First super over and Jadeja blast
CHENNAI ALL-ROUNDER MAKES HIS MARK AS MATCHES MOVE TO NEXT TWO VENUES
RAVICHANDRAN ASHWIN became the first Indian player to pull out of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) to be with his family as the country faces an escalating Covid crisis.
Three Australian players have also have left the tournament. Andrew Tye (Rajasthan Royals) was the first to return home, while Adam Zampa and Kane Richardson of Royal Challengers Bangalore have also pulled out.
However, reports suggest that the Indian cricket board (BCCI) will continue to hold IPL matches as scheduled.
Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Capitals (match 13): Amit Mishra’s spell of 4 for 24 helped restrict Mumbai Indians to 137 for 9 and broke Delhi Capitals’ jinx against the title holders as they registered a six-wicket win against them.
An in-form Shikhar Dhawan led the chase for Delhi and when he fell after scoring a 42-ball 45, the game was well balanced. But Mumbai did not have enough runs on the board to apply pressure as Steve Smith and Lalit Yadav carried Delhi home.
Punjab Kings vs Sunrisers Hyderabad (match 14): Sunrisers Hyderabad finally got a win in IPL 2021 as they beat Punjab Kings by nine wickets. Opting to bat first, Punjab were bundled out in 19.4 overs with Khaleel Ahmed taking 3 for 23. Chasing a victory target of 121, David Warner and Jonny Bairstow got Hyderabad off to a strong start with 73 in 10.1 overs, before Bairstow (63 not out off 56 balls) along with Kane Williamson took the side over the line.
Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders (match 15): After being put in to bat, Chennai Super Kings reached 220 for 3 with openers Faf du Plessis scoring an unbeaten 95 off 60 balls and Ruturaj Gaikwad making a 42-ball 64.
After losing early wickets, Kolkata Knight Riders found hope in Andre Russell’s 22-ball 54 and Dinesh Karthik’s 24-ball 40, while Pat Cummins hammered an unbeaten 34-ball 66. But with him trying to retain strike, the last two wickets were run-outs as Chennai won by 18 runs.
Rajasthan Royals vs Royal Challengers Bangalore (match 16): An unbeaten century by Devdutt Padikkal and Virat Kohli’s 47-ball 72 not out gave Royal Challengers Bangalore a 10-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals with 21 balls to spare, their fourth successive victory in IPL 2021. Earlier, after a bad start again, Rajasthan managed to score 177 for 9 with useful contributions from Shivam Dube (46) and Rahul Tewatia (40), as Bangalore’s Mohammed Siraj finished with 3 for 27.
Mumbai Indians vs Punjab Kings (match 17): A nine-wicket victory for Punjab Kings came after they toiled chasing a modest target of 132 in Chennai. Mumbai Indians used their spinners Rahul Chahar and Jayant Yadav with some success but a disciplined stand of 79 from 62 balls between KL Rahul and Chris Gayle sealed the game for Punjab with 14 balls to spare.
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals (match 18): After opting to bowl first, Rajasthan Royals’ pacers had a good day on the field. Chris Morris led with four wickets as Jaydev Unadkat, Chetan Sakariya and Mustafizur Rahman picked up a wicket each. Rahul Tripathi top-scored with 36 as Kolkata Knight Riders were restricted to 133 for 9. Skipper Sanju Samson took charge of the chase by scoring 41-ball 42 as Rajasthan won by six wickets.
Chennai Super Kings vs Royal Challengers Bangalore (match 19): Ravindra Jadeja was the allround star of the match as Chennai Super Kings handed Royal Challengers Bangalore their first loss of IPL 2021 and replaced them at the top of the table.
Jadeja’s unbeaten 28-ball 62 included scoring 36 runs off the final over, which powered Chennai to 191 for 4. He then scalped the big wickets of Glenn Maxwell and AB de Villiers, and ran Dan Christian out. Jadeja’s brilliance proved too much for Bangalore in the end as they lost by 69 runs.
Delhi Capitals vs Sunrisers Hyderabad (match 20): Delhi Capitals trumped Sunrisers Hyderabad in what turned out to be the first Super Over game of the season. Prithvi Shaw’s fifty and useful knocks from Steve Smith and Shikhar Dhawan helped Delhi post a competitive 159 for 4. But Kane Williamson and Jonny Bairstow combined to take Hyderabad to a tied score.
Axar Patel, having recovered from Covid-19, bowled the super over for Delhi and the left-arm spinner didn’t disappoint as he restricted Hyderabad to seven, which Delhi managed with ease.
Punjab Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders (match 21): In the first game of the season in Ahmedabad, Kolkata Knight Riders defeated Punjab Kings by five wickets. After restricting Punjab to 123 for 9, Kolkata were 17 for 3 before a 66-run stand between Eoin Morgan and Rahul Tripathi sealed the game.