Sunday’s double header contest saw several stars getting back to form and teams registering wins by a significant margins. CSK picked up a 28-run victory against PBKS in Dharamshala to move to the third position on IPL 2024 points table. The star for the side was indeed Ravindra Jadeja, who proved why he is a dependable all-rounder with stellar performances with both bat and ball.
The second game saw KKR humiliate LSG with a 98-run thrashing. It was truly a spinner’s day out for the visitors – Sunil Narine with the bat and Varun Chakravarthy with the ball. The win saw KKR being propelled to the top of the points table, going past RR who have been on the top of the table so far in the league. On that note, let’s take a look at some of the eyeball grabbing headlines from Sunday.
No fireworks from MS Dhoni at Dharamshala
While the crowd at Dharamshala eagerly waited to see a spectacle from Thala MS Dhoni, it wasn’t the case on Sunday. The veteran was dismissed for a golden duck by Harshal Patel, thanks to a ripper of a delivery. If that wasn’t enough, MSD also faced flak for batting down the order while other batters failed to fire, barring Jadeja. However, MS being MS, scripted history by becoming the first player in IPL to complete 150 catches.
Comeback means Jadeja
Ravindra Jadeja seems to have found his touch in the right time. In what is a great news for both CSK and India, the southpaw turned the clock back to justify the all-rounder tag. With the bat, he scored 43 runs – CSK’s highest run getter in the game against PBKS – which ensured that the team got to a face-saving total. He doubled it up with his impressive spell that saw him finish with figures of 4/20. With this performance, Jadeja was not only adjudged the Player of the Match but also surpassed MS Dhoni to become the player with most Man of the Match awards for CSK.
Sunil Narine, remember the name
What a season Sunil Narine is having! The mystery spinner currently has 461 runs at a strike rate of 183.66 and 14 wickets in 11 matches. Today, he shined once again. He top-scored in the LSG vs KKR match, scoring 81 runs from just 39 balls. Narine then returned, picked up 1 wicket, and gave away just 22 runs in his 4 overs.
A Varun Chakravarthy special
Varun Chakravarthy continued to rattle the opposition, this time leaving LSG batters clueless. The spinner picked up three wickets in his 3-over spell that also saw him concede 30 runs. With this performance, Varun moves to the third position on the Purple Cap standings with 16 wickets to his name so far in IPL 2024.
Pathirana blow for CSK
CSK are in a tough spot. After taking an early lead on the points table, their IPL 2024 campaign has taken a massive hit. They have lost three of their last four matches and lost three pacers in the last five days. Mustafizur Rahman had returned home after they lost to the Punjab Kings on May 1. Deepak Chahar was injured in the same match, and now their second highest wicket-taker, Matheesha Pathirana, has been ruled out and returned to Sri Lanka.
Gaikwad, luck and toss losses
Luck plays an important factor in cricket. Some of the biggest victories in the history of the sport have been influenced by luck. What if India had won the toss in the ODI World Cup 2023 Final or the ball hadn’t hit Ben Stokes bat and gone to the boundary? It seems like luck is evading Chennai Super Kings skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad Although his team is ranked third on the IPL 2024 points table, he’s lost 10 tosses in 11 matches.
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