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IPL 2020 is already turning out to be one of the most tightly contested editions in history, and only two teams - the Rajasthan Royals and the Kings XI Punjab - are still undefeated. We’ve seen some splendid knocks in these 7 games, and here are 5 of the best from Week 1 of IPL 2020. #5 Rohit Sharma: 80 off 54 vs KKR | IPL 2020 Match 5 After announcing that he would open the batting in IPL 2020, Rohit Sharma showed signs of form against CSK in the season opener before being dismissed cheaply....

To keep themselves in the hunt, IPL cricketers have to adapt, improvise, add new skills to their arsenal and outplay their rivals or even teammates. We’ve seen many players who struggled to find a place in the team initially, but went on to become mainstays for their franchises after working on their skills. Players like Chris Gayle, Mike Hussey, Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, David Warner, Glenn Maxwell and Jos Buttler took quite some time to find their feet in the tournament....

The bottom line is that the biggest Twenty20 extravaganza in the world is up and running, and this time, it goes far beyond being the best T20 league around the globe. The IPL carries a much greater significance this year. The events of the last six months have indeed been unprecedented as the world has been affected by a virus, which has taken the lives of more than half a million people and is threatening to damage the lives of many more....

RR have looked a different team since their overseas stars struck form. Leading from the front was Ben Stokes, who starred with a fifty, followed by Sanju Samson who was run out after a quickfire 48. Opener Uthappa too contributed 30 in a solid start for the team. In pursuit of 186 for victory, RR never looked behind as although they lost wickets, the incoming batsmen kept scoring boundaries to keep the team abreast of the required run rate....

It was yet another RCB victory architected by AB de Villiers, who won his 25th Player of the Match award in the tournament, the most by any player in IPL history. He also became the sixth cricketer to register 5,000 runs in the tournament and has taken the least number of balls to get to the mark. The special knock by AB de Villiers helped RCB to 171 in a game they managed to narrowly win by a run....

Taking first strike in Ahmedabad against Delhi Capitals (DC) after losing the toss, KKR only managed a disappointing 154 for 6. Shaw then clobbered 82 off 41 balls, scoring 24 off his first six, as DC thumped KKR by seven wickets in a one-sided IPL 2021 encounter. At a virtual press conference following KKR’s emphatic defeat, McCullum expressed disappointment at his team’s continuous no show with the bat, saying:...

No team has been allowed to play at their home venue, and the senior cricketers in each side have been tasked with not only playing starring roles on a regular basis but also nurturing the youngsters towards greatness. However, some veteran Indian cricketers have disappointed in IPL 2021 and have damaged their cases for a spot in the national team for the T20 World Cup, which is scheduled to happen later this year....

Trent Boult and Jimmy Neesham featured in the Bangladesh ODI series as both helped the Kiwi side win the series 3-0. Trent Boult was the third-highest wicket-taker with 5 scalps to his name while Jimmy Neesham topped the bowling charts as he took 7 wickets, the most among both sides, with career-best figures of 5/27 next to his name in the last match of the series. Adam Milne featured in the T20Is as the pacer made a memorable comeback, picking up 3 wickets in the two games he played in the series....

In a video on his YouTube channel, Brad Hogg explained what kind of combination he foresees the five-time champions opting for this season. According to the former Australian player, Mumbai Indians have the strongest squad in the IPL this year. The 50-year-old selected MI captain Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock as the two openers. The duo has been magnificent for the Mumbai Indians in the past two years and have been instrumental in getting the team off to good starts....

Ashwin was introduced into the attack on the second delivery of the ninth over when Marcus Stoinis had to leave the field due to an injury. The lanky off-spinner failed to create an impression and went wicketless in the 2.5 overs he bowled, although Rishabh Pant did put down Kane Williamson off his bowling. Also Check: IPL Live Score | IPL Points Table | IPL Schedule During a discussion on Star Sports, Gautam Gambhir questioned R Ashwin’s tactics of not bowling off-spin....

Both teams are going in with a clean slate and it’s hard to pick a favorite. The team that takes its chances and makes lesser mistakes, will come up on top. Brace yourselves for one hell of a match! Here are the predicted line ups for the game: 1. Mumbai Indians Predicted XI: Rohit Sharma (C), Evin Lewis, Ishan Kishan (WK), Suryakumar Yadav, Krunal Pandya, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Pat Cummins, Rahul Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mustafizur Rahman...

Put into bat, Mumbai were off to a flier as a 200+ total looked well within their reach. But the visitors pulled things back by picking few quick wickets to put brakes on the scoring rate. As a result, home team fell short of the probable target and could manage only 181 in their 20 overs. Chasing 182, KKR were well on course with an astonishing partnership between Uthappa and Nitish Rana....

Kings XI Punjab, Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals, with 12 points each, and Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore, with 10 points each are still in contention for a place in the playoffs. With some of the teams in contention taking on each other in the coming days, the race for the top-4 will be very interesting. You can find the IPL points table here. Let us take a look at the possible scenarios for all these five teams and what should happen for them to qualify for the playoffs....

In reply, KKR chased down the total with 5 balls to spare thanks to Chris Lynn’s 62 and crucial chippings from Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa and Dinesh Karthik. The win saw KKR remain in the fourth position in the table while RCB remained in the seventh position above Delhi Daredevils. Let’s take a look at five talking points of the match #5 Andre Russell’s mixed performance Andre Russell had a pretty mixed performance tonight....

Kolkata Knight Riders revamped their squad in the 2018 auction and even allowed their talismanic captain to leave the franchise. Only Sunil Narine and Andre Russell were retained by the club before the auction. Dinesh Karthik was bought for a huge INR 7.4 crores and was made the captain of the team. Though they played some good cricket throughout the tournament and finished third, they clearly struggled in some aspects of the game....

In about three weeks’ time, the money-spinner of Indian cricket, the Indian Premier League, will conduct its 12th auction to set the ball rolling for another season of glitz, glamour and glory. The 2018 edition saw the return of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals after their two-year hiatuses. While the latter failed to make an impression, the former went on to clinch their third IPL crown. In the off-season, the teams have barely enjoyed a moment’s peace....

Last season’s runners-up Sunrisers Hyderabad bought just 3 players at the auction. England opener Jonny Bairstow was the most notable of the three, while the other two were Martin Guptill and Wriddhiman Saha. In many ways, they had the best auction and have roped in high quality batsmen. Batting has always been their Achilles heel, and by picking up Bairstow and Guptill, they have bolstered their batting lineup. Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan played a key role for the Orange Army last season and contributed efficiently with both bat and ball....

Andre Russell starred with both bat and ball and it looks as though Dinesh Karthik’s side have struck the perfect balance between youth and experience. Let us look at the 5 crucial moments which changed the game in Kolkata’s favor. #1 Narine welcomes debutant Chakravarthy to the big league Sunil Narine, opening the KKR innings, smashed mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy all around Eden Gardens and gave them a blazing start which laid the platform for a big total....

Chennai Super Kings have started their title defence in style as they’ve won two out of two. Kolkata Knight Riders are the other team to have won both their games and in fact, they are the table-toppers at the moment, courtesy a superior net run rate. Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals are the two teams who are win-less after the first week. However, there was one result that wasn’t expected in the first week....

In case you didn’t know… Steyn had joined Royal Challengers Bangalore as a replacement for Australian pacer Nathan Coulter-Nile. While he changed the team’s fortunes in his first two matches, with RCB winning them both, he has now been ruled out of the tournament due to an injury. Steyn knows a thing or two about modern-day fast bowling, having been on the scene for more than a decade and terrifying opposition batsmen all over the world with his pace and accuracy....