Former India batter Mohammad Kaif feels there is no reason why Mahendra Singh Dhoni should not play the next season of the IPL, given his form, fitness and ability to play big shots with ease. Speculation has been rife that Dhoni, who has led CSK to five IPL titles, could have played his last IPL season. The former CSK skipper, who had undergone surgery to treat a knee injury issue last year, scored 161 runs in 73 balls at a strike rate of 220.55 this season.

He was also good behind the stumps. Kaif thinks Dhoni has enough left in the tank to keep playing.

“Personally, I don’t think he’s done, he could not win the game (last league match against RCB). In the last over after hitting a six, he got out. You could make out seeing his body language that he seemed very disappointed not winning the game for CSK,” Kaif, a cricket expert with Star Sports, told PTI Videos.

“Why he should not come back? He is fit, he is scoring runs and hitting sixes, and there’s no reason to stop playing… it’s up to him, we can’t say with Dhoni what’s his plan,” added Kaif, regarded as one of India’s greatest fielders.

The 43-year-old also said that Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Shreyas Iyer had been a revelation with his calm demeanour, and attributed the team’s success this year to his leadership qualities.

Two-time IPL champions KKR entered their fourth final with a thumping eight-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in Qualifier 1. They had also topped the league stage with 20 points.

“He (Iyer) missed the whole IPL last year and KKR probably missed his captaincy in 2023. The way he is changing the bowlers, and picking his playing XI, he looks very calm under pressure.

“In a tournament like the IPL, you have to be very composed, you have to know what’s happening in the game and Iyer has come a long way. He has become a much better captain now,” opined Kaif.

Experts are also attributing KKR’s success this season to Gautam Gambhir returning to the side as the team mentor but Kaif said the team’s superb run had got a lot to do with how Iyer marshals his boys on the field.

“We always talk about (Gautam) Gambhir, but he can’t enter the field… in the rope with the players. Iyer has been there with the players and it will help him grow as a person and player.

“He missed out on the (T20) World Cup this year (beginning in the US and West Indies next month), but certainly it’s great learning for him, captaining the team, leading it to the finals. He has a great future ahead,” said Kaif.

Kaif said KKR were the overwhelming favourites to lift the IPL trophy this season given that they have quality bowlers and a balanced side, the two ingredients required to win.

“I think KKR is a very well-balanced side. Tournament-winning team has to have good bowlers, KKR has got the bowlers. You saw how (Mitchell) Starc bowled against (SRH in Qualifier 1), it’s a balanced side. KKR has got all bases covered in terms of batting and bowling. They are the team to beat in IPL, they are way ahead.”

Mohammad Kaif suggested CSK tend to do well in do-or-die matches.© BCCI

The race to the playoffs of IPL 2024 is now picking pace. While Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals have already sealed the berth for themselves, a total of five teams are still in race for the remaining two spots. Chennai Super Kings, SunRisers Hyderabad, Delhi Capitals, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Lucknow Super Giants are the teams fighting for the top-4 finish. Among the remaining crucial games will be the RCB vs CSK match in Bengaluru on May 18.

While the winner of the game will get closer to IPL 2024 playoffs, the losing side will be eliminated from the tournament. Former India stars Irfan Pathan, Ambati Rayudu, Mohammad Kaif and ex-Australia players Matthew Hayden and Tom Moody told Star Sports as quoted by Hindustan Times that it will be CSK and not RCB, who will make it to the playoffs.

“Kolkata, Rajasthan, Hyderabad and… Chennai Super Kings are my picks. Because I feel CSK will find some or the other way to make the Playoffs. They are a legacy team,” said Irfan Pathan.

Meanwhile, former CSK star Ambati Rayudu said, “My top four predictions for now will be KKR at the top, followed by Chennai Super Kings at second. RR and SRH the other two.”

Mohammad Kaif, who also holds the experience of playing 29 IPL matches, said, “At the top for me would be KKR. At No. 2 would be (Rajasthan) Royals. At third would be (Sunrisers) Hyderabad and at the 4th position I would bank on CSK because they know how to perform in the big matches.”

“My top four, in no particular order, are… well, one has actually qualified. KKR are certainly there. I’m going to go with Rajasthan Royals. They have to beat this poor slump that they find themselves in (losing three matches in a row). Then I’ll pick Sunrisers Hyderabad since they have their matches back home and then CSK to win that derby against RCB on May 18,” said former CSK player Matthew Hayden.

“My top four in the Playoffs would be KKR at first place, Rajasthan Royals in the second position, Sunrisers Hyderabad at third and just falling into that fourth position, Chennai Super Kings,” said ex-SRH coach Tom Moody.

IPL 2024: File photo of KL Rahul© Twitter

Former India batter Mohammad Kaif has lashed out at Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) captain KL Rahul after the loss at the hands of Delhi Capitals (DC) in their IPL 2024 match on Tuesday. Kaif lambasted Rahul for opting to bowl on a batting first pitch, while also questioning the role of the video analysts. Abhishek Porel and Tristan Stubbs slammed half-centuries as DC posted 208/4 after being invited to bat first at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. In reply, LSG were restricted to 189/9, despite a half-century each from Nicholas Pooran and Arshad Khan.

While analysing the match, Kaif didn’t mince his words and criticised Rahul for opting to bowl on a pitch where teams batting second are yet to win a game this season.

“Take the video analyst’s computer and put it away. They didn’t go with any numbers. 200 has not been chased here at all. I am telling you this year’s numbers. In all four matches, the team batting first has won. You won the toss and said you would field first,” the former DC assistant coach said on Star Sports.

Kaif lavished praise on all-rounder Arshad Khan for salvaging some pride for LSG. Arshad hit 58 off just 33 balls to keep LSG in the hunt till the last over.

“If you leave aside Arshad Khan’s knock, it was a very bad defeat. Arshad saved your pride a little. I believe it was a horrible decision not to bat first here. KL Rahul disappointed a lot as a captain. You said you would play positive but you need to make positive decisions as well,” he added.

Kaif also pointed out how LSG squandered a golden opportunity to boost their playoffs hopes by making one mistake at the toss.

“You checked the pitch and felt that it had moisture. There was no moisture – 200 is scored here. The biggest mistake was the decision at the toss. After that, you allowed them to score 200 even after dismissing Jake Fraser-McGurk. So there will be a question mark on the bowling as well.

“Delhi will not gain anything from this. They got two points but their net run rate has not improved much. Lucknow had everything to gain from this match. They had to lose or gain. If they had won, they could have reached 16 points. I believe it was an absolute flop show from Lucknow,” Kaif went on to add.

LSG are all but out of the play-off race. They would first need to win their last match by a very big margin and then hope two of CSK, SRH and RCB lose their games by very big margins.