It has been three days since the IPL got off the mark. Though it has been such a short while, the teams have ensured some good action on the cricket pitch. The tournament has started off with the defending champions taking on one of the most balanced teams in the IPL. This match came up as a subtle loss for MI. With the kind of start KKR got; it looked as if their batting line-up is going to succumb to MI’s bowling. But when you have retired test players playing for a side, one can expect a good target from a faltering side. That is what Jacques Kallis did. He used his basket of experience to accelerate at the correct time and with the correct pace. This is when I think MI just gave up the game and allowed KKR to post a decent total. Then, KKR could easily fall back on Narine who has turned out to be one of the most feared bowlers in IPL. Even KKR’s spin trio responded well to the target and restricted MI to get their first win on board.
While KKR sealed their first win, RCB also worked their way up to win against DD. Theirs was a win which was completely clinical. They bowled well to keep DD below 150 and once they came up to bat, they looked compressive with a balanced Parthiv Patel at the top and a match winning knock by Yuvraj Singh. RCB will be happy to have Yuvraj back in form and as always ‘chase master’- Virat Kohli chased the target down with ease. Had DD’s top order capitalized well, they could have set up a target of 160+.
What I infer from these two matches is the need for Mike Hussey and Murali Vijay to perform their roles well for their respective teams at the top. They need to be useful at the top like they did when under CSK.
The third match was a high scoring one where both teams batted their skins out. CSK started off really well to get a blazing start. Mid way through the innings the looked a bit off track. Nevertheless they posted a mammoth target of 205. But now a days, does it matter what the target is?
The target seemed too much when Ashwin was keeping things tight from one end but soon the pendulum swung the other way. All thanks to the bold batting from Maxwell and Miller. They took calculated risks which in turn benefited them. As it was double-header day, there was more action left which included the RR vs. SRH match. This match was eyeing a last ball finish. But thanks to Faulkner’s last over heroics, RR was assured a win. SRH, from the start, looked off-balance and were not able to set a good target. In spite of this, Steyn started off really well and set RR on fire. But a well settled Rahane along with Binny slowly built the innings to RR’s benefits. Though this match went down to the wire, RR took a well-deserved win.
What I infer from these two matches is the need for Mike Hussey and Murali Vijay to perform their roles well for their respective teams at the top. They need to be useful at the top like they did when under CSK.
The third match was a high scoring one where both teams batted their skins out. CSK started off really well to get a blazing start. Mid way through the innings the looked a bit off track. Nevertheless they posted a mammoth target of 205. But now a days, does it matter what the target is?
The target seemed too much when Ashwin was keeping things tight from one end but soon the pendulum swung the other way. All thanks to the bold batting from Maxwell and Miller. They took calculated risks which in turn benefited them. As it was double-header day, there was more action left which included the RR vs. SRH match. This match was eyeing a last ball finish. But thanks to Faulkner’s last over heroics, RR was assured a win. SRH, from the start, looked off-balance and were not able to set a good target. In spite of this, Steyn started off really well and set RR on fire. But a well settled Rahane along with Binny slowly built the innings to RR’s benefits. Though this match went down to the wire, RR took a well-deserved win.
It is just the start of the IPL and so much action has already been drafted. It would be exciting to see what happens in the coming games. Till then, HAPPY IPL!!!
Beyond the dressing room,
-Prashanti
Beyond the dressing room,
-Prashanti