It was a tale of the debutants and a wily leggie at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. With plenty of runs under his belt in the lead-up to the Indian Premier League, Devdutt Padikkal was primed for success. The 20-year-old left handed opener on Monday helped Royal Challengers Bangalore post 163 for five, as he hit a half-century on debut in first class, List A and IPL.
Padikkal’s 56 (42b, 8x4) was the perfect launch pad RCB sought after being put in by Sunrisers Hyderabad, and with Aaron Finch playing the ideal foil, the duo realized 90 runs in 11overs before two wickets in two deliveries salvaged the situation for SRH. Chahal (3/18), though, ensured RCB made a 10-run winning start.
Super Over win for Capitals
Kings XI Punjab opener Mayank Agarwal (89 off 60b; 7x4, 4x6) had the match in his bag with just 1 run needed off 3 balls, but he hit a full toss straight to the sweeper cover off Marcus Stoinis’ bowling. Mayank’s wicket led to a tie between Kings XI and Delhi Capitals and the match moved to a Super Over. The Super Over saw Delhi emerge victorious at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
In the regulation 20 overs, Ravichandran Ashwin put in a masterclass in the space of five deliveries before leaving the field due to a suspected shoulder dislocation. Ashwin’s double-wicket over nearly derailed Kings XI’s chase of 158 runs.
Brought in during the final Powerplay over of KXIP’s innings, Ashwin first got Karun Nair, who managed to top edge a sweep straight to Prithvi Shaw at short fine leg. Then he clean bowled Nicholas Pooran with a brilliantly disguised, floaty arm ball that crashed into the stumps. But, a needless dive to stop a single off the last delivery of his over saw Ashwin land awkwardly on his left arm with the shoulder taking the jerk.
If it was Ashwin with the ball, Stoinis turned the game around with the bat for the Capitals.
Delhi would’ve ended with a much smaller total had it not been for Stoinis’ (53 off 21b; 7x4, 3x6) big-hitting in the slog overs. The Australian took 13 runs off the 18th over, 14 off the 19th, and then smashed 30 runs of the 20th over that was bowled by Jordan to propel DC to a fighting total.
Earlier, Mohammad Shami (3-15) put in a masterclass with the ball for Kings XI. It is natural to expect players to be rusty when they’re coming back from a break especially in the case of a fast bowler. Not with Mohammad Shami though. The India pacer was on song for Kings XI.
CSK win IPL opening match
All lovers of the Indian Premier League were happy to see MS Dhoni back on a cricket field after 437 days as he skippered Chennai Super Kings in the first game of the T20 league against defending champions Mumbai Indians in Abu Dhabi, on Saturday. There was also a fair degree of astonishment at the bulk that Dhoni has put on. Extra work in the gym during lockdown has obviously given him strength in his limbs, but he has always been known for the strength of his mind.
Using sound tactics and wonderful rotation of bowlers and right field placements on a big ground, the CSK skipper helped his team fight back as Mumbai Indians, after racing away to 45 for no loss in four overs after being put into bat, limped their way to 162 for 9. In reply, CSK relied on two players who are not spectacular, but are mighty effective and understand the grammar of pacing an innings in tough situations. Ambati Rayudu 71 (48 balls, 6x4, 3x6) and Faf du Plessis may not have the big shots. They do not have bulging muscles. But ask them to hit a gap, they will do it. The pair did the job that Suresh Raina normally does for CSK and helped them recover from the twin blows of losing openers Shane Watson and Murali Vijay to MI’s new signings Trent Boult and James Pattinson to add 115 for the third wicket.
Dhoni then promoted the young Sam Curran ahead of himself and the move worked like a charm as Curran smashed a quickfire 18 off six balls to help them win with four balls and five wickets remaining. MI last won the first match of the IPL in 2012. Ironically, it was CSK who they beat them at the Chepauk.
Spin, so often Dhoni and CSK’s trusted friend on the slow and low pitches at Chepauk, helped them in the Emirates too as the impressive Piyush Chawla struck by getting rid of MI skipper Rohit Sharma caught by Curran at mid-off and then applied the choke. It was the 10th time in three editions that Rohit had fallen to leg-spin. Dhoni then changed the end of Curran, who made a smooth graduation from being a Kings player to a Super Kings one and dismissed the dangerous Quinton de Kock.
Once the openers were gone, Dhoni was in control as most MI players were guilty of thinking that they were playing on a smallish field at Wankhede and kept getting caught at the boundary attempting big hits. Du Plessis, at long on and long off, pouched some wonderful catches, two off them in one over off Ravindra Jadeja to dismiss Saurabh Tiwary and Hardik Pandya.
