For the first time in the history of IPL MI and CSK were not a part of the play-offs. MI had an awful season which was full of downs only whereas CSK had a terrible season where at the final junction they made a captaincy change and handed over the reins back to their Thala Dhoni. Due to such poor decisions and captaincy this time we have new entrants in the form of Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans.
The likes of KKR, DC, and PBKS had a solid chance but failed to make a mark. SRH in particular had the game in their bag but lost 4-5 consecutive matches and handed the momentum to the other teams like RCB and RR. They had the speedster Umran Malik who used to cut the opponent in half and a talented Natarajan who is known for his witty variations.
PBKS now have made a habit of finishing at 6th position as this is their record 3rd Year where they have finished at No.6 position. It’s high time that PBKS look into a new Coaching Staff as Head Coach Anil Kumble isn’t showing productive results.
KKR had a good start but they succumbed to pressure in the middle of the tournament. The new Skipper Shreyas found it tough going on since scoring wasn’t easy as he didn’t get any support from the rest of the batters. The likes of Narine and Russell showed a lot of promise but weren’t able to take the team over the finish line which was badly needed. The Senior Batter Nitish Rana too had a forgettable season according to his credentials as it was expected that he will take responsibility for scoring the bulk of the runs. A piece of news came in that McCullum has been the Head Coach of England which now means that KKR will have to find a New Head Coach for the upcoming season. All in all, KKR made a mistake by dropping and not retaining Eoin Morgan, they forgot that he was the only man who took KKR from tatters to a Finals in the 2021 Season in the second leg of IPL in UAE.
LSG and GT had Indian Captains who were inexperienced in the form of KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya; KL Rahul has had the experience of captaining Punjab Kings for 4 years where as Hardik Pandya was completely new to the role for Gujarat Titans.
The Coaches of LSG and GT Gary Kirsten and Andy Flower who have experience in coaching national as well as franchise cricket were entrusted with these young blokes.
We will analyze how these four teams have reached this junction where there are chances that we may have a new winner either in the form of RCB, LSG or GT as Rajasthan Royals earlier had won the title in 2008.
- GT
CVC Capitals owners of Gujarat Titans so far have had a dream season as they were the first time to qualify and at the same moment, they want 10 matches out of 14. They were on the worse of breaking the meaning of most matches in IPL as till now only 11 matches have been won by a team in league stages.
Head Coach Gary Kirsten has done a fabulous job as he has mental the out of form Hardik Pandya and made sure that Hardik finds his group once again because earlier in the 2021 T20 World Cup he had a horrible T20 World Cup where he not only scored runs but damage team India’s reputation at the World Stage. It was the first time that Hardik Pandya was captaining an IPL team so he had extra responsibility on his shoulders. Gary Kirsten has rejuvenated Pandya and now once again he has made a comeback to the National Cricket Team.
Throughout the season Gujarat Titans have been very good chasers where they chased down 12 runs in two balls against Punjab Kings and scored 21 runs in the last over against SRH. At the same moment, Mumbai Indian’s fast bowler Daniel Sams had defended 9 runs of the last over when the likes of David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, and Rashid Khan three finishers were present at the crease. In that match, Daniel Sams used pace variation and bolt of cutters and wide of stump your curse which meant that scoring was difficult. However, it also means that Gujarat items aren’t 100% sure shot while chasing a target as changing 9 runs requires one boundary and at the end of that match they lose by more than four runs.
The likes of Shubhman Gill and Wriddhiman Saha have been fabulous with the bad especially Saha who has re-invented himself after his fallout with Journalist Boria Mazumdar. Shah nose that it’s unlikely that he will play for India again as he doesn’t have age on his side and India has a lot of wicketkeepers better present in the form of Rishabh pant Ishan Kishan and now Dinesh Kartik has also received a call-up and there is KL Rahul also. All in all Gujarat Titans looks decent and a formidable team that can and has spoiled a lot of teams’ parties till now and it won’t be a surprise if they win the title this year.
- Strengths of GT
Day has a never to say die attitude as in the match against Lucknow super giants they defended below the part total of fewer than 140 runs which speaks a lot about their team’s culture. They have got excellent fast bowlers present in the form of Mohammed Shami and Lockie Ferguson which means that 8 overs are going to be tough.
- Weakness of GT
The Skipper Hardik Pandya is not scoring runs which is the big worry because every time the likes of India Miller and Rashid Khan are not going to take the team out of the muddle. It’s high time now that the likes of Shubhman Gill have to play a match-winning knock and improve his strike rate as scoring a half century in 40 balls is not going to do the team a great favor.
- Strategies to succeed
Gujarat Titans better need to make sure that there are scoring at least 18200 runs while batting first at Kolkata Eden Gardens. Gujarat Titans have a very good bowling line up but defending 140-150 runs won’t be easy at Eden gardens where the pitch is a run fest. The openers Gill and Saha who have earlier played in Kolkata know that a score of 200 also isn’t safe. It means that if Gujarat Titans are asked to be bad first then need to put the accelerator on the very first ball itself as Rajasthan Royals have a very good bowling line a present in the form of Chahal and Ashwin.
GT can’t just relax as Rajasthan Royals have got battles present in 7 to 8 position like Ravichandran Ashwin’s score of 50 and 40 runs cameo which means that they bat very deep. They should avoid taking the match to the 20th over and instead play the match of a 19 over. There are chances that the team that balls first will win the match but it doesn’t mean that defending will be heard as there would be a swing for Shami and. Ferguson. The role of Rashid becomes an extremely important year as his four hours will decide the outcome of the match.
In the last recent matches, GT had used Wade at Number 3 position, and if he is being used he needs to bat at the top order because weird hasn’t batted in the middle order or at least in the number three position in his entire career. All in all Gujarat Titans would be very of Rajasthan Royals thread factor because there every bowler has the caliber of taking 5 wickets which can decimate the opponent team.
- Rajasthan Royals (RR)
Rajasthan Royals had a wonderful start to the tournament as Jos Buttler was in sublime form. He has scored three centuries still now and has code 600 odd runs in 14 matches. Cricket experts have started to compare and were the quite sure shot that he will break the record of Virat Kohli’s 973 runs which he had scored in the 2016 edition. But later in the second half of the tournament, his form was very much poor which man that Rajasthan Royals started losing their matches as RR was completely a one-man show/army.
The likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Paddikal, and Sanju Samson took the responsibility on their shoulders and scored runs in BITS and pieces like the 30s and 40s and made sure that Rajasthan Royals are posting challenging totals on the board. They used Ravichandran Ashwin in very scored a half century against Delhi Capitals; that match was a crunch match. That match was an interesting one as the winner would have taken one step closer to making it to the playoffs. The entire tournament for Rajasthan Royals was a Topsy turvy at the found momentum in every crucial phase as winning 9 matches out of 14 doesn’t happen overnight.
The dream combo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Chahal prove to be too hot as their 8 overs yielded 3 to 4 wickets which changed the dynamics of the game. The presence of Trent boult and Prasidh Krishna meant that Rajasthan Royal’s fast bowlers are bowling immaculate and impeccable liner lengths. The bowling attack of the Rajasthan Royals was superb; Chahal had taken a hattrick against KKR in a very tight match.
- Strengths of RR
For the first time in the history of the Rajasthan Royals, they have everything in their hand. They have got good strikers finishers present in the form of Sanju Samson and Riyan Parag and good dashing openers. The entire Rajasthan Royals fans community would be happy because this time it looks like they will end the wait of more than a decade of winning an IPL as they were the first time to win the IPL in 2008.
- Weakness of RR
Rajasthan Royal’s main weakness is that they can fall like a pack of cards when the top order has not scored runs. The likes of Parag and Shimron Hetmyer need to be careful as Gujarat Titans have got a very good bowling line-up that can rip off their batting line-up. All in all, the initial stage is going to be pivotal and crucial for Rajasthan Royals’ innings and if they can get away without losing 3 to 4 wickets in the first 10 overs then the game is theirs.
- Strategies to Succeed
Rajasthan Royals management should not use Ashwin as a number free better because he Skoda half century that’s no doubt about it but he consumed 40 deliveries in doing that. The likes of Paddikal and Samson should bat at Number 3 or number four position and use Ashwin as a finisher at the number 7 or number 8 position. In a current match like this that would be an instance where Ashwin consumers 30 balls and scores 20 all runs which will harm RR.
Sanju Samson should use Trent Boult carefully as bowling out his three overs before 10 overs which means that the death overs are a concern. RR should use at least 2 hours of Ashwin in the powerplay overs as the pitch of Kolkata offers a lot of turn for the spin bowlers. Ashwin has the experience of not only taking wickets but containing the batters which are utmost required in the T20 format.
The role of Shimron Hetmyer becomes extremely critical here as his job is just to go bang bang from ball number 1. If he scores a cameo of 30 order runs in 10 balls just like Tim David then the game is done for Rajasthan Royals. All in all, RR has got everything to succeed and till now and everything depends on the match day and execution.
- LSG
Mr. Sanjeev Goenka Owner of LSG once again was powerful in the league phase. They won 9 matches out of 14 and missed out on a whisker on the top two finish. The top two teams get two chances at the final which is quite priceless. Their matches would be at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad which means that a new venue and new dimensions of the field will make life harder for the team.
Just like Rajasthan Royals, LSG was a one-man show as they were dependent on KL Rahul. He amassed more than 500 runs and made a statement to the National Cricket Team and selectors that he cannot be ignored and neglected for the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia this October November 2022. Due to the Reliance on KL Rahul, the rest of the betters were that much more consistent. In the second stage of the tournament legs, middle order batteries like Kunal Pandya, Deepak Hooda, and the rest of the batters showed a lot of fight in some form, and recently against KKR Quinton scored 140 runs in 70 balls.
In the bowling department, the rise of Mohsin Khan has been tremendous as the laptop fast bowler has been using all the tricks in the book to fox the batter. The likes of Avesh Khan and Chameera are bowling spellbound spells. All in all, LSG is a team that can create havoc in the playoffs.
- Strengths of LSG
The experience of the head coach and the flower is proving to be invaluable as he has been in this coaching arena for a decade. The Duo of KL Rahul and Andy Flower have been in touch for the last 3 to 4 years where both have a good bonding and no what a team requires to do. To add to that coaching staff Gautam Gambhir has been doing an excellent job being the Mentor.
- Weakness of LSG
LSG bowlers have defended a small target of around 130- 140 runs which can be a concern as the pitches of Ahmedabad can be uneven as well as a run fest too. The likes of Krunal Pandya and Deepak Hooda have to make sure that they’re sticking to the crease which is not an easy job. All in all, LSG is going to play a knockout match against RCB and a loss would end their journey which was so much good and proper.
- Strategies to Succeed
LSG’s top order is very threatening as they have got De Kock, Rahul, and Marcus Stoinis. They should use Stoinis s at Number 3 or number for position as in the BBL he opens the batting for his franchise BBL team. If he is batting at Number 6 or 7 position or below that then he is not able to get enough balls and request at least 4 to 5 balls before going bang bang. LSG knows that the match against RCB is a knockout one so they have to make sure that Stoinis and Holder are not batting at No.7 or 8
The mentor Gautam Gambhir is roll has been very much critical as he has been seen doing a lot of prep talk and he knows how to win an IPL tournament like he won IPL Tournament in 2012 and 2014. It would be interesting to see how things unfold as they have got the batters and bowlers present who can create some sort of magic on the given day. The role of Avesh Khan becomes very important here as his yorkers and cunning deliveries can bamboozle the opponent
LSG need to make sure that they don’t get complacent here as a couple of bad overs can change the match for them. The use of Krunal Pandya is also important because his 4 overs can be very damaging as he is not a spinner who is termed the ball he balls according to the line and length. He has the knack of picking up crucial wickets and bowling like he will bowl 2 to 3 runs over which will change the momentum of the match. LIC will only be concerned that they don’t get a bad start if they lose 2 to 3 wickets in the power play overs then it becomes very much difficult for the lower order batters to put a good score on the board
- RCB
The entire RCB community was dependent on MI vs DC clash where MI had to win for RCB to qualify for the players. MI fulfilled the wish of RCB fans. RCB’s new Skipper Faf had a terrific season with the bat as he was on the list of most runs scored this season.
Everyone neglected the rise of Faf who currently doesn’t play for the national team in South Africa as the attention was on Virat Kohli’s poor form very scored only two half centuries and three ducks. RCB founder new finisher in the form of Dinesh Kartik who made a statement that he still has the passion and vigor to play for the National Cricket Team. He currently has got a call up to the national team for the upcoming T20 International series against South Africa.
For the first time in this season, the likes of Rajat Patidar Shahbaz Ahmed and Dinesh Karthik all scored runs in the absence of Virat Kohli’s form. It made a statement that RCB is no longer dependent on Virat Kohli’s performance. Against such, they got bundle loud for 60 odd runs and it looks like the wake-up call is near the corner. Faf was marshaling his troops to his best and made sure that the likes of Siraj and his Hazlewood are used in crunch situations of the match.
- Strengths of RCB
They have got good fast bowlers present in the form of Harshal Patel, Hazelwood, and Siraj which means that unlike previous seasons this time their bowling has been their arsenal. Against CSK their bowling line-up defended 65 runs in 6 hours whereas CSK ‘s finishers were present at the dugout. This is a clear indication that RCB is no longer a powerful batting team that works for them as their Weakness has become their strength.
- Weakness of RCB
RCB’s weakness is Virat Kohli though he may have found his form still there are concerns. They are due to face LSG in Ahmedabad where that match is a knockout punch where RCB can’t afford any hiccups. The entire cricket fraternity nose that Virat Kohli has gone through a lot of rough patches which means that he wants to prove himself and make a resounding comeback by scoring a daddy hundred.
- Strategies to Succeed
RCB knows that Virat is back into the form and would hope that he sticks to the grace and scores around 50 to 60 runs while opening the innings. Faf needs to anchor the innings and bat as much as deep he can because he has the X factor of changing the match in a couple of overs. Rajat Patidar should continue to place a natural game of attacking the battles irrespective of how good the bowler is.
The likes of Hazlewood and Siraj have to make sure that they are not licking runs in the power play overs as Siraj has the habit of going a bit wayward. Hazelwood has been awesome with the ball in hand as he has single-handedly won the match for RCB in tough situations. Reports are stating that Harshal Patel could be a permanent member of team India in the upcoming T20 world cup in Australia as his cutters and lake cutters are proving to be too hard for the batters. He knows that last year KKR had deep thrown RCB out of the tournament and he would like to win the tournament for RCB this year.
The role of Shahbaz Ahmed and Hasaranga is vital because Hasaranga is an allrounder who can bat at number 7 or number it positions comes me off from 20 to 30 runs can be crucial. RCB need to make sure that they are not chasing a big target of around 18200 runs as one collapse of on 2 to 3 wickets is enough to drag them down. All in all RCB steam looks slightly better than the last year and now they have got an experienced campaigner present in the form of Faf who has the experience of taking the team over the finish line.
- Predicted Winner
Rajasthan Royals look all-set to be crowned the Champions of Tata IPL 2022 under the leadership of Samson and Sangakkara. They would most likely face GT and there would be an epic encounter on hands. It would be interesting who wins Qualifier 1 as that winner will have an extra advantage. In the end, everything depends on Match Day.
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