A well-known news publication has decided not to cover the IPL in view of the ongoing COVID crisis. Their problem is not ‘with the game but its timing’. I respect that view and I see how suspending coverage is a form of protest against the continuing frivolity of the tournament as they see it. However, the other point of view could be that IPL 2021 continues to be a welcome distraction; a source of joy for many in troubled times. That said, here’s what happened in matches 17, 18, 19 and 20:
Punjab Kings won the toss and bowled first. It turned out to be the right decision. The Mumbai Indians batting wasn’t terribly impressive.
Mumbai Indians could only manage 131 for 6. Notable contributions came from skipper Rohit Sharma (63 off 52) and Suryakumar Yadav (33off 27).
Krunal Pandya came in for quite a bit of trolling for his aggressive on-field behavior. To be clear he scored three runs and took no wickets in the match.
PBKS won the match fairly easily, losing just one wicket and two overs to spare. Skipper K L Rahul was declared player of the match for this 60* off 52 balls
Winning the toss, Rajasthan Royals decided to bowl first. Thanks in large part to Chris Morris’s four wickets, Kolkata Knight Riders were restricted to just 133 for 4.
Shubham Gill made just 11 runs off 19 balls before being run out. Rahul Tripathi was the highest scorer for KKR with 34 off 26.
This unique celebration charmed viewers and social media users.
Player of the Match was Chris Morris. KKR is currently at the bottom of the table with just two points from their five matches.
Chennai Super Kings won the toss and decided to bat. Ravindra Jadeja made 62 off just 28 and Faf du Plessis came through as usual, with a half century.
He smashed six sixes in one over of Harshal Patel – the last over of the innings. This is the most expensive over in IPL history, yielding 37 runs (one no ball in the over).
CSK finally broke the winning streak of Royal Challengers Bangalore. RCB lost by 69 runs. After his incredible 37 run over, Jadeja performed with the ball as well. He took three wickets and claimed the player of the match title as well.
Delhi Capitals decided to bat after winning the toss. They made 159 for 4 with Prithvi Shaw getting 53 off 39.
Kane Williamson top scored with 66 off 51 and Jonny Bairstow made 38 off 18 for Sun Risers Hyderarbad. The scores were tied at the end of the 20 overs, so the match went into the super over.
SRH made 7 runs in their Super Over. DC got 8 runs to defeat SRH in the first Super Over match of this season.
Now CSK, DC and RCB have eight points each from their respective five matches. MI, PBSK and RR have four each while SRH and KKR have two each. Today PBSK take on KKR.
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