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3 players who were unlucky to miss the Australian squad for West Indies

Charbel Coorey

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May 17, 2021 at 10:21 pm

3 players who were unlucky to miss the Australian squad for West Indies | A look at 3 players who were unlucky to miss the T20I and ODI squad for West Indies tour

Cricket Australia on Tuesday named an extended 23-man squad for the T20I and ODI tour of the West Indies, to take place in July. The Australians’ first assignment since the five-match tour of New Zealand in March will be another five T20Is against the Windies, followed by three ODIs.

The T20Is will serve as further preparation for the T20 World Cup to be held either in India or UAE, as Australia look to win the trophy for the first time. In the squad were three leg-spinners, as well as a number of top order players that rendered some middle order players unlucky to miss out on selection.

In this article, we’ll focus on three players who were unlucky to miss selection to the Australian squad for West Indies.

Squad: Aaron Finch (c), Ashton Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Moises Henriques, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Riley Meredith, Josh Philippe, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Tanveer Sangha, D’Arcy Short, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, Andrew Tye, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa

Ben McDermott

Australia’s T20I side is crying out for specialist middle order players. Someone who can negotiate a top order collapse or keep the momentum going throughout the middle and death overs. So, leaving someone like Ben McDermott out of the squad was an opportunity missed.

McDermott, who often bats in the middle order for Hobart Hurricanes – arguably the toughest batting positions in T20 cricket – enjoyed an excellent BBL 10 campaign (12 inns, 402 runs, avg. 36.54, SR 139.58). Sure, many of his big scores came up the order, but McDermott possesses plenty of T20 experience at numbers four and five, and would potentially offer more value than the tried-and-tested D’Arcy Short.

38 of McDermott’s 68 career T20 knocks have come at either numbers four or five. In these positions, he possesses an overall record of 926 runs at an average of 33.07 and strike rate of 127. In fact, in his 10 knocks at number five, McDermott strikes at nearly 140. He could have a good foil for the likes of Maxwell in the middle, given the experience he holds.

Josh Inglis

3 players who were unlucky to miss the Australian squad for West Indies | A look at 3 players who were unlucky to miss the T20I and ODI squad for West Indies tour — 3 players who were unlucky to miss the Australian squad for West Indies: Josh Inglis

Josh Inglis, the nuggety keeper-batsman from Western Australia, is another player Australia could have opted for on this tour. Sure, Australia has an embarrassment of riches at the top of the order, which is where Inglis typically bats in T20s, but he too has shown fine form down the order in white-ball cricket.

In BBL 10, Inglis batted at four in nine of his 16 innings for Perth Scorchers. In these matches, he struck scores of 44* (31), 72* (41), 58 (35) and 69* (41). Later in the season, he smashed 91 off 57 balls batting at five in a one day game against Victoria, which was part of his excellent finish to the campaign across white and red-ball cricket.

Inglis’ ability to shift gears and manipulate the field can be a great asset for Australia in the lower batting positions. Inglis is an asset Australia should look to use, and this tour may have been a fine opportunity to do just that.

Nathan Ellis

Death bowling is an area of concern for Australia. It is a surprise that Nathan Ellis wasn’t given a chance in New Zealand, and now here for the West Indies. Instead, Australia have opted to persist with the likes of Kane Richardson to deliver the goods.

Ellis has been outstanding in the death overs in BBL cricket. His ability to nail yorkers has caught the eye of pundits and fans alike. His economy rate of 8.31 in BBL 10 is completely acceptable given how often he bowls at the death, and his career economy rate is even lower at 8.17. A series such as this against the power-hitters of the West Indies could have been a great opportunity to give Ellis a taste of international cricket and see what he is made of.

Marnus Labuschagne will remain in the UK for the County Championship. Cameron Green has specified that he would like to work more on his bowling back home. This 23-man Australia squad will be trimmed to 18, so it will be interesting to see who gets the final nod.

Analysis: The rise of Prithvi Shaw from 2020 to 2021

Debashish Sarangi

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May 14, 2021 at 10:53 pm

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Analysis: The rise of Prithvi Shaw from 2020 to 2021

2020 vs 2021: What has underpinned the rise of Prithvi Shaw? | Prithvi Shaw is having a superb 2021, compared to 2020: We look at why this is the case

The great performance of some of the Indian players was one of the best things to have happened in IPL 2021. Prithvi Shaw was one of those players as he played some breathtaking knocks and played a very crucial role for DC to be placed at the top of the table.

His performance was extremely good this time unlike last year, where he struggled badly. So, let’s have a look at how different he was in IPL 2021 from IPL 2020; i.e. the areas he has improved on and the reasons for his improvement.

Comparison of Overall Numbers:

Let’s first compare his overall stats of this year with that of 2020. Below is a graph depicting the same.

2020 vs 2021: What has underpinned the rise of Prithvi Shaw? | Prithvi Shaw is having a superb 2021, compared to 2020: We look at why this is the case — Prithvi Shaw 2020 vs 2021

We can clearly see the contrasting difference between the respective runs scored, average and SR between 2020 and 2021. Now let’s go to the depth to find out what went wrong with him in 2020 and the reason for his rise in 2021.

PRITHVI SHAW VS PACE AND SPIN IN IPL 2020 AND 2021:

Let’s first see what Prithvi Shaw did against pace in both IPL 2020 and 2021. Below is a table where I have mentioned his stats against pace bowling in both of these seasons.

	BALLS	RUNS	AVG	SR	BPB	DOT ⁰/₀
2020	115	148	12.33	128.69	4.79	48.69
2021	119	191	38.2	160.50	3.60	37.81

Now we have to see whether he struggled against spin bowling in both these seasons or not. For this purpose, I have mentioned his numbers against spin bowling in the respective seasons.

	BALLS	RUNS	AVG	SR	BPB	DOT ⁰/₀
2020	52	80	80	153.84	4.72	26.92
2021	66	117	58.5	177.27	4.125	19.69

From the above tables, it is clear that Prithvi Shaw didn’t struggle against spin in both IPL 2020 and 2021; rather he struggled a lot against seam bowling in 2020. But as we can see, he has done extremely well against seamers in IPL 2021.

Specifically, he was dismissed 9 out of 13 times by right arm seamers in IPL 2020. So, let’s first compare his numbers against right arm fast bowlers in IPL 2020 to those in IPL 2021.

PRITHVI SHAW v/s RIGHT ARM SEAMERS IN IPL 2020 and 2021:-

	BALLS	RUNS	AVG	SR	BPB	DOT ⁰/_o
2020	79	102	11.33	129.11	5.64	44.30
2021	89	156	52	175.28	3.06	39.32

What were his issues against right-arm seam and how has he overcome them?

Upon investigating his modes of dismissals against right arm fast bowlers in IPL 2020, I found that he was caught most of the times (5 out of 9 dismissals) while trying to whack the ball pitched on either back of the length or short length somehow over the infield. The reason behind these dismissals was his poor footwork. His feet were going nowhere; he was reaching towards the ball by his hands. So, whenever he got room much outside the off stump, he got a chance to free his arms and play his shots.

Similarly, when he got deliveries on the leg stump line, he wasn’t bothered as he could easily play those using his wrists without moving his feet much. But, he tried to execute the pull shot against the deliveries pitched short of a good length around the off and middle stump line somehow without moving his backfoot. Sometimes the ball wasn’t even the ideal one to play a pull shot. That’s why he couldn’t connect those properly and was caught mostly inside the 30-yard circle.

The other 4 dismissals against right arm fast bowlers included 2 bowled, 1 caught behind and 1 caught and bowled. All the deliveries were pitched on fuller side of the good length area on or around the off stump and had movement. As his feet were planted, so he was bound to struggle against movement. He used to take guard on the leg stump and play this type of a delivery without moving his feet much. So, there was a big gap created between his bat and pad and he was either bowled or caught upon mistiming those. Below I have inserted an image which depicts the same.

This technical deficiency was well exploited in Australia and Shaw soon found himself out of the national side. He had a huge challenge to overcome in this IPL as his weakness was pretty evident. Of course, as always in the IPL, he was set to face world-class fast bowlers who could easily exploit this area.

But, he was high on confidence on the back of some extraordinary performances in the Vijay Hazare trophy prior to the IPL. In IPL 2021, he was seen shuffling to counter the deliveries targeting his stumps after pitching on or around the off stump channel. As a result, he was able to get much closer to the ball than he used to in IPL 2020. The gap between his bat and pad was reduced drastically and he was playing those deliveries with a straighter bat face right under his eyes, which resulted in better execution of his shots. Below I have inserted an image of his improved approach in IPL 2021.

Now let’s see his numbers against left arm seamers in IPL 2020 and 2021.

PRITHVI SHAW V/S LEFT ARM SEAMERS IN IPL 2020 AND 2021:

	BALLS	RUNS	AVG	SR	BPB	DOT ⁰/₀
2020	36	46	15.33	127.78	3.6	58.34
2021	30	35	17.5	116.67	7.5	33.34

As we can see, he doesn’t have great numbers against the left arm seamers in both these seasons. But in 2020, Trent Boult dismissed him all three times by exploiting his poor footwork (twice by letting him play the moving ball away from his body and once with a well directed bouncer), which is not the case in 2021. In IPL 2021, he was dismissed once by Jaydev Unadkat with a slower delivery, which he couldn’t pick and played the shot earlier than he should have played. The other dismissal came against Arshdeep Singh while he was trying to take him on and miscued an aerial shot. Although he had a lesser SR and higher bpb this time, the significant reduction in the dot ball percentage indicates that he concentrated on rotating the strike against the left arm seamers and mostly attacked the right arm seamers (with his improved technique) and the spinners.

FURTHER CHALLENGES:

In IPL 2020 as well as 2021, Prithvi Shaw didn’t look very comfortable against well directed short balls. In IPL 2021, he mistimed a few pulls at times and left some short balls as well. So, I feel his game against short balls is something he needs to work on. In this era of highly improved data and video analysis, you always need to be alert and work on your weaknesses quickly; otherwise you can be found out by the opposition within no time.

Concluding the article, I praise the way he has tackled the right arm fast bowlers in IPL 2021 with his improved technique. He looked determined, spent much more time in the middle (faced 10.285 more deliveries per innings than he did in 2020) and batted as per his strengths which was commendable. Also, I am eager to see him further against the left arm fast bowlers and I hope for some improvement in his game against short deliveries.

Thanks for reading and share your thoughts!

Written by Debashish Sarangi. Follow Debashish on Twitter today.

COVID-19 India: Fan paints story of an IPL like no other

Robin Rounder

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May 8, 2021 at 9:55 pm

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COVID-19 India: Fan paints story of an IPL like no other | A look back at a timeline of IPL 2021, impacted by severe wave of COVID-19 in India

After 24 days and 29 matches played, the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic cases in bio-bubble and the rising cases in India.

It is well-known that the situation here in India is really bad at the moment. However, it is also important to know that the situation wasn’t under control when the IPL started on April 9.

Mumbai was one of the two venues of the first leg of this season, and there were 100,000 cases every day when the tournament started. Concerns started to grow even more about whether playing cricket in such an environment is a safe proposition, and the situation kept getting worse with time. By the time the league was postponed, India was reporting more than 350,000 cases a day. The need for air travel from one venue to another in the second leg of the league worsened things even more, especially when you consider that Delhi, one of the worst-impacted regions in India, was to host matches.

This photo of Kane Williamson and David Warner said it all.

Safety first: David Warner and Kane Williamson in full PPE as the Sunrisers head to Delhi #IPL2021

?: @davidwarner31 pic.twitter.com/Y52kMUsD16
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) April 27, 2021

Players Started Leaving

On 26th April Royal Challengers, Bangalore’s official handle tweeted that Adam Zampa and Kane Richardson will be leaving the tournament due to “personal reasons”. Andrew Tye had flown back home to Australia a day before this due to “personal reasons” as well.

The constant rise in the covid cases in India despite the bio-bubble concerned them, which is understandable, and the possibility of the Australian government restricting flights from India, which eventually they did, was another area of concern for them. However, the tournament continued to go on, and the BCCI provided reassurance that the bubble was safe. However, even the most ardent of cricket fans were fearing that the bubble could be breached.

Later, Zampa in an interview stated that the bio-bubble of IPL 2021 was the most vulnerable out of all the bio-bubbles he was part of. He said that the bubble in IPL 2020 in UAE felt extremely safe. This statement started a lot of discussions that time but who would’ve thought that this will be the case in the coming days?

COVID-19 India: Fan paints story of an IPL like no other | A look back at a timeline of IPL 2021, impacted by severe wave of COVID-19 in India — COVID-19 India: AJ Tye left the tournament early, soon before the Australian border was closed to India.

Situation Worsened at the IPL

On Monday, May 3rd, the bubble was breached. KKR players Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier tested positive for COVID-19, sending the BCCI and cricket fans into chaos. The KKR vs RCB game scheduled on that day was rescheduled, with the BCCI desperately turning to their pre-tournament SOPs to try and keep this tournament alive. On the same day, CSK’s bowling coach L Balaji and one of their staff members tested COVID positive but none of their players tested positive.

While the reason for Balaji and CSK’s staff member testing positive is unknown, it was reported that Varun Chakravarthy of KKR went for a shoulder scan on May 1st outside the bio-bubble and is suspected to have got infected during that time. He also sat for a meal with Sandeep Warrier who probably got infected during that time.

The next day on May 4th, DC’s Amit Mishra tested positive. He had met Warrier during the practice session when KKR’s and DC’s practice sessions were scheduled simultaneously at Ahmedabad. SRH wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha too tested positive on the same day and as a result, the tournament was indefinitely postponed.

Later CSK’s batting coach Michael Hussey tested positive. He now has been tested negative and CSK is looking after him. KKR’s Prasidh Krishna and Tim Seifert were reported to be tested covid positive on Saturday, May 8th. Australian players have been isolated in the Maldives awaiting the flight restriction uplift in Australia, and flights are set to resume to Australia from India after May 15. All the other overseas players will be safely dropped home by their respective franchises.

How it Should’ve Been Avoided

It’s clear that the situation is bad currently in India and it wasn’t a good idea to have organized the IPL here. Even beforehand, India’s population size and density makes the risk of a huge second wave all-the-more great. IPL 2020 went smoothly without any issues in the UAE and it would’ve been the best thing to have one more season of the Indian Premier League there, to be safe.

And if they were so determined to play the IPL in India they should’ve selected only one or maybe two venues, closer to each other, minimizing or even completely avoiding travelling during these times. Only one venue like Mumbai, Ahmedabad, or any other with strict bio-bubble restrictions would’ve been better than the current schedule where players needed to travel via air.

The BCCI is will lose Rs.2500 crores or $270 Million if the IPL is not completed. However, there is more to the situation than just money. Amid all this, all the safety of the players and everyone involved is most important, and postponing the league was the only logical decision.

The BCCI is looking for a window in September before the T20 World Cup to complete the remaining games of IPL 2021. There is a possibility that it can be shifted overseas like in 2020. County clubs in England have offered to host the IPL.

Whatever happens, the league should be completed in a safe environment as it is very important for many involved in it and it brings joy for us as viewers too during these tough times.

Thank you for reading and Stay Safe.

Written by Robin Rounder. Follow Robin on Twitter today.

Time for Matt Parkinson in the England Test side?

Adam Sutherland

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May 8, 2021 at 3:30 pm

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Time for Matt Parkinson in the England Test side? | Is it time for the England selectors to pick Matt Parkinson in the England Test team

“Sack it, I’m going to try and rip it.”

That was Matt Parkinson’s take on his “ball-of-the-century” – which drew praise from the original proprieter of that accolade, Shane Warne – to dismiss Northamptonshire’s Adam Rossington.

Parkinson started the 2021 English domestic season wanting to “prove a point”. However, with snow showers sweeping across the ground, early April Old Trafford looked about as uninviting as it comes for a young leg spinner hoping to re-establish his credentials. But if his experience over the winter is anything to go by, you suspect he would have been raring at the opportunity to pull on the whites and tweak a few in glacial Manchester conditions.

Picked as a reserve for the test tours of Sri Lanka and India, as well as the T20I series against Virat Kohli’s men, Parkinson was then called up to the main squad for the tour-ending ODI series against India. This didn’t bring a change in fortune for the Lancashire leggie as England opted for the tried and tested “spin twins” of Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid in all three matches. Parkinson’s only appearance of the winter was in Team Root v Team Buttler, an intra-squad friendly at the start of the Sri Lanka tour. In an England team environment keen to manage the pressures on mental health in bubble life, Parkinson was one of the few all-format squad members to remain on tour throughout the winter.

Back now in the chilly climes of county cricket in April, Parkinson has tried to take the positives from what must have been a frustrating winter, “I’d like to think I improved as a cricketer over the winter and spending three months in the England squad is obviously amazing, as is being surrounded by the likes of Joe Root and Ben Stokes,” said Parkinson.

Wow ! Was that his first ball of the summer too ? Hahahaha. Love it, congrats mate and well bowled. Spin to win @SkyCricket @MichaelVaughan !!!! https://t.co/N2uIox4RrU
— Shane Warne (@ShaneWarne) April 17, 2021

Already established as number three in the limited overs pecking order – behind the “spin twins” – it is Test match consideration that Parkinson has the opportunity to push for this summer. Jack Leach, one of the few England players to emerge from the India tour in credit, is indisputably England’s number one Test spinner for the foreseeable future. However, with Dom Bess’ confidence deserting him and Moeen Ali’s Test career having stalled since 2019, Parkinson could be well placed to stake a claim as England’s second spinner.

His first class numbers are good. 77 wickets at an average of 24 and, perhaps surprisingly for a young wrist spinner, an economy rate under three runs per over. As a bowler who gives the ball plenty of flight, albeit at a slower pace than most spinners, and looks for prodigious turn, Parkinson can’t be expected to provide such control against international batsmen. However, in Jack Leach, England have, perhaps for the first time since the retirement of Graeme Swann, a spinner capable of performing a containing role. His ability to restrict batsmen to three runs per over or less in the first innings gives England the luxury of considering Parkinson, and giving him the license to toss the ball up above the eyeline and extract copious turn.

With three Tests in Pakistan next year, a Leach/Parkinson combination could be an alluring one for England. Parkinson would certainly benefit from having a reliable performer in the shape of the Somerset finger spinner. Ever since the retirement of Swann, and Monty Panesar’s fall from favour, England’s spin attack has always carried wicket taking threat – both Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid’s strike rates are good – but economy rates of 3.62 and 3.75 mean containment was absent from either end.

Matt Parkinson doing Shane Warne things again ?#CountyCricket2021 pic.twitter.com/XuwexrYqyQ
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) May 4, 2021

If England are to groom Parkinson for future overseas tours, they need to do so smartly. English leg spinners in red ball cricket are rare, and the ability to manage them is even rarer. Twice before – at the end of chastening Ashes tours – England have thrown young leg spinners to the wolves with the series gone and more than half an eye on the plane home.

In Sydney on the 2013/14 tour, England selected Scott Borthwick. The 23-year-old leggie picked up four wickets, but went in excess of 6 rpo as a rampant Australia stormed to a series whitewash. In Sydney again on the 2017/18 tour, England, finding themselves 3-0 down having surrendered the Ashes in Perth, chose to throw in another young leg spinner for the final test, this time in the form of 20-year-old Mason Crane. Crane bowled better than his figures of 1-193 suggest, however he looked powerless in an England team devoid of ideas to prevent three Australian batsmen reaching triple figures in a mammoth score of 649/7. Neither Borthwick nor Crane have added to their solitary Test caps.

England owe it to Matt Parkinson to use him wisely. There’s no room to be carried or hidden in Test cricket, but nor do young spinners have to be thrown in as a last resort when the wheels are off. Parkinson meanwhile is doing his bit. 19 wickets, including a 7fer, at an average of 19 represents an almost unheard of start to a County Championship season for a spinner.

If Parkinson can sustain the form he’s shown at the start of his red ball career, and the England management utilise him sensibly, he could form part of an exciting spin attack that can pose real challenges to subcontinental batting line ups.

Written by Adam Sutherland. Follow Adam on Twitter today.

5 times Kieron Pollard stole victory from jaws of defeat for MI

Debashish Sarangi

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May 8, 2021 at 9:53 am

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5 times Kieron Pollard stole victory from jaws of defeat for MI | Five instances of Pollard stealing the victory from the jaws of defeat for Mumbai Indians

In an unfortunate series of events, the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) was recently postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

We saw some really fabulous games this season, with the best one undoubtedly being the MI vs CSK classic. The game truly justified the reason of being termed as the “El classico” of the IPL, with the Mumbai Indians winning the game in the very last ball, courtesy a tremendous knock of 87 off just 34 balls by Kieron Pollard.

How many times have we seen the legendary all-rounder rescuing MI from a disastrous position? The number is certainly very large, isn’t it? In this article, I am going to highlight five such instances other than the recent one where Pollard proved to be the “one man army” for MI. Let’s revisit those magnificent knocks.

5. 70 (47) vs RCB, 2017

5 times Kieron Pollard stole victory from jaws of defeat for MI | Five instances of Pollard stealing the victory from the jaws of defeat for Mumbai Indians

This was the 12th match of the 10th edition of the IPL and MI were facing the Virat Kohli-led RCB in their own den. After being asked to bat first, RCB managed to put a moderate total of 142 for the loss of 5 wickets, thanks to a knock of 62 off 47 balls by their skipper, Kohli.

In reply, Mumbai Indians started their innings in the most horrible fashion as Samuel Badree destroyed their top order by picking 4 wickets in his first four overs. Mumbai were reeling at 33 for 5 after 8 overs at one stage, when Krunal Pandya joined Kieron Pollard in the middle. There was some assistance for the spinners as the wicket was on the slower side and the ball was keeping a bit low as well.

So, as you can imagine, it was an extremely tough situation to score 110 runs in the remaining 12 overs with Hardik Pandya being the only specialist batsman to come next. In such a tricky situation, but Pollard held his nerves and settled things well supported by Krunal. He understood the demands of the track and batted accordingly. He placed the good deliveries into gaps, rotated the strike and capitalized on the loose deliveries. He got set eventually and played shots all around the park, particularly against Yuzi Chahal and Pawan Negi. He hit 3 fours and 5 huge sixes on his way to 70 off 47.

Although he got out in the 18th over, he had already made the victory possible for MI, as they needed just 17 runs from 15 balls then, which was done comfortably by Hardik and Krunal.

4. 83 (31) vs KXIP, 2019

This was the 24th match of IPL 2019 and KXIP posted a very healthy total of 197 after being asked to bat first, thanks to a century by KL Rahul and a blistering knock of 63 by Chris Gayle.

In the absence of Rohit Sharma, Mumbai started the chase a bit slowly and lost their top 3 within 9 overs at a score of 62. Kieron Pollard, who was leading MI that day, formed a partnership of a quick 32 runs with the young Ishan Kishan, from which the contribution of the latter was just 7 runs. MI were on spot of a bother as they were placed at 94 for 4 and needed 104 runs in the remaining 8 overs with only Hardik and Krunal Pandya to come as specialist batsmen.

In such a tragic scenario, Kieron Pollard did what he is known for, i.e. counter attack. He launched the attack especially on R Ashwin and Sam Curran and smashed 10 huge sixes en route his 83. After the Pandya brothers were dismissed, he took MI close to the total alongside Alzarri Joseph, which left MI needing 15 runs in the final over with 4 wickets in hand. Pollard hit a six in the first ball which was a “no ball” and a four in the free hit delivery. Although he got out in the very next delivery, he almost finished the game for MI. The remaining 4 runs were scored comfortably by Alzarri Joseph and Rahul Chahar. An amazing knock.

**3. 51*(17) vs KKR, 2016**

In my opinion, this was one of the most dominant knocks Kieron Pollard has ever played in the IPL. This was the 24th match of IPL 2016 and KKR posted a decent total of 174 after being asked to bat first.

In reply, MI lost their first wicket in the form of Parthiv Patel in the 7th ball of the innings. After that, Ambati Rayudu and Rohit Sharma formed a very good partnership of 59 runs in 34 balls for the 2nd wicket. But after Rayudu got out to Shakib in the 7th over, MI lost 2 more wickets in quick succession in the form of Krunal Pandya and Jos Buttler, which left them placed at 106 for 4 at the end of the 13th over. Kieron Pollard joined the skipper Rohit Sharma in the middle with MI needing 69 in the remaining 7 overs. The speciality of this knock was he didn’t try to take the game deep like he does on most of the occasions. He hammered the KKR bowlers mercilessly and took MI home within no time. His unbeaten knock of 51 off just 17 balls included 2 fours and 6 humongous sixes. It came like a hurricane, by literally blew KKR away and MI chased the target with two overs to spare.

**2. 41* (25) vs CSK, IPL 2019 Final**

This knock is an integral part of the numerous sweet chapters of the love affair between Kieron Pollard and the Chennai Super Kings. This knock might look like just another decent T20 knock, but in reality it was a priceless one in the context of the match as well as the situation in which it was played by the big man.

It was the final of the 12th edition of the IPL and MI decided to bat first after winning the toss. Their openers Quinton De kock and Rohit Sharma gave them a good start and they were 45 for no loss after 4.4 overs. But, after De kock’s dismissal, their batting lineup crumbled and soon they found themselves in big trouble. They lost 4 more wickets in regular intervals and were placed at 101 for 5 in 14.4 overs.

The scoring rate was going down and the pressure of the final was building on their batsmen. But, they had their best man to deal with the pressure, Kieron Pollard. He formed a very crucial partnership of 39 runs from 22 balls with Hardik Pandya for the 6th wicket, from which his contribution was 23 off 12 balls. He hit two consecutive fours in the last 2 balls of the innings against Dwayne Bravo, which let MI post a defendable total of 149.

MI created history by defending this total and becoming the first ever IPL team to lift the trophy for the fourth time. As they won the game by just 1 run, this knock of 41* off 25 balls holds significant importance in the rich history of the most successful IPL franchise.

**1. 60* (32) vs CSK, 2013 Final**

This is my personal favourite knock of Kieron Pollard as it played a huge role in MI becoming the IPL champions for the very first time. After opting to bat first, MI started their innings in a poor manner by losing 4 quick wickets which left them reeling at 52 for 4 in 9.3 overs when Pollard joined Ambati Rayudu in the middle.

They both were the rescuers of the Mumbai Indians from tough situations at that time and they did the same yet again that night in the all important final. Pollard played the role of the aggressor and played his shots freely whenever he got chances and Rayudu supported him well. When Rayudu got out in the 16th over, MI were placed at just 100 and therefore needed a strong finish to post a defendable total. Pollard, supported by the tail enders, went bonkers and smashed the CSK bowlers, especially Dwayne Bravo, and took 13 runs in the very last over with 2 consecutive sixes in the last 2 balls of the innings. His unbeaten knock of 60, involving 7 fours and 3 sixes, came in just 32 balls. His heroics powered MI to 148 from a horrible situation and the MI bowlers defended the total successfully, by virtue of which MI won their first title by a margin of 23 runs.

“When the pressure is highest and the lights are brightest, only the strongest will thrive”. Kieron Pollard has always proved this quote practically on the field and these were just 5 instances of his countless magnificent knocks for the Mumbai Indians. As one of his biggest fans, it’s my tribute to one of the most dependable and successful finishers in T20 history.

Thanks for reading and share your thoughts!

Written by Debashish Sarangi. Follow Debashish on Twitter today.

3 career-changing performances in IPL 2021

Robin Rounder

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May 6, 2021 at 9:25 pm

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3 career-changing performances in IPL 2021 | A look back at 3 great performances that were career-changing in the 2021 Indian Premier League

The 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2021) got postponed due to the increasing effects of COVID-19 in India. 29 matches were played in the season so far with each team playing 7 games except the Delhi Capitals and the Punjab Kings who had played 8 games each.

But even with only half of the tournament completed, we still got to witness some exceptional performances from the players. Performances that can even change the careers of the individuals. Here we’ll talk about 3 such performances in the IPL 2021:

3. Sanju Samson

3 career-changing performances in IPL 2021 | A look back at 3 great performances that were career-changing in the 2021 Indian Premier League

Sanju Samson is extremely talented and a very exciting player to watch. He plays fearlessly and can hit the ball big all around the park. But consistency has been a big issue throughout his career. He has been called out many times for playing too aggressively and throwing his wicket away. He was also dropped from the Indian T20I squad recently.

This season, Sanju was appointed as the skipper of the Rajasthan Royals. In his first game as skipper, Sanju scored a brilliant, stroke-filled 119 off just 63 balls vs Punjab Kings. This season Sanju is the 5th highest run-scorer with 277 runs in 7 innings at an average of 46.17 and strike rate of 145.79. After the first game, Samson again out trying to clear the field on a couple of occasions but after that, he played few sensible innings without dropping his strike rate.

Sanju had been criticized for playing only one or two good innings initially in the IPL and then failing to perform. However, this season he played responsibly and tried to build his innings before attacking the bowling. Even though it was a short period, Sanju showed consistency, which a great sign considering his ball-hitting ability and if he can continue on this then I’m sure Sanju Samson can achieve great things in his career.

2. Moeen Ali

We all knew that Moeen Ali could hit the ball long. Playing for CSK this year Moeen has shown his true potential batting at number 3. He has scored 206 runs in 6 innings at an average of 34.33 and a strike rate of 157.25. Moeen has played fearlessly and selflessly in this IPL. He started attacking from the word go. Even better, he has hit 22 fours and 12 sixes in the 6 innings he has played.

This beast of performance from Moeen Ali can turn the tides in his favor as the T20 world cup will be played in October later this year and with some questions over Dawid Malan’s place at number 3 in the English T20I side, Moeen can be the perfect one for that role.

England has used Moeen in the lower middle-order in t20is where he averages just 17.04 and strikes at 134.71 whereas he has already shown what he can do batting up the order.

His hitting against pace bowling is always under question. However, as you can see in the image he isn’t bad against pace; he is very destructive if bowlers miss their line and length even a little bit. Moeen has played some very good cricket and it surely can change his fortune in the shortest format.

1. Prithvi Shaw

Prithvi Shaw has taken his game to the next level this IPL. After the bizarre IPL 2020, Shaw has returned with a bang. He first scored 800+ runs in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and then has repeated the same form in the Indian Premier League as well. Shaw rectified his technique and has been in beast mode since then. He is the 4th highest run-scorer in IPL 2021 with 308 runs in 8 innings. His strike rate of 166.49 is the highest amongst the top 15 batters in IPL 2021.

Shaw has exploited the field restrictions in the first 6 overs to its fullest and has scored 136 runs – the joint-highest in the powerplay itself. He thrashed Shivam Mavi for 6 fours in the first over of the DC innings against KKR. He scored an 18-ball fifty in that game.

Shaw was dropped from the national side after a string of low scores but the way he came back is remarkable and his performance is a tight slap on to all the people who trolled him during his rough phase with the bat.

These were our picks for the “career-changing performances” in IPL 2021. Have your say!

Thanks for reading. Stay Safe.

Written by Robin Rounder. Follow Robin on Twitter today.

IPL 2021 suspended: BCCI & Indian govt complacent? Arrogant?

Charbel Coorey

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May 5, 2021 at 10:19 pm

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IPL 2021 suspended: BCCI & Indian govt complacent? Arrogant?

IPL 2021 suspended: BCCI & Indian govt too complacent? | Were the BCCI and Indian government arrogant to think they could host IPL in India?

Cricket in India is something else. The IPL is something else. The fanfare, the passion. All the passionate roars from the fans when even a single is scored. The emotion that can’t ever be felt through a TV screen, but you feel plenty of emotion anyway.

This season of IPL was always going to be different, even though the BCCI and the Indian government tried to convince themselves otherwise. Not only did they convince themselves that holding a tournament of this magnitude in India – one of the worst-hit countries in the COVID-19 pandemic – was safe, but they also looked at the possibility of ticket revenue from this tournament itself.

This can easily come off as arrogance. And even greedy. Why? Because it’s as if the mammoth financial revenue gained from broadcasting and sponsorships wasn’t enough. While having fans at the stadium is brilliant from a cricketing perspective, the BCCI and IPL, given the viewership it pulls from around the globe, is not in need of ticketing revenue to survive. Especially in such circumstances.

I tried to make sense of it all in the March 3 episode of The CricBlog Podcast. I tried to make sense of the situation, and posed the question of whether the BCCI was arrogant in believing that such a huge tournament, where a number of overseas players form a key part, could be run without fuss as the nation screams outside the supposedly unbreachable bubble.

Yes, the T20 World Cup is to be held in India later this year, and the IPL was to act as the “test run”. But, how can a tournament that the BCCI was so desperate to keep going because of its financial might be considered simply as a “test run”?

Complacency? Arrogance? Both?

In the end, the word “complacent” can be used to best describe the situation, as the overall COVID-19 situation in India improved at the backend of 2020. The improvement saw fans return to cricket stadiums to watch India and England go head-to-head in Test and T20I cricket in early 2021.

And it wasn’t a small number, either. 60,000 fans were allowed into the 132,000-capacity Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad for the first two T20Is against England. Social distancing was limited, and COVID-19, looking at it as an outsider from Australia, looked to be history in India.

But, with a population as large and dense as India’s, a significant second-wave was very much possible. Many would say it was inevitable. And, it takes just one or two cases of COVID-19 within the bubble for the tournament to be shut down. KKR’s Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier sent the BCCI into a meltdown by testing positive for COVID-19. As did members of CSK’s contingent, including Michael Hussey. So too Wriddhiman Saha.

IPL 2021 suspended: BCCI & Indian govt too complacent? | Were the BCCI and Indian government arrogant to think they could host IPL in India? — IPL 2021 suspended: Mike Hussey has tested positive for COVID-19.

The BCCI held on for dear life, postponing matches and enforcing quarantine periods on teams. However, no matter how tight and well-defined your SOPs are, as soon as the bubble is breached, it’s all over. And, it’s clear that the BCCI felt, before the tournament, that such an instance wouldn’t happen. Even during, they didn’t move games away from Delhi, where it was clear that the nation’s capital was the worst-affected region with regards to COVID-19.

The possibility of such an occurrence, which is greater in India than it is in the UAE, didn’t stop the BCCI and Indian government from taking a huge risk in holding the tournament in India. It is actually a surprise to see the organisers take such a big risk for a tournament of such financial status, as one would think that everything would be done to ensure its protection. After all, the UAE edition in 2020 went pretty well. Hindsight is a great thing, but surely even if you asked a BCCI official before the tournament, he or she would say that the UAE is the safer option.

IPL 2020 was the proof. And, although it was missing the passionate fans, did you enjoy it? I sure did.

But, the BCCI and government felt the worst had passed. In fact, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India is ready to protect humanity from COVID-19 thanks to India’s vaccination plan and programme. The BCCI were convinced nothing could burst the bubble across a timespan of six weeks. Not even one case. After all, the worst was over, right?

IPL 2021 suspended: Our chat on April 26 about the IPL

Sadly not. The situation in India is all-the-more heartbreaking as each day passes by. Soon after the IPL began, India suffered new daily cases upward of 300,000. Andrew Tye was the first Australian to leave to get back home in time. Kane Richardson and Adam Zampa followed soon after. Now, Australians can’t get back home as Scott Morrison last week enforced a travel ban from India until at least May 15. It is now a crime to enter Australia from India, with huge fines and even jail time enforceable, but the BCCI has organised for the Australian contingent to move to either the Maldives or Sri Lanka for the forseeable future. This, understandably, comes with public outcry as other citizens have had to wait much longer to get back home.

And, all for what, BCCI? Ticket revenue, that of which you don’t need to survive right now?

JUST IN | Australian cricketers will be evacuated either to the Maldives or Sri Lanka in the next two to three days, Cricket Australia interim CEO Nick Hockley has announced.
— 2GB 873 (@2GB873) May 5, 2021

The debate on whether the tournament should go ahead raged on. Eventually, the BCCI’s hand was forced, but not before accusations of being “tone-deaf” and carrying on without a word inside the bubble as the nation was on its knees outside it. Had the tournament been played in the UAE, as it was in 2020, there would have been much greater acceptance from the public as to the IPL’s source of escape and distraction.

Because that’s what cricket is. It should a source of pleasure, rather than annoyance. It provides us with an escape; something to look forward to, which is especially important in these difficult times. Instead, cricket tragics no longer have the IPL to look forward to, as the BCCI will have to find some time in an already saturated cricketing calendar to try finish this tournament of which half still remains.

The BCCI and Indian government seemingly couldn’t imagine a situation like this happening. It has, and the IPL, which is nothing compared to human lives but grand in cricketing circles, has fallen victim.

IPL 2021 Chepauk XI: Which players performed best?

Debashish Sarangi

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May 4, 2021 at 11:50 pm

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IPL 2021 Chepauk XI: Which players performed best? | Which players performed best at Chepauk in the initial stages of the IPL 2021 league stage?

IPL 2021 has now been suspended, but we were fortunate to see some really fantastic cricket.

As we all know, the initial games of the mega event took place in two of the most historical grounds of India; the Chepauk and the Wankhede. But, we got contrasting results in both these venues as the tracks of the Wankhede proved to be a belter for the batting side whereas those of the Chepauk looked quite challenging for majority of the batsmen. The Chepauk tracks were sluggish on most of the occasions and even the players like Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell and David Warner struggled to play shots freely.

But, there were definitely some batsmen who made merry on those wickets and showed their class to utmost extent. Also, as a bowler you have to be wise and skilled enough to exploit these conditions; that’s what I believe. Some bowlers used those conditions to perfection and thrived really well in the Chennai leg of the tournament. In this article, I am going to mention a team of those players who I think were exceptional at the Chepauk. Here we go.

WHO WERE THE TWO BEST OPENERS IN CHENNAI?

On the tracks of Chennai, the score made in the powerplay proved to be a boon for the batting side as scoring runs seemed tougher with the progression of the match. So, I have considered the “intent parameter” where I have compared the SRs, boundary run percentages and the balls taken to hit one boundary in the “powerplay phase” of all the openers across teams in the Chennai and have mentioned them in the decreasing order of their SRs in the graph below.

IPL 2021 Chepauk XI: Which players performed best? | Which players performed best at Chepauk in the initial stages of the IPL 2021 league stage? — IPL 2021 Chepauk XI: Intent parameter graph.

It is clear from the graph that Jonny Bairstow is the clear winner in our intent parameter. But, as we know intent is not everything and a player has to be consistent as well. For this purpose, I have mentioned the consistency parameter, where I have compared the total runs, average and overall SR of all the openers in Chepauk this season and have mentioned them in the decreasing order of the runs accumulated by them in the graph below.

From the 2 graphs, it is quite evident that Jonny Bairstow, Nitish Rana and Rohit Sharma were the top 3 openers of the IPL games at the Chepauk this season, with Bairstow and Rana being the top 2.

Who was the best at no 3?

Suryakumar Yadav(4 inns), Rahul Tripathi (3 inns), Manish Pandey (3 inns), Chris Gayle(2 inns), Rajat Patidar (2 inns), Kane Williamson (2 inns), Steven Smith (1 inn), Rishabh Pant (1 inn), Ishan Kishan (1 inn) and Shahbaz Ahmed (1 inn) were the players who batted at number 3 in Chennai. I have taken only the first three names because of their considerable sample size and have compared their respective performances in the graph below.

From the graph, it’s pretty clear that Suryakumar Yadav and Rahul Tripathi are the best two names to bat at no 3. Surya has better average, boundary run percentage and bpb than Tripathi. The difference in their SRs is small. So, I would like to have Suryakumar Yadav as my no 3.

WHO WERE THE BEST PLAYERS AT NO 4 AND 5?

There should not be any debate regarding the number 4 and 5 batsman at Chepauk. Glenn Maxwell and AB de Villiers were way ahead of anybody else batting at those positions in Chennai. Their exploits are mentioned in the chart below.

	RUNS	AVG	SR	BOUNDARY RUN PERCENTAGE	BPB	DOT PERCENTAGE
MAXWELL	176	58.67	149.15	65.90	4.72	31.35
ABD	125	62.5	189.39	65.6	3.67	21.21

From the above table, we can clearly see how dominant this duo was in Chennai. They both complimented each other beautifully in the game against KKR. Maxwell kept the scoreboard ticking in the middle overs and played a very crucial part in dominating the spinners, whereas AB played two match-winning knocks against MI and KKR by batting till the end. So, these two are my obvious picks for the no 4 and no 5 in this XI.

NO 6 CONUNDRUM AND MY SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM:

The games in Chennai were dominated mostly by the top order and middle order batsmen. The finishers struggled to get going mainly due to the sluggishness of the surfaces. So, there are no impressive stats available for a no 6 batter in Chennai. As I am mentioning the “best players in Chennai this year”, so I find it convenient to include Rohit Sharma into this side. The most important reason of Rohit’s success was his adaptability and his style of batting as per the demands of the track. For example, we don’t often see Rohit Sharma playing the delicate shots like a late cut, do we? He took the responsibility of being the senior most batsman of the team and scored the most number of runs (201) at an average of more than 40 and a decent SR of more than 130. So, as there are no impressive numbers available for a finisher, Rohit becomes my automatic choice for an extra batsman in this side. He will be a part of my top 3 alongside Jonny Bairstow and Nitish Rana.

WHO WERE THE TWO BEST SPINNERS OF THE CHENNAI LEG?

For me, Rahul Chahar and Rashid Khan were the two best spinners in Chennai. Rahul Chahar was the highest wicket taker among spinners and played a very crucial role in both the victories of MI in that venue. Rashid was the hardest to be hit, as his overall economy of just 5.6 suggests, even after bowling his full quota of 4 overs in all the 5 games. Below I have mentioned their respective numbers.

	WICKETS	AVG	SR	ECO	DOT ⁰/₀	BPB
RAHUL CHAHAR	9	15.22	13.33	6.85	37.5	9.23
RASHID KHAN	6	18.66	20	5.6	40.83	13.33

Such brilliant numbers keep these two above the other spinners. More importantly, they have performed in 4 out of the 5 games they played there. So, Rahul Chahar and Rashid Khan are the obvious choices for 2 spinners in my team.

WHO WERE THE BEST 3 SEAMERS IN THE GAMES IN CHENNAI?

As far as seamers are concerned, Harshal Patel was the best in business in Chennai in terms of picking wickets as he took 9 wickets in just 3 games. His overall economy was an unbelievable 5.75. He used the conditions to perfection and picked a match winning fifer against MI in the very first game. He mixed his pace, used those cutters, slower balls and even nailed good Yorkers at the death. Some major credits of RCB doing well in Chennai definitely should be given to him.

My other two seamers, though didn’t get as many wickets as they would have liked, were fabulous in Chennai as far as their economy is concerned. The first name I was very impressed with is Mohammed Siraj. He has developed his bowling in the death overs to a great extent. He was bowling Yorker after Yorker and managed to keep a guy like Andre Russell quite in the 19^th over in the game against KKR. I was very impressed by his improved skills in bowling with the white ball.

The third name which I would like to include is Jasprit Bumrah. The reason is quite obvious; he was successful in keeping the best of the batsmen quite in major parts of the games as he always has been throughout his career. I find these 3 guys the hardest to score against and therefore these 3 are my picks as the best 3 seamers to have played in Chennai this season. Their effectiveness is clearly visible from their respective economy, dot ball percentages and bpbs, which are given below.

	ECONOMY	DOTS	BOUNDARIES CONCEDED	DOT ⁰/₀	BPB
HARSHAL	5.75	29	5	40.27	14.4
SIRAJ	5.81	37	8	56.06	8.25
BUMRAH	6.36	47	11	41.22	10.36

So, the best XI to have played in Chennai this season, in my opinion is:-

Jonny Bairstow
Rohit Sharma
Nitish Rana
Suryakumar Yadav
Glenn Maxwell
AB De Villiers
Harshal Patel
Rashid Khan
Rahul Chahar
Mohammed Siraj
Jasprit Bumrah

Share your thoughts!

Written by Debashish Sarangi. Follow Debashish on Twitter today.

IPL 2021 Match 28: RR vs SRH Dream11 Prediction Possible Playing 11 Pitch Report

Charbel Coorey

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May 2, 2021 at 10:23 am

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IPL 2021 Match 28: RR vs SRH Dream11 Prediction Possible Playing 11 Pitch Report | RR vs SRH Dream11 Prediction Today | Rajasthan Royals vs SunRisers Hyderabad Key Players | Delhi Pitch Report

Ahead of this crucial game between two sides desperate for victory, one can’t help but look back at how much the original plans for these two sides have changed.

Over the past day, shock has rung through IPL circles with the news that David Warner, one of the greatest IPL batsmen ever, has been relieved of his captaincy duties at SunRisers Hyderabad. Not only will Kane Williamson take over, but the franchise has stated that there will be a change in overseas combination for this match. Given the form of Bairstow, importance of Rashid Khan and now skipper Williamson, it means that Warner will likely be left out of this clash.

? Announcement ? pic.twitter.com/B9tBDWwzHe
— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) May 1, 2021

Unthinkable, right? Tell that to Rajasthan Royals, who have had their overseas contingent decimated due to injury and COVID-19 concerns. The absence of Jofra Archer is telling, with the Royals struggling for wicket-taking threat throughout the tournament. Here, one hope they have is SRH’s struggling middle order, so if they can find early wickets, they could be in for a good day.

Of course, a lot also depends on Jos Buttler and Sanju Samson leading the way, as well as whether they persist with Shivam Dube at four. All to play for.

Key Players to Watch/Key Stats

Rajasthan Royals:

Sanju Samson has the most runs of any player in RR-SRH matches. His 382 runs come at a good average of 38.20 and decent strike rate of 126. He threatened to go big in the last game vs MI, so RR will be hoping today is his day.
Jos Buttler has not quite made the runs expected of him in IPL 2021 so far (6 inns, 130 runs, avg. 21.66, SR 127.45). Also, his record against SRH is poor (5 inns, 46 runs, avg. 9.20). Can he turn it around?
Yashasvi Jaiswal has looked promising in his two games so far this season (22 off 17 balls vs KKR and 32 off 20 balls vs MI).
Surely David Miller bats at four for RR? He has an OK record against SRH (10 inns, 186 runs, avg. 26.57, SR 133.81) that he is capable of building on given recent form.
Riyan Parag batted beautifully against SRH last season. He scored 42* (26) and 20 (12) against them.
Chris Morris’ 73 runs vs SRH come at a strike rate of 158.70. He also has nine wickets in eight overs in total against them. Plus, he has 11 wickets in this tournament. Key player.
Jaydev Unadkat has taken six wickets in five games vs SRH.
Chetan Sakariya’s sequence this season: 3/31, 0/33, 3/36, 0/35, 1/31 and 0/18. So, is today the day he takes multiple wickets?

SunRisers Hyderabad:

Manish Pandey loves playing against the Royals. He has scored 215 runs in five innings at an average of 53.75 and SR of 147.26. Last season, he scored 54 (44) and 83* (47) against them.
Jonny Bairstow is undroppable right now. He is having a fine season, especially considering he played five matches at Chepauk. In six matches, he has struck 218 runs at an average of 43.60 and SR 141.55. Against the Royals, he has 71 runs in three innings (avg. 23.67) with a highest score of 45.
Kane Williamson is in fine touch, and will be key here again. He is yet to be dismissed in IPL 2021 (16*, 66* and 26*). The new skipper has scored 148 runs in five innings for SRH vs RR at an average of 49.33 and SR 129.82.
Rashid Khan has taken seven wickets in six innings vs RR at an economy rate of just 6.38. He also has nine scalps in six games this season. He will be key against RR’s up-and-down batting.
There is a chance that Bhuvneshwar Kumar returns for this game. He has nine wickets in seven games vs RR at an average of 23 and economy rate of 7.67.

Do you enjoy CricBlog content? We now have a podcast! Listen to the podcast today: Latest episode – Should the IPL continue to go ahead + Was Jadeja’s performance the best all-round display ever?

Stats and Facts

Head-to-head: Matches 13, RR 6, SRH 7.
SRH have never lost against RR when they have batted first (4 wins).
SRH have a boundary percentage of just 46.77% against spin this season (lowest of any team). So, do RR look to bring back Shreyas Gopal or introduce Mayank Markande?
These two sides sit seventh and eighth currently in the IPL 2021 Table.

Possible Playing 11

Rajasthan Royals: 1. Jos Buttler, 2. Yashasvi Jaiswal, 3. Sanju Samson (c & wk), 4. David Miller, 5. Riyan Parag, 6. Rahul Tewatia, 7. Shivam Dube/Mahipal Lomror, 8. Chris Morris, 9. Jaydev Unadkat/Shreyas Gopal, 10. Chetan Sakariya, 11. Mustafizur Rahman

Jason Holder took 3/33 vs RR last season. SRH could look to play him.

SunRisers Hyderabad: 1. David Warner/Jason Roy, 2. Jonny Bairstow (wk), 3. Manish Pandey, 4. Kane Williamson (c), 5. Vijay Shankar, 6. Kedar Jadhav, 7. Rashid Khan, 8. J Suchith/Abhishek Sharma, 9. Bhuvneshwar Kumar/Siddarth Kaul, 10. Sandeep Sharma, 11. Khaleel Ahmed

Arun Jaitley Delhi Pitch Report

The Delhi track has been a beauty for batting in IPL 2021. In the first two games on this ground, the teams batting first scored 171 and lost. Then, in the most classic of El Classicos, MI chased CSK’s 219 courtesy of Kieron Pollard’s stunning knock.

Dream11 Prediction

Option 1:

Option 2:

Match Prediction

A crucial game for both teams. SRH will be hoping that the change they’ve made will pay off for them. SRH to win.

Also read: 5 potential mid-season loan transfers in IPL 2021

IPL 2021 Match 27: MI vs CSK Dream11 Prediction Possible Playing 11 Pitch Report

Charbel Coorey

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May 1, 2021 at 4:55 pm

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IPL 2021 Match 27: MI vs CSK Dream11 Prediction Possible Playing 11 Pitch Report | MI vs CSK Dream11 Prediction Today | Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings Key Players | Delhi Pitch Report

Here. We. Go. The IPL’s ‘El-Classico’ is upon us, and this shapes up to be one hell of a contest.

Why? Because Chennai Super Kings have well and truly resurrected from the ashes of their IPL 2020 campaign, which included a harrowing and embarrassing defeat to Mumbai Indians. Now, CSK are genuine title contenders once again, playing an attacking, exciting brand of cricket that makes them great to watch.

The form of the all-rounders in Moeen Ali and Ravindra Jadeja have provided Faf du Plessis and Ruturaj Gaikwad with greater freedom to express themselves. The bowling attack has also held its own, as the side is focused on playing attacking cricket. And, importantly, you know you’re going well when the great MS Dhoni hasn’t really been a factor with the bat yet in IPL 2021.

So, we’re in for a beauty, as Mumbai Indians hit form against Rajasthan Royals on Thursday. MI looked relieved to finally leave Chepauk, after a struggle in their first five games. With Boult and Bumrah excellent at the death, and Quinton de Kock back in the runs, MI will back themselves to break CSK’s five-match losing streak. However, it will certainly be one tough ask.