The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 resumes with its El Clasico, Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians, on Sunday after a gap of four and a half months. The tournament started in India in April, but was postponed at the halfway stage due to the second wave of the pandemic. Ahead of the tournament’s second leg in the UAE, we review the teams at the mid-season mark.
Delhi Capitals (DC)
Points table position: 1 | Played 8, Won 6, Lost 2, Points 12
In a major setback at the start of the season, DC lost captain Shreyas Iyer to an injury and R. Ashwin midway. Rishabh Pant, the stand-in skipper, ensured there were no hiccups despite the defeats. Table-toppers Delhi look set for their third consecutive Playoffs qualification. They had some close finishes as they lost to Bangalore by a run and clinched a super-over contest against Hyderabad.
Averaging 64 at the top at a run rate of 9.25, their opening combination of Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan has been their main strength. Dhawan is currently the edition’s highest run-getter and dons the Orange Cap. Meanwhile, Axar Patel, Avesh Khan, Chris Woakes and Amit Mishra have been their stars with the ball.
Iyer returns for the second phase, but DC have not reinstated him as captain. Woakes, M. Siddharth and Anirudh Joshi will miss the tournament as the franchise has roped in Ben Dwarshuis and Kulwant Khejroliya as replacements.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK)
Points table position: 2 | Played 7, Won 5, Lost 2, Points 10
Had Kieron Pollard not pulled off a heist against them at Delhi, CSK would be at the top of the table now. In a massive turnaround, the M.S. Dhoni-led yellow brigade buried the horrors of 2020 and reinvented their usual self this season. The Dhoni-Fleming combo identified their core and stuck to them, using only 13 players in their seven games.
CSK’s explosive batting has been their hinge to success. Faf du Plessis and Ruturaj Gaikwad have impressed as openers. Moeen Ali has been destructive at three, while Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran boast a combined strike rate of 183, meaning they haven’t slowed down in the middle-overs. In fact, they have scored at 13 an over in the death overs.
As a bowling group, they have not relied on individual brilliance and worked well as a unit. Deepak Chahar and Sam Curran have been the most impressive pacers, while Moeen and Jadeja have done well in the spin department.
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)
Points table position: 3 | Played 7, Won 5, Lost 2, Points 10
RCB won four consecutive games before CSK ended their juggernaut courtesy of Jadeja’s brilliance. After that, they lost one more and pulled off a one-run win over DC.
Not surprisingly, A.B. de Villiers continues to lead their charge. Devdutt Padikkal has been brilliant at the top, while Glenn Maxwell’s addition in the top order has given the side more cushion. Skipper Virat Kohli has been among the runs, albeit not at his best. The bowlers have not been consistent apart from Harshal Patel, who dons the Purple Cap.
RCB have made five changes in their squad for the second phase. Tim David, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dushmantha Chameera, George Garton and Akash Deep came in for Finn Allen, Adam Zampa, Daniel Sams, Kane Richardson and Washington Sundar.
Mumbai Indians (MI)
Points table position: 4 | Played 7, Won 4, Lost 3, Points 8
MI could not replicate the brilliance they exhibited six months earlier in the UAE. The defending champions struggled on the sluggish surfaces of Chennai before finding happiness on the batter-friendly surfaces in Delhi.
Captain Rohit Sharma and his deputy Pollard have been the most impressive batters. Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya’s form have been far from ideal. With all three of them now a part of India’s T20 World Cup squad, expect the spotlight to be on them. Rahul Chahar remains their most impressive bowler, with Jasprit Bumrah doing his job with great efficiency. However, the latter hasn’t been among the wickets.
Mumbai’s wins over Kolkata and Chennai remain two of the highlights from their campaign, demonstrating their bowling and batting strengths. Usually slow starters, MI have a habit of gathering more steam as the tournament progresses. UAE will be a fresh start, and they will look to seal off the Playoffs spot without more hiccups.
Rajasthan Royals (RR)
Points table position: 5 | Played 7, Won 3, Lost 4, Points 6
Heavily dependent on their high-impact overseas players, RR were unfortunate to lose Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer. Liam Livingstone and Andrew Tye, too, left home due to the Covid-19 scares. Their batting relied on new captain Sanju Samson and Jos Buttler, whereas IPL’s most expensive foreign cricketer Chris Morris remains their most impactful cricketer with solid all-round shows.
The inconsistent Rajasthan could have found themselves in a better spot had they sealed off their game against Punjab after Samson’s magnificent hundred.
With Buttler too missing from their ranks in the second phase, RR have roped in able replacements in Glenn Phillips, Evin Lewis, Oshane Thomas and Tabraiz Shamsi.
With a good base of foreign players, RR have a solid unit to turn it around in the second stage. The balance will be essential, and they will hope to bank on Livingstone’s form. The Englishman returns fresh from clinching the Player of the Tournament award in the Hundred.
Punjab Kings (PBKS)
Points table position: 6 | Played 8, Won 3, Lost 5, Points 6
A name change has not resulted in a change in fortune for the inconsistent Punjab Kings. They remain a top-heavy side, relying on their skipper K.L. Rahul and Mayank Agarwal. Though Rahul continues to pile up runs, his strike rate remains an issue. Chris Gayle and new recruit Shahrukh Khan also chipped in with crucial knocks.
Surprisingly, the think-tank brought in Ravi Bishnoi very late in the tournament. Harpreet Brar also made a name by bowling a sensational spell against RCB, helping PBKS win.
The heavy investments in Moises Henriques, Jhye Richardson and Riley Meredith gave little returns, but they have roped in good replacements. Aiden Markram, Nathan Ellis and Adil Rashid will replace Dawid Malan, Meredith and Richardson.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
Points table position: 7 | Played 7, Won 2, Lost 5, Points 4
Eoin Morgan might be one of the finest brains in white-ball cricket, but he has not left an impression on the KKR camp. Strategically, they have not been the best side, and that reflected in their performance. The wins have dwindled, the players seem not to know their roles. The batting form of Shubman Gill and Morgan has further hurt them. There is an over-reliance on Andre Russell. Adding to their woes, Pat Cummins has opted out, and the franchise has replaced him with Tim Southee.
KKR can still turn things around with an excellent second half. Sunil Narine was phenomenal in CPL, and the side will bank on his bowling expertise on slow turners in the UAE to bail them out. There’s also Varun Chakravarthy, the team’s highest wicket-taker last season.
But batting is something they will hope to fix.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)
Points table position: 7 | Played 7, Won 1, Lost 6, Points 2
Nothing has gone right for SRH this season. They have used as many as 21 players in their seven matches, sacked David Warner as captain and even dropped him from the XI. Kane Williamson’s injury kept him out for the first few games before taking charge as the new captain.
The major issue was Warner and Manish Pandey’s strike rates. The middle-order woes continued, and the lack of firepower at the end compounded problems. Things look grimmer with Jonny Bairstow, their best batter this season, opting out of the tournament. Rashid Khan remains their best performer in the bowling department. Their only win this season came against Punjab.
One of the most consistent teams in the IPL, SRH now face an uphill task to turn things around. Qualifying for the Playoffs from this stage will be miraculous. Being realistic, they should aim at not finishing last.