The biggest sporting event in cricketing history is nearing its end and it has once again given the cricketing fans nothing short of a spectacle. This season has been by far the most competitive season when compared to other previous seasons. All the eight teams at some point of the tournament seemed to be unbeatable. Already three teams have qualified for the playoffs and the remaining one spot is for the taking.

Sun risers Hyderabad can be the first team in IPL history to qualify for the playoffs with only 12 points, thanks to their mighty NRR. They have their last match against RCB and if they win that match, there is no force that is stopping them from entering play-offs with 14 points. But there is also a possibility that they can qualify for the play-offs even if they lose their match against RCB as they have the highest NRR for all team this IPL. Though Warner and Bairstow have left the IPL, they have done enough for their team to qualify for the playoffs. The advantage of winning matches in the initial stages of the tournament with more overs to spare has helped SRH to be in a strong position.

Kolkata Knight Riders, after 6 straight hammerings have found their lost mojo in the last two matches against Punjab and Mumbai and they are hanging out with slimmer of a hope to qualify for the playoffs. The decision to open the innings with Gill and Lynn has turned the fortunes big time and the move to promote Russell up the order proved to be a masterstroke against Mumbai Indians as he amazed a 40 ball 80 against the likes of Bumrah and Malinga. Now they need to win their last match against Mumbai Indians in their own den to stay in the hunt. Though the pitch will suit KKR, they still have a mighty task ahead and they badly want SRH to lose their game against RCB so that it will make their life easy as they have inferior NRR compared to SRH. If SRH wins their game against RCB, then KKR has to win against MI by a very big margin or to chase down with many balls to spare.

Rajasthan Royals have once again given the captaincy to Rahane since Smith has left the IPL. They have very little chance to qualify for the playoffs. They need both KKR and SRH to lose their last game and win their game against DC. Their bowling has come together in their last few games and Liam Livingstone is doing his best to replace Buttler at the top. Now with Smith already left the IPL, it only weakens their top order. They had a solid team coming into this IPL which could have surprised many big teams on their day but they failed to seize the opportunities which have let them down big time. They need things to go their way in these last two days of IPL to stand a chance for Playoffs.

Kings XI have been eliminated from IPL 2019, their over-dependence on Gayle and Rahul has hurt them time and again. They have made changes for every game they have played. They did not use their players effectively. At the start of the IPL. they looked like a strong squad with some exciting talents in Pooran and Curran but King XI management has clearly underused those two young talents which have brought them to this situation. They dropped Sarfraz khan just after one poorly constructed innings against CSK where he messed up the chase along with KL Rahul. They did not back their young players. They badly need a change in Captaincy from next season and a reputed death bowler considering the fact that Andrew Tye is no more the bowler he was in the last season.

Royal Challengers from Bangalore have once again endured a disappointing outing. They were the first team to be eliminated from IPL 2019, considering the reputation they have, it would have been a sorry sight for RCB fans. They went wrong right from the auction where they failed to bag a proper death bowler and believing in Umesh and Siraj. They had kept high expectations on Hetmyer but they failed to back him just after 4 failures. Moeen Ali was the only shining light along with Navdeep Saini for RCB this season. The skipper himself had an ordinary season by his standards and that showed on their results. Though ABD was performing to his expectations, the inability to strike big against Spinners in the middle overs has made opponents to keep ABD quite. Rcb would be looking to finish this season on a high by winning their last game against weakened SRH to give something for their loyal fans to enjoy with.

Chennai Super Kings are a completely different side when MS Dhoni is captaining the side. Though they have big worries in the form of Watson, Raina, Rayudu, and Kedar, it is all being overshadowed by Dhoni’ batting and Tahir’ bowling. Tahir has been the man for all situations in the field with the ball for Dhoni. Tahir and Jadeja are doing a terrific job in the middle overs with the ball irrespective of the pitch conditions with their accurate line and length.The opponent teams have slowly found a way to counter Deepak Chahar in the power plays and he is slowly becoming an expensive bowler in the Power plays. If Chennai needs to win their 4th title, they need their senior players to perform to take the burden of Dhoni.

Mumbai Indians will be hoping for a top-two finish to have a crack at the title twice. They are well and truly in contention for a top-two finish but they need to win their last game against KKR who recently thrashed them in Eden gardens. Even if they lose their game against KKR, they can finish in the 2nd spot if DC lose their last game against RR.

Delhi Capitals have suffered a huge blow in Kagiso Rabada who had left the IPL due to a back injury. They look like a much easy team to beat without Rabada in their ranks. Though they have Boult in their ranks who is the like for like replacement for Rabada, but still Rabada is a way bigger threat to opponents than Boult. They need to play their skins out in the playoffs to go all the way through. Their middle order is a big worry for them. With no Rabada, their death bowling will also take beating. This is where the experience of Ricky and Ganguly will come into play and it will be interesting to see how they handle Rabada’s loss from here.

All in all brace yourselves for one last week of exciting IPL action this year.

The English players have already left the IPL to join their team in their home for world cup campaign. The Australian players will be leaving on May 1st. The South Africans, Kiwis, Afghans, and Shakib from Bangladesh all have agreed to stay till the end along with West Indians. So the teams which will be most affected by the departure of Australians and English players will be Rajasthan, Sunrisers. and Bangalore.

The Royal Challengers from Bangalore are putting up a show with AB de Villiers turning back the clock, after their 6 consecutive losses and they are well and truly in contention for the playoffs if they win all their remaining matches and if some results go their way. If they had played the way like they are playing at the moment these IF’s and but’s would not have mattered to them. The addition of Dale Steyn has helped them big time and RCB were happy with his contribution but that happiness was cut short as he has been ruled out for the remainder of IPL due to sore Shoulder. This means again the onus will be on the ever impressive young gun, Navdeep Saini. With Moeen Ali already left and Marcus Stoinis about to leave, they definitely will have a tough time for the remainder of IPL.

Rajasthan Royals already played 3 games without their heavyweight opener Buttler and they managed to win 2 among them. The change of captaincy has helped both Smith and Rahane as both are playing some aggressive cricket, Rahane in particular who notched up a classy century against a good DC bowling attack. Smith is very proactive in his captaincy and used his g0 to bowler Jofra Archer effectively in crunch moments. Riyan Parag has been outstanding with the bat and his fearless approach has impressed one and all. Like RCB they still have chance to qualify for the playoffs if they win their remaining games and if some results go their way. With Archer and Stokes already left, it will be interesting to see whom they will replace Archer. Once Steve Smith leaves on May 1st, RR would have finished their 13 games by then and it will interesting to see whom they will give the captaincy for that match.

Sun Risers have their fate in their own hands and they can even crack a top 2 finish if they win all their remaining games. But with Bairstow already left and David Warner leaving on May 1st it will be difficult for someone even with Guptill’ caliber to replace them. They found a new hero in their last game in Manish Pandey who smashed a 49 ball 83. He came out all guns blazing to prove a point and played some cracking shots. This should come as some sort of a relief for SRH management as Manish’ form should somewhat match the loss of Bairstow and Warner. They still have a gun bowling attack and though Rashid Khan was taken apart by Watson in their last game they should see that as a one-off and move on from that loss. If they play to their potential, there is no reason why they cannot make the playoffs and even make a top two finish.

Chennai Super Kings have raised some serious issues for them towards the end of the tournament. Though they have already qualified for the playoffs, they badly want to finish in the top 2 to get a home qualifier where the pitch suits them the best. Their miseries continue against Mumbai Indians who have now defeated CSK for the 2nd time this IPL. To add to that, the form of their middle order batsmen with the likes of Rayudu, Raina, and Kedar has been awful. Their captain has been leading from the front each and every game and if Dhoni has a bad game both as a captain and as a batsman then it would be curtains for CSK that game. There is no individual in the team who is taking responsibility apart from Dhoni. Last year CSK defeated SRH 4 matches in a row including qualifier 1 and final. This year with Mumbai already defeating CSK 2 times in league stage, and CSK and Mumbai more likely to finish in the top two, one can expect a repeat of what CSK did to SRH last year by Mumbai to Chennai.

Delhi Capitals are truly turning the tables on this year with some magnificent bowling and batting. Initially, after their first four games, they still had a little bit of Daredevils in them but once they started to win games at a stretch which is new to them, they liked the taste of that and turned into a completely a new team. Kagiso Rabada is the leading wicket-taker this season and he is leading the table by a large margin. He already has 23 wickets to his name and with another 3 more games to go, he might achieve new height for the highest number of wickets for a season. Shikhar Dhawan has found form just at the right moment and has been giving brisk starts at the top of the order and the ever impressive Shreyas Iyer has been leading well from the front. Prithvi Shaw has transformed himself from a hit and miss player to a proper opener who can stay all the way till the end of the innings which shows the importance of Sourav and Ricky in the back end. Rishabh Pant played a match-winning knock in the game against RR and there is always the experience of Colin Ingram in the middle. On their bowling front, they have all bases covered and they just have the right combination to go all the way through.

Kings XI have lost their momentum just at the wrong time just like the last season. Though their captain Ashwin is leading well from the front, their execution is going nowhere when it comes to game time. They still have the chance to qualify for the playoffs big time and they have their fate in their own hands. They just need to win their remaining games and the rest will take care of itself. They are heavily dependent on their openers and they expect both KL Rahul and Gayle to come good every game which is not happening. Gayle though has been in his destructive form, he is finding ways to get out and KL Rahul has been disappointing for the last few games. Their death bowling is terrible with Viljoen, Tye, and Shami has been taken to cleaners by the opposition batsmen with ease, they seriously need to make some bold moves to stand a chance to qualify. They are not using Mujeeb and that needs to be seen in the remaining games since they have 2 of their last 3 matches in their home where the pitch will be low and slow.

Mumbai Indians are certainly living up to their expectations and they just seem to have answers for every question that is been thrown towards them. With their Captain Rohit finding form, they are in a happy space and looking like the team which could take the title without even sweating it out from others for the 4th time.

Kolkata Knight Riders will be the most disappointed team this season, with the kind of team and reputation they had they were touted to be the dark horse to lift the trophy but it isn’t anymore. Though they have an outside chance just like RR and RCB to make the playoffs, it is very unlikely to happen since they have 2 of their remaining 3 games against the mighty Mumbai Indians. KKR had a major blow coming into this season with both Mavi and Nagerkotti being ruled out, and as there is no reputed overseas fast bowler, it has hurt them big time. Dinesh Karthik’ captaincy has been put under the scanner, making some terrible moves paving ways for defeats time and again. They need to address their issues big time and they should leave this season behind and come back strong next season starting from good auction. They badly need a reputed overseas fast bowler like Cummins or Starc who can be a captain’ go to bowler during crunch moments of the game.

My top 4 for this season in no particular order

• Mumbai Indians
• Chennai Super Kings
• Delhi Capitals
• SunRisers Hyderabad

All in All there is one last set of exciting group matches waiting for us.

The last week started with Buttler thrashing Mumbai bowlers all around the park with a 49 ball 83 in their own den in front of 20,000 underprivileged children who came out in support of Mumbai Indians and helped Rajasthan to chase 188 with 3 balls to spare.

Rajasthan Royals were expected to carry their winning form and confidence after beating Mumbai but they faltered again in their very next game against Ashwin’ boys. They made some wholesome changes by bringing in Ish Sodhi and Ashton Turner in place of Steve Smith and Liam Livingstone. They also altered their batting line up by promoting the free-stroking Rahul Tripathi to open along with Buttler and the captain Rahane demoted himself to No.4 but each and every move they made clearly backfired. Rahul Tripathi played a very Rahane like innings, he reached his half-century in the 44th ball he faced and eventually they lost the game. But the tough part that is waiting for them is that after the departure of Stokes, Buttler, Archer and Steve Smith in a week’s time. They don’t have variety in their bench and it will be interesting to see how they handle that situation.

Mumbai Indians on the other hand, after their loss against Rajasthan, won two of their games on the bounce against Rcb and Dc and they have absolutely no problems going forward and look very good to regain the trophy for the 4th time.

Delhi Capitals who won three away matches on the trot, again lost their plot in their home against Mumbai Indians and Rohit made some absolutely gold decisions and ensured Delhi never got into the game at any point after Dhawan’ dismissal. They seriously need to adapt to their low slow Kotla wicket where they have another 3 matches in which they need to win at least 2 games to enter into the playoffs. The major concern for them is the form of Prithvi Shaw and Pant who are failing consistently and making the life of Iyer and Dhawan more difficult. They need Pant and Prithvi to fire every game from now to make sure they finish in the top 4.

Chennai Super Kings looked out of sorts without their Captain Dhoni in their game against SRH but they should just see that as a one-off and should move on once Dhoni enters the field for them.

Sunrisers Hyderabad showed some dangerous signs for opponents in their game against CSK. All witnessed the vintage SRH bowling and they restricted CSK to a below-par total and chased them with ease. The problems for them will arise soon once Warner and Bairstow return to their home for the world cup campaign. By losing two of their best batsmen at the top of the order it will be definitely a hard time for them considering the fact that Williamson is also not in the best of his touch. That is where, it will be interesting to see how their think tank with the likes of Laxman, Moody, and Muralidharan react to that situation.

Kings XI completed a comprehensive win against RR in their last game and with their captain leading from the front they seem to be quietly making their way into the playoffs. The only concern for them is their death bowling where even Shami has been taken to cleaners. They need to address their death bowling concerns big time as the tournament is heading towards the fag end since there is no breathing space.

RCB need to win every game from now on and the addition of Dale Steyn has helped big time for them. The swing and control he gives them with the new ball have helped Kohli to hold back Chahal for middle and death overs. Navdeep Saini has been the biggest positive for not only RCB but also for the future of Indian cricket. Saini along with Steyn has made them a much better bowling side with Chahal looking after the spin department. With Kohli and ABD in top form and with Moeen Ali’ consistency with the bat they seemed to have addressed all their issues at present but once Stoinis and Moeen Ali return to their home for world cup campaign by April 26h and May 1st respectively, they again will have to find out their best winning combination but by then India would be in England to play their first warm-up match against Bangladesh for the world cup.

Kolkata Knight Riders have lost 4 matches on the trot and they are not seizing small moments in the game and letting the opposition to go away with the game. Time and again, they are expecting Russell to bail them which at times even Russell is not able to do so. Dinesh Karthik is finding it difficult with not having a proper go-to bowler, with Kuldeep not taking wickets in the middle overs, KKR looks like a completely dejected side at the moment. They just need one good game to regain the lost momentum because they are a type of team who could be impossible to stop if they are on a roll.

In all probability, one could come to a conclusion of teams that are going to make the playoffs in the coming week.

As much as 8 teams have announced their squads for the world cup and among those only Pakistan and England have stressed on the word “Preliminary” which tells us that they are more likely to change their squad before the world cup since they have a One day series between them before the mega event.

Australia

The Australians have called their batting stalwarts Smith and Warner who were serving their ban due to ball tampering. They had to make a tough decision in by leaving out Handscomb who was terrific with the bat in middle overs against India and Pakistan. By dropping Handscomb, the selectors have ensured that they do not have a professional back up wicket keeper to Carey which might bite them at the world cup if Carey sustains an injury as its a long tournament.

15 member Squad

• Aaron Finch(captain)
• David Warner
• Steve Smith
• Usman Khawaja
• Shaun Marsh
• Glenn Maxwell
• Marcus Stoinis
• Alex Carey(wk)
• Adam Zampa
• Nathan Lyon
• Mitchell Starc
• Pat Cummins
• Jhye Richardson
• Nathan Coulter-Nile
• Jason Behrendorff

The squad consists of as much as 5 fast bowlers and they have followed the same pattern as that of 2015 world cup squad. They have well-rounded side stacked with back up opener and middle order batsmen and they also have back up for Starc in the form of Behrendorff.

My probable playing XI

• Aaron Finch
• David Warner
• Usman Khawaja
• Steve Smith
• Glenn Maxwell
• Marcus Stoinis
• Alex Carey(wk)
• Pat Cummins
• Mitchell Starc
• Jhye Richardson
• Adam Zampa

The above playing XI has as much as 6 potential bowling options and they have players who can anchor the innings with the bat and some explosive hitters in the middle with the likes of Stoinis and Maxwell and solid openers as well. This Australian squad is well equipped to retain their trophy.

Sri Lanka

The selectors have made some hard decisions in picking their squad of 15. They have left out some of their batting mainstays like Chandimal , Dickwella, and Tharanga and their trusted spinner Akila Dhananjaya. They have made surprise decision by handing over the captaincy to Karunaratne who last played a one day 2 years ago.

15 member squad

• Dimuth KArunaratne(captain)
• Lahiru Thirimanne
• Kusal Mendis
• Kusal Perera
• Angelo Mathews
• Dhananjaya de Silva
• Thisara Perera
• Jeffrey Vandersay
• Suranga Lakmal
• Isuru Udana
• Lasith Malinga
• Jeevan Mendis
• Nuwan Pradeep
• Milinda Siriwardana
• Avishka Fernando

The above squad has a blend of youth and experience. They have chosen their squad based on the current form of the players and not gone by reputation.

My probable playing XI

• Dimuth Karunaratne
• Avishka Fernando
• Kusal Mendis
• Kusal Perera
• Angelo Mathews
• Dhananjaya de Silva
• Thisara Perera
• Isuru Udana
• Jeffrey Vandersay
• Suranga Lakmal
• Lasith Malinga

Though on paper this side looks pretty weak and not well suited for this big stage, they have been consistent in ICC events and they can play some ruthless cricket this time around and surprise anyone on their day as they have nothing to lose.

The much awaited day has come and all the major questions have been answered by MSK PRASAD & team. There have been a few surprises in the world cup squad but one has to say that they have made the right decision in the end.

15- Member World cup squad

• Virat Kohli(Captain)
• Rohit Sharma(Vice Captain)
• Shikhar Dhawan
• M S Dhoni
• K L Rahul
• Kedar Jadhav
• Hardik Pandya
• Yuzvendra Chahal
• Kuldeep Yadav
• Bhuvneshwar Kumar
• Mohammed Shami
• Jasprit Bumrah
• Ravindra Jadeja
• Vijay Shankar
• Dinesh Karthik

The core has been retained and there are no surprises in it. The likes of Rohit, Dhawan, Kohli, Dhoni, Kedar, Hardik, Bhuvneshwar, Shami, Bumrah, Kuldeep, and Chahal all pick themselves in the team. The major question was who would be the other 4 members of the squad and the selectors have given answers for that.

There have been lots of talks about who should be the backup wicket keeper for Dhoni and the answer for that is Dinesh Karthik. Rishabh Pant was the other possible option but selectors have gone with Dinesh Karthik who is a tried and tested customer. When asked about the exclusion of Pant, MSK Prasad told that Dinesh Karthik has been selected on the merit of his wicket-keeping skills to go with his batting. Many experts around the world have been saying Rishabh Pant can be an X-factor for India in the world cup since India lack a quality left-handed batsmen in their middle order but the selectors had other ideas.

The other aspect of this India squad is that they have left out Ambati Rayudu
which could mean that there are no specialist number 4 batsmen for India going into this world cup since KL Rahul has been named as a backup opener.

All the issues regarding the number 4 position have been solved and it is quite clear that either one of Kedar, Vijay Shankar or Dhoni will take up the number 4 slot according to the situation of the match and we can never forget the option of Kohli himself at number 4 by playing Rahul at number 3.

The only factor that might be worrying is the omission of Rayudu, after having played him for the whole of last season at number 4 he was expected to be in the squad but it wasn’t to be.

The last two surprising packages were in the form of Vijay Shankar and Ravindra Jadeja. Both Vijay Shankar and Jadeja are three-dimensional players and that could well be the factor which could have tempted selectors to pick them up in the squad. Both are terrific fielders and Jadeja, in particular, has a very good record in English conditions with the ball. There were no major unexpected names in the squad. The selectors have opted for players who can offer more on the field and not only with the bat and ball.

My Probable playing XI

• Shikhar Dhawan
• Rohit Sharma
• Virat Kohli
• Kedar Jadhav
• M S Dhoni(WK)
• Vijay Shankar
• Hardik Pandya
• Bhuvneshwar Kumar
• Mohammed Shami
• Yuzvendra Chahal
• Jasprit Bumrah

The above playing 11 has as many as 7 bowling options so that if any bowler has an off day, it could well be covered for. The captain Virat Kohli also has the luxury of bringing in Kuldeep in place of Shami if the pitch offers more for spinners.

This Indian Squad at first sight should give happiness and joy to every Indian fans and this squad has all the potential and capacity to give Dhoni a fitting end to his career.

This edition of Indian Premier League(IPL) has turned out to be West Indian Premier League(WIPL). Though Indians have managed to pull back in the last few days with some gritty and classy knocks from Rahul, Rayudu,Dhoni, Iyer, Mayank , Gill and Shikhar its the West Indians who are proving to be too hot to handle for the oppositions as their raw hitting power with the bat and raw pace bowling has taken this IPL to whole new level. This week also ensured that Russell and Dhoni are also human beings as Russell showed that he can bat at a strike rate of 113 too against CSK and not always above 200 and Dhoni who is normally termed as captain cool who hides his emotions even in extreme situations finally lost his cool and finally showed emotions due to umpiring error.

Mumbai Indians are looking like the team to beat after halfway through the competition. Their winning streak started against the defending champions CSK in their home and they never looked back thereafter. They included Alzarri Joseph in place of injured Milne and that boy made the whole world to talk about him with a dream debut against SRH with figures of 6 for 12. Then two days later its time for another West Indian Pollard who took the captaincy responsibility from Rohit who was injured and blasted Punjab bowlers with no mercy with a 31 ball 83 as Mumbai completed a record chase in Wankhede. They certainly have no problems what so ever and would be the happiest team at present.

Chennai super kings are just 2 wins away from entering another play-off and this week will be crucial for them as they have 3 back to back away games where all those wickets will have some pace and bounce which they are not used to so far in this season. So it will be interesting to see how they adapt to those wickets.

RCB has signed Dale Steyn in place of injured Nathan Coulter Nile and he will be available from April 19th but RCB have two games in between which they have to win to stay in contention for the playoffs and to make the selection of Steyn to count.

Kings XI have won 4 games so far in 7 matches and they would be aware of their second-half blues which they had last season. They defended 2 times and chased down 2 times in their 4 wins so they will be confident that they can defend as well as chase if they are asked to as they have done both successfully. Their 5 bowler theory is hurting them big time, as they don’t have a 6th bowling option they are suffering if any one of their regular bowlers is having a bad day. They will be looking to accommodate Henriques into their team as he can provide some seam-up bowling in middle overs.

Rajasthan Royals‘ management has to make some decisions if they are to make the playoffs. They definitely cannot have both Rahane and Smith in their top 3 as both are similar kind of players and both do not have attacking natural game. They are not making use of Stokes’ batting and their bowling does not seem to have the tooth in death overs and all these are costing RR big time. They have to make some bold decisions like bringing in Livingstone and turner in place of misfiring Smith and Stokes as both Livingstone and Turner are naturally attacking players and can take the game away from the opposition in no time with their power hitting.

Delhi capitals slowly getting into their groove as they are relatively in good space at the moment. They have 4 wins from 7 games which should have been 5 wins if not for their epic choke against Punjab. Shikhar Dhawan is amongst the runs and their captain is in good nick and then there is Pant and Prithvi who all are in good touch. Their bowling is looking deadly with Ishant taking the control with the new ball and Rabada and Morris restricting the opposition in death overs and Axar Patel not letting the opposition to score freely in middle overs. The only concern they would have is the pitch that is on offer in Kotla which is terrible and they will expect some good sporting tracks in their following games.

Sun risers Hyderabad, though after losing back to back games they wouldn’t be worried because they have the team which could go all the way through and they could see those losses as just a wake up call. With their captain Kane Williamson back in their ranks for the next game they should feel more confident now and they will be eager to get back to the winning games.

Kolkata Knight Riders were looking like the team with less number of worries last week but they have found themselves with lots of questions to answer this week. Their opening was looking woeful with Lynn and Narine. They promoted Gill to open the innings in their last game against DC and he grabbed the opportunity with both hands and made a classy 65 of 39 balls which will prompt them to make Gill as a regular opener in place of Lynn and once Narine returns he might pair up along with Gill and they might look to persist with Carlos or Denly for some more game. Their bowling is not looking great at the moment and slowly opponents are finding a way to restrict Russell which is a dangerous sign for KKR. Their captain is not in the best of form and their next match is against CSK. They badly need a win in their next game to get back on track

All in all a revenge week in IPL awaits us and more importantly all eyes will be on the 15 member world cup squad which will be announced on April 15th

This season Indian stars have been outperformed by foreigners with Warner show, Bairstow show, Curran’ hat trick and Dre rus’ demolition it has been a season of Overseas players so far.

After two weeks of IPL 12, the points table more or less resembles that of IPL 11. The top four teams in this IPL in points table are CSK, KKR, SRH, and KingsXI. These were the teams which ruled the points table for the most part of last season as well until Rajasthan Royals gave a shocking entry to the playoffs by overcoming MI, RCB, and KingXI. But this season it is highly unlikely that RR will make the playoffs as they look terrible in all the departments in the field.

Though RR won their last game convincingly even without their star batsmen Sanju Samson, that would not make them happy because they defeated the RCB side who looked lost themselves this season. Their bowling is probably the weakest attack in this IPL, Obviously better than that of RCB but still they lack a go-to bowler. Jofra Archer, though came into this IPL with a lot of reputation and a chance to impress the English selectors for a spot in England’ world cup squad, he failed to create an impact this season with the ball. Though he is starting well with the new ball at the initial stages of the innings, he is failing to finish the innings well with the ball. His yorkers are being picked up easily by the batsmen and his change of pace deliveries is not up to the mark. They seriously need a bowler who can change fortunes round for them to qualify for the playoffs.

The Kohli led side have put themselves in really tough situation. After losing their first five games of the season, it is highly unlikely that they will qualify for the playoffs. Though number suggests that they can still make the playoffs, if they want to win their 8 matches from their remaining 9 matches they need some miracle to happen.

Mumbai Indians after beating their rivals CSK in Wankhede, they will feel confident and they want to make the most of their current form. The inclusion of Jason Behendorff has helped them big time but Malinga will not be available for them this week so they have to alter with their bowling line up to bring balance in the side. There have been lots of talks over Yuvraj’ form and he will have to prove his prowess for one last time against SRH on a good batting deck in Hyderabad where he spent a couple of years to continue in the team.

Delhi capitals are still Daredevils in their own way. They have a strong squad but their playing 11 hardly seem to inspire. Ricky Ponting and Shreyas Iyer are not proactive in team selection and not staying ahead of the game. They were terrible with their tactics against SRH. On a slow wicket, their team selection was terrible. They opted for Ishant Sharma but he was underused in that match. Their shot selections were terrible, starting from Prithvi Shaw to Rabada they had no clue to SRH’ bowling attack. They are persisting with Morris who is failing time and again. Kemo Paul is best suited in pitches like Kotla as he has better cutters and slower deliveries. They should be tactically sound in their coming matches to qualify for playoffs.

Chennai super kings have found a new problem in as their premium death bowler Bravo sustained an injury during their game against Mumbai, but they should find a way to cover them up and their loss to Mumbai should just be a wake up call and they should be up and running for their game against Punjab, after all, they are Chennai super kings and led by Dhoni.

Dre rus is single-handedly taking KKR home in each and every game but the contribution from their top order with the likes of Uthappa and Rana are going unnoticed as they are the ones who are making life a bit easy for Russell who in turn is making life easy for KKR. They have a strong bowling unit and strong top order and then there is Russell. There is no reason why they will not qualify for the playoffs and even win the tournament eventually.

SRH is looking like the team to beat this season and they have all bases covered except for their middle order concerns. Another headache for them will be whom to drop if Williamson is fit. Soon we will get the answer to that.

Punjab though at the top of the points table, they are still not looking like a convincing side and they should hope that unlike last season they should finish the tournament on a high and qualify for the playoffs.

Overall another crucial and an entertaining week of IPL actions awaits us.

This is the 15th match of this edition’ IPL and the first 14 matches has already given us enough of it and it will be difficult for the next set of matches to give us the same excitement level as that of those.

The big ticket match between Mumbai and Chennai is one of the most anticipated matches in IPL as both these teams have a huge fan base and equally strong. Chennai started the season with a bang as usual and they are on a high. Mumbai started the season on a low as usual.

Chennai super kings are in no trouble at the moment and are playing according to their strengths and opponent’ weakness. Mumbai, on the other hand has lots of questions to answer going into this match. First and foremost thing is whether they should go with reputation or with the current form. In other words, whether they should prefer Yuvraj or Ishan Kishan. Yuvraj though started the season with a bang, but he is again getting into everybody’ attention for a wrong reason. He has the highest number of dot ball percentage for any player this season. Ishan kishan had a terrific Mushtaq Ali trophy and Ranji before that, so Yuvraj will have to be in his toes to continue further in the team.

Chennai preferred Santner in place of Harbhajan for their game against RR as they had lots of right handed batsmen, but dew played spoilsport for Santner as he did not had an impressive outing, which might tempt Dhoni to again prefer Bhajji in place of Santner.

The biggest concern for Mumbai is the form of their trusted big hitting middle order batsmen , Pollard. Though Pollard came into this IPL at the back of terrific PSL, he is struggling to find his tempo in IPL. That shows the standard of IPL. when compared to other leagues around the world. Ben Cutting is always waiting for his opportunity and Mumbai can bring Cutting in place of Pollard anytime soon.

Jason Behendorff has joined the squad and might well play this game in place of McClenaghan. The pitch is expected to have pace and bounce in Wankhede and it will be new for CSK batsmen because so far they have played in low and slow wickets in chennai and Delhi.

Ambati Rayadu will be the batsmen Chennai will be looking to come good as he has not been in his best this season so far. Rohit Sharma ,on the other hand, has been hitting the ball really well and a big score is due from him.

Players to watch out for: Rohti sharma(MI), Ambati Rayadu(CSK).

The Kiwis are the first team to announce their 15 man squad for the upcoming World cup 2019. The squad, at first sight, is just fantastic and they have all bases covered and a blend of youth and experience. As instructed by ICC only a 15 member squad should be named by all sides, which makes the cricket boards make some tough decisions that they have to leave out some big names. New Zealand have left out their reputed big hitting all-rounder, Corey Anderson. Though Corey Anderson is not in the best of his form, he would walk straight into most of the other teams around the world, which shows the strength of New Zealand and the confidence they have on the players they selected.

Squad

• Kane williamson (captain)
• Tom Latham(vice-captain)(Wk)
• Ross Taylor
• Martin Guptill
• Colin Munro
• Henry Nicholls
• Tim Southee
• Matt Henry
• Trent Boult
• Lockie Ferguson
• Mitchell Santner
• Ish Sodhi
• Jimmy Neesham
• Colin De Grandhomme
• Tom Blundel(Wk)

They have left out Tim Seifert who had a terrific outing in the T20 series against India in the recently concluded series due to injury, so they have named an equally abled Tom Blundell in place of him. The Wellington boy has had a terrific domestic season and he deserved to be in the squad as a backup wicket keeper to Latham.

The squad consists of two seam bowling all rounders and a spin bowling all-rounder. This shows that they have depth in their squad and can rotate their players based on the condition.

Their top and middle order is rock solid with Williamson, Taylor, and Latham. They have some big hitter in the end with Neesham and De Grandhomme. This batting order can destroy any bowling attack on their day.

Their bowling looks a settled unit as well with the likes of Boult, Southee, Lockie, Henry. If the ball tends to swing and seam in England then it should be curtains for the Batsmen, after all, who could forget their bowling performance against India in 4th one day.

The first concern they have is they are yet to fix their opening combination. They tried Henry Nicholls in their last series before world cup against Bangladesh and he performed brilliantly. That could mean Munro will be the backup opener in the squad and they could go with Guptill and Nicholls as their first choice openers. One has to wait and see how Nicholls fares against the new ball when it is seaming and swinging in English conditions as he is not a regular opening batsmen.

The other concern is that how effective will their spinners be in English conditions if the opponent batsmen see off the new ball, the onus will be on their spinners to get regular wickets in middle overs.

My probable XI

• Martin Guptill
• Henry Nicholls
• Kane Williamson
• Ross Taylor
• Tom Latham (Wk)
• Jimmy Neesham
• Colin De Grandhomme
• Mitchell Santner
• Tim Southee
• Lockie Ferguson
• Trent Boult

If the pitch is dry then they might look to bring Ish Sodhi in the place of Southee.

Overall this squad has all the potential to lift the world cup for the first time for their country.

This IPL has already turned out to be a very interesting one as all the star players and veterans coming into the party. The only exception that has not happened untill now in this IPL is that we have not witnessed an unknown young Indian talent in this first week of IPL. All the teams are bringing out their best possible 11 as some teams like CSK did not even played a single uncapped player in either of their games.

All eyes were on Varun Chakravarthy after he was given a go in the match against KKR but he turned out to be an epic failure as he was taken to cleaners by all the KKR batsmen. Narine made a mockery of Varun’s bowling as he thrashed 25 runs form his very first over. Rasik dar Salam was another young fast bowler who was given a go by Mumbai Indians in their first game against Delhi and he was quite expensive as well. Apart from these two, no other unknown uncapped players were given a go by any teams. Things will change once foreigners return to their home during the fag end of the tournament.

Yuvraj Singh was another guy who got everybody’ attention with his fearless hitting. He is playing with freedom like never before and he is close to his best in terms of hitting and bat speed. The only worrying aspect is his fielding as he was struggling with his reflexes. As the season goes by Yuvraj could well be the talking point of this season.

Sanju Samson scored a belligerent century against SRH which was the first of the season but that was overshadowed by Warner’s blinder who is playing like he was never on a break.

Abd played a knock which single-handedly took RCB home along with the support of Virat but Bumrah destroyed RCB’ hopes that night as he finished with figures of 3 for 20 in his 4 overs on a wicket where almost 360 runs were scored in 40 overs

Andre russell showing what he can do again and again as he thrashed Punjab’ bowling attack all over the park. He is looking fitter than ever and if he stays injury free throughout the season then KKR would have very fewer worries compared to other teams.

CSK again started the season with two consecutive wins and they look all set to retain the trophy once again.

Delhi capitals, though started the season with a clinical win against Mumbai , they surrendered to CSK on a slow wicket. They will be looking to change their strategy when playing at home.

Of all the teams Rajasthan is the only team who seem to have the weakest bowling attack, they need someone who can inspire them to give tough fight to others, else they will become an easy to beat team in this competition.

There is also no short of controversies in this season from Mankading to No ball due to less number of fielders inside the circle to poor umpiring , this season has seen it all in just in its 1st week.

Overall this IPL has not disappointed so far and we can expect some cracker of a matches going forward.