IPL 2021 | SRH vs PBKS: Hope the TRP is up due to Punjab Kings, says KL Rahul

IPL 2021 | SRH vs PBKS: Hits & Flops as Kings survive another day, push Sunrisers to the brink

The game between the Punjab Kings and the Sunrisers Hyderabad turned out to be a contest of who will commit the least number of mistakes and who will play more focussed and attritional cricket both with the bat and the ball to scramble over the line. First, the Kings struggled to time the ball at the top of the order and their middle order could fumble and barely get past the 120-run mark and it was followed by a grave crisis in the Sunrisers batting camp, who could not present challenge the Kings if not for an all-round brilliance from Jason Holder. Here, we’ll analyse the best and the worst performances of the night that in the end, turned the tide in the favour of the Kings. Hits Jason Holder The pitch at Sharjah has been remarkably different from the ones that were used in the last season and teams have now realised that the best time to bat is when the ball is hard and new. Accepting the new reality, KL Rahul decided to shed his “anchoring” approach and decided to throw his weight from the 3rd over itself. He was trying to get on top of Jason Holder, who was staying true to his reputation, was generating extra bouncer of a tricky surface. First, he got the Kings’ skipper when he was looking to send him over the midwicket fence and to add the cherry on top, he dismissed an over-ambitious Mayank Agarwal in the same over to take the Kings to some unfamiliar territory arising due to twin failures at the top. With two wickets down and the fielding restriction on the verge of ending, Holder put a massive brake on King’s batting innings and by the time he came back to bowl the men in red were looking out of sorts. He added on to their misery by removing Deepak Hooda who was threatening to tee off and spoil Sunriers’ party. His four-over spell read 19 runs three wickets and the kings were restricted to mere 125 runs from their quota of 20 overs. If the Sunrisers bowling attack has not lived up to the expectations, the batting lineup has barely arrived this season. The slump of David Warner is prolonged and the skipper Kane Williamson had an off day. Their wicket followed by the collapse of the middle order meant that Holder was needed one more time for the men in orange and he did not disappoint on that front either. When he walked out to bat, the Sunrisers had a steep task of scoring 66 runs from the last 42 balls and by the time game finished he had reduced the gap to just six needing the final ball to take the game to the super over. Scoring boundaries were tough on that pitch at the deliveries were holding up in the surface and timing the ball was a tough ask. Hence, Holder relied on his long handle and broad shoulder to hit five sixes in 29-ball 47 that carried the Sunriers’ hope till the last ball of the game. It took the brilliance of Nathan Ellis to deny him the winning opportunity and although he walked back dejected having been unable to hit the last ball for six, he did more than enough to deserve respect and consistency in selection from the Sunrisers side. Mohammed Shami If the Kings had to defend a mediocre total of 125 runs, they had to have a great start with the ball and Rahul continued to trust Mohammed Shami’s ability with the new ball to deliver. This time, the pacer did not disappoint after an average outing against the Rajasthan Royals and dismissed two big fish in Warner and Williamson to stop the Sunriers from thinking of attacking the Kings out of the game. Apart from the two big wickets, he did not let the Sunrisers go for glory shots against the new ball which has been the go-to mantra for sides at Sharjah in this edition of the IPL. He was in the channel at a perfect length that never allowed the Sunrisers to send the balls beyond the boundary line. He ended up conceding only 14 runs from his quota of 24 balls and after having broken their back with the wickets of Warner and Williamson, Shami had inflicted more than enough damage his skipper would have asked of him. Shami has been included in India’s squad for the T20 World Cup and the Indian team management would be watching his exploit in the IPL 2021 with great delight and anticipation of what he would bring to the table in the big global event. Ravi Bishnoi Ravi Bishnoi’s exclusion from the last game attracted widespread criticism for the Punjab Kings as fans and watchers of the game blamed the think tank for overlooking his success over the reliability and experience of Adil Rashid. Although the debate between who is better among the two is highly stacked in the favour of the English leg spinner, the Kings had to go back to his trusted wrist-spinner as Rashid struggled with landing problems and provided a lot of short flight or too long a flight with his deliveries. Bishnoi is a peculiar leg spinner who bowls more googly than the leg spinner—stock ball for a wrist spinner, and two of the three wickets he picked came from his weapon of choice. He first flummoxed Manish Pandey into playing his googly from the crease and followed it up with a sharp turning googly that beat Kedar Jadhav while he was trying to play a late cut. His third wicket of Abdul Samad that came in the same over of Jadhav’s dismissal came on a classical leg-spinning delivery that the right-hander tried to tonk over the leg side fence. Yes, the pitch was turning and the Sunrisers batting order was terribly out of form, but Bishnoi possesses remarkable accuracy for a leg spinner— a quality his international peer Rashid had struggled in the previous game. Flops Manish Pandey Manish Pandey first burst onto the scene in the 2009 edition of the Indian Premier League on the back of his stellar footwork against spinners and audacity against the pacers. However, all of those qualities appear to be in retreat for Pandey, who has looked like a pale shadow of the batsman he once was and all of that was on display on a tricky surface at Sharjah. The pitch was tough to get perfect timing but Shami was all over him with the new ball when it was supposed to be an easy phase to score runs. Later, he was castled by Bishnoi in a manner that will leave him to look like an overseas batsman who has never batted on a search gripping surface against high-quality spin bowling. He was found in a no-man’s land against the googly of Bishnoi that rocked his stumps after getting through the gap between the line of the ball and his bat. The amount of gap that he had left was symbolic of the gap between the promise he brought to the SRH’s table and the performance he has delivered over a four-year-long stay at the franchise. David Warner David Warner is a bonafide IPL legend and the number of runs he has piled on in the tournament speaks volumes of his success as a batsman and the rise of the Sunrisers’ under his watch defined his legacy as a captain. However, the ban he served after the Newlands Test saga broke the momentum of both his batting and captaincy and life has not been the same for both the Sunrisers and himself. He amassed 528, 562, 848, 641, 692, 548 runs in the last six seasons of the IPL at a decent clip before the ongoing abysmal season where he has hardly looked like the batsman Warner is known for. On the night against the Kings, the Sunrisers needed everything that Warner’s career is built on— seizing momentum after a rapid start against the new ball, but the script has changed for the left-hander this season. He was late on a short and wide ball from Mohammed Shami and could only edge to the keeper to have a long walk back to the pavilion. When the time doesn’t go with you, you get caught in all sorts of winds blowing across you. Warner has been known for his swift fielding ad reliable catching but even that aspect of his game fell awry against the Kings. He dropped a simplest of the simple chance off Aiden Markram and the wry smile on his face after dropping the chance summed how the time has been going for Warner. With the win, the Kings have kept their hopes of reaching into the final four alive while the Sunriers have been cornered further down on the points table and even wins in all remaining games will not ensure their confirmed advancement to the next stage.

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.

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.

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.