Key highlights from the seventh week of Indian Premier League-17
Travis Head (left) and Abhishek Sharma celebrate SRH’s win over LSG in Hyderabad on Wednesday. PIC/PTI
SRH go berserk, yet again
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and their opening batters are setting record after record this season, and their match against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) was no different. Batting first, LSG managed 165-4 in 20 overs. In reply, SRH's Travis Head (89 not out) and Abhishek Sharma (75 not out) went berserk against the LSG bowlers, scoring 107-0 in the Powerplay, their second-best this season and IPL overall, as the hosts shocked one and all by chasing the target in just 9.4 overs with all 10 wickets in hand. The game saw the highest-ever total scored inside 10 overs in the IPL. It was also the biggest victory margin—62 balls to spare—by a team chasing a 100-plus target in the IPL. Head's 30-ball knock was laced with eight fours and as many sixes. The Australian scored his first 64 runs only in boundaries. On the other hand, Abhishek smashed eight fours and six sixes during his 28-ball innings.
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Yet another league stage exit for Punjab Kings
It was yet another heartbreak for Punjab Kings’s fans as the team failed to qualify for the IPL Playoffs for the 10th consecutive time. The 2014 finalists are led by English all-rounder Sam Curran after Shikhar Dhawan was sidelined due to a niggle after five matches. The Preity Zinta-owned franchise began the tournament with a convincing win over Delhi Capitals. However, they managed to win only one out of the next seven matches. They made a comeback by emerging victorious in the next two games, including a T20 record chase against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) before losing their last two league matches at their second home ground in Dharamsala.
A record 200-plus totals in both innings
IPL-17 has seen teams go in with a never-say-die attitude while chasing big targets. This season has witnessed 200-plus runs scored 13 times in both innings—the most in an IPL season, the last being Rajasthan Royals (RR) managing 201-8 in reply to Delhi Capitals's 221-8 on Tuesday. Earlier in the tournament, despite SRH scoring a then-IPL record 277-3, MI put up a good fight to reach 246-5. A few days later, SRH smashed 287-8, to beat the IPL’s highest score for the second time this season. In reply, RCB gave the Pat Cummins-led side hiccups, before going down by just 25 runs. The season also witnessed IPL's highest-ever chase with Punjab Kings achieving a 262-run target against KKR with eight balls and as many wickets to spare. Meanwhile, the 2009, 2013 and 2015 editions saw no teams scoring 200-plus in the second innings, while in the 2011, 2012 and 2016 editions, 200-plus was scored just once in the second innings.
Two teams getting bowled out, a rare sight
It's rare to see a team getting all out in T20 cricket. However, the MI v KKR match at Wankhede saw both teams getting bowled out for the first time in six years in an IPL match. Batting first, KKR were dismissed for 169 in 19.5 overs. In reply, the hosts were bundled out for 145 in 18.5 overs. The last instance of both teams getting all out was at Wankhede as well, with MI losing their encounter against SRH in 2018.
Toss is not always the boss
Winning toss gives you an advantage. However, that doesn’t guarantee you a win. The eight games witnessed this week saw captains making wrong decisions on six occasions, while it went right only twice. RCB skipper Faf du Plessis won the toss against Gujarat Titans, while MI captain Hardik Pandya called it right versus SRH. Their decision to bat second proved right as both sides registered a convincing win.
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