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IPL 2020 | CSKS vs KKR: Hits and Flops as Ravindra Jadeja wins a thriller

A total of 35 runs were required from the last two overs with two new batsmen at the crease against a certain Lockie Ferguson, someone who is dreaded for his deadly yorkers in the death. In such a situation, the bowlers will be favoured any day. Lockie too did well for the first three deliveries giving only three runs in them. But post that, it was all a Ravindra Jadeja show in Dubai. With this win, Chennai not only satiated their hunger bowing out of the tournament with pride but also gave their fans a chance to celebrate as the franchise are still directly affecting the Playoffs and the Kolkata based team are the latest victim of that. Apart from Jadeja, youngster Ruturaj Gaikwad and experienced campaigner Ambati Rayudu too contributed to the Chennai victory immensely. On that note, let’s have a look at the Hits and Flops from the game. Hits Ravindra Jadeja Jadeja came to the crease when CSK were deep in troubled waters with its set batsman, Ruturaj Gaikwad having departed from the crease at the wrong moment. With 30 needed from the last two overs, it came down to Lockie Ferguson vs Jadeja. He not only held his nerves to deposit Ferguson across the boundary thrice in that over and take away a total of 20 runs but also took the pressure from an off colour, Sam Curran, as well. Then it all came down to the last over and Kamlesh Nagarkoti bowled brilliant four deliveries to concede only four runs and 7 were required off two. It was Ravindra Jadeja once again who took the charge and hit two consecutive sixes off the young bowler to win it for his team. While bowling, Jadeja had also picked up a wicket and was quite economical as well with figures of 1/20 in three overs. Ruturaj Gaikwad Gaikwad carried on from where he had left in the last game, anchoring the innings while others played the role of the aggressor. Once settled, he took his chances and tried to accelerate the innings. He was successful in doing so, as after a slow 50 run partnership with Watson, he had a 37-ball 68 run partnership with Ambati Rayudu. Even after the fall of Rayudu’s wicket, he kept on trying to score fast and in the process got out trying to play a premeditated scoop off Pat Cummins. His 48 ball 73 showed once again why deserved to open right from the start and not letting him open the innings in the initial phases of the IPL would be considered one of CSK’s worst mistakes from the seasons. Ambati Rayudu Rayudu joined Gaikwad in the middle when the team needed the run rate to move upwards as quickly as possible. He, paying heed to the demand started going bonkers from the word go and succeeded in achieving what he sought to when he came to the crease. The Andhra batsman hit 38 of just 20 deliveries at a strike rate of more than 190. But one shot too many also saw him back, although not before semblance was established in the CSK chase by him. Flops Lockie Ferguson Banked to be the go-to man of the captain in the death, Ferguson disappointed today as he was taken for the cleaners by Ravindra Jadeja and conceded 20 runs off the penultimate over. It wasn’t his day at all, as there was not a single over in which the Kiwi looked like taking the wicket. And the fact that he finished with the figures of 0/54 in his quota of four overs, tells it all. Eoin Morgan Morgan was probably the biggest flop of the game. He deserves the tag not only because of his batting but because of the decisions that he took in the entire game. Be it the promotion of Rinku Singh ahead of him and Karthik in the batting order or bowling Nitish Rana at a juncture when the pressure had been built on the CSK batsmen. Even his untimely interruption in the rhythm of Ferguson was something that a viewer couldn’t understand. When Ferguson had bowled three flawless yorkers and was in his zone, what was the need for Morgan to disturb his rhythm and suggest changes? Plus his batting in which he scored 15 off 12 when the team needed him to score quickly was something that wasn’t on the expected lines from the Englishman. As Morgan said in the post-match chat, there is nothing in KKR’s hand apart from getting a win against Rajasthan and then hoping that somehow the equations favour them.

CSK vs KKR: What Experts said as Ruturaj Gaikwad ‘sparkles’ again to beat Kolkata

Kolkata Knight Riders finally paid for their nonunderstandable team management as they have been almost eliminated after a six-wicket loss to bottom-placed Chennai Super Kings in Dubai. While Ruturaj Gaikwad’s sparkling innings did put a lot of strain on the opponents, but the credit of the loss must also go to the team management of KKR who did not refrain from experimenting even today as Sunil Narine and Rinku Singh were sent ahead of skipper Eoin Morgan, that too at a time when the team struggled badly. In the bowling department too, they had the game in their hand until after bowling three perfect yorkers, Lockie Ferguson, the most trusted asset bowled three full tosses in the next four balls of the 19th over, which also included a waist-high no-ball. He gave away 20 runs in that and Kamlesh Nagarkoti needed to defend 10. He dragged the match down to 6 runs from 2 balls and then bowled two length deliveries which were happily deposited for two sixes by Ravindra Jadeja. Thus Chennai chased down 173 with the help of some brilliant batting by Gaikawad at the beginning and Jadeja at the end. Captains’ Viewpoints Reacting to the victory, winning captain of MS Dhoni said, “I think it was one game in which the climax went in our favour. A lot of credit goes to the guys.” Sam Curran failed to deliver what was expected of him, however, that did not deter CSK from winning luckily.Speaking about Curran, Dhoni said, “This season he has been fantastic. He has been the only one in our team who has scored in the death overs. He needed somebody else and that would have been good for us.” Having called Gaikwad and other youngsters as spark-less, Dhoni now went on to praise him for being able to score brilliantly in the last two games. “Rituraj has shown the talent that he is. He came in and got positive with Covid. We didn't have much time to have a look at him. He is one of the talented youngsters going around. He is not someone who speaks a lot.” Adding that Ruturaj wasn’t batting at his usual slot of opening the initial innings, the CSK captain said, “When we made him play the first game, he stepped out and got out. But one ball is never enough. I think it is very exciting how he has grabbed his chances.” Calling this victory as an opportunity to remain relevant in the league, the 39-year-old said, “It is very important to be relevant in the tournament. It was very important for us to give it our best. We are not in a position to qualify for the next stage but we have had a glimpse of people who can play for us in the coming seasons.” Eoin Morgan, the losing captain was more frustrated than disappointed with the result of the game. “I think we played really well there, just on the wrong side of the toss. The dew from about the 8th over was really challenging,” he said. Citing improvement in the batting department, the Englishman said, “We improved on our batting (as compared to the previous games). Our bowlers absolutely gave it everything.” Talking about the next game against Rajasthan Royals, where even a victory couldn’t guarantee the Knight Riders a place in the Playoffs, Morgan said, “We have one game left, and still have a very little chance. We felt we were right in the game (at the halfway stage). Nitish Rana kicked on and showed his class once again. It was actually a good day for us with the bat.” Saying that he cannot find anybody particular at fault, the 33-year-old praised the two spinners in his team. “They (Narine and Varun) are two fantastic spinners. I can't fault anyone's effort tonight. He (Nagarkoti) didn't have enough runs to defend,” he said. “He's a young guy; he will take it on the chin and move forward,” he added praising Kamlesh Nagarkoti who almost defended 10 runs in the last over. Expert Opinion The team management of Kolkata has irritated not only the fans but also the cricket experts with certain decisions of theirs. In today’s light of discussion were their decisions and the brilliant display of batting by youngster Ruturaj. Senior cricket analyst Boria Majumdar praised the young Ruturaj Gaikwad for his superb innings of 72 off 53 balls and also said that legendary Indian batsman Sachin had predicted that Ruturaj is one for the long haul, especially after seeing his temperament. Aakash Chopra talked about another youngster, Varun Chakravarthy and how dismissed the former Indian and current CSK skipper MS Dhoni. Discussing the game, veteran journalist Ayaz Memon summed it up quite nicely. Vimal Kumar, a senior broadcast cricket journalist talked about how one week was enough to change the perception of people about many things, including Ruturaj Gaikwad. For Chennai it is almost impossible to qualify, however, Kolkata still have an outside chance, but for that to happen they have got to win their last game against Rajasthan Royals. Powered by Froala Editor

IPL 2020 | CSK vs KKR: Jadeja, Gaikwad sour KKR's qualification plans

Chennai Super Kings indulged in some party-pooping shenanigans as Ruturaj Gaikwad's beautiful 72 and cameo king Ravindra Jadeja's 11-ball 31 piloted them home in a fat 173-run chase against Kolkata Knight Riders in the 49th match of the Indian Premier League. Nitish Rana's mesmerizing 87 went to the drain as a KKR loss paved the way for Mumbai Indians to become the first team to qualify into the playoffs. Authors of their own fortune thus far, the men in maroon will now have to depend on other results besides winning their last league game against Rajasthan Royals on November 1 in their bid to reach the next level.

IPL 2020 | KXIP vs RR: Match Preview, Predicted XI & Dream 11 Fantasy Picks

A mouth-watering contest would be up for grabs at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium when two teams trying their level best to get into the Playoffs of the 13th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). While Punjab is coming on the back of five consecutive wins, Rajasthan has had a victory of a certain sort that would intimidate any opposition. With this background to the contest, the excitement level would be up by an extra ounce. For Rajasthan, this match would be the do or die one as they don’t have the luxury of depending on anyone else’s results. They have 10 points in their kitty and the only way they can have any chance of Qualifying is by winning their next two games. Punjab have the luxury of a slip-up. But then with that slip-up, they would become dependent on other teams’ results and so they wouldn’t be trying out that option either. Stokes and Archer: The keys to Rajasthan’s progress Ben Stokes came back to the fore in the last game as he brutally destroyed the Mumbai bowling line up single-handedly. He was at his level best while dealing with both pace and spin and the wicket of Abu Dhabi would remain the same. With stokes opening the batting and Buttler and Smith in the middle at their full potential, the Rajasthan batting line-up looks as deadly as it could get. Jofra Archer has been the leader of the pack as far as bowling in the Rajasthan team is concerned. He has always been econo9mical and most importantly among wickets. But what he needs is support from the other end which has been rare to finds this season. For Rajasthan to progress, the Kartik Tyagis and the Ankit Rajputs need to back up Archer and the two leggies in Shreyas Gopal and Rahul Tewatia well. Chris Gayle and Mohammad Shami: The two charioteers of Rahul’s victory Buggy In the last five games which the Kings XI have won, the team has come out as a totally different entity than what it was before those games. Now there is confidence, and it is being reflected in the decisions of the skipper KL Rahul. The reasons behind this huge change have been the form of two players in particular- Chris Gayle and Mohammad Shami. In those five games, while Gayle has scored 177 runs at an average of 35.4 and a strike rate of 138.28, which has gotten better with passing time. This also includes his two match-winning fifties as well. Shami on the other hand has picked up 10 wickets in the last five games as well. During this time his average has been 17.2 and the economy, although on a bit higher side at 8.6 makes up for the wickets he has taken. Kings XI Punjab vs Rajasthan Royals: Details Match Number- 50 Date: 30th October 2020, at 7:30 PM IST, 06:00 PM Local, 2.00 PM GMT Venue: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi Broadcast: Star Sports and Hotstar Pitch Report The pitch at Abu Dhabi has changed over the course of time and from being a chaser’s graveyard to being the heaven for the chasers in the past 10 matches, dew has really played its part in the games held at this ground. In this match too, the teams would be looking to chase only as both the teams are batting heavy. An interesting fact is that Punjab, which have won their last five games on the trot, had last tested a defeat in Abu Dhabi only, at the hands of Kolkata Knight Riders. Weather and Toss The weather as always will remain favourable for cricket as the humidity is down to its lowest since the start of the league. The evenings will make the wicket sticky and help the spinners as well. In that regard, the toss becomes very important as the team winning the toss would look to utilize the evening wind as well as the dryness of the wicket for both their pacers and spinners. Team News Kings XI Punjab The Kings XI team looks settled with the bowlers in Arshdeep Singh, Chris Jordan, and Shami while the batting line-up is at its best as well. Mandeep Singh played his part in both the games in which he replaced Mayank Agarwal who has been out with injury. If Agarwal comes then Deepak Hooda might be removed to accommodate Mandeep in the squad. Expected XI KL Rahul (c & wk), Mandeep Singh, Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran, Glenn Maxwell, Deepak Hooda/ Mayank Agarwal, Chris Jordan, Murugan Ashwin, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh Rajasthan Royals The Royals did exceedingly well in the last game and without any injury, the only way that there would be some change in the playing XI is when anybody gets injured. Otherwise disturbing the winning combination is not an option that Smith would like to explore. Expected XI Robin Uthappa, Ben Stokes, Sanju Samson (wk), Jos Buttler, Steven Smith (c), Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Jofra Archer, Shreyas Gopal, Ankit Rajpoot, Kartik Tyagi Kings XI Punjab vs Rajasthan Royals Dream 11 and team suggestions KL Rahul (c & wk), Mandeep Singh, Chris Gayle, Ben Stokes (vc), Sanju Samson, Nicholas Pooran, Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Chris Jordan, Jofra Archer, Mohammad Shami Captain: KL Rahul Vice-captain: Ben Stokes