IPL 2022: Week three in review

Three weeks into the 15^th season of the Indian Premier League and the writing is on the wall for the tournament’s two most successful franchises, while the two new entrants, Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants, are sitting at first and second place on the points table.

Here’s a recap of the major talking points from week three of IPL 2022 (April 11-17).

FIVE-TIME CHAMPIONS MUMBAI STILL WINLESS

It’s not the first time we’ve seen Mumbai Indians go through three weeks of an IPL season without a win – in 2015, they famously came back from 0-5 down to win the title and in 2018 they made it to the playoffs after losing their first four matches – but this time the five-time tournament winners look down for the count. The IPL’s most successful franchise is still looking for its first win from six matches this season and remain last on the IPL 2022 points table.

Struggling with player form and the gaping holes created by the exits of the Pandya brothers, Trent Boult and Rahul Chahar, the Mumbai franchise has stumbled from one loss to another. Rohit Sharma’s team lost both their matches this past week, to Punjab Kings by 12 runs and to Lucknow Super Giants by 18 runs.

Chasing an imposing Punjab total of 198/5, Mumbai lost wickets at critical junctures to end with 186/9 which owed to teenager Dewald Brevis (49 off 25 balls) and Suryakumar Yadav (43 off 30). Then against Lucknow on Saturday, Mumbai conceded 199 and fell 18 runs short, without a single half-centurion. English import Tymal Mills’ woeful season continued as he went for 54 runs in three overs, and chasing 200 the innings never took off.

Mumbai’s auction plans have clearly been poor, and Rohit’s limp batting form hasn’t helped. The MI captain averages 19 from six innings, and a lack of wickets from Jasprit Bumrah has not helped.

CSK GET UP AND RUNNING, THEN STUMBLE

The second most successful IPL franchise and defending champions, Chennai Super Kings, were also at one stage winless after four games but they finally notched up a tick in the W column this past week. This was fashioned by a 165-run partnership in 71 balls between Robin Uthappa and Shivam Dube who smashed 88 off 50 balls and 95* from 46 respectively.

Put into bat by Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Faf du Plessis on a flat DY Patil Stadium track, CSK had slipped to 36/2 before Uthappa and Dube – the team’s two best batsmen this season – overturned a score line of 60 in the first ten overs by launching a stunning assault thereon. Uthappa and Dube both collected their half-centuries off 30 balls and ransacked the RCB attack to put up the highest score of IPL 2022 – 216/4.

Chasing 215, RCB lost three wickets inside their first six overs and kept struggling to maintain the steep asking rate. Sri Lankan spinner Mahesh Theekshana checked RCB’s progress with four wickets and a trio of clutch innings from Shahbaz Ahmed (41), Suyash Prabhudesai and Dinesh Karthik were cut off in time and CSK won by 23 runs.

However, the week ended on a sour note for CSK who were beaten by Gujarat in Pune by three wickets in a last-over thriller.

HARDIK, MILLER RISE TO GUJARAT’S NEED

Hardik Pandya’s ability to bowl four overs at pace, and strike inside the Powerplay and at the backend of the innings, had been a pleasing aspect for Gujarat during the first two weeks of action. But in week three, Pandya displayed his batting range to underline why he remains a massive figure in Indian cricket.

Pandya batted 42 balls for a surprisingly watchful 50* during the loss to SRH, but when Gujarat came up against Rajasthan Royals at the DY Patil Stadium it was Pandya’s turn to switch gears. His unbeaten 87 off 52 balls, once Sanju Samson opted to field, led Gujarat to 192/4 and during the second half of the match Pandya effected a direct hit and claimed a wicket. Also starring in Gujarat’s 37-run victory was New Zealand quick Lockie Ferguson with 3/23, which included the wickets of Jos Buttler. The win put Gujarat top of the table with four wins from five games, and on Sunday when they came up against CSK in Pune, it was the turn of another middle-order batsman to deliver.

With Pandya ruled out with injury, South Africa’s David Miller was the hero for Gujarat with arguably the innings of IPL 2022 so far, a stunning 94* from 51 deliveries. Chasing 170, Gujarat were at one stage 16/3 and then 87/5 before Miller, along with stand-in captain Rashid Khan, helped them to an incredible victory. Miller was 52 from 29 balls when joined by Rashid and the equation was 48 runs from three overs, and the Afghanistan allrounder hit 25 off Chris Jordan’s 18^th over. This left Gujarat to score 23 off 12 balls, and though Rashid (40 from 12) departed, Miller hung around to seal a thrilling win.

SRH MAKE IT FOUR IN FOUR

From losing their first two matches, Sunrisers Hyderabad have moved up the IPL 2022 leaderboard courtesy four successive victories. Two of them came this past week, by seven and eight wickets respectively, which suggests that Kane Williamson’s team can go farther than the beleaguered MI and CSK.

Williamson’s watchful 57 off 46 deliveries helped SRH end Gujarat’s unbeaten run last Monday, as a target of 163 was overhauled with eight wickets and five balls to spare. This win also saw Nicholas Pooran contribute his first significant score of the season, an 18-ball 34 that included the winnings six into the top tier of the DY Patil Stadium. Also vital to the chase was opener Abhishek Sharma’s 42 off 32 balls, which helped Williamson put on 65 for the first wicket.

Then on Friday at Mumbai’s Brabourne Stadium, SRH recorded their third won of the season – and third chasing – when they defeated KKR by seven wickets. Key to this was taking three wickets inside the Powerplay, though 54 from Nitish Rana and Andre Russell’s 49* from 25 meant that SRH had to chase a target of 176.  Jolted in the first over as Pat Cummins took an early wicket, Hyderabad were eased home thanks to Rahul Tripathi’s 71 off 37 balls and Aiden Markram’s 68* off 36. The chase was completed with 13 balls to spare to make SRH the sixth team with six points.

Hyderabad closed out a successful week by defeating Punjab by seven wickets following young fast bowler Umran Malik’s four-wicket haul, during which he clocked 154kph.