Kolkata Knight Riders’ Shreyas Iyer celebrates after winning the Indian Premier League 2024 final match against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Chennai on May 26, 2024.
| Photo Credit: K.R. Deepak

When Shreyas Iyer recreated Lionel Messi’s famous World Cup celebration after lifting the IPL Trophy as Kolkata Knight Riders captain in Chennai, it was nothing short of an Argentina moment for the embattled Indian cricketer at an individual level.

His central contract torn up a few weeks before the IPL besides a recurring back injury threatening to derail him, Iyer faced numerous challenges at the start of the year.

He finally found a deep sense of triumph and vindication in this victory, much like Messi did after exorcising the ghosts of losing the 2014 final and winning the trophy for his country after a 36-year-wait.

For the two-time IPL champions, the wait lasted 10 years as Iyer sang a redemption song following a topsy-turvy start to the year. Little wonder then that he chose to imitate the man who knows all about rising from setbacks.

So, Iyer, with the trophy in his hands, took a playful walk towards his teammates, quite similar to what Messi did after the final against France in Doha, and handed the big prize to them.

“I am hearing a lot about Gautam Gambhir, who has created a magnificent culture in the KKR team. But this guy (Iyer), I don’t think he is getting enough credit. Shreyas Iyer needs some credit,” said the legendary Ian Bishop on Sunday as KKR defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by eight wickets in a completely one-sided final to win their third IPL title.

KKR may have got most of their runs from openers Sunil Narine and Phil Salt, but they played as a team and managed to come out winners in a dominant season, topping the table with two rounds to spare, and enduring just three losses in between.

“It is hard to express how we are feeling right now. The wait was so long. We played like invincibles throughout the season. There is so much to cherish right now,” said Iyer.

It was a special feeling for his childhood and Mumbai coach Pravin Amre, who first tested his character by promoting Iyer to No.3 from No.7 in his maiden Ranji season in 2014-15.

Iyer returned with 153, his maiden first-class hundred in their match against Bengal at Eden Gardens in December 2014.

“I challenged him in his entire career (in Mumbai)…I knew how strong-willed he’s and it was my job as a coach to challenge him. He always liked to take the challenge in a good stride. he is a good team man. In the last world cup, he scored 530 runs,” Amre said.

“I always told him you just do whatever is in your hands, let the other people do their job, you just remain focus on what’s in your hands,” added Amre who first took him under his wings at the Shivaji Park Gymkhana.

By leading KKR into final, Iyer achieved the rare of feat of playing the summit clash as captain of two different franchises in the IPL. The KKR skipper missed the last season because of a back injury that required a surgery in London last year.

He made a comeback in the Asia Cup and went on to become India’s third leading run-getter after Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the last year’s ODI World Cup.

The year didn’t start well for him though as he had a difficult outing in the home Test series against England and looked patchy scoring 140 runs in the first two matches before being left out for the final three Tests.

It was learnt that he developed the recurring back problem, even though he was cleared by the Board medical staff. Iyer then became the centre of a controversy when he missed the Ranji Trophy for his home state Mumbai and went on to attend KKR’s pre-season camp.

Iyer, however, returned to play for Mumbai in the semifinal and final against Vidarbha where he scored a resolute 95 in the second innings of their 42nd Ranji triumph.

The Board omitted him from the Grade B contract and BCCI secretary Jay Shah issued a stern warning asking players not to prioritise IPL over domestic cricket.

Under intense scrutiny, Iyer looked rusty at the start of the IPL and got out for a two-ball duck in their opener against SRH.

He had some significant contributions later on but his efforts were all overshadowed by Narine and Salt’s explosive batting.

Captain cool

However, Iyer personified “Captain Cool” and held the team’s cause ahead of his individual milestones. He went on to become the fourth leading run-getter for KKR this season with 351 runs and two fifties.

His best came against the crucial first qualifier against SRH when he anchored their tricky chase of 160 with an unbeaten 58.

“The way he handled the team as a player is commendable. More than that, he is improving as a leader and the experts in the game are also appreciating his leadership qualities,” Amre said.

“I personally believe success is not an accident he has worked hard for this, handling the team. Yes, he had a good team under him but bringing the best out of everyone is important,” he added.

Lucknow Super Giants coach Justin Langer with captain K.L. Rahul
| Photo Credit: Sandeep Saxena

Former Australian cricketer Justin Langer was enticed by the prospect of becoming India’s head coach but K.L. Rahul’s word of caution regarding the “pressure and politics” that come with the job dissuaded him from pursuing the “amazing” opportunity.

Langer, who served as Lucknow Super Giants’ head coach this IPL season, recalled a chat with franchise skipper and a senior member of the Indian team Rahul.

Never say never, but…

“You never say never. And the pressure of doing it in India… I was talking to KL (Rahul) and he said, ‘You know, if you think there’s pressure and politics in an IPL team, multiply that by a thousand… (that’s) coaching India,” said Langer.

“That was a good bit of advice, I guess. It would be an amazing job, (but) I have (put myself out of contention),” he added.

Before taking up the assignment with Super Giants this year, Langer had coached Australia from May 2018 to February 2022, helping the team navigate a difficult period in the aftermath of the infamous ball-tampering scandal.

Under Langer’s guidance, Australia lifted its first-ever T20 World Cup title and also went on to win the Ashes.

“I also know that it’s an all-encompassing role, and having done it for four years with the Australian team, honestly, it’s exhausting. And that’s the Australian job!,” the 53-year-old said.

The BCCI has invited fresh applications for the head coach position, with a deadline set for May 27 as Rahul Dravid is set to exit after the T20 World Cup.

High on confidence after making their first playoffs in three years, Sunrisers Hyderabad will aim for a second-place finish in the IPL points table when they take on Punjab Kings in their final league game in Hyderabad on May 19.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Sunrisers Hyderabad, which has already qualified for the playoffs, takes on a depleted Punjab Kings in its last IPL league match at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Hyderabad on May 19 afternoon.

Sunrisers, with 15 points from 13 outings, should look to claim full points against a team which will not have the services of key players like Sam Curran, who led the team in the absence of injured Shikhar Dhawan, and hard-hitting Jonny Bairstow in what should be yet another good IPL wicket if the weather stays clear.

Importantly, the home side played its last game on May 8 when it drubbed Lucknow Super Giants by 10 wickets and with many players taking a long break, it will be interesting to see how quickly they regain the momentum ahead of the playoffs.

Imposing batters

For most of the league so far, Sunrisers relied heavily on the imposing batting line-up. And, to its delight, the senior pro Bhuvneshwar Kumar was back at his best in the last few games, providing the crucial breakthroughs in the company of captain Pat Cummins and left-armers T. Natarajan and Jaydev Unadkat.

On form, it should be an easy outing for the Cummins’ men against PBKS.

On the other hand, Kings’ pacers Arshdeep Singh, and Harshal Patel — who is the leading wicket-taker with 22 wickets in the IPL this season — hold the key in keeping a check on the run-flow with leggie Rahul Chahar expected to raise the bar.

In batting, Kings badly need the likes of Prabhsimran Singh, Shashank Singh, captain Jitesh Sharma, and Ashutosh Sharma to score big for the bowlers to have a go.

Teams (from):

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Aiden Markram, Abdul Samad, Nitish Reddy, Shahbaz Ahmed, Pat Cummins (c), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat, T Natarajan, Mayank Markande, Umran Malik, Anmolpreet Singh, Glenn Phillips (wk), Rahul Tripathi, Washington Sundar, Upendra Yadav (wk), Jhathavedh Subramanyan, Sanvir Singh, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Marco Jansen, Akash Maharaj Singh, Mayank Agarwal.

Punjab Kings: Matthew Short, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Jitesh Sharma (c & wk), Sikandar Raza, Rishi Dhawan, Atharva Taide, Arshdeep Singh, Nathan Ellis, Harpreet Brar, Rahul Chahar, Harpreet Bhatia, Vidwath Kaverappa, Shivam Singh, Harshal Patel, Ashutosh Sharma, Vishwanath Pratap Singh, Shashank Singh, Tanay Thyagarajan, Prince Choudhary, Rilee Rossouw.

Match starts at 3:30pm IST.

Rain clouds hover around the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, during training ahead of the IPL 2024 match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK), in Bengaluru on May 17, 2024
| Photo Credit: K. Murali Kumar

Bengaluru’s weather is so notoriously fickle that its tantrums have acquired cult status. On May 18, the city faithful will be praying that it behaves, for a washout against Chennai Super Kings will send their beloved Royal Challengers Bengaluru out.

There is indeed an inglorious tradition of rain affecting at least one RCB home game in an IPL season. An unrelenting summer has ensured that RCB has dodged the bullet six times in the 2024 edition.

However, Saturday’s forecast is for good amounts of precipitation, and it seems like luck may have finally run out.

Scope for hope

There is, of course, the state-of-the-art SubAir drainage system that can get the ground ready in no time. And if the skies relent for two hours, a five-over match is eminently possible. But would five overs do justice to a clash that will be one of the last times Virat Kohli and M.S. Dhoni face-off?

Another variable is the pitch. This season, the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium has been far from the batting paradise it usually is; only twice has the 200-run mark been breached in 12 innings (RCB vs. SRH). But the last time CSK and RCB met in Bengaluru, 444 runs were scored. A repeat is in the hands of the weather gods.

Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Travis Head (R) and Abhishek Sharma during the Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty-20 cricket match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Delhi Capitals, at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Saturday, April 20, 2024.
| Photo Credit: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR

The destructive Travis Head has called his Sunrisers Hyderabad opening partner Abhishek Sharma an exciting talent for Indian cricket after the duo combined to pummel the Lucknow Super Giants bowling attack in a record IPL chase here.

Head (89 not out off 30) and Sharma (75 not out off 28), who have formed one of the most explosive pairings in the IPL this season, made a mockery of the 166-run target by overhauling it in just 9.4 overs. It was the highest ever 10 over score in history of men’s T20 cricket.

Both the southpaws hit fours and sixes for fun in what was a sensational display of power-hitting.

“The partnership with Abhi has been fantastic, he’s such an exciting talent for Indian cricket. We complement each other so well and he’s very very enjoyable to be around, he’s so excited and thinks about the game and yeah he’s got a lot of energy so it’s a great partnership to be involved in,” said Head in the post-match press conference on Wednesday.

Head is in top form ahead of the T20 World Cup in the Americas next month, having aggregated 533 runs in 11 innings at an astonishing strike rate of 201.89. Sharma too has been striking at over 200.

“Whenever you’re playing you want to be be as consistent as you can, you want to be getting runs. It’s nice to be among the runs been nice to be playing well. That’s not going to guarantee anything in the West Indies but it gives me the best chance to be in a very good mindset,” said Head.

“Working hard on training and I think we face a fair bit of spin in the Caribbean and wickets might become tougher as the tournament goes. So very pleased with how I played spin tonight, things that I’m working on in training are somewhat working in the moment,” he added.

Sharma had also earned high praise from West Indies legend Brian Lara, who is a former coach of SRH.

“Again he is someone who I met while I was batting coach of SRH. I spent two years there. I am allowed to a bit biased when I see a left-hander, I just love a left-hander.”

“Myself and Abhishek have developed a very good relationship, these youngsters are very humble. they want to learn,” Lara had said.

Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma went hammer and tongs at the hapless Sunrisers attack.
| Photo Credit: M. Vedhan

There was no rain on match day. But to the delight of a capacity crowd at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, it was a deluge of fours and sixes as the left-handed opening pair of Abhishek Sharma (75 n.o., 28b, 8×4, 6×6) and Travis Head (89 n.o., 30b, 8×4, 8×6) made a mockery of the victory target of 166, in a chase lasting just 47 minutes, against Lucknow Super Giants on Wednesday.

Clearly, Sunrisers Hyderabad’s focus was not just on scripting a quick victory but also keep an eye on the Net Run Rate to steer clear of the jam in the points table. It did it in style with a resounding 10-wicket win in just 9.4 overs thanks to some breathtaking stroke-play which left every bowler clueless.

It was arguably one of the most savage onslaughts by an opening pair at this venue as Abhishek (Impact Player for pacer T. Natarajan) and Head batted as if they were rehearsing some strokes in the ‘nets.’ There was nothing to rave about for any bowler, as all of them were hapless and mute spectators to a brutal batting display.

Earlier, Super Giants’ top-order failed before a fighting 99-run unbroken partnership off 52 balls for the fifth wicket between the classy Nicholas Pooran and the 24-year-old Ayush Badoni saw the team post what looked a competitive score at the innings break.

Pooran and Badoni came up with wonderful stroke selection under pressure, especially in the last five overs when they scored 63 runs.

For the home team, both the left-arm pacer and death overs specialist Natarajan, and skipper Pat Cummins were expensive

The seasoned Bhuvneshwar Kumar was easily the pick of the bowlers, conceding just 12 runs from his quota of four overs while taking the crucial wickets of Quinton de Kock (2) and Marcus Stoinis (3) thanks to some brilliant fielding by Nitish Kumar Reddy and Sanvir Singh respectively. It was not a kind of PowerPlay Lucknow would have hoped for after electing to bat — scoring just 27 for two.

SCOREBOARD

LUCKNOW SUPER GIANTS

K.L. Rahul c Natarajan b Cummins 29 (33b, 1×4, 1×6), Quinton de Kock c Nitish b Bhuvneshwar 2 (5b), Marcus Stoinis c Sanvir b Bhuvneshwar 3 (5b), Krunal Pandya run out 24 (21b, 2×6) Nicholas Pooran (not out) 48 (26b, 6×4, 1×6), Ayush Badoni (not out) 55 (30b, 9×4); Extras (lb-1, w-3): 4; Total (for four wkts. in 20 overs): 165.

FALL OF WICKETS

1-13 (de Kock, 2.1 overs), 2-21 (Stoinis, 4.2), 3-57 (Rahul, 9.6), 4-66 (Krunal, 11.2).

SUNRISERS BOWLING

Bhuvneshwar 4-0-12-2, Cummins 4-0-47-1, Shahbaz 2-0-9-0, Viyaskanth 4-0-27-0, Unadkat 2-0-19-0, Natarajan 4-0-50-0.

SUNRISERS HYDERABAD

Abhishek Sharma (Impact Player in place of Natarajan) (not out) 75 (28b, 8×4, 6×6), Travis Head (not out) 89 (30b, 8×4, 8×6); Extras (lb-1, w-2): 3; Total (for no loss in 9.4 overs): 167.

SUPER GIANTS BOWLING

Gowtham 2-0-29-0, Yash Thakur 2.4-0-47-0, Bishnoi 2-0-34-0, Naveen 2-0-37-0, Badoni 1-0-19-0.

Toss: LSG. PoM: Head

SRH won by 10 wickets with 62 balls to spare.