IPL 2022 Match 3 - Points table

Picture Credit: BCCI/IPL

The 2022 season of the Indian Premier League has officially started and the first two days of the tournament haven’t disappointed. We have already seen some amazing knocks, exciting bowling spells, dropped catches and nail-biting finishes. The third match between the Royal Challengers Bangalore and Punjab Kings was no different. 

After a dominant first innings performance, RCB posted a towering total of 205 with newly appointed captain Faf du Plessis scoring 88 off 57 balls. Former RCB skipper Virat Kohli also looked in great form as he put up an unbeaten 41 in 29 balls. But in the second innings, Punjab Kings replicated the RCB batting form as they comfortably chased down this total with an over to spare. 

The Kings tackled the Bangalore bowling as a team with six out of seven batters scoring over 15 runs. The openers in Mayank Agarwal and Shikar Dhawan put up 71 in seven overs which set the stage for the middle order. Then, in the end, Odeon Smith’s 25 off eight balls flurry sealed the game for Punjab. 

Changes in the table

After the third match, the Delhi Capitals are on the top of the table after defeating Mumbai Indians with two points and a net run rate of +0.914. Behind them, Punjab Kings are second with two points and a net run rate of +0.697. Whereas for the losers from day two, RCB is fifth on the table with zero points and a net run rate of -0.697 whereas the Mumbai Indians are placed sixth as they have a net run rate of -0.914 with no points. 

Today’s Matchup

The matchday three of the IPL marks the debut of two new franchises in the tournament. Today, the Gujarat Titans go head to head against the Lucknow Super Giants at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The Titans are led by Hardik Pandya who will also make his captaincy debut, whereas KL Rahul will lead the Super Giants in their first match. 

What did the captains say?

RCB captain Faf du Plessis has had a difficult start to his career with his new team. He praised the batting effort but also pointed out mistakes in the second innings. He said, “I think the batting was really good. The catches towards the end. Odean Smith 25 off 8 balls. I think we probably dropped him on 10. After that, we are looking at some tailenders coming in. The cliche of catches win matches." 

“There was a bit of dew out there, tough night for the bowlers, but I thought they were pretty decent with the wet ball. Small margins, but they chased it down really well. They had a really good powerplay. The ball skidded on a bit more in the second innings and then we pulled it back beautifully", he added.

“So completely different game if you hold on to those chances. I am tired! That First innings running. I am just glad I got away without injuring myself because I spent so much time on my elbows diving. It was tough to start with the bat today. The first four overs the ball was swinging, I was 1 off 10 I guess. Clutching the bat a bit hard but pleasing to get through it”, Faf concluded.

Whereas Punjab Kings captain Mayank Agarwal was elated with the team’s performance as he said, “Two points for us is very important. Good wicket. Very good wicket as both sides scored 200 plus. One or two balls held up but nothing apart from that. Credit to the way we finished. We took the right chances and am glad it came off. I think we gave them 15-20 more.”

“Virat and Faf took the game away from us but credit to our batters to chase this down. We trust our skills. It doesn't come off, it doesn't come off but we are not going to panic and make a scene out of it.”