Teams Status
Kolkata Knight Riders started their 2021 campaign with a decent win over Sunrisers Hyderabad but have since lost two straight. Against Mumbai Indians, they could not chase a very chaseable target of 153 despite cruising at one point and being 84-1. Against RCB, they could be forgiven, for their target was 205 and even though they were quick off the blocks, the target was just too big.
During this two-game slide, they’ve been let down by both bowling and batting. With names such as Eoin Morgan, Shakib Al Hasan and Andre Russell, it’s not like that their middle or lower order has a lack of skill or experience. Yet, they suffered a meltdown against Mumbai.
Meanwhile, in the match against RCB, they thought they had things under control, with RCB not even past the 100-mark when the third wicket fell in the 12th over.
But then AB de Villiers and Glenn Maxwell, two of the most powerful hitters around, went berserk, scoring 76 and 78-run knocks to swell up the RCB total beyond 200 and out of KKR’s reach. Still, they should have managed more than the 166 they made, losing by a sizable margin of 38.
Chennai Super Kings, unlike KKR, are on a two-match winning streak. Having lost their opener to Delhi, CSK brushed aside Punjab Kings in the follow-up game before doing the same to Rajasthan Royals last night.
Over the last two games, CSK’s bowling unit has found their rhythm. Thanks to their brilliance against Punjab, whom they had restricted to just 106, the CSK batters did not get to bat much. But during last night’s win over Rajasthan, they batted first and piled up 188 runs in a cause that got contributions from everywhere. As many as eight CSK batters scored in double figures, which signify that it was a team effort rather than a one-man show.
Their ageing captain MS Dhoni, however, was criticized for his lethargic 17-ball 18.
With the ball, the star in the win over Punjab was Deepak Chahar (4-for) and againt Rajasthan Moeen Ali was the main man, taking three wickets for just seven runs.
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