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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

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.

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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.