News Analysis India

Tag: IPL 2021

  • Virat Kohli’s RCB faces Eoin Morgan’s KKR in IPL Eliminator 

    By PTI

    SHARJAH: It will be a test of Virat Kohli’s tactical acumen against the ice-cool demeanour of Eoin Morgan when perennial underachievers Royal Challengers Bangalore clash with former champions Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL Eliminator here on Monday.

    Kohli, who has decided to step down from captaincy after this edition, has led RCB to the finals in 2016 besides reaching the play-offs twice in 2015 and 2020, and he would like to end things on a high in his last hurray as captain.

    For Morgan, it is about regaining the lost glory for KKR, a team that achieved great success under Gautam Gambhir, who had led them to two IPL titles in a space of three years in 2012 and 2014.

    On paper, it would be a battle between two evenly-poised teams, but overall, KKR has a slight edge, having won 15 out of 28 matches they played over the years.

    However, RCB will be brimming with confidence after securing a thrilling win over Delhi Capitals with a last-ball six in their final league match, finishing third in the standings with 18 points from 14 matches.

    KKR, on the other hand, scripted a terrific turnaround, finishing fourth with 14 points after winning five of seven games in the UAE leg following a lacklustre performance in the first phase.

    Morgan’s men had notched up a massive 86-run win over Rajasthan Royals to seal their play-offs spot and would look to carry the momentum into the Eliminator.

    But past records will count for little and it will boil down to winning small moments in the match, something which Kohli and Morgan would know pretty well.

    Both the captains have enough ammunition in their disposal and it will be all about managing the resources.

    RCB possess a formidable batting line-up that includes AB de Villiers, Glenn Maxwell and Devdutt Padikkal apart from Kohli but they have failed to find a perfect combination so far.

    While their top-order has given starts on most occasions, the middle-order looked unsure with the ploy to get Daniel Christian at number 3 backfiring.

    Also AB de Villiers has been wasted at number 5 but Srikar Bharat’s emergence has been a big positive.

    The wicketkeeper batsman scored a 52-ball 78 at number 3 and etched his name in the record books with a last-ball six for RCB in the last game.

    One man who has stood out for RCB is Glenn Maxwell.

    The Australian power-hitter has 498 runs and has been Kohli’s go to man this season.

    The RCB skipper, however, has misfired in the last two innings and would need to find his touch quickly.

    In bowling, Harshal Patel has been simply sensational with 30 wickets in 14 games, which includes a hat-trick against Mumbai Indians.

    Mohammed Siraj and George Garton too have been impressive, while Yuzvendra Chahal has answered his critics with 16 wickets this season.

    KKR too has been served well by the bowlers, who has churned out some terrific performances.

    While pace duo of Lockie Ferguson and Shivam Mavi have peaked at the right time, sharing seven wickets in their last match, the spinners led by Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine and Shakib Al Hasan too have been impressive.

    In batting, Shubman Gill, Venkatesh Iyer, Rahul Tripathi and Nitish Rana hold the key and it will be interesting to see how they handle the variations of Patel and guile of Chahal at the slow Sharjah pitch.

    Skipper Morgan has been woefully out of form and that remains a concern.

    Teams | Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli (C), Navdeep Saini, Glenn Maxwell, Dan Christian, Rajat Patidar, Dushmantha Chameera, Pavan Deshpande, Mohammed Siraj, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Azharuddeen, Sachin Baby, Wanindu Hasaranga, George Garton, Yuzvendra Chahal, Shahbaz Ahmed, Devdutt Padikkal, Kyle Jamieson, Suyash Prabhudessai, KS Bharat, Tim David, Akash Deep, AB de Villiers.

    Kolkata Knight Riders: Eoin Morgan (C), Dinesh Karthik, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Karun Nair, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathy, Shubman Gill, Harbhajan Singh, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Kuldeep Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Pawan Negi, M Prasidh Krishna, Sandeep Warrier, Shivam Dube, Tim Southee, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravarthy, Andre Russel, Ben Cutting, Shakib Al Hasan, Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Sheldon Jackson, Tim Seifert.

  • Qualifier 1, DC vs CSK: Playoffs completely different, our tournament starts now, says Ponting

    By ANI

    DUBAI: Having suffered a dramatic seven-wicket loss against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in their last league stage match, Delhi Capitals will look to bounce back with a win to make a direct entry into the final of IPL 2021 when they take on CSK in Qualifier 1 on Sunday.

    Speaking about the last league stage match, which went down to the wire on Friday, Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting said that defeat will give the team a chance to reflect and improve ahead of the qualifier against CSK.

    “It was a disappointing way for the game to end, and for us to lose the way we did, but I am not unhappy about it at all. I actually think, it’s a really good thing because it will give the boys a chance to reflect and think about how we can improve for Sunday’s game, and it’s a short turnaround, so you have to forget about things and start focusing on the next game,” said Ponting in Delhi Capitals release.

    He also termed this loss a “step forward”. Ponting reckoned that despite losing, the team played better as compared to the last couple of matches which they won in the league stage.

    “A lot to like about tonight’s game, even though we have lost. I think it’s a step forward. If you look at the last game (against Chennai Super Kings), it wasn’t a great performance, the Mumbai game wasn’t a great performance either, but we still managed to win those games,” said Ponting.

    “If you look at it, we probably have played better tonight than the games we have won, so that’s certainly the way I look at it. It’s not about end results, it’s about the performances we were putting on the board,” he said.

    The Aussie further added, “Prithvi played his best game tonight, Shikhar probably looked his best in the tournament, so there’s a lot to like about this group. As I said earlier, we have played good cricket, the challenge now for us over the next week is to play great cricket, and I think that’s just around the corner for us.”

    Delhi Capitals, who finished the IPL 2021 league stage on the top of the points table, have beaten Chennai Super Kings in both their league matches.

    Speaking about their Qualifiers 1 against MS Dhoni’s men, Ponting said, “I think we should be very confident. We have beaten them twice in the league games, but as you know, the playoff games are completely different, and our tournament really starts now.”

    “It starts when our players get their recovery done from tonight’s (Friday) game, and then we make sure we get ourselves in the right mindset to take on Chennai. They are also a very good side, they have been level pegging with us right throughout the tournament, who’s gonna finish first and who’s gonna second. So, we totally respect them as a playing group, and them as a franchise,” he concluded. 

  • IPL 2021: Wide ball gave me the opportunity to go for a six, says Srikar Bharat

    By ANI

    DUBAI: A day after his heroics against Delhi Capitals, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) batsman Srikar Bharat said the wide delivery bowled by Avesh Khan on the final ball of the match gave him the perfect opportunity to seal the last league game of IPL 2021 for his team.

    Bharat held his nerve and cranked a last-ball six as RCB edged out Delhi Capitals on Friday. Needing 165 runs to win, RCB rode on Bharat and Glenn Maxwell’s fifties to end the league stage on a high.

    “I was thinking if I can put the ball over the fence (when six was needed off one ball) and when it was wide it gave us the opportunity to go for the six. Fortunately, it went out of the park,” Bharat said on Saturday while replying to a query from ANI.

    RCB skipper Virat Kohli enjoyed Bharat’s six on the last ball and told the young batsman to relish the moment.

    “Virat bhai said ‘it was an incredible effort it is definitely a special moment for you, so enjoy’. He was overwhelmed that the last ball went for a six and we won the game,” said Bharat in a virtual press conference organised by RCB.

    When ANI asked Bharat whether he learned the art of finishing the games from Maxwell, Kohli or AB de Villiers, the batsman said, “To be honest, I am a kind of guy who likes to watch and learn a lot. So for me, it wasn’t going up to them and asking them how to finish the game but sitting back watching and learning from them. I have always watched their routines, their intent, I have always been a keen observer of people doing good things on the field.”

    Speaking about the eliminator against KKR on Monday, Bharat said, “RCB focus has been on one game at a time it can be any team, any given day or any ground. So numbers or teams, players, it doesn’t matter. What matters the most is, our preparation, our consistency and intent.”

    Kohli last month announced that he will step down as the captain of RCB after the completion of the 2021 edition of the IPL. Bharat said the teams wants to win the trophy for the India skipper this time.

    “Yes definitely winning the cup and giving Virat bhai the IPL title will be cherry on the cake but if you ask me, playing with Virat Bhai is a very big feeling,” said Bharat.

    “Virat loves youngsters, he encourages youngsters. He works incredibly hard like any other young player in RCB. He is a thorough professional and playing with him gives an element of confidence to us. He is a very friendly guy, he is always there, he is always ready to guide us. I am just blessed to be around Virat Kohli,” he signed off. 

  • IPL 2021 Quaifier 1: Experienced Chennai Super Kings hold edge over Delhi Capitals

    By PTI

    DUBAI: Chennai Super Kings’ old guards with an uncanny knack of owning the big stage at right moments, will start as favourites against a solid Delhi Capitals line-up led by ‘young pretender’ Rishabh Pant in what promises to be an exciting first IPL Qualifier here on Sunday.

    Capitals were the best team in the league and their 20-point finish at the group stage was an indication of their consistent performances which didn’t dip due to the COVID-19 forced break.

    Similarly, CSK are now back in familiar settings of play-off rounds, something that they have been done 11 out of 12 times although losing three matches on the bounce wouldn’t have amused their all-powerful skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

    DC, on the other hand, were handed a rude jolt by Kona Bharat’s last-ball six in their last group league game against Royal Challengers Bangalore.

    It didn’t change their pole position but did enough to shake them from their stupor.

    CSK, over the years, have been in final eight times and won on three occasions which speak volumes of the team’s ability to lift their game just when it’s required most.

    That’s the reason why CSK is not one of those franchises which unleashes new talent by dozens like other franchises.

    Ruturaj Gaikwad is an exception as he could be called a pure CSK product after more than a decade.

    Dhoni has a simple cricketing philosophy — rely on tried and tested individuals who are battle-hardened and thus he has always punted on the likes of Ravindra jadeja, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, Dwayne Bravo and Faf du Plessis.

    These are players, who have been there and done that.

    People who can control phases and win pressure situations which more often than not results in victories.

    Add Josh Hazlewood or Moeen Ali, who are also international regulars in that mix and the former India captain knows exactly what is the kind of combination that he needs to put on the park.

    As much as one speaks about team effort, no one knows more than Dhoni that T20 is perhaps one form of cricket, where individuals win matches.

    Dhoni knows that even though his batting form (96 runs in 14 games) has deserted him years back (since 2015-16) and an IPL legend like Raina (160 in 12 games) is a pale shadow of his once destructive self, he still has Gaikwad (533 runs) and Du Plessis (546), who have more often than not provided solid starts and the menacing Jadeja (227 runs) providing final flourish.

    Similarly, Shardul Thakur (18 wickets in 14 games) has given runs at an expensive economy rate of 8.57 but still the breakthroughs have been important.

    No one knows more than Dwayne Bravo (12 wickets) as to how one can fool the batters by changing the pace of his deliveries at the death.

    Hazlewood hasn’t found form but Dhoni has enormous patience in players he believes in and he is banking on that devastating first spell from the Aussie that can wreak havoc.

    It could happen against Delhi Capitals, as their batting despite 10 wins, hasn’t exactly inspired confidence of highest level.

    Prithvi Shaw (401 runs) and Shikhar Dhawan (544 runs) have had their share of starts but in the UAE leg, they haven’t exactly dominated.

    Skipper Pant (362 runs) has been scratchy at best and Marcus Stoinis’ absence due to injury did affect their balance as they lack big-hitters at the death save Shimron Hetmyer.

    DC’s strength has been their bowling attack — Avesh Khan (22 wickets), Axar Patel (15 wickets), Kagiso Rabada (13 wickets) and Anrich Nortje, who has taken nine wickets but an economy rate of 5.59 over six games.

    DC’s bowling attack has been right on the money without being taken to cleaners but Pant would hope that law of averages don’t catch up with them and Nortje and Rabada is able to unsettle Gaikwad with short balls, which has been Maharashtra batter’s weak point.

    But yes, even Dhoni would admit that Raina and Rayudu in what would be their last season for CSK, would want to make some tangible contribution with the willow.

    Even skipper himself needs to put his hand up as he has not been able to handle raw pace anymore.

    Teams:

    Chennai Super Kings: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, KM Asif, Deepak Chahar, Dwayne Bravo, Faf du Plessis, Imran Tahir, N Jagadeesan, Karn Sharma, Lungi Ngidi, Mitchell Santner, Ravindra Jadeja, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shardul Thakur, R Sai Kishore, Moeen Ali, K Gowtham, Cheteshwar Pujara, Harishankar Reddy, Bhagath Varma, C Hari Nishaanth.

    DC: Rishabh Pant (captain), Ajinkya Rahane, Prithvi Shaw, Ripal Patel, Shikhar Dhawan, Shimrom Hetmyar, Shreyas Iyer, Steve Smith, Amit Mishra, Anrich Nortje, Avesh Khan, Ben Dwarshuis, Ishant Sharma, Kagiso Rabada, Kulwant Khejroliya, Lukman Meriwala, Pravin Dubey, Tom Curran, Umesh Yadav, Axar Patel, Lalit Yadav, Marcus Stoinis, Ravichandran Ashwin, Sam Billings and Vishnu Vinod.

    Match starts at 7:30 PM IST.

  • IPL 2021: RCB hasn’t played its best cricket yet, but we are getting close, says batter AB de Villiers

    By ANI

    DUBAI: Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) batter AB de Villiers has said that the Virat Kohli-led side has not played their best cricket yet, but they are getting close which augurs well for them heading into the playoffs.

    “Fantastic win, we’re very happy with that, came up short in the last game, but we came up with a last-ball win tonight, so happy. We showed a lot of character as a bowling group, we haven’t always had the best of starts in the first six, which we’re better tonight. We didn’t let Dhawan and Shaw get off to a great start and then pulled things back very well in the back-end. It’s been amazing, shows once again that there is a lot of character in this bowling unit, we’ll need a lot more, but very happy with the way the boys have gone,” de Villiers told host broadcaster Star Sports after the game against Delhi Capitals ended.

    “I’m feeling good, haven’t had a lot of opportunities so far, I’m hitting the ball well, had a bit of a slow start today – thought they bowled well to me on a deck that wasn’t easy to bat on, but I’m striking them well, working hard at the nets and ready to come for the next matches. I think we need to do what we are doing and maybe up it a notch, have been speaking about peaking at the right time. We haven’t played our absolute best, but we’re getting close. If we can get that twitch in the finals, hopefully, there are good things to come,” he added.

    Srikar Bharat and Glenn Maxwell played unbeaten knocks of 78 and 51 respectively as RCB defeated Delhi Capitals by seven wickets at the Dubai International Stadium. On the last ball, RCB needed five for a win, and Bharat ended up hitting the ball for a six off the bowling of Avesh Khan.

    Earlier, Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan played knocks of 48 and 43 as Delhi Capitals posted a total of 164/5 against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). Apart from Dhawan and Shaw, Shimron Hetmyer also got among the runs as he played a knock of 29. For RCB, Mohammed Siraj returned with two wickets.

    Delhi Capitals finished at the top spot in the points table and now the side will square off against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Qualifier 1 on Sunday. On the other hand, RCB finished at the third spot and Virat Kohli’s team will face Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Eliminator on Monday. 

  • Had asked Maxwell if he wanted strike but he said ‘you can finish it off’: KS Bharat after DC win

    By PTI

    DUBAI: Royal Challengers Bangalore’s latest star Kona Bharat said that his senior partner Glenn Maxwell had complete faith that the Andhra wicketkeeper-batter could finish off the last IPL league game against Delhi Capitals, which he did with a last-ball six.

    Bharat, who has had a good IPL with the bat, smashed 78 not out off 52 balls as he kept calm under pressure and lofted Avesh for a straight six with five needed off the last delivery to chase down DC’s target of 165.

    The result of the match didn’t have a bearing on points table though as DC finished on top with 20 points and RCB on 18 but in third place due to inferior net run-rate (-0.140) compared to Chennai Super Kings (+0.455).

    Asked what was the talk before the final over, Bharat spoke how Maxwell boosted his confidence.

    “The last over…me and Maxi were talking about what are the areas we can access. He said, watch the ball and get bat on the ball… The last 3 balls, you know I asked him whether to run, he said ‘no, you can finish it off’. It gave me a lot of confidence,” he said.

    Bharat had a couple of good scores of 32 against Mumbai Indians and 44 against Rajasthan Royals. Bharat said he didn’t want to think too much ahead during the last over.

    “I was just focused on one ball which is coming next rather than thinking of too many things. I kept it very simple and as a team, we did very well and we pulled it off,” he added.

    What has worked for Bharat in the UAE leg is the fact that he loves facing fast bowlers and DC has three genuine quicks in Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje and Avesh.

    “I love fast bowling, to be honest. I have played for India A and am also a part of the Indian team, you get to play with the best bowlers in the country. It wasn’t a surprise element for me to play pace.

    “I would love someone who is giving pace so that you can work the ball instead of hitting the ball hard. I found it really interesting and I was enjoying the challenge,” he added.

    Bharat has been regularly batting at No 3 in this phase of IPL but the management has told him that order will remain flexible.

    “We are flexible to go at any order. It was communicated fair enough. Everyone is up for their challenge. I don’t think there is any miscommunication. When the chances are given to you, you want to do well and finish it off well,” the 28-year old keeper-batter said at the virtual post-match media interaction.

  • Andre Russell likely to be available for play-offs: Kolkata Knight Riders mentor David Hussey

    By PTI

    SHARJAH: Kolkata Knight Riders’ swashbuckling injured all-rounder Andre Russell is likely to be available for the play-offs stage of the Indian Premier League (IPL) beginning on Sunday, the team’s chief mentor David Hussey said.

    KKR have virtually assured themselves of a play-offs berth in the IPL after their 86-run win over Rajasthan Royals on Thursday. They are set to play against the third-place team of the league phase in the Qualifier 1 on Sunday.

    “He (Russell) had a fitness test on Wednesday, and I think he’s just maybe a game away. So, I think he’d be pushing hard over the next few days to get back in for the final (play-offs). (His availability) will be a huge boost not only for us but the competition. He’s world-class and he provides lots of entertainment,” Hussey said at the post-match press conference on Thursday.

    With three play-offs spots already sealed by Delhi Capitals, Chennai Super Kings and Royals Challengers Bangalore, KKR consolidated their position for the fourth and final spot, finishing league engagements with 14 points from 14 games with an impressive net run rate of 0.587.

    He admitted that there has been a change in fortunes for the KKR in the UAE after struggling in the Indian leg.

    “At the halfway mark, we weren’t playing the type of cricket that we wanted to play. We are all about playing entertaining cricket — hitting fours, sixes — and with the ball, hitting the stumps, taking wickets, and fielding exceptionally well,” he said.

    “So, the break probably did us a world of good — we got to refresh, recharge our batteries and re-plan — and come to Abu Dhabi. Abhishek Nayar did a great training session, all the boys got a lot of volume and (were) ready to go,” explained Hussey on how the change occurred in the group.

    He credited head coach Brendon McCullum for the way KKR were playing. “He (Brendon) is so cool and calm that he’s got this plan and vision for the team to go forward. He believes in every player to play their best. He makes everybody feel that they are the most important person in the team. Brendon should take a lot of credit for the way everybody’s playing here tonight. Great for him, because he’s been through a lot,” Hussey said.

    The 44-year-old former Australia cricketer also lavished praise on his players for putting up a team performance. “It is never easy playing on these types of surfaces. Shubman Gill, Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana (and) Rahul Tripathi showed their class once again, they sort of adapted their games accordingly, and they knew if they take it deep in the batting innings, they are going to make a decent target,” he said.

    “With the ball, pretty simple plans, bowled directly as fast as they can and at the stumps and we have got some world class spinners as well, and we back up each other in the field, so it was pretty much a team performance tonight,” Hussey said.

    He said that KKR will watch the final league game between Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad on Friday “as a group” but they were looking forward to their play-offs game (Qualifier 1) against Royal Challengers Bangalore (likely to be third-place finishers).

    Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson lamented that none of his batters could build a partnership with Rahul Tewatia, who was going strong from one end.

    “Sharjah is his (Rahul Tewatia) favourite ground, he enjoys batting here. We could have a recent (decent) partnership with him. We could have had a close match, he was batting really well, he wanted someone else actually to be with him and have a good partnership. We didn’t do that and that’s why we ended up on the losing side,” Samson said.

    The Kerala batter also said that the biggest positive for his franchise was the performance of the young Indian players. “We have a lot of positives. If you look at the young Indians in our side, the way they came out and expressed themselves, the way they performed, that’s one of the biggest positives this season,” he said.

  • Rajasthan Royals opt to bowl against Kolkata Knight Riders

    By PTI

    SHARJAH: Rajasthan Royals won the toss and opted to field against Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League here on Thursday.

    RR made four changes bringing in Liam Livingstone, Jaydev Unadkat, Chris Morris and Anuj Rawat.

    KKR brought back fit again Lockie Ferguson in place of Tim Southee.

    Teams:

    Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Liam Livingstone, Sanju Samson (c), Glenn Phillips, Anuj Rawat, Shivam Dube, Chris Morris, Rahul Tewatia, Jaydev Unadkat, Chetan Sakariya, Mustafizur Rahman

    Kolkata Knight Riders: Shubman Gill, Venkatesh Iyer, Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana, Eoin Morgan (c), Dinesh Karthik, Shakib Al Hasan, Sunil Narine, Lockie Ferguson, Shivam Mavi, Varun Chakravarthy

  • IPL 2021: KKR beat Rajasthan Royals by 86 runs

    By PTI

    SHARJAH: Kolkata Knight Riders beat Rajasthan Royals by 86 runs in the Indian Premier League here on Thursday.

    KKR made 171 for four against Rajasthan Royals who in response were shot out for 85 in 16.1 overs.

    Shubman Gill scored 56 off 44 balls for KKR while his opening partner Venkatesh Iyer made 38 off 35 balls.

    Shivam Mavi took four wickets for KKR and Lockie Ferguson took three.

    Brief scores:

    KKR 171/4 in 20 overs (Shubman Gill 56; Chris Morris 1/28, Chetan Sakariya 1/23). Rajasthan Royals 85 all out in 16.1 overs (Rahul Tewatia 44; Lockie Ferguson 3/18, Shivam Mavi 4/21).

  • Punjab Kings beat CSK by six wickets

    By PTI

    DUBAI: Punjab Kings beat Chennai Super Kings by six wickets in the Indian Premier League here on Thursday.

    CSK scored 134 for six against Punjab Kings after being put in to bat.

    Faf du Plessis top-scored for CSK with 76 off 55 balls while Arshdeep Singh and Chris Jordan impressed with the ball for Punjab, taking couple of wickets each.

    Punjab chased down the target comfortably with K L Rahul leading from the front and making an unbeaten 98 off 42 balls.

    Brief Scores:

    134/6 CSK in 20 overs (Faf du Plessis 76; Ravi Bishnoi 1/25, Arshdeep Singh 2/35, Chris Jordan 2/20)

    Punjab Kings 139/4 in 13 overs (K L Rahul 98 not out; Shardul Thakur 3/28)