Ipl 2018 letest updates

Just four matches are remaining in the round-robin stage of IPL 2020 and only one team have booked their spot in the playoffs. Mumbai Indians have got the job done but the likes of Royal Challengers Bangalore, Delhi Capitals, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kings XI Punjab, Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders are still in contention for rest of the three places. Two teams have 14 points each while four sides are stuck on 12 points. MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings cannot qualify for the playoffs.

Here are different permutations and combinations which will help you know what teams have to do to qualify for the playoffs:

Chennai Super Kings

They are officially out of the IPL-2020 with RR’s win over MI last Sunday. This is the first time in their IPL history that they will not be finishing in the top-4.

Kolkata Knight Riders

KKR have made a lot of changes to their XI and to the batting positions as well which have never allowed the team to settle down. Andre Russell's poor form and unavailability in the last few matches also made their task tougher.

They will first need to beat RR and then rely on NRR to qualify for the playoffs. Their NRR is currently the worst among KXIP, DC, RCB, RR and SRH.

Rajasthan Royals

RR have been inconsistent throughout the tournament but they have won their last two matches thanks to brilliant performances from Ben Stokes and Sanju Samson. They'll need to win their match against KKR to get to 14 points and then fight with other teams based on net run-rate (NRR) to qualify for the playoffs. If RR lose against KKR they will get eliminated.

Kings XI Punjab

They have made a remarkable comeback in this IPL winning the five out of their last six matches. They'll need to beat CSK to remain in the contention for the playoffs with 14 points. They will be fighting for the last spot against the winner of the KKR and RR game and the loser of the RCB and DC match. The team with a higher NRR in this case, will go through.

Sunrisers Hyderabad

SRH were not able to find a winning combination this season of IPL due to a few injuries but after winning their last two matches, they are one of the favourites to make it to the playoffs with 14 points and a healthy NRR. If they beat MI in their last fixture then they will easily go through. If they lose then they will be eliminated.

Delhi Capitals

Delhi Capitals have marched ahead in the tournament with some individual brilliant performances. But now, they have lost each of their last four IPL matches. They'll need to beat RCB to finish at the second place in the points table and if they lose then they will be fighting with other teams with NRR on 14 points.

Royal Challengers Bangalore

RCB have been playing some very good cricket under the new management and they would like to make it to this year’s playoff so far based on the number of wins that they have got but they have lost each of their last three IPL matches.

If they beat DC then they will finish in second place, otherwise they'll need to rely on NRR to qualify for this year's playoffs with 14 points.

Mumbai Indians

Mumbai Indians have played a brand of cricket for which they are known for. The defending champions became the first team to qualify for this year’s playoffs with CSK’s win over KKR on last Thursday and they will finish the league stage, staying at top spot in the points table.

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Sharjah: Star Royal Challengers Bangalore batsman AB de Villiers has described losing three matches in a row as a "terrible feeling" with a dip in form towards the end of the league stage jeopardising their playoff spot.

The South African, however, promised that his side would give their best in their do-or-die match against Delhi Capitals in Abu Dhabi on Monday.

"It's a terrible feeling to lose three in a row. We never wanted to do that. But that's the nature of the tournament. Anything can happen. If you lose three in a row, you can win three in a row as well," de Villiers said.

"The game against Delhi is a big name and we all know that. We have to come out with our best cricket on the day and if we do that things are going to be good for us," he said at the press conference after RCB lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad by five wickets on Saturday.

RCB managed only 120 for seven after being put in to bat and SRH chased down the target in 14.1 overs. Though they stayed at second place in the table with 14 points from 13 games, RCB will need to beat Delhi Capitals on Monday to be sure of a playoff berth.

De Villiers said the turning point of the match was when he and opener Josh Philippe got out in quick succession.

"The turning point was when Josh and I got out back to back. That cost us 20-30 runs, that was unfortunate. But at the end of the day, that might not have been enough in any way. The field got wet in the second innings which changed the conditions quite a bit. Maybe 140 would have been short in any way," he said.

He said the SRH bowlers put his side under a lot of pressure throughout the match.

"We were initially talking about 160 which I think was a bit high. Then we thought 140 would be a good score. But credit to them. They bowled exceptionally well from the word go.

"They didn't give us many boundary balls, their seamers particularly started well in the powerplay. They didn't make a lot of mistakes and it didn't get easier when Rashid Khan came who didn't bowl any bad balls either. They put us under a lot of pressure."

De Villiers said SRH played a quite "boring" game but that was required on the Sharjah wicket.

"SRH bowlers stuck to the basics which was required on that pitch. They bowled on a good length and backed it up with good fielding. We have a balanced side and a strong batting line up. But we didn't put enough runs on the board. The Sharjah wicket wasn't easy. It was slow and the outfield was slow as well."

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Sydney: Will Pucovski and Marcus Harris smashed double centuries to fire a message to Australia coach Justin Langer in setting a new record on Sunday for the biggest partnership in Sheffield Shield history.

The pair shared in a massive 486-run opening stand for Victoria against South Australia, surpassing the previous mark of 464 set by Steve and Mark Waugh for New South Wales in 1990.

Harris, who has not played a Test since being dropped following the 2019 Ashes against England, finally fell for 239, caught behind off the bowling of Wes Agar.

Unbelievable!

We're seeing history made here - the highest ever partnership in the history of the #SheffieldShield! pic.twitter.com/EjTMdRVVyZ

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) November 1, 2020

It left Pucovski in the middle and he remained unbeaten on 255 when captain Peter Handscomb declared at 564 for three.

Their exploits will cause incumbent Test openers Joe Burns and David Warner to sit up and take notice, with Langer's squad for an upcoming four-Test home series against India yet to be announced.

Pucovski, one of Australia's brightest prospects, has been on the cusp of Test selection for the past two summers, but has battled mental health problems.

He was in the national set-up for Tests last summer against Sri Lanka, but after being overlooked for the first and again missing out on selection for the second he was released to return home and deal with his issues.

The 22-year-old said last week he was ready to fight for a Test spot again.

"I just feel like I'm in a really good space now, which is awesome, just in everyday life and with my cricket," he said. 

"I don't have much control over whether they pick me or not, but I'm definitely very keen."

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Ahead of RR's crucial clash against KKR, Ben Stokes challenged fielding coach Dishant Yagnik to hit two sixes off 12 balls. But there was a small twist -- the England all-rounder would be bowling off spin.

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CSK vs KXIP: Kings XI Punjab have all to play for in their last league match as a vital two points could book them a place in the playoffs.

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IPL 2020: Royal Challengers Bangalore suffered their third straight defeat as they lost to SunRisers Hyderabad by five wickets in Sharjah.

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Former India cricketer VVS Laxman turned 46 on Sunday and people from the cricket community took to social media to wish the stylish batsman a happy birthday.

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There was a time in this edition of the IPL, not too long ago, when Delhi Capitals – along with Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore – had pulled away from the others in the race to the Playoffs. Now, as the league stage enters its last round, these three sides are still at the top. However, while Mumbai are guaranteed a top spot, Bangalore and Delhi have fallen behind; and given their ordinary net run rates, a defeat in the last match – when they play each other – may well spell doom for both.

This is particularly true for Delhi (-0.159), whose net run rate is behind not only that of Bangalore (-0.145), but also Sunrisers Hyderabad (+0.555) and Kings XI Punjab (-0.133), both of whom are two points behind them. In other words, they as good as have to win their last match.

So, what went wrong? Why did Delhi lose four matches on the trot after winning seven out of nine? Ajinkya Rahane played two of these matches: he got a golden duck in one and played a useful cameo in the other before being replaced by Prithvi Shaw – who did not do much either.

In the first of these matches, Shikhar Dhawan got his second hundred of the season, batting through the innings with a 61-ball 106 not out. He followed this with scores of 6, 0, and 0. Dhawan has been Delhi’s go-to batsman this season, and his failure has certainly come as a major blow.

But Delhi’s major problem has been the simultaneous struggle of Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant, both of whom had played key roles in their success over the past two seasons. It is not that they have not got runs. They have. But they came at a rate way too slow. By the time they were done, Delhi did not have enough firepower to help them reach that big score.

Iyer and Pant have clearly slowed down considerably. Worse, between them they have faced 203 balls across these four matches – about 51 balls a match.

This is evident from the partnerships they had. They added 63 in 53 balls against Kolkata Knight Riders (chasing 195!) and 35 in 44 against Mumbai. Of course, the quality of attack they were up against was superb (especially Mumbai’s), but their record across not one but four matches tells the story.

It is not that Delhi did not try. With an improbable 220 to chase against Hyderabad, they promoted both Marcus Stoinis and Shimron Hetmyer above Pant and himself. When they failed, he immediately reverted to Plan A. One may argue that they had to see off the initial overs, but holding the onslaught back till after the 10th over was never going to work against Mumbai, who do not have a weak bowler per se.

*Hetmyer missed three matches out of the first nine

While Dhawan’s (and his partner’s) failure might have led to slow starts, Iyer and Pant delayed the onslaught for too late, often leaving very little for the others. This meant that Hetmyer and Stoinis, who had scored at better strike rates than Iyer and Pant over the first nine matches, were allowed only 62 balls between them in four matches – 2.3 overs for two big hitters.

With no time to settle down, Hetmyer and Stoinis struggled every time. When they got a chance, the target (220) was too steep to make a match out of it.

Perhaps some change in batting line-up may come in handy in the match against Bangalore. They could have left out a struggling Pant to add some firepower to the batting, but he is their only Indian wicketkeeper. Resting him will mean they have to leave out one of Hetmyer, Stoinis, and their two South African fast bowlers.

And then there is the bowling. Delhi batted first in seven of their first nine matches. They won six of these. Chasing, they won one out of two. Their batsmen had always provided their bowlers enough buffer. Of the seven occasions they batted first, their lowest score was 157 and they crossed 175 four times. Batting second, they once chased down 180.

But the bowling attack that had backed up their batsmen so well till now fell apart thrice in a row. They failed to defend 165 against Punjab, then let Kolkata pile up 194/6 and Hyderabad 219/2.

In fact, in every match they have had at least two bowlers going for nine or more an over.

The Punjab match makes curious reading. All three of Rabada, Ashwin, and Axar conceded only 6.75 an over, while Daniel Sams (playing for Nortje) went for 7.50. Delhi controlled the match for 16 of the 19 overs bowled – and yet could not finish things off.

However, a similar reason cannot be applied to the other contests. Even if one discounts the Mumbai match (the target was too low), one or more of the frontline bowlers always went for runs. Worse, they failed to pick up wickets, thus allowing to put up at least one major partnership every time.

Delhi have taken 14 wickets in their last four matches amidst these partnerships. Of these, Rabada and Nortje have taken four apiece. These may not seem too bad, but one must remember that Rabada had taken 19 wickets in his first nine. Nortje – the only bowler to hit 154 kph this time (he has done it four times!) – has had a tough phase too.

As is evident, their economy and balls per wicket have both taken a toll.

It is difficult to come back when one of batting and bowling starts failing. When both do at the same time, it becomes almost impossible. Of course, Bangalore – their opposition in the last match – are also coming off a massive defeat.

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If there is one thing we realised on the final league-stage Saturday of this edition of the Indian Premier League, it’s that no team – barring Mumbai Indians – wants an easy qualification route.

In a season where Chennai Super Kings have never been in the knockouts’ race, you would think the other teams would pull up their socks. They haven’t, with all five teams still in contention for the remaining three spots as you read this. While it is an ode to Mumbai in how well oiled they are, the consistency among other teams in being inconsistent is worrying. In a league that is in its 13th season, you expect more than just two teams constantly making the knockouts. From a holistic IPL viewpoint, that is staggering.

Two teams are synonymous with this inconsistency – Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bangalore. The former were quite brilliant in their early-season form, yet have managed to squander any gains whatsoever and are now on the cusp of exit thanks to faltering run-rate. Royal Challengers Bangalore are only marginally better in terms of NRR as they also blew their massive chance to join Mumbai early in the knockouts’ sanctity. Both these losses were marred by shoddy batting performances.

To Delhi’s credit, at least they lost to the table-toppers, the all-conquering team in this tournament, one which looks likely to lift the trophy again. It is the Bangalore unit that really needs to look itself in the mirror and ascertain what is really going on.

Yes, this has been a season better than most for the Royal Challengers, but their habit of making unforced mistakes has cost them before. Despite registering vital wins and points on the board, RCB simply haven’t been able to consistently string together a run of form that would make them contenders for the title.

There are two points of consideration here. One, Devdutt Padikkal has transformed their season and the way RCB play. There was a time when Chris Gayle and KL Rahul were tearing down attacks at the top of Bangalore’s batting order. But there was an inherent imbalance about their batting. It was too top-heavy and often impacted their team selection. Then, after the duo’s departure, the onus fell on Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers to score, which didn’t bring desired results either.

This is why Padikkal’s arrival on the scene is such a breath of fresh air. He has that youthful chutzpah, that attacking adventurism of an opening batsman, and the license to go after the bowling. It has resulted in 422 runs in 13 innings with four half-centuries, an average of 32.46, and a strike-rate of 127.10. These figures are important because they underline consistency in his performance, which in turn has meant Bangalore have got off to good starts with regularity.

The other aspect of these figures is also vital. Padikkal has one more half-century than Kohli; his total is only 9 runs shy of Kohli’s total of 431 runs in 13 innings; more importantly, their strike-rates are near similar. It is not to say that Padikkal has outdone his captain, but there is a certain dependency on the opening batsman now. If he scores and gets off to a good start, Bangalore invariably start off well. When he doesn’t, like on Saturday when Sandeep Sharma uprooted his stumps early, they get into all kinds of problems.

It is because the other two opening options – Aaron Finch and Josh Philippe – haven’t done much. It is also because Kohli hasn’t quite hit a purple patch in his batting this season. As a consequence, much depends on Padikkal’s starts and you cannot heap that much pressure on a 20-year-old. This is where the second point creeps in.

AB de Villiers has managed only 363 runs in 12 innings, averaging 45.37 with four half-centuries, but his strike-rate is what matters most. Compared to the low 120s of both Kohli and Padikkal, de Villiers is striking the ball at 163.51 in the 2020 IPL. He is sixth in the highest strike-rate list this season among batsmen with more than 10 innings and 100 runs. Moreover, he is the only RCB batsman in the top-end of that list.

More than Padikkal, Royal Challengers Bangalore depend on de Villiers for explosive knocks in the middle order. It is the bedrock of their batting plan – get a quick start thanks to Padikkal, allow Kohli to build a base, and then unleash de Villiers to knock the opponents out. It has worked, but not consistently enough as you can see from these three batsmen’s figures. The problem being this plan is failing more often at the business end of this tournament.

De Villier’s last score of note – 55 not out – came five matches ago. Since then, he has scored 24, 15, and 39, all of which failed to make the necessary impact. Kohli has scores of 7, 9, 50* in those three matches, but still, no wins or points from these games. Padikkal was the only batsman to score anything of note (74) against Mumbai Indians two matches ago. It has resulted in a string of three losses in a row, comparable to Delhi Capitals’ four consecutive losses. Of course, this is not the kind of form you want going into the knockouts.

Capitals’ loss was a complete batting failure against the tournament’s best bowling attack. But Bangalore were undone because Sunrisers Hyderabad went to work on their batting weakness, coupled with shoddy shot selection and some fantastic bowling. Padikkal’s early dismissal didn’t help, and Kohli has been vulnerable to Sandeep Sharma as well. Kane Williamson just knew where to be stationed for that aerial cover drive.

It is the de Villiers-Rashid Khan battle that was key to this contest. Against Kings XI Punjab at this very ground, RCB held back AB de Villiers against leg-spin and maintained a left-right combination at the crease. All of that has gone out of the window, but could it be justified on Saturday? No, because Rashid Khan is not some junior bowler in Punjab’s attack (all due respect). This was a battle of the best versus the best, and for once, de Villiers came second on a pitch that has progressively slowed down as the tournament has progressed.

Since he couldn’t take on Rashid Khan, he went hard against the other bowlers, albeit too hard against Shahbaz Nadeem. At 71-3 in 11 overs then, Bangalore’s worst nightmare had come true. Their three most dependable batsmen were gone, and what ensued was a display of bad shot selection, especially from Philippe who predictably holed out against Khan.

Sure, Sunrisers Hyderabad were made to work in their 121-run chase but the writing was on the wall. The underlying point here being Bangalore’s chink in their batting armoury and it has been so woefully exposed at a vital stage in the tournament. That’s the bad part. The good parts being their next opponents, Delhi Capitals, aren’t doing too well in the batting department either.

It is a battle of two faltering batting line-ups on Monday in a potential knockout match before the, well, actual knockouts.

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Sharjah: "We weren't brave enough with the bat," said a disappointed Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli after his side's five-wicket defeat at the hands of Sunrisers Hyderabad in an Indian Premier League match.

Kohli said Saturday's defeat has virtually made their last game against Delhi Capitals on Monday a must-win for a top-two finish in the standings.

RCB only managed 120 for seven after being put in to bat. SRH chased down the target in 14.1 overs to zoom to fourth spot from seventh in the league standings.

It was RCB's third consecutive defeat in the tournament but they stayed at second place in the table with 14 points from 13 games.

"It was never enough. We thought 140 might be a good total to sort of get into the game on that kind of wicket. We weren't brave enough with the bat throughout the innings and credit to them (SRH) - they used the pitch well and the change of pace," Kohli said after the match.

"It is a competitive tournament and you can't take any games lightly or any teams for granted, the situation is in front of us - we have to win our last game to hopefully finish in the top two."

Kohli said Monday's game against Delhi Capitals in Abu Dhabi would be a cracker with both the teams locked at 14 points.

"I have always been a Bangalore boy in the IPL, never sort of drifted towards Delhi," Kohli said.

Kohli said dew played an important role in the second innings.

"Things changed drastically in the second innings. There was a lot of dew which we didn't quite predict. They got it right at the toss eventually. In the end it was very difficult to hold the ball.

"Strange one. In between we thought the weather has become pleasant and there wasn't any dew, but last few games in Dubai and here as well there has been dew. The pattern keeps changing but regardless (of that) you need to have runs on the board."

SRH now have 12 points from 13 games and need to win their last league game against table-toppers Mumbai Indians to stay in the hunt.

Their captain David Warner said SRH's goal was clear coming into the match— win the last two games and progress into the play-offs.

"We knew we had to beat the top two teams in order to progress. We got one more to go against Mumbai. Losing Vijay (Shankar) is a big miss. For us we have worked out, how to go about at the top of the order.

"With the bowling, all the credit goes to them. We are finding the right balance and the right partnerships. To go for less than 20 in 4 overs, it's ridiculous," he said.

"We knew we had to win today, and that's the case in the next game. In 2016 we had to win three games and we did that."

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Dubai: They have just given their playoffs qualification hopes a lift and Rajasthan Royals will look to sustain the momentum against Kolkata Knight Riders in another must-win IPL game on Sunday.

Besides a victory in their last league game, the inaugural edition winners will also need other results to go their way if they are to make the playoffs of the lucrative event, in its 13th edition now.

The best-case scenario for RR would be Kings XI Punjab and Sunrisers Hyderabad losing their respective last matches.

In that case, RR will go through with 14 points, without net run rate coming into play.

However, RR's first task is to do what is within its control – win the match against the Knight Riders and then hope for the best. Given the tight situation, the bigger the margin of win, the better it will be for the Steve Smith-led side.

The Royals can certainly look forward to their batting at the Dubai International Stadium. Their talismanic England all-rounder Ben Stokes has just won a Man-of-the-Match award, having made a breezy half century after picking up two wickets, in the team's win over Kings XI Punjab on Friday.

The 2019 World Cup final hero getting his mojo back, at such a crucial juncture of the tournament, is great news for the Royals. And, needless to say, a bad one for KKR as the leading all-rounder can singlehandedly influence the outcome of a game.

Sanju Samson rediscovering his touch must have also gladdened the hearts of the RR team management. The wicketkeeper-batsman had started the tournament on an explosive note before going off the rails midway, only to come back all guns blazing against KXIP.

Skipper Smith can play according to the situation and opener Robin Uthappa can put any attack to the sword on his day.

No opposition takes Jos Buttler lightly and then there is Rahul Tewatia and young Riyan Parag down the order, beefing up RR's batting.

Jofra Archer has been the standout performer with the ball and he will again shoulder RR's responsibility in bowling.

While they have as many points as RR and KXIP, KKR's road to the playoffs looks the toughest, thanks to their abysmal net run rate. Their only chance of qualification is if they beat Royals and finish on 14 points, with none of the other contenders reaching that tally. That seems improbable, the last two successive losses badly hurting their prospects.

Nevertheless, the likes of Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, captain Eoin Morgan in batting and Varun Chakravarthy, Pat Cummins and Kamlesh Nagarkoti with ball would like to give it their all.

Kolkata Knight Riders full squad: Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Kuldeep Yadav, Ali Khan, Lockie Ferguson, Nitish Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Rinku Singh, Sandeep Warrier, Shivam Mavi, Shubman Gill, Siddhesh Lad, Sunil Narine, Pat Cummins, Eoin Morgan, Varun Chakravarthy, Tom Banton, Rahul Tripathi, Chris Green, M Siddharth, Nikhil Naik

Rajasthan Royals full squad: Steve Smith, Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, Jos Buttler, Mahipal Lomror, Manan Vohra, Riyan Parag, Robin Uthappa, David Miller, Ankit Rajpoot, Mayank Markande, Shreyas Gopal, Varun Aaron, Jaydev Unadkat, Kartik Tyagi, Akash Singh, Oshane Thomas, Andrew Tye, Rahul Tewatia, Shashank Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Anirudha Joshi, Tom Curran, Sanju Samson, Anuj Rawat.

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Abu Dhabi: Their play-off chances hanging in balance, Kings XI Punjab will leave no stone unturned as they take on Chennai Super Kings in a must-win Indian Premier League game on Sunday.

KXIP's chances of a top four finish took a serious hit after Rajasthan Royals handed them a seven-wicket loss, snapping their impressive five match-winning streak.

KXIP will now have to win against CSK to remain in the contention for the playoffs with 14 points. Their net run-rate is -0.133 which can work in their favour.

CSK, already out of the reckoning for the first time ever, will aim to end their dismal campaign on a positive note.

The Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led team, languishing at the bottom of the points table, head in to the clash after notching up back-to-back wins over RCB and Kolkata Knight Riders.

With skipper Rahul, the leading run-scorer of the tournament, and the flamboyant Chris Gayle coming good and the marauding Nicholas Pooran to follow at No 4, KXIP will fancy their chances at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium.

It remains to be seen if Mayank Agarwal, who has missed three games, returns to the side.

KXIP's bowling has been instrumental in their recent wins. However, against the Royals they leaked runs and were unable to pick wickets and skipper Rahul will hope his bowlers will be on top of their game against a CSK side, which cruised to a 10-wicket win in their previous meeting.

For CSK, 23-year-old Ruturaj Gaikwad has shown a lot of spark, notching up back-to-back fifties to set up the wins against RCB and KKR. Ravindra Jadeja has been in fantastic form, smashing boundaries and sixes towards the end of the innings.

The CSK bowling unit, boosted by the inclusion of New Zealand spinner Mitchell Santer, has done well in the previous two outings and will look to keep the momentum going.

Chennai Super Kings full squad: MS Dhoni, Imran Tahir, Lungi Ngidi, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, Murali Vijay, Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar, Piyush Chawla, N Jagadeesan, Mitchell Santner, KM Asif, Shardul Thakur, R Sai Kishore, Faf du Plessis, Monu Kumar, Dwayne Bravo, Josh Hazlewood, Sam Curran, Karn Sharma.

Kings XI Punjab full squad: KL Rahul (Captain), Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, Sarfaraz Khan, Mandeep Singh, Sheldon Cottrell, Ishan Porel, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Shami, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Arshdeep Singh, Hardus Viljoen, M Ashwin, J Suchith, Harpreet Brar, Darshan Nalkande, Glenn Maxwell, James Nee

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Eoin Morgan and Steve Smith will be under pressure as Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) face each other in their final match of the round-robin stage at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday.

Both teams are on 12 points from 13 matches and need a win to keep hopes alive for a spot in the playoffs.

RR are coming into the match after a superb win against Kings XI Punjab so they will look to make most of the winning momentum. In terms of net run-rate, Rajasthan (-0.377) are also better than Kolkata (-0.467) so a victory will be crucial in their efforts to make it to the playoffs.

KKR suffered defeats in their previous two matches which seriously dented their chances of securing a top four spot. A positive result on Sunday and the team will end up with 14 points but they will have to wait for other match results to go in their way. The net run-rate is a significant factor and KKR's number is lower than all teams except Chennai Super Kings.

Since it's a must-win for both the teams, expect fierce cricket from both the teams.

Here's all you need to know about KKR vs RR:

When is the 54th match of the IPL 2020 between KKR vs RR?

The 54th match of the IPL 2020 between KKR vs RR is on Sunday, 1 November 2020.

Where will the KKR vs RR match be played?

The match will be played at the Dubai International Stadium.

What time does the KKR VS RR match start?

The match will start at 7.30 pm IST (6 pm UAE time).

Which TV channels will broadcast the KKR vs RR match?

All the IPL matches will be shown live on Star Sports India channels and games can also be streamed live on Disney + Hotstar. You can follow the live blog and updates on www.Firstpost.com

Squads:

Kolkata Knight Riders full squad: Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Kuldeep Yadav, Ali Khan, Lockie Ferguson, Nitish Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Rinku Singh, Sandeep Warrier, Shivam Mavi, Shubman Gill, Siddhesh Lad, Sunil Narine, Pat Cummins, Eoin Morgan, Varun Chakravarthy, Tom Banton, Rahul Tripathi, Chris Green, M Siddharth, Nikhil Naik

Rajasthan Royals full squad: Steve Smith, Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, Jos Buttler, Mahipal Lomror, Manan Vohra, Riyan Parag, Robin Uthappa, David Miller, Ankit Rajpoot, Mayank Markande, Shreyas Gopal, Varun Aaron, Jaydev Unadkat, Kartik Tyagi, Akash Singh, Oshane Thomas, Andrew Tye, Rahul Tewatia, Shashank Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Anirudha Joshi, Tom Curran, Sanju Samson, Anuj Rawat.

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Click here to check out the full IPL 2020 Schedule

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Chennai Super Kings lock horns with Kings XI Punjab in the 53rd match of the Indian Premier League at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

KXIP's winning run finally came to an end after they were thumped by seven wickets by Rajasthan Royals. After winning just one from seven games, KXIP roared back in style with five wins in a row to stay alive in the tournament. They still need to do a lot of work to make it to the playoffs. Firstly, they need to wipe off the loss in the last match and not let it play on their mind. Momentum is a crucial thing and when it gets broken, you can just derail and get out of track. They need to get their act together and go all out against CSK.

In the five matches prior to the RR loss, KXIP's all-round game stood out. The batsmen delivered and their middle and death overs bowling was excellent. But in the last match, the bowlers suffered a hammering, apart from Ravi Bishnoi, every bowler went for over 20 runs an over.

The bowlers need to bounce back and put in a much better performance against CSK. Early wickets will be the key given that CSK's top order has been performing well.

Another challenge for KXIP would be to stop CSK who have undergone sort of resurgence with two wins in their last two matches. They are out of the tournament now and playing fearless cricket with nothing to lose attitude.

Chris Gayle has breathed life back into this KXIP campaign and he will be the biggest threat to CSK. There will also be a lot of expectations from Glenn Maxwell.

To the relief of all the fans, CSK have started winning matches and are playing with much more verve and energy. They are playing a fearless brand of cricket which was missing in the early part of the campaign. They would like to sign off on a positive note in their last match with an eye on building for the future. They do have some talented youngsters who as showing their mettle. Ruturaj Gaikwad has shown that he is a tough character and can play shots all round the wicket. He would look to carry forward the momentum of two half-centuries (and Man of the Match performances) in two matches in the KXIP match.

Dhoni has faltered in this edition and he will desperately look to sign off on a positive note. Ravindra Jadeja showed that he can be handy with the bat down the order, however, CSK should look to bat him up a bit up the order with the confidence on his side.

Earlier in the tournament when these two teams met, CSK thumped KXIP by 10 wickets as the openers Shane Watson and Faf du Plessis chased down 179 with 14 balls to spare.

With KXIP looking to stay afloat and CSK looking to sign off with a win, we can expect a thriller.

Here's all you need to know about the CSK vs KXIP match in Abu Dhabi:

When is the 53rd match of the IPL between CSK vs KXIP?

The 53rd match of the IPL between CSK vs KXIP is on Sunday, 1 November 2020.

Where will the CSK vs KXIP match be played?

The match will be played at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

What time does the CSK VS KXIP match start?

The match will start at 3.30 pm IST (2 pm UAE time).

Which TV channels will broadcast the CSK vs KXIP match?

All the IPL matches will be shown live on Star Sports India channels and games can also be streamed live on Disney + Hotstar. You can follow the live blog and updates on www.Firstpost.com

Squads:

Chennai Super Kings full squad: MS Dhoni, Imran Tahir, Lungi Ngidi, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, Murali Vijay, Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar, Piyush Chawla, N Jagadeesan, Mitchell Santner, KM Asif, Shardul Thakur, R Sai Kishore, Faf du Plessis, Monu Kumar, Dwayne Bravo, Josh Hazlewood, Sam Curran, Karn Sharma.

Kings XI Punjab full squad: KL Rahul (Captain), Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, Sarfaraz Khan, Mandeep Singh, Sheldon Cottrell, Ishan Porel, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Shami, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Arshdeep Singh, Hardus Viljoen, M Ashwin, J Suchith, Harpreet Brar, Darshan Nalkande, Glenn Maxwell, James Neesham, Chris Jordan, Krishnappa Gowtham, Deepak Hooda, Tajinder Singh Dhillon, Nicholas Pooran, Prabhsimran Singh.

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Click here to check out the full IPL 2020 Schedule

Click here to read all IPL team previews

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Eoin Morgan and Steve Smith will be under pressure as Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) face each other in their final match of the round-robin stage at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday.

Both teams are on 12 points from 13 matches and need a win to keep hopes alive for a spot in the playoffs.

RR are coming into the match after a superb win against Kings XI Punjab so they will look to make most of the winning momentum. In terms of net run-rate, Rajasthan (-0.377) are also better than Kolkata (-0.467) so a victory will be crucial in their efforts to make it to the playoffs.

KKR suffered defeats in their previous two matches which seriously dented their chances of securing a top four spot. A positive result on Sunday and the team will end up with 14 points but they will have to wait for other match results to go in their way. The net run-rate is a significant factor and KKR's number is lower than all teams except Chennai Super Kings.

Since it's a must-win for both the teams, expect fierce cricket from both the teams.

Here's all you need to know about KKR vs RR:

When is the 54th match of the IPL 2020 between KKR vs RR?

The 54th match of the IPL 2020 between KKR vs RR is on Sunday, 1 November 2020.

Where will the KKR vs RR match be played?

The match will be played at the Dubai International Stadium.

What time does the KKR VS RR match start?

The match will start at 7.30 pm IST (6 pm UAE time).

Which TV channels will broadcast the KKR vs RR match?

All the IPL matches will be shown live on Star Sports India channels and games can also be streamed live on Disney + Hotstar. You can follow the live blog and updates on www.Firstpost.com

Squads:

Kolkata Knight Riders full squad: Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Kuldeep Yadav, Ali Khan, Lockie Ferguson, Nitish Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Rinku Singh, Sandeep Warrier, Shivam Mavi, Shubman Gill, Siddhesh Lad, Sunil Narine, Pat Cummins, Eoin Morgan, Varun Chakravarthy, Tom Banton, Rahul Tripathi, Chris Green, M Siddharth, Nikhil Naik

Rajasthan Royals full squad: Steve Smith, Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, Jos Buttler, Mahipal Lomror, Manan Vohra, Riyan Parag, Robin Uthappa, David Miller, Ankit Rajpoot, Mayank Markande, Shreyas Gopal, Varun Aaron, Jaydev Unadkat, Kartik Tyagi, Akash Singh, Oshane Thomas, Andrew Tye, Rahul Tewatia, Shashank Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Anirudha Joshi, Tom Curran, Sanju Samson, Anuj Rawat.

Click here to read factboxes of all IPL teams

Click here to check out the full IPL 2020 Schedule

Click here to read all IPL team previews

Click here to read IPL FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

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New Delhi: Former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara is afraid that Delhi Capitals could miss out on a play-off berth due to an inconsistent top-order performance of late.

After a dominating show in the first phase, the Capitals suffered three straight defeats to slip to the third spot with 14 points, making their last two league games crucial for their qualification in the last-four stage.

The 59-run loss to Kolkata Knight Riders and 88-run defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad has severely dented Delhi's net run-rate, pushing them down to the third spot behind table toppers Mumbai and Royal Challengers Bangalore, who are also on 14 points.

"I am suddenly worried about Delhi Capitals. In the last few games, their batting hasn't really looked as strong as it should've," Sangakkara said on Star Sports' show 'Cricket Live'.

"It's highly dependent on their top-order, no of the other batsman have got the quick runs. So, they could be the fourth one, but I would not be too sure," he added.

It's a mad scramble for the play-offs. With only Mumbai Indians securing a berth, six teams are in the hunt for the remaining three spots.

"Well, Mumbai is quiet secure, I think RCB will make it there (playoffs) as well," Sangakkara said.

The former wicketkeeper batsman predicted a top four finish for King XI Punjab, who have infused life into their campaign with five consecutive wins and suffered their first defeat in weeks against Rajasthan Royals on Friday.

"I would say, Kings XI Punjab will make it there as well. And the fourth one, I am just struggling to make a concrete prediction on the fourth one."

Former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar said it will be a close battle between KXIP and Rajsthan Royals for the final play-off spot.

"My three teams, which will qualify are, DC, RCB and Mumbai Indians. These are the three that will qualify.

"And I think it is going to be pretty close between RR and Kings XI, these are the two teams, out of which you will get the fourth team," Gavaskar added.

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Live Updates of Today Match between Delhi Capitals vs Mumbai Indians from Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai. Check commentary and full scoreboard of the match.

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Rohit Sharma, who has had to sit out the last three games for Mumbai Indians, was not named in any of the three squads for India's tour of Australia.

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DC vs MI LIVE Match: Mumbai Indians have already qualified for IPL 2020 playoffs, while Delhi Capitals are yet to secure their berth.

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IPL 2020 Live Scoreboard DC vs MI: Delhi Capitals will look to seal a spot in the playoffs by beating Mumbai Indians after a poor run of form.

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IPL 2020 LIVE SCORE, Delhi Capitals vs Mumbai Indians latest updates: It was pretty smooth sailing for Delhi Capitals at the beginning of the tournament but they now find themselves in a spot of bother. The Shreyas Iyer-led side has lost their last three matches though they still need just one win to qualify for the playoffs. Today they will up against table-toppers Mumbai Indians who have already qualified for the playoffs but could finish outside the top two in the league table if they lose their remaining two matches.

Preview: Delhi Capitals lock horns with Mumbai Indians in the 51st match of the Indian Premier League at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

At one point in time, Delhi Capitals were cruising and looked a formidable side who had the perfect balance and the one to beat. Now, the tables have turned. They are struggling to get a win on the board and have lost their last three matches.

Their batting has let them down big time. Their last two totals read - 131 all out and 135/9. Their problems have continued. One of the openers hasn't clicked. Ajinkya Rahane has flopped, while Prithvi Shaw has lost his touch.

The rest of the batting order too needs to step up. Marcus Stoinis has gone cold, Hetmyer has been inconsistent. Rishabh Pant hasn't found the perfect balance between defence and attack.

Head coach Ricky Ponting admitted that chasing is a concern and DC need to hit the reset button.

"It's been a concern. When we decide to bowl first, we've given away big totals. We have to get better at that, we need to be better at bowling first and at chasing totals because so far, it hasn't worked for us," said Ponting after the match in the post-match conference.

"We had a rough idea from the start of the game on how many points one might need to qualify. We got to seven wins quite quickly, and now lost three in a row. We have to reset right now," Ponting added.

The bowling too needs improvement. R Ashwin hasn't found his rhythm in the last two matches while Tushar Deshpande has gone for plenty.

DC need to get their mojo back quickly. They play the top two sides in their last two fixtures and it could be tough. They are still not in a do or die situation but you never know what can happen in this unpredictable tournament.

Mumbai, on the other hand, have become the first team to qualify for the playoffs, thanks to CSK's win over KKR on Thursday. They would like to strengthen their position at the top of the table and their chances of ending in the top two.

After the thumping loss to Rajasthan Royals, they would have gained a lot of confidence in the way they chased down 165 against RCB in their last match. Suryakumar Yadav was the man of the moment and with the form he is in, he will again be a big threat for the DC bowlers. There is still uncertainty about Rohit Sharma's participation and in his absence, Kieron Pollard will continue to lead the side. Pollard has impressed with his leadership.

The MI bowlers bowled well in the middle overs and the death against RCB, they would look to improve on their powerplay bowling. Trent Boult has gone for runs in the last couple of matches and would look to get back to his best as soon as possible.

When these two teams met earlier in the tournament, Mumbai beat DC easily by five wickets with Quinton de Kock and Yadav scoring half-centuries to chase down 163.

Mumbai Indians would look for consistency and momentum ahead of the playoffs. We can expect a cracker.

Mumbai Indians full squad: Rohit Sharma, Sherfane Rutherford, Suryakumar Yadav, Anmolpreet Singh, Chris Lynn, Saurabh Tiwary, Dhawal Kulkarni, Jasprit Bumrah, Mitchell McClenaghan, Rahul Chahar, Trent Boult, Mohsin Khan, Prince Balwant Rai Singh, Digvijay Deshmukh, Hardik Pandya, Jayant Yadav, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Anukul Roy, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Ishan Kishan, Quinton de Kock, Aditya Tare, James Pattinson

Delhi Capitals full squad: Shreyas Iyer (Captain), Prithvi Shaw, Ajinkya Rahane, Shikhar Dhawan, Daniel Sams, Ishant Sharma, Amit Mishra, Avesh Khan, Sandeep Lamichhane, Kagiso Rabada, Keemo Paul, Mohit Sharma, Lalit Yadav, Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, R Ashwin, Marcus Stoinis, Anrich Nortje, Rishabh Pant, Alex Carey, Shimron Hetmyer, Tushar Deshpande.

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Chennai Super Kings lock horns with Kings XI Punjab in the 53rd match of the Indian Premier League at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

KXIP's winning run finally came to an end after they were thumped by seven wickets by Rajasthan Royals. After winning just one from seven games, KXIP roared back in style with five wins in a row to stay alive in the tournament. They still need to do a lot of work to make it to the playoffs. Firstly, they need to wipe off the loss in the last match and not let it play on their mind. Momentum is a crucial thing and when it gets broken, you can just derail and get out of track. They need to get their act together and go all out against CSK.

In the five matches prior to the RR loss, KXIP's all-round game stood out. The batsmen delivered and their middle and death overs bowling was excellent. But in the last match, the bowlers suffered a hammering, apart from Ravi Bishnoi, every bowler went for over 20 runs an over.

The bowlers need to bounce back and put in a much better performance against CSK. Early wickets will be the key given that CSK's top order has been performing well.

Another challenge for KXIP would be to stop CSK who have undergone sort of resurgence with two wins in their last two matches. They are out of the tournament now and playing fearless cricket with nothing to lose attitude.

Chris Gayle has breathed life back into this KXIP campaign and he will be the biggest threat to CSK. There will also be a lot of expectations from Glenn Maxwell.

To the relief of all the fans, CSK have started winning matches and are playing with much more verve and energy. They are playing a fearless brand of cricket which was missing in the early part of the campaign. They would like to sign off on a positive note in their last match with an eye on building for the future. They do have some talented youngsters who as showing their mettle. Ruturaj Gaikwad has shown that he is a tough character and can play shots all round the wicket. He would look to carry forward the momentum of two half-centuries (and Man of the Match performances) in two matches in the KXIP match.

Dhoni has faltered in this edition and he will desperately look to sign off on a positive note. Ravindra Jadeja showed that he can be handy with the bat down the order, however, CSK should look to bat him up a bit up the order with the confidence on his side.

Earlier in the tournament when these two teams met, CSK thumped KXIP by 10 wickets as the openers Shane Watson and Faf du Plessis chased down 179 with 14 balls to spare.

With KXIP looking to stay afloat and CSK looking to sign off with a win, we can expect a thriller.

Here's all you need to know about the CSK vs KXIP match in Abu Dhabi:

When is the 53rd match of the IPL between CSK vs KXIP?

The 53rd match of the IPL between CSK vs KXIP is on Sunday, 1 November 2020.

Where will the CSK vs KXIP match be played?

The match will be played at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

What time does the CSK VS KXIP match start?

The match will start at 3.30 pm IST (2 pm UAE time).

Which TV channels will broadcast the CSK vs KXIP match?

All the IPL matches will be shown live on Star Sports India channels and games can also be streamed live on Disney + Hotstar. You can follow the live blog and updates on www.Firstpost.com

Squads:

Chennai Super Kings full squad: MS Dhoni, Imran Tahir, Lungi Ngidi, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, Murali Vijay, Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar, Piyush Chawla, N Jagadeesan, Mitchell Santner, KM Asif, Shardul Thakur, R Sai Kishore, Faf du Plessis, Monu Kumar, Dwayne Bravo, Josh Hazlewood, Sam Curran, Karn Sharma.

Kings XI Punjab full squad: KL Rahul (Captain), Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, Sarfaraz Khan, Mandeep Singh, Sheldon Cottrell, Ishan Porel, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Shami, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Arshdeep Singh, Hardus Viljoen, M Ashwin, J Suchith, Harpreet Brar, Darshan Nalkande, Glenn Maxwell, James Neesham, Chris Jordan, Krishnappa Gowtham, Deepak Hooda, Tajinder Singh Dhillon, Nicholas Pooran, Prabhsimran Singh.

Click here to read factboxes of all IPL teams

Click here to check out the full IPL 2020 Schedule

Click here to read all IPL team previews

Click here to read IPL FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

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