Picture Credit: BCCI/IPL
The doubleheader on Sunday (May 15) brought two exciting thrillers for cricket fans. While Chennai succumbed in front of mighty Gujarat Titans and let them seal the top spot in the points table, Rajasthan Royals stunned Lucknow Super Giants in the second game to keep their chances alive in the tournament. The wicket-keeper batter Wriddhiman Saha was the star of the first match as his unbeaten 67 firmed Gujarat's grip. However, brilliant performance from veteran Trent Boult ensured victory for Rajasthan in the second game of the day.
Due to valiant 53 from Ruturaj Gaikwad, Chennai managed to post just 133 in 20 overs, as disciplined bowling from Md. Shami & Co. kept Chennai batters at bay. In response, unbeaten Saha played one of the finest innings for his side as he remained unbeaten till the end to have the last laugh.
For Chennai, Matheesha Pathirana, aka Malinga 2.0, picked two wickets on his IPL debut. In the second game of the day, Yashasvi Jaiswal (41 off 29), Sanju Samson (32 off 24) and Devdutt Padikkal (39 off 18) played steady knocks, while Trent Boult's cameo of 17 runs in 9 deliveries towards the end helped the side to post 178/6 in the first innings. In response, Lucknow batters could not deliver impressive performance except Deepak Hooda (59 off 39) as they were restricted at 154-8 in 20 overs. Let's look at the points table after match numbers 62 and 63.
Changes in points table
As the day concluded, Rajasthan Royals grabbed the second spot in the points table and replaced their opponents, Lucknow Super Giants, after a thumping victory against the latter. While, Gujarat Titans continued their top form in the tournament and sealed their top spot in the points table after defeating Chennai Super Kings, who have no option left but to stay on the bottom side of the table.
What did the captains say?
Not the happiest captain of all, MS Dhoni confessed that his decision to bat first was not a good idea. "Batters had the tough time as the ball was not coming well. But things got better in the middle-overs, but we failed to execute as well," he said. Dhoni also hailed debutant Pathirana for his impressive spell and regarded him as a talent for the future.
Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya was delighted with the win and said that he is enjoying the responsibilities of being a captain. Hardik drew some similarities with head coach Ashish Nehra by saying, "We are very similar in terms of mindsets. Our game sense.. the best thing is, without saying, I kind of connect with him."
Sanju Samson admitted that the win came as a breather for the side going through tough times. However, he also hailed every player for putting up a brilliant show on the ground for the team. On the other hand, KL Rahul confessed that execution was not up to the mark from his batter and suggested his batter to hold their nerves in crunch situations.
Today's matchup
Punjab Kings will take on Delhi Capitals in a must-win clash on Monday evening at DY Patil Sports Academy in Mumbai. The clash between both will be super exciting as both the teams are in a must-win situation, and whosoever wins will better their chances for playoffs.