completely and allowing Rishabh Pant an easy stumping chance. Another left-hander Mahipal Lomror reluctantly tried to break the shackles against him but his immense control and mastery over bowling in such conditions made him unhittable. Later, in his final over, he flummoxed Samson and denied him any scoring opportunities when the Royals skipper was in desperate search of runs. His 3-run over in the 13th over of the game more or less pushed the Royals away from the path of victory and set up a perfect platform for the pacers to complete a convincing win. Ashwin would be delighted to get on top of his bowling prowess in the shortest format and his control will give a lot of heart to the Indian think tank and fans for the marquee global event that will follow the IPL 2021. Flops Liam Livingstone There are not many things that have gone in the favour of the Royals this season but the form of Liam Livingstone certainly looked like a welcome sign for them ahead of the second phase of IPL 2021. However, the promise of blitzkrieg has been ruined to pale dismissals and the right-hander has struggled to carry his extraordinary form from the Hundred and international cricket to IPL. Earlier, he had withdrawn from the tournament citing bubble fatigue and the development had came as shock to the Royals after the absence of Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes. The men in pink started the second phase also without Jos Buttler and hence Livingstone had to be their best batting star if they were to dare to turn things around in the second half. The Royals suffered another setback as Evin Lewis, who started his journey with them on a promising note in the last game missed the Capitals challenge. Suffering from lack of options, the Royals tried to maximise his potential by sending him at the top of the order to make a light work of the chase of 156 runs. What they got in return was another lackadaisical outing for the right-hander. He could not get the pace and bounce of the pitch and Avesh Khan got him with a one that bounced a bit more than he anticipated while dancing down the track and the team suffered the same fate that they have been suffering at the hands of international stars who shine bright in all tournaments except when playing for them. David Miller If all of the England stars such as Stokes, Archer and Buttler would have been there in the UAE, the Royals would not have been playing David Miller, who appears to be batting past his prime. He is playing in the IPL more on the basis of past laurel than contemporary promises. On the day against the Capitals, the Royals needed him to bat smartly against the wiliest bowler from the opposition camp. The chase was not out of their grapes in terms of required runs but the early wickets made things tough for them. After the first four overs, the Royals were just 17/2 and Pant asked his talisman against left-hander—R Ashwin to roll his arm over as soon as Miller walked out to bat. The Pant-Ashwin partnership threw dice at him and defying all his game sense and wisdom of experience, he danced down the track to hit the toughest bowler to hit for him at the start of the innings. There was no way he could have timed his jump and shot in the face of a delayed and slower delivery from Ashwin and was left embarrassed out of the crease while Pant was whipping the bails off. With the win, the Capitals are all but qualified for the playoff phase of the tournament and the Royals have suffered another setback and may well be a stumbling block in the path for qualification to the final four.

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IPL 2021 | DC vs RR: What Experts Said after Delhi take away valuable two points

Delhi Capitals registered a comfortable 33-run win against Punjab Kings in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. Chasing 155 in 20 overs, RR were restricted to 121/6. The Royals had a dismal start to the proceedings after they were left tottering at 17/3 to eventually get reduced to 55/5 before Sanju Samson and Rahul Tewatia tried to steady the ship. The left-right batting duo put up 44 for the sixth wicket before Tewatia departed for 9 off 15. But captain Samson continued to score runs from one end and he notched up an unbeaten 70 off 53 that included a maximum and 8 fours. Anrich Nortje once again was the pick of the bowlers after he returned with 2/18 in 4 overs while Avesh Khan, R Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada and Axar Patel picked up one wicket apiece. Earlier, DC too had a struggling stat after they lost openers Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw early in the innings but Shreyas Iyer and captain Rishabh Pant struck 62 runs for the third wicket. Pant scored run-a-ball 24 while Iyer put 43 off 32. Shimron Hetmyer was another DC batsman who scored runs at a brisk pace and notched up 16-ball 28 as the side eventually scored 154/6 in 20 overs. Mustafizur Rahman and Chetan Sakariya picked up a couple of wickets each for RR. The Rajasthan side captain Sanju Samson admitted that the target of 155 was in the reach with the kind of batting line up that the team possesses. “A target of 155 with the quality of batsmen we have, I thought it was chaseable. We had the batting to go after it. I think we will come back stronger in the next game. The emotions are on the higher side, we'll think about it tomorrow morning,” he said after the match. Experts’ Opinion Commentator Harsha Bhogle lavished praise on Sanju Samson for his innings. “Top class innings from Sanju Samson. The gulf between him and the other batsmen has been there to see,” he tweeted. Former India player Aakash Chopra was all in praise of Delhi Capitals and even suggested that the side will play this year’s final as well. “Second consecutive finals for Delhi Capitals,” he wrote on Twitter. Journalist Ayaz Memon also lauded Samson for his knock. “Sanju Samson’s playing a brilliant hand, but by himself may not be able to turn the tables on DC. Tewatia must come to the party too. Match has been infused with life, whatever the outcome,” he tweeted. Former India wicket-keeper batsman Parthiv Patel hailed Delhi Capitals after the win. “Delhi Capitals take home two valuable points as the first half of the double header comes to an end! Now on to,” he wrote on Twitter. RR will now play SRH on Monday in Dubai while DC will be up against KKR in Sharjah on Tuesday.