The moving stage of the IPL is now behind us and we're almost mid-way through the tournament with every team knowing what its best XI is. With that being said, here's a detailed review of the third week of the IPL 2021; a week which comprised some of the most prolific cricketing action ranging super overs to last balls finishes, impossible human feats to sheer individual brilliance and giant upsets to dominating victories.
Match 17: MI v PBKS - Chepauk, Chennai
Middle-order fails again as MI plummet ahead of Punjab
With two early wickets in the form of QDK (3 off 5) and Ishan (6 off 17) and Sharma and Suryakumar gasping for runs in the dismal Chepauk track, MI struggled to score runs in the first half of the innings. Some fantastic bowling by the Punjab bowlers Ravi Bishnoi and Md Shami (2-21 each) helped contain the runs from leaking in the middle overs. Surya (33) and Rohit (63) batted through the middle overs but were dismissed in successive overs as Punjab gained the upper hand in the death. This change in momentum helped Punjab as they restricted the opposition to just 131-6 in their 20 overs, with just 26 runs coming from the last 24 balls. With a small target ahead of them, the Kings were off to a flying start courtesy of Mayank Agarwal (25). He helped set the stage for KL and Chris Gayle who finished the game for the Punjab Kings. KL scored 60 while Gayle remained not-out at 43 as PBKS easily chased the target in 17.3 overs with 9 wickets in hand.
Man of the Match - KL Rahul (60* off 52 balls)
Match 18: RR v KKR - Wankhede, Mumbai
Rajasthan cripple dismal KKR
Yet another IPL match saw the team batting first being restricted to a mediocre total and the target being chased by the chasing team in prime fashion. Given the chance to bat first, KKR had a sluggish start with both of their openers being at the defensive end of things. Gill (11 off 19) and Rana (22 off 25) never really got going and neither did the middle order with Morgan getting run out for a duck and Narine for just 6 as KKR was relegated for 61-4 in 10 overs. Cameos from Karthik (25) and Tripathi (36) followed but none could really get going as the Knight Riders' were halted for a mere 133 runs in their quota of 20 overs. Chris Morris was no doubt the talk of the first innings, finishing his sensational spell with figures of 4-0-23-4. Despite losing Buttler early, the Royals were given a decent start by 19-year old Yashashvi Jaiswal (22) and Sanju Samson. Samson anchored the innings and stood right till the very end with a score of 42 runs. Important cameos from Shivam Dube (22) and Dave Miller (24*) followed as the Rajasthan Royals cruised to their win with 6 wickets in hand and 7 balls to spare. Shivam Mavi was excellent in his spell of 1-19 and Varun Chakravarthy grabbed a brace as well but it wasn't enough to stop the Royals from getting the W.
Man of the Match - Chris Morris (4-0-23-4)
Match 19: CSK v RCB - Wankhede, Mumbai
All hail Sir Ravindra 'Midas' Jadeja
Owing to a fiery start by the openers Gaikwad and Du Plessis, CSK looked to be in the driver's seat in the first half of the first innings. Faf and Gaikwad got the runs going and put up a 74-run stand before the latter was dismissed for 33 by Harshal Patel. Faf soon fell to Harshal as well not before scoring another 50. Quick cameos from Raina (24) and Rayudu (14) followed but the hemorrhaging rate at which the runs had been coming for CSK looked to have been sizzled out. CSK who were once looking comfortable at 100-1 after 12 overs were now stuck at 154-4 with Jadeja and MSD at the crease and one over to go. What followed next was the complete disarray of Harshal Patel's bowling as Ravi Jadeja took to the opposition and hit a flurry of offense. Boundaries were coming in left, right, and center for the men in yellow as CSK finished with a stupendous total of 191-4 after 20 overs with a record 37 runs (6,6,6nb,6,2,6,4) coming from the last over. Jadeja reached his fifty as well amidst all the chaos and ended his innings not out at 62 off 28 balls while Harshal finished with 3-51. RCB had a solid start courtesy of Devdutt Padikkal (34 off 15) but no one really kept going as the CSK bowlers struck back. They didn't let the RCB batsmen settle on the crease as they continued to exploit the opposition. After being 44-0 after 3 overs, RCB were left stranded at 83-6 in 10.1 overs with no hope whatsoever. The Royal Challengers only managed to score 122-9 in their 20 overs as CSK beat RCB by 69 runs. Jadeja was the pick amongst the bowlers as well registering figures of 4-1-13-3.
Man of the Match - Ravindra Jadeja (62* off 28 balls & 4-1-13-4)
Match 20: SRH v DC - Chepauk, Chennai
SRH choke in Super Over Thriller
The Delhi Capitals were given the proverbial perfect start as the Dhawan-Shaw duo put up an 81-run stand for the 1st wicket in 10 overs in the slow Chennai pitch with the latter being the aggressor of the two. The SRH bowlers came back in the game dismissing them both (Dhawan 28 & Shaw 53) in two consecutive overs and having a tight hold on the game. Suchith, Shankar, and Rashid were crucial in curbing DC's run-rate in the middle overs and were restricted to an above-average total of 159-4 with handy cameos from Pant (37) and Smith (34*) while Siddharth Kaul grabbed a brace. Despite Warner's early wicket, Jonny Bairstow gave SRH the start they needed, with boundaries galore coming in for the Orange Army. His subtle cameo of 38 off 18 put SRH way ahead in the game but the middle order flopped again. Virat, Abhishek, Kedar, Rashid, Vijay; none could get even double-digit scores as SRH's woes continued. Kane Williamson (66*) anchored the innings till the very end with his mature batting and SRH debutant Jagadeesha Suchith's cameo off 14 off 6 helped SRH tie the match which resulted in this season's first Super Over. Avesh Khan was the pick amongst the bowlers for his spell of 3-34 while returning Axar Patel grabbed a brace too.
SRH batting first only managed to score 7 runs while DC chased down the target at ease, grabbing two more points.
Man of the Match - Prithvi Shaw (53 runs off 39 balls)
Match 21: KKR v PBKS - Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
KKR come on top in a low scoring affair
Being put to bat first, the Punjab Kings never really got going. Their dismal form continued as the batting order collapsed completely as a result of some exquisite form shown by the KKR bowlers. Despite the openers adding 50 runs (KL 19 and Mayank 31), the Punjab middle-order could barely get anything going. Chris Jordan's hard-hitting cameo (30* off 18) towards the end helped the Kings post a total of 123-9 in their 20 overs. Prasidh Krishna was the pick amongst the wicket-takers (3-30) while Cummins and Narine grabbed a brace each. Despite suffering a few early setbacks and being 17-3 in 3 overs, the Knights never really looked out of the game. Rahul Tripathi and Eoin Morgan's watchful innings of 41 and 47* respectively helped KKR cross the threshold and secure the W.
Man of the Match - Eoin Morgan (47* off 40 balls)
Match 22: RCB v DC - Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
RCB hold their nerves in the last-ball finish
Game 22 of the IPL 2021 saw an exquisite contest between two of the best teams this season giving their absolute best to get those 2 crucial points.
Given the chance to bat first, RCB didn't really have a good start as they lost both their openers pretty early on in the game, kudos to some sharp bowling by Avesh Khan (1-24) and Ishant Sharma (1-26) with the new ball. Entertaining cameos from Rajat Patidar (31) and Glenn Maxwell (25) followed as the duo helped set the stage for AB de Villiers. As they say, "Cometh the hour, cometh the man"; and thus began the ABD saga. Taking his time in the middle to serve the situation, De Villiers played yet another magnificent innings, rescuing his team from danger and putting them in the driver's seat. His innings of 75* off 42 balls helped the Royal Challengers post a respectable total of 171-5. The Delhi Capitals didn't have a good start as well, losing Shikhar (6) early and then Shaw (21) and Smith (4) in quick succession. Restricted to 47-3 in 7.2 overs with two new batsmen in the middle, RCB had total control of the game. Pant and Stoinis (22) put up some sort of a partnership and after the latter's dismissal, Pant was joined by Shimron Hetmyer (53*). Hetmyer's captivating shots brought Delhi back into the game while Pant (58*) stood as the anchor. The duo took the game to the 20th over and fought valiantly in a last-ball thriller but the RCB bowlers were just too good for them. Harshal (2-37) and Siraj held their nerves as RCB beat DC by 1 run.
Man of the Match - AB de Villiers (75* off 42 balls)
Match 23: CSK vs SRH - Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
SRH activate Self-Destruct Mode
After losing Bairstow early (7), Manish Pandey and David Warner had to build the SRH innings from scratch. The duo took their time to set themselves to the pitch but could never really change the gears. They put up a 106-run stand (Pandey 61 & Warner 57) in a staggering 83 balls as CSK didn't seem to have an issue with it, given the rate at which the runs were coming. Kane Williamson (26) and Kedar Jadhav's (12) hard-hitting cameos gave SRH something to root for; as the Men in Orange finished with 171-3. Ngidi was the pick amongst the bowlers with figures of 4-0-35-2. CSK never looked out of the chase as Ruturaj Gaikwad and Faf du Plessis gave them the ideal start for any chasing team. The duo (Gaikwad 75 & Du Plessis 56) batted with sheer brilliance, scoring runs all around the park and put up a 129-run stand in 13 overs. With the game in the palm of their hands, CSK finished the game in 18.3 overs and 7 wickets in hand as they go on top of the table yet again.
Man of the Match - Ruturaj Gaikwad (75 off 44 balls)
Match 24: RR v MI - Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
QDK's unbeaten knock helps MI get back to winning ways
After losing the toss and being asked to bat first, RR didn't have much to complain about by the start given by their openers; Yashashvi Jaiswal (32) and Jos Buttler (41). The duo held their nerves against the strong MI bowling and put them on the defensive scheme of things, building a 66-run partnership. Important cameos from Sanju Samson (42) and Shivam Dube (35) helped the Rajasthan Royals put a par score of 171-4 in their 20 overs, which was at least 10-15 runs short of what they had expected. Rahul Chahar was the pick amongst the bowlers with his spell of 2-33 while Bumrah and Boult grabbed a wicket each. Mumbai's approach to the target was subtle and QDK stepped up for his team. The Protean batted with grit and repaid his team management's faith in him, who carried on to play him despite his poor form. His partnerships with Rohit (14), SKY (10) and Krunal (39) with him being the anchor throughout helped MI gain the upper hand. Quinny was unbeaten at 70 while Pollard helped with the finishing duties, being not out at 16 off 8 as MI wiped out RR by 7 wickets in hand and 9 balls remaining. The RR bowlers didn't have a lot going on for them, yet Morris could grab a brace, finishing with 2-33.
Man of the Match - Quinton de Kock (70* off 50 balls)
Match 25: DC vs KKR - Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
KKR bowlers get tamed by Prithvi Shaw
Despite losing Nitish Rana (15) early, the Knight Riders had quite a decent start. They stood at 69-1 after 9 overs with Gill (43) and Tripathi (19) looking in good touch but the Delhi lads struck back. Picking up wickets one after the other, KKR went from 69-1 to 82-5 in no time as every KKR fan couldn't process what just happened. The DC bowlers gave the Knights zero margin for error and took the game away from them. However, they could not stop a late flurry of offense from Andre Russell (45*) as his humongous sixes helped KKR put up a respectable total of 154-6. Lalit Yadav (2-13) and Axar Patel (2-32) grabbed a brace each as there was a wicket for Avesh Khan and Stoinis as well. As DC came out to bat, it became immediately apparent that the game had slipped out of KKR's hands. Prithvi Shaw hit 6 consecutive fours off Shivam Mavi's over as Delhi was off to a flying start. The openers never looked back as they kept on scoring the runs at a fast rate and in no time, they had put up a 132-run partnership. Shaw was the talk of the hour, with his flawless performance with the bat (82 off 41), was a delight to watch. His partner Shikhar Dhawan was instrumental with his knock of 46 as the Delhi Capitals beat the Kolkata Knight Riders with 7 wickets in hand and 21 balls remaining.
Man of the Match - Prithvi Shaw (82 runs off 41 balls)
Batsman of the Week: Prithvi Shaw (53 vs SRH, 21 vs RCB, 82 vs KKR)Bowler of the Week: Chris Morris (4-23 vs KKR, 2-33 vs MI)
Player of the Week: Ravindra Jadeja (2-13 vs RCB,0-23 vs SRB, 62* runs vs RCB)
Team of the Week:
Prithvi Shaw (DC)
Ruturaj Gaikwad (CSK)
Faf du Plessis (CSK)
Kane Williamson (SRH)
Rishabh Pant (DC)
Ravindra Jadeja (CSK)
Andre Russell (KKR)
Chris Morris (RR)
Harshal Patel (RCB)
Rahul Chahar (MI)
Avesh Khan (DC)
Honorable Mentions: Rohit Sharma (MI), AB de Villiers (RCB), Shikhar Dhawan (DC), Mohammad Siraj (RCB)
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