IPL-17: MI vs SRH | Sunrisers Hyderabad eye consistency in must-win IPL clash against Mumbai Indians

IPL-17: MI vs SRH | Sunrisers Hyderabad eye consistency in must-win IPL clash against Mumbai Indians

A confident Sunrisers Hyderabad will look to produce a dominant show against a frail Mumbai Indians outfit and move up in the Indian Premier League points table when the two teams clash in Mumbai on May 6. Placed fourth in the IPL points table with 12 points in 10 matches with six wins and four losses, SRH will be desperate to produce an all-round show and make improvements especially in their bowling department. The Pat Cummins-led side is in the midst of an intense battle between multiple teams who are bidding for spots in the final four, with Rajasthan Royals (16 points), Kolkata Knight Riders (14 points) and Lucknow Super Giants (12 points) placed above SRH. Chennai Super Kings (5th with 10 points) and a resurgent Delhi Capitals (6th with 10 points) are breathing down SRH’s neck, a scenario that would force the 2016 winners to shrug off any rust and get ready for an intense mid-table battle. If a two-paced pitch at the Wankhede Stadium for the previous clash against KKR was an aberration, the free-flowing SRH batters would look to make merry and pile up a huge score as they have done several times this year. The pitches here generally are batting-friendly and short boundary lengths at this venue make scores in excess of 200 a norm, but the MI-KKR contest played out on a sluggish surface last Friday challenged the batters to dig deep. SRH would be high on confidence having pipped the table-toppers RR by just one run in their previous outing, a game in which their bowlers pulled off a thrilling win. Travis Head (396 runs), Abhishek Sharma (315) and Heinrich Klaasen (337) remain the enforcers in SRH’s batting but South African Aiden Markram would be keen to make a big score of his own, having had a mixed run so far. Nitish Kumar Reddy (219 runs) has emerged as one of the most promising players for SRH in last few games which takes a significant amount of pressure off the key batters. T Natarajan’s (15 wickets) accuracy would be handy for SRH as the left-arm pacer is chasing Mumbai Indians’ Jasprit Bumrah (17) for the purple cap. Five-time winners Mumbai slipped to the bottom of the pool again when Royal Challengers Bengaluru trumped Gujarat Titans on Saturday night. With only three wins in 11 matches, MI’s challenge is all but over and there is only “pride and name” left to play for by their own admission. However, all is not lost as MI’s key India players for the upcoming T20 World Cup, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya would remain in focus for their individual form. Rohit’s all-out aggressive approach has not yielded many big scores whereas the world number 1 T20 batter Suryakumar would be eyeing consistency after a fine half-century against KKR a few nights ago. India vice-captain Pandya has being consistently on the receiving end due to his ordinary form with both bat and ball and also his on-field decisions as MI skipper. The all-rounder, however, would be keen to make amends and put an end to the criticism that he has been facing ever since this IPL edition got underway. Teams (from) Mumbai Indians: Hardik Pandya (c), Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Dewald Brevis, Jasprit Bumrah, Piyush Chawla, Gerald Coetzee, Tim David, Shreyas Gopal, Ishan Kishan (wk), Anshul Kamboj, Kumar Kartikeya, Akash Madhwal, Kwena Maphaka, Mohammad Nabi, Shams Mulani, Naman Dhir, Shivalik Sharma, Romario Shepherd, Arjun Tendulkar, Nuwan Thushara, Tilak Varma, Harvik Desai (wk), Nehal Wadhera, Luke Wood. Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Aiden Markram, Abdul Samad, Nitish Reddy, Shahbaz Ahmed, Pat Cummins (c), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat, T Natarajan, Mayank Markande, Umran Malik, Anmolpreet Singh, Glenn Phillips (wk), Rahul Tripathi, Washington Sundar, Upendra Yadav (wk), Jhathavedh Subramanyan, Sanvir Singh, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Marco Jansen, Akash Maharaj Singh, Mayank Agarwal. Match starts 7:30pm IST.

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Lucknow Super Giants vs Kolkata Knight Riders, IPL 2024: Match Preview, Fantasy Picks, Pitch And Weather Reports

Lucknow Super Giants vs Kolkata Knight Riders, IPL 2024: Match Preview, Fantasy Picks, Pitch And Weather Reports

Match 54 of the Indian Premier League, 2024, will be played between Lucknow Super Giants and Kolkata Knight Riders (LSG vs KKR) at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow, on Sunday. Lucknow Super Giants have played 10 matches and are ranked third on the points table with 12 points. Kolkata Knight Riders have also played 10 matches and are ranked second on the points table with 14 points. Pitch Report and Weather Conditions The pitch at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow, will allow for good stroke play and the batters will find it easy to bat on the surface. The surface will not allow a lot of assistance to the bowlers and wicket-taking is going to be difficult. The average first-innings score at this venue in the last 20 matches is 139 runs. The pitch is a sporting one with decent assistance for both batters and bowlers on offer. Depending on the ground conditions, the team winning the toss may decide to bat or bowl. Pace or Spin? The venue is suited for both pacers and spinners alike. Weather Report The temperature will hover around 37 degree C and humidity is expected to be around 10%. Winds at a speed of 4.68 m/s are expected. Head-to-Head In the four matches played between these two teams, Kolkata Knight Riders do not have a good record against Lucknow Super Giants. Based on our analysis and trends, we predict that Lucknow Super Giants will win this match. Kolkata Knight Riders’ batters have earned the most fantasy points for their team, while the wicket-keepers have earned the most fantasy points for Lucknow Super Giants. In their previous encounter in this series, Phil Salt was the Man of the Match while Nicholas Pooran scored the highest fantasy points for Lucknow Super Giants with 65 fantasy points. Phil Salt topped the fantasy points leaderboard for Kolkata Knight Riders with 143 fantasy points. Fantasy Top Captain and Vice-Captain Picks Sunil Narine Sunil Narine is an all-rounder with an average of 101 fantasy points in the last 10 games, a fantasy rating of 9.6 and is a differential player for your Fantasy Team. He is a top-order, left-handed batter. In the last 10 matches, he has scored 380 runs at an average of 38 per match. Narine is also a handy bowler, bowling off-break and in recent matches, he has taken 13 wickets, averaging 20.7 per match. KL Rahul KL Rahul is a wicket-keeper with an average of 68 fantasy points in the last 10 games, a fantasy rating of 9.5 and is a good-to-have player for your Fantasy Team. He is a top-order, right-handed batter and also keeps wickets. In the recent 10 matches, he has scored 406 runs at an average of 40.1 per match. Philip Salt Phil Salt is a wicket-keeper with an average of 68 fantasy points in the last 10 games, a fantasy rating of 8.9 and can be a good pick for your Dream11 Team. Salt is a top-order, right-handed batter and also keeps wickets. In the last 10 matches, he has scored 397 runs averaging 44.1 per match. Andre Russell Andre Russell can be a good safe pick for your Dream11 Team. He has an average of 58 fantasy points in the last 10 games and a fantasy rating of 8.7. He is a right-handed batter. In the recent 10 matches, he has scored 186 runs at an average of 37.2 per match. Russell can also give you some bowling fantasy points, bowling right-arm fast and in recent matches, he has taken 11 wickets at an average of 19.1 per match. Marcus Stoinis Marcus Stoinis is an all-rounder with an average of 58 fantasy points in the last 10 games, a fantasy rating of 9.6 and is a good-to-have player for your Fantasy Team. Stoinis is a top-order, right-handed batter. In the last 10 matches, he has scored 316 runs at an average of 39.5 per match. He is also a handy bowler, bowling right-arm medium and in recent matches, he has taken four wickets, averaging 24.3 per match. Mohsin Khan Mohsin Khan is a bowler with an average of 46 fantasy points in the last 10 games, a fantasy rating of 7.6 and can be a good pick for your Dream11 Team. He is a left-arm medium-fast bowler and in the recently played seven matches, he has taken nine wickets at an average of 31.4. Shreyas Iyer Shreyas Iyer is a batter with an average of 45 fantasy points in the last 10 games, a fantasy rating of 8.6 and is a very consistent player in terms of fantasy points. He is a top-order, right-handed batter. In the last 10 matches, Iyer has scored 257 runs averaging 36.7 per match. Mayank Yadav Mayank Yadav is a fairly consistent player in terms of fantasy points. He has an average of 43 fantasy points in the last 10 games and a fantasy rating of 8. He is a right-arm, medium-fast bowler and in the recently played four matches, Yadav has taken seven wickets at an average of 12.1. Mitchell Starc Mitchell Starc can be a punt pick for your Dream11 Team. He has an average of 37 fantasy points in the last 10 games and a fantasy rating of 7.7. He bowls left-arm fast and has taken 11 wickets at an average of 33 in the last nine matches. Fantasy Team Wicket-Keepers: KL Rahul and Phil Salt Batters: Shreyas Iyer, Ayush Badoni, Nicholas Pooran and Rinku Singh All-Rounders: Marcus Stoinis, Andre Russell and Sunil Narine Bowlers: Varun Chakravarthy, Yash Thakur and Mohsin Khan Captain: Sunil Narine Vice-Captain: Marcus Stoinis Topics mentioned in this article

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"MS Dhoni Is Playing Father's Role In My Cricket Life": CSK Star's Massive Praise

“MS Dhoni Is Playing Father’s Role In My Cricket Life”: CSK Star’s Massive Praise

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana said that the legendary MS Dhoni plays a “father’s role” in his cricket life and urged the cricketing icon to play for one more season in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The five-time champions will be locking horns with Punjab Kings at Dharamshala on Sunday. This will be a crucial game for CSK as far as their playoff chances are concerned. The Yellow army is at the fifth spot in the points table with five wins and five losses, giving them a total of 10 points. On the other hand, PBKS is at the seventh spot with four wins, six losses and a total of eight points. In their previous game, PBKS won by seven wickets against CSK in Chennai on Wednesday. Speaking at the Lions Upclose show by CSK, Pathirana said that Dhoni cares for him always, and gives him valuable advice as a cricketer. “After my father, in my cricket life, mostly he (Dhoni) is playing my father’s role because he is always taking care of me, giving me advice, what I have to do, similar to my father when I am at home. He tells just small things, but it makes a lot of difference. So those little things, I take a lot of confidence,” said the Sri Lankan pacer. Pathirana said that even though they do not talk much off the field, he would often go to Dhoni and ask him for whatever he needs. “Every time he is telling me, ‘Enjoy your game and take care of your body,’ Mahi bhai, if you can play one more season, please play with us. If I am here,” he concluded. After impressing with his slingy action reminiscent of Sri Lankan pace legend Lasith Malinga, Pathirana made his debut for Lankan Lions following the IPL 2022. In 12 matches of the IPL 2023, he took 19 wickets at an average of 14.63, with best figures of 3/15 and played a crucial role in CSK’s fifth title win. In the ongoing season, Pathirana has played just six games owing to injury and taken 13 wickets at an average of 13.00, with the best figures of 4/28. CSK missed Pathirana’s services as he returned to his home country to sort out visa issues ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup this year, starting in the West Indies/USA from June 1 onwards. (This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Topics mentioned in this article

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Ajay Jadeja Sums Up RCB's Situation With Award-Worthy 'Ventilator To ICU' Remark

Ajay Jadeja Sums Up RCB’s Situation With Award-Worthy ‘Ventilator To ICU’ Remark

Former India all-rounder Ajay Jadeja believes Royal Challengers Bengaluru bowlers have started to click together to take their side “off the ventilator” but the team still remains “in the ICU” following their nervy win over Gujarat Titans. RCB got over the line with four wickets and 38 balls in hand chasing a paltry 148 against GT on Saturday, a win which was set up by the bowlers. Faf du Plessis (64) and Virat Kohli (42) shared 92 runs inside the powerplay but RCB lost wickets in a heap — slipping from 92/0 to 117/6 — to give Gujarat a real hope of pulling off an unlikely win. “The chinks in the armour are visible, what happened at the end. But the chance is there. They’re off the ventilator but they’re still in the ICU,” Jadeja told Jio Cinema. “We are excited about today’s match after seeing Virat and Faf bat. But the real work that was done, was by the bowlers, an aspect RCB has historically struggled at. “The bowling department has started to click for them now, and we’re talking about the business end of the season, this is the point where realistic chances of winning comes from momentum….” Jadeja said RCB may have got the momentum after their win which took them to the seventh spot in the IPL points table, but qualifying for the playoffs remains a “very tough ask”. “More than momentum, it’s about the mentality of the team where you know if you’re in a bad situation, someone will take you out of it… Today, it seemed like RCB picked the right road while Gujarat was on the other side. Who will reach their goal? It’s a very tough ask still,” he said. The former India cricketer, however, was impressed with RCB’s aggressive approach with the bat in a small chase. “They came into the game differently from the start. I haven’t checked the statistics, but I have never seen them start a game with a six. Not one, but two of them, in the first over, when there was no need,” he said. “What Faf did, he was operating at a different pace. Later, there was some excitement in the match but at no point did it seem like this was (GT win) going to be successful,” (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.) Topics mentioned in this article

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Virat Kohli Rant "Shown Half A Dozen Times": Sunil Gavaskar Doesn't Spare Broadcaster In Meltdown

Virat Kohli Rant “Shown Half A Dozen Times”: Sunil Gavaskar Doesn’t Spare Broadcaster In Meltdown

After Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) stalwart Virat Kohli went after ‘pundits’ over criticsim of his strike-rate and struggles against spin, India legend Sunil Gavaskar wasn’t willing to keep mum. The iconic batter, on live TV, went on an angry rant ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 match between RCB and Gujarat Titans on Saturday. Gavaskar, launching a scathing attack at Kohli, asked why those who continue to stay away from what’s said and written on social media are reacting to ‘outside noise’. Kohli didn’t mince his words as he questioned those ‘sitting inside the box’ about how many games they’ve won for their country. But, Gavaskar wasn’t happy seeing the RCB star turning the tables and putting the commentators in the line of fire. Gavaskar, however, didn’t just criticise Virat but also took a swipe at the broadcaster Star Sports for playing that rant from the opening batter ‘a dozen times’ on television. “That particular post-game interview has been shown on this channel earlier as well, right now, on this particular program it has probably been shown half a dozen times,” he said. “I hope that Star Sports recognises that when that is being shown, asking where are the critics, the critics are the commentators. Your Star Sports commentators are the ones from whom the questions are being asked.” “If you have a strike rate of 118, you come and face the first ball, and then you get out in the 14th or 15th over and your strike rate is 118 – if you want applause for that, then that’s a little bit different,” he said. “But for Star Sports to show the person belittling their own commentators, I’m not sure that’s a great thing. So I think Star Sports needs to understand that they have shown it enough times, everyone’s got the message. So according to Gavaskar saab, no matter how much people cry on kohli everyday Kohli shouldn’t reply his critics pic.twitter.com/9yiAYtXrg8 — POTT (@KlolZone) May 4, 2024 “We’ve all played a bit of cricket, not a lot of cricket, but we speak about what we see. We don’t necessarily have any likes and dislikes. Even if we have likes or dislikes, we actually speak on what’s happening. So, I would be very disappointed if Star Sports show this once more because that will be questioning all us commentators.” What Sunil Gavaskar Said On Virat Kohli’s Rant: Gavaskar was one of those pundits who had questioned Virat Kohli’s intent, going about a strike-rate of around 120 as his team suffered consecutive defeats. The legendary cricketer doubled down on the RCB star, asking if he needed appreciation for a strike-rate of 118. “Commentators questioned only when his strike-rate was 118,” Gavaskar said, responding to Kohli’s rant. “I’m not too sure. I don’t watch too many matches, so I don’t know what the other commentators have said otherwise. But if you come and open and then have a strike of 118 when you get out in the 14th or the 15th over, I mean, if you want applause for that, that’s a little bit different. That’s different.” “All these guys talk about, ‘oh we don’t care about outside noise’. Accha? Then why are you replying to any outside noise or whatever it is. We all played a bit of cricket, not a lot of cricket. We don’t have agendas. We speak about what we see. We don’t necessarily have any likes and dislikes. Even if we have likes and dislikes, we actually speak on what is happening,” he added. What Had Virat Kohli Said? Virat Kohli didn’t mince his words as he slammed those criticising his strike-rate after scoring 44-ball 70 in the match against the Gujarat Titans for the first time this season. “Not really, I think all the people who talk about strike rates and me not playing spin well are the ones who love talking about this stuff. But, for me, it’s about winning the game for the team. And there is a reason you have done this for 15 years,” Kohli said after his match-winning knock against Gujarat in the presentation ceremony. “You have done this, day in and day out. You have won games for your team. And I am not quite sure if you have not been in that situation yourself, to sit and speak about the game from a box. “I don’t think it’s the same thing. For me, it’s about doing the job for the team. People can sit and talk about their own ideas and assumptions of the game. But those who have done it, day in and day out, they know what they are doing. It’s kind of muscle memory for me,” he added. Topics mentioned in this article

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"Was Really Ill, Felt I Won't Be Able to Play": Mohammed Siraj On Match-Winning Show vs GT

“Was Really Ill, Felt I Won’t Be Able to Play”: Mohammed Siraj On Match-Winning Show vs GT

Mohammed Siraj in post-match presentation© BCCI/Sportzpics For Mohammed Siraj, it was mind over matter as he pushed his physically indisposed self to the limits to earn ‘Player of the Match’ award in RCB’s four wicket victory over Gujarat Titans in an IPL match here on Saturday. Siraj removed openers Wriddhiman Saha and opposition skipper Shubman Gill in his first spell to push GT on the backfoot and that went a long way in restricting the visitors to a modest 147. “I was really ill for the last few days. Thought I might not be able to play today but I really wanted to play so it was great that I was able to,” Siraj said after the match. While he wasn’t well, in his mind, he had envisaged how he would bowl that perfectly pitched up delivery which will grow big on the batter and there couldn’t have been a better execution against Wriddhiman, who didn’t have the technique to handle such a ball. “When I woke up in the morning, I thought I won’t be able to play and that I should take rest. When I woke up, I manifested what I wanted to do and that’s exactly what happened,” Siraj said. RCB skipper Faf du Plessis seemed happy to have won three back-to-back matches. “Been really good last couple of games, the way we’ve played with bat and ball. We have been unbelievable on the field. Something around 180-90 would have been a good score,” Du Plessis said. Du Plessis’s 63 off 24 balls with 10 fours and three sixes went a long way in ensuring that RCB climbed to the seventh spot by finishing the game in little under 14 overs. “Probably not the best but you’re trying to be positive, get your net run-rate up. It makes sense from that point of view but it gets to the point when you need to show a bit of calmness and composure – probably around four down, so some lessons to be learned from that.” Gujarat Titans skipper Shubman Gill said that his team now only can focus on winning their remaining games and control the controllables “It depends on the wicket. First couple of overs you get a good idea and play according to that. I think 170-80 on this wicket would have been a good total. How we batted in the powerplay, and how they bowled, decided the game,” he said. “We would have had one extra bowler but losing three wickets in the powerplay (changed planning). Very important to start from zero in our next match and move on from this game. Learn from mistakes and not repeat them. All about winning from here on.” (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.) Topics mentioned in this article

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Anushka Sharma's Reaction As Virat Kohli Survives Run Out Breaks The Internet

Anushka Sharma’s Reaction As Virat Kohli Survives Run Out Breaks The Internet

Anushka Sharma reacting to Virat Kohli surviving a run-out© X (Twitter) Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) won their 3rd Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 match on the bounce, beating last year’s runners-up Gujarat Titans in a comprehensive manner. After Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis gave the team a 92-run stand for the first wicket, while chasing the target of 148 runs, RCB incurred a dramatic middle-order collapse to go from 92/0 to 117/6. It was Virat who kept the team in the fight while Dinesh Karthik and Swapnil Singh gave the finishing touch. But, the chase might not have been possible had Virat not survived a run-out on the first ball of his innings. During the course of his stay on the crease, Virat also had a big scare that saw him almost get run-out. It was Gujarat Titans star David Miller who made a brilliant stop and threw the ball towards the keeper’s end. Kohli lost his bat and wasn’t even in the frame when the ball passed the stumps. Virat could’ve been dismissed on the very first ball of his innings had the throw hit the stumps. His wife Anushka Sharma, who was in the stands for the match, was snapped by the shutterbugs while reacting to the incident. Anushka Sharma’s reaction after Virat Kohli survived a run out. pic.twitter.com/BcSl7kUE8L — Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) May 4, 2024 Though RCB won the match by a fair margin, with plenty of overs to spare, skipper Faf du Plessis admitted that he was nervous after the team lost a plethora of wickets in the middle. “We’ve been really good in the last few games, with both bat and ball. We’ve been unbelievable in the field as well. The wicket was a bit different, there was a bit more bounce. Wanted to make sure we take that information from the pitch and give it to the bowlers. Yes there was a dropped catch but it’s the effort that we look for and that was there throughout,” said Du Plessis in the post-match presentation. “The games we’ve played here have all been high-scoring, anything around 180-190 would’ve been par. Was important we didn’t look at the scoreboard when we went out to bat and try and play the way we play. Was a bit nervous. Probably not the best assessment from us there. Yes we wanted to go out there and get the total quickly to boost the NRR but probably when we were 4 down, we had to calm down a little bit,” he added. Topics mentioned in this article

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"I Am 5 Feet 3 Inches": Ex-India Star Body-Shamed For Calling Glenn Maxwell "Over-Rated"

“I Am 5 Feet 3 Inches”: Ex-India Star Body-Shamed For Calling Glenn Maxwell “Over-Rated”

On Saturday, Royal Challengers Bengaluru chased down a target of 148 against Gujarat Titans in just 13.4 overs in Bengaluru. While the number of overs left might make one believe that RCB had it easy, it was not so. RCB lost six wickets and had it not been for some rearguard action by Dinesh Karthik and Swapnil Singh, things would have been tricky for RCB. The chase started on a string footing for RCB as they crossed in the Powerplay. Just when it looked like RCB would cruise to the target, they started losing wickets. From 92/0 in 5.4 overs RCB were reduced to 111/6 in 10. 4 overs. Faf du Plessis (64) and Virat Kohli (42) were the only good performers as stars like Will Jacks (1), Rajat Patidar (2), Glenn Maxwell (1), Cameron Green (1)  fell like a pack of cards. It prompted former Indian cricket team wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel to call Glenn Maxwell over-rated. “Glenn Maxwell….HE IS THE MOST OVERRATED player in the history of ipl…#IPL2024 ….” he wrote on X. glenn maxwell….HE IS THE MOST OVERRATED player in the history of ipl…#IPL2024 …. — parthiv patel (@parthiv9) May 4, 2024 For that comment, he was brutally trolled and even body-shamed. i am 5”3… that matters? https://t.co/H5GOY3BcEy — parthiv patel (@parthiv9) May 4, 2024 this happened once also..trophy was bigger thn me.. https://t.co/RZ3j07zsYx — parthiv patel (@parthiv9) May 4, 2024 watching 2024!! https://t.co/B92aMJ4iV1 — parthiv patel (@parthiv9) May 4, 2024 Talking about the match, Royal Challengers Bengaluru pressed the self-destruction button halfway but a blazing fifty by captain Faf du Plessis had enough torque in it to carry them to a four-wicket over Gujarat Titans in their IPL match on Saturday. Du Plesiss (64, 23b, 10×4, 3×6) and Kohli (42, 27b, 2×4, 4×6), who added 92 runs in just 35 balls for the opening wicket, were in prime touch as Royal Challengers moved past a frail target of 148, braving some nervy moments, most of it their own creation. The win also lifted RCB to seventh place on the table with eight points from 11 matches, and kept their mathematical chances of making it to the play-offs alive. With PTI inputs Topics mentioned in this article

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Faf Du Plessis Fifty, Bowlers Carry Royal Challengers Bengaluru To Four-Wicket Win Over Gujarat Titans

Faf Du Plessis Fifty, Bowlers Carry Royal Challengers Bengaluru To Four-Wicket Win Over Gujarat Titans

Royal Challengers Bengaluru pressed the self-destruction button halfway but a blazing fifty by captain Faf du Plessis had enough torque in it to carry them to a four-wicket over Gujarat Titans in their IPL match in Bengaluru on Saturday. Du Plesiss (64, 23b, 10×4, 3×6) and Kohli (42, 27b, 2×4, 4×6), who added 92 runs in just 35 balls for the opening wicket, were in prime touch as Royal Challengers moved past a frail target of 148, braving some nervy moments, most of it their own creation. The win also lifted RCB to seventh place on the table with eight points from 11 matches, and kept their mathematical chances of making it to the play-offs alive. Du Plessis and Kohli dealt in boundaries as the home side racked in 92 runs in Power Play, that contained 10 fours and seven maximums. Both Du Plessis and Kohli were severe on all GT bowlers, as the latter began the butchering with two sixes off pacer Mohit Sharma in the first over. Du Plessis was in no mood to play the role of a sidekick as he waded into left-arm pacer Josh Little with a sequence of 4, 6, 4, 4 in the second over that produced a total of 20 runs. The Titans introduced IPL debutant left-arm spinner Manav Suthar in the hope of containing Kohli at least, but the ploy was foiled spectacularly. The RCB talisman showed his increasing comfort against spin, clobbering Suthar for two successive sixes. Du Plessis reserved his punitive blade for Mohit, whom he carted around for four fours in the fifth over, as the South African reached fifty in just 18 balls before falling to Little. RCB entered a phase of struggle from there as they lost last match centurion Will Jacks, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell and Cameron Green between the sixth and 10th overs for just 20 runs. Little (4/45) and spinner Noor Ahmad (2/23) were the chief perpetrators as RCB slipped from 92 for 1 to 112 for five. Ahmad soon ousted Kohli as RCB were 117 for six but Dinesh Karthik (21 not out, 12b) was cool under pressure as RCB notched their overall fourth and third win in a row of this season. Before RCB batsmen joined the party, their bowlers came up with an immaculate effort on a supportive pitch to bowl GT to a modest 147. There were a couple of good partnerships – 61 between David Miller and Shahrukh Khan and 44 by Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan – but the Titans lacked that one big innings or a stand that could have given them a firmer grip on the match. In fact, they seemed distinctly incapable of accelerating even in the Power Play as their top-order batters struggled against RCB pacers, Mohammed Siraj (2/29) and Yash Dayal (2/21) who stuck to a wonderful length. That GT managed to strike just two fours in Power Play offered ample evidence to their struggle and RCB bowlers’ accuracy. The Gujarat side’s Power Play score of 23 for three was the lowest in the segment this season, and it was mainly due to Siraj’s domination upfront. He consumed an out-of-form Wriddhiman Saha with a fine outswinger which the GT opener wafted to Dinesh Karthik behind the stumps. Shubman Gill followed soon as his attempted swat to the on-side off Siraj took a leading edge and ended in the hands of Vysakh Vijayakumar at deep point. Green fetched the third wicket for RCB in the Power Play when he jettisoned in-form B Sai Sudharsan, whose feeble pull close to the body was snaffled by Kohli at mid-off. Miller (30, 20b) and Shahrukh (37, 24b) tried their best to drag GT out of the woods with a well-paced 61-run alliance off 37 balls for the fourth wicket. Miller, who was fortunate to get dropped on 23 off Green by Karn Sharma, played archetypal power shots. He punished leg-spinner Karn for a couple of sixes – a pull and a loft over extra cover – but fell to the same bowler when a miscued heave was grabbed by Maxwell at deep. But a bigger misfortune was in store for the visitors as Shahrukh, who backed up a tad too far to Rahul Tewatia’s soft drop, could not beat a throw from Kohli to the non-striker’s end. For the sixth-wicket, Tewatia (35, 21b) and Rashid (18, 14b) added 44 off 29 balls, but the latter’s desire to be innovative against Yash Dayal saw the ball crashing onto the stumps. Tewatia, who punished Karn for 18 runs (4, 6, 4, 4) in the 16th over, departed soon. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.) Topics mentioned in this article

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IPL 2024 Points Table, Orange Cap, Purple Cap: How RCB's Win vs GT Impacts Its Playoff Chances, Hurts Others

IPL 2024 Points Table, Orange Cap, Purple Cap: How RCB’s Win vs GT Impacts Its Playoff Chances, Hurts Others

RCB beat GT by 4 wickets in IPL 2024 match in Bengaluru on Saturday.© BCCI Skipper Faf du Plessis smashed a 23-ball 64 to guide Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a convincing four-wicket win over Gujarat Titans in an Indian Premier League match in Bengaluru on Saturday. Chasing a below-par 148, Du Plessis and Virat Kohli (42 off 27) shared 92 runs in just 35 balls to set the platform for the big win. which came in 13.4 overs. Josh Little (4/45) picked up four wickets for GT but the effort was not enough. Earlier, RCB dished out a disciplined bowling effort to bowl out Gujarat Titans for a modest 147. Opting to bowl, RCB bowlers picked up wickets at regular intervals before M Shahrukh Khan (37) and David Miller (30) shared 61 runs for the fourth wicket to stabilize GT’s innings. But once the duo departed, GT innings never really got the required impetus. Towards the end, Rahul Tewatia (35 off 21) tried his best to up the ante but lacked support from the other end. For RCB, Yash Dayal (2/21), Vijaykumar Vyshak (2/23) and Mohammed Siraj (2/29) picked up two wickets apiece. The win meant that RCB left the bottom spot in the points table by jumping three places. RCB are now positioned at 7th spot after rising from the 10th place. The change meant that Punjab Kings, Gujarat Titans and Mumbai Indians slipped a spot each to move to the 8th, 9th and 10th spots, respectively. Rest of the points table remained unchanged. Here is the updated IPL 2024 points table – RCB’s Virat Kohli reclaim the Orange Cap with 542 runs to his name from 11 matches at an average of 67.75 and a strike rate of 148.08. Meanwhile, MI’s Jasprit Bumrah continues to hold the Purple Cap with 17 wickets to his name across 11 matches. His economy is 6.25. Topics mentioned in this article

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