The Final Stretch
As the days have gone by , so has the end of the group stage of IPL come closer . Only a handful of matches remain , and only one spot remains free . As of writing this , Bangalore , Chennai and Delhi have sealed their play offs chance , while Punjab and Hyderabad are out , only remaining to play as part poopers or the hope of other teams . Mumbai , Rajasthan and Kolkata are at 10 points each , and two games to go , making the final stretch feel anticlimatic ( for 3 teams have already qualified ) and immensely exciting as well ( with 1 spot left for 3 teams , almost neck and neck ) .
The match which sealed Punjab’s and Bangalore’s faith happened today . Their clash simultaneously knocked out Punjab , and gave Bangalore a shot at winning their first ever IPL crown ever . This is not only important for RCB fans for their first trophy , but also for it’s their stalwart captain Virat Kohli’s final IPL leading the side . The team has never been so motivated before , and it shows in their games . Whether it was last week’s Harshall Patel’s hat trick , or Glenn Maxwell’s 50 in this game , individual players are rising upto sieze the games .
Today’s game started out very smoothly for Bangalore . Both Virat Kohli and and Padikkal were in fine touch , scoring at a steady rate . After Kohli got out , Maxwell dictated the innings with his 50 , proving his worth against his old team . AB deVilliers proved a fine partner , scoring 23 . But Punjab did not sit still . Henriques bowled arguably one of his best spells , giving only 12 runs in 4 overs and taking 3 wickets , effectively choking Bangalore to an average score of 164 .
Riding the momentum , KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal were making quick work of Bangalore’s bowlers . But post the 10 overs mark , Bangalore seemed a different team . Chahal steeped up to the occasion and took 3 wickets , While the rest effectively fished out dots . Piling on the pressure , Punjab batsmen could not rotate runs , and effectively were gasping for runs near the end , which soon proved to be the nail on the coffin. They ended up 6 runs short after a solid start by their openers . Knocked out of the tournament , Punjab could only see their dreams drown .
Overall I would rate this game very highly . A disciplined bowling form and a never give up attitude is what ultimately won the game for the team . When the game seemed lost , Kohli and his team rallied behind their bowlers who , led by Chahal , won them the game . Truly a spectacular game to end the week with , a beautiful game to qualify for the knockouts . I only hope the rest of the games turn out to be as , if not more , enthralling .
Have a great week ahead !