News Analysis India

Tag: IPL

  • Quinton de Kock could have changed the game, feels Rajasthan Royals’ Yuzvendra Chahal after win over LSG

    By ANI

    MUMBAI: After scalping four wickets against Lucknow Super Giants, Rajasthan Royals spinner Yuzvendra Chahal said that he really enjoyed Quinton de Kock’s dismissal as the wicketkeeper-batter could have easily changed the game.

    Shimron Hetmyer’s unbeaten 59 and a four-wicket haul from Yuzvendra Chahal helped Rajasthan Royals beat Lucknow Super Giants by three runs here at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.

    “Backed myself. My main strength is my mind. Didn’t want to divert from what I usually do. I was always ready to bowl at anytime from overs 1-20. Enjoyed de Kock’s wicket the most. He could’ve changed the game. Having seen him step out, had an intuition he’d come again (Badoni). Bowled it wider. Don’t think a lot about my bad games,” said Chahal in a post-match presentation.

    In the last over, Sanju Samson led Rajasthan needed to defend 15 runs and youngster Kuldeep Sen held his nerves against big-hitting Marcus Stoinis to take the team to the third win in four matches and go to the top of the points table.

    Defending a 166-run target the inaugural champions needed some early wickets upfront and Trent Boult did exactly that by giving a double blow to Lucknow dismissing their skipper KL Rahul and Krishnappa Gowtham for golden ducks.

    Rajasthan Royals were at one stage struggling at 67 for 4 but Shimron Hetmyer’s unbeaten 59 helped them register 165/6 in 20 overs.

  • Quinton de Kock could have changed the game, feels Rajasthan Royals’ Yuzvendra Chahal after win over LSG

    By ANI

    MUMBAI: After scalping four wickets against Lucknow Super Giants, Rajasthan Royals spinner Yuzvendra Chahal said that he really enjoyed Quinton de Kock’s dismissal as the wicketkeeper-batter could have easily changed the game.

    Shimron Hetmyer’s unbeaten 59 and a four-wicket haul from Yuzvendra Chahal helped Rajasthan Royals beat Lucknow Super Giants by three runs here at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.

    “Backed myself. My main strength is my mind. Didn’t want to divert from what I usually do. I was always ready to bowl at anytime from overs 1-20. Enjoyed de Kock’s wicket the most. He could’ve changed the game. Having seen him step out, had an intuition he’d come again (Badoni). Bowled it wider. Don’t think a lot about my bad games,” said Chahal in a post-match presentation.

    In the last over, Sanju Samson led Rajasthan needed to defend 15 runs and youngster Kuldeep Sen held his nerves against big-hitting Marcus Stoinis to take the team to the third win in four matches and go to the top of the points table.

    Defending a 166-run target the inaugural champions needed some early wickets upfront and Trent Boult did exactly that by giving a double blow to Lucknow dismissing their skipper KL Rahul and Krishnappa Gowtham for golden ducks.

    Rajasthan Royals were at one stage struggling at 67 for 4 but Shimron Hetmyer’s unbeaten 59 helped them register 165/6 in 20 overs.

    MUMBAI: After scalping four wickets against Lucknow Super Giants, Rajasthan Royals spinner Yuzvendra Chahal said that he really enjoyed Quinton de Kock’s dismissal as the wicketkeeper-batter could have easily changed the game.

    Shimron Hetmyer’s unbeaten 59 and a four-wicket haul from Yuzvendra Chahal helped Rajasthan Royals beat Lucknow Super Giants by three runs here at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.

    “Backed myself. My main strength is my mind. Didn’t want to divert from what I usually do. I was always ready to bowl at anytime from overs 1-20. Enjoyed de Kock’s wicket the most. He could’ve changed the game. Having seen him step out, had an intuition he’d come again (Badoni). Bowled it wider. Don’t think a lot about my bad games,” said Chahal in a post-match presentation.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    In the last over, Sanju Samson led Rajasthan needed to defend 15 runs and youngster Kuldeep Sen held his nerves against big-hitting Marcus Stoinis to take the team to the third win in four matches and go to the top of the points table.

    Defending a 166-run target the inaugural champions needed some early wickets upfront and Trent Boult did exactly that by giving a double blow to Lucknow dismissing their skipper KL Rahul and Krishnappa Gowtham for golden ducks.

    Rajasthan Royals were at one stage struggling at 67 for 4 but Shimron Hetmyer’s unbeaten 59 helped them register 165/6 in 20 overs.

  • Rajasthan Royals spinner​ Yuzvendra Chahal becomes second-fastest bowler to scalp 150 wickets in IPL

    By ANI

    MUMBAI: Rajasthan Royals spinner Yuzvendra Chahal on Sunday completed his 150 wickets in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

    Chahal achieved this milestone during the clash against Lucknow Super Giants, here at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, after he scalped four wickets. The spinner also became the second-fastest bowler after Sri Lanka’s Lasith Malinga to get this feat.

    He was earlier a part of Royal Challengers Bangalore and was associated with the franchise for 2014-2021, before getting released in 2022. So far, Chahal has scalped a total of 11 wickets in IPL 2022 and is the current Purple Cap holder.

    Coming to the match, Chahal’s four-wicket haul helped Rajasthan Royals defend the 166-run target against Lucknow Super Giants to register a three-run win.

    In the last over, Sanju Samson led Rajasthan needed to defend 15 runs and youngster Kuldeep Sen held his nerves against big-hitting Marcus Stoinis to take the team to the third win in four matches and go to the top of the points table.

    Defending a 166-run target the inaugural champions needed some early wickets upfront and Trent Boult did exactly that by giving a double blow to Lucknow dismissing their skipper KL Rahul and Krishnappa Gowtham for golden ducks.

    Rajasthan Royals were at one stage struggling at 67 for 4 but Shimron Hetmyer’s unbeaten 59 helped them register 165/6 in 20 overs.

    Ravichandran Ashwin was involved in a 68-run partnership with Hetmyer but in the 19th over was retired out for 28.

    With this win, Rajasthan Royals have won three out of four matches and now they will take on Gujarat Titans on Thursday. (ANI)

    MUMBAI: Rajasthan Royals spinner Yuzvendra Chahal on Sunday completed his 150 wickets in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

    Chahal achieved this milestone during the clash against Lucknow Super Giants, here at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, after he scalped four wickets. The spinner also became the second-fastest bowler after Sri Lanka’s Lasith Malinga to get this feat.

    He was earlier a part of Royal Challengers Bangalore and was associated with the franchise for 2014-2021, before getting released in 2022. So far, Chahal has scalped a total of 11 wickets in IPL 2022 and is the current Purple Cap holder.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    Coming to the match, Chahal’s four-wicket haul helped Rajasthan Royals defend the 166-run target against Lucknow Super Giants to register a three-run win.

    In the last over, Sanju Samson led Rajasthan needed to defend 15 runs and youngster Kuldeep Sen held his nerves against big-hitting Marcus Stoinis to take the team to the third win in four matches and go to the top of the points table.

    Defending a 166-run target the inaugural champions needed some early wickets upfront and Trent Boult did exactly that by giving a double blow to Lucknow dismissing their skipper KL Rahul and Krishnappa Gowtham for golden ducks.

    Rajasthan Royals were at one stage struggling at 67 for 4 but Shimron Hetmyer’s unbeaten 59 helped them register 165/6 in 20 overs.

    Ravichandran Ashwin was involved in a 68-run partnership with Hetmyer but in the 19th over was retired out for 28.

    With this win, Rajasthan Royals have won three out of four matches and now they will take on Gujarat Titans on Thursday. (ANI)

  • Rajasthan Royals spinner​ Yuzvendra Chahal becomes second-fastest bowler to scalp 150 wickets in IPL

    By ANI

    MUMBAI: Rajasthan Royals spinner Yuzvendra Chahal on Sunday completed his 150 wickets in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

    Chahal achieved this milestone during the clash against Lucknow Super Giants, here at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, after he scalped four wickets. The spinner also became the second-fastest bowler after Sri Lanka’s Lasith Malinga to get this feat.

    He was earlier a part of Royal Challengers Bangalore and was associated with the franchise for 2014-2021, before getting released in 2022. So far, Chahal has scalped a total of 11 wickets in IPL 2022 and is the current Purple Cap holder.

    Coming to the match, Chahal’s four-wicket haul helped Rajasthan Royals defend the 166-run target against Lucknow Super Giants to register a three-run win.

    In the last over, Sanju Samson led Rajasthan needed to defend 15 runs and youngster Kuldeep Sen held his nerves against big-hitting Marcus Stoinis to take the team to the third win in four matches and go to the top of the points table.

    Defending a 166-run target the inaugural champions needed some early wickets upfront and Trent Boult did exactly that by giving a double blow to Lucknow dismissing their skipper KL Rahul and Krishnappa Gowtham for golden ducks.

    Rajasthan Royals were at one stage struggling at 67 for 4 but Shimron Hetmyer’s unbeaten 59 helped them register 165/6 in 20 overs.

    Ravichandran Ashwin was involved in a 68-run partnership with Hetmyer but in the 19th over was retired out for 28.

    With this win, Rajasthan Royals have won three out of four matches and now they will take on Gujarat Titans on Thursday. (ANI)

  • Royal Challengers Bangalore march on as Mumbai Indians lose four on trot

    By PTI

    PUNE: Mumbai Indians’ season of woes just got a tad worse after the five-time champions followed another high-profile team Chennai Super Kings to lose their fourth match on the bounce as Royal Challengers Bangalore cantered to an easy seven-wicket win in an IPL match on Saturday.

    It was Suryakumar Yadav’s unbeaten 68 that gave Mumbai Indians a respectable total of 151 for 6 but that was never going to be enough as young Anuj Rawat (66 off 47 balls) struck his maiden IPL fifty, anchoring the team to the target in just 18.3 overs.

    He had two fifty plus partnerships — 50 for opening stand with skipper Faf du Plessis (16) and 80 with former skipper and his West Delhi Cricket Academy senior Virat Kohli (48 off 36 balls) for the second wicket to seal the issue.

    Rawat scored at a decent strike-rate if not rollicking one and had two fours and six maximums in his kitty.

    Mumbai Indians are currently last in the table of 10 teams because of inferior net run-rate compared to CSK but the road towards redemption is becoming difficult with every passing match.

    Whether it is skipper Rohit’s lean patch or a poor sentimental call by the MI management to retain a non-performing asset like Kieron Pollard for one season too many, there are too many loopholes that needs plugging.

    The next set of young batters are getting ready but the current attack with Murugan Ashwin, Basil Thampi and Jaydev Unadkat bowling at least 12 out of 20 overs, doesn’t give the confidence that it can actually become a side in contention for a silverware.

    If MI is in a mess, it is because of the decisions taken before and during the auction.

    Retaining Pollard and letting all-rounder Hardik Pandya go is coming back to haunt them.

    So is the decision to not bid aggressively for the likes of Krunal Pandya or Trent Boult or for that matter Rahul Chahar.

    Earlier, Rohit and Ishan Kishan’s flamboyant start was followed by an inexplicable batting collapse before the indomitable Suryakumar gave MI’s total semblance of respectability.

    For RCB, Harshal Patel (2/23 in 4 overs) was brilliant with his variations as most of the MI batters had no idea about his slower deliveries, which were primarily off-cutters with occasional loopy block-hole balls that drifted.

    MI were 50 for no loss after Powerplay but in the next four overs lost as many as five wickets to become 62 for five and subsequently 79 for six before Suryakumar (5×4, 6×6) with his 15th IPL fifty, took them to a decent total.

    Suryakumar took charge with MI tottering at 79 for 6 and added 72 off 41 balls with Jaydev Unadkat (13 no off 14 balls).

    For Rohit (26 off 15 balls), this IPL so far has been about playing some breathtaking shots but not getting a big score as he raced to 26 before Harshal’s slow off-cutter did the trick.

    The Indian skipper after having hit four fours and a pulled six couldn’t check his stroke with the bowler taking a smart return catch.

    Playing the second fiddle, Kishan’s (26 off 28 balls) attempt to use the pace of Bengal speedster Akash Deep in his bid to play the ramp shot became his undoing as he was caught in the third man region.

    Dewald Brevis (8 off 11 balls) found it difficult to negotiate the wrist spin of Wanindu Hasaranga (2/28 in 4 overs) and was rapped on the back-pad.

    Tilak Verma had his first real failure due to miscommunication with Pollard which resulted in a run-out and the big West Indian then got fooled by a Hasaranga googly.

    Rookie Ramandeep Singh then dangled his bat at a wide slower from Harshal to end his 12-ball stay.

    Harshal cleverly changed his arm speed regularly which deceived the batters as the balls started drifting.

    A slog swept six over deep mid-wicket off Hasaranga and a near 100-metre slog flick off Mohammed Siraj (4-0-51-0) were absolute treat for the eyes as Suryakumar followed it up with a ramped six as 23 came off the penultimate over.

    PUNE: Mumbai Indians’ season of woes just got a tad worse after the five-time champions followed another high-profile team Chennai Super Kings to lose their fourth match on the bounce as Royal Challengers Bangalore cantered to an easy seven-wicket win in an IPL match on Saturday.

    It was Suryakumar Yadav’s unbeaten 68 that gave Mumbai Indians a respectable total of 151 for 6 but that was never going to be enough as young Anuj Rawat (66 off 47 balls) struck his maiden IPL fifty, anchoring the team to the target in just 18.3 overs.

    He had two fifty plus partnerships — 50 for opening stand with skipper Faf du Plessis (16) and 80 with former skipper and his West Delhi Cricket Academy senior Virat Kohli (48 off 36 balls) for the second wicket to seal the issue.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    Rawat scored at a decent strike-rate if not rollicking one and had two fours and six maximums in his kitty.

    Mumbai Indians are currently last in the table of 10 teams because of inferior net run-rate compared to CSK but the road towards redemption is becoming difficult with every passing match.

    Whether it is skipper Rohit’s lean patch or a poor sentimental call by the MI management to retain a non-performing asset like Kieron Pollard for one season too many, there are too many loopholes that needs plugging.

    The next set of young batters are getting ready but the current attack with Murugan Ashwin, Basil Thampi and Jaydev Unadkat bowling at least 12 out of 20 overs, doesn’t give the confidence that it can actually become a side in contention for a silverware.

    If MI is in a mess, it is because of the decisions taken before and during the auction.

    Retaining Pollard and letting all-rounder Hardik Pandya go is coming back to haunt them.

    So is the decision to not bid aggressively for the likes of Krunal Pandya or Trent Boult or for that matter Rahul Chahar.

    Earlier, Rohit and Ishan Kishan’s flamboyant start was followed by an inexplicable batting collapse before the indomitable Suryakumar gave MI’s total semblance of respectability.

    For RCB, Harshal Patel (2/23 in 4 overs) was brilliant with his variations as most of the MI batters had no idea about his slower deliveries, which were primarily off-cutters with occasional loopy block-hole balls that drifted.

    MI were 50 for no loss after Powerplay but in the next four overs lost as many as five wickets to become 62 for five and subsequently 79 for six before Suryakumar (5×4, 6×6) with his 15th IPL fifty, took them to a decent total.

    Suryakumar took charge with MI tottering at 79 for 6 and added 72 off 41 balls with Jaydev Unadkat (13 no off 14 balls).

    For Rohit (26 off 15 balls), this IPL so far has been about playing some breathtaking shots but not getting a big score as he raced to 26 before Harshal’s slow off-cutter did the trick.

    The Indian skipper after having hit four fours and a pulled six couldn’t check his stroke with the bowler taking a smart return catch.

    Playing the second fiddle, Kishan’s (26 off 28 balls) attempt to use the pace of Bengal speedster Akash Deep in his bid to play the ramp shot became his undoing as he was caught in the third man region.

    Dewald Brevis (8 off 11 balls) found it difficult to negotiate the wrist spin of Wanindu Hasaranga (2/28 in 4 overs) and was rapped on the back-pad.

    Tilak Verma had his first real failure due to miscommunication with Pollard which resulted in a run-out and the big West Indian then got fooled by a Hasaranga googly.

    Rookie Ramandeep Singh then dangled his bat at a wide slower from Harshal to end his 12-ball stay.

    Harshal cleverly changed his arm speed regularly which deceived the batters as the balls started drifting.

    A slog swept six over deep mid-wicket off Hasaranga and a near 100-metre slog flick off Mohammed Siraj (4-0-51-0) were absolute treat for the eyes as Suryakumar followed it up with a ramped six as 23 came off the penultimate over.

  • Royal Challengers Bangalore march on as Mumbai Indians lose four on trot

    By PTI

    PUNE: Mumbai Indians’ season of woes just got a tad worse after the five-time champions followed another high-profile team Chennai Super Kings to lose their fourth match on the bounce as Royal Challengers Bangalore cantered to an easy seven-wicket win in an IPL match on Saturday.

    It was Suryakumar Yadav’s unbeaten 68 that gave Mumbai Indians a respectable total of 151 for 6 but that was never going to be enough as young Anuj Rawat (66 off 47 balls) struck his maiden IPL fifty, anchoring the team to the target in just 18.3 overs.

    He had two fifty plus partnerships — 50 for opening stand with skipper Faf du Plessis (16) and 80 with former skipper and his West Delhi Cricket Academy senior Virat Kohli (48 off 36 balls) for the second wicket to seal the issue.

    Rawat scored at a decent strike-rate if not rollicking one and had two fours and six maximums in his kitty.

    Mumbai Indians are currently last in the table of 10 teams because of inferior net run-rate compared to CSK but the road towards redemption is becoming difficult with every passing match.

    Whether it is skipper Rohit’s lean patch or a poor sentimental call by the MI management to retain a non-performing asset like Kieron Pollard for one season too many, there are too many loopholes that needs plugging.

    The next set of young batters are getting ready but the current attack with Murugan Ashwin, Basil Thampi and Jaydev Unadkat bowling at least 12 out of 20 overs, doesn’t give the confidence that it can actually become a side in contention for a silverware.

    If MI is in a mess, it is because of the decisions taken before and during the auction.

    Retaining Pollard and letting all-rounder Hardik Pandya go is coming back to haunt them.

    So is the decision to not bid aggressively for the likes of Krunal Pandya or Trent Boult or for that matter Rahul Chahar.

    Earlier, Rohit and Ishan Kishan’s flamboyant start was followed by an inexplicable batting collapse before the indomitable Suryakumar gave MI’s total semblance of respectability.

    For RCB, Harshal Patel (2/23 in 4 overs) was brilliant with his variations as most of the MI batters had no idea about his slower deliveries, which were primarily off-cutters with occasional loopy block-hole balls that drifted.

    MI were 50 for no loss after Powerplay but in the next four overs lost as many as five wickets to become 62 for five and subsequently 79 for six before Suryakumar (5×4, 6×6) with his 15th IPL fifty, took them to a decent total.

    Suryakumar took charge with MI tottering at 79 for 6 and added 72 off 41 balls with Jaydev Unadkat (13 no off 14 balls).

    For Rohit (26 off 15 balls), this IPL so far has been about playing some breathtaking shots but not getting a big score as he raced to 26 before Harshal’s slow off-cutter did the trick.

    The Indian skipper after having hit four fours and a pulled six couldn’t check his stroke with the bowler taking a smart return catch.

    Playing the second fiddle, Kishan’s (26 off 28 balls) attempt to use the pace of Bengal speedster Akash Deep in his bid to play the ramp shot became his undoing as he was caught in the third man region.

    Dewald Brevis (8 off 11 balls) found it difficult to negotiate the wrist spin of Wanindu Hasaranga (2/28 in 4 overs) and was rapped on the back-pad.

    Tilak Verma had his first real failure due to miscommunication with Pollard which resulted in a run-out and the big West Indian then got fooled by a Hasaranga googly.

    Rookie Ramandeep Singh then dangled his bat at a wide slower from Harshal to end his 12-ball stay.

    Harshal cleverly changed his arm speed regularly which deceived the batters as the balls started drifting.

    A slog swept six over deep mid-wicket off Hasaranga and a near 100-metre slog flick off Mohammed Siraj (4-0-51-0) were absolute treat for the eyes as Suryakumar followed it up with a ramped six as 23 came off the penultimate over.

  • IPL 2022: Gujarat Titans too good for Punjab Kings’ all-or-nothing approach

    Express News Service

    CHENNAI: There was something strange about Punjab Kings’ innings. Since the start of the season, with fresh faces at their disposal, they have already established a style of play with the bat, which is to be committed in attack no matter what. These are early days but when it led to their downfall against Kolkata Knight Riders, they bounced back by sticking to the philosophy against Chennai Super Kings.

    Against Gujarat Titans, as Punjab finished with 189/9 on board, they left you wondering if they had managed a very good total or they left a few more runs behind at the Brabourne Stadium. And with 12 runs needed off two balls as Rahul Tewatia hit Odean Smith for two sixes to keep Gujarat Titans unbeaten, you knew where it cost Punjab. More on that latter.

    At the end of the powerplay with Mayank Agarwal (5) and Jonny Bairstow (8) dismissed, Punjab were placed 43/2. This was their slowest start to an innings this season.

    Prior to this contest against Gujarat, they had been scoring at 10.9 RPO in the powerplay for the loss of five wickets. And instrumental to that has been Bhanuka Rajapaksa, who had to make way for Bairstow on Friday. Given the context, Gujarat started really well to keep Punjab quiet by their standards.

    The middle-overs is where teams usually tend to slow down, they have maintained the momentum. Against Royal Challengers Bangalore they scored 99 runs between overs 7-16 for the loss of 5 wickets and in their match against Chennai got 80 runs. And these were on the back of them getting off to a good start.

    But on Friday, having lost two key players and Shikhar Dhawan far from his fluent best (35 off 30b), they still managed to stick to their philosophy and keep them in the contest by scoring 112 runs from seventh over to the 16th.

    And it was largely thanks to Liam Livingstone, whose 27-ball 64 (7×4, 46) changed the momentum single-handedly. Starting his innings by scoring a boundary off the first ball, he played only three dot balls in total.

    Although he lost Dhawan, Jitesh Sharma ensured the pressure wasn’t on Livingstone alone, scoring 23 off 11. While Odean Smith was dismissed off the first ball he faced – stuck to their philosophy, went for a big shot and was caught on long-on – Shahrukh Khan contributed 15 off 8.

    Yet, as they finished their innings, it felt as if they still left a few more runs behind. Having scored at 7 runs an over at the end of as many overs, from there on, Punjab’s run-rate gradually increased 10.13 at the end of 15 overs.

    With no more specialist batters to follow, the onus was on Livingstone and Shahrukh to ferry them to a total that would be beyond Gujarat’s reach. Instead, both perished, trying to go after Rashid Khan.

    It meant, Punjab managed 34 more runs, it still felt the target was not beyond Gujarat’s reach.With Shubman Gill (96) showing the way, they remained in the hunt right through with Sai Sudarshan (35), Hardik Pandya (27) making key contributions before Tewatia finished it up in his trademark style.

    Which brings the question, did Punjab’s approach cost them dear on the night, especially at the end. A few more runs would have given them the cushion, but it is the risk that Punjab are willing to take for playing a brand of cricket that is surely going to make everyone sit and enjoy in their couch.

    Brief Scores: Punjab Kings 189/9 in 20 overs (Livingstone 64, Dhawan 35; Rashid 3/35) lost to Gujarat Titans 190/4 in 20 overs (Gill 96, Sudharsan 35; Rabada 2/35)

  • Quinton de Kock dazzles as Lucknow Super Giants slay Delhi Capitals

    By PTI

    NAVI MUMBAI: Quinton de Kock showed imperious form in his 80 off 52 balls as Lucknow Super Giants outplayed Delhi Capitals by six wickets for their third successive win in their debut IPL season here on Thursday.

    Delhi Capitals lost their way after a sizzling knock from Prithvi Shaw (61 off 31) to end at 149 for 3 after Lucknow predictably decided to field first.

    With the resources that Lucknow possess, 150 should have been a comfortable chase and the K L Rahul-led side made sure it was, getting home with two balls to spare on a tricky surface.

    De Kock was at his destructive best as he shared a 73-run stand with his opening partner Rahul (24 off 25).

    The South African wicketkeeper-batter was particularly harsh on compatriot Anrich Nortje who was playing his first game since November.

    The fit again pacer, playing his first IPL game in India, was smashed for three fours and a six by de Kock in an over leaking 19 runs.

    In what turned out to be a forgettable night for Nortje, the South African pacer had to be taken off the attack later after bowling two waist-high no balls.

    After Rahul’s fall, his team needed 76 off the last 10 overs.

    De Kock, who collected nine fours and two sixes, put the team on the cusp of victory with his second 50-plus score of the tournament.

    With the pitch not the easiest one to bat on, Lucknow struggled to finish the game with even the in-form Deepak Hooda and experienced Krunal Pandya not finding the big hits.

    Lucknow eventually managed to get the job done with the young Ayush Badoni hitting the decisive four and a six off Shardul Thakur in the final over.

    Earlier, Shaw’s knock was all class before Lucknow bounced back in the game with an impressive bowling performance.

    Young leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi (2/22) was the standout performer for the new IPL entrants.

    David Warner (4 off 12), returning to the franchise where he made his IPL debut back in 2009, struggled in his first innings of the season.

    Off-spinner K Gowtham (1/23) was given the ball in the second over and Shaw did not let him settle, dispatching a full ball over cover for his first four of the innings.

    Jason Holder was at the receiving end in the following over when Shaw pulled him for a six over mid-wicket.

    Then came the turn of pacer Avesh Khan who was hammered for three consecutive fours in the fourth over.

    It seemed Shaw was batting on a different surface while the others struggled around him.

    He used his quick hands to cut the ball and was equally quick to drive anything full over cover.

    It was a promising powerplay for Capitals who reached 52 for no loss in six overs.

    However, Lucknow fought back after the powerplay with wickets of Shaw, Warner and Rovman Powell (3 off 10) in a space of 18 balls.

    Shaw was caught behind off Gowtham after he hit him for a straight six.

    Warner fell to a poor shot off Bishnoi and Powell saw his stumps disturbed as he went for the slog-sweep off a googly from the young leg-spinner, leaving Capitals at 74 for three in the 11th over.

    The onus was on skipper Rishabh Pant (39 not out off 36) to take the team to a respectable total and he did that in the company of Sarfaraz Khan (36 not out off 28) who was playing his debut game for the franchise.

    Pant mainly targeted the straight boundaries and Sarfaraz, without taking much risks, showed skills that has fetched him a bagful of runs in domestic cricket.

  • Loose ball bearing behind Mumbai Indians’ bumpy ride

    Express News Service

    CHENNAI: When broadcaster Danny Morrison started a question with ‘you’ve been in this position before’ while speaking to Rohit Sharma after Mumbai’s defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders on Thursday, their third successive loss of the season, referring to the past performances, the Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma did not even let him finish. “I don’t want to be in this position all the time,” he laughed with his typical humour. 

    But his frustration was evident. Although Mumbai had come back from the consecutive defeats to win the title in the 2010s, Rohit and the team management knows that this time it is different. With ten teams in the mix, the crowd in the middle of the table will be huge unlike the past, where a bunch of wins in the second half would get them through the top four. More importantly, the bigger difference is how they were able to take the games to last overs even in defeats in the past, but they have been comfortably outplayed by all three teams this season.

    And as their head coach Mahela Jayawardene pointed out, Mumbai haven’t been able to execute their plans with the ball as they did in the last couple of years. “There are concerns, especially with the ball we are not executing at the back end under pressure. Our execution has been poor so we need to make sure we brush up on that,” he said.

    While a part of it was expected when they went after Jofra Archer — who wasn’t going to be available this year — in the auction, the lack of support from the other end in the pace department meant that they had to use Jasprit Bumrah differently and it hasn’t helped.

    In 2020 and 2021, Bumrah and Trent Boult shared 86 wickets between them with the latter operating through the powerplay, allowing Rohit to use the Indian pacer as an enforcer in the middle and death overs. One look at their bowling card this season tells a story. With Basil Thampi and Daniel Sams not making early inroads, Mumbai is forced to use at least one or two overs of Bumrah in the powerplay, leaving them searching for bowlers in the middle-overs. It meant that teams were happy to play out Bumrah without giving any wickets.

    The Indian speedster has taken just three wickets in a game and gone without any in the other two. He also has operated at 8.32 RPO this season, which wasn’t the case in 2020 and 2021 (7.07). That all the other pacers concede over 9.5 RPO doesn’t help either. To compensate, they might bring in someone like Jaydev Unadkat into the mix sooner than later.

    But it’s not just the pace department that has issues. Although M Ashwin has bowled well, considering being the lone spinner in the side, the absence of extra bowling options isn’t helping Rohit either. But that’s the card they’ve been dealt with and he will have to find a way to make the most of it.

    One way to do that is their batting, especially the skipper, to step up and take the onus to post big totals. Rohit’s record in the last few years if compared to the other top-order batters in the league would fall short by a significant margin. Though Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma have performed so far, with no Quinton de Kock and Pandya brothers to provide cushion, Rohit will have to score consistently for them to maintain the intent through the course of the innings.

    If Rohit and Mumbai don’t want to be in a position to win matches on the trot, it’s about time their captain fired with the bat and found a way to get the best out of their bowling attack. 

  • Pat Cummins equals record for fastest IPL fifty as KKR beat Mumbai Indians by 5 wickets

    Express News Service

    CHENNAI: Pat Cummins’ record in death overs is no secret. In 26 innings, he has operated at 10.23 RPO in death overs in the Indian Premier League. But, on Wednesday, against Mumbai Indians, it was different. Going into the final four overs, Cummins had bowled three, conceding 26 runs up until then. On a pitch that had a bit of extra bounce, the Australian Test skipper, along with Umesh Yadav and Rasikh Salam had bowled extremely well in the first half of the innings.

    Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma had accelerated since and Mumbai was pushing towards the 150-run mark when Cummins came on to bowl the final over. First ball, full and wide, Suryakumar edges one behind. In comes Pollard. Cummins delivers a wide yorker, dugout for two. Another wide yorker follows, but this time Pollard was ready for it. He gets under it and smacks it over long-on. Eight off three.

    Cummins tries to go wider and bowls a wide, forcing him to change the length for the next. A couple of runs followed off the fourth. 11 off four deliveries against Pollard isn’t all that bad. But the story wasn’t over. The pacer went short and wide, Pollard pulled with all his might only to top-edged it over third-man for a six. 17 off five now. Cummis reacts and goes fuller. Pollard once again goes hard and this time the leading edge brings the same result.

    In an over where he did hardly anything wrong, Cummins ended up conceding 23 runs from five balls and a wicket. From 138 for three, Mumbai went on to finish with 161/4. But he knew, such things happen in the shortest format.

    “Welcome to T20 cricket,” he would say after the match, before adding, “we would have taken 160 at the start of the innings.”

    In fact, at that point, he wouldn’t have known that his more significant performance in the match was yet to come.

    Mumbai had reduced Kolkata to 101/5 in 13.1 overs. Tymal Mills had removed Andre Russell. Venkatesh Iyer was still batting, but they still needed 61 runs from 41 balls. In comes Cummins and sneaks a single of his first. That was the only inconsequential ball of the innings. From there one, every ball he faced was an event.

    The fifth ball of that over was on the slot and Cummins smacked it over the shorter boundary on the leg side for six. Mills went fuller and wider. Cummins followed, slicing it between gully and third-man for a four.

    Mumbai still had two overs of Jasprit Bumrah. But that didn’t bother the Australian. He played out a couple of deliveries before launching the Indian pacer over deep-midwicket. Much like Mills, Bumrah, too, went full and wide, but an outside edge was enough for Cummins to secure a boundary. By the end of that over, the equation had come down to 35 off 30 with Cummins batting at 22 from 8 balls. It seemed like it was his day with the bat. And everything he’s touched would turn gold.

    What followed was just madness. Rohit Sharma brought Daniel Sams and Cummins was ready for it. Six, four, six, six followed off his bat, all on through the leg-side. The chase was all but done in those four deliveries. The pressure led Sams to bowl a no-ball, off which Cummins scored just two, thanks to Suryakumar’s effort on the ropes.

    A four and a six followed as Cummins brought up the joint-fastest fifty ever in the IPL, smashing 35 runs in that over. It was an exhibition of ball striking, especially against pace. From 101/5 after 13.1, Kolkata went to 162/5 in just 18 balls.

    Mumbai had one over of Murugan Ashwin left at that point. They could have used him against Cummins, but it was all irrelevant as their head coach Mahela Jayawardene said after the match.

    “Hindsight is a great thing, but with short leg-side boundaries, Cummins could hit those sixes with the equation that was there. Maybe, we could have stuck with those hard lengths rather than using variations,” he said after the match.

    Maybe Ashwin could have made a difference, maybe not. Either way, the way Cummins started with the bat, it was just one of those days where all one could say was that the knock was just meant to be.

    Brief Scores: MI 161/4 in 20 overs (Suryakumar 52, Tilak 38 n.o; Cummins 2/49) vs KKR 162/5 in 15 overs (Cummins 56 n.o, Venkatesh 50 n.o)