back to top
Home Blog Page 6

RR vs DC: Match Preview, Pitch Report and Dream 11 Team for Match 9 of IPL 2024

Arjun Gurudwan
-
0
RR vs DC: Match Preview, Pitch Report and Dream 11 Team for Match 9 of IPL 2024

As we move to match number 9, we will witness another interesting encounter which is the competition between Rajasthan royals and Delhi Capitals. Royals have started their campaign with a victory meanwhile the Capitals have started the campaign with a defeat in a day game vs Punjab Kings.

On paper, Rajasthan Royals looks like a very settled unit with the likes of Buttler and Yashasvi as one of the most destructive opening pair along with Sanju at the middle and Jurel at the end. With star bowlers such as Boult, Ashwin and Chahal, Rajasthan looks like a much-settled unit when compared to Delhi in which their captain and start middle order batter Rishabh Pant has recovered from injury and is getting some match time and their problems of middle order from the last season are still there. They need to address these things.

Team Preview

Rajasthan Royals

A team that won the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League has been on the hunt for the title for more than 15 years now. This year they have got a potential title-winning squad and will be one of the favourites as, in addition, they have won the 1st game also. Captain Sanju Samson can be the difference creator for Rajasthan along with Jaiswal as an X factor. We don’t need to remind people about Boult and Buttler. Their problem can be that 6th option sometimes but they have been grooming Riyan Parag well. The Jaipur long boundaries help the spinner and the grandmaster of this game Yuzi Chahal knows how to utilise them. So overall we can conclude that Rajasthan has got a fantastic chance to win this match.

Delhi Capitals

Delhi Capitals haven’t touched the gold of IPL even once and they would like to touch it this season but this will only be possible if they find good results and for that, you need to have strong tactics, for example, playing of Shai hope at the start of a T20 tournament isn’t that good idea, we all love Shai hope in the ODI format and he can do well in T20s also if he adapts but some other problems like Warner’s form and 2nd open selection i.e marsh should open or should play at 3 as Middle order is already weak. Axar Patel’s utilisation as a player should be an important concept that helps to decide the team’s Faith. The addition of Rishab Pant if he plays to his full abilities will be a huge advantage to Delhi and they have also got a well-rounded squad if they use it well.

Pitch Report

  • Total Matches Played- 53
  • Matches Won Batting First- 19
  • Matches Won Batting Second- 34
  • Average First Innings Score- 160

As the stats say, the team batting second has won around 2/3rd of matches, a much higher proportion when compared to the team batting first, so the toss will play a big role in deciding the contest. The average score of 160 says that this pitch can be h bowling-friendly or balanced pitch (especially spin bowling) however the last match played here crossed 190+ total and the team won by batting 1st.

Probable Playing XI

Rajasthan Royals: Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (C/WK), Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jason Holder, Trent Boult, Sandeep Sharma, Yuzvendra Chahal

Delhi Capitals: David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Shai Hope, Rishabh Pant (C/WK), Axar Patel, Tristan Stubbs, Ishan Porel, Kuldeep Yadav, Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar.

Key Players

  • Kuldeep Yadav – Kuldeep Yadav is currently bowling like a wizard who is turning it like anything and his batting stocks have also gone a bit up. The new bowling version of Kuldeep focuses more on trajectory and length with a better pace, this devices the batter as well giving him less chance to settle.
  • Dhruv Jurel – The young lad has been the talk of the town with his batting performance recently in the England test series and also had an impressive debut IPL season. The good thing about Jurel is he is more mature than his age suggests and reads the game very well.
  • Yashasvi Jaiswal – Yashasvi Jaiswal is the boy who has taken his game to the next level post the 2022 IPL season and slammed a record-breaking 50 of 13 balls in the 2023 season with consistent performances at domestic and IPL cricket. He recently hit 29 sixes in the test series.
  • David Warner – Mr consistent of IPL, there has not been any IPL cricketer who has lit up the IPL Warner as he did at his peak being the orange cap winner in 4/3 Seasons with high-risk games. Warner of the current time is like a hurted lion who is trying to prove his worth and if it turns out to be his day then its only 1-way traffic

RR vs DC Dream11 Team for Match 9 of 2023 IPL

Note: This is not our final Dream11 Team as we are not aware of the Toss Result/Final Playing XI of both teams at this moment.

To remain updated and get our final Dream11 Team, Join our Telegram channel Clan For Gamers

CSK vs GT: Match Preview, Pitch Report and Dream 11 Team for Match 7 of IPL 2024

Arjun Gurudwan
-
0
CSK vs GT: Match Preview, Pitch Report and Dream 11 Team for Match 7 of IPL 2024

As we move towards match number 7, we will get to witness the rematch of the last IPL Final that took place between Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Giants at Ahmedabad where we all were on edge of our seats with no nails left on our fingers!

CSK came to the top by dethroning the defending champions Gujarat Titans with Dhoni and his team becoming the most successful captain and franchise. This time the challenge will be bigger for Gujarat as they have got a new and fresher side with some good raw talent and CSK is also moving towards the phase of transition.

Both the teams have started the tournament with a win, especially the way Gujarat came back vs Mumbai, which will have satisfied them a lot and can become a tournament booster for them.

Team Preview

Chennai Super Kings

The defending champions have started their journey well again this season with a new captain in Ruturaj Gaikwad under the guidance of great MS Dhoni. Chennai, as always, will be the favourites to win this encounter as Chepauk is their den and defending them at Chepauk has not been a case of putting jam on bread. The spin duo of Jadeja and Theekshana will play their part and also Rachin Ravindra can flex his arms when needed and is a good bat at the top. Shivam Dube as a spin hitter and middle overs enforcer along with Darryl Mitchell, one of the best all-round batters in the world currently with some power at death with Thala coming late and Jadeja with his sword ready.

Gujarat Titans

Gujarat Titans have been like a team that has always come by fighting against the odds as very few predicted that they would qualify for the playoffs of the 2022 IPL they won it under Hardik and then people called it a fluke so the Gujarat franchise made to another finals, this just shows that how good they have been. The Major credit should go to Ashish Nehra for this brilliant work as he has played his part like a proper coach and football manager. Gujarat is led by young prospect Shubman Gill who is making his name nowadays and bringing attraction. GT has got spin wizard Rashid Khan and smart operator Kishore who will vary the pace and can bat a bit. GT has got David Miller as their finisher who has been in great Knick off late and our beloved Rahul Tewatia who has been just unreal for Gujarat. Omarzai is an interesting prospect.

Pitch Report

Chepauk is a traditional slow wicket in India with low bounce and some unexpected nipp of the subject. Fast bowlers can also be dangerous if you keep your lengths tight, and spinners have to use their angles well, the likes of Sai Kishore can do wonders here.

  • Matches Won Batting First – 46
  • Matches Won Fielding first -31
  • Highest score Successfully Chased – 206

Key Players

  1. Ravindra Jadeja: For CSK to do well, Jadeja has to fire and if he delivers CSK will win it in most situations considering the fact that he is a brilliant batsman and bowler along with being the best fielder in the world.
  2. Mohit Sharma: Mohit with his special variations and laser-guided Yorkers will be effective and effective at the death overs as the back of the handball will be key.
  3. The battle of 2 young leaders: In our 3rd point we do not have particular players but we will be looking for the battle of 2 Indian future-looking stars who are under the guidance of their ex-captain or coaches. It will be interesting to see which young opener comes to the top.

CSK vs GT Dream11 Team for Match 7 of 2023 IPL

Note: This is not our final Dream11 Team as we are not aware of the Toss Result/Final Playing XI of both teams at this moment.

To remain updated and get our final Dream11 Team, Join our Telegram channel Clan For Gamers

RCB vs PBKS: Match Preview, Pitch Report and Dream 11 Team for Match 6 of IPL 2024

Arjun
-
0
RCB vs PBKS: Match Preview, Pitch Report and Dream 11 Team for Match 6 of IPL 2024

From Chandigarh and Chennai for the first 2 games, the IPL caravan now swifts its way to Chinnaswamy the epitome venue of T20 cricket. Flat pitch with a good bounce, a fast outfield, and perfectly small boundaries for six hitting. Along with these batting-friendly features, the crowd of Chinnaswamy, and the RCB fans make the atmosphere lit twice more with their energy. The first Monday of this IPL will feature Royal Challengers Bengaluru take on Punjab Kings at this prestigious venue.

Team Preview

Royal Challengers Bengaluru

The start of the campaign wasn’t quite pleasing for the red army but there were some positives. Anyway, the Chepauk has never been a winning venue for them so they can lift themselves up and deliver their home fans some winning taste to kick off this 3 consecutive games home leg. The biggest takeaway for RCB from the Chepauk encounter was the partnership between Rawat and Kartik. The assurance that some batters apart from their top 4 can score big runs when necessary will cool down the RCB “think tank”. However, there will be some questions raised regarding the batting order.

The previous game saw Glenn Maxwell coming out to bat in powerplay despite the option of Cameron Green being available. Cameron Green batted at no.3 for Mumbai last year and delivered 452 runs averaging 50 with a strike rate of 162. These numbers are extraordinary for any t20 standards let alone the IPL. Green batting at no. 3 will also ensure that Patidar and Maxwell being the better players of spin get to play more overs of spin than the other batters. From over number 6 to 14 RCB scored 48 runs in 48 balls against Chennai; 6 of these 8 overs were bowled by spinners. A run-rate of “6” in middle overs on a pitch that was not too difficult to bat? Reason? Both better players of spin already being in the dugout.

In his short IPL career, Rajat Patidar averages 34 with a mammoth Strike rate of 161 against spinners & Big Show’s IPL strike rate against spinners is even better at 165. Extraordinary numbers and two very valuable players, but no use/advantage of them if they are not utilised correctly.

RCB’s bowling as expected didn’t show any big signs of ” get going “. Yash Dayal and Mohammad Siraj, the expected new ball bowlers created a few minor chances here and there but were strongly nullified by the aggressive batting of Rachin Ravindra. Alzaro Joseph, The one and quarter million dollars signing went at an economy rate of 10.4; too early to question the buy but in such a fast-flowing tournament & with Reece Topley and in-form Lockie Ferguson on the bench, RCB might very well take an early decision.

Punjab Kings

The Kings of Punjab ticked the first box accurately. A clinical win against Delhi who were outperformed with both bat and ball. Winning the toss and choosing to bowl first Punjab’s bowlers didn’t step a foot wrong except first 3 and last over. Between over number 4th and 19th Punjabis bagged 8 wickets, all with different bowlers and in perfectly timed intervals, Delhi couldn’t get any partnership scoring more than 40 runs. Contradicting the first innings, Punjab Kings stitched a 42-run partnership for 3rd wicket and a match-winning 67 runs partnership for 5th wicket. A pure act of sensible batting alongside effective bowling could be a sign of something good happening for Punjab this year.

Sam Curran the player of the match, proved to be an asset at no. 4 with his match-winning knock. The next game being against RCB at Chinnaswamy, the death bowling of Punjab will be well-tested and will be a thing to watch out for in this match.

Pitch and Probable Playing XII

Bengaluru has hosted 2 t20 internationals since the 2023 World Cup. One of those T20Is saw Afghanistan almost chasing down 213 against India before the game went into a Double Super over. The other T20I was comparatively low scoring with India defending 160 against Australia. Nevertheless, the pitch is expected to be batting-friendly and a high-scoring encounter awaits. Spinners of both teams will play a huge role in determining the result as it has been witnessed in Chinnaswamy for a very long time.

Both teams are expected to be unchanged unless any unavailability issue occurs.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Faf Du Plessis (c), Virat Kohli, Cameron Green, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, Dinesh Kartik, Anuj Rawat (wk), Alzarri Joseph, Mayank Dagar, Karn Sharma, Yash Dayal, Mohammad Siraj.

Punjab Kings: Shikhar Dhawan(c), Jonny Bairstow (wk), Prabhsimran Singh, Sam Curran, Jitesh Sharma, Liam Livingstone, Shashank Singh, Harpreet Brar, Harshal Patel, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh.

Key Matchups

  • Virat Kohli v/s Harpreet Brar: 56 runs, 45 balls, 2 dismissals.
  • Glenn Maxwell v/s Harpreet Brar: 17 runs, 14 balls, 3 dismissals.
  • Liam Livingstone v/s Alzarri Joseph: 22 runs, 10 balls, 0 dismissals.

RCB vs PBKS Dream11 Team for Match 6 of 2023 IPL

Note: This is not our final Dream11 Team as we are not aware of the Toss Result/Final Playing XI of both teams at this moment.

To remain updated and get our final Dream11 Team, Join our Telegram channel Clan For Gamers

RR vs LSG: Match Preview, Pitch Report and Dream 11 Team for Match 4 of IPL 2024

Prabal Sharma
-
0
RR vs LSG: Match Preview, Pitch Report and Dream 11 Team for Match 4 of IPL 2024

Day 3 of this season’s IPL will see 2 matches being played in the day but we will cover Match 4 in this article and a fantasy team will be provided at the end

  • Match 4: Rajasthan Royals vs Lucknow Super Giants
  • Match 5: Mumbai Indians vs Gujrat Titans

IPL 2024 has started and is in its first round of matches where Lucknow Super Giants will take on Rajasthan Royals in Match 4 at Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur (afternoon game). Across three matches played between these two sides, Rajasthan has won two of them.

Date and Time: 24 March, Sunday, 3:30 PM IST

Streaming Platforms: Star Sports Network and Viacom18’s OTT platform JioCinema

Team Preview

Rajasthan Royals

Rajasthan won 7 out of their 14 group matches and finished at number 5 in the points table in the last season of IPL. However, they were the finalist of IPL 2022 but were defeated by Gujarat Titans.

Due to the availability of Jaiswal and Buttler at the top, RR has one of the best opening pairs in the upcoming IPL season. Their batting is looking quite good but Rajasthan will surely miss the services of Prasidh Krishna (out due to Injury) as he was their main death bowler and death bowling would be a big concern for Rajasthan to handle now.

Lucknow Supergiants

The new franchise has performed well in its first two seasons finishing 4th in both of them. LSG will now look to better their performance and win the tournament in its third season and will be aiming at defeating Rajasthan in their first match.

Supergiants’ batting will be their prime strength this season. With openers like QDK, Rahul followed by Stoinis and Hooda their batting will be very treatable to watch. Pooran, Ayush and Krunal in the end are their other strengths. But their major weakness will be the quality of the fast bowling department led by Naveen ul Haq.

Pitch Report

The match will be played at Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur

  • Total Matches Played- 52
  • Matches Won Batting First- 18
  • Matches Won Batting Second- 34
  • Average First Innings Score- 159

As the stats say, the team batting second has won approximately two-thirds times matches than the team batting first, so the toss will play a major role in deciding the result of the game. The average score of 159 depicts the bowling-friendly nature of this pitch (especially spin bowling) and the 200-run mark has been crossed just once at this stadium in IPL.

Probable Playing XI

Rajasthan Royals: Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (C/WK), Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jason Holder, Trent Boult, Sandeep Sharma, Yuzvendra Chahal

Lucknow Super Giants: KL Rahul (C), Quinton de Kock (WK), Deepak Hooda, Marcus Stoinis, Krunal Pandya, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Naveen-ul-Haq, Avesh Khan, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Ravi Bishnoi

Players To Watch Out For

Yashasvi Jaiswal

The young man is in the form of his life and would be the greatest asset for Rajasthan in their upcoming season too. He smashed two double centuries in the recently concluded test series against England and broke several records. Jaiswal was among the top 5 run-getters of IPL 2023 with 625 runs in 14 matches.

Trent Boult 

If someone has to choose one bowler to bowl the first over, Trent Boult will be the obvious choice. His talent of taking wickets in the powerplay has been a matter of trouble for most of the opponents. As Rajasthan doesn’t possess good death bowling options, the role of Boult in the powerplay and Chahal in the middle overs is very crucial.

KL Rahul

The ever-dependent KL Rahul will be the key for LSG on the bowling-friendly surface of Jaipur. He along with his partner Quinton de Kock will look to give a good start because of the presence of the attacking middle order and finishers. Rahul is one of the most consistent batsmen of IPL with over 4000 runs at a wonderful average of 46.78.

Ravi Bishnoi

Ravi is surely one of the best leg spinners in the tournament. His bowling in the middle overs will be very crucial for LSG and they will be over-dependent on him due to lack of quality in Fast bowling. Bishnoi has an economy of 7.74 with a strike rate just below 19 in the middle overs. Moreover, the pitch at Sawai Mansingh Stadium will assist him too.

RR vs LSG Dream11 Team for Match 4 of 2023 IPL

Note: This is not our final Dream11 Team as we are not aware of the Toss Result/Final Playing XI of both teams at this moment.

To remain updated and get our final Dream11 Team, Join our Telegram channel Clan For Gamers

Match Predictions

  • Rajasthan Royals will win the match (especially if they bat second)
  • Ravi Bishnoi will take at least 2 wickets
  • Yashasvi Jaiswal will score a half-century

KKR vs SRH: Match Preview, Pitch Report and Dream 11 Team for Match 3 of IPL 2024

Sidharth Basu
-
0
KKR vs SRH: Match Preview, Pitch Report and Dream 11 Team for Match 3 of IPL 2024

The first double-header day of the 2024 season will see PBKS taking on DC in the afternoon game and later on Kolkata will be hosting Hyderabad at the Eden Gardens.

Two former champions who have failed to qualify for the playoffs for the past two years, fans of both KKR and SRH look optimistic with the squad their teams have pieced together. Both teams broke the all-time auction record to obtain two of the finest Ozzie Pacers and will hope that they will contribute to bringing their franchises back to winning ways.

Team Preview

Sunrisers Hyderabad

Obtaining the wooden spoon in 2 out of the last 3 seasons, SRH has had a fall from grace ever since the Warner fiasco. Consistent playoff finishes are now replaced with battles to avoid the last spot, and one of the major contributors to this change is arguably the fickle nature of the SRH management.

Continuing this approach, SRH replaced Markram, who led the Sunrisers franchise, to back-to-back SA20 titles with Pat Perfect Cummins as the captain of the team. Cummins has had a terrific 2023 from a professional perspective, though his T20 credentials aren’t as mighty as his exploits in the longer formats. Neither have his returns been special with the bowl, averaging over 30 across 42 IPL matches. He has had impactful cameos with them though and SRH would be hoping Cummins can provide help in all 3 departments.

SRH has built arguably the strongest foreign contingent for this season and are gonna be a pleasant problem of plenty during selection, though the same can’t be said for their Indian players.

Most of them are out of form like Mayank and Tripathi or they seem to be past their prime, such as Bhuvneshwar and Natarajan. Abhishek Sharma has been one of the rare consistent performers for SRH over the past couple of years and it’s important for Hyderabad that he carries his domestic form in the IPL.

Kolkata Knight Riders

2023 has been a year of homecoming for KKR, with franchise legend Gambhir coming back, this time in the role of a mentor and Starc returning to finish his unstarted work. 24.75 crore is massive for any player, let alone Mitchell Starc, who has last played in T20 leagues in 2015, and he is also someone whose recent T20I form is nothing to ape about either. But the pace department has been an issue for KKR for some time and was only amplified last year. Gambhir and Co. will pray that their rating of Starc as the best available pacer in the 2024 auction proves to be correct on the field.

Talking about returns, Shreyas Iyer will retain his Captaincy after missing the entire 2023 season. Being left out of the BCCI central contract, Iyer has a lot to prove. Possessing a deadly spin trio like the KKR sides of the past, hopes are high that Kolkata will relieve the glory of the past in this nostalgia-aided campaign.

Probable Playing XI

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Rahul Tripathi, Anmolpreet Singh, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Abdul Samad, Washington Sundar, Marco Jansen, Pat Cummins (c), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan

Impact Player: Mayank Markande

As said, SRH has a problem of plenty when it comes to their foreign picks. Hasaranga being unavailable for the first few matches simplifies things, but still, the thought of Markram and Phillips not making it into a T20 XI in a 10-team tournament is unsettling. Cummins and Klaasen have their spot fixed. A lot depends upon what combination SRH will prefer, but given their thin bowling, SRH may look to strengthen it with Jansen. Now I personally would pick both Phillips and Markram over Head, but given their top order woes in the recent past and Head’s price tag, the World Cup hero might get the initial nod.

They have other promising young batters such as Sanvir Singh and it will be a tossup between them and Anmolpreet and pace sensation Umran may be given a 2nd chance.

Kolkata Knight Riders: Phil Salt (wk), KS Bharath, Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Mitchell Starc, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarty

Impact Player: Suyash Sharma

Roy getting ruled out seems to be a blessing in disguise since KKR has now acquired the explosive Phil Salt. Barring a terrible SA20, Salt has been terrific in the t20s since 2023, striking at 159.2 in the t20s and 169.1 in the T20Is. It’s safe to say he will play over Gurbaz.

On the other hand, it’s a 3-way battle between Bharath, Pandey and Ramandeep to make it into the XI. Bharath might get a nod due to his superior keeping skills, though Ramandeep is the choice I would personally go with.

A 3-way battle is also between Vaibhav Arora, Harshit and Chetan Sakariya. KKR management might also drop Suyash Sharma to accommodate one extra pacer.

Pitch Report

Eden Gardens is all set to host the 3rd match of IPL 2024. The Eden track was a batting paradise in the previous season, possessing an average first-innings score of 193.143 in IPL 2023. However, things returned to normalcy in the 2023 World Cup, with the first innings average standing at 254. More importantly, it seemed to resemble the dustbowls of old Eden. In matches such as India vs South Africa and the first semi-final, the pitches were tailor-made for spinners.

Being close to the river Hooghly, Dew is expected to play a big role on the 23rd, so expect the toss winner to chase.

Players To Watch Out For

Heinrich Klaasen 

Arguably the best t20 batsman currently, Klaasen would look to pick off from right where he left off in IPL 2023. Scoring 448 runs @49.78 with a massive strike rate of 177.08, Klaasen was one of the positives for SRH last year.

He scored 1035 runs across all t20s in 2023 while having the 2nd highest strike rate amongst the top 150 run-getters and is striking at a ridiculous rate (even by his standards) of 205 in the ongoing year.

With his terrific strokeplay against spinners, Klaasen against the KKR spinners in the middle overs might be the most crucial battle of the match, but don’t be surprised if the following player gets him out.

Varun Chakravarty

A mystery bowler who seemed to be another flash in the pan, Varun’s career took off after his first season with KKR in 2020. Soon, the Indian National call came and everything looked set. But after a lukewarm WT20 and terrible IPL 2022, it seemed as if Varun’s career was to be short-lived as the majority of preceding mystery spinners.

Well, as a phoenix rises out of its ashes, Varun shone brightly in the IPL 2023. Bowling in all 3 phases of the game, Varun was arguably KKR’s best player. He has only grown from strength to strength in the domestic arena, and KKR will hope he makes full use of the 2023 Eden pitch.

KKR vs SRH Dream11 Team for Match 3 of 2023 IPL

Note: This is not our final Dream11 Team as we are not aware of the Toss Result/Final Playing XI of both teams at this moment.

To remain updated and get our final Dream11 Team, Join our Telegram channel Clan For Gamers

PBKS vs DC: Match Preview, Pitch Report and Dream 11 Team for Match 2 of IPL 2024

Dasun Krishna
-
0
PBKS vs DC: Match Preview, Pitch Report and Dream 11 Team for Match 2 of IPL 2024

In the second encounter of this year’s IPL, two neighbours battle out in the sizzling heat of Punjab. It is a special occasion for both the teams as Punjab Kings will be playing in their brand-new stadium and Rishabh Pant’s comeback on the field for the very first time since last year makes it special for Delhi Capitals too.

Delhi Capitals after having a terrible season last year, will try to forget that and start the new season on a good note.

Punjab King will be hoping to complete the “10 Years Challenge” by qualifying for the playoffs for the first time since 2014.

Team Preview

Delhi Capitals

2 out of the 8 overseas signings of Delhi Capitals have already been ruled out of the IPL. Anrich Nortje hasn’t played a game for a long time, the same goes for Rishabh Pant.

Considering Rishabh Pant’s uncertainty over availability to keep the wickets, Delhi bought a lot of Wicket-keeping options.

Strengths: Two world-class spinners, Decent death bowling, Individual match winners like David Warner, and Mitchell Marsh. Multiple all-rounders, and good backups.

Weakness: Injury issues of many players, weak middle order, weak and inexperienced Indian core.

Probable Playing 12: David Warner, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Mitchell Marsh, Rishabh Pant (c), Kumar Kushagra(wk), Axar Patel, Lalit Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, Anrich Nortje, Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar.

Impact Players: Prithvi Shaw (batting first), Khaleel Ahmed (bowling first).

Punjab Kings

Punjab Kings haven’t changed a lot from the previous season, the captain is same, the coach is same and the core of the team is also the same as the previous year.

Last year they missed the services of explosive Jonny Bairstow, but this time around he is also available.

4 out of the 8 overseas players of the Punjab squad are English, which may leave IPL midway as England are playing a T20I series against Pakistan before the mega event in West Indies and USA in June, but they have good backups.

Strengths: Pace attack has all varieties, from domestic stars like Kaverappa to International stars like Rabada. Death bowling experts like Ellis, Curran, and Harshal Patel to New ball experts like Arshdeep and Woakes. Hit the deck bowler like Kaverappa could also be crucial at some stage of the tournament.

Weakness: Inexperienced Indian batting order, out-of-form spin department.

Probable Playing 12: Shikhar Dhawan, Prabhsimran Singh, Athrav Taide, Liam Livingstone, Sikandar Raza, Jitesh Sharma, Sam Curran, Harshal Patel, Rahul Chahar, Nathan Ellis, Arshdeep Singh.

Impact Players: Prabhsimran Singh (batting first) and Vidwath Kaverappa (bowling first).

Pitch Report

A brand-new stadium is waiting to host his first IPL match and PBKS’s first home match.

The pitch is likely to be batting-friendly like most of the pitches are in T20s these days.

Average 1st innings score in this stadium in the last 10 T20s: 164.

Players To Watch Out For

Liam Livingstone

Liam Livingstone is a different breed when it comes to playing in IPL, especially playing for PBKS in IPL. In Two seasons played for he has averaged 35 with a heavy strike rate of around 175.

The last time, when he faced Delhi Capitals, he almost won the match for the team single-handedly, this time around he would be hoping to avenge that defeat.

Jake Fraser-Mcgurk

Jake Fraser-Mcgurk has been in the news since the BBL and till now has lived up to the hype, striking ball at a great strike rate across leagues.

Playing in the ILT20 for Dubai Capitals, he outshined stars like David Warner and Rovam Powell.

He would be hoping to continue this form into the world’s biggest league and prove his worth.

PBKS vs DC Dream11 Team for Match 2 of 2023 WC

Note: This is not our final Dream11 Team as we are not aware of the Toss Result/Final Playing XI of both teams at this moment.

To remain updated and get our final Dream11 Team, Join our Telegram channel Clan For Gamers

CSK vs RCB: Match Preview, Pitch Report and Dream 11 Team for Match 1 of IPL 2024

Arjun
-
0
CSK vs RCB: Match Preview, Pitch Report and Dream 11 Team for Match 1 of IPL 2024

For some it is a festival, for some it is an opportunity, for some it is a dream while for some it is even a piece of cake !!!!

The Indian Premier League offers different purposes for different sections of fans or even players. Be it for the atmosphere, the crowd, the fame, the prize money or the paycheck, IPL is the dream tournament when it comes to cricket.

16 years since its inception, the tournament now in its immaculate maturity kicks off for the 17th time this Friday at one of its very own iconic MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk.

Royal Challengers now “Bengaluru” will take on host and title defenders Chennai. The difference in the number of titles doesn’t do justice to the fierceness of this rivalry with the 2 biggest names in Indian cricket up against each other.

Team Preview

Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Bengaluru not Bangalore, with a new name and now also a champion franchise RCB enters the 2024 IPL with new vibes. New director of cricket, new head coach, new name and hopefully a new, different result.

The auction, however, didn’t go as per the priority of the franchise, trading in Cameron Green right before the purchase day shortened their purse which left them with limited money to rebuild their bowling resulting in a lack of a big overseas name in their attack. The batting as always looks ripped and deep but for defending totals on Chinnaswamy Highway they’ll be heavily dependent on Siraj and Ferguson.

Ferguson, Topley, and Joseph are the 3 premier overseas options to lead that bowling attack, but for the first game in Chennai RCB can pull out the trump card of English t20 sensation Will Jacks as their 4th overseas pick

Jacks was seen bowling with the new ball in the SA20 2024 held in January. The all-rounder had an economy rate of 6.43 in a tournament where the 200 innings total mark was crossed 15 times in 34 games including some rain-abandoned and shortened games.

Chepauk is a well-known spinner-friendly venue, 4 out of 7 league games here in 2023 had a spinner-winning Man of the Match award even in some of the high-scoring encounters. Will Jacks will definitely be a name to think of for RCB.

Jacks is just one of the many youngsters like Suyash Prabhudesai, Cameron Green and Akash Deep who will likely be pivotal in RCB’s probable success.

Expected starting XII (not in preference of batting order): Faf Du Plessis (c), Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green, Suyash Prabhudesai, Dinesh Karthik/ Anuj Rawat (wk), Will Jacks/ Reece Topley, Mohammed Siraj, Karn Sharma, Akash Deep, Yash Dayal.

Chennai Super Kings

5-time Champions, 5 times Runners-up, playoffs qualification rate of 86%. The team that has been title holders in 5 seasons and title contenders forever in the history of the tournament. Arguably the greatest franchise to ever exist in the sport, The Lions of Chennai led by MS Dhoni. The title holders will start their campaign in their very own Den of Chepauk.

Just like in previous years, CSK has collected a unit keeping their home ground in mind. 16 years of the tournament have witnessed several trends change and modernise, but the most successful team is resistant to change their evergreen traditions.

The squad has more or less stayed the same, the inclusion of World Cup Kiwi stars Rachin Ravindra & Daryl Mitchell only makes it better for Chennai. While the likes of Starc & Cummins were sold for big money, Chennai sticks with its 2 Asian but overseas fast bowlers, Pathirana and Mustafizur, who can very well adapt to the slow deck of M. A. Chidambaram Stadium. Santner, Moeen Ali, Jadeja, Theekshana complete the spin attack & Shardul Thakur has returned to the team where he won the cup twice in his 4-year stint.

The team looks complete, 10 out of 25 players qualify the definition of t20 all-rounder and the team might very well get a headache finalising the XII.

Expected playing XI (not in preference of batting order): Rachin Ravindra, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Moeen Ali, Sameer Rizvi/Ajinkya Rahane, Daryl Mitchell, Shivam Dube, MS Dhoni (wk) (c), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Maheesh Theekshana, Mukesh Chaudhary.

Key Matchups and Numbers (All T20s)

  • Glenn Maxwell v/s Ravindra Jadeja: 93 runs, 65 balls, 7 dismissals.
  • Glenn Maxwell v/s Maheesh Theekshana: 69 runs, 36 balls, 3 dismissals.
  • Moeen Ali v/s Lockie Ferguson: 40 runs, 25 balls, 1 dismissal.
  • Virat Kohli v/s Deepak Chahar: 68 runs, 49 balls, 1 dismissal.
  • Virat Kohli v/s Shardul Thakur: 67 runs, 42 balls, 1 dismissal.
  • Virat Kohli needs 15 more runs to complete 1000 IPL runs against Chennai. He can be the 2nd ever to achieve this feat.
  • Glenn Maxwell has a batting strike rate of 170 against spinners in t20 cricket since 2022.
  • Faf du Plessis has an IPL strike rate of 119 in Chennai.

RCB vs CSK Dream11 Team for Match 1 of 2024 IPL

Note: This is not our final Dream11 Team as we are not aware of the Toss Result/Final Playing XI of both teams at this moment.

To remain updated and get our final Dream11 Team, Join our Telegram channel Clan For Gamers

Shardul Thakur: Not So Much of a Cricketer

Aman Patel
-
0
Shardul Thakur: Not So Much of a Cricketer

Cricketers are probably some of the most athletic people on the planet. Some of the most wonderful human specimens one could ever come across. Tall, athletic, and muscular being some of the qualities.

Curtly Ambrose, 6 foot 7 inches tall, steams in full tilt, bowls fast, furious with no end in sight.

Sachin Tendulkar, just 5 feet 5, absolutely compact batting technique, is almost bothered by nothing from 70 kmph to 155 kmph, and can bat for days on end.

Adam Gilchrist, a 6’2 wicketkeeper with superhuman stamina, could keep the wickets for 50 overs or 90 overs in a day and still come out all guns blazing when walking into bat.

Shardul Thakur is basically nothing of those. He is a barely average height lad with not exactly the most easy-on-the-eye batting technique, nor does his bowling touch the 140-click mark too often, does not hit the deck hard or even consistent enough to keep the run rate under control for a long time.

But what does Shardul Thakur have? Well, honestly, he has what one would describe as the typical Mumbaikar grind mentality. He has the ability to conjure something out of nothing, the daily travels from his native Palghar to the bright lights of Mumbai have carved out what probably is the wildest of wild cards of the modern Indian cricket era.

December 21st, 2006. When most of the world was busy preparing for the joys and celebrations of Christmas, when most of the Indian adolescents were busy with exams and studies, A 15-year-old Shardul was busy creating a name for himself in the Harris Shield, hitting 6 sixes in an over on his way to a whirlwind century.

None of the things about him added up to a cricketer. Chubby physique, barely a decent fielder, temperamental to a fault, often not really as the one to watch out for, but one doesn’t simply get the nickname “Lord” for no reason. After mostly dull stints at Kings XI Punjab and Rising Pune Supergiants from 2014 to 2017, the return of CSK to the IPL brought Shardul to the proper limelight of the IPL in 2018, a stage where he would finally shine and a moment not too late.

The Qualifier IPL 2018, with the team reeling while chasing a rather modest total and Faf Du Plessis watching the carnage unfold from the other end. Shardul provided Du Plessis with some much-needed support only to prove his mettle right when his team needed it the most, scoring 15 runs in the penultimate over of the game to help take CSK to the final.

Or him evolving from just a net bowler to a miracle maker within just one week when Bumrah, Shami, Umesh and Ishant all fell to injuries down under and Shardul had to be the first change pacer, just 2 years after having had a nightmare of a test debut against West Indies.

After all, getting a wicket on his first ball back onto the red ball stage is a sure-shot sign of a miracle maker, isn’t it?, and if that wasn’t enough, he came back to clean up Tim Paine and Pat Cummins to restrict Australia to 369 and then the Coup de grâce when the team was down and out at 186/6 in the first innings, counterattacking the feared quartet of Australia almost in submission.

But the devil is always in the detail. Shardul’s heroics at Gabba or Oval are hidden to none, but there are a few certain things not everyone remembers.

Just a month and a half after his match-defining performance at Gabba, Shardul would turn up for his home team Mumbai against Himachal Pradesh in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. After being 49/4, Shardul would walk into bat at the 31st over mark with the score at 148/5. His blazing knock of 92 off just 57 deliveries would help Mumbai get another 170 runs in the last 20 overs, ending up at 321/9 from a dreadful 8/3.

On March 3rd 2014, Shardul would walk into bat for Mumbai in the Ranji trophy semifinal against Tamil Nadu with his team tottering at just 106/7 in response to Tamil Nadu’s 146 and a rampaging Sai Kishore having accounted for 5 out of Mumbai’s top 7 batters. He would build a 105-run stand with Hardik Tamore, blazing to his fifty in just 58 deliveries. His second fifty would come in double quick time, just 32 deliveries meant Shardul had scored his first ever first-class century with a rather ugly yet powerful-looking six over long-off of the bowling of left-arm spinner Ajith Ram on an occasion as auspicious as the Ranji trophy knockout, leaving his 144 runs ahead before he was dismissed.

Ultimately, Shardul Thakur is neither a fast and furious pacer like a Starc or Wood nor a dependable lower-order bat like Chris Woakes or Pat Cummins, but the kind of things he makes happen so often in so many unfavourable situations are more than enough to leave any world-class cricketer feeling a hint of envy, may it be Gabba, Oval, Johannesburg or his latest bit in Mumbai.

Toss: An Unfair Edge or A Misunderstood Fundamental Essence?

Arjun
-
0
Toss: An Unfair Edge or A Misunderstood Fundamental Essence?

Cricket has been modernised, revolutionised, revised & even reorganised. Today we’ve analysts and experts with specific jobs who goes into the depth of the sport to extract every single piece of data that can possibly give their teams an edge over the opponent.

But what would be the use of all technologies and strategists if the result of the game were to be decided by the flip of a coin?

Toss has been an integral part of the sport ever since its inception. “Beyond its surface appearance of merely determining batting order, the toss in cricket holds significant tactical weight, influencing the course of the game in strategic ways in all formats”.

The Dew Factor

In the late 1970s, the Australian business tycoon Kerry Packer revolutionised cricket with the inauguration of the commercial competition WORLD SERIES CRICKET (WSC). Coloured Clothing, White ball, Player autonomy with better pay & the most pivotal feature of all, Floodlit matches. The competition proved to be a landmark event for the future of limited-overs cricket. By the 1992 Cricket World Cup, coloured jerseys and floodlit ODI games were completely adapted into international cricket.

But Day-Night cricket matches had a problem, which caused games to be somewhat biased. In regions close to coastal areas, especially during winter when the sky is clear and nights are longer, the playing surface gets wet, making the ball slippery for the bowlers to grip, giving a straight advantage to the team batting when the dew is higher. Chasing becomes easier & the team winning the toss gets ahead in the game before the ball is even bowled.

But to what extent has the dew & toss factor affected the game?? What are the numbers? Could it just be a myth or is something other than the dew making it easier to chase?

Number’s Game

The T20 World Cup and IPL are considered as the two pinnacle events for the format. Although the overall numbers in both tournaments do not favour batting the 2nd side too much but the differences in recent tournament’s big games tells a different story.

The final of the T20 World Cup 2012 was the last time a team won an official knockout match in T20 World Cup while batting first (excluding rain-affected games) Since then in the last 12 years the last 11 knockout games have all been won by teams batting 2nd.

The dew impact in some of these games was visible, like the 2016 Semifinal between West Indies & India or the 2021 final between Australia & New Zealand.

But to generalise an opinion for the whole format on the basis of just knockout games seems impulsive.

A graphical illustration of the W/L ratio in T20 format under different sets of conditions.

[Statistics includes only the top 12 nations for T20 international numbers]

Win/Loss Ratio of Teams Batting Second in T20 Cricket
Win/Loss Ratio of Teams Batting Second in T20 Cricket

Fact v/s Illusion

The dew may ease the runchase at times, but batting under floodlights sometimes does the opposite. Some teams have won big games with a “runs on the board” mindset while some prefer having a target to chase. It usually comes down to the captain’s preference or the team’s style of play. With more and more high-scoring games and the aggressive attitude of batters, batting 2nd sometimes becomes a safer choice, maybe not only because the dew falls later but because the team trusts in its ever-evolving batting units.

The modern-day batsmen adapt run chases like they were done never before. Today’s batsmen have evolved their game to unprecedented heights. They sculpt their physique, analyse footage meticulously, adapt with switch hits, and unleash aggression from the first ball. Their fearless approach redefines the art of batting, showcasing unparalleled dedication and innovation on the field.

In cricket, the art of chasing has surpassed conventional limitations, not just because of dew but very much due to the sheer calibre of modern-day batsmen. Their mastery of the game coupled with determination and nothing to lose mentality is redefining the narratives of cricket.

“Teams batting 2nd win often” can be seen as a frequency illusion. Despite limited evidence, tournaments like the 2016 IPL, 2021 T20 World Cup or 2021 IPL (win rate of batting 2nd 69%, 64%, 65% respectively) have instilled in fans the belief that batting second is inherently easier in T20 matches, perpetuating a cognitive bias akin to the frequency illusion.

At the end of the day, cricket is a sport that requires the highest quality of skill sets from individuals, but at the same time involves more scientific aspects than any other sport. Toss may or may not be a conclusively bias factor in the shortest format but it is still almost an even game between bat and ball as every scoreline starts from 0-0(0).

Bumrah and The Red Galaxy Ranger

Aman Patel
-
0
Bumrah and The Red Galaxy Ranger

To anyone born in the 90s or earlier, Power Rangers was such a fun show. The thriller of multi-coloured heroes kicking and punching a rubber-suited monster is somewhat of an underrated joy that a lot of now-adult folks might relate to and feel a little, if not very nostalgic about. 

It was never really about the story, wasn’t it? Just shoot, kick and punch the alien, then bask in the joy of the alien exploding at the end. But there was a little story, or rather a development, that sounded a little more relatable. In the 1999 season, a young adult named Leo Corbett who is more into slacking and persistently living in the shadow of his older and more responsible brother Mike is shot into a world of chaos up a space station after ending up with the powers that were originally meant for Mike and fell into Leo’s lap after Mike seemingly fell to his demise in a crevice. Leo, suddenly finding a new lease of life, evolves into a powerful yet responsible leader who literally sacrifices himself for the well-being of the natives of the space station.

Jasprit Jasbir Singh Bumrah is somewhat of a similar story minus the self-sacrifice of course but yeah. Born on 6th Dec 1993, Jasprit lost his dad when he was just 5 years old and was raised by his mother, who was a school teacher. In 2013, when the Mumbai Indians talent scouts came calling, they were there for Axar Patel, a now possibly forgotten member of the title-winning Mumbai Indians squad from IPL 2013 but it was Axar who would tell the scouts how he knows someone that they might want to check out. Long story short, Mumbai would end up buying both Bumrah and Axar in the 2013 IPL Auction.

Ironically Axar got no games in the 2013 IPL season, later released by Mumbai to end up at Punjab and Bumrah who wasn’t originally not meant to be there, instead became a staple of the Mumbai Indians, thanks to his unique action and lower release point. Only 3 years later, Bumrah would make his white ball debut in Australia in January 2016, followed by his test debut in South Africa in January 2018.

Just like our protagonist Leo Corbett, Bumrah was often slated not to be where he got to. May it be his unorthodox bowling action that made him prone to back injuries or at times led to straight-up questioning of his bowling action or the great Michael Holding rejecting him as a red ball prospect in 2017 and terming him “a T20 bowler”. That and the presence of several far more experienced bowlers in the squad like Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav & Ishant Sharma.

But Bumrah as he was meant to, shone through may it be his game-defining 5fer at Nottingham against England where he would get rid of the centurion Jos Buttler and then Jonny Bairstow in consecutive deliveries or his spell of 6/27 at Melbourne, where he would set the MCG alight on a day 3 slow and low pitch including his iconic slower ball to dismiss Shaun Marsh on the last ball before lunch.

Bumrah became the proverbial “responsible adult” of the team, throwing himself into tough situations and often creating something out of absolutely nothing, an example of which would be his match-winning spell on day 5 after lunch at the Oval in 2021. He would bowl 6 overs of reverse swinging 90 mph heat on a rather sedate track and go through the defences of Ollie Pope and Jonny Bairstow to help reduce England from 135/2 to 150/6 in no time as India ultimately won the game by 156 runs to take a 2-1 lead in the series.

This was only on the heels of another day 5 ordeal in London, this time at Lords where Bumrah would have an 89-run partnership for the 9th wicket with Shami to set England a target of 271 in 60 overs and then bowl an amazing slower one to dismiss a defiant Ollie Robinson with just 9 overs to go in the day to pave the way for an unlikely win in the last hour.

With his recent 9-wicket haul against England on one of the most docile pitches, it is safe to say that Bumrah has evolved from the guy who wasn’t on Mumbai or India’s radar to becoming the go-to man for both the teams, Jasprit Bumrah has one hell of a career. Whether he can get rid of the injury issues and continue to reign supreme in his 30s is a thing to look out for, but for now, it is safe to say that the Indian fans are privileged to have someone like Jasprit Bumrah on their side.

1...567...22Page 6 of 22

ABOUT US

Clan For Gamers is a Blog about the World of Cricket, such as Match Previews with Dream11 Teams, Cricket Opinions, Cricket Analysis/Stats etc.

FOLLOW US

© Clan For Gamers