Saturdays and Sundays are special as we get to witness ‘double header’ Sundays with two encounters. In the first encounter, we had SRH taking on MI in Sharjah. MI won the toss and decided to bat first.

MI received a jolt when Rohit Sharma was dismissed early on for 6 off 5 balls by Sandeep Sharma who bowled that brilliant over. The DRS certainly worked well in SRH’s favour and a big wicket was in their kitty.

Quinton de Kock on the other end was making the most of very 1st over that Siddarth Kaul was bowling as with consistent boundaries made 18 off it. But Kaul struck back getting the crucial wicket of Suryakumar Yadav for 27 off 18 getting 6 boundaries. A funny sight was when Williamson was brought in the attack to bowl some orthodox spin.

At the 10 over mark, MI was at 90/2 going solid with Ishan Kishan and Quinton de Kock batting really well. de Kock got to his 50 and this was a very important one as this was his 1st of this IPL.

But his stay at the crease ended when he was dismissed 67 off 39 balls. Ishan Kishan playing the role of an anchor was at 30 off 21 balls and Hardik Pandya was the new batsman in. At the end of 14 overs, 134/3.

Hardik Pandya was hitting the boundaries consistently off Sandeep Sharma. But Ishan Kishan was dismissed by a screamer of a catch of Manish Pandey who was quite literally making up for a catch he had dropped earlier and MI was 4 wickets down. In was Kieran Pollard, the lifesaver for MI across seasons and a multitude of matches.

Pollard was off to a tremendous start in the 17 over with a six. The rest of the over witnessed 3 singles, another 6 and a close call for Hardik Pandya for an LBW given not out, but SRH seemed keen on the review and MI could rejoice as it was not out.

Natarajan’s 19 over yielded a good 13 runs and MI had to slog to reach 200 which with power hitting would ensure the same. Siddarth Kaul bowled an excellent yorker that was not read well by Pandya and it went, hit the stumps right away.

Krunal Pandya was the new batsman in and started off with a glorious six and a 4. He then coupled that with an excellent half volley for a 4 driving Mumbai to a 200 and finished the last ball of the over with a magnificent 6. His cameo of 20 off 4 balls was really instrumental for MI as they registered a comprehensive 208/5. Sandeep Sharma and Siddarth Kaul with 2 wickets were pick of the bowlers but they were not very economical leaking a lot of runs.

SRH was in to bat. Warner and Bairstow were in. Bairstow got the 1st boundary as a 6 off Boult and ended the 1st over with 8/0. Pattinson’s over also brought in a couple of boundaries. Boult got the crucial wicket of Bairstow for 25. Manish Pandey was the new batsman in and his 2nd ball, he got a boundary and got another 4 off Boult.

Bumrah was in the attack and was treated with two consecutive boundaries off Warner and Manish Pandey added to the agony with another 4. SRH ended the powerplay with 56/1 on the board. Hardik Pandya dropped an easy catch that could potentially dismiss Pandey but it comfortably went to the boundary and this Pollard over went for 11.

The strategic timeout called at the 9th over had SRH at 86/1 and they were slowly settling in to take this game deep. Pandey was out for 30 off 19 dismissed by Pattinson. At the end of 10 overs, SRH were at 94/2. They still needed 115 off 60 balls.

The 11th over started with Warner hitting Krunal Pandya all over the park getting 15 runs of the over. Warner brought up his 50 off 34 balls and a big partnership with Williamson would be conducive. But Williamson’s kiwi counterpart dismissed him and MI was now at 116/3.

Priyam Garg was the new batsman in and Warner was striking the ball well on the other end. The asking rate at 13 was a pressurizing situation but this was still chaseable. With 79 needed of the final 6 overs, Garg attempted to hit a big six but was dismissed as Rahul Chahar caught the ball to perfection at the boundary. Abhishek Sharma was the new batsman in.

Warner tried hitting quite a few, but was unable to connect it as well as he would’ve liked. Ishan Kishan then took a sensational catch to dismiss Warner off Pattinson when a strategic timeout was called for. The going was getting tough for SRH at this stage. Still needing 64 off the final 4, Samad was in and it looked very difficult.

Samad hit a massive six off Bumrah and it was a spectacular shot. Now SRH needed 51 off 18 balls. With good running, they were still trying to get closer but with 47 needed off the final 2 overs.

An excellent start to the 19th over saw Samad hit another 6 off Bumrah but tried to slog one more but mistimed it and was out. SRH was now 6 wickets down. Bumrah’s excellent yorker dismissed Abhishek Sharma and now SRH’s tail was out there.

Pollard was given the final over and giving away just 2 runs with 5 wonderful dots, he closed it for MI edging SRH by 34 runs.

DC and KKR taking on each other at Sharjah was always going to be an interesting match on cards as these are two high voltage sides and the small stadium would certainly make it a high scoring encounter. KKR won the toss and decided to bowl first.

Dhawan and Shaw got DC off to a flyer with some exceptional boundaries and brought in a 50 runs partnership in 4.4 overs and were certainly in good nick.

But the partnership didn’t last long fortunately for KKR as he was dismissed by an excellent ball delivered by Nagarkoti caught in the field by Shubman Gill.

Prithvi Shaw on the other end was batting really well and at the end of 10 overs, had 89/1. He then brought his 50 off 35 balls whilst Shreyas Iyer was the new batsman in.

His stay at the crease came to an end when he mistimed Varun Chakravarthy delivery lofted very high in the night sky was swirling and caught very well by Morgan displaying great levels of fielding and athleticism in getting there. DC was at 129/2 when he was dismissed in the 12th over and DC was poised for a big one.

With Shreyas Iyer already at the crease, Rishabh Pant was in. At the end of 15 overs, DC was 151/2 and with Shreyas Iyer at 47 off 25 and Rishabh Pant with 10 off 8 setting in, 200 was certainly on cards. He brought his 50 and it was his fastest in IPL in 26 balls.

With non stop and consistent boundaries, the scoreboard was ticking as this Shivam Mavi over yielded 18 runs and was propelling DC to a big score. The last 6 overs had got 80 runs for DC.

Shreyas Iyer after touching 50 was in a purple patch converting the loose deliveries into boundaries. Rishabh Pant was also in the party and was getting boundaries off Pat Cummimd bringing up their 50 run partnership off 26 balls. At the end of 17 overs, they were 186/2. Wow.

As pointed by L Sivaramakrishnan, Shreyas Iyer was leading from the front and his underhand grip was really effective. Russell was brought into the attack to restrict the run flow, but was giving away boundaries and Rishabh Pant was making the most of it. But he attempted a ‘helicopter shot’ but it went in vain as he was caught for 38 off 17.

But DC already touched 201 and Iyer made the most of this Varun Chakravarthy over getting thulped and he gave away 20 runs.

The 19th over started with Marcus Stoinis departing for 1. Shimron Hetmyer got just the 1 six whilst adding to 3 dots and the final ball was a single in what was a miraculous last over by Russell with Iyer unbeaten on 88 off 38 balls. Hands down, a superb knock by him and he was onsong throughout the knock striking at 231.26. DC ended with a magnificent albeit a changeable 228/4 and KKR bowlers quite unfortunately were hit all over the park.

KKR was in to bat; Gill and Narine were sent in to bat. Rabada bowled an excellent 1st over and he gave away just 4/0. Narine’s poor vein of form at the top continued when he was dismissed by Nortje for 3 off 5.

KKR finally got a boundary under their belt when Nitish Rana hit a massive six that went sailing to the stands and there was one more in store that ended the 2nd over with 27/1 on board.

Gill was striking the ball well and was being complemented well at the other end by Rana and at the end of the powerplay KKR was poised at 59/1.

Mishra had a close chance of dismissing Rana, but missed it. The run flow for KKR was not as easy going as it was for DC, maybe this could he attributed to the pressure on them chasing.

DC finally got a breakthrough via Mishra who dismissed Gill for 28 off 22. New batsman in for KKR was Andre Russell and power hitting from his side was the need of the hour for KKR. But Russell scoring a cameo of 13 off 8 couldn’t help much and half way through KKR was at 94/3.

Nitish Rana brought up his 50 off 32 balls and KKR still needed 122 off 49 balls. He was striking the ball really well and after hitting a 6 was dismissed the very next ball by Harshal Patel who foxed him with a slower ball caught to perfection by Axar Patel.

It was 2 in 2 for Harshal Patel who consequently also dismissed Dinesh Karthik and KKR was struggling at 118/5 at the end of 13 overs. Morgan and Cummins were at the crease now.

DC were certainly taking control of the situation as Pat Cummins was out for 5. Morgan without any inhibitions hit a glorious 6 and was looking to get runs. He also took on Rabada trying to make the most and was belting him for sixes at ease. Rahul Tripathi also hit 3 massive sixes off Stoinis and a single hand 4 was tilting the equation to 64 off 21 in KKRs over. This Stoinis over was certainly helping KKR as they got a good 24 runs off the over.

Rabada’s over started off with Morgan hitting 3 massive sixes and a close dismissal call which was given out by the umpire but clearly there was no bat involved and Tripathi got another lease of life at the crease. He finished the over with a delightful 4. Now KKR needed 31 off 12 balls.

Nortje was excellent as he was curbing the runs and got the wicket of Morgan who player a wonderful knock of 44 of 18. With KKR needing 26 off 6, this was going to be quite challenging. Stoinis was given the ball for the final over and it started with a 4 and the very next ball he dismissed Tripathi for 36(16) with an excellent yorker.

The rest of it was over for KKR as with the ex U19 speedsters at the crease, they couldn’t close it and lost by a margin of 18 runs. DC really held on to their nerves and are deservingly on the winning side.

RCB and RR was one encounter that I had enlisted even in my last Sunday Podcast episode as one to watch out for. RCB was coming of a huge win from their match versus MI and RR on the other hand was coming off a humbling loss handed to them courtesy KKR.

RR won the toss and decided to bat first again considering the trend of how teams batting first were winning batting first and defending their totals with formidable bowling. RR got in the very talented Mahipal Lomror in the playing 11 whilst RCB opted for an unchanged playing 11.

Off to a solid 1st over getting 9 off Udana, RR faced the loss of Steve Smith’s wicket courtesy an excellent delivery that dismissed him. RCB left no stone unturned as Saini was striking from the other end and got the crucial wicket of Buttler. Celebration was back in the camp when Chahal struck dismissing Samson. RR was reeling at 31/3 at the end of 4.1 overs and RCB bowlers were having a field day.

Then came the unheralded Mahipal Lomror who was hitting the boubdaries and making the scoreboard tick. Chahal struck again dismissing the off colour Robin Uthappa and RR was at 70/4 now. Lomror along with Parag strung a crucial partnership and RR was cruising. Lomror with a 47 coupled with Parag contributing 16 off 18 and last minute flourishes from Tewatia and Archer with those massive sixes and scores of 24 and 16 put RR in the driving seat driving them to a relatively competitive 154/6. Yuzvendra Chahal with his 3 wickets, Navdeep Saini and Udana were the pick of the bowlers and really helped restrict the RR batsmen who have proven to be dangerous with the big boundaries and knocks.

RCB was in to bat with the consistent and dynamic duo of Finch and Padikkal. Padikkal was in great form and it was expected for him to carry on the momentum. Finch had an uneventful stay at the crease getting dismissed early on by Gopal for a lowly 8 off 7.

Devdutt Padikkal partnering with Kohli was really batting well, making use of the gaps and was in a good vein of form as rightly justified by the faith the management had imposed in him and got a 50 off 34 balls. Kohli on the other hand having a quiet IPL up till now had a point to prove and was looking solid getting 13 runs of a Riyan Parag over and this was turning out to be a clinical knock for him personally to get in the groove and make a difference. Considering there wasn’t substantially a lot to chase, he could make the most of this knock.

Virat Kohli stepping down hitting those classical sixes was an absolute delight and finally brought about his 50 off 41 balls and the wide smile suggested how much this meant. Now, all the critics could now focus elsewhere as he was back in the groove and besides scoring runs and appearing in advertisements this IPL, he was scoring runs here as well. RCB was 118/1 off 15 overs and needed another 33 off 29 balls.

Devdutt Padikkal was finally dismissed by Jofra Archer for a wel crafted 63 off 45 balls, who bowled an exceptional yorker and this drew curtains on an excellent partnership of 99 that Kohli and he struck. de Villiers was going to be the new batsman coming in and hopefully wihtout hiccups we’d see a comfortable run chase.

de Villiers and Kohli were showcasing some excellent running and Kohli hitting those boundaries down the ground right next to the bowler was breathtaking and needed 19 off 16 at this stage and with boundaries of Curran was bridging the gap and this Tom Curran overtruned out to be really productive for RCB getting 18 off it and now needed 8 of the final 2 overs. Considering how Kohli was batting, all AB was cleverly doing was commendable rotating strike. Having a close catch which would’ve resulted him in getting out, he took 3 runs as it was dropped in the in field and man, was he a different version of his former self in the earlier stages of the tournament. Overthrows and frustration from RR was visible and helping RCB greatly. Requring 1 off the final over, AB sealed the deal with an excellent boundary and RCB with 3 wins from 4 games was right at the top of the table and Chahal was the purple cap holder. Happy times for RCB fans:)

CSK and SRH have had some very interesting encounters in the past with CSK having a lead of 10 games to SRH winning 3 encounters in the past. SRH were coming off 3 losses and 1 win from their previous encounter whilst CSK on the other hand were having a mixed season having won their 1st match and losing their next two, with Captain cool Dhoni lamenting on how they had to relook their team combinations. Both the teams were languishing at position 7 and 8 and were certainly looking to get this crucial win and make the most of the encounter.

SRH won the toss and decided to bat first which was an interesting choice to make consdiering how the previous encounters have all played out. CSK were off to an excellent start dismissing SRH expsoive batsman Bairstow for a duck off 3 balls by an exceptional delivery by D Chahar.

Manish Pandey was the new batsman in and was off to a solid start getting a boundary and ringed in 4 more more boundaries, he was certainly making the CSK bolwers toil. At the end of the powerplay, SRH was at 42/1.

Thakur got Pandey’s wicket and Williamson was in the middle now. Williamson and Warner looking to stabilize the ship were contributing crucial runs till Warner was dismissed courtesy a wonderful catch taken by Faf du Plessis at the boundary. In an unbelievable turn of events, in a serious case of miscommunication between Williamson and new entrant Priyam Garg, Williamson was run out in what was clearly not a single and he walked back a disappointed man. SRH was now tottering at 69/4 with two new batsmen at the crease.

As the commentators rightly pointed out, this was an excellent opportunity for the ex-U19 youngsters Garg and Abhishek Sharma to make their mark considering all the experienced and senior players were dismissed. They were obviously under pressure but this was certainly a golden opportunity to make a big one and cement their places in the side. At the end of 14 overs, they were 91/4 with a modest 6.42 as their run rate. an infusion of big runs was needed to post a decent albeit fighting total.

While Priyam Garg was taking time to settle in, Abhishek Sharma on the other end was hitting consistent boundaries. With 111/4 at the end of 16 overs, CSK were putting pressure on SRH with good bowling. But Garg joined the party timing the ball exceptionally well and hitting in the gaps making the most of the situation. Sam Curran’s this over was turning out to be very productive for SRH as Garg was spot on with his placement getting 22 runs off it.

Deepak Chahar would have added another wicket to his kitty had Jadeja not dropped it and it went to the boundary. Again, he hit it and what was an easy catch Shardul Thakur dropped Abhishek Sharma. Adding to the woes of CSK, Chahar gave an extra in the form of a wide and with Garg hitting him for boundaries. But Chahar finally had the final laugh dismissing Abhishek Sharma caught well by wicketkeeper Dhoni for 31 off 24 and SRH was at 146/5.

Garg brought about the 150 for SRH and was closing in his 50 with Abdul Samad on the other end displaying exceptional running between the wickets. Priyam Garg finally brought in his 50 off 23 balls and it was certainly one among many for this talented youngster who was really impressive but was given another lease of life at the crease when he would almost be dismissed but Shardul Thakur bowled a no ball. The free hit yielded nothing much and both batsmen wee trying to get the big ones but weren’t and with doubles being taken, Thakur was really making up for the runs he gave away and it was turning out to be a good over. He gave away just 7 and CSK had to chase 165 to win. This was going to be a challenging chase for CSK.

CSK had an uneventful start as Bhuvi bowled an exceptional 1st over giving away just the 1 run. CSK sent in du Plessis and Watson in as openers and fortunately dropped Vijay who was contributing little to the team. Bhuvi in his 2nd over got a breakthrough for SRH dismissing Watson for a meagre 1 off 6 and CSK were at 4/1 at the end of 2.3 overs when Ambati Rayadu walked in.

du Plessis had two close chances of getting dismissed but looked solid hitting boundaries till he was struck on his leg trying to slog that inswinger. T Natarajan struck dismissing Rayadu in a beauty of a ball that bowled him out.

This over also witnessed another dismissal with Faf du Plessis getting run out for 22 which was a big wicket for SRH and the powerplay ended with CSK at 36/3.

Dhoni was now in and with his partner in crime Jadhav, they had to save this drowning ship. But again, Samad sprung to action dismissing Jadhav further adding to the agony of CSK who were looking to stage a fightback.

Dhoni finally got the scoreboard ticking with a good boundary off Samad. With the required rate climbing to 12, the run rate was certainly climbing. With 58/4 on the scoreboard at the end of 12 overs, CSK was at 4.83 which was so unlike the quintessential bang bang format.

Now needing 94 off 36 balls, CSK were in a dire need off a lifeline in the form of big innings from either Dhoni or Jadeja.

Jadeja was off to a flyer getting a six of Samad. The dots that was CSK were registering certainly not going in their favour. Now requiring 78 off final 4 over, CSK were in deep trouble.

Jadeja getting 3 consecutive boundaries was turning it around for CSK (well, maybe?) off Bhuvi was a treat to the eyes. Still with an uphill 63 runs off 3 overs, could we see a revival of fortunes for CSK?

T Natarajan’s over started with a mistimed boundary dropped by Pandey and went for a 4. Jadeja brought about his 50 with a glorious 6 off 34 balls with a boundary percentage of 64% and as spectators we wanted to see more of that. Plot twist, he was out the very next ball.

Sam Curran was the new batsman in and man was he was off the mark with a loft six. It was very disheartening to see Bhuvi struggle and he was in real pain and seeing him walk off was disappointing.

Khaleel took over the reigns for the rest of the over and a midfield from Samad costed SRH 4 runs and Dhoni with those delightful doubles, he seemed tired and was panting with visible discomfort and called the physio.

After the medical attention, he cleared the ropes with an excellent six and as the commentators pointed out, he didn’t want to run. They now needed 28 runs off the final 6 balls and this was building up to be an interesting finish.

SRH handed the ball to Samad he started off with giving away a boundary 4 and that have away 5 runs. And with a double, he was showing some brilliance although he was really struggling visibly. With a splendid 4 that went like a canon down the ground, Dhoni was really on fire. A mistruck single and Dhoni was annoyed.

Sam Curran was on strike and CSK still needed 16 off 3 to seal the deal. But Curran hit an easy single and now with 15 off 2 unless we see extras this was out of CSKs hand. And with a six, CSK still lost by 7 runs and with Warner breathing a sigh of relief, one could make out the kind of fear and effect that Dhoni could inflict on the opposition. Samad, the 18 year old was really impressive and the way he held ground and didn’t concede more was brilliant!

The teams placed 5th and 6th with each having played 3 matches, lost 2 matches and won a solitary one were taking on each other. Both were looking to make in roads to the top 4 in the table and this was a good one to get started in that direction.

KXIP won the toss and decided to bowl first here at Abu Dhabi. Both teams presenting unchanged playing 11s, this was going to be an interesting match up.

MI was off to a rocky start when Cottrell dismissed an off colour de Kock for a duck off 5 balls. Rohit Sharma was now joined by Suryakumar Yadav who’s stay at the crease was uneventful as he was run out for a cameo of 10 off 7.

At the end of the powerplay, MI was at 41/2 and had to accelerate. Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan were batting well and even brought in a 50 runs partnership.

But Ishan Kishan’s stay unlike the previous encounter was short lived as he was dismissed for 28 by Krishnappa Gowtham who got this crucial breakthrough caught well by Nair.

Mumbai was now struggling with 83/3 the board and the evergreen Pollard came in to bat. Rohit Sharma in the meanwhile brought about his 50 off 40 balls but was eventually dismissed for a well crafted 70 courtesy an exceptional fielding effort by Glenn Maxwell who caught it at the boundary and threw it well before he crossed to Neesham who didn’t fumble. Jonty Rhodes in the dugout also looked pumped at this superb fielding display.

Kieran Pollard and Hardik Pandya provided a very fightback in the end contributing with scores of 47 and 30 in the latter stages helping MI post a challenging 191/4.

KXIP’s bowling in these final overs has been poor and except Shami. Neesham has been a big disappointment in the last few overs conceding a lot and MI made mincemeat of him getting the big runs.

KXIP was in to bat with KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal and were off to a solid start. It didn’t last long as Agarwal who’d just crossed a milestone of 1500 runs was dismissed by a screamer off Bumrah.

Krunal Pandya got a crucial breakthrough of Karun Nair and bowled him out. KXIP was reeling at 39/2 when Pooran walked in. Powerplay ended with MI at 41/2.

Krunal Pandya was not having a good over as with 3 wides being consistently being bowled, the over yielded 15 runs. Rahul Chahar struck instantly dismissing KL Rahul with KXIP at 60/3 in 8.1 overs when a strategic timeout was called.

At the end of 10 overs, KXIP were 71/2 and some close calls with LBWs of Chahar, Pooran with consistent boundaries had a boundary percentage of 67%. He was finally finding his ground. But was dismissed by Pattinson for a well played 44 off 27 balls. KXIP still needed a miracle as with 6 overs to go, they needed 87 runs and had to replicate MI’s performance if they had to cross the line.

Rahul Chahar got the wicket of Maxwell for 11 and it was beautiful over. Neesham was ineffective not contributing at all to the scoreboard getting dismissed early. KXIP was 6 wickets down. In was Sarfaraz who had a very unorthodox batting started off with a boundary.

It looked done and dusted for KXIP as they needed 71 off the final 3 overs. Sarfaraz was facing a tricky LBW call and was finally out for 7.

KXIP didn’t leave any stone unturned with K Gowtham hitting the big ones. MI finally closed in on KXIP inflicting a 48 runs defeat. They also got the wickets of the tail. MI bowling was certainly on fire today and proved that 191 on this track was always going to be a score to reckon with.

KKR and RR were coming off big wins from their previous encounters that really added momentum to their campaign. RR has been really impressive with their performances and selection of good playing 11s considering that Stokes hasn’t joined the squad as yet. KKR on the other hand was finding their feet and with a win in their previous encounter looked like a team with a mission.

RR won the toss and decided to bowl first. Opting for an unchanged 11, they were certainly a formidable squad and KKR on the other hand also going unchanged were a side to reckon with and on good days, they could surprise their opposition.

KKR sent in the duo of Narine and Gill to bat. Off to a shaky start with Unadkat striking by dismissing pinch hitter Narine for 15 who certainly set the scoreboard ticking but it did not last long enough.

Gill was batting well on the other end carrying from the previous encounter and with Nitish Rana would certainly look to cement a big partnership.

At the end of 8 overs, KKR were 66/1 with Gill and Rana poised to make big ones. But with some mistimed aerial shots, Gill was risking his stay at the crease but the desperation to get runs in this run hungry format. He was ringing in consistent boundaries and was in seemingly good form.

Going at a consistent run rate of 8.2, at the end of 10 overs KKR was at 82/2 but not with a jolt when Nitish Rana was dismissed by last match hero Rahul Tewatia for a shot that didn’t quite make the boundary.

Andre Russell was in for KKR was playing up the order which was the need of the hour. Jofra Archer coming off an exceptional 1st over started his 2nd over taking the big wicket of Gill caught and bowled for 47.

Dinesh Karthik was in and the move by Smith to get Archer in the attack at this stage was a good strategy to take a crucial breakthrough and curtail the runs KKR was scoring. It very well served the purpose as it he gave away just the one run with the wicket.

But Russell found his ground, hitting a massive six off Gopal and a ball change had to be called for. There was one more six in store and a couple sent Gopal’s figures for the match awry.

Archer struck again this time with the wicket of DK and we witnessed DK edge one to the keeper. He was out for 1 and KKR were 4 wickets down. Clocking in average speeds of 145, he was on fire. But with a six of Rajpoot, he couldn’t carry on as he was out attempting to hit one but was caught outside off and a good catch by Unadkat for 24(14).

Morgan was in and with Cummins at the other end. Obviously Morgan was waiting for the right balls to hit them but Tom Curran’s over didn’t yield that many. At the end of 16 overs, they were 127/5.

Jofra Archer with figures of 2-4 off 3 was back again to deliver for the team perhaps to get the wicket of the last recognized batsman Morgan. Cummins on the other end hit a good boundary off Archer. Even Morgan joined the party hitting a six that was dropped by Smith at the boundary.

Morgan was striking those crucial boundaries off Curran and with Cummins rotating strike, KKR was looking to make a competitive 170 (maybe?) Cummins was dismissed soon enough by a splendid catch taken by Sanju Samson for 12.

Nagarkoti was in and was off to a good boundary in his 2nd ball at the crease. The final over of Tom Curran gave away a single, a six, some exceptional running for 2s, a wide and the last 2 of the over being consecutive wides, and with a single and a yorker helped restrict KKR to 174/6.

RR was in to chase this total. Smith and Butler were in and preserving Samson for number 3 coming in at the latter stage would help RR greatly. Butler was off with a glorious 6 off Narine and with 12 off the 1st over were off to a great start.

Smith was dismissed off Cummins in an over that saw 2 close chances of his dismissal and finally edging one to the keeper. Samson was the next batsman in and started off with a magnificent boundary.

KKR got another breakthrough courtesy Mavi who dismissed Samson who wasn’t able to connect it for a boundary past the fielders in the 30 yards circle. Now the experienced Uthappa was in and at the end of 5 overs, RR was at 36/2 going at a little more than 7 an over.

Cummins in the 6th over was fiery bowling at an average of 140 and was certainly a thorn for RR. Mavi was the new bowler and carrying the momentum dismissed Buttler who was out at slips and RR was reeling at 39/3.

Nagarkoti then dismissed Uthappa and consequently the speedster dismissed his ex teammate Riyan Parag off a close catch taken again by his ex U19 teammate Shubman Gill who didn’t err and now RR were staring down the barrel with the scorecard reading 42/5. Was this going to be a collapse or would be witness “Tewatia magic” was a pertinent question. RR had that collapse but with Tewatia and Curran in the crease, there was still Archer and Gopal waiting in the wings. Maybe, all was not over?

Tewatia finally set the runs mill going with a six off Nagarkoti who had dream figures of 2-2 at the end of his 1 over quota making in roads to this 2nd over. At the end of 10 overs, RR was at 61/5 still needing 114 off the final 10.

Tewatia was dismissed off Varun Chakravarthy and in was Gopal. RR were losing plot and perhaps a blinder from Archer could save them. Gopal was out after a weird dismissal off the ball hitting wristband of his glove caught well by DK.

Archer couldn’t create the impact he was sent in for, hitting a six and then getting dismissed by a Chakravarthy delivery that was beautifully caught by Nagarkoti to perfection.

With 90/8 on the board at the end of 15, it almost looked done and dusted for RR needing an unsurpassable 85 off 30. Had they the required batsman, it would’ve happened but the collapse ensured that was not to be.

With Unadkat getting dismissed, but a little confusion of it striking the spider cam’s line was there but had to walk back due to inconclusive evidence of it hitting the rope to cause interference.

Tom Curran was providing some last minute respite with excellent sixes and was closing in on his 50 and got to it in 35 balls. Rajpoot joined the party hitting a six over Morgan and a 4 by Curran and eventually KKR registered a comprehensive 37 runs victory over the undefeated RR who were humbled by this loss.

SRH, winner of IPL in 2016 languishing at the bottom of the table? Well, that’s how things were stacked for them in this nascent stage of IPL. Delhi Capitals on the other hand with 2 instrumental wins under their belt were right at the top of the table with a healthy net run rate.

SRH brought in Abdul Samad and Kane Williamson, the former a young prodigy and the latter obviously a champion batsman for New Zealand and a proven matchwinner for SRH in the past season leading them well. DC was almost fielding the same team with the inclusion of Ishant Sharma and what was heartbreaking was seeing Ajinkya Rahane warming the benches. It seemed logical for the management to retain the winning formula but a player of his caliber deserved a spot in the playing 11.

DC won the toss and decided to bowl first. SRH sent in the power duo of Warner and Bairstow. Off to relatively slower start, SRH was at 52/0 at the end of 7 overs. It seemed like they were playing calculative cricket and controlled shots with good running between the wickets.

With periodic boundaries and good running, SRH was piling on the runs and were going at almost 8 an over with bonuses in the form of extras conceded by DC bowlers. Ishant Sharma’s over was instrumental and getting 14 off it, SRH were looking to regain the momentum. But Amit Mishra was hit for a 4 and a dot with the very next ball dismissing Warner. He was clearly foxed by the wrong-un and the review worked well for DC and a comfortable catch for Pant.

Pandey was in ahead of Williamson in this crucial stage but his stay at the crease was short-lived as he was dismissed for 3 and Mishy strikes again. Williamson was in finally and with Bairstow in the crease, SRH was 99/2 at the end of 12 overs.

Williamson getting consistent boundaries off Stoinis was making it count at the crease. With the scoreboard reading 140/2 at the end of 17 overs, SRH was coring at 8.24. Bairstow brought about his 50 off 44 balls in a lukewarm stay in the middle but was eventually dismissed in an attempt to get more runs off Rabada for 53.

Samad was in and hit a 4 and 6 off Nortje and was rotating the strike as well. Williamson was destructive and really brought in some crucial runs but was dismissed for 41 off 26 deliveries off Rabada and SRH ended with 162/4.

DC was off to a rocky start with Prithvi Shaw getting dismissed early on for 2 and the skipper was in already. Bhuvi was displaying his classical outside off delivery which foxes batsman and the young Shaw fell prey to it. The task of stabilizing the ship fell on Iyer and Dhawan.

It was a tricky pitch to bat on and with DC at 27/1 at the end of 5, they still needed 136 off 90. An up hill chase undoubtedly. With Shreyas Iyer getting dismissed for 17 by Rashid, DC was reeling at 42/2 when Pant joined Dhawan at the crease.

In the 11th over soon after, Dhawan was dismissed for 34 off 31 balls by Rashid Khan who was on a roll and Shimron Hetmyer was in. DC needed 100 off 48 balls and with SRH bowlers bowling economic spells, it was taking DC time to settle in especially the newer batsmen coming. Pant hitting an exceptional six off Abhishek Sharma and with another over covers was slowly bringing DC back in the game.

Shimron Hetmyer with consecutive 6s brought up 100 on board for DC and were bridging the gap. Khaleel’s over was turning out to be clinical for DC but his strain of inconsistency found way as he was out for 21 off 12 that was a cameo but there was still a good 59 off 29 to make when strategic timeout was called for. Stoinis was the new batsman in and got off the mark with a boundary. Certainly, DC needed some power hitting from him. With Pant also striking it well from the other end, it was again not enough as he was out for 28 by Rashid who was tempting the batsman to go for the big ones.

With Stoinis and Axar Patel, it still seemed possible but Stoinis wasn’t at his usual attacking self and was facing a close LBW decision and it did not go in his favour. He was out for 11 off 9 and now it was pretty much Delhi’s tail. Rabada hit a surprise 4 but still needing 31 off 9 seemed highly unlikely unless Axar Patel could pull off a ‘Tewatia’.

Needing 28 off the final one, Khaleel was in the attack and the first ball was struck by Rabada but dropped. Soon after, Axar Patel was dismissed with the ball striking the stumps straight in a beautiful yorker and the match was not done with a 6 struck by Rabada. It was anti climatic finish as SRH wrapped up handing DC a 15 run defeat and registered their 1st win this IPL.

Match 10 featuring arch nemesis RCB taking on MI was always going to be an interesting match up. With RCB already reeling from the disastrous loss to KXIP (and the storm of memes directed at them on Social Media) in the previous encounter, they were looking to secure this win and make the most of it.

MI won the toss and decided to bowl first here at Dubai. RCB was forced to bring about changes in their playing 11 with Udana, Zampa and Gurkeerat coming in for Steyn, Philippe and Umesh Yadav. MI on the other hand were finally featuring Ishan Kishan whilst retaining the same teams.

RCB were off to a flyer of a start courtesy some exceptional batting from Finch and Padikkal who were certainly looking to make the most of the Powerplay dispatching Boult and Bumrah at ease and Finch hitting Rahul Chahar for 4 consecutive boundaries. MI on the other hand leaving no stone unturned were fielding well with Chahar showcasing some good fielding with a dive that saved a 4. The commentators also remarked that this was perhaps the ‘Pooran effect’ after yesterday’s stellar and unbelievable fielding perfromance by KXIP player Nicholas Poorran.

RCB at the end of 6 overs were at 59/0 and were looking poised for a big one. Finch brought about his 50 off 32 balls and was striking the ball really well giving Dev Padikkal on the other end time to settle in and hit some delightful boundaries.

One positive for RCB has been the opening pair who’ve batted well without inhibitions and help set a platform for the upcoming batsmen coming in. Well, Finch was dismissed soon after for 52 off 35 balls by a Trent Boult delivery caught well by Pollard. An 80 run partnership was commendable and with the scoreboard reading 81/1, in walked skipper Kohli and we were certainly hoping to see him perform after the string of low scores in his previous outings.

Kohli looked to start off with some restrain carefully reading and playing calm vs Chahar and looked listless in the latter part of the over and even with the former half of Bumrah’s over. To be very honest, he wasn’t looking the attacking self he usually is. Maybe with some more time at the crease, he could regain his mojo and go all guns blazing, lest we forget he is the highest run getter in the history of the IPL.

Off to a slower start, Padikkal had to accelerate now and score runs because Kohli was dismissed once again for a abysmal 3 off 11 off Chahar and caught ironically by Rohit Sharma who showed no qualms in catching an absolute sitter. This is the 8th innings for Kohli without a 50 and it was concerning but considering the quality player he is, perhaps we can expect him to bounce back soon enough and silence all the critics.

In was AB with those phenomenal numbers as rightly pointed by the commentators was expected to hit a big one to help RCB post a respectable total. Finally the boundaries drought was quenched by Padikkal hitting two delightful sixes off Pattinson and certainly looked in the ‘zone’.

AB with good running and a boundary of Krunal Pandya looked in full control (pre match analysis showed AB has a weakness against spinners and has been dismissed by Krunal previously). Padikkal with a boundary as well off Krunal looked close to get to his 2nd 50. At the end of 15 overs, RCB were at 123/2 and in was Pollard in the attack. MI seemed like they were sending him in for consolation for the RCB fans (joking, of course). He was clearly sent for a crucial breakthrough and variation in the attack.

Padikkal got to his 50 off 37 balls and was striking at 143 looking impressive. Even the MI twitter handle praised Padikkal for timing his shots sweetly adequately representing how well he was actually batting. With 13 runs coming off Pollard’s over, there was 4 more overs left for RCB to call it close for their 20 overs quota, when the clock struck ripe for a strategic timeout.

Bumrah was in now and having given just 9 off his 2 overs, an interesting match up with AB and him was building up with AB dispatching him for a 4 right of the 1st ball and got two 6s in the 3rd ball and the final ball taking RCB to a 154/2 off 17 overs.

Padikkal was dismissed for a well made 54 off Boult and Shivam Dube, a proven matchwinner in New Zealand was here and pinch hitting posting crucial runs on the board was crucial. With AB hitting some exceptional 6s and was in the mood for a big one.

With boundaries coming from AB and Dube of Bumrah, RCB was on top dominating  with the last 18 balls bringing on 45 runs and a well deserved 50 for AB brought with a lofty six off 23 balls, yet again getting RCB off the clutches of a poor performance.

Shivam Dube hitting two consecutive 6s (almost looking to be on par with AB) off the 2nd and 3rd ball off this penultimate Pattinson over looked confident and maybe help RCB register 200 getting AB on strike for the last 2 deliveries was a good strategy but AB took a single deceived by a slower one by Pattinson, Dube was going to face the last one for the innings and launching a massive six took RCB to the driver’s seat with an emphatic 201/3.

Dube’s pinch hitting of 27 off 10 was the game changer and considering Mumbai was chasing in this big stadium at Dubai would be an interesting run chase. Boult with his 2 wickets was the pick of the bowlers and Bumrah looked off color.

MI was in to bat and was off to a solof start getting 14 off the 1st over. With captain Rohit Sharma getting dismissed soon enough by Washington Sundar, they faced a small set back but with 16/1 with Suryakukar Yadav at the crease, it did not look done and dusted for them. Again, Isuru Udana dismissed him with a close catch taken by AB.

Ishan Kishan was the new batsman at the crease and was off to an excellent start with a 4. Sundar looked consistent and good getting 4 dots and 1 single giving away just 1 run and a beautiful over. At the end of 4 overs, MI was reeling at 24/2.

Ishan Kishan with a good six off Saini if put in the hard yards and time could certainly take his team to a comfortable position.

At the end of the 6 overs powerplay, MI was at 35/2 and finally Chahal was in the attack and struck dismissing de Kock and he was seen trudging back to the pavilion courtesy another excellent catch by substitute Negi.

Hardik dispatched Zampa for a massive six effortlessly and with 11 runs off that over, MI were slowly settling in with 52/3 in 8 overs. Spinners were certainly getting purchase from this pitch and MI’s asking rate was steeply rising to 12.78.

With 63/3 on the board at the end of 10 overs, MI had to shift gears and score more consistent boundaries.

With that being said, Kishan hit a maximum off Saini utilizing his front foot, an 86 meters long six. There was one more witnessed brought to us by Kishan and Saini with wides was not inspiring confidence at this stage.

Zampa struck dismissing Hardik Pandya for 15 now and with Pawan Negi taking one more(making it three), MI was at 78/4 needing another 124 off 52, it was only getting tougher for them.

As tempting as it must’ve been for Kishan to hit the big ones, he had to play the role of an anchor as wickets were tumbling around him and was further reinforced by Pollard asking him to calm down.

He then brought about his 50 off 39 balls and MI were now at 98/4 requiring 104 off 36 balls. Ishan Kishan was proving to be instrumental and effective announcing his arrival in style after being made to warm the benches in the 1st two matches.

With 90 now needed of the final 5 overs and after Tewatia’s heroics, nothing could be ruled out as Kishan was batting well and got a boundary the very 1st ball after the strategic timeout ended. He was running well and in the meanwhile also was registering his personal highest in the IPL.

The last 4 needed MI to score 80 and man, that was obviously going to be very challenging. With Pollard bringing in new gloves and wiping off the sweat, he looked like a man on a mission. He started the over of Zampa with a magnificent boundary and the commentator’s curse hitting Negi, he dropped Pollard’s hard hit boundary that became a six. The run feast continued with another 6, 16 runs off 3 balls was not a pretty sight and maybe this would bring back MI to life. One more six after a couple of runs was witnessed as Pollard was batting with no restrain. He hit another lofty shot but Chahal was unable to catch it and MI was suddenly staging a comeback now.

With Chahal in, RCB really needed a breakthrough. But Pollard was in the zone starting the over with a six and suddenly the equation was down to 44 off 15. Ishan Kishan joined the party and with a six bringing the required rate to a relatively comfortable position. 23 off this over, MI was making the most and Chahal was clueless. Pollard brought about his 50 off 20 balls with a 6 and every RCB fan was certainly devastated.

Now with 31 needed off the final two overs, Saini was in the attack. A wide was the worst way to start and watching this devastating performance by RCB unfold was heartbreaking to say the least.

Saini was really bowling out of skin and the 1st half of this over was really good giving away very little and with Kishan getting a six and a single.

The equation was down to 19 off 6 and RCB fans were already dreading Udana bowling the last over. The dew was already making it harder to bowl and it was slipping away for RCB either ways.

The first ball of this final over saw a close run out and Kishan had grounded the ball so he was safe. But with 18 still needed off 5, it was getting harder. Gurkeerat dropping another, it was a six and 11 needed off 3 at this stage. Ishan Kishan was at 93 now and with a six hit by him, 5 were needed off 2 and he was closing in on his century. With a catch finally taken to dismiss Kishan by Padikkal, 5 was needed off the final ball. Kishan played a marvellous knock of 99 off 58 balls. With Pollard hitting a 4 off the final ball, the match was tied and we were in for a super over.

Mumbai sent in Pollard and Pandya, big hitters in to bat and Saini was bowling this over. Getting 7 off this over, RCB now had 8 as a target. Saini was splendid in this super over really restricting MI batting.

RCB sent in AB and Kohli in this super over and Bumrah was the bowler. With two singles to start off this over, 6 off 4 was still needed. de Villiers had a close call and he got a four off the very next ball and with 2 needed off 2, and a single again. Now 1 off 1 and an off colour Kohli on strike, this was really anxiety provoking and Kohli redeemed himself with a classical 4 and RCB won match.

Will RR make it two wins off two games was a pertinent question. But playing against KXIP was always going to be a classy encounter. RR won the toss and chose to bowl first which perhaps in this small stadium at Sharjah was taken as chasing under the lights with dew on would be an interesting run chase but certainly that was not what happened and we got to witness a run feast courtesy KXIP opnerers KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal.

Mayank Agarwal was batting like a man possessed and going all guns blazing, this is what T20 cricket is all about. Mayank Agarwal brought about his 100 off just 45 balls and he completely overshadowed KL Rahul on the other end. With the openers giving such a solid start to KXIP, the RR bowling were facing the onslaught of this Karnataka duo batsmen. This was an absolute belter of a pitch and a sorry state for the bowlers. Agarwal and Rahul in the meanwhile have broken the record for the highest partnership forged by an Indian opening pair with their masterclass innings.

Mayank Agarwal was finally dismissed by Tom Curran but it was a splendid innings and with KL Rahul playing second fiddle was dismissed for 69 off 54 balls, and it was a well crafted knock.

It also becomes important to note how they were slogging consistently throughout the entire 20 overs quota bringing up the timely boundaries and really making the RR bowlers toil especially Tewatia who went for 19 runs in his very 1st over and was not brought back into the attack.

KL Rahul was finally dismissed off Ankit Rajpoot who was bowling well in the death overs although he went for a lot in his 4 overs. After KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal were dismissed, it looked like RR was staging a fightback but this was not to be as Glenn Maxwell and Nicholas Pooran were the next set of batsman in and scoring 13 off 9 and 25 off 8 respectively, they single handedly (obviously not downplaying the openers’ role) took KXIP to a competitive and exciting 223/2.

RR were in for a big chase here and with Buttler and Smith sent in to open, real big innings from them was needed to turn this match around. Steve Smith getting a 4 off Cottrell set the tone and more of it was required and KXIP bowling really had to bowl out of their skin to defend this total. With Cottrell bowling two wides already, the extras were piling up and with Cottrell requesting for some saw dust in that bowling area, there was a temporary stoppage. But with a boundary after the return, RR looked good.

But with Buttler getting dismissed by Cottrell, this was a big wicket. but soon enough Sanju Samson was in and started off with a maximum and with consistent boundaries, a good partnership with Smith was crucial. With periodic boundaries, they were on par with the asking rate in this powerplay. At the end of 7 overs, RR was firmly poised at 80/1. And KXIP was displaying some exceptional fielding with Pooran saving one exceptional boundary. But Sanju Samson was in good flow hitting the big ones.

But Steve Smith was dismissed for a well made 50 off 27 balls off Neesham who according to the commentators had bowled the ‘worst ball ever bowled’ in the previous ball and this one silenced his naysayers.

Sanju Samson was hitting brilliant boundaries and brought about his 50 in 27 balls in what was going to be out but was dropped by Bishnoi but he was making his stay at the crease count.

With 122/2 on board at the end of 13 overs, Samson were batting exceptionally well. Sending Tewatia ahead of other recognized batsman was such a no-brainer and someone like Uthappa (an experienced campaigner, an orange cap holder in IPL) should’ve been sent ahead. He was trying his level best but with desperation wasn’t yielding anything. It was painful to watch him bat and other recognized batsmen warming the bench and waiting in the wings. He finally hit a six but there was still a lot more needed. This was clearly putting a lot of pressure on Samson who was duly repaying all the faith invested in him and was playing without any inhibitions with the big sixes.

63 off the last 4 seemed so impossible and Samson getting dismissed for a well made 85 off 42, it was done and dusted for RR unless a miracle could happen. But Robbie and Tewatia still hitting some boundaries, it seemed possible with Tewatia hitting 5 consecutive sixes of Cottrell, it was unbelievable stuff and Robbie was out and in was Jofra Archer came in with 2 sixes and brought the eqaution to 9 off 9.

Tewatia who was certainly the target of memes for his batting but the way he turned it around was unbelievable. Just imagine the last 1.4 overs brought in 43 runs. Jaw dropping, right? And with a six he brought about a well deserved 50 off 30 balls making a mockery of Shami’s bowling bringing in 7 sixes. He was dismissed the very next ball and he’s certainly done everything for RR, a little heartbroken that he couldn’t be there for the winning runs but he certainly paved the way for RR and he will not be forgotten for this magnificent gem of an innings.

Parag was in and after defending one was dismissed for naught in the very next ball and RR needed just 2 to win off 4 balls and Tom Curran with a boundary sealed the deal. With this, RR has pulled off the biggest run chase in the history of the IPL and a successful run chase. Spellbound.

Getting a first win under the belt is always a good way to start the campaign and serves as a confidence booster, but in this case both KKR and SRH were looking for that 1st win. Both teams in their respective previous encounters faced collapses and questions over the playing 11, which eventually forced changes as seen today in the team combinations.

For the first time in the tournament did a team win the toss and choose to bat first. SRH took this tactical decision which was quite impressive. SRH sent in the experienced openers in the form of Warner and Bairstow.

Bairstow was dismissed early by Pat Cummins who was bowling well and soon enough Warner was dismissed by Varun Chakravarthy. SRH were taking a little longer to settle in and cause the impact but considering KKR’s bowling was relentless and Saha walked in with a close LBW appeal that did not work in KKRs favour.

At the end of 10 overs, SRH were at 61/2 and had to fight back to get a respectable total. Today was the time for their middle order to stand up and perform. KKR looked solid today and were exceptional on the field saving runs and being proactive. Saha and Pandey were in the middle and had to accelerate.

Another point to note was the inclusion of U19 players in the teams. Giving these young turks the right opportunity and the exposure really primes them for the debuts they’d make for their international teams ahead. Kamlesh Nagarkoti was back after injuries and everything and was looking good.

With the run rate at 6.31, SRH were at 82/2 and Pandey was in his 30s with Saha still taking time to settle in. Nagarkoti with an average speed of 139 kmph was impressive and was bowling the right line and lengths but was leaking runs and got just 2 overs to bowl.

With the strategic timeout being called at the 14th over, SRH was at 93/2 and needed a fresher to shift gears and score the big ones. Narine’s over was also pretty economical and finally Saha hit a six to relieve us of the boundaries deficit. Pandey finally brought about his 50 off 35 balls and with a run rate of 7, looked poised for 140+

Cummins had a very good spell giving away just 19 runs and taking a wicket. Andre Russell was in the attack and immediately sprung into action dismissing a well settled Pandey who played aa rather erratic lofty shot to get out. Another mistimed shot by Saha which was almost impossible to catch was consequently dropped by Nagarkoti and was adding crucial runs to the total.

Nabi announced his arrival in this IPL with a delightful boundary off Mavi. Saha with the run a ball 30 was inefficient at this crucial fag end of the innings and perhaps his dismissal would make way for young Priyam Garg and pinch hitter Rashid Khan.

The last over began with Nabi dispatching Russell for a boundary. The very next ball was a run out of Saha and in was Abhishek Sharma with a 2 off 3 and with Nabi ending with 11 off 8, SRH ended with 142/4 which was a sub par score on this pitch. But their bowling will have to contain this strong KKR batting line up.

KKR was in to bat and sent in Shubman Gill and Narine to open. Gill looked in good touch with a cover drive and a flick shot but it did not yield runs but the subsequent 4th ball was a delightful boundary. Narine was out for a duck attempting to go for a big one giving a leading edge caught successfully by Warner. Khaleel was off to a splendid start to his spell. But with Shubman Gill hitting him for an excellent six, it set a tone to this chase. Nitish Rana was at the other end got off to a good start with a cracking four off Bhuvi and we got to witness one more.

Shubman Gill and Nitish Rana were batting well together and timing the boundaries to perfection. At the end of 4 overs, with 38/1 on the board, KKR looked comfortable to chase this total. Nitish Rana was dismissed T Natarajan and skipper DK was in.

Shubman Gill hitting those timely boundaries was lending those runs to the scoreboard. With 91 needed off 84, if KKR treaded the easy safe route, they could register their first win with a calculated and strategic approach. But with Karthik getting LBW’d and reviewing it (after the timer was off) was a futile attempt as he had to walk back to the pavilion getting dismissed for 0 off 2 by Rashid.

Morgan was in and with a crucial boundary off Rashid, Gill was playing the role of an anchor and that was pretty good to see him take responsibility. Seeing Kane Williamson warm the benches was not a great sight but seeing him in the playing 11 would really help lend balance to SRH batting especially in the middle order.

With 63 off 9 overs exactly at 7 r.p.o, KKR could salvage this match and not take it to the last minute like CSK had been doing in their past encounters. Gill finally brought in his 50 off 42 balls and his 5th IPL fifty. With 41 needed off the final 6, it looked like a cakewalk now for KKR.

With Morgan hitting a glorious six, KKR needed exactly just 30 off the final 5. It was a run-a-ball scenario and with Gill hitting Rashid for a four and consequently Abhishek Sharma for a six, the gap was getting bridged and it was only getting easier for KKR.

The match was comprehensively sealed by KKR as Shubman Gill’s top notch performance was ably supported by Morgan with a glorious 6 and a four coming in the end with the extras coming in handy, KKR won with 7 wickets to spare.