IPL 2019: Reviewing the sizzling weekend (27-28 April)
Sixth weekend of the IPL 2019 featured only three matches but they were full of entertainment. Three teams in the bottom of the points table played for their survival against the top three teams. Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders needed victories to keep the playoff hopes alive while Sunrisers Hyderabad, Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians wanted to strengthen their bid at the top. The desperation brought the best out of the teams, and we saw scintillating action.
Here are the talking points from the weekend encounters –
Nonperformers have a field day
Jaydev Unadkat enjoys a successful outing
SRH’s Manish Pandey batted with a sub-par strike rate and was dropped from the side. RR’s expensive buy, Jaydev Unadkat, could not stop the run-flow and was ridiculed by all sections. Ashton Turner had unbelievably recorded three golden ducks in his IPL debut, he couldn’t score a run. All this changed in Saturday’s match.
Riding on his 83* against Chennai Super Kings, Manish Pandey played another spectacular knock versus Rajasthan Royals. His 61 from 36 balls was the key innings in taking SRH to 160/8. Unadkat bowled a probing spell of 2/26 and took three catches as well. The seamer was adjudged Man of the match. Turner broke his duck and ended up not out on three runs in the winning cause. His first run was celebrated by his team in the dugout.
Royal Challengers Bangalore lose steam
RCB remains at the bottom of the table
After losing first six matches on the trot, RCB’s campaign was in the danger of ending prematurely. Kohli and his men received a lot of flak for their mistakes, and they ultimately ended their losing run against Kings XI Punjab. After another defeat to MI, RCB strung together a three-match winning streak and revived their challenge.
Against Delhi Capitals at Delhi, RCB faced a difficult prospect. They conceded tall total bowling first. The chase began well with Parthiv Patel and Virat Kohli blazing all guns. However, DC turned the table with their spin prowess. RCB lost by 16 runs. The side will now have to depend on other results to gain a spot in the playoffs.
Russell versus Hardik, the battle of sixes!
Andre Russell
Before this match, Andre Russell spoke in a press conference about his non-satisfaction of his lower batting position. At Eden Gardens yesterday, the West Indian superstar came out to bat at number three. With his usual flamboyance, the Caribbean marauder carted eight sixes and finished unbeaten on 80 from just 40 balls. His knock carried KKR to a daunting 232/2 in 20 overs.
Mumbai Indians fell flat in the chase. At the end of eight overs, with the score at 58/4, a massive defeat was on the horizon. One man disagreed and took on KKR with all his might. Smashing 91 from just 34 balls, Hardik Pandya played a legendary knock. His innings that included nine sixes kept MI’s hopes alive. With his dismissal, the match turned KKR’s way and Mumbai Indians conceded a 34-run defeat.
All Photos Courtesy: IPLT20
