The stakes have reached the ceiling. It’s now or never!
Table-toppers Delhi were in superb form before they lost their last two games. While KS Bharat’s six off the last ball in the final league game was inconsequential, the loss against Chennai in the first qualifier was a big wake-up call.
On a good pitch in Dubai, the Capitals posted 173 batting first. Even though their bowling has been top-notch this season, they faltered against the Men in Yellow with MS Dhoni turning back the clock to take his side home.
Fifties from Prithvi Shaw & Rishabh Pant boosted their batting credentials ahead of the second qualifier, but their bowling seems to have lost a bit of zing.
Delhi’s strong bowling line-up struggled to contain Robin Uthappa & Ruturaj Gaikwad in the last game. Tom Curran did manage to lift Delhi’s spirits with three wickets, but it was his over right at the end where he couldn’t defend 13 with MS Dhoni crunching three boundaries in a row.
On the other hand, KKR’s rise in the UAE this season has been nothing short of extraordinary. When the IPL was suspended earlier this year, KKR were down in the dumpster, languishing in the 7th position. The break somehow worked wonders for them. Of the 8 games since then, they have won 6 and their two losses came in matches that went right down to the last over.
However, there’s just no room for error anymore. You lose, you go home!
Sunil Narine single-handedly destroyed RCB in the Eliminator. While KKR’s bowling continues to impress almost every game, it is their batting that needs shoring. Eoin Morgan’s side hasn’t quite clicked as a batting group so far. Even in the game against RCB, they only got over the line in the final over. Delhi will be hoping they can exploit this chink in their armour.
Batting at Sharjah hasn’t been easy this IPL. While the pitch in the KKR-RCB game had the old sheen back, it was mere deception as batsmen found it difficult to score runs post the powerplay.
With comparable bowling line-ups in terms of quality, the game might just be decided on who bats better. Expect a cracker of a game with both sides going all-out for a place in the grand finale.
