IPL 2021 has an interesting line up of matches: Take a look at what’s coming your way
The IPL 2021 has begun to entertain viewers like ever before. This season is back in India, but due to Covid- 19 protocols, it is being played without the audience on the ground. Well, the supporters are enjoying this ever-interesting league sitting right in their homes. Yesterday’s game was also a close one, where Sunrisers crashed at the later part and Mumbai Indians won (we will talk about it further). Let us take you to some of the highlight matches and performances we witnessed in the first week and what awaits us in the next one.
Good start for Kohli and Men:
Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) is off to a decent start, winning both of their matches played till now. It isn’t easy chasing in Chennai but they have chased one of their two played here, while they have defended one match. Harshal Patel picked a five-for against Mumbai Indians (MI) in the tournament opener, becoming the first bowler to do so against the defending champions. Mohammed Siraj, Shahbaz Ahmed and Kyle Jamieson have contributed to the bowling department, while Big Show Maxwell and Mr 360- AB de Villiers have played some amazing knocks for their side. It’s going good for the RCB but a long tournament awaits their perseverance.
Happy faces of the RCB players. Image- Twitter
Prithvi Shaw’s show:
Shaw was a showstopper in his first game against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) as he has improved his technique compared to the previous couple of seasons, where he struggled to score. Experts have lauded the coaching staff and Prithvi for their hard work. The season is long but Prithvi’s first knock will give him the confidence for the coming matches.
Shaw hitting the bowlers. Source- Twitter
Samson on song in the first knock:
Sanju Samson, captaining for the first time in his IPL career has worked tremendously well. His 119 off 63 balls missed taking the Rajasthan Royals (RR) to the victory but he has re- witnessed his capability to follow the big targets. In the second match, he couldn’t do much with the bat but his decisions were brave and positive for his team and the team ended up on the winning side.
Sanju Samson hitting an incredible knock. Source- Twitter
SRH – winless in the first three games:
Too much of the concern for the Sunrisers Hyderabad’s fans is that the Risers are yet to win a game in this year’s tournament. They have bowled well but their batting collapse has put them down. SRH is playing their first five matches in Chennai, where batting after 10 overs is looking very difficult, but their middle order is not able to take them home. Yesterday’s night was just like a replay of what the Sunrisers are going through. They get a wonderful start with Warner and Bairstow (yesterday) but as soon as a couple of wickets fall, they found themselves in a battleground without armouries. The middle-order try to bring them back but a lack of experience and a set batsman in the later part adds to their nemesis.
SRH having a tough time in the tournament. Image- Twitter
Surely, the orange army is missing their talisman batsman Kane Williamson, who is yet to recover completely from his elbow injury which he sustained earlier this year. Though, David Warner, yesterday informed that Kane is recovering well.
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Other teams’ report:
Mumbai Indians- The defending champions Mumbai Indians are back on the top with winning two out of their three games this season.
Chennai Super Kings- The Super Kings have won their previous outing against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) while they lost their first match against the Delhi Capitals. Their comprehensive win against the PBKS will boost their net run rate
Punjab Kings- Punjab has won one match of their two matches. They clinched a close encounter against Sanju Samson’s RR earlier by 4 runs.
Kolkata Knight Riders- The riders also find themselves with a win in their first two matches. Russell’s bat is yet to do the talking, while Nitish Rana has to lead the batting in both encounters.
Delhi Capitals- Delhi has one win and a loss in this tournament so far. Their bowling pair of Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada is expected to roar together after the former tested negative for Covid- 19 thrice before re-joining the camp on Friday. Nortje was falsely found positive for Covid- 19 earlier when he was about to enter the team’s bio bubble.
Rajasthan Royals- Royals also have one match under their belt while they lost one against the Punjab Kings earlier in the week.
Coming encounters:
The history of IPL tells us that as time passes, the contest goes tougher and tougher. Today is the first doubleheader of the season where RCB will play against the KKR in the afternoon, and DC will lock their horns against the PBKS in the evening encounter.
This week’s fixtures:
RCB VS KKR in Chennai on 18th April, Sunday at 3:30 PM
DC VS PBKS in Mumbai on 18th April, Sunday at 7:30 PM
CSK VS RR in Mumbai on 19th April, Monday at 7:30 PM
DC VS MI in Chennai on 20th April, Tuesday at 7:30 PM
PBKS VS SRH in Chennai on 21st April, Wednesday at 3:30 PM
KKR VS CSK in Mumbai on 21st April, Wednesday at 7:30 PM
RCB VS RR in Mumbai on 22nd April, Thursday at 7:30 PM
PBKS VS MI in Chennai on23rd April, Friday at 7:30 PM
RR VS KKR in Mumbai on 24th April, Saturday at 7:30 PM
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