Credit: X
The league stage of the 17th edition of the Indian Premier League has reached halfway with SunRisers Hyderabad registering their third 260+ total this season. In the IPL 2024 points table, Rajasthan Royals continued their lead while SRH climbed to the second spot with five wins in seven matches followed by KKR, who have won four of their six matches. Chennai and Lucknow make up the top five in the IPL 2024 standings.
Here in this article, we will look at the big updates around the IPL 2024 that took place on Saturday, April 20, but before that, let’s check the matches scheduled for the day.
Today's match preview
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Kolkata Knight Riders will play against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the 36th match of the IPL 2024 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Despite losing to Rajasthan Royals in a last-ball thriller, Kolkata Knight Riders are well placed in the top half of the IPL standings at the halfway mark of the tournament. For Royal Challengers Bengaluru, who are struggling badly to put up a performance in the IPL 2024, all of their top players need to step up against a formidable opponent this weekend.
Punjab Kings vs Gujarat Titans
Punjab Kings will lock horns against Gujarat Titans in the 37th match of the IPL 2024 at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur. After suffering defeats in three consecutive home matches, PBKS are in desperate need of gaining some winning momentum in the IPL 2024. GT are coming off a humiliating loss in their previous match of the tournament against DC, and they need to put together a commanding performance to get their IPL campaign back on track.
Major events around IPL that happened on April 20
Travis Head's blistering 89 powers SRH to dominant win over DC
SunRisers Hyderabad continued their onslaught in the IPL 2024 as they defeated the Delhi Capitals to register their fifth win of the season. Batting first, SRH openers Travis Head (32-ball 89) and Abhishek Sharma (46-off-12) posted the fastest powerplay score in IPL history by scoring 125 in six overs. SRH posted a massive 267-run total thanks to a brilliant 55 by Shabhaz Ahmed. For DC, Kuldeep Yadav was the pick of the bowlers with his 4-55 in four overs. Chasing the mammoth total, Jake Fraser-McGurk hit a 15-ball half-century before departing at a score of 65 in 18 balls with five fours and seven sixes. But after the youngster's wicket, the wheels came off DC as they lost wickets at regular intervals and were eventually bundled out for 199 in 19.1 overs.
MI's Tim David and Kieron Pollard fined for DRS cheating in PBKS win
Mumbai Indians batter Tim David and Batting Coach Kieron Pollard have been fined for breaching the IPL's Code of Conduct during their team's Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 match against Punjab Kings at the PCA New International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur on April 18. During the joint-record five-time IPL champions' home win against the PBKS, Mumbai Indians were accused of DRS cheating. David and Pollard were each fined 20 percent of their respective match fees.
Rahul, Gaikwad fined for code of conduct breach during LSG vs CSK
Lucknow Super Giants captain KL Rahul and Chennai Super Kings skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad have been fined after their teams maintained a slow over-rate during Match 34 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow. Both KL Rahul and Ruturaj Gaikwad were fined INR 12 lakh.
Mohammad Nabi shares post of fan criticising Hardik Pandya; deletes later
Afghanistan all-rounder Mohammad Nabi caught the limelight after he shared a post criticising Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya. “Some of your captain’s decisions are very strange and surprise people!? Nabi didn’t bowl today," the fan wrote. However, the Afghan international, who seemed to have overlooked the critical comments, on releasing it, was prompt to remove it.
Preity Zinta rubbishes reports of signing Rohit Sharma as PBKS captain
Punjab Kings co-owner Preity Zinta took to X (formerly Twitter) to quash rumours of the franchise looking to sign former MI skipper Rohit Sharma as their skipper. The Bollywood celebrity captioned a post, “#Fakenews! All these articles are completely fake & baseless. I hold Rohit Sharma in very high regard & am a big fan of his, but I have NEVER DISCUSSED him in any interview nor made this STATEMENT!”
Hardik Pandya is dealing with mental health issues: Robin Uthappa
Robin Uthappa slammed MI captain Hardik Pandya’s trolls and said that he has been dealing with mental health issues. Uthappa appeared on The Ranveer Show and said, "The mocking, trolling, the memes about his fitness. You don't think it hurts him? It hurts him. It hurts any human being. How many people actually know the reality of it? Hardik is dealing with mental health issues, for sure."
Athiya Shetty reacts to KL Rahul breaking MS Dhoni’s record in IPL
Athiya Shetty, the Bollywood actress and the wife of KL Rahul, had a three-word reaction to her husband breaking MS Dhoni’s record for the most fifties as the designated wicket-keeper batter in the IPL. She took to her official Instagram account to remark “And this guy” after KL Rahul helped Lucknow Super Giants defeat Chennai Super Kings by eight wickets.
QDK’s wife shares 'sound warning’ after MS Dhoni’s entry vs LSG
Chennai Super Kings’ unerring icon MS Dhoni received a thunderous welcome from the Lucknow crowd when he came to the middle. Capturing the rousing intensity of the crowd, Quinton De Kock’s wife Sasha shared a picture of her Apple Smartwatch alerting of high decibel sound, which was hitting 95 decibels, and the possible hearing loss after minutes of exposure.
