IPL 2014

IPL 2014: Final – KKR v Kings XI Punjab, June 1, 2014

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Kolkata Knight Riders v Kings XI Punjab

Match Review

After 47 days of gruelling and competitive cricket, the two teams left standing –Kolkata Knight Riders and Kings XI Punjab – will battle it out in the Grand Finale of Pepsi IPL 2014 to lay their hands on the coveted IPL Trophy and for the winner’s purse.

It has been a spectacular turnaround for the Kolkata Knight Riders, who managed just two wins from the five matches they played in the UAE leg of Pepsi IPL 2014.

Things looked gloomier for Gautam Gambhir’s team when they lost their first two matches after the tournament returned to Indian shores.

But since then, they not only forced their way into the Playoffs on the back of seven consecutive wins but also sailed through to the title clash by defeating table-toppers Kings XI Punjab in the first of the Playoff matches.

Kings XI Punjab has been the best team so far this season; they finished the league season with the most wins and were the first team to seal a place in the Playoffs.

A defeat at the hands of KKR in Qualifier 1 meant KXIP had to overcome a second hurdle – in form of the Chennai Super Kings – in Qualifier 2, which they did in style.

After being put in to bat, KXIP – riding on the back of a magnificent century by Virender Sehwag – posted 226 runs on the board, and then held their nerves to restrict their opponents to 202.

Tournament finals are meant to be contests between the two best teams – and that is certainly the case where Pepsi IPL 2014 is concerned.

 

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2nd Qualifier: CSK v Kings XI Punjab, May 30, 2014

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Match Review

Qualifier 2 – the faceoff between the team that ended on the wrong side of the result in Qualifier 1 and the team that emerged triumphant in the Eliminator.

Kings XI Punjab, suffered a jolt when they were defeated by second-placed Kolkata Knight Riders in the first of the Playoff matches.

By virtue of finishing among the top two teams, KXIP has another chance of making it to the Finals.

They need to overcome two-time IPL Champions CCSK, who rolled over the defending champions, Mumbai Indians, in the Eliminator on Wednesday.

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IPL 2014: Elimintaor: Chennai Super Kings v Mumbai Indians, May 28, 2014

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Match Preview

Eliminator - the second of the four Playoff matches of Pepsi IPL 2014 will see a contest between the teams who finished third and fourth in the standings. Two-time IPL champions Chennai Super Kings, who finished third with nine wins in the league stage, will be pitted against the defending champions, Mumbai Indians, who scraped past the Rajasthan Royals in the final league match of the season.

Post qualifying for the Playoffs, the Chennai Super Kings suffered a few hiccups when they lost three matches in a row. But they come into the Eliminator on the back of a convincing win over the Royal Challengers Bangalore in their final match of the league season. KKR’s stunning victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad, which resulted in them displacing CSK from the second place, must have come as somewhat of a jolt to MS Dhoni and co.

Mumbai Indians, meanwhile, must be high on adrenaline after their astonishing win over the Rajasthan Royals in the final league match of the season. Needing to score 190 in 14.3 overs to sneak into fourth place in the standings, MI accomplished the task when few gave them a chance. There were contributions all-round – from the two openers and Corey Anderson, who piloted the run-chase, to Ambati Rayudu whose cameo kept MI in the game and of course Aditya Tare, who sealed the deal with a maximum.

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IPL 2014: 1st Qualifier: Kings XI Punjab v Kolkata Knight Riders, May 28, 2014

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Match Preview

Qualifier 1 - the first of the four Playoff matches of Pepsi IPL 2014 will see the teams who finished in the top two positions in the standings clash for a direct passage to the tournament final.

Kings XI Punjab, who’ve had their best-ever season in the IPL registering 11 wins, finished the league season atop the eight-team standings. They’ve been ruthless right through the season and have steamrolled opponents mercilessly. They are pitted against the Kolkata Knight Riders, who are one of two teams to have defeated them this season.

At one stage, the Kolkata Knight Riders had just two wins from half their season’s league fixtures and faced an uphill task to qualify for the Playoffs. However, the team has turned the tables in stunning fashion, winning their remaining seven matches on the bounce and barging into the Playoffs. In their most recent outing, riding on a Yusuf Pathan blitz, they decimated Sunrisers Hyderabad and displaced Chennai Super Kings from second place in the points table.

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IPL 2014: 56th match – Mumbai Indians v Rajasthan Royals, May 25, 2014

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Match Preview

Match 56 of Pepsi IPL 2014, perhaps the most crucial match of the league stage. Mumbai Indians take on Rajasthan Royals in the final league fixture of the season.

The equation is pretty straightforward. A victory for the Rajasthan Royals will mean they sail through to the Playoffs, while a convincing win for the Mumbai Indians – with a margin that will nudge their net run-rate above Rajasthan Royals’ – will catapult them into fourth place in the standings.

Mumbai Indians have faced a do-or-die situation in their last few matches. That they are still alive in the race for the fourth Playoffs spot speaks volumes about the passion, ability and hunger within the team. The defending champions defeated Delhi Daredevils, Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals in their last three matches – each of these wins was convincing. MI definitely head into this match as favourites.

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IPL 2014: 55th match – Kings XI Punjab v Delhi Daredevils, May 25, 2014

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Match Preview

Kings XI Punjab have the chance to make Pepsi IPL 2014 their best ever season in the competition when they take on the Delhi Daredevils in the penultimate match of the league stage.

KXIP have won 10 of their 13 league matches so far – which equals their best performance in a season. In their most recent outing, against the Rajasthan Royals, despite the absence of two of their top players – Glenn Maxwell and Sandeep Sharma – KXIP registered a convincing 16-run win.

Delhi Daredevils, meanwhile, lost their eighth successive match when they lost against the Mumbai Indians in their previous outing. After bowling out MI for 173, DD found no momentum in their run-chase and finished 16 runs short. What was intriguing about DD’s run-chase was they had specialist batsmen at the crease for the entire duration of the run-chase – during which they lost only four wickets – and yet could not force the issue.

What our expert think about the game? Read on...

NOTE: Please post your comments at the bottom of the page, now any member can post and see comments, we will post our updates under PunterPolls Prediction section as updates for Paid Subscribers.

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