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Warner, Saha thrust Hyderabad into playoffs as KKR pay price of less NRR


Brief Scores: 

Mumbai Indians 149/8 (Kieron Pollard 41, Suryakumar Yadav 36; Sandeep Sharma 3-34, Shahbaz Nadeem 2-19) 

lost to 

Sunrisers Hyderabad 151/0 in 17.1 overs (David Warner 85*, Wriddhiman Saha 58*) by 10 wickets.

David Warner and Wriddhiman Saha torpedoed an unbeaten 151-run partnership to burst Mumbai Indians' bubble in the ultimate league game of the Indian Premier League 2020, catapulting Sunrisers Hyderabad into the playoffs as Kolkata Knight Riders vanish from the exit door by default after finishing last on Net Run Rate among the three teams tied on 14 points. SRH's crusade to glory is no mean feat after tasting defeat in five of their initial nine jousts. Shahbaz Nadeem proved the beneficiary of the Man-of-the-Match award for his niggardly figures of 2/19.

Battered and bruised with four maulings on the trot, Royal Challengers Bangalore will look at Sunrisers Hyderabad with a hint of trepidation as Abu Dhabi hosts the Eliminator on November 6.




Warner-Saha get the show on the road

KKR were hoping against hope for MI to safeguard the wraithlike numbers they'd huffed and puffed to muster. However, with rockstars of the ilk of David Warner and Wriddhiman Saha moonwalking to the dance floor, you'd more often than not be denied answers to your prayers. Nor were their mainstays Boult or Bumrah to turn to for a miracle of sorts. The left-right combo garnered 56 inside the Power-Play, each boundary shattering the hearts of KKR fans on its way to the rope threads. 

Post notching SRH's sixth successive 50-plus score inside the circle, Warner and Saha kept their foot jammed on the gas pedal. It could be a lesson learnt the hard way since they lost the plot in a facile 127-run chase against KXIP. Complacency was thrown to the dogs as SRH motored along at a fair clip, amassing 88/0 in 10 overs to skittle the asking rate down to just six an over.

Dew ain't a bowling opposition's friend

Besides tackling the openers' happy-go-lucky demeanour, MI had to bear the brunt of unrelenting dew. And nothing exemplified its presence more than Krunal Pandya hurled his trademark bouncer on a different planet to splurge five wides. The beast that is Warner transcended the 500-run milestone for the sixth year in a row as the steady accumulation of runs nudged SRH within touching distance of victory. With 13 runs needed from 30 balls, even 2020 couldn't have sprung up a surprise. 

Rohit's inclusion raises a few eyebrows

It was a no-brainer on MI's part to rest their speed behemoths Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult after what has been soul-sapping exploitation of their genius. Dhawal Kulkarni registered his season debut while lynchpin Rohit Sharma regained fitness in the nick of time to relieve Kieron Pollard from captaincy duties. 

Not sure whether that news went down well with folks back downtown in Australia. Or for that matter in BCCI quarters as president Sourav Ganguly had advised him against rushing into action. He was excluded from India squads for the upcoming tour of Australia too as a precautionary measure. 

Sandy prevails in battle of wits

Albert Einstein was quoted saying that the measure of intelligence is the ability to change. In the slam-bang format where rampant pinch-hitters take guard loaded with ambition and attitude, devil playing on their mind, military medium Sandeep Sharma adheres to these pearls of wisdom. 

The fingers were rolled across deceptively across the seam as Rohit miscued a tame loft to mid-off, allowed no pace to work with whatsoever. Quinton de Kock took sweet revenge with an adorable cover drive and a pair of turbocharged sixes over mid-wicket. The sly game of cat and mouse was yet again bested by Sandeep with his go-to weapon, the loopy off-cutter as the southpaw chopped on for 25. 

Mumbai reel from bad to worse

Suryakumar Yadav hit the ground running with a couple of belligerent square cuts through backward point off Shahbaz Nadeem before surviving a dropped chance by the left-arm himself. Can't blame him though, it was a goblet of fire cannoning into his fingers. However, Nadeem settled accounts soon as Wriddhiman Saha's nifty glovework caught Yadav's backfoot hanging for a nanosecond in the air. An innocuous length ball from Nadeem bounced spongily on the wicket and guiled Krunal Pandya into a leading edge. Saurabh Tiwari feathering behind to Rashid Khan's googly added insult to injury as MI lost their fifth wicket inside 100 runs for the first time in the season. 

MI bang in the twilight zone

The table-toppers cherished the rub of the green with Rashid muffing an absolute sitter to reprieve Ishan Kishan and Kieron Pollard escaping with umpire's call after having erred in judgement of the leggie's wrong 'un. The young dasher didn't make the lease of life count, succumbing to an encore of the de Kock trap by Sandeep, who proved his mettle once more with noble returns of 3/34. 

Polly lends a helping hand

Nathan Coulter-Nile was of no help to the scoreboard but it felt like Christmas had arrived early for Pollard. Thangarasu Natarajan stood perplexed at the receiving end of a glitzy hat-trick of maximums in the V. For a man on a mission to demolish, it was an unbelievable sight when he let slip Jason Holder's full-toss unpunished to take the off-pole out of the equation. Never mind, his crackling 41 off 25 bailed MI from muddy waters and goaded them to a plateau of some respect. 

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DC vs RCB: Hits & Flops as Nortje-Rahane finally break Capitals' losing streak

The Delhi Capitals’ losing streak was finally broken as they came to their own in a must-win game, not just for qualification to the Playoffs but for their confidence as well. Chasing a target of mere 153 set up by the Royal Challengers Bangalore, who were sent to bat by the Capitals, after the latter won the toss in Abu Dhabi. The Delhi team, while not being able to get quick wickets kept the pressure on the RCB by not offering them easy runs. Once the Devdutt Padikkal- Virat Kohli partnership was broken, the sluice gates also opened as Nortje got into the act to pick quick wickets and not restrict the red and gold to just 152. In the chase, two veterans in Shikhar Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane stuck together to see their team through. On this note, let us look at the Hits and Flops from the game. Hits #1 Anrich Nortje The South Africans in Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada have been the heart and soul of the Delhi bowling lineup. They have not only got wickets when it has mattered but go them in ways that were electrifying and change the course of the game. Prior to this game, there was another match against the Kolkata Knight Riders, near the start of the season, where he spitfire with the ball and won it for his team. In this game too, the 26 years old was on the money as he dismissed two very important batters of the RCB side in form of Padikkal and Chris Morris. However, more than the importance of the wicket, it was its timing that made Nortje’s wickets real special. He delivered when required and finished with the figures of 3/33 in his four overs. #2 Ajinkya Rahane If there was one player who needed to show that he belonged, it was Ajninkya Rahane. The Test stalwart had lost his place in India's limited-overs side, was released from the Rajasthan Royals side, and got fortunately picked by the Capitals. But not getting starts in the earlier phases, it was Prithvi Shaw’s dip in form that gave him the chance. Having let lip the earlier chances, Rahane grabbed the one that was probably the most important one. In a do or die game, the Mumbaikar scored a crucial 60 off 46 balls with fours and one beautiful six over the bowler’s head before playing a very non-required rash reverse sweep to get out. #3 Shikhar Dhawan Along with Rahane, Dhawan too made his experience count as he built an all-important 88 run stand with the former. The runs came at a quick pace as well, making the partnership look smooth. Dhawan who has already scored two hundred in the IPL 2020 so far, was on course a big score this time around as well. But much like Rahane and earlier to him as well, got out playing a paddle sweep which was not the need of the hour what so ever. He scored 54 off 41 balls with the help of six fours. Flops #1 Chris Morris Not for the first time though, Chris Morris disappointed the RCB management with the bat. He was sent ahead of Shivam Dube so as to score quick runs. But failing in that, he just got out for a duck off Nortje. Apart from a 25 off 8 balls against the Kings XI, the South African hasn’t really hasn’t been able to do much with the bat in hand. In the last two games, he hasn’t been able to do much with the bowl either. In this game as well, the 33-year-old gave away 19 runs in two overs before getting injured and unavailable to bowl. #2 Virat Kohli Although the RCB have now qualified, what if they hadn’t what if they lost the game before 17.3 overs? All blame would have fallen upon the captain and rightly so. Kohli is going through a lean patch and there is no fault in accepting that. However, once settled, one must play through till the end. And this has been Kohli’s thought process as well. But in this IPL, he hasn’t been able to live up to the expectations of the fans and the team either. In this game too, he got out after settling in and playing 24 balls. The manner in which he got out was rather disappointing than getting out. Kohli had scored 29 with the help of two fours and one six before being dismissed by Ravichandran Ashwin. With the end of this match, all eyes would now shift to Sharjah as along with Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad, KKR would be equally interested in the outcome, hoping that MI beats SRH.

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DC vs RCB: What experts said as both teams qualify for playoffs

Hyped to be as one of the most interesting matches, a virtual quarterfinal eventually ended up being a dull game with both the teams qualifying, none of it trying to throw the other out of the tournament. However, the game in Abu Dhabi at least ensured that the Delhi Capitals were finally back into their groove as they beat the Royal Challengers Bangalore quite comfortably by six wickets. The win was more than good enough for not only letting them qualify but also RCB as it came with only six balls left in the innings, while for RCB to be knocked out, the Capitals needed to win it before 17 balls. Anrich Nortje with the ball and veterans in Ajinkya Rahane and Shikhar Dhawan with the bat were the stars for the Capitals in this game. Captains’ Viewpoints Reacting to the victory, Delhi captain Shreyas Iyer said that he was ‘very chuffed with the performance’ of his team. Calling it a do or die game for his team, Iyer said that it was the performances of the teams in the second half of the table that made the tournament interesting. “We knew it was a do-or-die and an opportunity for us to get to the second spot. We were really motivated. The teams winning in the latter half completely changed the scenario of the table and it was really commendable,” he said. Impressed with the bowlers, the 25-year-old said he was happy with how things worked out for the quicks, especially Nortje. “[I am] really happy with how the tournament has gone so far. The bowlers were really up with their plans and they knew what they had to execute. Nortje was really good and it worked out pretty well. Kudos to the way the bowlers bowled,” he said. Going into the tournament Delhi were one of the strongest teams. Impressing upon this, the Capitals skipper said that they also knew it and therefore stuck to the basics to achieve results in their favour. “We are one of the best teams in the tournament and we need to stick to the basics and if we try and execute our plans, the results will come,” Iyer concluded. Calling the match as a ‘mixed bag’, RCB captain Virat Kohli said that all the teams come to games to try and get a result their way, but every time it won’t go as planned. Talking about the target of making sure that Delhi batted beyond 17.3 overs for RCB to qualify for the Playoffs, Kohli said that it was only after the 11th over that the management told him about any such equation. “Even if the game was drifting away, we controlled the middle overs well enough,” he added. Saying that he deserved to be in the Playoffs, Kohli cited the way his team played throughout the season as the prime reason for that. “I think we've played good enough cricket in this tournament to qualify.” He further said, “We have two games to the final now. We can be braver in the back end, probably be better in the powerplay (with the ball) which has been our strength.” Expert Opinion The experts in this game seemed generally happy with the outcome of the match, especially with the Capitals coming back to form and called tomorrow’s game as the deciding factor on who qualifies. Calling it a fair deal that both DC and RCB qualified, Harsha Bhogle said that they deserved it. Ayaz Memon, veteran cricket analyst who had smelled ‘rot’ in Delhi Capitals after their four losses on a trot, complimented the team for fighting back. Vimal Kumar, a senior broadcast cricket journalist, in an interesting take sought to compare the South Africans in both the teams. Lalchand Rajput, former India player, and manager, was impressed with how Ajinkya Rahane made a comeback after going through an extremely tough phase in his limited-overs career. Cricketer turned commentator and analyst Aakash Chopra brought in an altogether different point as he said that he had read enough on how Delhi purposefully didn’t win the game before 17.3 overs. While Delhi Capitals would like to maintain the same level of diligence when they next take on Mumbai Indians in the Qualifiers, Royal Challengers Bangalore would look to improve their game a bit to face either Kolkata Knight Riders or Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator.

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IPL 2020 | SRH vs MI: Match Preview, Predicted XI & Dream11 Fantasy Picks

So after all this drama, emotions, wins, losses, super overs, last ball thrillers, and whatnot, it has come down to the last league match and we still don’t have the final four teams in the Playoffs. Yes, it has been tough and intense. No doubt there have been one-sided games as well, but overall the tournament has remained intense. In the last match, where Mumbai have nothing to lose, apart from maybe just irrelevant two points, Hyderabad will put everything they have in the store to win this and make it through to the last four. The Kieron Pollard led team is coming on the back of consecutive wins, while Hyderabad too have performed well to reach a position where they have their fate in their own hands. For SRH to go ahead, David Warner is the key Hyderabad’s captain David Warner hasn’t really had the season people associate with him as a batter. Although he has scored runs and actually 444 of them, even after that, he has looked off colour barring some flashes. But as they say, big players are made for big stages, so the stage is all set for Warner to finally flourish and guide his team to the final four. Mumbai would look to go with the flow No match is a dead match has been exemplified in this IPL and although Mumbai Indians have qualified and are well and truly the favorites to win this season, one bad day and it could all come crashing over. To avoid that, Mumbai must not get complacent in this game and must not let the game slipway from their hands, as winning is a habit, if you lose one, it’s gone. Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Mumbai Indians: Details Match Number- 56 Date: 03rd November 2020, at 7:30 PM IST, 06:00 PM Local, 2.00 PM GMT Venue: Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah, Broadcast: Star Sports and Hotstar Pitch Report The pitch in Sharjah has usually favoured the spin bowlers at the beginning of the match; it does sometimes help the pacers with the breeze to get a bit of swing as well. But post the first innings, it’s basically a slippery road with no help to the bowlers what so ever, all thanks to a huge amount of dew. Weather and Toss There are no prizes for guessing as to what a team winning the toss would do. It is a ritual, win the toss and field first. The reason for this is the weather. With the winters setting in, the humidity has gone out and the dew has settled to make grounds their permanent abode. Team News Sunrisers Hyderabad Hyderabad won the last game and that too quite comprehensively against the Royal Challengers Bangalore. Their batters are firing and their bowlers have adapted quite well. In this case, chances are that they would not go for any change. Expected XI David Warner (c), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Manish Pandey, Kane Williamson, Abdul Samad, Jason Holder, Abhishek Sharma, Rashid Khan, Shahbaz Nadeem, Sandeep Sharma, T Natarajan Mumbai Indians In an ideal world, one may say that Mumbai should give chance to all those who deserve it, but could not get as those already in the team were performing well. But in reality, hoping for a change would be too much until and unless someone like Jasprit Bumrah wants to rest. Hardik Pandya might just come back to play the game before the Playoffs, but that is also conditional on his mood and that of the franchise as well. Expected XI Ishan Kishan, Quinton de Kock (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Saurabh Tiwary, Krunal Pandya, Kieron Pollard (c), Jayant Yadav/ Hardik Pandya, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Rahul Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Mumbai Indians Dream 11 and team suggestions Quinton de Kock (c), David Warner, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav (vc), Kane Williamson, Jason Holder, Krunal Pandya, Rashid Khan, Sandeep Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah Captain: Quinton de Kock Vice-Captain: Suryakumar Yadav