IPL 2019 has been one of the most exciting T20 tournaments I can remember watching with the this week's round of matches seeing some fearful hitting between KKR and MI before Mumbai secured a super over win against SRH. Each side now has 1 game left in the round robin stage and it is all still very much to play for.
In terms of qualification we know that CSK, Mumbai Indians and Dehli Capitals will be going through to the knockout stages but all 3 are still battling it out firstly for the title of league winner and perhaps, more importantly, to finish in the top 2 which would allow them into the eliminator match with the winner getting a straight pass through to the final. CSK are favourites to grab one of those spots as they sit 2 points clear of their rivals but a heavy defeat against KXIP and victory for both MI and DC could yet scupper their plans. In regards MI and DC, they sit level on points but Mumbai know that with their superior run-rate that if they can match DC's result then they will get a top 2 finish.
Outside of that battle, we have a 4 team scramble to grab the final qualifying spot. The advantage is very much with SRH who sit on 12points but a far superior net R/R to anyone else meaning that a win for them against RCB (the only side who can't qualify) would pretty much see them home. Rajasthan Royals get first crack at putting SRH under a bit of pressure when they visit Dehli in the early game today. DC have struggled at home all season and a win for RR would put them on 13 points. KKR are level on points with SRH but they would have to absolutely annihilate MI in order to bridge the gap if SRH win this afternoon. Last and probably least are KXIP who require the above 3 sides to all lose and for them to get a big win against top side CSK in Mohali in order for them to progress.
Anyway to this week's team of the week ...........
Not that I take any pleasure in saying this but yeah, I told you so! I told you this boy was mustard and I told you if you put him up the order he is going to start showing you just what he is capable of. Unfortunately for KKR and for me who backed them to win this year's IPL Shubman Gill's move to open seems to have come a little too late and they may well now miss out on the playoffs. Perhaps I'll have to back them again next year when Gill opens from the off ......
David Warner signed off from this year's IPL with another fine innings at the top of the order for SRH. It leaves him 170 runs clear of his nearest rival for the Orange Cap in KL Rahul and baring some very late season heroics from the chasing pack he looks set to have sealed his comeback to the biggest stage in some style. A revigorated Warner now heads into a summer of international cricket where he will seek to add another World Cup and Ashes winners medal to an already impressive trophy cabinet
Manish Pandey has taken a fair bit of flack in recent times for his below average performances but you know that when a batsman gets given a chance in the current India team that they have a fair bit of talent. Pandey has found his form at just the right time for SRH who are already without Jonny Bairstow and are now going to have to cope without David Warner too. He has already overtaken his run-scoring for last year and at a significantly better strike rate.
Shreyas Iyer has very much become Mr. Consistent for his Dehli Capitals team this year. He may have the lowest strike rate of any DC batsmen to have completed 10 or more innings this season but he is averaging 35 and scoring runs in difficult situations when some of the other stroke makers have failed. He is showing excellent maturity both as a batsman and as a captain and you feel that regardless of what happens in the playoffs DC's young squad really have something to build on now for future tournaments.
Even as he comes towards the end his glittering career, it is tempting to say that MS Dhoni remains one of the most influential cricketers on the planet. CSK are now odds on favourites to defend their title despite the fact that most of their batsmen have failed to reach the heights of last year. However, with Dhoni at the helm they seem invincible particularly at home which is, of course, a massive advantage for CSK should they reach the eliminator which will be played in Chennai.
KKR's fall off in form during the middle part of the season was to some extent a result of Andre Russell's slight dip. I say slight because the guy was performing at superhero like levels in the early part of this year's IPL and winning games almost single-handedly for his side. Russell's unbeaten 80 from 40 balls against MI was simply incredible! I have been suggesting for some time that KKR need to consider bumping him up the order in certain match conditions and when they finally did it paid off big time!
Another man who could probably do with being shifted up the order once in a while is Hardik Pandya. This season he has turned into the master of late innings cameos but MIs collapse against KKR showed just what he is capable of if he's given longer at the crease. Outscoring Dre Russell when KKR make a total of 232 is no mean feat and he kept what could have ended a very one-sided affair entertaining for most of the run chase.
Boy what a tournament this guy is having! I bet most people outside of India had never heard the name Shreyas Gopal until about a month ago but now he is tormenting some of the world's best white ball cricketers with his wrist spin. Look at the wickets that he is taking and they generally tend to be top order batsmen. When you also consider that he is doing so in a RR side that have generally struggled this season then his personal achievement is even better. Pretty decent in the field and with bat in hand too.
As I've mentioned several times on my blog, Mohammed Shami remains one of my favourite seam bowlers in world cricket at present. That beautiful wrist position allows him to move the ball both ways in the air and off the pitch and his fast arm means he's quicker than batsmen realise. The last 12months have been something of a redemption in all forms of cricket but after being released from DC he seems to have found a home at KXIP.
Last week Varun Aaron, this week Oshane Thomas. RR have finally established that having a bit of pace and hostility during the PP is not necessarily a bad thing and this young West Indian brings both in abundance. Yes, he's a little raw but he is also pretty exciting to watch and RR will be looking for more big performances from him as they try to once again sneak into the playoffs via the back door.
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When CSK get on slow turning wickets they are looking pretty much invincible and a large part of their success is due to Imran Tahir. The South African has 21 wickets this year which is 2nd only to his international teammate Kagiso Rabada. He tore through DC during the week delivering figures of 4-12. It was a toss-up between him and his CSK colleague Ravi Jadeja but I decided to go with Tahir on the basis that he has the best celebration in cricket - look at that face!
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