IPL 2014: 42nd match – Chennai Super Kings v Royal Challengers Bangalore, May 18, 2014

September 17, 2020May 18, 2014 by PunterPolls

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Match 42 of Pepsi IPL 2014 will see the Chennai Super Kings clashing with the Royal Challengers Bangalore.

CSK, with eight wins under their belt, already have a foot in the Playoffs and they will now shift their focus to be among the top two teams at the end of the league phase. In their most recent outing, they outclassed the Rajasthan Royals in Ahmedabad.

Virat Kohli’s boys started the tournament with a bang, winning their first two matches, but have since slipped to sixth position in the table and are barely in the race for the Playoffs. They have four wins from 10 matches and are tied with Sunrisers Hyderabad on eight points, but ranked lower due to their inferior net run-rate. Yuvraj Singh and AB de Villiers exploded at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru and helped RCB overcome the Delhi Daredevils before their four-day break. The batting line-up and the bowling attack have fired at different stages in the competition and the team will need both units to fire in unison if they are to progress beyond the league stage.

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IPL 2014: 41st match – Rajasthan Royals v Delhi Daredevils, May 15, 2014

September 17, 2020May 15, 2014 by PunterPolls

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With 12 points from 10 games and a comfortable lead over the three teams vying for the fourth spot, Rajasthan Royals have a fair cushion. But they are still not through to the playoffs and a win against Daredevils could certainly ease their way, given that their next two matches are against Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab.

For a team that earned a reputation for slightly left-field tactics over the last couple of seasons, Royals have mostly stuck to the same combination this season. They experimented heavily against Chennai Super Kings and while their batting changes didn't click, their slower bowlers did run Super Kings close. To gain a lead over others, they may perhaps opt for a steadier order against Daredevils.

Daredevils, meanwhile, have a license to experiment and may just benefit from doing so, particularly with their batting order. A loss to Royals would bring an end to their chances, however technical, of making it to the last four and push them towards a second successive season at the bottom of the table.

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IPL2014: 40th match – Kolkata Knight Riders v Mumbai Indians, May 14, 2014

September 17, 2020May 14, 2014 by PunterPolls

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Mumbai Indians have a lot more riding on the outcome in Cuttack, considering defeat could leave them needing to win all their remaining matches. So managing Kolkata Knight Riders' spin attack gains further priority. Sunil Narine and Co juggle between attack and defence quite well and it will fall upon the Indian batsmen to circumvent them.

Rohit Sharma has had trouble deciding whether to open or not, but with Knight Riders known spin threat in the middle overs, he might remain at No.4. Mumbai will need him and Kieron Pollard to provide acceleration late in the innings. Their other resources - Corey Anderson has not looked comfortable without pace on the ball, CM Gautam is a rookie at this level and Lendl Simmons tends to be hit or miss - do not inspire much confidence.

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IPL2014: 39th match – Sunrisers Hyderabad v Kings XI Punjab, May 14, 2014

September 17, 2020May 14, 2014 by PunterPolls

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Sunrisers' defeat to Mumbai Indians on Monday cost them the chance to break into the top four - the playoff club - by displacing Kolkata Knight Riders. They are now in the bottom half of the league and another loss will be debilitating to their campaign. A victory will keep them in contention for fourth place, but third remains out of reach for the moment.

Unless they suffer a startling reverse in form, Kings XI are set for a place in the top four. Their target, therefore, is no longer a playoff berth; it is a top-two finish, which will give them two cracks at making the IPL final. Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals are their closest rivals and a win against Sunrisers will keep Kings XI above everyone else.

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IPL2014: 38th match – Royal Challengers Bangalore v Delhi Daredevils, May 13, 2014

September 17, 2020May 13, 2014 by PunterPolls

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Royal Challengers Bangalore host the Delhi Daredevils in Match 38 of Pepsi IPL 2014.

RCB’s campaign has been marred by three consecutive defeats – against Mumbai Indians, Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals. In fact, the last time they collected two points was after their home win against Sunrisers Hyderabad on May 4. Since then, they have conceded an average of 192 runs per innings, and have claimed an average of six wickets per game. If they are to qualify, their bowling unit clearly needs to pull up its socks.

DD also have not had the best of homecomings since the UAE leg ended. They have, in fact, not won a single match in the month of May – their last triumph came against Mumbai Indians on April 27 at Sharjah. While they may be all but out of Playoff contention, Kevin Pietersen and co. will want to play for pride and will try to register some memorable wins in the upcoming matches.

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IPL2014: 37th match – Chennai Super Kings v Rajasthan Royals, May 13, 2014

September 17, 2020May 13, 2014 by PunterPolls

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Chennai Super Kings will clash with the Rajasthan Royals in Match 37 of Pepsi IPL 2014.

Barring Kings XI Punjab, who have defeated them twice this season, no other opponent has really competed against the Chennai Super Kings. In their most recent outing against the defending champions Mumbai Indians, they ended their win-less streak at the Wankhede Stadium by beating the hosts quite convincingly. Skipper MS Dhoni, who is known to seal close matches, did the honours in style on that occasion too.

Rajasthan Royals must be buoyed by their five-wicket victory against the Royal Challengers Bangalore in their previous outing. After Yuvraj Singh had announced his return to form with a blazing 38-ball 83 and broke the backbone of the RR batting line-up, it seemed like the visitors were headed towards a massive defeat. But that game was turned around spectacularly by some stunning strokeplay by the Australian pair of Steve Smith and James Faulkner. At one point time, RR had an improbable task in front of them, needing 65 runs from the final four overs. But that task turned out to be a cakewalk for Smith and Faulkner, who scored the required runs in 2.5 overs.

Opening pair of Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum doing the bulk of the damage. Between them, CSK’s overseas opening pair has scored more than half the runs tallied by their team. Earlier, one would attribute CSK’s success to the performance of their spinners. Not this time though, as Mohit Sharma has impressed with the new ball and has given his team early breakthroughs consistently.

All eyes will be on Steve Smith after his pyrotechnics against RCB the other night. For someone as skilled as him, he perhaps bats too low in the batting order, and a climb up might be necessary now. The two senior pros in the team – skipper Shane Watson and Ajinkya Rahane – have had a few quiet outings now, and they will be expected to get back among the runs with the tournament entering a very crucial phase.

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