Experimenting didn’t pay well for CSK skipper MS Dhoni.

Chennai Super Kings fall short of 16 runs.

Dhoni & Smith are the two most successful captains in IPL with win% of 65.5 and 60 respectively, competed with their teams yesterday. It was high scoring match which Chennai super kings (CSK) fought till end. Rajasthan Royals (RR) had Scored 216 runs and CSK tried their best and reached till 200 & fallen short for just 16 runs. Sanju samson played destructive innings with fastest fifty of this IPL and also did great job with wicketkeeping . Jofra came out to be the game-changer with his batting and even bowling too which lead royals to win.

Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah it’s significant as that place has been very important for Indians. Because in 1980s and 1990s a lot of ODIs were played there and most of them against Pakistan and Australia. Sharjah’s ground is smaller than the other two grounds at UAE. So hitting boundaries will be easy but as the ball gets old, the pitch will grip it so a total like 160 could also be defendable. It’s totally different surface to Dubai or Abu Dhabi in terms of runs and the size of the venue. It is challenging situation for bowlers. As an high-scorer game is on the cards.

Sharjah Cricket Stadium

Picture courtesy: Gulf news .

“We saw grass at Abu Dhabi and Dubai. There is no grass on this wicket. I can’t predict any sideways movement. You will be thinking low bounce when you prepare to play on this wicket. Once you get a pace of the wicket, you can score quickly. So, the guy who wins the toss will like to chase,” reads Kevin Pietersen.

Chennai Super Kings had won the toss and have opted to field first, “due to dew as one of the factors,” as skipper MS Dhoni said.

Jaiswal and Smith were at the crease to open the game. No sooner then they were ready for the chase, Chahar broke the partnership by taking a wicket of Jaiswal. Later Samson coming into the picture who gave a hitting start supported by Smith. Samson completed his half century in 19 balls which made him the Man of the Match.

Picture courtesy: IPL twitter handle.

“50 from just 19. Such pure, clean, elegant hitting. I could watch Sanju Samson bat all day, every day.” – Harsha Bhogle.

Stats time:
Fastest 50s for RR in IPL
18 J Buttler v DD Delhi 2019
19 O Shah vs RCB Bengaluru 2012
19 S Samson vs CSK Sharjah 2020

After time-out Jadeja came back into attack and compensated for his last over by giving just 4 runs in this over. Here come one more big over by chawla giving 19 runs and got hit couple of six by Samson-Smith. Samson was unstoppable even Jadeja’s good bowling couldn’t stop him from hitting maximum. Ngidi came back into attack in 12th over and here he takes wicket of Samson who was ruthlessly playing. Miller, who came in to bat got run out without even playing a single bowl. It was 134-3 after 12 overs. Robbin uthappa stepped in to bat. Chawla who had given 47 runs in two overs was back and this time he compensated a bit by giving just 3 runs. It was 147-3 after 14 overs and here was the time for a strategic break. Chawla was back into attack and with first ball of the 15th over and he took uthappa’s wicket by bowling decently.

Yashasvi jaiswal after watching cricketing legend MS Dhoni in front of him.

Picture courtesy: IPL handle on twitter.

Ngidi came into attack and was beaten with a couple of fours. It was 166-4 after 16 overs. Sam curran was back and he took a couple of wickets in this over and bowled a decent over by giving just 7 runs. Chahar was back into attack in the 18th over and played in a fantastic manner in his bowling by giving just 3 runs in an over. After 18 overs it was 177-6. Now Sam curran was back into attack and he managed to get the big man Smith out by giving his efforts for the team He contributed 69 runs in 47 balls. It was 186 for 7 wickets after the 19th over and here was the batsman Jofra archer on strike with Ngidi bowling into attack but this over changed everything thing for Rajasthan Royals from 186 to 216 runs with the help of Ngidi and Jofra.

Some interesting stats of this innings were

17 sixes were now most hit by rajasthan royals.
This was the fourth highest total for RR in IPL.

Picture courtesy: ESPNCRICINFO twitter handle.

Then came the second innings, where Watson and Vijay were in the crease for opening and Unadkat was opening for the attack.
The 1st over was a decent one with 5 runs for unadkat as CSK needed to start hitting from the start to chase this huge run total. 2nd over by Jofra was again a great over in terms of bowling giving just 3 runs. Second over for Unadkat and Murli vijay opened with back to back boundaries and it was a decent over for CSK to be in the game. In the 4th over Jofra archer was welcomed by the maximum from Watson but other 5 balls were dot deliveres and Jofra compensated in this over itself. Shreyas gopal came into attack for 5tg over he gave 11 runs in this over. Hence it was 5 overs 36-0 Vijay was on 19 runs and Watson was on 16 runs. Watson hits a couple of sixes and one boundry for tom Curran’s over. 17 runs from 6th over was an hope for CSK to fight and be in the game strongly. Here comes first wicket taken by Rahul tewatia in 7th over of Watson who was at 33 runs. 8th over by Gopal got another shock with wicket of another opener vijay who scored 21of 21 balls. Du plessis was on the crease with Sam curran on the other end started hitting those risky shots. Where sam Curran scored quick 17 runs from just 6 balls and Tewatia took his wicket in the 9th over and there was a time out after 8.5 overs. Rituraj gaikwad a debutant came in to bat and went for a duck. Then shreyas gopal put a very decent over by giving just 5 runs. It was just 82-4 after 10 overs and all hopes were going away but there was one big hope alive as the skipper of CSK was yet to come.

Sanju samson flying to take catch.
Picture courtesy: IPL handle on twitter

Even Du plessis was settling down with kedar jadhav. Here comes the hatrick boundaries by kedar jadhav to bowler Shreyas gopal. It was 101-4 after 12 overs but had long way to go.

The Game was going away as there were a few dot balls poured. In the 14th over tom Curran took kedar Jadhav’s wicket who had scored 22 runs of 16 balls. But making the way for captain itself, MS Dhoni comes in and hopes rise again. In the 6th ball of 14th over Dhoni took his first run in the international cricket since the worldcup2019 semi-final.

It was 14 overs 115-5, And now Du plessis started hitting sixes to the stands in 15th over. Dhoni started batting without helmet which means he wanted to go for some big hits with Du plessis. 16 runs from 15th over showed some hopes alive for CSK. Again Jofra came into attack with his brilliant bowling figures giving only 7 runs in 16th over. 17th over Du plessis welcomed Unadkat with maximum and ended hitting two more sixes. It was 14th fifty for Faf duplesis, he was at 55 runs made by just 29 balls.

Faf du plessis hitting the ball.
Picture courtesy: IPL handle on twitter.

Needed 58 runs from 18 balls and Tom curran was back in to attack. He did decent bowling by giving 10 runs during death over. Here comes the star player Jofra into attack, giving just 10 runs and taking the wicket of another star player Du plessis. This stretched the game more towards rajasthan royals. Jadeja come to bat and 38 runs were needed from 6 balls which was impossible. Tom Curran was back in to attack but now Dhoni settled and started hitting biggies. 2runs in two balls and then Dhoni hits 3 back to back sixes from which one of it went out of the park. It was a 92 meters long six. He finished with single run and CSK fell short of just 16 runs.

Picture courtesy: IPL handle on twitter.

That 30 runs in last over of first innings, given by Ngidi to Royals, later took toll on CSK. Although the match results gone into hands of RR but CSK gave their 100% efforts and reached till 200 runs. As Dhoni’s experimental efforts with batting order didn’t showed results as he thought but learnings are the part of game and as we know CSK is such team they can come back stronger whenever they want.

“Steve and Samson batted very well. Need to give credit to their bowlers. I haven’t batted for a long time. 14-day quarantine doesn’t help (why he isn’t batting higher). Also wanted to try different things, give opportunities to Sam. Have the opportunity to try different things. If it doesn’t work, you can always go back to your strengths.” – skipper of CSK MS Dhoni.

MS Dhoni during post match presentation.
Picture courtesy: IPL handle on twitter.

Man of the match was given to Sanju samson for his extraordinary innings.

Sanju samson during post match presentation.
Picture courtesy: IPL handle on twitter.

“My game plan is stand and deliver. I’ve been working hard on my fitness, diet and training, and on my strength, because my game relies a lot on power hitting. I had time to work out in these 5 months, and I think I’ve increased that ability. We are happy to bring smiles on the fans’ faces and we hope to continue doing so.” – Man of the match Sanju samson.

Setting the sun of the Risers, RCB won by 10 runs.

Yuzvendra Chahal and Navdeep Saini changed the game for RCB.

The third match of Dream11 IPL 2020 played between Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) took-off in Dubai on 21st September. A happy day for all the RCBians! The team had a very difficult start last season but they bounced back starting with a winning match this year.

Taking a perfect estimation of the new ground, the Sunrisers chose to bowl first. However, they had a bad start amidst power play when they saw an astonishing opening partnership between Devdutt Padikkal and Aaron Finch.

Aaron Finch was supposed to take the pressure off the young debutang. But no, it was the other way round. Hitting a huge six on Abhishek Sharma’s ball, Padikkal made his first half century at IPL in 37 balls. Sunrisers bowler Vijay Shankar came back into the attack by taking the wicket of unstoppable Padikkal and breaking the partnership.

Devdutt Padikkal said, “It was great to get the half century out of the way. It was the first game and I wanted to start of well. I am happy to have done that. So happy to be training with Kohli. I was just eating his ears trying to pick up as much as possible. He said who you face doesn’t matter as long as you have confidence in yourself. I enjoyed batting with finch. I was comfortable from the word go batting alongside with him.”

Picture courtesy: Sportsgrasp.com

The match was taken ahead by the fastest run taker AB de Villers and RCB captain Virat Kohli. Taking the responsibility of the team, De Villers scored his half century in 30 balls later hitting two sixes back to back on Sandeep Sharma’s over and setting a higher score for the Risers to chase. ABD also hit 200th six for the Royal Challengers.

Bowlers from Sunrisers were bowling pretty well after the power play. When Abhishek Sharma took wicket of Finch and Rashid Khan got the catch of the skipper Virat Kohli, the Risers built a little pressure on Challengers.

The conditions would have best suited the Sunrisers bowler Mitchell Marsh but succumbed to injuries, he had to walk-off the ground due to a limp in his leg. This brought a twist into the match and affected the best bowling side lethally.

Royal Challengers set a target of 164 which looked 20 runs short until Yuzi Chahal and Navdeep Saini came as a savior with their fantastic bowling. This match has given a feeling that RCB is now a well balanced side with the likes of 4 good batsmen in the top and middle order and a great mix of spinners and pacers in their team.

With the opening partnership of David Warner and Jonny Bairstow, Sunrisers were all set to chase the score made by the Royal Challengers. In the very first over by Dale Steyn, Warner started-off the chase by hitting a boundary.

RCB bowler Umesh Yadav who wasn’t bowling good, fortunately ran-out Warner at the non-strikers end. Bairstow who scored a half century, managed to do that because of the weak fielding by RCB where he got saved thrice from a catch out. Manish Pandey and Bairstow had built a good partnership which could have led to a win.

However, it was then the RCB’s bowlers show. Yuzvendra Chahal came into the picture by taking Manish Pandey’s wicket in his 3rd over and stumped Bairstow and Vijay Shankar back to back. Another bowler from RCB, Navdeep Saini who stumped Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and Rashid Khan one after the other.

With the never say die attitude, Mitchell Marsh came to bat but his injured leg did not allow him to stay on the pitch for long. He got a catch out by Virat Kohli after hitting the first ball. Pulling up the score to 146 SRH needed 18 runs in the last 6 balls. But with a brilliant show put up by RCB bowlers, the tailenders were dismissed soon and consequently lost all 10 wickets.

Picture courtesy: Moneycontrol.com

The man of the match award was given to RCB spinner Yuzvendra Chahal for taking 3 wickets and giving just 18 runs in his spell of 4 overs.

Yuzi Chahal said, “When I bowled my first over, I realized I need to bowl stump-to-stump line and backed myself. When Vijay came Virat and AB told me to go for a googly and it worked. I put some mud on my hands to make sure there is no dew.”

Dream11 IPL – the trailer to a bigger picture

We’ve got ‘behind the scenes’ for WCT20 2021!

Cricket fanatics all over the world are going crazy with the delayed, yet, upcoming edition of Dream11 IPL 2020 which is all set to begin in just 3 days. Well, this must be the greatest news in the year of unprecedented times, but what’s more to come will blow your mind. (Time to flip our calendars!)

We all know that due to upsurge in COVID-19 cases across our country, the Indian Premier League is shifted to UAE (United Arab Emirates). In fact, it’s not just IPL. A lot more tournaments have been either postponed or called off. One of the major cricketing events i.e. ICC Men’s World Cup T20 has also been postponed ‘and shifted’.

Originally scheduled from 18th October’20 to 15th November’20, the 7th edition of the WCT20 was to be played in Australia. However, a change in plans has led to the tournament to be hosted in India! (You heard that right!) WCT20 is likely to commence on 14th October’21 and go on till mid November.

Picture courtesy : Twitter/@ICC

ICC Chief Executive Manu Sawhney said: “We now have absolute clarity on the future of ICC events enabling all of our Members to focus on the rescheduling of lost international and domestic cricket. We will now proceed as planned with the Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 in India and host the 2022 edition in Australia”.

Having said that, IPL in UAE will prove to be an interesting contest. The change of host countries will benefit a lot of players. This is one chance for all the players – be it Indian or overseas, to fix their spot in the squad way before the World Cup.

IPL’s 13th edition may look just like any other T20 tournament. Perhaps, avid followers like our team of #30Yards know how crucial this upcoming league will be. We understand the importance of the upcoming events. We see the bigger picture and that’s exactly why we are here today. To share the deets with you! 😉

Let’s take a look at the ways in which IPL in UAE will be very crucial from the World Cup perspective:

1. Climatic conditions : The weather in UAE is hot and humid. The lowest average temperature (as of 16th Sept’20) of Abu Dhabi is 27°C and highest average temperature is 39°C. As per the tentative schedule of WCT20 in India in 2021 (October to November), the average temperatures will more or less be similar to that of Abu Dhabi currently. Playing in UAE in such kind of weather will prepare the players for the World Cup. They will understand their body needs and increase their water intake accordingly to ensure that their performance is unaffected.

2. Pitch : Those 22 yards on the field decide the course of the game. Each pitch has its own nature which tells us whether that rectangular yield will be batsmen-friendly or bowler-friendly. The dusty pitch, which is soft and unrolled is best suited for spin bowlers because it offers extra turn. In the beginning of the innings, dusty pitches are very difficult to bat on. This is the kind of pitch Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah will have; very similar to most grounds in India. In comparison to green pitches in England, Australia and South Africa which offer a lot of help to seamers, dusty pitches are a treat to spinners. This is one reason why we have the world’s greatest pacers in the likes of Jimmy Anderson, Mitchell Starc and Dale Steyn coming from western countries. Matches in UAE will be an amusing battle for batsmen as well to know which one will be the most suitable choice for their respective national teams.

R Ashwin and R Jadeja inspecting the pitch at Vishakhapatnam ahead of T20 match with South Africa in September’19

Picture courtesy : The Hindu

3. Last T20 league : As per the schedules lined up, IPL 2020 is probably the last T20 league all the players shall play before the World Cup. Except for the Big Bash League (BBL), Australia’s franchise T20 league, all other T20 tournaments are cancelled due to rise in coronavirus cases around the world. BBL’s 10th season will be played between 3rd December’20 and 6th February’21.

With all due reasons, this might be the last chance for players to mark their names. Cricketers who suffered injuries, were out of form or were dropped out of their national sides have now got the luxury of time to prove their mettle. All national selectors will watch IPL with a keen eye to help them decide the kind of talent they want to nurture for the next 10 months.

Furthermore, there are some notable players which we would like to observe as well. After M.S. Dhoni hanged his boots, India certainly needs a good wicket-keeping batsman. KL Rahul from Kings XI Punjab tops our list. We are excited to see how the debutant captain will play his game for there will be competition with Rishabh Pant from Delhi Capitals. If KL Rahul fixes his spot, he can either open with Rohit Sharma (Mumbai Indians) who’s a prolific T20 batsman or with Shikhar Dhawan (Delhi Capitals) to create the left-right batting combination. Another problem India has had since a long time is the conundrum with no. 4 batsman but with Shreyas Iyer (captaining Delhi Capitals) stepping into the shoes, India looks ready. Perhaps, with the delay in the tournament, other players might be eyeing that position too.

Picture courtesy : DNA India

Coming down the order, Hardik Pandya (Mumbai Indians) is sure to book his seat. His brother from the same franchise, Krunal Pandya is a terrific spin – all rounder but Ravindra Jadeja (Chennai Super Kings) has an upper hand at the moment. Shivam Dube (Royal Challengers Bangalore), pacer all-rounder also has his chances as the 3rd all rounder in the squad. Moving on to bowlers, Navdeep Saini playing for RCB will have to prove himself to get selected for the WCT20 squad.

When it comes to overseas players, Ab de Villiers from Royal Challengers Bangalore looks solid for South Africa. ABD has always been a match winner be it with his magnificent strike rate or top-notch fielding. He was the top-scorer for SA at ODI (One Day International) World Cup 2015 and also had the highest strike rate of 144.31. After losing the 2019 World Cup on a low, the Proteas need a player like him to strengthen their batting order. Dale Steyn also playing for RCB shall need to take some quick wickets to book his seat.

Picture courtesy : The Indian Express

Nevertheless, it would be interesting to see if these players are able to handle their nerves and play their cards right when needed. Time will tell us who will get selected and who will miss out a major opportunity to represent their national sides. There are many more such questions, and if not all, most of them would be answered in the upcoming season of Dream11 IPL 2020.

Which player you feel will surprise us the most this IPL? Let us know in the comments below!

Top Debutants to watch out for Dream11 IPL 2020!

The field where opportunity meets talent.

Being a part of our Indian Cricket Team has always been a dream of every cricketer and to support this honorable moment, the Indian Premier League has always acted as a milestone for all the young around the world. Be it the fast bowler Umesh Yadav (debuted in 2010) or youngest debutants in the likes of Prithvi Shaw and Rishabh Pant who made sprawling entries in the Indian Cricket Team, IPL has always been a great platform for youngsters.

Left to right : Umesh Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Prithvi Shaw
Picture courtesy: Maalaimalar news website

Here are the top debutants for Dream11 IPL 2020 who are sure to win our hearts :

● Yashasvi Jaiswal (Rajasthan Royals) –
Coming from a substandard background in Uttar Pradesh, this 18 year old boy is now a part of the Royal family. Yashasvi Jaiswal is a left handed batsman signed by Rajasthan Royals for Rs. 2.4Cr. He is the youngest (age of 17) cricketer in the world to score a double century List A cricket. He scored 203 vs Jharkhand during the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2019-20. He was also the highest run scorer for the Under- 19 World Cup in 2018. It will be exciting to watch Yashasvi play alongside the veterans in UAE.

Yashasvi jaiswal at post match ceremony after scoring an century against pakistan in U19 Worldcup 2020.

Picture courtesy: TOI website

● Devdatt Paddikkal (Royal Challengers Bangalore) – A 20 year old cricketer from Kerala, Devdatt Paddikkal is known as the run machine in the Indian Domestic Cricket teams. In the last seasons of Vijay Hazare trophy and Syed Mushtak Ali trophy, no batsman scored more than Devdatt Panddikkal. He was the highest scorer in the Karnataka Ranji trophy as well. Devdatt was signed by Royal Challengers Bangalore for 2019 Indian Premier League. Succumbed to injuries, Devdatt couldn’t play in the last season. Coming in at number 4, we hope to see Devdatt play and contribute along with star batsmen Ab de Villiers, Aaron Finch Finch the skipper Virat Kohli.

● Ravi Bishnoi (Kings XI Punjab) – Ravi Bishnoi, last seen in the U-19 World Cup in 2018 where he took the highest number of wickets, could become a key weapon for Kings XI on the slow UAE wickets. Bishnoi was bought by the Mohali franchise for a massive amount of Rs.2 Crore to add this 20 year old youngster to thier side. While the IPL is a different level of competition that adds a lot of pressure on players, Bishnoi can be a very valuable addition to the Kings XI den if he creates the same magic as he did in South Africa. “I will take whatever comes. But yes, I would like to get Steve Smith out. He is the No1 Test batsmen and he plays spin very well.” said Ravi Bishnoi.

Ravi bishnoi while bowling.

Picture courtesy : Sportzwiki

● Tom Banton (Kolkata Knight Riders) – Tom Banton, the 22year old English player is supposedly inpired by Kevin Pietersen’s game who loves to play a variety of unorthodox shots. Banton is a wicket keeper batsman bought by the Knight Riders for a whopping Rs.1Cr. With Chris Lynn gone, Baton shall play a crucial role opening the innings for KKR. Baton represented Brisbane Heat for Australia’s Big Bash League last year. He scored 223 runs in seven innings at a strike rate of 177, with 3 half-centuries to his name. “England batsman Tom Banton is very exciting to watch and can be the X-factor for his side in IPL 2020” said KKR mentor David Hussy.

● Daniel Sams (Delhi Capitals) – As a replacement Jason Roy, Daniel Sams was picked up by Delhi Capitals on 27th August’20. Sams had picked up 30 wickets for Sydney Thunders in the last season of Big Bash League. After Rashid Khan, Sams was the highest wicket taker in the 2019-20 edition.

● Kamlesh Nagarkoti (Kolkata Knight Riders) – After playing a very important role in India’s U-19 World Cup win in 2018, Nagarkoti had got a chance to make his debut in IPL in 2018 when KKR bought him for Rs.3.2 crores. Unfortunately, he suffered a back injury and had to leave the team. This 20 year old all-rounder is most likely to make his debut this year with KKR. In an interview he spoke about his injury, comeback and his relationship with U-19 batchmates and the overwhelming support that he has received from the Kolkata franchise.

Flying Nagarkoti.

Picture courtesy: Times now

Some more players making their IPL debut this year are :

Indians : Priyam Garg and Virat Singh for SRH, Darshan Nalkande for Kings XI Punjab, Sai Kishor and Ruturaj Gaikwad for Chennai Super Kings, and Kartik Tyagi for Rajasthan Royals.

U19 Worldcup 2018 champions with their trophy.

Picture courtesy: Times of india.

Australians – Alex Carey for Delhi Capitals and Chris Green for Kolkata Knight Riders.

West Indies – Sheldon Cottrell for Kings XI Punjab.

There will be competition. There will be pressure. There will be opportunities but jumping on the right opportunity at right time will decide the destiny of the players.

Let us know who are your favourite debutants for the upcoming edition of Dream11 IPL 2020!