Here we are, after another week full of entertainment, adrenaline, and anticipation. This IPL season is not disappointing us, to say the least, though this week's matches were not as unpredictable as the previous weeks, the complete shift of fates and points table standings gives us a different picture.
At the end of the current round of matches, Kagiso Rabada of Delhi Capitals has claimed the purple cap with an impressive 12 wickets in just 5 matches. Competing with Rabada is Jasprit Bumrah of Mumbai Indians with 11 wickets in 6 matches followed by his fellow teammates Trent Boult and James Pattison who picked up 10 and 9 wickets respectively. This is a complete shift for Mumbai Indians, who have dominated the early stages of IPL, unlike previous seasons. KL Rahul of KXIP has been consistent throughout the week being the highest run-getter so far with 313 runs in 6 matches and we are certainly not let down with this blazing score. Faf du Plessis of CSK secured his position on the second rank with 299 runs in 6 matches, followed by Rahul's opening partner Mayank Agarwal in the third place. We can surely say that this season the race for that orange cap will be a chase of a cat and mouse.
THE STUNNING VICTORY OF CSK LEAVES KXIP IN DESPAIR
Chennai Super Kings won their second match of this Dream11 IPL against KXIP by 10 wickets. After facing 4 defeats, CSK is back after hitting rock bottom with more determination than ever, fetching the victory against KXIP. Chasing a score of 178 runs, the opening batsmen Shane Watson (83/53) and Faf du Plessis (87/53) chased down the target in mere 17 overs. Both the openers destroyed the Punjab bowling unit with a hailstorm of sixes and four.
DELHI CAPITALS ARE NOT HERE TO PLAY, THEY ARE HERE TO DEFEAT AND DESTROY:
Describing the match played between KKR and DC as spectacular would be an understatement. The epic score of 228 runs made by Delhi Capitals was given a tough fight by the Kolkata Knight Riders, however, they failed to steal the win away from the capitals by meager 18 runs. Shreyas Iyer (88/33) and Prithvi Shaw (66/41) helped DC to put up a humongous target for KKR. As the runs escalated, so did the enthusiasm of the fans. Bowlers like Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje picked up critical wickets of Andre Russell and Eoin Morgan in the most crucial moments, humbling the KKR chase. This performance only boosted the confidence of the players for the upcoming matches, and who knows, maybe this hunger for victory leads the Delhi Capitals to their first-ever IPL trophy.
MUMBAI INDIANS MAKE A MAGNIFICENT COMEBACK TO THE, LEAVING THE VIEWERS GOBSMACKED:
seeing Mumbai Indians in the 2 on the points table is surely surprising for IPL lovers. The captain Rohit Sharma has played a huge part in this success by scoring 211 runs in 6 matches along with the game-changing wicket-taker Jasprit Bumrah, taking the expectations of the audience from 0 to 100 in a mere week. Bouncing back from their days of defeat, this team has earned its place with resilience. These heights have not only been achieved because of the bewildering efforts of the players but also due to the dedication and faith shown by fans towards the team.
SUPER OVER, SUPER SUNDAY
IPL double-headers are always intoxicating, but the latest round of Sunday double headers featuring SRH vs KKR and MI vs KXIP, presented something magical, something that never happened before. Not only the two matches concluded in superovers, MI vs KXIP went one step further and became the first match in IPL history to end with a double super over, in which KXIP edged out high-flying MI. In the afternoon affair between the Knight Riders and the Sunrisers, Lockie Ferguson’s brilliant bowling helped KKR in stopping SRH from running away with a victory.
OPPOSITE FATES OF KL AND KXIP
If you look at the orange cap list you will see 2 KXIP batsmen in the top 3, KL Rahul, and Mayank Agarwal and when we go through the purple cap tally who do you see in the top 3, KXIP pacer Shami. So despite having such great players who are firing all cylinders, how can KXIP fail to win a majority of their fixtures? The answer is not so simple, lack of a strong middle batting order, a weak death bowling unit, and failure to win close encounters have all contributed to the overall dismal state of the kings who currently sit at the bottom of the points table with a little hope of qualifying for the playoffs. KXIP have lost a match in super over, lost a match by just 2 runs, they have lost a match by failing to defend 223 runs.So despite having 3 powerful players, the overall lack of team effort has put this team in such a state. So if KXIP have any chances of progression, they need their entire unit to punch above their weights.
The race for top four and the zest to play in the playoffs is heating up, with bottom four all tied on 6 points, only separated by Net Run Rate. With 5 rounds of matches still to go, this year's IPL is surely shaping up to be a treat for fans all over the world.
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