Week 7 & 8 review

 A humdinger that went up to the penultimate league match

The last two weeks of the tournament have been bizarre to say the least. Just when you expected a team to comfortably make it through, either they come crashing down or the opponent puts in a surprise performance.

Take the CSK v DC match for example. DC were flying high and were expected to cement their place in the top 4 with an easy win. But lo! They came crashing down and dithered into pieces as the CSK batsmen and then their bowlers landed punch after punch. But after such a glorious performance CSK had 3 matches that they'd like to forget as they ended their disappointing campaign with successive hammerings from MI, GT and RR. In all, CSK's fall from glory must be attributed to their inconsistent auction strategy and the injury to Deepak Chahar. Also, the decision to hand captaincy to Jaddu only helped to complicate matters further.

After the CSK debacle, DC put up impressive shows against RR and PBKS. But luck deserted them on the penultimate day as MI sprang a surprise on them and ousted them from the tournament thereby allowing RCB to go through. DC definitely were in with a shot this time but were done in by unexpected challenges. First Covid played rampage on their initial form and then Prithvi Shaw missed a few matches due to illness. Rishabh Pant's lack of conviction in captaincy and in batting also proved costly. 

PBKS pulled off a little surprise of their own when they whacked RCB in emphatic fashion to keep top 4 hopes alive. But their subsequent loss to DC put their hands in the fate of RCB and MI. As RCB and MI shut the windows, PBKS were left to rue what could have been as they decimated SRH in the final game of the league stage in what turned out to be a dead rubber. Both PBKS and DC had better performance quotients than RCB but failed to click when it mattered and found themselves out of contention. Mayank Agarwal's floppy season and over dependence on Shikhar Dhawan pulled them down. 

Equally ordinary was SRH's performance. After stringing a sequence of 5 successive wins, they fell into a rut losing 5 on the trot - the last of which was a loss to KKR. That loss almost condemned them and threw them out of the tournament. Fortunately a win against MI put them back in contention, albeit at the mercy of RCB and MI once again. With nothing to gain after RCB shut the door on them, they played their poorest match of the tournament against PBKS to finish 8th. Lack of variation in batting and bowling made them predictable and teams were easily able to negotiate them with ease. Skipper KW's form only piled the misery.

KKR showed promise during the early stages of the tournament only to falter in mid-season. But they did seem to have regrouped after victories over MI and SRH. An extraordinary rear guard action against LSG by Rinku Singh almost carried them across the line but they fell short of the finishing line to crash out of the tournament. KKR suffered from dependence on Dre Russ to save them every time they played. While Russ did seem to deliver, crunch games did not go their way and led them to elimination.

Like CSK, MI had a season to forget. Having invested heavily in their core from past seasons at the auction, they struggled to get the best out of the rest. After picking up their first victory in week 6, they crashed once again as they lost to KKR but surged back to dump CSK out of the tournament. With nothing to play for they ran SRH close before denying DC a place in the play-offs at the death. Rohit's form, Ishan's form and SKY's injury were talking points on the outside but deep within MI had a millions problems to deal with. Apart from the top 3 there was no one in the line-up to look up to when in crisis. Jasprit Bumrah had a decent season and yet it looked like a bad season for him since the other bowlers rarely gave him any support. And their foreign contingent was the weakest group of all 10 teams in the tournament.

Moving on to the top 4, RCB squeezed through on the penultimate after leaving it late to leave their fate in the hands of MI. They made up for the huge loss to PBKS by easily defeating GT but with a large negative NRR, their hopes hinged on DC losing to MI which eventually turned out to be so. Luck has never been with RCB over the past 14 seasons and going by what transpired in the last 2 weeks, RCB fans can definitely hope "Ee saala cup naamde". Kohli's return to form in their last match must be a welcome sign while DK (after the national team call-up) must be flying high.

LSG also squeezed through as KKR almost toppled their applecart. But they only had themselves to blame for this as they looked insipid against GT and RR in their previous games. The fact that they made history with the IPL's first 200 run opening wicket stand (was undefeated as well) could have disappeared had KKR held their nerves in the chase - special mention to Ewin Lewis for taking the catch of the 15 IPL seasons so far. Thankfully, LSG have KL and QDK in form and will hope that they can carry them all the way to the pinnacle.

RR were the team to beat at the beginning of the tournament. They had a few slips in between but were quite adept in bouncing back every time. After a disappointing loss to DC, they came back strongly to see off LSG and CSK to get into the top 2 - which means two attempts at reaching the final - always a privilege. With a well balanced batting line-up and a bowling line-up that can induce fear in the opposition they seem determined to go for glory this time. Jos Butler and Sanju Samson do hold the fire power to help with this.

The tournament's hot favorites are GT though. They hardly broke a sweat getting though LSG and CSK before an experimentation against RCB resulted in a loss. But having already snapped top spot with a game to go, they had every right to experiment as they did. Hardik Pandya is a transformed player (& captain) and with players like Rashid Khan, Mohammad Shami, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Mathew Wade and Wridhiman Saha in support it's been a dream run. Nobody has finished games this season like GT and they'll hope that those finishing skills would come good in the play-offs as well.

Week 7 performances

Excellent:  DC, PBKS, GT, KKR

Good: RR

Fair enough: MI, RCB

Mediocre: SRH, LSG, CSK

Week 8 performances

Excellent:  RCB, LSG

Good: RR

Fair enough: MI, PBKS, DC, SRH, GT

Mediocre: CSK, KKR

Performance quotient

Week 6 review

 Top 2 emerging; Race for remaining spots gets crowded

It's now emerging clearly that LSG and GT are marginally ahead of the rest of the pack and it is safe to say that they will qualify for the play-offs. As for the remaining spots, except for MI every other team still have a shot - now it just depends on which team performs on it's day and it could be anybody's game.

Take SRH for example. A week ago they were the form team of the tournament. But it's now 4 defeats back to back and they have now fallen out of the top 4 although not drastically. With opponents having had the measure of Umran and the rest of the bowling line-up running into a combo of injury crisis and dip in form, they have been left to depend on their batting to chase targets beyond their reach. KW's form is still a cause of concern and although Markram, Tripathi and Pooran have been making runs, they have not been able to create the requisite impact. With Washy and Natrajan missing, the bowling and the lower batting order look very ordinary. They really need to be on top of the game for their next 3 games.

RCB's fortunes have taken a turn for good even though VK's form hasn't been anything of mention. Their fortunes seem to follow the performances of their foreign contingent and Faf, Maxi, Hasaranga and Hazlewood have lived up to their billing. DK's end innings heroics continued against CSK and SRH while Shahbaz and Rajat Patidar are proving to be worth the money invested. On current form they look poised for a play-off berth.

CSK's push for play-off qualification seems like it has come very late but they are continuing to cling on to the last straw. A win against RCB could have helped their cause but the batting order once again crumbled just when it was required. The openers seem to have struck form at the right moment though with Conway breathing new life into the slot. MSD's influence does seem to have a say, but it has not been as impactful as previous seasons - reflected in his statement after the loss to RCB - "the world is not going to end if CSK don't qualify". But a win against DC has at least kept them in contention for this week.

The mid table teams are still jostling with RR, PBKS, DC and KKR each winning one and losing one this week. RR though must be fighting at the top given that the top run getter(Butler) and wicket taker(Chahal) of the tournament are playing for them but somehow are conjuring up inexplicable losses. Against KKR they were totally listless but found the mojo against PBKS.

Both PBKS and KKR blew hot and cold with KKR blowing it colder. They definitely seem out of sorts are destined to follow MI and (unfortunately) CSK through the exit door. PBKS are also clinging on to the same straw that CSK is holding on to. So any slip-up in the next week could show them as well the exit door. While DC also sit on 10 points, among the 5 teams that are vying for the 4th play-off spot they are seated in a better position.

The week's surprise came when MI sprang a surprise by muting GT at their game. Needing 9 off the last over, GT managed to lose the game by 5 runs despite having Tewatia and Miller at the crease in that last over. Pride restored, MI must certainly be hurting and already looking forward to the 2023 edition.

Week 5 performances

Excellent:  RCB, LSG

Good: MI, CSK, PBKS

Fair enough: GT, KKR, RR, DC

Mediocre: SRH

My performance quotient for each team

Week 5 review

 MI get a win finally; KKR wheels coming off? No clear picture emerging yet!

Yet another week has passed with no clear picture yet. The only picture that has emerged from the lot has been that newcomers GT and LSG have almost confirmed their entry into the knockout stages. But the remaining teams are still slugging it out to reach the top.

The week saw PBKS bouncing back from last week's debacle to strangle CSK's chase in the first match of the week. MS could not repeat the heroics of last week as both the target and opponent grew large on them towards the end of their chase. For the Kings, Gabbar continued his incredible batting form against CSK - amassing the maximum runs for a batsman against a particular team. 

PBKS though could not carry that form into their match against LSG later in the week. This time it was PBKS's turn to be choked in the chase as LSG's bowlers tightened the noose in a relatively small chase. In their next match LSG held their nerves to stifle DC's chase making it a successful week for them.

This week saw a decline in the overall runs scored by teams as the pitches at Mumbai and Pune started wearing out. KKR felt the brunt of this as they slid to their 5th straight loss this season losing to DC. Also sharing the same fate was RCB who had a poor outing against RR despite restricting them around the 150 mark. VK's form slump continued into that game as well. Kohli struck form in their next game against GT only to be let down by the rest of the team as GT once again rode on Tewatia heroics to win from a precarious position.

In fact, Tewatia was at the center of two scintillating chases this week as GT got the better of SRH and RCB. Against the former, GT had to overcome a spirited spell from the Jammu express Umran Malik. Umran picked 5 wickets in that game but got little support from the bowlers at the other end. SRH ended up conceding 25 runs off the final over to lose the game to some Rashid Khan pyrotechnics. SRH's misfortune with bowling carried on to their next game against CSK (with a new captain in MSD!!) who sent them on a leather hunt to score over 200 runs. SRH who have a horrible record chasing scores in excess of 180 (1 win in 13) faltered in the chase to cap off the week with 2 losses although their batting fared better in both matches. 

And lastly, MI got their first taste of victory as they chased down RR's below par score. Hitman's form still is a concern for MI but SKY clicked once again. Also exciting was the fact that two relative unknown players in Hrithik Shoukeen and Karthikeya shone in the match - definite India prospects. 

Week 5 performances

Excellent:  GT, LSG

Good: RR, CSK, DC, MI

Fair enough: SRH, PBKS

Mediocre: KKR, RCB

My performance quotient for each team

Week 4 review

 MI are out; A week that oscillated between close matches and lackluster performances

This must probably have been the week where the tournament must have taken full shape. Right at the middle of the season where teams are expected to have zeroed in on the best combination and teams are expected to have struck the right form to carry them through. But on the contrary, the week has turned out to be the most unpredictable of all. While MI's fate seems to have been sealed already, some of the remaining teams also ran the risk of following MI to the exit door too soon. But just when you thought that was going to happen, the very same teams put up better shows to escape the trap door.

KKR are entering the same rut that has engulfed MI. Even though both their matches were close games, their over dependence on Dre Rus to take them over the line has meant that the finishing touches are not being put in place resulting in close defeats to RR and GT. They need to pull their sock up soon. PBKS also had a poor outing this week and ended up being thrashed by DC's spinners.

As for GT, they are on a roll - Hardik's batting and a collective bowling effort continue to keep them afloat. They seem like potential play-off material and just like RR in the inaugural season they seem like the dark horse.

RR were the form team of the week making two scores of over 200 in both their matches. Yuzi Chahal's magical hattrick trumped KKR while a Butler masterpiece accompanied by an unexplainable act of stupidity from the DC team helped RR prevent DC from claiming an unlikely victory. After all, it is not every day that you see a game where the chasing team needs 36 off the final over and rattles 18 runs off the first 3 balls. Pant & Co. were fined heavily for their intervention during the match but their little intervention in itself was a self-inflicted penalty actually.

DC, LSG and RCB had a mixed week. DC's routing of PBKS was supposed to be a launchpad but indiscretion brought them down against RR. LSG had a week game against RCB only to bounce back against MI - riding on a super century from KL. MI are definitely KL's bunny having already been at the receiving end of a KL century last week.

RCB too had an up and down week as skipper Faf got back his form against LSG. Unfortunately for fans though Kohli continued to bite the dust. Kohli's wretched form rubbed on to the whole team as RCB got walloped by SRH in their next match - dismissed for a partly 68 on the back of another golden duck for VK - incidentally the third time RCB have scored less than 100 on the 23rd of April across seasons!

MSD's resurgence in the game against MI has been the only spark for CSK at the tournament so far. Even if it was for one game, MSD did turn back the clock and sent fans into a dizzy. It was definitely pleasing to watch MSD toy around with the MI thinktank. SRH had the one game this week and it was a perfect game for them - classic bowling display followed by the perfect chase that transformed the NRR into the positive side.

Week 4 performances

Excellent:  SRH, GT, RR, CSK

Good: LSG, DC

Fair enough: RCB, KKR, MI

Mediocre: PBKS

My performance quotient for each team

Week 3 review

 MI's debacle; SRH's ascendency; Is the tournament taking shape already?

It's been a week of weird tales. MI and SRH started at the base of the table. By the end of the week MI are still rooted to the bottom and SRH are in the top 4. SRH are the team of the week. After dispatching runaway leaders GT with disdain, SRH went on to whip KKR and PBKS. A look back at the commonality of that run shows strong contributions from the bowlers - especially the super quick Umran Malik. The way he humbled Shreyas Iyer and the way he humbled the bottom 5 of PBKS are stand out memories of the week. Steyn and Muralitharan's celebration of Iyer's wicket comes in a close second. Not that SRH are dependent on bowlers alone - Kane, Pooran, Markram and Jansen have proved to be worthy foreign additions while Bhuvi, Nattu and Washington have also chipped in. 

In sharp contrast comes MI's disastrous run. While SKY has been trying to pull the team together and Baby AB has been threatening to break-free (only to deceive), the rest have been appalling. Skipper Rohit needs to pick himself up if MI are to show any semblance of recovery. Not to mention the bowling. Bumrah has been blowing hot and cold - cold dominating mostly. The remaining bowlers have not even come close to standards - MI are definitely missing Archer. And it looks like the writing is already on the wall for MI. Will they or won't they?

The other form team of the week is GT. Barring the loss to SRH, they have been consistent - riding on the back of a newfound Hardik and a spirited bowling unit. Although they huffed and puffed to victory over CSK, they did seem in control of the chase with Miller the killer. Also appreciable in Rashid Khan's ascendency to the captaincy - for someone who blossomed in the IPL from a raw talent to world beater, captaincy is certainly a deserving credit.

RCB, RR and LSG are still trying to dust off inconsistencies. While DK has come to the rescue of RCB more than once, Butler certainly seems like shouldering RR's season. While there has been the occasional support from Hetmeyer, the remaining batsmen need to live up to the benchmark they set for themselves in the first week. As for RCB, Maxwell's arrival seems to have provided them with hope but that significant knock from VK is still pending. A good sign for RCB though is the bowling starting to click. KL's century against MI is an ominous sing for LSG but they also need to come good as an unit. But all signs are positive for them.

And finally, to the defending champions. They showed promise in the run fest against RCB only to let slip a winning chance against GT. Looking up the table, teams above them are stronger in almost all aspects and they need to come up with a plan. They looked good in shades - Dube's flamboyance and Ruturaj's return to form are welcome signals. But the bowling needs to back the batters. Theekshana needs support and with Chahar missing the IPL, they quickly need a turnaround. Does Jaddu have it in him to bring it? Will MSD be able to wield his brain around one more time like how he plotted that Kohli wicket? Let us wait and see.

Week 3 performances

Excellent:  SRH

Good: RCB, LSG, GT

Fair enough: RR, CSK, PBKS

Mediocre: KKR, DC, MI

My performance quotient for each team

Week 2 review

 A topsy-turvy week; MI & CSK continue the rut; Cummins, Tewatia blast through

It was as topsy-turvy as it can get. While RCB were the form team of the week, the remaining teams had absolute levelers to contend with. Sunrisers looked like they are set for a difficult run at the tournament. Against LSG, after a more than good bowling performance, the batters came up a cropper one more time. Not that they had the upper hand but they let us squander at the crucial moment - something they will have needed to correct before the season unravels. And they did put up a better respond against CSK with the batters making an impact to match their bowlers.

For CSK though, the journey already looks arduous. After a feeble performance against PBKS, things got even worse as they surrendered meekly to SRH. Deepak Chahar's absence and Gaikwad's form are just the top two of at least 10 different issues that CSK have to correct. Coach Fleming clearly summed it up when he said they need to improve batting, bowling and fielding. One just hopes the revival comes next week. Otherwise CSK are in danger of facing an early exit from the season - remember it's a 10 team event now.

Speaking of teams in danger, MI are another team in a similar quagmire. Unlike CSK, their problem does not lie in all departments - it's rather smaller - they need someone to rise to the occasion. All of them barring SKY have been lackluster - even though Ishan has hit a couple of 50s. Their bowling and foreign recruits look woefully short of talent. If anything, now is the time for Rohit, Bumrah, Ishan and Pollard to rise up to SKY levels.

Staying in the sky, RR and LSG were brought back from the sky is spectacular fashion this week. Against RCB, RR seemed well in control before DK intervened (once again). And the team that seemed like a complete team last week with its bowlers, batters and allrounders came crashing down. It looked like that was going to repeat against LSG later in the week but they managed to hang on and come through with a win. 

On the contrary, LSG began the week with a resounding win against SRH on the back of a spectacular bowling performance built on Rahul's captaincy. Avesh picked 4 wickets in the match to establish himself as a formidable star at the IPL. They followed that with another emphatic dispatch of DD. So when Stoinis came into the fold in their next game against RR, they were supposed to rule the roost. But LSG got hit by the sucker punch as RR ran away with the game.

The highlight of the week is a close one. If Cummins' onslaught on MI was a once-in-a-lifetime, Tewatia was cool as a cucumber as he helped GT rattle off 12 runs off the final 2 balls against PBKS. Incidentally that six by Tewatia was the 4th consecutive match this week that someone had hit a six to the win the match. But Tewatia's six was the best of the lot.

And finally DC, who seemed like a contender last week, had a poor outing against LSG but more than made up for that by making 215 runs in the game against KKR. That match turned out to be KKR's leveler. In the end, like the crabs in a bucket, the teams have been pulling each other down into the bucket, keeping it a level playing field. Among the ruckus GT have once again gotten through a week without losing. Who will emerge from this next week? Let us wait and see - Will it be GT?

Week 2 performances

Excellent:  GT, RCB

Good: LSG, RR, KKR

Fair enough: DC, PBKS, SRH

Mediocre: CSK, MI

My performance quotient for each team

Week 1 review

 RR, KKR are early trend setters; Newcomers show promise; MI, CSK, SRH getting it all wrong; RCB, DD continue inconsistency

If the opening week of the season has anything to indicate, a clear picture already seems to be emerging. Rajasthan Royals look like a complete team and their careful picks at the auction seems to have paid dividends. With a team that boasts of blasters, RR have bulldozed their way to the top of the league with a couple of emphatic batting performances against SRH and MI. A look at the team and you can see absolutely no loop holes anywhere. The famed Chahal-Ashwin combo and the Butler-Samson combo have lived up to the expectations. And with players like Padikkal, Hetmeyer, Boult, Jaiswal in their ranks, they are all set to give nightmares to opponents as the season progresses.

Equally impressive has been KKR's push. Even though they faltered against RCB, they did make up for that with their bowling (despite the loss). But their decimation of PBKS through the Andre Russell onslaught would certainly send jitters.

LSG and GT have had mixed bags but have players that show lot of promise. LSG's Ayush Badoni is one to watch with his stroke making capabilities. KL's captaincy continues to be a point of contention but they do have the batting firepower to polish of some shortcomings. Let us hope KL's captaincy and the team's bowling performances show improvement as the tournament progresses. As for GT, they have made it out of the week unscathed without any defeats. On both occasions (against LSG and DC) they have had the team coming together to conjure up victories - a strong signal that they are here to go the distance.

RCB barely managed to scrap through in the game against KKR after having a rare better performance with the ball. Only this time, their batting faltered only to be rescued by DK. One hopes that this is just a blip and not a testimony of their inconsistency. Similarly DC have also blown hot and cold in their two games. Against MI, they had Axar Patel and Lalit Yadav to thank. But against GT, the wheels just came off. RCB and DC have to dust-off the dirt and make positive strides as we go into the second week. With Glen Maxwell and David Warner coming in for RCB and DC respectively, that should definitely happen.

The real surprise of the season has to be two of the other three. MI have been woefully off color despite Ishan Kishan proving his money's worth. Given that they ran into the RR juggernaut and also the fact that they were without SKY, let us hope it was just an aberration and the real MI would turn up soon. .As for CSK, their auction ploy to "bring back the family" seems to have backfired. Equally culpable is the decision to appoint Jadeja as captain a day before the season began. CSK are going to need a miracle if they have to turn their fortunes. The form of Ruturaj and a strong bowling unit are immediate requirements. Hopefully, these pieces fall in line.

And finally to SRH that seem destined to bring up the rear. They picked a team that was bowling dependent at the auction. But the bowlers dont seem to have a plan. There is no spinner to do a rescue act. Umran Malik has pace but nobody to guide him. As for the batting, it's be better not to say anything about it. Against RR it was a clueless display of cricket. And the bizarre umpiring decision that came along did little to help. SRH have a long way to go and the season already seems long for them!

Week 1 performances

Excellent: RR, KKR, GT

Good: LSG

Fair enough: DC, RCB, MI, PBKS

Mediocre: CSK, SRH