When it comes to double-header days, the entertainment and the excitement increase two-fold too. In the first encounter of the day, between Kolkata Knight Riders and Lucknow Super Giants, the latter failed to defend a 160+ total once again, while in the second, MS Dhoni’s 20 for Chennai Super Kings, overshadowed Rohit Sharma’s 105 for Mumbai Indians.
But some of these performances from both these matches, need to be talked about in a little more detail. These efforts did certainly go a long way in deciding the fate of both the encounters, in Kolkata and Mumbai.
No One Greater Than Dhoni
Just when one thought, MSD had done enough in the tournament by smacking Anrich Nortje for 20 runs in one over vs Delhi Capitals, in this year’s IPL, you were wrong. That was just a trailer, as in the match against Mumbai on Sunday, Dhoni bludgeoned three sixes off Hardik Pandya, to take his team to 206. The margin of win for CSK, and the runs from Dhoni’s bat were equal.
Shivam Dube Best CSK Batsman
No matter how surprising it may sound, but southpaw Dube has been Chennai’s best batsman in IPL 2024, and by quite a margin. He has 242 runs in six matches, and is sixth in the Orange cap list. With yet another fifty, 66 from 38 balls, Dube has given a clear message to the Indian selectors, that he needs to be on the flight for the USA, for the T20 World Cup.
Rohit Tries & Tries, But Fails
It is unfortunate that Rohit Sharma’s first ton for Mumbai Indians, ended in a losing cause. It was a complete knock, where he accelerated well to get to his ton in 61 balls. He hit 11 fours and five sixes as well, but that just wasn’t enough on the day. He failed to get the support from other batsmen, which was the biggest cause for Mumbai’s downfall.
The Old Sunil Narine
It is a general feeling that Narine, though still very effective, isn’t the same bowler, that he was till a few years back. But all the doubters got a solid reply from the West Indian. In a miserly spell, Narine returned with match-figures of 1/17 in his four overs. What was special about his bowling was, all these runs were only scored in singles, not even twos, let alone boundaries.
KKR Add Salt to Taste
Phil Salt has been a revelation for the Kolkata Knight Riders this season. He opened his campaign with a 54 vs SRH in March, and then now, on Sunday, he produced yet another masterclass, smashing 89 from 47 balls. Courtesy of his whirlwind knock, KKR managed to achieve the 162-run target in 15.4 overs only.
Shamar Joseph Grounded
One expected West Indies fast bowler Shamar to be at his best, on his IPL debut. But that was far from truth. He had a poor first over, and a forgettable first match. His first six balls went for 22 runs, out of which 10 were from extras. Eventually, he ended with match-figures of 0/47 in his four overs.
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