ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE MAKE STRONG START
BANGALORE LEAD TABLE AHEAD OF CHENNAI AS TEAMS FIND THEIR FEET IN NEW SEASON
DESPITE a raging second wave of the coronavirus pandemic in India, the action in IPL 2021 has been happening seamlessly inside bio-bubbles.
After 12 matches so far in the 14th edition of the tournament, the Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore are on top of the table, followed by Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals.
Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders (match 5): Defending 153, Mumbai stuck to their task and Kolkata paid the price for going after glory. Victory looked a formality for Kolkata when Nitish Rana and Shubman Gill walloped 72 in 8.5 overs, but the team collapsed from 104 for 2 to 122 for 5.
Krunal Pandya bowled a brilliant spell and finished with 4 for 13, while Jasprit Bumrah kept things tight at the other end.
Trent Boult bowled the final over with Kolkata needing 15. The Kiwi paceman removed Andre Russell and Pat Cummins to clinch a 10-run win for Mumbai, giving the Rohit Sharma-led side their first win in IPL 2021.
Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Sunrisers Hyderabad (match 6): The script played out similarly to the previous day’s match involving Mumbai and Kolkata. Bangalore pulled off an unlikely win defending 149 for 8, with Glenn Maxwell scoring a crucial half century.
Hyderabad were in control of the run-chase, requiring 35 off 24, with well-set Jonny Bairstow and Manish Pandey at the crease. But Shahbaz Ahmed turned the game in the 17th over with his triple strike. He scalped Bairstow, Pandey and Abdul Samad as Hyderabad were restricted to 143 for 9. Bangalore won by six runs to go top of the points table.
Delhi Capitals vs Rajasthan
Royals (match 7): David Miller and Chris Morris combined well to power Rajasthan to a tense three-wicket win over Delhi. For Rajasthan, Miller (62 off 43 balls), Morris (36 not out) and Jaydev Unadkat (3 for 15) played a key role in the victory.
Unadkat’s spell helped Rajasthan restrict Delhi to 147 for eight. Then Miller anchored the run chase with Morris playing a handy cameo to seal Rajasthan’s first victory of the season with two balls to spare.
Punjab Kings vs Chennai Super Kings (match 8): Deepak Chahar’s spell of 4 for 13, which included 18 dot balls, helped Chennai bag their first points of the season with an easy six-wicket win over Punjab. Skipper MS Dhoni let Chahar bowl his four overs in one go as the pacer toppled Punjab’s top-heavy batting order, to reduce them to 26 for 5.
After restricting Punjab to 106 for 8, Moeen Ali (46) and Faf du Plessis (36) carried Chennai home in the modest chase.
Mumbai Indians vs Sunrisers Hyderabad (match 9): Mumbai are making a habit of defending 150-range totals this season and that too after opting to bat first. Quinton de Kock (40) and Rohit Sharma (32) gave them a good start while Kieron Pollard scored a handy 22-ball 35 to carry Mumbai to a respectable total of 150 for 5. Hyderabad’s chase, heavily dependent on Jonny Bairstow and David Warner, combusted after both fell. For Mumbai, Trent Boult and Rahul Chahar picked up three wickets apiece and Jasprit Bumrah one after conceding only 14 runs, as Hyderabad only reached 137.
Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Kolkata Knight Riders (match 10): Virat Kohli opted to bat first and brisk fifties from Glenn Maxwell
and AB de Villiers powered Bangalore to 204 for 4. Maxwell made a 49-ball 78, his second half-century of the season, while de Villiers made a 34-ball 76.
Kolkata’s intent in the runchase was evident, but they kept losing wickets despite Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi and Eoin Morgan getting starts. Andre Russell did try to use his power but it not enough as Kolkata fell 38 runs short of the target.
Punjab Kings vs Delhi Capitals (match 11): Shikhar Dhawan missed out on his second hundred but played a key role in Delhi’s six-wicket win over Punjab. After being put in to bat, Punjab blazed away with openers Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul laying the platform for a big score with their 36-ball 69 and 51-ball 61 knocks, respectively.
Punjab posted a formidable 195 for 4, but Dhawan (92) and Prithvi Shaw (32) gave Delhi a solid start of 59 in 5.3 overs. The left-handed Dhawan missed out on a well-deserved ton yet again but helped Delhi gun down the big total with 10 balls to spare.
Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan Royals (match 12):
Ravindra Jadeja and Moeen Ali spun Chennai to their second successive win as they defeated Rajasthan by 45 runs. Put in to bat, Chennai posted 188 for nine, with Faf du Plessis (33 off 17), Dwayne Bravo (20 not out off 8), Ambati Raydu (27 off 17) and Ali (26 off 20) chipping in.
In the run chase, Rajasthan were given a good start by Jos Buttler (49 off 35), before the batsmen fell to spinners on a Wankhede track that assisted turn. Rajasthan, at the end, could manage only 143 for 9. After Jadeja (2 for 28) removed Buttler, Rajasthan found Ali (3 for 7) too hot to handle as he sealed the game for his team with three quick wickets.