The IPL has crossed the halfway mark this season and the race for spots in the Playoffs is heating up. No one could have possibly imagined that both the matches played on a single day would be tied. One of those games witnessed not one, but two Super Overs!
Kolkata Knight Riders had the better of Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kings XI Punjab outsmarted Mumbai Indians on the day in question. That defeat notwithstanding, Mumbai Indians should qualify for the Playoffs.
What is clearly evident in the tournament so far is that the teams in which the experienced players and youngsters are complementing each other perfectly, are doing well. Delhi Capitals is another team which should make it to the final four.
Shreyas Iyer is proving to be a fine captain who leads from the front. Shikhar Dhawan is almost impossible to stop once he gets going, as was seen the other night when he scored a century against Chennai Super Kings. Delhi’s bowlers are also doing a fine job. The entry of the man who calls himself the Universe Boss seems to have stabilised Kings XI Punjab.
Chris Gayle, who is considered by many as the greatest T20 player of all time, made an immediate impact. With the team’s openers in the form they are in, the north Indian franchise has emerged as another contender for a spot in the Playoffs.
We are witnessing a transition of sorts this season. It is a great sign for Indian cricket that all the regulars in the national team are doing well for their respective sides. Iyer and Dhawan apart, Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah are excelling for Mumbai Indians, K.L. Rahul, Mayank Agarwal and Mohammed Shami are consistency personified for Kings XI Punjab and Virat Kohli and Yuzvendra Chahal are clicking for Royal Challengers Bangalore. How well Bumrah and Shami bowled in the first of two Super Overs in the clash between Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab!
Earlier, the players from overseas were the ones expected to carry their respective teams through the tournament, but what we are seeing today is that the India players are doing precisely that. The overseas players are of course professional to the core and they will continue to give their best. With everybody, from the India players to the youngsters and overseas professionals in tremendous nick, the cricket which we are witnessing is of a very high standard.
Another transition is visible in the form of the struggles that Chennai Super Kings are presently combating. While it is true that they have staged comebacks after unimpressive starts in the past, the form that the other teams are in, might just make it difficult for M. S. Dhoni and his side to reach the playoffs. Chennai Super Kings have been the most consistent team in the history of the league, but this season could turn out to be their worst ever.
A cricketer and captain like Dhoni should never be written off, but frankly, it is going to be an uphill battle for them.
