IPL newcomers, Rajasthan bolster play-off chances with wins on Super Saturday
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00:00It was like a mismatch. It seemed like KKR had put up a B team in front of a strong Lucknow team.
00:14Hello, good evening. Welcome to yet another episode of Straight Bat with Gulf News and Mr. Cricket UAE.
00:22Tonight we have assembled after the Super Saturday with me. I have got Mr. Anish Sajan, the man
00:27himself, whom we call Mr. Cricket UAE, aka Satish, Sports Editor of Gulf News. We have got Anmol,
00:35the Punjab Kings fan, and myself, Gautam, who will be discussing the day's games.
00:42I'll come to Anishbhai first up. Anishbhai, certainly one of the most one-sided matches
00:49which kind of consolidates Lucknow Super Giants position in the second spot in the table.
00:54Your thoughts, please. Thank you, Gautam. Hi, Satish. Hi, Anmol. And hello to all the lovely people of
01:00Gulf News. Yes, it was like a mismatch. It seemed like KKR had put up a B team in front of a strong
01:06Lucknow team. And honestly, very, very disappointing to see the way Shreyas Iyer and the other guys
01:12played. And there was like, it seemed that they had not turned up and Lucknow Super Giants looked
01:19like a super giant in front of Kolkata Knight Riders, who have been there in this tournament
01:24for ages. Very, very disappointed, Gautam. Right, right. Yeah, I mean, another thing I would like
01:30to ask you at the same breath, I mean, what happened was not only was a one-sided match, but
01:35it from, you know, Lucknow Super Giants, along with Gujarat, they seem to be tiding over those
01:42critical moments in the match when things are not going their way. When they were batting, it was
01:46that kind of a situation, stop-start. Then Stoinis took charge of that one week over from Mavi.
01:53And then when they put that 176, it looked tough, but nobody expected this kind of a
01:59capitulation, isn't it? You're right. Like after losing Rahul without facing a ball,
02:04I felt KKR are up in it. But then you saw a good partnership between D.P. Ghoda
02:10and D.Kopp. And then they set the platform. After that, there was a little bit of fumble,
02:16but then as you mentioned that Mavi over, I'm surprised. I believe he should have gone for
02:21six-sixes the way he was bowling right in the slot. But he's a youngster. I am not sure when
02:27he's going to learn, but he's played enough cricket not to be bowling such rubbish bowling.
02:32But in the end, I would, you know, blame the KKR management for having such a side,
02:37chopping, changing. And today, they didn't have their main bowler, Romesh Yadav. And as I said,
02:42once again, I'll repeat, it looked like not a B or C class team of KKR facing the Giants Lucknow.
02:50Right. Well, on that note, I'll come to Satish. Satish, you know, when KKR knew, I mean,
02:58unlike their position vis-a-vis Lucknow was far different. They had to win this game if they had
03:04to have a semblance of a chance of doing what they did last year. But last year, the guy who
03:11was who played a significant role Venkatesh Iyer, they have dropped. You know, one of the few things
03:16they did right was possibly persist with team Saudi instead of again falling back on Pat Cummins.
03:23But this chopping and changing certainly left them with I mean, today,
03:28they were never up for it. As Aniz Bhai says that they never turned up for it. What do you feel?
03:36Gautam, it's not just now. I think right from the start, if you look at the of the three retained
03:43players, one was Venkatesh Iyer and the second one was Varun Chakravarty. Both have not been
03:48playing for the last few games. Then from there itself, they have gone wrong in their calculations.
03:54And ever since they have been playing, I think the management needs to really go for an overhaul
04:00because you have not just chopping and changing, even the bowling changes, even the way they
04:05approach a game. When Russell is bowling very well, why do you have to give it to Mavi instead
04:10of finishing Russell's fourth over? That beats me. Because when you have a person bowling well,
04:17and you could have restricted them, and it's not that Russell has gone off with an injury or
04:22something. Why not give him the fourth over and finish it off instead of giving Mavi who's
04:26considered some 30 runs and that tilted the balance. And I think in that particular wicket,
04:3410 teams have batted or rather won the toss and elected to field. And I think eight matches were
04:41lost while chasing. So these are some of the things that they need to take into consideration
04:47and then use those figures and see. Because I think if you have to win a game, and you need
04:54to show that desperation to win. But I see that more than the desperation, the commitment,
05:00I would say, up to the point that they are so desperate to win. That was missing,
05:04completely lacking with Kolkata, if you look at it. Shreyas Iyer comes, he plays a couple of shots
05:09and goes off. Yes, Ramesh Adev didn't play because of an injury. That could happen anytime.
05:17But whatever you had, okay, they had a good start, you pull them back again. And then,
05:24instead of finishing on a high, with that last two overs, they gave away the…
05:31They considered the initiative back to Lucknow, who must have come back with the upper hand.
05:37And it's all mind game, you play psychologically. This would have
05:40certainly affected the batting when they came back. And again, if you're looking at 176 or
05:48chasing a big total, you need to come back with a different plan.
05:52Satish, one thing I need to ask you, like on this kind of a wick,
06:00you know that you're chasing a target, you know how much you're going to chase and you also know
06:06that these guys are hitting the hard lane, the ball is coming off the wicket at a trajectory,
06:13you need to play the waiting game rather than going for those cavalier shots. Baba and Rajit,
06:19then I found Aaron Fincher's approach quite perplexing, apart from that one innings where
06:27he clicked. So, what do you make of that? Yes, sir. That's for you.
06:34That's again like, even there, you could have made some changes. Maybe instead of sending
06:39Baba, Rajit, you could have sent Sunil Narayan. Try your luck. Of course, it will be another
06:43chopping and changing because they have experimented so much. They don't know which
06:47is right and which is wrong. By that time, they should have had a set team. But again, it's still
06:51not… It's still worth trying if you're chasing a big total. And what they didn't expect is,
06:58Lucknow had made their homework right and they never gave Kolkata batters anywhere in the
07:03length ball also. Even the good length ball, they were giving it short of length so that
07:08you have to play the back foot shots, which everybody was committing on the front foot
07:14and making the mistakes, including Shreyas Iyer. And that's where Russell found that out and he
07:18was hitting every shot on the back foot, if you look at it. Right. I mean, I would go to the
07:25extent of saying that Shreyas is… Now, I think they have done… The rivals have done their
07:31homework on Shreyas. And with this technique, he could be in trouble for all the reputation that
07:37he has built up. He could be in trouble on Australian wickets as well. Anyway, we'll come
07:42to that. But we have also got a fan in Anmol here. Anmol, a decent performance from Punjab
07:51Kings. But finally, they had to go down. I mean, the damage was initially done by
07:57Iswandar Chahal in the afternoon game. I mean, when Punjab looked good for something in the region
08:02of 200. And then finally, they closed the match. They got a… Today, Jashashree was an unlikely
08:12hero for Rajasthan Royals. How do you sum up your team's performance, Anmol?
08:21Anmol? Hello, sir. Hello. Yeah. Yeah. Hi. Hi. First of all, sir, it was a good start by
08:28Johnny Baistro. Yeah, Shikhar Dhawan got out unlikely. But after that, there was a
08:35middle order with Rajya Paksha and Baistro. They both played really well. And the finishing touches
08:40by Jitesh Sharma. He's exceptionally well as compared to the Shah Rukh Khan that we brought
08:47from for 9 crores. And we bought Jitesh Sharma for only 20 lakhs. Sorry, price doesn't matter
08:52here. But the performance does. He has exceptionally as decently give the finishing
08:58touches to the Punjab. But if we come to the bowling, I think the Rajasthan was one step
09:04ahead of the Punjab because they knew that what Punjab Kings would be doing. And they would
09:10one step ahead and they were getting the momentum after the wicket of before the wicket of Joss
09:17Butler. He smashed Rabada. But actually, the Rabada has the last lap and that over. But after
09:23that, if we see on that, the last six overs, five overs were of Arshadib, a combined of five
09:32overs of Arshadib and Rabada was there. But after that, a one over of Rahul Chahar. They could have
09:39done Rahul Chahar over before and last five overs of Rabada and Arshadib too. But that momentum or
09:48that anything what we say that management couldn't get it and that lost the match.
09:55Right. Well, you see, I mean, you still got to play three matches. You're at seven now.
10:01Your run rate is, you know, you're seventh on the run rate. There are other teams on 10 points.
10:07But how much of a chance are you backing your team to win all these three, reach 16 points and see
10:14how it works? Do you think it's possible? Yeah, it is possible because in this IPL, nothing is
10:21impossible. Yeah. But if we have won it today, that would be a different scenario. Because
10:28if we have won the four in the fourth, that would be 18 points. We would have 18 points and
10:34this would be on the different level. But after that, we have lost the today's one. Three in the
10:39three games looks very difficult. But I say that 40 or 45% chances are there for the playoffs.
10:47Right. I'll come to Aneesbhai on that score. Rajasthan have managed to bug the trend again,
10:54and they're sitting pretty in third place. Ideally, the way they should have started,
11:00they should have been in second. What do you make of Rajasthan's performance from here onwards,
11:06Aneesbhai? I mean, you're full of praise about Chahal. You know, again, he pulled it back
11:14for them. So what do you feel about Rajasthan's chances? Moving on. So when you look at their
11:19side, Mr. Gautam, their side looks like a complete package, you know, where they have the best
11:24opener in Josh Butler. In Samju Samson, they have a batsman who's got a lot of talent,
11:29unfortunately, flatters to deceive. And then if you talk about they have a good finisher in Hetmayar.
11:36So these three blokes are big players in their team. And when you talk about the bowlers, okay,
11:41bowl has not been so phenomenal, but he's a decent bowler and two best spinners in the world. And
11:46Prasidh Krishna is equally bowling well. So is Kuldeep Sen. So if you look at the composition
11:51of this side, it is good. I mean, on their day, they can beat anybody. They don't look like a
11:57weak side like we see like KKR or I'm afraid about Punjab, where they are good on one side and bad
12:03on the other side. This is a complete package. And as much as I would, you know, I like the
12:09Gujarat's and the Lucknow's. This is a team on a day on a turn track, they can beat the opposition
12:15on the day. And today again, they dominated the chase. They were chasing almost 10 runs per over.
12:22And I'm afraid I would call poor captainship of all like Punjab Kings were never able to defend
12:30their target. And when you give the last over of Rahul Chahar, who's been having a terrible
12:35tournament in this to bowl to a left-hander who's in form, the first ball is whacked him out of the
12:40six, showed that what sort of management issues they're having or the coaching coming from inside.
12:47I'm afraid Punjab has totally lost it on the field and off the field.
12:52Again, to add to Anisbhai's point, Jitesh Sharma, yes, he came good. But you have a
12:59Liam Livingstone who is proven this year that no, like he can come and no, like take the game away.
13:04He comes after Jitesh Sharma, after Mayank Agarwal, everybody. There seems to be no
13:10thinking process going on. Brain loss, brain loss.
13:18Right. And again, coming back Anisbhai, given the SSB, I think he's playing after
13:23five, six games, he was dropped and he's coming back after a long gap.
13:27You know, his innings saved the innings of Padikkal, let's put it this way.
13:31His innings, after Butler's loss, kept on the momentum. Otherwise, they would have been in
13:36trouble. But you can't take anything away from Rajasthan Royals. They dominated the game.
13:41In the bowling, they leaked a little extra 10-15 runs. But mind you, every team has been leaking,
13:47but they have a team. And I'm telling you, if they bat first, they put 170-180, they are a team
13:52we can defend. And I hope Sanju Samson will win the toss and start batting first and not chasing.
13:58I think he's not winning the toss. That's the biggest problem.
14:04Anyway, Anisbhai, I'll come to you. I mean, before we move on, of course,
14:08I will need your, you know, if you can just run through about the competition once more,
14:13that we are running and which has had quite an overwhelming response. I mean,
14:17it's a different issue that a lot of them are getting it wrong. But yeah.
14:22So am I. To be very honest, after this 4-1-90, I said, for sure, they're going to defend this,
14:30because it's a daily game. I had expected the bowlers to come into play, but I got it wrong.
14:34But if you get it right, you are going to win an apparel kit, which is a track t-shirt and a cap
14:40and a year's digital subscription of Golf News. So make sure to log on to your favorite page,
14:44Golf News. Right. Before we get on to the predictions, I will quickly pick Satish's
14:51brain. See, now, we are, you know, at the business end of the tournament, we are,
14:56I think we are looking at the top two, possibly top three. And with the fourth place, a little
15:02bit of, you know, ifs and buts there. So Satish, who could be your fourth team? And what look is
15:09the final four going to take? Can you quickly take us through that? Lucknow has gone into the number
15:15one slot, Gautam, and they have a very, very healthy run rate of 0.7, which is quite high,
15:21probably the next one, Gujarat Titans have 0.12. So that shows what kind of a position they are in.
15:28So Lucknow and Gujarat are, I think, even the best teams I'm talking about, even if you look at
15:33even Chennai, if they win all four games, they will probably come to 14 points. So I think the
15:40fourth, I would say at this point in time, Bangalore looks the easiest because they are on 12
15:47points. And I think Rajasthan, Bangalore, the order which is right now there, will, should go.
15:54But IPL doesn't happen that way. We might even see somebody like Kolkata Knight Riders sneaking
15:59in the last minute. No way. Kolkata Knight Riders will come probably last or second last now.
16:06Or Punjab with, you know, like… Punjab still has a chance. You never know with Punjab.
16:12No, but, Anirudh, Punjab, all three games, they have to win at least a minimum of two.
16:19No need to win three.
16:21No, like, in that sense, the others also should lose. Like, Royals or somebody has to lose all
16:27their games because Bangalore has got three games. So if they win three, or even if they win two,
16:33they become 16 points. So it's going to be difficult for Punjab as well. Because if they
16:38win three, they will go to 16. But on the same token, if Bangalore wins two, they go to 16.
16:46So at this point…
16:49Yeah, I think you're looking at from what I gather from you, you're possibly looking at
16:55Rajasthan versus RCB for the eliminator as of now. But then, you know, surprises, you know,
17:02IPL always holds a series of surprises.
17:04See, if you look at Delhi or Sunrisers, they have played only 10 games, then that means they have
17:10four games in hand. They are on 10 points. So even if they win three, they will get to 16.
17:17So it's a very tricky situation. After a couple of losses, Sunrisers could also bounce back
17:23because they have the bowling strength. Three losses they have had, that's a bit worrying for
17:29them. The thing is, I will also ask you about tomorrow, because what's happening is tomorrow,
17:35the day game is between Sunrisers and Royal Challengers Bangalore. And the second one is,
17:40of course, Chennai Super Kings versus Delhi Capitals. So I think the Sunrisers game obviously
17:46holds more significance, at least on paper. So how do you look at these two matches?
17:52I still will go with Bangalore, because they have been firing on and off. But they look a
18:02better team on paper. But in this IPL, the better team on paper has not won it more often than not.
18:08That's a different issue. But I would bank on Bangalore to come good against Sunrisers,
18:13because now Sunrisers' confidence is shattered. Their bowling has been shattered to pieces.
18:19They have been banking too much on Umran Malik. I think if they again play the way the other
18:26teams have played in the last three games, the other two or three teams, whoever they've beaten,
18:30if they take a leaf out of that, I would go with Bangalore. And with Kohli coming good
18:36with some form, he can be a very dangerous customer. Because the faster you bowl,
18:42the faster he can hit also. And what about Chennai? I mean, I know that
18:48the stakes are not that much. But then, you know, they've got three wins under their belt. So
18:54do you want to see any experiments on the Chennai side on that note? I mean,
18:58which can give them some pointers for the next season?
19:01Already they have done it. I think Mukesh Choudhury has been one of the find of the season.
19:10Mukesh had been, you know, willy-nilly Mukesh had been, you know, operating in the power play
19:17and had been one of the main bowlers. Because of that injury of Chahar. But anybody else whom
19:24would you like to see in these next three games? Yeah, maybe, you know, instead of Robin Uthappa,
19:31if there are any extras remaining. And I have not seen this under-19 player. I think
19:37he was an all-rounder who played, who did well for India under-19. He has not been playing any
19:43games. So I would like to probably see him, how he does. But again, Chennai, they know when to
19:50push them to the bigger league. And then based on that, they will take a call. So
19:58it's too early for them also. Because again, like with four matches, if they win all four,
20:04they could come to 14 points also. So they could be too much of a strength.
20:09It might be too much of a strength to take the chance at this point of time. Maybe the last
20:13couple of days, if there's no chance at all, then they might take it. But tomorrow's match,
20:17they will play full strength. Right. I get your point. Anizbhai, your predictions on tomorrow's
20:22two games? I'll back RCB to win the first game. And the second game, I'll back Delhi.
20:28Delhi. Yeah. Okay. Anmol, I'll come to you quickly. Anmol, your take. Tomorrow, SRH versus
20:37RCB. And DC versus Chennai CSK. Yeah. In the first match, I will always, I will back RCB.
20:45Because RCB is my second favourite team after Punjab. And keeping aside the personal issues.
20:53Because if RCB wins against, if RCB wins tomorrow, I think they have to lose against
20:59the Punjab, which is their next match. Okay. And my second take would always be CSK. Because
21:09if CSK wins, DC is again losing. And after the RCB match… He's looking at it from Punjab
21:15perspective. No, no. I mean, see, all the fans are now looking at it from that perspective only.
21:21Which is very interesting, actually. Correct. That's the way it should be. See, that's the way
21:27it should be. Right. Yeah. Yeah. I think if you ask me, yes, there's a fair share of reasons why
21:35we can support or we can think that it could be RCB in the day game. And in the second game,
21:41I'll put my money on Delhi at this point. And let's see how it goes. So thanks to all of you
21:48for joining the show. Tomorrow after the game, I think we'll have the fans back in. And good night.