Indian Premier League #IPL Cricket

[HelliumZ]

...
Imagine Rathi taking Kohli's wicket, would be good for entertainment purposes.

Digvesh Rathi was earlier banned for two matches and fined for celebrating the wicket of Abhishek Sharma. Virat Kohli's wicket celebration in this match could lead to further bans and a fine of all the income he earns in the IPL. He doesn't need it anymore, instead he doesn't need to take Virat Kohli's wickets.

Yes, he gets suspended or pays fine (I read fine is paid by franchise owners?), but he continues with his antics anyway so I don't expect anything different today.

Meanwhile, Pant — playing shots effortlessly, I didn't know he can be this good in T20. 220+ score is on cards, and looking at RCB batting, it should be enough.

RCB vs MI in eliminator sounds exciting  

Unbelievably, RCB ended up in the second highest position, although we didn't think it was that incredible that RCB would win today's match. William O'Rourke bowled the worst ball in today's match, conceding a high 74 runs in 4 overs. Maybe everyone assumed that RCB and Mumbai would play the Eliminator match but in the end it turned out that RCB would play in the playoffs as the second team.

First qualifier: PBKS & RCB
First Eliminator: GT, & MI

[Tipstar]

One of the best chase in IPL this season. Lucknow who were batting first gave a target of 228 to RCB.  With Rishab pant's 118 and Mitchell Marsh's 67 they made 227 with a loss of three wickets. RCB who came to chase the target had a not so good start as they kept loosing wicket but Jitesh Sharma 85 runs of just 33 balls and Mayank Agarwal's 41 of 23 balls lead to their win with 8 balls remaining.
With the league stage complete, RCB took the 2nd position. That means they'd play with punjab tomorrow for the spot in finals. The losing team would still have a second chance to go to the final through eliminator.

[Bd officer]

Yesterday when LSG batted first and scored 227 runs, I thought LSG would win but RCB won unexpectedly. No one expected RCB to win yesterday. However, Jitesh Sharma did an amazing performance, due to which RCB was able to win, he played an innings of 85 runs in 33 balls which is very commendable. And LSG bowler William ORourke bowled the worst, if William ORourke could have bowled well then maybe the result of the match could have been different. Now RCB won and got a chance to play in the 1st qualifier match, if RCB lost in the 1st qualifier match then there will be a chance in the 2nd qualifier match.

[Fuso.hp]

Yesterday when LSG batted first and scored 227 runs, I thought LSG would win but RCB won unexpectedly. No one expected RCB to win yesterday. However, Jitesh Sharma did an amazing performance, due to which RCB was able to win, he played an innings of 85 runs in 33 balls which is very commendable. And LSG bowler William ORourke bowled the worst, if William ORourke could have bowled well then maybe the result of the match could have been different. Now RCB won and got a chance to play in the 1st qualifier match, if RCB lost in the 1st qualifier match then there will be a chance in the 2nd qualifier match.

In the last match of the group stage of this season of IPL, we enjoyed a high voltage match where in the first innings, LSG came out to bat against RCB and the scoreboard managed to accumulate 227 runs in the allotted 20 overs. When RCB came out to bat with this huge amount, they batted very aggressively from the beginning of the innings and kept the wickets and at one stage they reached their target in the 19th over. We can understand how important this match against LSG is for RCB by watching yesterday's match. RCB batted in such a way that they have to win this match at any cost. Since RCB won this match, they have now secured the second position in the points table and the second and first position teams will get an extra advantage in the Super Four matches of IPL. I don't know why I feel that we will see the two teams who are in the first and second positions in the points table in the final of IPL.

[libert19]

With RCB's performance yesterday, I am now expecting PBKS vs RCB in final. PBKS has already a good squad, and for RCB — Hazlewood and Tim David will be joining in qualifiers, so more strength (hopefully, they manage to fit in Thusara too).

GT just don't have marbles except their top order and Buttler would be on gone top of that, so I don't expect them to pass MI in first place in eliminator but if they do somehow, I am expecting them to lose in Q2.

[ZAINmalik75]

Well, a lot of people lost hope when Virat Kohli was out but no one knew that Jitesh Sharma will come down the order and make a 85 runs innings in only 35 balls and win the game for RCB. I was just shocked after seeing this innings. India and RCB really have a good talent. A match that was 80% in the hands of Lucknow Super Giants, was snatched by the partnership between him and Mayank Agarwal. You were 4 for 123 when Virat Kohli got out and then it was an amazing show by these two batsmen. I am very much impressed by them. 

That was quite interesting to watch, because no one expect RCB to get that last vital match before heading toward knockout stages, but captain sensibly filled his captaincy responsibility and put his team out of danger and on track to glory. and thus they got successfully qualifed for semifinals to face Punjab which Gona be really tough for them on the basic of thier player current form, and momentum got by Punjab from his recent matches. Honestly RCB should won Atleast that single trophy for sake of Kohli, because it has been 17th edition of IPL since he joined RCB and even having several top class player but didn't even won a single trophy.

[Swordsoffreedom]

With RCB's performance yesterday, I am now expecting PBKS vs RCB in final. PBKS has already a good squad, and for RCB — Hazlewood and Tim David will be joining in qualifiers, so more strength (hopefully, they manage to fit in Thusara too).

GT just don't have marbles except their top order and Buttler would be on gone top of that, so I don't expect them to pass MI in first place in eliminator but if they do somehow, I am expecting them to lose in Q2.

Which team is weak in IPL? Every team is very strong. But even then, are all the teams able to play well? Chennai, Rajasthan and Hyderabad are also very strong. Hyderabad is still the highest scorer in this IPL. But the problem is that the teams have failed to continue their good performance.

Punjab vs Bengaluru is likely to be the final. Both the teams are very strong. And are in the best form at the moment. But did you see that a few days ago, Punjab lost to Delhi despite giving a target of 207 runs? We also saw Bengaluru team losing to Hyderabad.

Gujarat and Mumbai teams are also strong. Why do I feel that we will see Mumbai in this final. Although we saw Mumbai's defeat by a big margin against Punjab in the last match. Even then, most of the matches in the knockout round of IPL are unpredictable.

[noormcs5]

But RCB responded with confidence and control. Jitesh Sharma was the star of the chase playing a calm yet powerful innings that kept the required run rate under control and on the other side, Virat Kohli also made headlines by becoming the top scorer of the T20 series, an incredible milestone in his glittering career. RCB chased the target making this game a thrilling contest full of big hits, milestones and momentum swings, everything fans love about the IPL.

Some matches are challenging to predict as to who will win, and this was one of those matches. Lucknow Super Giants had a decent effort with the bat and they may be wondering what went wrong, even after making 227 runs they lost this match. The pitch was too good for the batting and that is why we saw there was nothing much in the pitch for the bowlers. Also, in both innings the bowlers were unable to take wickets. Lucknow Super Giants lost only three wickets while Royal Challengers Bengaluru lost four. It was a sort of batting paradise yesterday at Lucknow. I felt sad for the home team as they played so well but in the end they ended up on the losing side.

[libert19]

Lucknow Super Giants had a decent effort with the bat and they may be wondering what went wrong, even after making 227 runs they lost this match.

Well, they were only good with the bat that's what went wrong. I mentioned before about Jitesh's missed run-out, the match could have gone in favor of LSG right there if they were successful with it.

I felt sad for the home team as they played so well but in the end they ended up on the losing side.

Again they only batted well, but were rather poor in everything else.



I am surprised we never got to see Shamar Joseph for once this season.

[Haunebu]

I don't like Digvesh as a person, but that dude is clever and a great bowler. Pant should have backed him up instead of taking back what he did though I still think RCB would have won at that stage.

Glad to see Punjab and RCB in the top 2 though. Am expecting Punjab to win their first cup from here on out though it's obviously not going to be an easy path. Go Punjab!

[Compromise me]

Well, a lot of people lost hope when Virat Kohli was out but no one knew that Jitesh Sharma will come down the order and make a 85 runs innings in only 35 balls and win the game for RCB. I was just shocked after seeing this innings. India and RCB really have a good talent. A match that was 80% in the hands of Lucknow Super Giants, was snatched by the partnership between him and Mayank Agarwal. You were 4 for 123 when Virat Kohli got out and then it was an amazing show by these two batsmen. I am very much impressed by them. 

That was quite interesting to watch, because no one expect RCB to get that last vital match before heading toward knockout stages, but captain sensibly filled his captaincy responsibility and put his team out of danger and on track to glory. and thus they got successfully qualifed for semifinals to face Punjab which Gona be really tough for them on the basic of thier player current form, and momentum got by Punjab from his recent matches. Honestly RCB should won Atleast that single trophy for sake of Kohli, because it has been 17th edition of IPL since he joined RCB and even having several top class player but didn't even won a single trophy.

Lucknow Super Giants cricket team played very well in this match and they gave good total but RCB cricket team chased very well in this match and that is the team which qualified for the semi final match. Rishabh Pant played excellent in last match and he made century which was important in this match but bowlers could not play well and could not defend such a big score as that was one of the biggest score of this tournament. Jitesh Sharma played crutial role in this match and made 85 runs in just 33 balls when it was requirement of team and Now RCB is in good momentum and they have to win 2 matches to lift the trophy of IPL .Virat Kohli also made half century in this match but target was big then hard hitter performed at the end.

[JSRAW]

I don't like Digvesh as a person, but that dude is clever and a great bowler. Pant should have backed him up instead of taking back what he did though I still think RCB would have won at that stage.

Glad to see Punjab and RCB in the top 2 though. Am expecting Punjab to win their first cup from here on out though it's obviously not going to be an easy path. Go Punjab!

We need more characters like Digvesh and less skipper like Pant, I don't rank him high as captain and last night he proved it. You don't gaslight your bowler in front of toxic fans and for what, Random fake ass spirit of cricket?

Digvesh is proper fighter and you have to admire this kid. He's backing all his antics with solid performance and the way he mocked IPL's disciplinary committee by repeating his signature move and going up against RCB despite being new guy in the block, you need titanium balls.

[Haunebu]

RCB is the first team to win all of their away matches in a single IPL season which is a great record. Without Hazlewood, I still don't see them winning the cup, but this is definitely their best season so far in this league.

Digvesh is proper fighter and you have to admire this kid. He's backing all his antics with solid performance and the way he mocked IPL's disciplinary committee by repeating his signature move and going up against RCB despite being new guy in the block, you need titanium balls.

He does have titanium balls for sure, but I don't admire his stupid antics at all which is why it felt great to see Abhishek give it back to him properly. Dude is way too cocky for his own good.

[Sithara007]

He does have titanium balls for sure, but I don't admire his stupid antics at all which is why it felt great to see Abhishek give it back to him properly. Dude is way too cocky for his own good.

Having Titanium balls doesn't mean that he need to behave like a monkey on field. Showing off his passion is one thing, and being rude and arrogant is other. Rishabh Pant did the right thing by withdrawing the appeal (although he got criticized by Ravichandran Ashwin for doing so). Ashwin claims that Pant insulted Digvesh by withdrawing the appeal. If he thinks so, then I want to say that given how boorishly he behaves, Digvesh deserves all the insult that he gets from Pant and others.

[Bitcoin Smith]

RCB is the first team to win all of their away matches in a single IPL season which is a great record. Without Hazlewood, I still don't see them winning the cup, but this is definitely their best season so far in this league.

Digvesh is proper fighter and you have to admire this kid. He's backing all his antics with solid performance and the way he mocked IPL's disciplinary committee by repeating his signature move and going up against RCB despite being new guy in the block, you need titanium balls.

He does have titanium balls for sure, but I don't admire his stupid antics at all which is why it felt great to see Abhishek give it back to him properly. Dude is way too cocky for his own good.

I don't see anything wrong with the way he celebrate after taking wickets, yes it can be intimidating but the dude took the wickets and we saw players jumping and last night Pant did too so it if celebrated all over the social media then why the Digvesh face criticism? It's purely the name of big players vs skill and I am sure if he comes to auction table again he is going for crores not the base price that is what he achieved in this season.

[libert19]

...Rishabh Pant did the right thing by withdrawing the appeal...

I don't to see how it was a right thing to withdraw the appeal, Rathi was helping his team win the game, and he did what he could to help with same.

Let appeal stay, and umpires do the rest.

I don't see anything wrong with the way he celebrate after taking wickets, yes it can be intimidating but the dude took the wickets and we saw players jumping and last night Pant did too so it if celebrated all over the social media then why the Digvesh face criticism?

I don't think Pant's celebration and of Rathi's are comparable. Pant's celebration was more on positive side while Rathi's celebrations come off as aggressive and the one to Abhishek was even more so.

[JSRAW]

RCB is the first team to win all of their away matches in a single IPL season which is a great record. Without Hazlewood, I still don't see them winning the cup, but this is definitely their best season so far in this league.

Digvesh is proper fighter and you have to admire this kid. He's backing all his antics with solid performance and the way he mocked IPL's disciplinary committee by repeating his signature move and going up against RCB despite being new guy in the block, you need titanium balls.

He does have titanium balls for sure, but I don't admire his stupid antics at all which is why it felt great to see Abhishek give it back to him properly. Dude is way too cocky for his own good.

Players like kohli and dhoni don't even get slap on the wrists and they have done worse in the past.

Fine players all you want but why would you suspend player for playing aggressively? He didn't hit anyone and his first demerit point came when he was having fun with his friend Priyansh, both of them were seen smiling during the send off drama.

Suspension and ban should be there for only physical assault on-off the field and not for cursing and send offs, take percentage of match fee for such, that's more than enough.

[noormcs5]

Punjab Kings Vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Punjab Kings will take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Qualifier 1 match today.  It is very hard to chose between the two teams. Both teams won 9 matches each and ended up on 19 points. Even both the teams have won the last match they played so both are in good form recently.  Punjab Kings had the slightly better run rate and due to this they finished up on the top. I hope to see interesting match today and no team would want to lose this match.

[Haunebu]

Here we go. Red vs Red coming up. Am backing Punjab all the way since they didn't really have luck on their side, but still made it to the top of the table in this season. On the other hand, RCB were epic too, but they had way more luck on their side. Excited!

Players like kohli and dhoni don't even get slap on the wrists and they have done worse in the past.

They definitely did worse, but they are legends which is why they get special treatment. Rathi is just a newcomer who thinks he's all that just because of one great season.

Suspension and ban should be there for only physical assault on-off the field and not for cursing and send offs, take percentage of match fee for such, that's more than enough.

Those rules apply to everyone though excluding legends. For example, Harshit Rana got screwed because of his celebrations, but he learnt quickly.

[libert19]

Players like kohli and dhoni don't even get slap on the wrists and they have done worse in the past.

They definitely did worse, but they are legends which is why they get special treatment. Rathi is just a newcomer who thinks he's all that just because of one great season.

I am not sure about Dhoni but aggression played huge part in putting Kohli where he's today, and of course his performance backing up the same. Rathi is similar, he's only positive from LSG's bowling side this season — and look logically, these celebrations only come after taking wickets, so in a way he's backing up his aggression.

Edit: As expected Hazlewood comes back, and unfortunately due to limited number of foreign spots Thusara goes back, despite he bowling good last game; no Tim David either, and Livingstone will continue to take his place. For PBKS, Jansen has left for national duties and Omarzai takes his place. PBKS squad looks better, let's see how it goes.