Thrills and spills as IPL nears end
KOHLI FINISHES AS BANGALORE CAPTAIN WITHOUT CHANCE TO WIN ELUSIVE TITLE
THERE are just two matches left before the 2021 edition of Indian Premier League is over, but the last eight matches in six days had their share of thrills, with teams battling it out for the final play-off berth.
Mumbai Indians gave it all in a desperate attempt but failed as Kolkata Knight Riders sneaked through with a better run-rate. The day before that, the MS Dhoni led Chennai Super Kings stormed into their ninth IPL final after beating Delhi Capitals.
Rajasthan Royals vs Mumbai Indians (match 51): The slow Sharjah pitch defeated Rajasthan’s batsmen as they scraped to 90 for 9 after being asked to bat first. For Mumbai, Nathan Coulter-Nile took four wickets, while James Neesham scalped three and Jasprit Bumrah two. Mumbai took 8.2 overs to chase down the total, with their play-off hopes alive.
Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Royal Challengers Bangalore (match 52): Already knocked out Hyderabad rocked Bangalore’s chances of finishing in the top two by clinching a four-run win. Hyderabad scored 141 for 7, but with 13 needed off the final over, AB de Villiers failed to finish things off. Six runs were needed off the last two balls, Bhubaneshwar Kumar bowled two full tosses but de Villiers could not deliver.
Chennai Super Kings vs Punjab Kings (match 53): After being put in to bat, Chennai managed to reach 134 for 6 in 20 overs with Faf du Plessis scoring a 55-ball 76. Punjab blasted away in the run-chase with KL Rahul leading the way with an explosive 42-ball 98 not out. Though Punjab knocked off the target in 13 overs, the win, did not help their chance in any way of making the play-offs.
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals (match 54): Kolkata had their eyes set on the play-off spot as they sealed a clinical and crushing 86-run victory over Rajasthan. Kolkata scored 171 for 4, with Shubman Gill hitting fifty. Rajasthan’s run-chase never took off as they were bowled out for 85 with Shivam Mavi taking four wickets and Lockie Ferguson three.
Mumbai Indians vs Sunrisers Hyderabad (match 55): Mumbai needed to win this match by 171 runs to qualify for the play-offs, and they gave it their all with Ishan Kishan scoring 84 and Suryakumar Yadav 82 in their total of 235 for 9. They then needed a stupendous show from their bowlers to restrict Hyderabad below 65, but that was too much to ask. Hyderabad reached 193 for 8, to hand Mumbai a hollow 42-run win. Delhi Capitals vs Royal Challengers Banga- lore (match 56): This was a dead rubber with both the teams having made it tGo uthrejiptlaKya-oufrfs, but KS Bharat made a match out of it with a last-ball six, with Bangalore successfully chasing down Delhi’s 164 for 5. The two dropped catches off Glenn Maxwell eventually proved costly as the Aussie kept Bharat company with his unbeaten 51 until the wicketkeeper-batsman sealed the match for Bangalore.
Delhi Capitals vs Chennai Super Kings (Qualifier 1): A chase of 173 was never going to be easy in a high-pressure Qualifier match, but MS Dhoni rolled back the clock and played a vintage knock to take Chennai to their ninth IPL final. Ruturaj Gaikwad and Robin Uthappa put up 110 for the second wicket during the run chase, but when the middle order looked jittery, Dhoni promoted himself up the order. With Chennai needing 23 off 11, he ensured there were no more jitters as he finished things off in style.
Royal Kolkata Challengers Knight Riders Bangalore (Eliminator): vs This match was a straight knockout, with no second chances for the losing team and defending a total of 138 was never going to be easy. Nonetheless Virat Kohli’s men gave Kolkata a spirited fight before losing by four wickets. The start to their innings was fine but they faltered in the middle overs to reach just 138 for 7. Though they gave it their all while defending the total, Kolkata crossed the line in a clinical fashion, to set up a face-off against Delhi on Wednesday (13) in Qualifier 2.