Royal Challengers Bengaluru reminded us why sports are so unpredictable and thrilling. In a jaw-dropping turn of events, RCB, led by Faf du Plessis, made an incredible run to the playoffs by stringing together six consecutive wins. Their most remarkable feat was ending the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in a must-win IPL 2024 league game at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on May 18. With a phenomenal batting display, RCB posted 218 runs and defended their target by 27 runs, effectively stopping CSK from making it to the playoffs.

Miraculous Run to Playoffs

RCB orchestrated what might be the greatest comeback in the history of the Indian Premier League by winning six consecutive matches to secure a spot in the IPL 2024 playoffs. Led by Faf du Plessis, RCB defeated Chennai Super Kings by 27 runs in a virtual eliminator at their home ground, the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. They will now compete in the IPL 2024 Eliminator.

From managing only one win in their first eight matches to clinching seven victories in their final 14 games, RCB never lost the unwavering support of their fans. The franchise dedicated this historic win to their loyal supporters, the 12th Man Army, who stood by the team through thick and thin.

Match Build-Up

The match between RCB and CSK was highly anticipated, with significant stakes for both teams. RCB needed a victory to secure a playoff spot, while CSK aimed to defend their title by qualifying for the playoffs. The weather added an element of unpredictability, with rain threatening to delay the game. However, the excellent drainage system at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium ensured the match started on time despite a brief shower before the toss.

See Also: Is it the end for Dhoni? Looking at the memorable IPL journey

RCB’s Batting Performance

Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli set the tone for RCB with a stellar opening partnership. Du Plessis initially struggled, but Kohli was aggressive from the start. After Kohli’s dismissal, Faf du Plessis took charge, allowing Rajat Patidar to settle in at No. 3. Unfortunately, du Plessis was run out bizarrely when Mitchell Santner’s fingertips deflected a straight drive onto the stumps. Despite this setback, Patidar and Cameron Green forged a crucial partnership, adding 71 runs in just 28 balls. Their efforts were instrumental in pushing RCB’s total to a formidable 218.

Virat Kohli’s Record-Breaking Innings

Kohli’s innings were nothing short of spectacular. He scored 47 off 29 balls, including four sixes and three boundaries, bringing his sixes tally for the season to 35. His fearless batting and milestone of becoming the first player to score 3000 runs at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium energized the team and the fans.

CSK’s Struggles in the Chase

CSK’s chase got off to a shaky start with captain Ruturaj Gaikwad’s early dismissal for a duck. Shivam Dube, one of their key batters, also struggled, managing only seven off 15 balls. Despite these setbacks, CSK posted 58 for 2 in the powerplay but lost momentum in the middle overs, scoring just 71 runs and losing four wickets.

MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja’s spirited partnership provided a glimmer of hope for CSK. Coming together at 129 for 6, they added 61 runs in just 26 balls, bringing CSK close to the target. Dhoni’s six off the first ball of the final over sent waves of excitement through the stadium. However, Yash Dayal’s next delivery removed Dhoni, leaving Jadeja with too much to do.

Match Analysis

Several key moments and decisions shaped the outcome of this match. Kohli and du Plessis’s opening partnership laid a solid foundation, while the middle-order contributions from Patidar and Green were pivotal. On the bowling front, RCB’s ability to take wickets at crucial junctures and Dayal’s last-over heroics sealed the victory.

The match was rich in statistics and records. Kohli’s record for the most runs at a single venue, and his sixes tally were highlights. RCB’s total of 218 was one of their highest of the season, and their six-match winning streak was unprecedented. Yash Dayal’s redemption story also added to the narrative.

Impact on the Tournament

RCB’s victory secured their place in the playoffs, making them the first team to do so with 14 points. This late surge has positioned them as strong contenders for the title. For CSK, the defeat was a significant blow, as they needed to avoid a big loss to qualify for the playoffs. Their title defense ended abruptly, highlighting the ruthless nature of the competition.

As RCB heads to the playoffs, its focus will be on maintaining its winning momentum. Its next challenge will be the Eliminator in Ahmedabad, where it will face either Rajasthan or Hyderabad. The team’s strategies and player performances will be crucial in determining its further progress in the tournament.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has decided to recall its players from the Indian Premier League (IPL) just before the playoffs, citing the upcoming T20 World Cup as the primary reason.

Importance of T20 World Cup Preparation

With the T20 World Cup looming, the ECB emphasizes the importance of preparing its players for the global tournament. To ensure adequate preparation and cohesion within the squad, ECB has scheduled a home series against Pakistan, starting from May 22.

See Also: England announce 15-member squad for T20 World Cup 2024

Focus on the Home Series Against Pakistan

In line with this strategy, the ECB has mandated that players selected for the T20 World Cup squad must be available for the Pakistan series, necessitating their withdrawal from the IPL. This decision underscores ECB’s commitment to fielding a competitive and well-prepared team for the World Cup.

ECB’s Announcement and its Implications

The official announcement from the ECB confirms the return of selected players from the IPL in time for the Pakistan series. This announcement clarifies the board’s stance and ensures transparency regarding player availability and commitments leading to the T20 World Cup.

“Selected players, currently playing in the Indian Premier League, will return in time for the series against Pakistan, which gets underway at Headingley on Wednesday 22 May 2024,” ECB said in the release published on its official website.

Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders

The decision to recall England players from the IPL playoffs will significantly impact teams like Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders. Key players such as Jos Buttler and Phil Salt, integral to their respective teams’ batting lineups, will be unavailable for crucial matches.

Additionally, players like Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, and Liam Livingstone, representing teams like Chennai Super Kings and Punjab Kings, will depart from the IPL. While their absence may not directly affect playoff standings, it diminishes the strength and depth of their respective teams.

England’s T20 World Cup bound players with different IPL teams

Jos Buttler – Rajasthan Royals

Moeen Ali – Chennai Super Kings

Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone – Punjab Kings

Reece Topley, Will Jacks – Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Phil Salt – Kolkata Knight Riders

Chennai Super Kings defeated Delhi Capitals by 4 wickets in the IPL Match today to reach the Indian Premier League 2021 final. MS Dhoni finished the game off with an unbeaten six-ball 18.

Had it not been for Dhoni’s splendid strokes in the final over where the Super Kings required 13 for victory, there was every possibility of the excellent half-centuries of Ruturaj Gaikwad (70) and Robin Uthappa (63) going in vain after the Capitals made a total of 172/5.  Dhoni smashed a match-winning unbeaten 18 off just 6 balls to take the Chennai Super Kings to the final of IPL 2021 with a four-wicket win over Delhi Capitals in Qualifier I at the Dubai International Stadium.

There was enormous pressure on the Super Kings skipper, but he strikes with his own style, smashing Avesh Khan for a maximum which itself was a warning sign for the Capitals. Rishabh Pant should have handed the ball over to Kagiso Rabada, who too was considerable, for the last over. Prithvi Shaw’s magnificent 60, followed by an 83-run stand between Pant (51 not out) and Shimron Hetmyer (37) helped the Capitals’ go past 170.

Given the fact that Dhoni had not scored many runs going into the game, the situation was all the more difficult for him when he came out to bat. Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the finisher, beat away his critics in his unparalleled style on Sunday as he proved us the legend he is. 

In the knockout phase of IPL though, where fortunes could soar or go smashed in a matter of two or three matches, where leadership makes the difference. Both teams would be keen enough to win this game and book a ticket for the finale.

Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings will have to keep that in mind when they lock horns for the third time in IPL 2021 in Qualifier I, the first match of the play-offs round, at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday. Going by recent form, though, it’s the Capitals who are better placed than the Super Kings, who lost their last three league matches. 

Of the three venues, the wicket in Dubai does inspire the quicks a little more compared to the ones in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. Both Delhi and the Super Kings comprise in their line-ups quicks capable of having an impact on the game. Spearheading the Delhi attack, Anrich Nortje has delivered in almost every game, either by taking wickets or by strangulating the opposition batters with his impeccable line and length and variation of pace. The Capitals have young Avesh Khan and there’s Kagiso Rabada, who’s always a game-changer. Deepak Chahar, Josh Hazlewood and Shardul Thakur will be keeping the Super Kings in competition. 

Momentum, mindset and rhythm are all integral parts of the game, being paramount to the outcome of a contest. Both teams would be keen enough to win this game and book a ticket for the final, though not everything would be over for the losing side as it will again get one last chance in Qualifier II to try. Along with that, the players selected for the T20 world cup would also be concerned about keeping themselves sharp.

Ishan Kishan is one of the most attacking batsman going around in Indian cricket and perhaps that is the reason why India captain Virat Kohli is thinking of him as an opener in the T20 World Cup.

The Indian team for the T20 World Cup has bounteous opening options and it is still not clear which two batsmen will be opening the innings. The scene looks even more confusing after Ishan Kishan said that captain Virat Kohli has told the young lad that he will be playing as an opener in the mega event.  

Ishan, who plays for the Mumbai Indians, has roared back to form with back-to-back fifties in the ongoing IPL. Ishan scored 84 off 32 balls and 50 not out off 25 balls opening the innings in the final two games for Mumbai. Rohit Sharma is a constant as India’s all-format opener. While Ishan’s return to runs is good news for India, there is a lot of confusion about Hardik Pandya’s role in the team. Is he fit to bowl? Will he bowl in the T20 World Cup? Rohit Sharma is expecting Hardik to start bowling from next week. “He is getting better and a player like him is probably just one game away from getting his natural way. I am confident of his ability and there is no doubt he will be a valuable asset,” Rohit said.

 Now, the question is who will partner Rohit at the top order? Virat himself was interested in the role while KL Rahul and now, Ishan too is in consideration. Jammu and Kashmir pacer Umran Malik has showed his impressive IPL debut with Sunrisers Hyderabad and asked to stay back in the UAE as a net bowler for the Indian team for the T20 World Cup.

KL Rahul hits unbeaten 98 as Punjab Kings whitewashes Chennai Super Kings to stay alive, winning the game by 42 to spare.

Captain Rahul’s striking attack (98 not out off 42 balls) and their bowlers’ impressive performance, Punjab won the match with a bang, thrashing Chennai Super Kings by six wickets with as many as seven overs to spare in their final game of the league phase at the Dubai International Stadium on Thursday.  Faf du Plessis’ 76, scrambled the Super Kings to a modest total of 134/6. 

Barring Dwayne Bravo, none of the other CSK bowlers have turned out and that makes Rahul’s innings a more special one. If not for the mess they had made versus Rajasthan Royals, getting defeated by only four runs off the final over, they would have been in a better position on the points table. As for Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Co., losing three matches in a row going into the play-offs underlines the weakness that can be taken advantage of, where the loopholes need to be repaired as early as possible.

 The rhythm that Rahul is in now, back to being the top run-getter (626) this season so far, is a big plus point for Team India with not too many days left for the T20 World Cup, which will also be held in the UAE.

Kolkata Knight Riders defeated Rajasthan Royals by 86 runs at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Thursday. Kolkata Knight Riders are in fourth position on the points table with 14 points.

KKR’s pragmatic approach vanquishes Rajasthan Royals at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Thursday, which keeps them reserved to the fourth position. The Knight Riders got hold of the highest run rate(+0.59) amongst the IPL teams. The Knights, completing their innings with a commendable total of 171/4 on a difficult surface, restricted the Royals out for 85, the lowest total so far in this IPL.

The Royals’ campaign thus ended on a bitter note with their wickets going down one after the other. In their previous game versus Mumbai, their day ended at 90. Although sluggish Sharjah wicket has been quite difficult this season, yet Shubman Gill (56)  scored his second consecutive half-century partnered with Venkatesh Iyer (38) making 79 within 11 overs, to keep us hinged to the match. After Dinesh Karthik and captain Eoin Morgan stretched KKR’s total past 170, it was all up to the bowlers. Shakib-al Hasan cleaned up  opener Yashasvi Jaiswal at the first over. And thereafter, Shivam Mavi (4/21) and Lockie Ferguson (3/18) whitewashed the Royals. 

Mumbai Indians have to beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by a really massive margin on Friday to qualify for the last-four stage. In other words, a humongous task awaits Rohit Sharma and Co. as they need to win by around 171 runs or so in order to make the cut. And the task could be almost impossible for them if they bowl first.

Being the bottom-last team in the points table, SRH won by 4 runs, ceasing  RCB to qualify for the 2nd position.

IPL 2021 never fails to surprise us. A team who went through one of their worst seasons and placed at the bottom of the table defeated RCB on Wednesday at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi. That’s how the script unfolded for Sunrisers Hyderabad, despite setting a decent target of 142, RCB failed the run chase by just four runs.

The talk was all about Virat Kohli and his teammates’ prospects of taking their points tally to 18 and presenting themselves with a wonderful chance of being one of the teams playing Qualifier I. But the Sunrisers, who had practically nothing to lose, surprised with their excellent bowling with their star spinner Rashid Khan. Kane Williamson didn’t get too many runs with the bat even after hitting a few delightful strokes, dismissing the dangerous Glenn Maxwell was indeed an act of brilliance. On a pitch where other batsmen didn’t seem too comfortable, Williamson made 31 of 29 deliveries and was awarded the player of the match. Though Bangalore’s Harshal Patel (3/33) finished with the most wickets from the match, the bowler who drew the most attention was 21-year-old Umran Malik.

RCB can still finish with 18 points and hope to finish second if they win their final game of the league phase. But for that to happen, CSK need to lose against Punjab Kings on Thursday, while RCB themselves have to win by a pretty big margin against table-toppers Dehi Capitals in Dubai on Friday. And that certainly won’t be an easy task for the Kohli brigade.

Their biggest victory for Mumbai Indians was against KKR in 2008 where they won with 87 balls to spare, yesterday they won by 70 balls to spare.

It was a good toss to win for Mumbai. They didn’t allow the batsmen on the stroke making on the difficult pitch. Although MI grabs lifeline, but, if the Knight Riders beat the Royals on the 54th match, Mumbai Indians will almost certainly be knocked out because of their poor net run-rate.

A week ago Ishan Kishan had almost been in tears when Virat Kohli offered some consolation for  not being able to show his actual colors, accumulating a mere 107 runs from eight matches in this IPL. On Thursday, Ishan Kishan came into limelight again getting the best strike of 200.

The wicketkeeper-batsman de Kock returned to the side after two matches and immediately proved that a break can work wonders. Opening the innings with Rohit Sharma against Rajasthan Royals, Kishan remained unbeaten on 50 off 25 balls with 3 sixes and 5 fours to reach the 91-run target in 8.2 overs. More than the win, his innings went a long way in improving Mumbai Indians’ net run-rate, although a bit difficult to qualify for the playoffs. Most of the Royals batsmen lost their wickets over big shots, and as a result, they crawled to 50/5 after 10 overs. Nathan Coulter-Nile’s(4/14) bewildering accomplishment got him the Man of the Match for yesterday’s play. And not to forget, Jimmy Neesham (3/12) also gave a noticeable performance. 

The Royals need someone to come to their rescue but none have proved equal to the task yet. Rajasthan Royals will now have to look forward with optimism to their final league match against Kolkata Knight Riders on Thursday.

Delhi Capitals, despite narrow chase till the final over of the game, procured a three-wicket win with just two balls to spare at the Dubai International Stadium on Monday.

Both Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals have qualified as both teams have enjoyed excellent seasons respectively. However, this doesn’t mean the 50th match of IPL 2021 isn’t an important one. Victory for DC here confirms the top finish on the 5th. Also, this is a great opportunity for both teams to build momentum and confidence ahead of the playoffs and improvise on their weakness.

Just as he showed his charisma against Mumbai Indians, Axar (2/18) struck again with his brilliantly accurate left-arm spin, bagging the key wickets of Faf du Plessis and Moeen Ali to restrict CSK’s win. Shardul Thakur wasn’t far behind taking two wickets in 13 runs. The pitch was supposed to be a factor and both teams found making runs difficult. CSK’s veteran Ambati Rayudu, unbeaten 55 to somehow make 136/5. Shikhar Dhawan (39) made good use of his fine rhythm, making a few big hits, which made the equation favourable for Delhi. But the Super Kings kept trying and their tenacity paid off as Delhi all of a sudden required 28 off the last three overs with two new batsmen Shimron Hetmyer and Axar Patel at the crease.

Even an all-rounder like Bravo felt the pressure while bowling the final over, erring in line and length as the Capitals prevailed in spite of losing Axar Patel with still two more needed for victory. With this win, the Capitals are at the top of the table with 20 points, a pretty good birthday gift for skipper Rishabh Pant. Dhoni’s batting has just not been up to the mark recently. Even in this game, he missed too many balls at the death overs with Rayudu having to do the max scoring.

So it will be interesting to see the tactics and approach of both the teams in the upcoming games. As we know that CSK is a strong army, and will be seeking a bounce back after a narrow loss to DC, while Delhi will be coming off a hard-fought victory against the CSK.