The IPL Journal

A clinical team performance with some outstanding scores Shaw the Delhi Capitals victory!! In the match between Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders in Ahemdabad's Narendra Modi Stadium we witnessed a brilliant team effort to collectively bring home results. Knight Riders Andre Russell's 45*(27), young attacking Shubhman Gill's 43 (38) and Rahul Tripathi's cameo 19(17) put up the total of 154/6(20) with due credit going to bowlers to dismiss some top-order Batsman, Lalit Yadav's 2/13(3), Axar Patel's 2/32(4) being the crucial bowlers for Delhi Capitals.  Second innings opens up with a (Prithvi) Shaw smashing boundaries from the first over this man has solely taken the team to victory with his massive score of 82 off just 41 deliveries Opening batsman was fabulously supported by orange-cap holder Shikhar Dhawan who scored 46 off just 47 deliveries. Captain Rishabh Pant's fast 16 off 8 deliveries was super useful. Knight bowler Pat Cummins 3/24(4)outshine...

In another match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, the match between Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals saw a fantastic first innings score of 171/4(20) Striking Sanju Samson 42(47) Jos Buttler's 41(32) and Shivam Dube's 35(31) were among the top scorers. MI Squad's Ravishing Rahul Chahar 2/33(4) and to support it some economical slow overs by Jasprit Bumrah 1/15(4) and Trent Boult 1/37(4) have been brilliant! Towards the second innings of this match the Mumbai Indians seemed to strike the ball well. A Quick Knock from Quinton De Kock 70*(50) and cameos from Krunal Pandya 39(26) and Kieron Pollard 16*(8) at the fall of just 3 wickets for the Rajasthan Royals Chris Morris' 2/33(4) and Mustafizur Rahman's 1/37(3.3) helped Mumbai Indians to complete at a winning total of 172/3(18.3) Mumbai Indians win this match against the Rajasthan Royals by 7 wickets (9 balls left)

RutuRAJ over the Sunrisers Hyderabad Orange Army in the Capital Sunrisers Hyderabad in their match against the Chennai Super Kings at Arun Jaitley Stadium saw some outstanding shots Manish Pandey 61(42)  and Captain of the Orange Army David Warner 57(55) put a great show with their batting effort that was well supported by Kane Williamson 26*(10 Super Kings bowlers' Lungi Ngidi 2/35(4), Sam Curran 1/40(4) and an economical 0/16(2) from Moeen Ali just saw 3 fall of wickets for Sunrisers Hyderabad as they complete at 171/3(20 In the second innings of this match, RutuRAJ Gaikwad's massive 74(44) triumph overs the Sunrisers even as Faf Du Plessis's 56(38) and Suresh Raina's cameo of 17(15) with a total of 173/3(20) all credit for the bowling under pressure goes to Rashid Khan but his efforts couldn't lead them to the results they wanted With that Chennai Super Kings win this match by 7 wickets (9 balls left) and they are on the Rank 1 of the points table exactly where t...

"If you are in double minds you will miss the Yorker. I just wanted to back my skills and play the ball I was most confident about "- Mohammed Siraj  What a match it has been. In the game between Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bangalore at Ahemdabad's Narendra Modi Stadium. The batsman in the red and gold didn't have the steady start that they needed but the last few overs towards the end of the innings were because of Rajat Patidar 31(22) and ofcourse the super striking AB De Villiers 75*(42) big-hitting overs added the fine total of 172 from what looked difficult to make even a 150 in the beginning of the match because of some early wickets by the bowling unit of DC that dismissed Virat Kohli and DDP in consecutive balls! From there the Rishabh Pant led Delhi Capitals give back a tough fight to the Challengers...with every ball that went it could have been anyone's game! Crucial wickets were taken by RCB's strong bowling side by Purple Patel 2/37(4) an...

Prasidh Pehli Jeet in Ahemdabad over the Punjab Kings KL Rahul and his teammates fail to find a steady momentum and some early wickets fall to Prasidh Krishna 3/30(4), Sunil Narine 2/22(4) and Pat Cummins 2/31(3) as they collectively restrict the Kings to just 123/9(20) at Ahemdabad's Narendra Modi Stadium. The men in purple and gold captain Eoin Morgan's 47*(40) and Rahul Tripathi's 41(32)  Dinesh Karthik's 12*(6) performs brilliantly and his cameo is super handy to lead the team to Korbo Lorbo Jeetbo...as they complete at 126/5(16.5) and the Kolkata Knight Riders win by 5 wickets (20 balls left) as the Kings bowling unit couldn't stop them from getting the total!

That could have been anyone's game!! In the clash between two extremely strong sides at M.A.Chidambaram Stadium at Chepauk we witnessed anyone's game till the last ball of this match.  Delhi Capitals vs Sunrisers Hyderabad was a complete team performance by the men in blue and orange both. A remarkable performance by Prithvi Shaw 53(39) Captain Rishabh Pant 37(27) and Steve Smith 34*(25) The Orange Army bowling unit Siddharth Kaul 2/31(4), Rashid Khan 1/31(4) and Abhishek Sharma 0/14(1) that conclude DC's total to 159/4.  But to give it a tough fight...David Warner led Sunrisers Hyderabad batting unit saw Kane Williamson's 66* (51), Jonny Bairstow's 38 (18) and a much needed cameo by Jagadeesha Suchith 14*(6)  For the Delhi Capitals finally Axar Patel is fit and fine and played wonderfully for his first match 2/26(4) with the support of Amazing Avesh Khan 3/34(4) and Amit Mishra's 1/31(4) this helped level the scores and there we headed to the first super over o...

One man army: Ravindra Jadeja to the rescue.  Jabardast Jadeja has done the task for the Chennai Super Kings with the bat and ball both scoring a 3/13(4) and 62*(28) in their clash against the Royal Challengers Bangalore in Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium.  The Super Kings were able to make a big total of 191/4 (20) with a big partnership of Faf Du Plessis 50(41) and Ruturaj Gaikwad 33(25) The men in red and gold did a good job with the ball but were not able to take as many wickets or restrict the whopping 36 runs of the 19th over made by Ravindra Jadeja.  With the bat, the Royal Challengers Bangalore failed to have a steady innings or capitalise on scoring runs because of their back to back wickets which spoilt the momentum of the second innings of the match. The Challengers fell short of the runs and in their chase were able to make a total of just 122/9(20)  With that, the Chennai Super Kings win this match by 69 runs and defeat the Royal Challengers Bangalore who enco...

Chris Morris Crushes the Knights! Rajasthan Royals vs Kolkata Knight Riders in their match at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai saw a complete team effort by both the teams complete squad. The Knights add a total of 133/9(20) with a brilliant bowling effort from their opposition. All rounder-Chris Morris has done his bit for the men in pink with his best figures and a 4-wicket haul 4/23 (4) along with teammates- Mustafizur Rahman and Jaydev Unadkat against the Kolkata Knight Riders. In the chase, Sanju Samson led Rajasthan Royals were easily able to seal the deal and the efforts of the Riders were not enough. Varun Chakravarthy, Shivam Mavi and Prasidh Krishna couldn't stop the run-getters and were able to take only 4 wickets throughout the match. Despite a stable total set up by the Riders Batting unit that included Rahul Tripathi, Dinesh Karthik and Nitish Rana.  With that, the Rajasthan Royals win this match by 6 wickets (7 balls left) in 18.5 overs

Mumbai Indians last challenge at M.A.Chidambaram stadium ends in a defeat against the Punjab Kings. A solid start was set up by MI Captain Rohit Sharma 63 (52) and steady Suryakumar Yadav 33 (27) but from there some quick wickets by the Kings' Bowling unit- Mohammed Shami 2/21 (4), Ravi Bishnoi 2/21 (4) and Deepak Hooda's 1/15(3) wickets restrict the Mumbai Indians to 131/6 (20)  And...the Punjab Kings captain KL Rahul 60* (52) along side Chris Gayle 43* (35) lead their team to a whopping 9 wickets win(14 balls left) with the sole wicket of Mayank Agarwal 25 (20) and the Mumbai Indians bowlers just couldn't do the job for their team.

 In their first match at the neutral venue, Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium Virat Kohli won the toss and decided to field against Sanju Samson's Rajasthan Royals. Magic Miyan Mohammed Siraj 3/27 (4) and the Hustling Harshal Patel 3/47(4) as usual seam to do their best and there were some early wickets for the Rajasthan Royals despite good scores from Shivam Dube 46 (32) and Rahul Tewatia 40 (23) that lead RR to a finish off 177/9 (20) From here on the second innings of the match felt like a sided- match and the men in black and gold had taken the game away long before it actually ended. Opening Batsman DevDutt Paddikal's maiden IPL Century 101*(52) and Virat Kohli's 72(47) without the rest of their batting unit have won their 4th match so easily. DevDutt seemed daring and attacking right from the start and was well supported by the captain himself. A special knock for Kohli as he completed 6000 runs in IPL and dedicated this half-century to his wife and baby girl. The Royal C...

 Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai just witnessed a brilliant battle between the Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders this evening. We get to see a fierce hitter- Faf Plessis go for 95* (60) and Ruturaj Gaikwad's 64(42) brilliant show supported so well by Moeen Ali's 25 (12) that added a massive total of 220/3 (20) and the Knights bowlers just couldn't stop the show with just 3 wickets falling. What looked like a tough run chase with Andre Russell's 54(22) and Pat Cummins 66* (34) big hits despite wickets falling in succession as Deepak Chahar 4/29 (4) and Lungi Ngidi 3/28 (4) the Chennai Super Kings were tensed and it was a nail-biting finish with the big scores by both the teams but the Knights fall short of stability and the early wickets aid Chennai Super Kings to a comfortable win by 18 runs in this match.  With this win, CSK are top-notch , in good form and the team is finally striking a good balance with a perfect bowling and batting unit. They are at the top o...

 And the sun has finally risen and there's a shining bright orange... David Warner led Sunrisers Hyderabad is finally here with their first win of the IPL 2021 Season after 3 consecutive defeats today against the Punjab Kings at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium at Chepauk. KL Rahul led team saw a series of low scores as the middle order batsman fail to strike a good total restricting the team to a total of 120 in 20 overs. What was a complete team effort by the #orangearmy also saw the Sunrisers' bowlers all charged up for the game with Khaleel Ahmed's 3 wicket haul 3/21 (4) and combined efforts of Abhishek Sharma's 2/24 (4) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar's 1/16 (3) The bowling unit for Punjab Kings fall short of the dangerous and in-form Jonny Bairstow's 63* (56) and Captain David Warner's 37(37) as they are able to reach the total in 18.4 overs and finish at 121/1 to win their first game by 9 wickets.

 "My work is done, now Ricky Ponting will do"- Amit Mishra Delhi Capitals key bowler in the match against the Mumbai Indians in Chennai's M.A. Chidambaram Stadium at Chepauk took 4 crucial wickets(4/24 in 4 overs) that led the Rohit Sharma team to the lowest total so far of the Indian Premier League- 137/9 (20 overs) He tried to let Mumbai Indians batsman to go on for the big shots that resulted in wickets so exactly sticking to his plan. Middle oder batsman for the Mumbai Indians just could not strike. In the chase that followed, Super Striker Shikhar Dhawan 45 (42) and Steve Smith's 33 (29) smashing scores and a poor fielding effort that resulted in quite a few no-ball delivieres just aid the Delhi Capitals to their comfortable 6 wickets win (5 balls left) against the Mumbai Indians.

 Not the kind of result that the birthday boy KL Rahul would like but a Klassic Kracking smash 61(51) by the captain of the Punjab Kings along with Majestic Mayank Agarwal 69(36) as the boys start the match on the right note, with the 4 occasional wickets by the Delhi Capitals.  Opposition Delhi Capitals sole source and only support remains their opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan 92(49) up until the 15th over and from there this was a tough fight back. Marcus Stoinis quick 27(13) and Lalit Yadav finish off in style who win by 6 wickets against the Punjab Kings. Mohammed Shami's over with two consecutive no-ball delivieres and some more no balls, sloppy fielding efforts has sealed the game for the Rishabh Pant led team We now have Shikhar Dhawan with the Orange Cap as he has the most runs from the 14th Edition of this Indian Premier League season. 

Doing just fine: The men in red and gold finish have bagged a hat-trick win! This day will definitely be a memorable one for Royal Challengers Bangalore team captain- Virat Kohli as he made his debut for this franchise 13 years ago, on this day and the team is the table-topper with 6 points of their 3 match wins.  Chennai's M.A.Chidambaram Stadium witnessed a massive total of 204/8 (20) from the dangerous Royal Challengers Bangalore in their match against the Kolkata Knight Riders this afternoon. The absolutely attacking AB de Villiers 76(34) and Glamorous- hitter Glenn Maxwell 78(49) put up a fierce show for the Knight's to chase. In the second innings we witnessed a brilliant team effort from the bowling unit of the men in red and gold. Unfortunately the knights collapse to 166/8 (20) even after captain Eoin Morgan's 29 (23) and Andre Russell's 31(20) batting effort falls short for the knights and they lose this match by 38 runs.

 An unfortunate hat-trick loss! In another match at Chepauk- Mumbai Indians vs Sunrisers Hyderabad- the David Warner team suffered their third consecutive loss in the 14th Edition of the Indian Premier League as the Mumbai Indians win this one by 13 runs.  The Rohit Sharma led team had a fantastic death over bowling done brilliantly under pressure by Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult while the batsman struggled to score the team ended at 150/5 (20)  In the second innings of the match, we saw some outstanding shots by Jonny Bairstow and Captain David Warner but the Orange Army fall short by 13 runs as the Mumbai Indians bag a victory.

Easy chase at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium in the clash between Chennai Super Kings and Punjab Kings.  Some quick wickets fall in the first innings of the thrilling match as PBKS fails to score big. Shahrukh Khan is the sole player that scores a decent 47(36) and a brilliant fielding effort from the Super Kings restrict PBKS to just 106/8 becoming the lowest total of the IPL tournament in this season so far. Daring Deepak Chahar takes an important 4/13(4 overs) and Chennai Super Kings get their first win of the 14th Edition of the Indian Premier League with the combined efforts of Moeen Ali 46 (31) and Faf Du Plessis 36* (33) brilliant partnership. 

 Snatching it away in Style! Another stellar performance at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai as Rajasthan Royals win by 3 wickets against the Delhi Capitals. Early wickets on for both the teams as the Delhi boys find it extremely tough to put up the total of 147/8.  For the Royals, the top order failed at getting off the mark and quick wickets fell pushing the game much towards the opposition. Nerve- wrecking absolutely important performance by David Miller and Chris Morris of the Rajasthan Royals and the top knocks that the Delhi Capitals just could not defend which is how Sanju Samson led Rajasthan Royals comfortably registered their first win of  IPL 2021

 Harsh but Shabhaz Win over the Sunrisers! Royal Challengers Bangalore in their second encounter defeat the Sunrisers Hyderabad. Must say it was a Bowlers' Bash as it was raining wickets than runs. With a slow start from openers Devdutt Padikkal and Virat Kohli wickets fell in quick succession as Jason Holder and Rashid Khan cause the damage and restrict RCB to a low total of just 149/8. Warner led- Hyderabad try and seal the deal early in the game but all gone in vain as Manish Pandey and Rashid Khan's cameos fail to support the Sunrisers. Fortunately Harshal Patel, Shahbaz Ahemad and Miyan Mohammed Siraj help their team to win the game by 6 runs at the M.A.  Chidambaram Stadium at Chepauk. This is Royal Challengers Bangalore's second consecutive win and Sunrisers Hyderabad's second consecutive loss in the tournament so far.

 Estatic Knights Boult-ed!   What looked like a easy chase for the Kolkata Knight Riders in their game against the Mumbai Indians has just not been in their favour. Yet again, Knights Nitish Rana and Shubhman Gill score well but wickets fall in succession as Rahul Chahar and Trent Boult get the better of the lower order Riders! Russel-ed out with a happening 5/15 (2) was Mumbai Indians as the lower order collapse.  A very tough win- just a 152 to defend but MI Bowlers #Aala Re to their first win of the season that comes from just 10 runs!

IPL 2021: Cricket- the religion of India is back with the 14 th edition of the Indian Premier League. Right from the UAE, we are back in India after this short gap from the last season and this time held in 4 neutral locations- Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium, Ahemdabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium, Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium and Chennai’s M.A. Chidambaram Stadium are set to host the matches amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. There will be no home-ground benefit to any of the teams.   Let’s look at what the teams are up to as they start their preparation for the tournament! PRE-SEASON UPDATES:- Defending champions Rohit Sharma led- Mumbai Indians released an official statement on 6th April which stated that Scout and Wicket Keeping Consultant Mr Kiran More tested positive for COVID-19   and is in the quarantine facility at present. Updates in from the neutral venue at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai where unfortunately 20 out of the 30 match staff tested COVID-19 positive. In a respite from...

 Kracking Knight to Remember:  Kolkata Knight Riders win by merely 10 runs off their opening match against Sunrisers Hyderabad at M.A. Chidambaram Stadium at Chepauk. The top performers include Man of the Match Nitish Rana's 80 (56) and Rahul Tripathi's 53 runs that set the pace for the game. The bowling unit supporting the batting unit so well and everything were in place for the knights as Prasidh Krishna (2), Pat Cummins(1) and Andre Russell(1) take some important wickets and make it a complete team effort even as SunRisers Hyderabad give the team a tough fight till the far end of the match- Marvellous Manish Pandey 61* (44)  magnificent knock, along with  Jonny Bairstow's fantastic 50 (40) and young Abdul Samad 19* (8) from the batting unit and SRH Bowlers' Rashid Khan (2), Mohammed Nabi (1) and T Natrajan's expensive over and one wicket just fall short for the SunRisers Hyderabad.

I guess #playbold worked at the season-opener IPL 2021 begins in Chennai's M. A. Chidambaram Stadium (Chepauk) between defending champions Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore. Virat Kohli's RCB won the toss and decided to bowl as Miyan's Magic Mohammed Siraj and Harshal Patel's 5-wicket-haul restrict MI to just 159/9. A top knock from the top order batsman- Chris Lynn and Suryakumar Yadav but it was raining wickets from there on for the Mumbai Indians. While on the other end, we saw a nail-biting last-ball win from Virat Kohli led Royal Challengers Bangalore as Virat, Glenn Maxwell, and ABD lead the team to a 2-wickets win in the first match of this tournament.

Capitalized on the super win: A complete team effort! IPL 2021's match number two- held at Wankhede Stadium Mumbai had Thala's Chennai Super Kings take on first-time captain Rishabh Pant’s Delhi Capitals. Super Kings Suresh Raina(54 off 36 balls) and Moeen Ali (36 off 24 balls) impressive knocks with Tom Curran's impressive bowling falls short and fantastic   catches for Mastermind Shikhar Dhawan (3) sum up the first innings of this match at 188/7 in 20 overs. Delhi Capitals have a fierce opening combination with an unaltered strike rate: Prithvi Shaw (76 off 38 balls) and Shikhar Dhawan (85 off 54 balls) seal the deal for the Delhi Capitals as the new captain gets to finish off at 190/3 as DC  win this match by 7 wickets (8 balls left)

 Kings royaled out their opponent:  In a terrific battle of the Punjab Kings vs Rajasthan Royals- match 4 of the Indian Premier League, held at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. KL Rahul's kracking knock 91(50) and Deepak Hooda's 64 (28) aid the king's to victory. Even as Sole Support from the first-time captain- Sanju Samson smashes 119 (63) when his teammates fail to support him all these efforts go in vain. We are so delighted to witness Samson up and running from the first game of the season and what a responsibility shouldered but unfortunately falls short for victory.  We witness a massive chase of 224 put up by Punjab Kings and a nervous close end for both teams as Punjab Kings just manage to take the game away by just 4 runs.