Tag: IPL

Siraj got the ball to move both ways in his Power-play and that helped him in dismissing Wriddhiman Saha for the fourth time in seven innings…reports Asian Lite News

Friday’s rain ahead of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru-Gujarat Titans clash meant that fast-bowlers could get some help in Saturday’s clash at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here. It happened exactly like that as Mohammed Siraj, Vysakh Vijaykumar and Yash Dayal were spot-on with their lengths and found movement to bowl out Gujarat Titans for just 147 in Match 52 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.

Siraj got the ball to move both ways in his Power-play and that helped him in dismissing Wriddhiman Saha for the fourth time in seven innings. He then forced Shubman Gill to whip and ended up being caught at deep point off a leading edge. He eventually finished with figures of 2-29, earning him Player of the Match award after RCB’s four-wicket win.

“I was actually sick since last night and wasn’t going to play at all today, so this is great. When I got up this morning I thought it was better to rest but the almighty made me play. I kind of manifested it this morning because I envisioned it in a way that I would get Saha out like that, caught behind.”

“I had been playing red-ball cricket for long and hadn’t played with the white ball since the ODI World Cup. So my rhythm was missing a little bit when I came here. But it came back gradually as I worked and practised more and more,” said Siraj after the match ended, where it seemed he was getting his white-ball mojo back, especially with the T20 World Cup starting immediately after IPL 2024.

With the bat, Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli gave RCB a blazing start with a 92-run opening stand off just 35 balls. Du Plessis, the RCB captain, was the more aggressive of the two, hitting 10 fours and three sixes in his 23-ball 64.

Du Plessis felt the phase where RCB lost six wickets in quick succession is something to be taken note of while appreciating his bowling group for being consistent. “There was more bounce in the wicket, we got that information and the bowlers were consistently really good. We dropped a catch but have been really consistent.”

“Something around 180-90 would have been a good score, but we’ve seen the way the game has changed. Don’t look at the scoreboard and play the way that we want to play. It was a bit nerve-racking, another wicket, another wicket.”

“Probably not the best (way to complete a chase) but you’re trying to be positive, get your NRR up. It makes sense from that point of view but it gets to the point when you need to show a bit of calmness and composure – probably around four down, so some lessons to be learned from that.”

It took Dinesh Karthik’s 21 not out and Swapnil Singh’s unbeaten 15 to get RCB over the line in 13.4 overs and help them jump to seventh place in the points table. Karthik was having tea and drank cappuccino after four overs, with the thought being his batting chance wouldn’t come, but he had to come in to save the day.

“But things happened and then I had to have a bat. How to hit boundaries, basic cricketing skills come through. I backed myself to get the job done. The pitch was good to bowl on, having been under the covers there was a bit of moisture,” said Karthik.

“Good toss to win but the bowlers did the job beautifully. The way Faf and Virat batted, I don’t think they would have played the same shots batting first! Play for the one that comes in (on advice to Swapnil). Said the sweep is a good option, but commit to it,” he added.

RCB’s win also meant GT slid to ninth place, while Mumbai Indians became the new occupants of tenth position in the points table.

GT captain Shubman Gill admitted his batters should have posted 170-180 on board, with their playoff hopes now hanging by a slim thread.

“It depends on the wicket. First couple of overs you get a good idea and play according to that. I think 170-80 on this wicket would have been a good total. How we batted in the Power-play, and how they bowled, decided the game.”

“We would have had one extra bowler but losing three wickets in the powerplay (changed planning). Very important to start from zero in our next match and move on from this game. Learn from mistakes and not repeat them. All about winning from here on,” said Gill.

RCB will now travel to Dharamsala, where they will take on Punjab Kings on May 9 at the HPCA Stadium while GT will return home to Ahmedabad and rest before preparing to host defending champions Chennai Super Kings on May 10 at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

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The nail-biting win takes SRH to fourth place, where they are tied with Kolkata Knight Riders and Lucknow Super Giants on 12 points…reports Asian Lite News

Bhuvneshwar Kumar picked a brilliant 3-41, while Pat Cummins and T Natarajan took two wickets each as Sunrisers Hyderabad came out of nowhere to clinch a dramatic and thrilling one-run win over Rajasthan Royals at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Thursday.

After Nitish Reddy was outstanding in a magnificent display of stroke-play to hit an unbeaten 42-ball 76, while Travis Head made 58 off 44 balls as the duo carried SRH to a huge 201/3, Bhuvneshwar Kumar took two wickets in a brilliant first over and took out Rovman Powell on the final ball as the hosts’ won by the barest of margins.

Despite that initial setback of losing Jos Buttler and captain Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal’s 40-ball 67 and Riyan Parag’s 49-ball 77 helped RR be in the hunt of clinching an impressive win. But once the duo’s 133-run partnership was broken, SRH roared their way back in the game to seal it and complete a remarkable comeback, giving RR its first defeat while chasing in the season.

The nail-biting win takes SRH to fourth place, where they are tied with Kolkata Knight Riders and Lucknow Super Giants on 12 points. RR’s chase of 202 was rocked by Bhuvneshwar in the opening over – having Buttler nicking behind to wide slip fielder for a golden duck, while Samson was castled by an inswinger rattling stumps through the gate.

From there, Jaiswal, with his timing and Parag, with his fabulous bat-swing, played breathtaking strokes from both ends against Bhuvneshwar, Pat Cummins, Marco Jansen and T Natarajan. They also had luck on their side – Jaiswal was dropped by Cummins at mid-off and Parag’s chance was shelled by Abhishek Sharma at extra cover, as RR ended power-play at 60/2.

Jaiswal and Parag rampage continued after power-play, before reaching their respective fifties in 30 and 31 balls respectively in the 11th over. But Jaiswal was gone for 67 off 40 balls, playing on to his stumps off Natarajan. Parag hit two sixes and a four before holing out to long-on for 77 off 49 balls to Cummins.

Though Rovman Powell found a few boundaries, SRH’s fightback continued as Shimron Hetmyer hit a low full toss straight to long-on off Natarajan, followed by Dhruv Jurel, who had a left hamstring strain while fielding, flicking straight to deep square leg off Cummins.

Cummins bowled a superb 19th over, giving away only seven runs, despite Powell lofting a six over extra cover on the last ball. With 12 runs needed to win off the final over, and four men outside the 30-yard circle due to slow over-rate, Powell scooped Bhuvneshwar for four. With two runs needed off the final ball, Bhuvneshwar trapped Powell plumb lbw with a low full toss on middle and leg to complete a stunning win for SRH over the table-toppers.

Previosuly, on a fresh pitch, with some grip available for bowlers, Head hit a slow-ish fifty. But Reddy dazzled by hitting three fours and eight sixes, with some of his maximums hit straight down the ground and over cover enthralling the home fans.

Later, Heinrich Klaasen hit an unbeaten 42 off 19, laced with three fours and as many sixes, to take SRH past 200 for the fifth time this season, with their last 12 overs yielding 153 runs. For RR, who conceded a 200+ total for just the second time in this competition, Avesh Khan was impressive in his 2-39, while Sandeep Sharma was tidy in his 1-31.

Electing to bat first, Head could have been out on the first ball if Parag hadn’t shelled the chance at backward point off Trent Boult. With Ravichandran Ashwin beating Head and Abhishek via deliveries gripping and bouncing, a wicket looked imminent for RR.

Avesh reaped the reward of platform set by Boult and Ashwin when he had Abhishek pulling straight to deep square leg. Sandeep also joined Avesh as a wicket-taker when Anmolpreet Singh chipped straight to diving mid-wicket, as SRH ended power-play at 37/2.

Head opened up by cutting Yuzvendra Chahal for four, before pulling the leg-spinner for back-to-back sixes and whipping him through the leg-side for another boundary. While Head brought up his fifty in 37 balls, Nitish began his onslaught by muscling Ashwin for back-to-back sixes, followed by hitting Chahal for two fours and as many sixes in the 13th over.

Head’s knock ended when he shaped for a lap shot off Avesh, but played onto his stumps. Nitish marched on to get his fifty in 30 balls, followed by slog-sweeping and pulling Ashwin for a brace of sixes. From the other end, Klassen was lofting and pulling Chahal for consecutive sixes, as the leg-spinner conceded 62 runs in his four overs.

While Nitish took a six and four off Avesh, Klaasen smashed Boult for two fours, before smashing Sandeep for a four and six in the final over to take SRH past 200, which was sufficient for a win by a solitary run at the end – a possibility which no one saw coming after their slow start.

Brief Scores: Sunrisers Hyderabad 201/3 in 20 overs (Nitish Reddy 76 not out, Travis Head 58; Avesh Khan 2-39, Sandeep Sharma 1-31) beat Rajasthan Royals 200/7 in 20 overs (Riyan Parag 77, Yashasvi Jaiswal 67; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 3-41, Pat Cummins 2-34) by one run.

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RR topped the table with this win, having won six, lost one and obtained 12 points. KKR is in the second spot, with four wins and two losses, giving them eight points…reports Asian Lite News

A sensational century from Jos Buttler and fiery cameos from Riyan Parag and Rovman Powell helped the Rajasthan Royals (RR) secure a pulsating two-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Tuesday.

RR topped the table with this win, having won six, lost one and obtained 12 points. KKR is in the second spot, with four wins and two losses, giving them eight points.

In the run chase of 224 runs, Rajasthan Royals was off to a decent start. Yashasvi Jaiswal hit Mitchell Starc for two fours and Vaibhav Arora for a six, but was caught by Venkatesh Iyer for 9-ball 19. Harshit Rana took his first wicket. RR was 22/1 in 1.5 overs.

Skipper Sanju Samson was the next up on the crease. The captain was looking good, smashing Vaibhav for two successive fours in the mid-on and mid-wicket region. However, he was trapped by Harshit Rana, who got him caught for 12 runs in eight balls with two fours. Sunil Narine got the catch at mid-on. RR was 47/2 in 4.2 overs.

50-run for RR was raised in 4.5 overs.

Riyan Parag and Jos Buttler ended RR’s powerplay on a high. They got 23 runs from Vaibhav’s over as Parag hit him for two fours and a six and Buttler launched him for a six over long-on. At the end of six overs, RR was 76/2, with Parag and Buttler unbeaten at 20* each.

Parag saved more beating for Rana, launching him for two sixes and a four. But the pacer got the last laugh as he got him caught by Andre Russell at deep midwicket for 34 in 14 balls, with four boundaries and two sixes. RR was 97/3 in 7.5 overs.

100-run was up for RR in 8.2 overs. Jurel was trapped leg-before-wicket by Narine for just two, continuing his poor IPL run. RR was 100/4 in 8.4 overs.

Halfway through the innings, RR was 109/4, with Buttler (32*) joined by Ravichandran Ashwin.

Just when Buttler and Ashwin started rebuilding, Varun Chakravarthy’s 13th over proved to be a game-changer. He first got Ravichandran Ashwin caught by Angkrish Raghuvanshi for just eight in 11 balls and Shimron Hetmyer caught by Shreyas Iyer at cover region in two balls. RR was 121/6 in 12.1 overs.

Buttler continued to shepherd the chase, bringing up his first fifty of the tournament in 36 balls, with five fours and a six. He smashed Chakravarthy for four boundaries in his 15th over. At the end of that over, RR was 145/6, with Buttler (58*) and Rovman Powell (2*) unbeaten.

Powell’s arrival brought back momentum in favour of RR. First, he hit Russell for two sixes, bringing 17 runs from his 16th over. Later, he bludgeoned Narine for a four and two sixes over long-on and deep square leg. However, Narine had the last laugh, trapping Powell lbw for 26 in 13 balls, with a four and three sixes. RR was 178/7 in 17 overs, needing 46 in 18 balls.

After this, the game became KKR vs Buttler essentially. Trent Boult was run out for a duck. RR was 186/8 in 17.3 overs. Starc ended his spell at 0/50 in four overs and RR needed 28 in the final two overs.

In the next over bowled by Harshit, Buttler smashed two sixes and a four. The equation came down to nine runs in the final over. Buttler reached his second century of IPL 2024 and seventh in the league’s history in just 55 balls, with nine fours and six sixes. RR ended the innings on a successful note at the last ball, with Buttler unbeaten at 107* in 60 balls, with nine fours and sis sixes.

Narine (2/30), Chakravarthy (2/27) and Harshit (2/45) were the pick of the bowlers for KKR.

Earlier, star bowling allrounder Sunil Narine’s blazing 109-run knock powered Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to 223/6 against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 match at the iconic Eden Gardens on Tuesday.

With his ton, Narine became the first cricketer to slam a century and take 100 wickets in the IPL. The Caribbean’s blitzkrieg knock helped KKR give a massive 224-run target to Rajasthan.

After winning the toss, the Hyderabad-based franchise sent KKR to bat first at Eden Gardens. However, Sanju Samson’s decision did not go in their favour, as they failed to take early wickets in the first inning.

Philip Salt (10 runs from 13 balls) and Sunil Narine (109 runs from 56 balls) opened for Kolkata and made a partnership of 21 runs. Salt failed to shine in the game and could smash only one four. However, the English wicketkeeper-batsman’s knock came to an end in the fourth over after Avesh Khan dismissed him.

After the first dismissal, Angkrish Raghuvanshi (30 runs from 18 balls) built up a solid 25-run partnership with Narine, which helped KKR add some crucial runs to the scoreboard.

In the 11th, RR’s Kuldeep Sen came to rescue and removed Raghuvanshi from the crease. The 18-year-old batter slammed 5 fours at a strike rate of 166.67.

Skipper Shreyas Iyer (11 runs from 7 balls) replaced Raghuvanshi and slammed 1 four and six during his time on the crease.

Yuzvendra Chahal picked up his 199th wicket in the IPL after dismissing Iyer in the 13th over.

Andre Russell (13 runs from 10 balls) came onto the crease to replace the KKR skipper. Russell slammed 2 fours at a strike rate of 130.

Meanwhile, Narine’s stupendous knock came to an end in the 18th over after Trent Boult picked up the Caribbean’s wicket. The 35-year-old hit 13 fours and 6 sixes at a strike rate of 194.64. He also became the first KKR player to hit a century at the Eden Gardens in front of their home crowd.

After the dismissal of Narine, Rinku Singh (20 runs from 9 balls) and Venkatesh Iyer (8 runs from 6 balls) took charge and added crucial runs at the end of the first inning.

However, Venkatesh was dismissed by Kuldeep in the last over of the first inning. He could slam just one four.

KKR’s Rinku and Ramandeep Singh (1 run from 1 ball) were on the crease during the end of the first inning.

Avesh Khan and Kuldeep Sen led the RR bowling attack after both players picked up two wickets in their respective spells. Meanwhile, Boult and Chahal scalped one wicket.

Brief score: Kolkata Knight Riders 223/6 (Sunil Narine 109, Angkrish Raghuvanshi 30, Rinku Singh 20*; Avesh Khan 2/35) lost to Rajasthan Royals: 224/8 (Jos Buttler 107*, Riyan Parag 34, Sunil Narine 2/30). (ANI)

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Sunrisers Hyderabad outshine Royal Challengers Bengaluru by 25 runs in the highest-scoring T20 match, despite Dinesh Karthik’s valiant 83 off 35 balls…reports Asian Lite News

Veteran batter Dinesh Karthik’s 83 off 35 deliveries went in vain as Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated host Royal Challengers Bengaluru by 25 runs in the highest aggregate total for a T20 match with a tally of 549 runs in the Match 30 of the Indian Premier League at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Monday.

Hyderabad brought in Mayank Markande as an Impact substitute for Travis Head at the start of RCB’s chase of IPL’s highest total. Like RCB, SRH too gave the first over to spinner Abhishek Sharma. Just the fifth ball of the over and Abhishek Sharma dropped Virat Kohli on the score of 1, who had forcefully played it back to the bowler.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar came in for the second over, and Kohli lofted barely over the leaping short-third fielder got the boundary and then smashed the last ball for the maximum.

SRH were 76 without loss after the Power-play and RCB bettered that with 79/0 thanks to their openers. Kohli lofted Pat Cummins over his head to end the Power-play with a boundary. He was on 42 off 19 balls, with six fours and two sixes. Du Plessis also raced away to 37 from 17, including five fours and two sixes. SRH got their Impact Substitute into action, and he delivered straight away. Mayank Markande tossed the googly up, and dipped on a length on off stump, as it drifted in. Kohli went for the slog sweep but was beaten by the turn and the slowness of the ball. RCB were 80 for 1 after 6.2 overs, with Kohli gone for 42 off 20 deliveries.

The RCB captain reached his fifty in 23 balls off the fifth ball of the eighth over, which was bowled by Jaydev Unadkat. He reached out far away from his body and managed to slash it over a short third. Next ball, he drove down the ground, only for the ball to tickle Unadkat’s hands and flick the bails at the non-striker’s end. Will Jacks was out of the crease and RCB lost their second wicket.

In came Rajat Patidar and thumped his second ball for a massive six over Markande’s head. Two legal balls later, he heaved across the line only to find the fielder at wide long-on. RCB were 111 for 3 after nine overs.

Yet again a double strike came from the skipper Cummins, who got du Plessis for 62 and Saurav Chauhan for a duck. RCB scrambled as they lost the last four wickets in just 13 legal deliveries.

After RCB’s numbers 3,4 and 5 departed for 7, 9, and 0 respectively, Dinesh Karthik provided some entertainment to the crowd. He added 59 runs with Mahipal Lomror, out of which the latter contributed only 19. Lomror hit two sixes, but Karthik kept pumping boundaries from the other end. Cummins came back to bowl the 15th over and had Lomror chopping on. RCB were 187/6, with five overs left. Karthik then joined hands with Anuj Rawat and added 63 in just 28 deliveries, out of which the latter contributed only 8.

T. Natarajan, bowling the last over of his spell. got the prized wicket of Karthik, who got out after scoring 83 off just 35 deliveries. With RCB needing 44 of last over Rawat smashed 18 runs as Hyderabad defeated Bengaluru by 25 runs in the highest aggregate for a T20 match with a tally of 549 runs.

Brief score:

Sunrisers Hyderabad 287/3 in 20 overs (Travis Head 102, Heinrich Klassen 67; Lockie Ferguson 2-58, Reece Topley 1-68) beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru 262/7 in 20 overs (Dinesh Karthik 83, Faf du Plessis 62; Pat Cummins 3-43, Mayank Markande 2-46) by 25 runs.

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It was Super Sunday, not for the hosts but for the visitors as they rode on brilliant half-centuries by Ruturaj Gaikwad (69) and Shivam Dube (66 not out) and a sensational four-ball 20 by Mahendra Singh Dhoni…reports Asian Lite News

Rohit Sharma struck his second century in the Indian Premier League (IPL) but his brilliant effort went in vain as Chennai Super Kings rode on superb batting by Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube and MS Dhoni and a four-fer by pacer Matheesha Pathirana to beat Mumbai Indians by 20 runs in Match 29 of IPL 2024 at the Wankhede Stadium here on Sunday.

Rohit remained unbeaten on 105 off 62 balls — a brilliant second hundred for the former Mumbai Indians captain in 17 years in the T20 league as he hammered 11 boundaries and five sweetly-timed sixes. But Mumbai Indians failed to keep up with the mounting run rate as they lost wickets at crucial junctures after a brilliant start to lose their fourth match of IPL 2024.

It was Super Sunday, not for the hosts but for the visitors as they rode on brilliant half-centuries by Ruturaj Gaikwad (69) and Shivam Dube (66 not out) and a sensational four-ball 20 by Mahendra Singh Dhoni to post a challenging 206/4 in 20 overs. CSK then rode on a superb 4-28 by Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana, who came in as an Impact Substitute, to restrict Mumbai Indians to 186/6 in 20 overs. Ironically, it was this four-ball 20 by Dhoni that proved decisive as they lost the match by the same margin.

Rohit and Ishan Kishan shared another superb partnership to give Mumbai a good start as they raced to 63 runs in the Power-play.

Kishan started aggressively as he hit a four off Tushar Deshpande’s second delivery and followed that up with a six and four back-to-back off Shardul Thakur in the third over. Mustafizur Rahman got struck for a four too and though Ravindra Jadeja kept him quiet,

Matheesha Pathirana, who came in as an Impact Substitute, struck off his first delivery, as Kishan hit a full-length delivery on his pads straight to Shardul Thakur at midwicket for a regulation catch. Kishan scored 23 off 15 balls, hitting three fours and a six, to leave Mumbai at 70/1 in the eighth over.

Mumbai’s Impact Substitute Suryakuamr Yadav, who had blasted a 17-ball half-century in the previous match against RCB, went back for a two-ball duck, an uppercut off a short and wide delivery with extra pace was caught superbly by Mustafizur at the deep third-man boundary. From 70 for no loss, MI were down to 70/2 in three deliveries.

But Rohit Sharma continued with his brilliant batting, punishing the bowlers with trademark power-hitting as he raced to his half-century off 30 balls, hitting seven boundaries and two maximums. The India captain started with a four off his Mumbai teammate Deshpande off the fifth ball of his first over and meted out the same treatment to Mustafizur Rahman in the next over. Deshpande was knocked out of the ground with a fine pull while Mustafizur was treated to a four and six off successive deliveries in the fifth over, the massive six landing on the roof of the stadium.

Rohit also hammered Shadrul Thakur and Ravindra Jadeja for a couple of boundaries each before blasting a four and six off Jadeja, Deshpande adding insult to the injury by dropping a slog-sweep over the boundary rope for the six.

He and Tilak Varma added 60 runs for the third-wicket partnership before Varma got out for a 20-ball 31 studded with five boundaries. Pathirana, who came into the side as an Impact substitute after an injury break, was brought into the attack and made an impact by removing Varma, with a slower one pitched on the back of the length that was hit straight to Thakur for a tumbling catch at mid-off.

With the run rate mounting, Mumbai lost the plot in the death overs as Shardul Thakur and Tushar Deshpande bowled excellent overs, conceding three and two runs respectively

Hardik Pandya, who was hammered for a hat-trick of sixes by MS Dhoni in the final over, made his day worse by scoring two runs off six balls while Tim David could manage only 13 off six.

Rohit continued to score briskly from the other end, hitting Mustafizur Rahman a couple of lusty blows, including a six as he completed his century off 61 balls, hitting Pathirana for back-to-back boundaries in the final over.

Romario Shepherd was bowled by Pathirana for one run, leaving Mumbai needing 41 runs off 12 balls. A tall ask anyway and they eventually ended on 186/4, losing the match by 20 runs. Rohit Sharma remained not out on 105 but he did not get the support from the other end as Mumbai Indians succumbed to scoreboard pressure and some good bowling in the death overs by Chennai Super Kings. Pathirana was the best bowler of the lot with 4-28 in four overs that broke the back of Mumbai innings.

Earlier, Chennai Super Kings sprung a surprise by sending Ajinkya Rahane instead of skipper Gaikwad to open the innings with Rachin Ravindra. But the move did not yield the desired result with Rahane getting out for five at his home ground.

He swept Mohd Nabi over short fine leg for a boundary in the second over but fell to Gerald Coetzee in the next, mistiming a pull shot straight to Hardik Pandya at mid-on.

The stands appeared more yellow than the traditional blue, despite many fans, who were wearing yellow jerseys of CSK lining up to take free jerseys given by the home team, and families walking into the stadium with one member wearing yellow of the visiting team while another wearing the blue of the hosts.

In the middle too, CSK started prospering with Gaikwad hammering Coetzee for a massive six over long-on in the third over and following that up with four and six off successive balls in his next over, making room for a cut but managing only a thick inside edge past short fine-leg and backing away again on the next ball to uppercut a short one over third man for six.

CSK could still manage only 48/1 in the Power-play. However, with both Gaikwad and Ravindra helping themselves to a four each off Akash Madhwal and the New Zealand opener carting Shreyas Gopal for a six with a clean swing over long-on, they completed fifty of their partnership for the second wicket off 36 balls.

Gopal had his revenge on the next delivery as he induced a faint edge as Ravindra attempted to cut and missed. Keeper Ishan Kishan goes up in appeal and Mumbai Indians review it after it is turned down. Ultra edge shows a small spike as the ball passes the bat and Mumbai get their man. Ravindra got out for 21 off 16, hitting two fours and a six and CSK were down to 60/2 in the eighth over.

While Jasprit Bumrah kept things tight at one end by conceding only 10 runs in his first two overs, CSK continued to prosper from the other with Shivam Dube helping himself to three boundaries, two of them off successive deliveries, off Hardik Pandya’s first over, which cost Mumbai Indians 15 runs.

Gaikwad, who was dropped by Rohit Sharma off Madhwal when on 40, went on to smash a six each off Madhwal and Coetzee in successive overs to complete his half-century off 33 balls, hitting three fours and as many sixes. He and Dube also raised fifty runs in their partnership for the third wicket off 30 balls.

Dube, who started with three fours off Pandya, slapped and pulled Romario Shepherd for two boundaries and then in the 14th over, Shepherd for back-to-back sixes, two superb efforts that were followed by a boundary off a short ball past the deep midwicket which left the fans delirious in the stands. Gaikwad then scythed a low full toss off his wrists for another boundary as the over cost Mumbai Indians 22 runs. Dube bought fifty off 28 balls.

Gaikwad struck Madhwal for a six and four off successive balls, advancing down the wicket to blast a six off Madhwal despite the bowler going wide. With runs flowing easily, skipper Hardik Pandya brought himself into the attack and was rewarded for his courageous decision when he got his counterpart with an off-cutter, inducing a mishit that went straight to Nabi at long-on. Gaikwad’s superb innings produced 69 runs off 40 balls and was studded with five boundaries and as many sixes. He and Dube added 90 runs for the third wicket in quick time.

The crowd that was till then going “Rohit, Rohit”, started chanting the name of the Mumbai Indians skippers as Pandya got a wicket for two runs in that over.

Daryl Mitchell was out for 17 off 14 but Mahendra Singh Dhoni hammered Pandya for a hat-trick of sixes in the final over that cost 26 runs as CSK posted a par score of 206/4 in 20 overs. Shivam Dube remained unbeaten on 66 off 36 balls while Dhoni finished on 20 not out off four deliveries as CSK set Mumbai Indians a target of 207.

Though Bumrah was at his usual frugal self giving 27 runs in his four overs, Pandya ended with 2-43 courtesy of Dhoni’s three sixes.

Mumbai Indians conceded too many runs in the middle overs as Gaikwad and Dube milked the bowling to help them score 101 runs from the 7th to 15th overs. Mumbai Indians skipper Pandya also left experts baffled as he did not give his full quota to Mohd Nabi who gave away only 19 runs in three overs while fellow spinner Shreyas Gopal got only one over in he took one wicket for nine runs. He took upon himself the responsibility to bowl the final over and was carted around by Dhoni.

Brief scores: Chennai Super Kings 206/4 in 20 overs (Ruturaj Gaikwad 69, Shivam Dube 66 not out, MS Dhoni 20 not out; Hardik Pandya 2-43) beat Mumbai Indians 186/6 in 20 overs (Rohit Sharma 105 not out, Tilak Varma 31; Matheesha Pathirana 4-28).

ALSO READ: Shimron Hetmyer’s Blitz Leads Rajasthan Royals to Thrilling Victory

This was his best IPL figure and also he became the first Indian to take five wickets for LSG. It was also the first win for Lucknow in five outings against Titans…reports Asian Lite News

Riding on Yash Thakur’s five for 30 and Krunal Pandya’s economical three wickets helped Lucknow Super Giants defeat Gujarat Titans, for the first time in the history of Indian Premier League (IPL), by 33 runs at Ekana Cricket Stadium, here on Sunday.

This was his best IPL figure and also he became the first Indian to take five wickets for LSG. It was also the first win for Lucknow in five outings against Titans

Chasing 164 to win, Lucknow had a steady start with Sai Sudarshan picking up a brace of boundaries in the second over off Naveen-ul-Haq. Mayank Yadav came to bowl the third over and left the field straightaway after completing his first over as he suffered a side strain.

Things aren’t going smoothly for LSG tonight and Sudarshan helps himself to two more fours – driven down the ground and whipped through midwicket – before Shubman Gill gets going with a ramp wide of deep third. Mayank’s pace barely got above 140kph in the first over as he left the field straight after completing his first over.

When it seemed like this chase would be simple, Yash Thakur fires one through Gill and into the timber. Full, straight, and cross-seam, it continued to skid as the captain of the Titans tried to flick across the line and got out at 19. Gill’s team was in a good position at 54 for 1 at the conclusion of the powerplay. M Siddharth struggled to bowl as he crossed the bowling line three times in his second and fifth over of the inning, but managed to give only 12 runs. Sudarshan appeared to be in excellent form as he scored 29 from 18 after the end of the seventh over.

LSG was still in the match, but Ravi Bishnoi had a great return catch to dismiss Titans’ impact sub, Kane Williamson, who chipped one back to the bowler and was out for one from four deliveries. Bishnoi leaped to his right and held out one arm, just hanging on as he banged into the turf. Williamson was undoubtedly the one targeted to lead a modest pursuit on a sticky surface, but he left on a cheap note.

This game took a radical turn as Sai Sudarshan and BS Sharath both holed out in Krunal Pandya’s opening over. Wicketkeeper Sharath, who came in place of Wriddhiman Saha top-edged a sweep to a deep backward square, Bishnoi took another catch, a much simpler catch was on the deep square boundary to remove Sudarshan. Sudarshan departed after scoring 31 off 23 deliveries and was the highest scorer of his side. Krunal ended with three for eleven.

With 72 needed in 36 balls, and with Yash Thakur’s golden arm, LSG were inching to close the match very quickly. After dismissing Gill early in the innings, he returned for his second over and had Rashid Khan (0) chip to cover a slower ball, and Vijay Shankar (17) was caught behind swiping at a short ball. Rahul Tewatia and Spencer Johnson added 24 runs in 17 deliveries for the ninth wicket but Thakur bowling his last over of the spell claimed a five-for giving away 30 runs in 3.5 overs dismissing Tewatia (30) and Noor Ahmad (0).

Earlier batting first on their home ground, Lucknow suffered an early setback as opener Quinton de Kock got out after opening his account with a six to Umesh Yadav. Not a start that Lucknow would have thought of as Umesh was all over the Lucknow batters in the powerplay.

Devdutt Padikkal, who came to bat at number three was the second wicket of Yadav. Umesh bowled a back of a length delivery in the channel, nipping away with the angle and Padikkal was enticed into wafting at it. Padikkal got a thick outside edge and Shankar snaffled it up at wide slip, low to his left. Padikkal got out after scoring 7 runs in 7 deliveries. LSG ended on 47 for 2 after the end of the powerplay as Stoinis and Rahul started building the innings.

Titans came with an attacking bowling plan on a damp pitch which saw an uneven bounce right from the start of the match. They bowled on the hard length and kept the ball away from both batters. Rahul, who loves to play cut and drive shots, suffered difficulties in scoring against Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad. Mohit Sharma on the other hand mixed his pace well without giving much room to score. It was a good display of bowling from the Titans’ bowlers as LSG after the end of ten overs scored 74 for two with Rahul and Stoinis finding difficulties in scoring boundaries.

From 18 for 2 in the third over, the third-wicket pairing of Rahul and Stoinis had bolted together a stocky partnership worth 73 from 62 balls – but LSG’s skipper departed trying to take on Darshan Nalkande, brought on at fourth change by Titans. Rahul was looking to hit down the ground but it didn’t come on to the bat and he was well held by Rahul Tewatia several yards in from the rope at long-on. A score of 33 off 31, with only three boundaries with a strike rate of 106.45.

Nalkande bowling his second over of the day was welcomed with a six and the fourth went the same way with another clean swing across the line by Stoinis who started changing his gear and scored his first IPL 2024 half-century in 40 deliveries. Nalkande stuck to his guns, however, and made his second breakthrough of the night as Stoinis top-edged a hoick straight up and departed scoring 58 off 43 deliveries. Titans successfully kept a lid on things. It was the second-slowest inning by Stoinis in all the IPL matches in which he has scored 50 or 50 plus.

Noor Ahmed conceded just one boundary from his four overs, which cost 22 runs – he should have had a wicket, too, with Stoinis dropped off a mishit on 43. At the end of 15 overs, LSG were 114 for four and with two new batters in the crease (Nicholas Pooran and Ayush Badoni) it was difficult to reach a good total for LSG. Mohit Sharma conceded 17 runs in his second last over of the spell courtesy of a six by Poorand and back-to-back boundaries by Badoni.

It was Rashid Khan’s first wicket of the evening as after hitting two fours from Mohit Sharma in the previous over, Ayush Badoni attempted a slog-sweep but was only able to pick out deep midwicket. However, as Krunal Pandya was off strike, Pooran was able to finally lay a hand on the champion leg-spinner for the Titans, delivering a huge blow over the leg side. If Sai Sudharsan hadn’t done a great job with the long-on rope, he could have also scored another boundary against Rashid. LSG raised their 150 with an over to go and reached 163 for 7 in 20 overs.

Brief Score: Lucknow Super Giants 163 for 5 in 20 overs (Marcus Stoinis 58, KL Rahul 33; Darshan Nalkande 2-21, Umesh Yadav 2-22) beat Gujarat Titans (Sai Sudarshan 31, Rahul Tewatia 30; Yash Thakur 5-30, Krunal Pandya 3-11) by 33 runs

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