It was a week of great drama and great tension in IPL 2023. It was also a history -making week for Rajasthan Royals (RR) with Yuzvendra Chahal becoming the leading wicket-taker in IPL history as well as Yashasvi Jaiswal striking the fastest fifty of the tournament. The ‘Prince of Rajasthan’ announced himself on grandest of stages with that unbeaten 98 vs Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
It was also a big win for RR over KKR in that game which helped them get back to where they needed to be in the points table. A few days earlier, they had to face a major disappointment against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) with Sandeep Sharma overstepping on the last ball of the match, which gave Abdul Samad one more ball to hit the match-winning boundary. To gather yourself after such a defeat and produce a dominant show against KKR required a lot of strength.
This was a dramatic week for RR in a sense that they went from being very poor vs SRH to being excellent to playing below-par against Royal Challengers Bangalore again on Sunday. They had fielded poorly and taken some unwise decisions vs SRH. But they improved significantly well against KKR. Their fielding performance is probably the best I have seen this season in that game. It was flawless, the ground fielding as well as catching. The level from one game to the next was incredibly high. But they would not be happy with the performance vs RCB.
RCB should stand for ‘Read Conditions Brilliantly’
In the RR vs RCB clash, Faf du Plessis had worked out that 160 was a good in Jaipur. Thanks to Anuj Rawat’s bltiz, they ended up with 170+ total. Faf picked finger spinners as he had realised that accuracy and good lengths will be the key factor rather than fuller lengths some leg spinners would bowl and Michael Bracewell proved him right.
These two points and improved Net Run Rate (NRR) for RCB are a giant step towards the playoffs. It showed vs RCB that RR’s middle order is vulnerable if top order doesn’t fire. They batted for just over 10 overs which has a negative impact on their NRR. They could have tried to bat 20 overs to negate the impact of run rate even though game looked lost at an early stage of innings.
Keep an eye on NRR
It was a dramatic week for KKR too as Rinku Singh smashed a four off the last ball to help them clinch a thrilling match before they were thrashed by RR. He has been eye catching with his last over heroics but his consistent run-scoring has been impressive too. Rinku, in my opinion, should be rewarded with at least an India A call up.
Nitish too looks a better player with the responsibility of captaincy, that is not always the case.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) look very strong. Chennai will be disappointed with their batting effort against KKR but I would be very surprised if they don’t finish the tournament strongly and get through to the playoffs.
The real question now is which teams will get to the four. We still cannot be sure about it. Mumbai Indians (MI) look to be one of the top contenders for the spot as they are playing some fantastic cricket now. Suryakumar Yadav is lighting up the tournament. His form has been outstanding. He is taking batting to another level. He has incredible ability to anticipate where the ball is pitching. He gets into the best position to play his shots. His wrists are extraordinar y.
MI have done well to get themselves up in the table but the NRR is still an issue for them. NRR is a thing that would concern me if I were a Mumbai player or fan. It is going to get very tight in the end. I think 16 points is going to be the cut off and, in the end, you may find more than four teams with same number of points. It will then be down to the NRR.
In that regard, MI should have not let Rashid Khan’s play the late blitzkrieg against them as it denied them a healthier run-rate. Little moments in the game like this may eventually affect the table when the group stage is done.
Great to see young players development in IPL
I had not heard much about Matheesha Pathirana. To hear MS Dhoni talking so lucidly and so well about a bowler from Sri Lanka was heartening. He was giving advice on how Sri Lanka should use him. I thought that was quite inspiring. It is great example of how this tournament works. As much as we love the cricket and the entertainment it offers, the development of players (not just the Indian players) in IPL is wonderful to see. The experience and learnings that that Pathirana must be getting by being in the same dressing room as Dhoni and Stephen Fleming among others will help the young Sri Lankan massively to build a solid international career.
Krunal Pandya to play a bigger role for LSG in coming week
LSG got crucial points against Sunrisers Hyderabad which keeps them in good stead. I am happy to see Nicholas Pooran and Marcus Stoinis contributing more batting up the order for LSG. They are using Pooran and Stoinis better now. Maybe it is to do with rejigging of the batting order with KL Rahul no more there in the XI. But I feel after Rahul’s unfortunate exit, their batting order is more potent with this duo coming early in the innings and having more chance to make a significant impact in setting up the innings rather than finishing it.
Krunal is leading the side well too. How proud the Pandya family must be feeling to see Krunal and Hardik leading their franchises in IPL. The family must be proud of their two sons.
The senior Pandya is going to play a major role now in the games to come for Lucknow with the pitches beginning to turn more. The turning tracks are bringing the likes of Krunal more into the game with the ball.
I am looking forward to be what should be a crucial week. The table is going to get tighter and we are expected to see some close games with pressure playing a huge role in this playoffs race. There are going to be many big games this week and players will have to hold their nerves to win those matches.
