The second week of the Indian Premier League (IPL) was as unpredictable as it could get. Some of the bigger teams experienced mixed fortunes even as a few of the lesser-accomplished sides came up with competent performances. Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad won two of their three matches even as Pune Warriors won two and lost as many. Among the stronger sides, Royal Challengers Bangalore were the best, emerging victorious in two clashes and losing one. Kolkata Knight Riders were unpredictable losing two of their three matches while Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings won and lost one game each. Delhi Daredevils continued to have a torrid time, losing both the matches they played even as Kings XI Punjab won one and lost one.
Of all the sides in week two, Sunrisers would have ended up being the happiest. Although they lost to Kolkata by a massive margin, they came up with excellent performances to defeat Delhi and, later Pune, in close encounters. The striking aspect of Sunrisers performance was that they won both games courtesy some great bowling, keeping the opposition down to low scores. The Royals also came up with competent efforts to defeat Punjab and Mumbai, recovering from their shock loss to Pune. Their bowling stood up very well against Punjab, while against Mumbai there were exceptional with the bat and also in the field.
Even though Pune lost two of the four matches, they wouldn’t have been disappointed with the overall result. They began the week on a positive note, by restricting Royals with the bat and overcoming them. Against Mumbai, their weaknesses in all aspects were exposed, but it was against Chennai that they were at their best, putting up a competitive score and then defending the same successfully. Sadly, they reserved their worst for the game Sunrisers. Chasing a small total, they collapsed inexplicably.
Shifting focus to Bangalore, although they won two of their three matches, their performance wasn’t as solid as it should have been. After a superlative win against Kolkata, they threw away the game against Chennai with a poor bowling effort;no one can forget RP Singh’s horrendous no ball off the last delivery. Even against Delhi, they had the game well within their grasp, but kicked themselves in the foot and ended up tying the match. Somehow, they managed to scrape through in the Super Over. Among the other teams, KKR, Mumbai and Chennai need to pull up their socks. Punjab must look to give every game their best shot. As for Delhi, they just need to find a way to win.
Top performers of the week
Chris Gayle:The Windies left-hander smashed 85 off 50 balls against Kolkata, as Bangalore won the big clash by eight wickets.
Ajinkya Rahane: The Royals batsman made an unbeaten 68 against Mumbai to set up his team’s massive win.
Amit Mishra: The leggie mesmerised Pune with his third hat-trick of the IPLto give Sunrisers a memorable triumph.
--By A Cricket Analyst
